By Cathy Richards
Several Linden residents who participated last week at the final sub-regional consultation on the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) voiced concerns about its effect on logging and mining and whether bauxite companies would be accountable for environmental damage.
A large number of persons including residents of Moraikobai and St Cuthbert’s Mission in Region Five, also attended the meeting, hosted at the Linmine Constabulary Recreational Hall. Leader of the Linden Salvation Council Phillip Bynoe called the LCDS a “visionary piece of document.” He said too despite the many gains that could be had from its implementation, consideration must be given to small miners and loggers. Bynoe said he recalled recently in the media the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) “in a very robust manner” telling miners that they must comply with the new regulations or get out, regarding the refilling of holes created after mining.
Bynoe submitted that BOSAI and RUSAL whose majority shareholdings are owned by foreign interests, are not required in a comprehensive way to refill mined-out areas and suggested that this may indicate some element of double-standards. What “I want to know is if there is going to be two standards to deal with small scale miners in terms of gold and diamond mining and large-scale mining that is [common] to Region 10 – bauxite mining. Bauxite mining has a larger carbon footprint than small-scale mining and when you look around Linden you would find some tremendously large holes,” he said. He also contended that small miners provide tens of thousands of jobs and contribute significantly to the economy “and in-fact can contribute far more.”
Several persons supported this view and residents queried if the agreement signed by the two major bauxite mining companies did not mandate them to refill mined-out areas, whether it could be renegotiated to include this, in keeping with certain aspects of the LCDS. In response the consultation team, led by Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud noted that President Bharrat Jagdeo had made it clear that the LCDS approach was not designed to penalize, impose or dislocate. In fact, Persaud said no new regulations had been imposed by the GGMC.
Persaud said too there are no rules specifically for big or small miners. However, he said BOSAI and RUSAL are required to do some amount of reclamation from bauxite mining operations which leave large mined-out areas. This condition had been enshrined in the environmental management plan for both companies. “The full extent and how much, we would need to seek further clarifications but certainly they are required because these require an environmental management plan,” he said. According to Persaud much emphasis is not put on bauxite in the LCDS because unlike gold and diamond mining, bauxite ore extraction is not done within the area that is considered forested. The strategy speaks specifically to the state forest estates where gold and diamond mining may be conducted.
Bynoe also said the forestry sector had provided large-scale employment and had been encouraging small operators and assisting with the establishment of forestry community groups and Amerindians. He noted that while the Amerindian villages could freely opt in or out, other small loggers do not have that freedom of choice which begs the question whether the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) would allow non-Amerindian small loggers to continue with their operations should the LCDS come to fruition. Bynoe said he wondered if the Commission would monitor what exists or “pursue vigorously the advancement of small logging.”
In response, the minister gave assurances that the GFC had not changed its policy and the policy of the LCDS is to promote small loggers and community forestry organisations whether they exist within or without Amerindian communities. “In fact, it is looking at building capacities, in creating clusters in ensuring that small farmers and the small players in the sector are also given the incentives,” he said.
Residents also voiced concerns about reforestation. Logger and farmer George Marshall posited that if the LCDS is to be implemented it would result in the scaling down of logging activities therefore systems should be put in place to provide employment for residents through reforestation exercises. Marshall also called for the instituting of a branch of the National Agricultural Research Institute at Linden as the strategy focused heavily on the agriculture industry and every effort should be made to boost farming in Linden, particularly from the level of the schools. He also recommended that studies be carried out on large plots of lands to explore the possibilities of reforestation.
Meanwhile, President of the Region 10 Forest Producers Association, Winston Smith questioned if there was a ‘Plan B’ for the LCDS. He contended that while the programme is excellent, it is possible that it could be met with objections when tabled at Copenhagen in December. Several other persons made contributions including the leaders from Moraikobai and St Cuthbert’s Mission. Some persons also asked the team to further explain some of the direct benefits residents can expect to gain from the Strategy.
The consultation team which hosted this meeting also included Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jennifer Webster and Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai.
