The Iwokrama rainforest centre says it continues to be affected by illegal mining.
In a statement last night, it said that over the past week, the Centre’s staff together with teams from the Corps of Wardens under the Ministry of Natural Resources, Guyana Geology and Mines, Guyana Forestry Commission and Guyana Police Force carried out a monitoring and enforcement exercise in the Iwokrama Forest and buffer zone area, along the Siparuni River.
“Yet again, several camps and a shop continued to be in breach of the law, being located within or near the one Kilometer buffer zone area, on the other side of the Siparuni River, even though they were told repeatedly to remove from this zone by the regulatory agencies previously. On this occasion, these camps were removed with some assistance”, Iwokrama said.
It said that it has been faced with ongoing illegal gold mining incursions in the Iwokrama Protected Area since April 2019 and this got measurably worse in 2020 during the COVID restriction period. This resulted in a reduction in monitoring capacity, as such small dug pits escalated to felling of trees and use of small dredges to extract gold.
In September 2019, a miner, was arrested for illegally mining in the Iwokrama forest and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had indicated that this individual should be charged and brought before the court under the Iwokrama Act.
In October 2020, in a surprise operation, Iwokrama said that the inter-agency team team found itself targeted by gun fire from miners who quickly scampered away into the forest. One arrest was made and, the son of a prominent businessman in the North Rupununi area is now before the Court and this case is ongoing.
The Centre would like to once again remind the public and other stakeholders that these activities are not allowed in the Iwokrama Forest, unless the Centre gives express written permission for any of these activities to be undertaken.
Iwokrama said that collaboration (in this case, five agencies) is the only way to target such illegal activities and said it is grateful for the continued support from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Guyana Police Force. The release said that the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the said Ministry along with Deputy Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission were present on this last exercise and got a first-hand look at the damage caused within the Iwokrama Forest and also the continued unlawful occupation within the buffer zone.
The release said that in keeping with the mandate of Iwokrama, the Centre’s monitoring team together with the regulatory institutions in Guyana, will increase monitoring and targeted enforcement activities within the environs of the Iwokrama Forest. Further, the Centre says it will also be rigidly enforcing the prescribed penalties under the Iwokrama Act and other laws of Guyana to any person(s) found illegally operating in the Iwokrama Forest.
The Centre said it will also continue to offer a reward for any information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of persons(s) involved in illegal activities in the Iwokrama Forest. The Centre will also be following up on information it received on specific mining operators within the Iwokrama Forest. Any convictions will be fully publicized, it added.
