North Rupununi indigenous community leaders and Iwokrama have issued a joint communique on illegal gold mining and renewed their commitment for the active co- management of the Iwokrama Forest.
Iwokrama has hosted a North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) meeting at the Iwokrama River Lodge annually since 2022 and this meeting held in early October 2024 saw the engagement of several new Toshaos and other leaders since village elections were held earlier this year.
A release yesterday from Iwokrama said that the signed Collaborative Management Agreement (CMA) sets out a framework under which the Iwokrama Forest is managed collaboratively between the Iwokrama International Centre and Communities (represented by NRDDB) with the purpose to promote conservation, sustainable and equitable use of the Programme Site. The Iwokrama Forest is also certified under an international forest certification scheme.
Chair of the NRDDB, Mike Williams along with the leadership strongly condemned any form of illegal gold mining within Iwokrama. The release said this practice has seen participation of some errant community members along with other Guyanese, Venezuelans and Brazilians.
Iwokrama and NRDDB agreed to:
1. Strongly condemn these illegal operations in the Iwokrama Forest.
2. Undertake to ensure that members of the communities understand that gold mining is illegal in the Iwokrama Forest and that supplying these illegal operations with materials and supplies is also illegal.
3. Will work together on a comprehensive monitoring programme with Iwokrama that will include communication and reporting mechanisms amongst each other and report on any suspicious activities in and around their communities and the Iwokrama Forest.
The Centre reminded the public and other stakeholders that extractive activities are not allowed in the Iwokrama Forest, unless the Centre gives express written permission. Additionally no such activity should be located within or near the one Kilometer buffer zone area, on the other side of the Siparuni River as that buffer offers protection to the Iwokrama Forest.
Over the past months, several enforcement activities led by state regulatory agencies have been undertaken to curb these illegal activities and several arrests have been made and equipment seized.
For further information on the management of the Iwokrama Forest and to report any illegal activities in the forest, contact Dr Raquel Thomas, Director, Resource Management on rthomas@iwokrama.org. More information on the Centre’s work is available on www.iwokrama.org , www.iwokramariverlodge.com and www.iwokramacanopywalkway.com
