Re-vegetation is compulsory in French Guiana

Feb 20, 2010 News

This is how they do it: A “ camp” at a mining operation in French Guiana.

Miners always reclaim land

There is much that local gold and diamond miners can learn from their counterparts in French Guiana with respect to rehabilitation and re-vegetation of mined out areas.
“These two best practices have long been a requirement in French Guiana before a miner is allowed to take his operations elsewhere. As such those guys are very pro-active in rehabilitation and revegetation.
“In terms of knowledge attitudes and practice in this area, they are way ahead of our miners.”
So says Mr. Rickford Vieira, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Officer who is responsible for co-ordinating Gold Mining Pollution Abatement in Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
Vieira, who visits mining camps in French Guiana as part of his duties with WWF, said that the miners there in the main are sensitive about the environmental sustainability of their operations and are always willing to learn”, attitudes, he added, he would commend to our locals.
He said that the majority establish plant nurseries even while mining is in progress. On mining out an area, they backfill, then plant trees and then move on.”
He said that re-vegetation operations in French Guiana nail the myth that this has to a very expensive exercise.
“The only material which they use that may be relatively expensive is the plastic roofing for the nursery at about $3,000 (Guyana) or so. All other materials such as wood for the shelves and the frames for the nursery are local. The same can obtain here in Guyana too,” he said.
Other good practices, he observed being carried out by the French Guiana miners include very good camp sanitation.