WWF Guianas to submit deforestation report next Tuesday

Oct 07, 2010 News

---

… Key mining impact study

WWF Guianas will, next Tuesday, be presenting the results of an assessment done to determine the deforestation rates of small and medium scale mining in Guyana, the organization announced yesterday.
The assessment was funded by FFEM, DGIS and WWF-NL and falls under the Gold Mining Pollution Abatement component of the Guianas Sustainable Natural Resource Management Project 2007-2011.

In September 2008, WWF Guianas, in collaboration with the ONF (National Forestry Office, France) commissioned the assessment using satellite images and other digitized data to determine the rate of deforestation of areas in Guyana, Suriname French Guiana and Northern Brazil (Amapa) due to small and medium scale mining activities.
The studies were done for base year 2000 and correlated with 2008 to determine the rate over the eight-year period and corresponding maps were developed.
“WWF recognizes the urgent need for immediate action in the interior of the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana) to minimize degradation. The use of inappropriate mining practices is creating extensive damage to the fragile tropical environment in the mining areas.”
According to WWF Guianas, gold deposits in the Guianas are associated with the Greenstone Belt, an ancient metamorphic rock formation that cuts rights through the Guyanas from east to west, and has the potential for hosting precious metals such as gold.
“Hydraulic mining is the most common gold mining method used in the Guianas today.  Current estimates suggest that there are about 5,000 to 8,000 mining units in operation; each unit employs about eight persons. Heavy equipment and powerful hydraulic jets are used to remove the overburden and the forest cover in order to expose the ore body.”
When heavy equipment is used large piles of overburden can be seen next to the excavated mining pits. Because the soil in these piles is loose it erodes quickly into nearby creeks and rivers causing increased turbidity and siltation. When the hydraulic system is used to remove the overburden it disappears as effluent into the waterways. No effort is made to protect the aesthetic or the physical values of some areas, the organization said.
Deforestation from gold mining causes significant erosion in the sloping landscapes of the mining areas, leading to changes in soil quality which slows down forest regeneration.
The large volume of discharge of effluent from hydraulic mining operations also causes turbidity and siltation downstream from the mining sites. Large plumes can be seen emerging from the creek that flow into the main rivers, discoloring the dark brown water into muddy brown.
These discharges are destroying floral ecosystems and causing a significant shift in fish populations, reducing the much desired species and allowing species that are not consumed to proliferate. Disturbances in terrain and hydrology also result in stagnant pools that become breeding places for malaria vectors. The illegal and uncontrolled gold mining is having an impact on nature conservation efforts in the Guianas.
Small scale gold mining is a highly complex and highly controversial issue in the Guianas. WWF acknowledges the important economic effect of the sector on local communities and well as on the national GDP.
Large numbers of miners and their families, as well as the services industry catering to the sub-sector, depend on mining for their livelihood. Current indications are that the very high price of gold on the world market will continue to fuel mining activities which will impact on the forest ecosystem
WWF has been collaborating with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA), the University of Guyana (UG) and individual small and medium scale miners to address the issues confronting the sector.
“As a part of our effort to support the governments in improving the monitoring of gold mining activities and deforestation in connection with the REDD and REDD+ initiatives, WWF Guianas will  be handing over copies of all the data, satellite images and maps to the relevant governmental agencies in Guyana.
“WWF Guianas is fully committed to working with all the various stakeholders in the mining sector in the Guianas to ensure that the major threats to the human and physical environment that result from mining are minimized.
The task is undoubtedly enormous but the organization will continue to make gold mining pollution abatement one of the central planks of its regional environmental conservation program for the benefit of present and future generations.”

---

---