Mining and logging has in the past, as recent as 2008, caused major disruptions in the Amerindian way of life, with pollution and deforestation as major problems. Granted there was job creation and other immediate benefits from engaging in these activities, in a less than desirable way, but it can be said that the negative impacts of mining and logging countered any positives they may have created.
However, with the advancement of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), in particular the many consultations in Amerindian communities, the paradigm has been shifted and stakeholders engaged in mining and logging are more conscious of their actions.
A recognized voice in the Amerindian Community and Founder of The Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana, (TAAMOG), Mr. Peter Persaud said the LCDS has brought the environment into focus and has enhanced awareness.
According to him Amerindian people are now better positioned to address mining     and logging practices, as well as to improve them, while at the same time move their communities forward.
“Now the negative impacts are not so significant because people are becoming more and more aware, so they do better,” Persaud said.
He added that when there are infringements on what should be done his organisation, TAAMOG, and other entities take it upon themselves to report it to the relevant authorities.
“There are still challenges and we are working to address these. It cannot happen overnight, but the main thing is that with the LCDS the people are more aware of what should be done,” Persaud said.   
Mining
In Guyana mining is done in six mining districts: Berbice Mining District, Potaro Mining District, Mazaruni Mining District, Cuyuni Mining District, North  West Mining District, and the Rupununi Mining District.
Operations are done in three categories: Large-Scale, Stone and Sand, and Small and Medium Gold and Diamond mining sector.
In the latter, there are 114 dredges working in Amerindian Titled areas up to August 2009, some of which are owned by the Amerindians themselves.
Prime Minister and Minister of Mining, Samuel Hinds, in his address for mining week, made it clear that mining needs to be done with public consent for it to be sustainable.
He said, “…the aggregated and accumulated adverse environmental and social impact of small and medium scale mining was gnawing at the public consent.”
However, despite these challenges the Prime Minister noted that mining in Guyana is “settling down” and the areas for upgrades in the operations are being addressed.
Additionally, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), to ensure that this is done, has put in place their ‘Management Framework for Compliance in the Mining Sector’.
In the context of Guyana’s LCDS, the framework focuses on avoided deforestation as a key aspect.
The GGMC also has demonstration plots to address the reclamation of mined-out areas by re-vegetation and reforestation. These plots are expected to encourage miners to understand rehabilitation and reclamation of worked-out areas. The aim is to promote understanding and, by extension, mitigate the environmental impacts of mining activities. For the purposes of reforestation and reclamation the tree of choice is the Acacia tree, which grow to be 12-feet tall in as little as a year. The trees also have an ability to enrich the soil with atmospheric nitrogen and can permit the planting of more demanding food crops.
Pollution has been a perennial sore point and, in this light, GGMC’s framework also looks at improved environmental quality in rivers, creeks soil, fish and public health.
Logging
The practice of logging has also been a source of concern and, while entities like the Forest Products Development and Marketing Council (FPDMC) are making advancements with value added products, with the right techniques, there are still challenges.
As recent as June this year residents of Warapana in the upper Pomeroon River called for the GFC officers to address illegal harvesting of logs.
Both banks of the Pomeroon River have virgin forest with greenheart, mora and wallaba trees, among other species.
Also in June the Ministry of Agriculture, GFC and the Forest Producers Association (FPA) made a commitment to have regular dialogue on policy and operational matters.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud recently represented Guyana at the 26th session of the Latin America and Caribbean Forestry Commission and noted that Guyana has positioned itself to turn the challenges in the sector into opportunities for development, while also contributing to the climate change fight.
He explained that Guyana is one of the countries that have been approved for activities under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) of the World Bank, and the efforts are being led by the Amerindian people.
A report from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) noted that in 2009 there was a 3.3 per cent decrease in log production, which amounted to 266,198 cubic metres, as compared to 275,319 cubic metres in 2009.
Log and plywood production at the end of 2009 fell below 2008 by 3.31 per cent and 8.5 percent respectively.
There was also an increase in production of dawn wood, round wood and split wood by 44.28 per cent.
Lumber, according to the same report, increased in production by 9.2 per cent, at 73,118 cubic metres, as compared to 66,968 for 2008.
Stakeholders Speak
The geographic layout of the majority of Amerindian communities affected by mining and logging posed something of a challenge, communication wise.
However, the Guyana Chronicle was able to contact Captain Sylvester Joseph of the Chinepau community, Region Eight (Potaro/ Siparuni).
He said at the moment no mining is happening in Chinepau, but some 25 miles from the community there are those engaged in mining.
“My community is dependent on two things, mining and farming…water pollution is our biggest problem, but people are aware of what they should do now so we are seeing the problems reducing,” Sylvester said.
The Village Captain noted that the LCDS has contributed to this change by stakeholders in the mining and logging sectors.
Sylvester said, “The community is in support of the LCDS and with the consultations that were done we see the benefits of certain things when it comes to mining and logging practices.”
He added that awareness on certain issues are lacking with regards to mining, but noted that the community is seeking to engage the GGMC to rectify this.
Region One (Barima/ Waini) is another area where these activities are concentrated and the Chairman, Mr. Fermin Singh, in an invited comment, noted that, with logging, harvesting is done differently; it is influenced by the LCDS.
“The Amerindians do not extract from the forests on a large scale, mainly because they do not have the equipment to do so, but they are also supportive of the LCDS,” he said.
Singh explained that the region’s activities are centered on self-sufficiency, and so the forest is used in an optimum way.
He said, “There are some negative impacts, but for some companies, like Barama, harvesting is done for specific species. Barama itself right now is harvesting only about five or six species of wood, so there is not any massive damage to the forests.”
The Chairman added that mining is done on a small scale, and in the areas that are cleared for mining, reforestation is a must.
“When we place emphasis on sustainability we have less negative impacts when it comes to mining and logging…we are doing things differently now and the LCDS has a big part to do with that,” he said.
Singh added that the region is moving to more intensified agriculture activities in an effort to assert itself
as the organic region of Guyana.
Mr. Senor Bell, Chairman of Region Eight, told the Guyana Chronicle that mining is done in Region Eight’s sub-region one and two; and logging is done on a small scale in sub-region two.
“At this time there are not many negative impacts of mining on the communities here,” Bell said.
In sub-region one he noted that there is little mining done because necessary equipment is not present there, so the efforts are manual and done on a small scale.
He pointed out that mining is done by both coastlanders and Amerindians.
“The Amerindians own their land so they do their best to take care of it, and the coastlanders have the guidelines they work with,” Bell said.
The Chairman added that in sub-region two the negative impacts are more present, but still not on an alarming scale.
“The logging that is done here is on a small scale, so the impacts are not so much of a problem,” he said.
Bell made it clear that working in line with policies, in particular the LCDS, has assisted the reduction of the negative impacts of mining and logging.
“The people here are working with the rules and are working in line with the LCDS,” he said.
Chairman of Region Nine (Upper Takutu/ Upper Essequibo), Mr. Clarindo Lucas, told the Guyana Chronicle that mining has only minimum impact on the communities in the Region.
He explained that the main communities, Aishalton and South Rupununi, are not affected and not many Amerindians are engaged in mining themselves.
“Logging is done at a subsistence level to accommodate our own infrastructural development programme. It is done on a small scale,” he said.
Lucas said the villages are “properly informed” so the negative impacts of mining and logging are significantly reduced.
“The LCDS has the full support of the community. They understand what it represents and are looking to the development that it will bring. The Amerindian people want development,” he said.
He added that some communities have already begun to benefit from the solar panels that were made available by the Government.
Lucas said, “No development happens overnight and with continued support we hope to see more advancements.”