STAFF and students of the Faculty of Forestry and Agriculture at University of Guyana (UG) are to benefit from a gift of equipment and tools formerly used by Guyana Environmental Management and Capacity Development Project (GENCAPD) during its tenure in the local mining industry. The gifts were handed over to Dean of the Faculty, Mr. Lawrence Lewis, by soil scientist, Mr. Mortimer Livan, on behalf of GENCAPD, which had been funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), with the aim of building the environmental management capacity of mineral industry institutions in this country.
The donation comprised four laptop computers, four soil thermometers, two soil augers and two cameras.
Thanking Livan, Lewis said the computers and tools were very important instruments which would provide a significant boost, to research by both lecturers and students.
Livan disclosed that students of the Faculty had worked with GENCAPD as interns in revegetation and rehabilitation of mined out sites and leaders of the project, which was officially closed late last year.
He felt it is an appropriate gesture to enhance training and research activities.
CIDA financed GENCAPD for some 10 years and its main activities in the mining sector included an exhaustive survey, to determine the level of environmental pollution caused by mercury in gold mining areas; establishment of  demonstration projects on  environmentally friendly mining practices, such as dry mining, recycling tailings ponds and rehabilitation and revegetation of mined out locations.
GENCAPD undertakings included, as well, activities for lessening the incidence of malaria; a number of small grants schemes, as alternatives to gold mining; cyanide leaching of gold; reduction of consumption of carnivorous fish to control mercury intake and mining camp sanitation.
The Canadian Centre for Minerals and Energy Technology (CANMET), a division of Natural Resources Canada, provided technical assistance and managed GENCAPD for its duration.