– to respond to challenges, opportunities within natural resources sector
THE INITIAL phase of the reorganisation of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has been initiated following discussions with various stakeholders, including senior management of the Commission and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU).
Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Mr. Robert Persaud, in accordance with the GGMC Act and following consultations with the GPSU and other stakeholders yesterday named a commissioner and two deputies.
According to a release from the subject ministry, those so named are: Ms. Karen Livan, as Commissioner, and Messrs. Rickford Vieira and Kampta Persaud as her two deputies. The appointments take effect immediately.

Karen Livan
A Government of Guyana scholar, Livan graduated in 1975 from Swansea College, University of Wales, UK, with a BSc Honours Degree in Geology.
Since then, the release says, she has served at the Geological Surveys and Mines Department, Ministry of Energy and Mines (now the GGMC) as the first female geologist now going on 36 years.
Over the years, she has served in the capacity of Geologist, Senior Geologist, and Manager (Geological Services), and as manager (Environmental Division) as of 1998. She has also  served as deputy commissioner (acting) from 1992 to 1994, and as commissioner (acting) from April 1, 2011 upon the retirement of former commissioner, William Woolford, and worked integrally on the conceptualisation and/or implementation of the landmark CIDA-sponsored Guyana Environmental Capacity Development (GENCAPD) Project, Phases 1 and 2.
Under Phase 1, she was one of the authors of the book, ‘Environmental Management in Small-Scale Mining’, and during her tenure as environmental manager, the first demonstration mine site reclamation projects were implemented at the Kara Kara mined-out bauxite mine, in collaboration with NARI, at Noitgedacht and St. Elizabeth, near Mahdia, by GGMC and the CIDA-GENCAPD Project, respectively.

Rickford Vieira
Vieira, who has both a Bachelor’s and Masters in Mining Engineering, has extensive experience in such areas as project and production management; field exploration and site rehabilitation; environmental impact assessment; and rehabilitation and re-vegetation of mined out lands, and has also served as training instructor for those pursuing studies in the area of mining and the environment.
During his tenure with WWF Guianas, from 2004 -2011, he served as Regional Coordinator, Gold-mining Pollution Abatement Coordinator, with responsibilities for conservation activities for the small-scale, gold-mining sector in Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Before taking up the position with WWF, he had worked in various capacities at GGMC, from 1984 until 2002 when he resigned as Senior Mineral Processing Engineer II.
Considered a specialist in his field, Vieira also serves as an independent environmental consultant for several mining projects here in Guyana and neighbouring Suriname, and at one point lectured part-time at his alma mater, the University of Guyana in the Department of Mining.
Besides having several publications in leading scientific journals to his credit, among them  the Journal of Cleaner Production, the International Journal of Environmental Health Research, and the Health, Safety and Environmental Quarterly, Vieira has participated in several mining conventions on mercury for the UNEP and EEB in Sweden, Switzerland, Kenya, Belgium, Thailand, The Philippines, The USA and in Brazil.

Kampta Persaud
Persaud, meanwhile, commenced working with the Geological Survey and Mines Department (the precursor of the GGMC) on July 01, 1972 as a cadet (Geologist trainee) after completing his ‘A’ levels at Queen’s College.
According to the release: “He then proceeded to Queen Mary College, University of London, under a government conditional scholarship and obtained an Honours Degree in Geology in July 1976, then assumed the position of Geologist in July 1976 with the Geological Survey and Mines Department.”
He was subsequently promoted to senior geologist in 1980, and then Acting Manager, Geological Services Division in 1987, in which position he was confirmed 10 years later. During that period, he reportedly undertook several geological projects in the areas of gold, kaolin, diamond and uranium exploration in Guyana.
He has also had the privilege over the years of attending several professional development training courses in Canada, Brazil, France and China; represented the GGMC at several international investment conferences; and developed particular expertise in diamonds and mineral property management.
According to the release, the restructuring of the Commission follows earlier announcements by Minister Persaud when he met with the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association and other stakeholders on ensuring a Commission that is responsive to the challenges and opportunities of the Natural Resources and Environmental Sectors, within the context of the Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
It is also part of the government’s commitment to developing a sector to provide opportunities for all Guyanese within a sustainable development framework.
The formation of the newly-minted Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, the release says, is the realisation of President Donald Ramotar’s vision to improve the management of the natural resources and environmental sectors.