IN a new, holistic approach to environmental management, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday donated US$50,000 in equipment to enhance biodiversity through strengthened monitoring and enforcement of environmental regulations in Guyana’s gold-mining sector.

The supplies were handed over to the Ministry of Natural Resources during a simple ceremony at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) compound. Some of the items included 30 torpidity test kits, soil sieve sets, measuring cylinders, ion meters and chemical flocculants.
Present at the event were Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes, UNDP Resident Representative Khadija Musa and GGMC officials.
Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Raphael Trotman said the project is a joint one between the Government of Guyana, implemented through the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the UNDP.
“As we pursue the goal of developing the resources of Guyana, extracting and exploiting them, we will do so in a respectful and sustainable manner, respecting the environment and ensuring that after we have finished what we are doing, we will to the best of our abilities restore the environment so that future generations may benefit from it,” the Environmental Minister said.
TRAINING PROJECT
In underscoring the training project’s three components, Minister Trotman said one will be on non-compliances with mining-related regulations and illegal mining; secondly, the insufficient personnel and institutional capacity to enforce the regulatory framework; and finally to address the issues of insufficient capacity to implement the environmental regulations and codes of practices among miners.
BIODIVERSITY INTACT
In handing over the crucial equipment, the UNDP Resident Representative said the items are to assist trainers in ensuring that environmental protection and biodiversity will be made a priority in Guyana.
“The programme has a budget of US$803,000 which will be for a three-year programme that will continue to strengthen the ability of the country to ensure that biodiversity remains intact for future generations,” Musa said.
The UNDP is involved in much larger programmes on environmental protection and biodiversity and there is need for skill capacities to develop the manpower to monitor, verify and ensure the right practices are used within the sector, she added.