As the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) seeks to intensify land restoration efforts within the local extractive sectors, the body is looking to increase the reclamation bond.
Mining Engineer in the Environmental Division within the GGMC, Carlos Todd
At a stakeholder forum seeking to educate partner agencies on land reclamation, Mining Engineer within the Environmental Division at GGMC, Carlos Todd, pointed out that for too long, reclamation has taken a backseat in the mining process. GGMC has embarked on having reclamation mainstreamed into the extractive industry.
He noted that the Mining (Amendment) Act makes it mandatory for miners— not the GGMC— to restore lands upon closure of mining sites.
Currently, miners are required to put up reclamation bonds— which are used if they fail to adequately restore mining sites at the end of operations.
However, Todd noted that the value of the bond needs to be increased.
“If there are cases where miners fail to carry out their legal obligation so in that case, GGMC will be forced to use the small bond to make an attempt to fix the area, but we know the bond is not enough at the moment. There are studies being done to come up with some suitable figure, what (amount) should be lodged as the reclamation bond,” he posited.
A section of the participants at Tuesday stakeholders’ engagement hosted by GGMC at Herdmanston Lodge
According to the Mining Engineer, stakeholders need to understand that reclamation is a part of doing business and as such, should be factored into the cost of mining.
“We need to have a change in attitude how we conduct the mining process. The cost needs to factor in here. We need to know that if you’re going to factor in a cost for reclamation, then there is some cost in the (mining) process… to reclaim the area” he noted.
Apart from land restoration, Todd added too that the GGMC also looks at the reclamation of waterways that were diverted or polluted by mining activities.
“This exercise is long overdue. It’s an opportunity to bring awareness to the stakeholders about the importance of reclamation and the need to mainstream reclamation in the mining process… GGMC will be working to ensure we enforce the mining laws and as we go about doing that, we will try to work with miners to provide awareness and to provide education material miners need to help them in the process,” Todd posited.
So far, sites at Dakoura, Linden; Olive Creek, Mazaruni; St. Elizabeth, Mahdia; Nooitgedacht, Mahdia; Frenchman, and Kara Kara, Linden, covering some 44 acres or 17 hectares, have been reclaimed during2009-2018. Of these six sites that were restored, two were bauxite sites and the other four were gold mines.
According to GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison, at Tuesday’s stakeholders’ engagement, some $100 million has been spent over the past three years on reclamation activities.
He charged the participants to have dialogue and exchange ideas on how they can continue these efforts, noting that “… at the end of the day, the final objective would be as we mine, we reclaim”.
“Let us share knowledge and insights, and let us accept that cost of being ignorant and non-responsive to today’s environment needs will the more costly it will be down the road. While we continue with our environmental education and awareness campaign in support of physical reclamation, we must not lose sight of the fact that reclamation is the law,” he added.
Further recognising that mining cannot be done without disturbing the environment, the Commissioner noted the recalled criticisms of these efforts. He noted, however, steps taken to restore mined-out sites demonstrate the GGMC’s commitment to give effect to conventions such as the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
To this end, Dennison posited that as regulators of the mining sector, they must convert stakeholders who sometimes do not appreciate the positives of compliance with the environmental standards and best practices.
“The long term value will outlast, by far, the short-sighted resistance to the calls for a healthier landscape. We, all together, need to minimise and mitigate the impact on our environment for mining and invest in the potential after mining value chain. The health and wellness effect and social impact of mining could be under threat if the attitude in mining undermines the good works on show and/or the economic outlook or the landscape, which could become productive again depending on the kind of reclamation remedy,” the GGMC Head stressed.
In its efforts to mainstream mine reclamation into the extractive industry, the GGMC is following a ‘Three Es’ initiative – Education, Encouragement and Enforcement – to engage stakeholders to support miners.
The participants at Tuesday’s engagement were from stakeholder agencies such as: the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the National Mining Syndicate, University of Guyana (UG), the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and Natural Resources Ministry, among others.
