Logging, mining intruding on Indigenous lands – APA report

The extractive industries operating both within and outside of allocated concessions are posing serious threats to the livelihoods and development of Indigenous peoples in various regions across Guyana.

The recently launched Participatory Assessment of the Land Tenure Situation of Indigenous Peoples in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni)

This was revealed in the recently launched Participatory Assessment of the Land Tenure Situation of Indigenous People Report for Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) by the Amerindian Peoples’ Association (APA) on Thursday.
Governance and Rights Coordinator of the APA, Dr Laura George, in giving a summary of the report stated that it sought to present a detailed picture of the current status of land rights for 20 communities in that Region, 15 of which are titled, while the other five possess no legal documents to their lands.
She explained that all of the communities reported some form of land and resource conflict with external parties on both their titles and customary lands. Most of the issues relate to mining and logging, with one instance of conflict with State authorities, including the Army and Police Force.
“Eleven of the 15 titled villages have problems with mining activities or movement of unauthorised miners on their titled land. At least two villages have reported explicit incidences of bullying and violence by miners. Sixteen communities reported that commercial mining and logging are harming the environment and livelihoods that these communities depend on”.
According to Dr George, main concerns being expressed by these 20 communities in relation to livelihoods include: resources within titled areas becoming scarce as a result of population growth coupled with mining causing pollution, deforestation, and scarcity of game animals and fish, among others.
“Twelve of the titled villages report land conflicts with mining interests inside titled boundaries. Four communities, one of which is titled, have land conflicts with logging interests in untitled boundaries. One titled village has land conflicts with logging interests inside titled boundaries, and two communities report land conflicts with private leaseholders,” the APA representative further stated.

Flaws with national laws
The report for Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) also revealed that only six of the 15 titled villages have been demarcated and one of them has reported flaws in its title demarcation where the demarcation does not follow the title description.
Of the four extension applications filed by some of the villages included in the report, none have yet been granted, and six villages in the Upper Mazaruni are presently seeking collective title to a larger Akawaio and Arecuna territory through a Court case against the APNU/AFC Government.
Dr George noted that the current system of titling communities individually does not cater for the fact that much of the customary land of communities has traditionally been shared between neighbouring villages with a collectively held territory.
The APA representative elaborated that the main causes of violations of Indigenous land rights in Region Seven are similar to the findings of the reports that were already conducted for Regions One (Barima-Waini), Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).
These, she added, include problems with the way land is allocated by the Government to mining and logging interests, notably, State issuance of mining rights in customary lands under claim, including over a large portion of lands in the Upper Mazaruni River basin, which are the subject of legal proceedings in the High Court.
“Also, lack of effective and meaningful participation in decision making (by Indigenous people), including Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and lack of effective means of redress for indigenous communities”.

Proposals for action
According to the report, in their recommendations, communities are calling on the APNU/AFC Government to legally recognise and provide secure title to all lands that the Akawaio, Arecuna, Carib, Arawak, Patamona, and Warrau peoples of the Mazaruni, Cuyuni and surrounding areas have traditionally owned, occupied, used and where they hold close attachment to the land.
“These areas include lands upon which their fore parents depended and which people continue to occupy and use for farming, hunting, fishing and gathering today, as well as spiritual sites, cultural heritage sites and other areas of historical importance. Key proposals include calls for measures by the State and its Authorities and Agencies to refrain from granting mining and logging concessions on communities’ traditional and titled lands without their FPIC”.
Additionally, calls are being made for the Government to revoke all mining and logging concessions granted on Indigenous lands without FPIC and the return of lands “take” to build government compounds back to the indigenous communities.