Georgetown: The Iwokrama International Centre would like to remind the public that any illegal activities conducted within the Iwokrama Reservation would be subject to the application of the law inclusive of penalties outlined in the Iwokrama Act.
As part of a planned programme of monitoring and enforcement, Iwokrama staffers along with full support from Ministry of Natural Resources Corp of Wardens and the Guyana Police Force in the week of October 16, 2020 witnessed more intrusions of illegal mining operations, not only in the Iwokrama protected forest, but also in the one kilometer buffer zone on the other side of the Siparuni River.
These activities, the Centre believes, are being perpetuated by individuals taking advantage of the current restrictions and lockdown protocols established to combat the COVID – 19virus.
The Centre would like to once again remind the public and other stakeholders that these activities are not allowed in the Iwokrama Forest, unless the Centre gives express written permission for any of these activities to be undertaken.
Specifically, section 2 of the clause titled “Control of the Programme Site” of the Iwokrama Act states:
Subject to section 6(1), and notwithstanding anything in any other written law –
(a) no mining, forestry or other resources utilisation activity shall be carried out on the Programme Site by any person other than the Centre, except with the prior written permission of the Centre; and
(b)no lease of land or permission to use land in the Programme Site shall be issued by any person other than the Centre, and all activities on the Programme Site shall be in accordance with regulations prescribed therefor under this Act.
Section 3 goes on to prescribe the penalties:
“Any person who contravenes the provisions of subsection (2) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of one hundred thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a period of one year, and where the offence is of a continuing nature, to a further fine not exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars for each day during which the offence continues after conviction”.
In September 2019, a miner was arrested for illegal mining in the Iwokrama forest and was placed before the courts. In May 2020, two ‘four inch’ dredges were found, although no one was apprehended. Last week, the team noted even more significant damage and clear indications of preparations for further mining in the forest. The team also noted the burning of large trees, no doubt to aid in felling to enhance mining activity.
Due to the unexpected nature of the operation the team found itself targetted by gun fire from miners who quickly scampered away into the forest. One arrest was made and the person is before the courts.
In the buffer zone, miners claimed, as they often do, that they did not realise that they were in the one Km buffer zone and that they received approval to be there following a deal with a miner that had claim at the location.. In this case there was an excavator and small dredges working the area. They were given two days to remove from the area as there is absolutely NO MINING allowed in the buffer zone.
Iwokrama has spent enough time and resources on education and awareness with regard to these illegal activities, As such, Iwokrama Management is continuing its zero-tolerance approach to these activities, especially gold mining and other illegal activities. With the recent support including the acquisition of the high-tech drone funded by ExxonMobil, monitoring and enforcement operations will be scaled up and the Minister of Natural Resources and the Guyana Police Force have given their full support towards stamping out these illegal activities.
The team also noted that there were several persons fishing in the buffer zone of the Iwokrama Forest, some claiming to be engaging in sport fishing, yet large seines were encountered within waterways in the Iwokrama protected area, even after being told by some of these fisherfolk that they had placed no seines in the area. In this regard, Iwokrama would like to remind fisherfolk that the protected area buffer also applies to them and commercial fishing is prohibited in the bufferzone as well.
The Centre’s monitoring team together with the regulatory institutions in Guyana, including but not limited to the Ministry of Natural Resources Corps of Wardens, Guyana Police Force, Guyana Forestry Commission, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Guyana Wildlife Management and Conservation Commission, Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency will continue to undertake regular monitoring and enforcement activities within the environs of the Iwokrama Forest. Further, the Centre will also be rigidly enforcing the prescribed penalties under the Iwokrama Act and other laws of Guyana to any person(s) found illegally operating in the Iwokrama Forest.
Meanwhile, the Centre is offering a reward for any information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of persons(s) involved in illegal activities in the Iwokrama Forest. The Centre will also be following up on information it received on specific mining operators within the Iwokrama Forest. Any convictions will be fully publicized.
For further information on the management of the Iwokrama Forest and to report any illegal activities in the forest, please contact ONLY Dr Raquel Thomas, Director Resource Management on rthomas@iwokrama.org. More information on the Centre’s work is available on www.iwokrama.org , www.iwokramariverlodge.com and www.iwokramacanopywalkway.com
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