Land reclamation, monitoring of mining activities to be accelerated this year

– as House approves $3.6B for natural resources ministry

The Ministry of Natural Resources plans to ramp up its land reclamation exercise and monitoring capabilities in mining districts to reduce infractions.

Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat made the announcement while disaggregating the budgetary allocations for his ministry to the Committee of Supply on Friday.

According to Minister Bharrat, another $300 million will be directed to reclamation and reforestation efforts.

He further highlighted the progress made with last year’s $300 million allocation, noting significant reclamation work on approximately 30 acres of land in Wismar, Linden, Region 10.

Over 2,000 seedlings have been planted on this 30-acre plot. The natural resources minister noted that the average cost of reclamation per acre of land would normally range between $15 million and $20 million.

“Through the collaboration between the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Guyana Forestry Commission, we have managed to bring that cost per acre well below $10 million. I am happy to say that during that project in Linden, we would have created over 100 temporary jobs, and we have a few permanent jobs, ensuring that we maintain that site,” he disclosed.

He said the government plans to reclaim another 10 acres of land in the area this year.

Minister Bharrat added that reforestation efforts were also executed in Region Ten areas affected by forest fires between 2023 and 2024.

“At that time there was limited capacity to deal with forest fires,” he explained.  

Guyana’s collaboration with Brazil has bolstered the country’s capacity to manage forest fires.

The government plans to execute a similar reclamation exercise in several large mining pits in the vicinity of Mahdia, Region Eight this year. A total of 30 acres are being targeted.

This project falls under the ministry’s National Forest Restoration Initiative, consistent with the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.

Last year, the ministry established two seedling stations for the project; one at the Yarrowkabra Training Centre along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway and another in Linden.

Bolstering Monitoring Capacity

The minister recognised the challenges of effectively monitoring mining activities, given the vast and remote nature of the interior regions.

He noted that despite the collaboration between the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), with approximately 300 personnel stationed across more than 50 field locations, comprehensive oversight of all mining districts and forest concessions is a massive undertaking.

The minister emphasised that increased monitoring capabilities within mining districts are expected to lead to a reduction in mining infractions.

The ministry is actively exploring the integration of technology to enhance its monitoring efforts.

“We are expecting that our compliance and our monitoring increase significantly in 2025. That is something we have committed to doing at the ministry,” he said.

The mineral inventory process will also be advanced this year with a $735 million allocation.

The government last year signed a contract with United States-based company, Global Venture Consulting LLC to begin the process.

The project is intended to build on a previous inventory completed in 1968 which currently needs updating.

“[We have allocated] $5 million for advertising costs and another $5 million for the review of the mining regulations in Guyana,” the minister added.   These provisions form part of the ministry’s overall $3.6 billion allocation.