Loggers accuse miners of damaging environment ... "ill-advised" statments Minister

Loggers accuse miners of
damaging environment
…“ill-advised” statements by Minister,
GFC can hurt overseas market
Kaieteur News, 4 October 2007

Logging companies yesterday slammed Government for making what it
called unfair and ill-advised statements, and are also accusing miners
of operating without rules in Guyana 's interior.

The Forest Products Association of Guyana (FPA), which represents over
50 logging companies, took media houses on a fly-over in the Essequibo
area, showing widespread pollution of some rivers and land laid waste
by mining activities.

The move by FPA to give their side of the story is but an indication of
the widening rift between Government regulatory bodies, loggers and
miners.

Yesterday, a three-man FPA delegation led by public relations
consultant Kit Nascimento also disclosed that Government's accusation
can hurt the international market. Already, logging companies are
raising questions about Guyana 's compliance with forestry regulations,
said a worried Yacoob Ally, Managing Director of A. Mazaharally and
Sons. Ally was also accompanied by former FPA president John Willems,
whose family had controlled Willems Timber and Trading Company.

According to Nascimento, “For years now, FPA has been representing to
GFC ( Guyana Forestry Commission) that there needs to be a meeting of
the minds of the miners and forestry officials with established
protocols that are recognised by both.”

FPA is calling for a protocol to be established where miners are
controlled and “regulated in a proper manner,” and they must “respect
the environment.” Already, Government has announced that no more mining
permits will be issued for concession areas controlled by Barama. All
mining activities were also stopped in the Waini area.

No Rules

Claiming that logging areas under the Timber Sales Agreement (TSA)
concessions were being flooded with mining concessions, Nascimento said
that, in Guyana's mining world, there were “no rules, no regulations,
nothing”.

The official accused miners of wanton clear-cutting of trees. “They can
virtually do as they like. There are no protocols. These miners within
their concessions can do virtually what they feel. And that is what is
causing the problems.”

Last week, Minister in charge of forestry, Robert Persaud, and GFC
Commissioner James Singh announced that an extensive investigation has
been launched after evidence was found that some loggers were
under-declaring their forest products and also deliberately incorrectly
stating the origin of their products.

Noting that the Barama concession was only 53 percent commercially
viable and Demerara Timbers Ltd only 40 per cent, FPA stressed that, as
was evidenced from the fly-over, loggers are not the ones causing
problems since there are no obvious gaps in the forests which would
suggest irresponsible logging.

“The forest industry is very highly regulated. The number of trees that
they can extract from any particular area is very limited, and it is
prescribed they cannot go back in another 60 years.”

What does FPA want? According to the consultant, FPA wants to work with
GFC “to put an end to any wrongdoings.” However, FPA said it is
difficult, especially in light of one incident where the Minister of
Amerindian Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues, has complained that Amerindians
were being ill-treated by some companies.

“We wrote her. We said we don't condone these practices. Can we meet?
She (the minister) said she reported this to the GFC. We had a meeting
with the Commissioner (Singh). We asked, 'can you give us the evidence?
Can we work with you to put a stop to this? He said he did not have the
actual evidence. You see? It is not easy.”

Difficult to disguise

Responding to questions about the accusations by GFC and the Minister
about the incorrect reporting of the origins of logs, FPA said it was
next to impossible. “Every single log is tagged. You can trace every
tree to exactly where it has been taken from in the forest. (It is)
impossible for any timber company to disguise it. There is a chain of
custody,” explained the consultant.

What is possible is that a company could under-declare its forest
product, but there has to be massive collusion between GFC, Customs,
and the Tax Department.

According to FPA, 99 per cent of the loggers in Guyana are observing
the rules and regulations under which they function. What does the FPA
expect from the Government at this time?

“We would expect the Government to treat us fairly. Why is the mining
industry allowed this vast

amount of licences?” asked Nascimento. “And the forest industry is
being made a target all the time. Yes, mining concessions could be
given for areas already in logging, but this has to be under much
stricter regulations. There is no protocol in place for mining
operations.”

According to FPA, commercial woods like greenheart are in small clumps
in very low densities, making the cost of removal high. “A clump of
greenheart (may be) here and another one may be two, three miles away.
(The trees are) not concentrated,” said Ally.

“If you take the trees selectively, the area refurbishes itself;
natural reforestation.”

FPA members include Barama, Demerara Timbers Ltd, Toolsie Persaud and
A. Mazaharally and Sons.