Indigenous villages urged to embrace sustainable development of mining, forestry sectors

Recognising that indigenous peoples’ livelihoods depend heavily on the mining and forestry industries,  Amerindian leaders have been encouraged to explore ways in which development can be balanced with economic activities and the preservation of the environment.

This call was issued by the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat during his engagement with leaders at the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference in the dome of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on Tuesday.

This model of development, which balances economic growth with environmental protection, is currently being utilized by the government in various extractive industries such as mining, forestry and, most importantly, the oil and gas sector.

According to the minister, this model can also be implemented in local communities.

“There is no way we can say we are going to produce every single natural resource that we have and we don’t care about the environment.  That model will never work in our country. It will never be accepted,” he emphasised, noting, “then again we cannot go on the other extreme to say stop oil production, stop mining, stop cutting trees, and we will remain poor forever. We can’t do that either because our people, our communities deserve a better life, more so our hinterland communities.”

Expounding further on the importance of these resources, the minister revealed that over 25,000 Guyanese are employed within the forestry sector, which makes it necessary to keep the sector alive. But steps must also be taken to ensure viability is matched with sustainable practices.

And so, the minister advised that one way villages can profit from these resources in a sustainable manner, is to venture into value-added production such as furniture making, joinery, cutlery and many other activities, urging them to consider investing in such projects.

He pointed out that the government has embarked on a massive programme to build schools across the country and communities can play an integral role by constructing furniture to outfit these schools, using their own resources.

For instance, the government is currently working with Orealla and Siparuta in Region Six, with similar ventures being undertaken in communities in Region 10.

“As a government, we cannot dictate what you want to do with the LCDS funds in your community, but we can advise or we can ask that if you channel the economic projects, small economic projects in your community, like a furniture shop, like a portable sawmill, finding ways to utilise the wood waste, whether it is by making charcoals and packaging it nicely, whether it is by using the wood waste to make mulch that we can export or selling to our shop. There are many other ways in which you can utilize the wood waste and other parts of the trees when we cut it,” he explained.

Similarly, in the mining industry, the minister urged leaders to embark on activities with the environment in mind and in keeping with legal conformities

The importance of economic diversification to avoid over-reliance on a single sector was also emphasised, with Minister Bharrat encouraging villages to leverage their resources strategically to foster growth across multiple industries.

Leaders were also given an opportunity to voice their concerns during the engagement. NTC 2024 continues throughout the week, with several ministers slated to present on their various sectors.