Sensitisation for mining and forestry stakeholders on environmental protection
─ course to take an in-depth look at policies, stakeholder responsibility among others
DPI, Guyana, Monday, July 8, 2019
Approximately twenty (20) persons from various agencies involved in mining and forestry activities, on Monday, began a ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment’ training course that will run for the entire week.
The course will take an in-depth look at current policies, stakeholder responsibility, general education of the environmental and environmental impact due to mining and forestry.
[In the photo, from left] Giel Hendriks from the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment, Aiesha Williams, Country Manager-Guyana, WWF Guianas, Una Madray, Project Officer REDD, Colis Primo, Snr. Environmental Officer, EPA, Carlos Todd, Snr. Mining Engineer Environmental Division GGMC and Peter Jon Nelson from the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment.
It is being conducted through a collaboration between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Guyana, Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA). The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) is also part of the exercise.
During opening remarks of the training, Country Manager of WWF Guyana, Aiesha Williams said the exercise was nestled in the EPA’s governance of thematic areas, specifically under the Shared Resources Joint Solutions Programme. “This programme aims to safeguard international public goods around climate resilience, food security, and water provisioning.”
“The SEA training workshop is both timely and vital to all stakeholders in the artisanal [small-scale] mining sector, but more particularly to those responsible for the management of the sector,” noted Senior Environmental Officer of the EPA, Colis Primo who spoke of the timeliness of the training.
Giel Hendriks and Peter Jon Nelson from the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) are instructors for the training course. NCEA’s core work is to assist the environment and sector ministries, professionals and non-governmental organisations to achieve better environmental assessment practices. It aims to contribute to sustainable development.
Image: Ameer Sattaur