Short description of the best practice

Lessons learned on land reclamation could be applied to other degraded areas in addition to the demonstration to miners on the methodology to undertake land reclamation would be beneficial to miners and the local population in Region 1.  

Location

Perseverance, Region 1- Barima /Waini, Guyana|

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

Creeks, mountains, forests surrounding the mining area|
Degraded area from mining, no vegetative cover|
Moderately deep excessively drained brownish silt loam, sandy loam and gravelly soils (lithosolic soils), Relief and Landform- Steep Hills and Mountains, Soil Parent Material- Residual, mainly deeply weathered, acidic crystalline materials such as sandstone, conglomerate, granite, schist and phyllite, Land capability- Non agricultural land |

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

Concession from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission
Not Available for the area since it is a mining district. Miners do not declare their returns by district
Mining

On the basis of which criteria and/or indicator(s) (not related to The Strategy) the proposed practice and corresponding technology has been considered as 'best'?

In the circumstances, the degraded area could have been abandoned to recover without any intervention but reclamation would ensure that the area is revegetated and ensure ecosystem stability is restored  |

Main problems addressed by the best practice

Erosion, loss of habitat and ecosystem function, land not usable for any other uses such as agriculture |

Outline specific land degradation problems addressed by the best practice

Erosion, loss of vegetative cover and loss of physical and biological characteristics of the land|

Specify the objectives of the best practice

to restore ecosystem function, stability and health to the area and to demonstrate to miners and local community land reclamation methods which could be used on degraded areas|

Brief description of main activities, by objective

to provide an Office to monitor the land reclamation activity
to provide a Plant Nursery to plant seeds to restore vegetation to a degraded area

Short description and technical specifications of the technology

Tree planting and structural changes (movement of topsoil to plant trees)

Name and address of the institution developing the technology

Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission|22 Upper Hadfield Street, Durban Backlands, Georgetown, Guyana

Was the technology developed in partnership?

Yes

List the partners:

Mining Concessionaire, Mathews Ridge Primary School|

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• Local initiative
• National initiative – government-led
• Programme/project-based initiative

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Yes

List local stakeholders involved:

Mining Concessionaire, Mathews Ridge Primary School

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

School facilitated a space for the nursery and Miners facilitated the land reclamation by providing a site and maintenance of the reclamed area

Was the population living in the location and/or nearby involved in the development of the technology?

Yes

By means of what?

• Consultation
• Participatory approaches

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

Guyana's maintains its agreement under the Low Carbon Agreement Strategy to maintain carbon sinks and would receive funds under the MOU with Norway and REDD+ for maintaining targets of forest cover over the long term
Revegetation of 3 hectares of land
Restored Forest cover for carbon credit
The land reclamation activity would be demonstrated to miners who prefer to pay a bond for reclamation rather than undertake the activity because they are on site and have the equipment to do excavation and replanting.
None
Biodiverity habitat and watershed area would be restored and prevention of erosion

Describe the major two off-site (i.e. not occurring in the location but in the surrounding areas) impacts

Community learn land reclamation practices
Ecosystem integrity, functions and stability could potentially be restored |

Impact on biodiversity and climate change

Explain the reasons:

Biodiversity have lost their habitats due to the lack of vegetation. The forest cover increases carbon sinks, after the miner has removed the forest cover, readding vegetation means the carbon sequestration would re-start and regarding climate change mitigation would ensure carbon sinks are stabilised in Guyana|

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Yes

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

No

Were incentives to facilitate the take up of the technology provided?

Were incentives to facilitate the take up of the technology provided?

Yes

Specify which type of incentives:

• Financial incentives (for example, preferential rates, State aid, subsidies, cash grants, loan guarantees, etc)

Can you identify the three main conditions that led to the success of the presented best practice/technology?

Highly motivated miner to provide support to the land reclamation activity and support for replanting effort
The land reclamation activity could be replicated in other mining concessions in the mining district of Region 1 while utilising the plant nursery at Mathews Ridge Primary School
Motivated HeadTeacher to teach students agriculture science to utilise the plant nursery to support planting of seeds at Mathews Ridge Primary School

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Yes

At which level?

• Local

Related to human resources

Miners could reclam degraded sites and students of the Mathews Ridge Primary School learn how to plant seeds

Related to technical aspects

Students and miners learn practical aspects of planting and land reclamation