I never knew Guyana had copper.

thanks to the PPP...nuff investments ...more jobs...happy people...PPP all the way

An interesting paper to read (even though it was written several years ago), but worth keeping current.

http://www.nsi-ins.ca/english/...ana_final_report.pdf



Excerpt: Mining and Amerindians in Guyana

"Executive Summary
The rapid expansion of mining is a central element in the Government of Guyana’s
national development strategy, strongly encouraged by international development agencies
such as IMF and World Bank. Plans include the privatization and expansion of bauxite
mining and the development of small, medium and large-scale diamond and gold mines.
Serious impacts are already being felt by the Amerindians as a consequence. This report
results from a participatory study carried out to assess these impacts and develop proposals
for more effective Amerindian engagement with the mining sector.
This study has been carried out by the Amerindian Peoples Association, with the
assistance of the Forest Peoples Programme, as part of a project titled ‘Exploring Indigenous
Perspectives on Consultation and Engagement Within the Mining Sector in Latin America
and the Caribbean’ being coordinated by The North-South Institute of Canada. The
consultation process comprised two national workshops of a National Indigenous Advisory
Committee, four regional consultations in Amerindian communities, a field visit to mine sites
in the Matthew’s Ridge region, interviews with key stakeholder groups and Government
officials, and a literature review.
Amerindians in Guyana number around 60,000 and make up some 7 per cent of the
population. However, because 90 per cent of Guyanese live along the narrow coastal strip,
Amerindians make up the majority population in the interior. Only about half of these
Amerindians live in communities that are officially recognized as Amerindian. As many as
12,000 persons, many of them Amerindians, are directly engaged in mining in the interior.
Some 14,500 small-scale mining permits and 1,800 licences for dredges have been issued by
the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). Exploration and prospecting permits
for possible large-scale mines now cover as much as 25 per cent of the surface area of the
country. . Brazilian miners and syndicates are now centrally involved in small, medium and
large-scale mining ventures. There is much illegal traffic across the frontier...."