After listening to the cries of miners who were displaced from the Marudi area, the Ministry of Natural Resources is considering opening new mining lands in Mining District 6, Rupununi, Region 9.
According to the Minister, Raphael Trotman, this option is being weighed against potential implications for Amerindian titled lands and for biodiversity conservation in the region.
Irregular mining had threatened to pervade the Marudi Mountain area, as small miners occupied lands associated with Romanex Guyana Exploration Ltd. in 2016. More than 300 small-scale gold miners in and around the Marudi Mountain area had called on the government to take urgent action to regularise their operations in light of the Canadian-owned company resuming operations in the area.
Currently, miners are allowed to mine in the area; provided that they abide by the rules of the company and the laws of Guyana, including the non-use of mercury in their recovery.
