Ethnoecology, Resource Use, Conservation And Development In A ...

eleased, but it may well be that Conservation International's concession is located in
one of the areas made available at that time.
3.1.4 The mining industry in the Rupununi
The mineral extraction industry is more firmly established in the region, and gold has
been mined at Marudi and Bat Mountains since the 1920's (Grantham 1939). A study
conducted in 1989 observed the presence in the area of large numbers of small-scale
miners, including Amerindians from the Rupununi and elsewhere in Guyana but
dominated in number by non-Amerindian Guyanese. Visible detrimental effects on
populations in the local villages included rising food prices, long-term absenteeism of
male heads of households, and the consequent neglect of farming activities (ARU
1992: 29). During the 1990's, a clampdown on illegal mining in Roraima state was
reported to have led to increased illegal activity on the part of garimpeiros - self-
employed Brazilian miners - in both Marudi and the Kanuku Mountains (Forte 1997:
73).
More recently, corporate mining interests based in Canada have held concessions
in the area, first Romanex (Colchester 1997: 89) and, currently, Vannessa Ventures.
According to the company's website, Vannessa was awarded licenses for mineral
prospecting over huge areas of land within various parts of Guyana, a total of around
1.5 million hectares, in 1998 (Vannessa Ventures Limited 2001). The initial
prospecting license covered a major proportion of the forests around the South
Rupununi, and within this several sites have been identified as being of potential value
for mining. News of the awarding of this license caused uproar among Rupununi
communities when it first reached them. The company has responded to local fears
somewhat, and was reported in the Stabroek News of 24th June 1999 to have
organised a meeting with toushaos of Region 9 villages. At this meeting, Vannessa
agreed not to work on Amerindian lands without permission, and to operate any
mines that might result from its activities in accordance with the wishes of local
communities. The same meeting resulted in the formation of a committee comprised
of village leaders and officials of local and central government offices, to represent
the interests of the region in logging and mining operations. No new mines have as
yet been opened as a result of Vannessa's activities, and only time will tell what the
long-term effects of their work might be for the people of the region.
Further mineral interest in the South Rupununi was manifest in the form of
discussions between Guyana's government and an Australian mining company,
Hardman Resources Limited, towards the awarding of a license to prospect for