Impact Monitoring

The objective of this component is to facilitate the collection, analysis and production of scientifically sound information and data on the environmental and health impacts of gold mining operations, in order to support the adoption of better practices.

In both countries Guyana and Suriname, the universities and other institutions have implemented projects to monitor the impacts of goldmining pollution on water bodies, fish and human populations in selected areas. WWF has also funded such studies during the last three years; thus baseline data currently exist for these areas.

This project will foster the institutionalization of such effort. The collected data will guide the development of standards, guidelines and regulations for goldmining operation. The monitoring activities will take place in years 1 and 3. They will also facilitate the evaluation of the program toward reaching its objectives.

Research
The mercury level in sediment, fish and water in and around the Brokopondo Reservoir in Suriname is very high. In some cases, it is even 4 times higher than the allowed level of 0.05 microgram per kilogram. The culprit is the illegal gold mining that is substantially growing from small to medium-scale. This has resulted in deforestation, land degradation, murky water, increase of the mercury level, and changes in the fish population among other things.

This data was presented by Dr. Paul Ouboter, chairman of the National Zoological Collection of Suriname. He was in charge of a survey of mercury pollution of water-ecosystems in Suriname, a WWF Guianas funded project.

According to Ouboter, the murky water problem is much greater than that of mercury as seriously murky water is no longer fit for consumption. WWF Guianas therefore proposes to regulate small and medium scale gold mining, ban the import and use of mercury and promote alternative mining methods such as clean gold in order to decrease this problem.