GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana’s environment ministry says the country saw less deforestation in 2013 thanks to a decrease in gold mining activity.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana’s environment ministry says the country saw less deforestation in 2013 thanks to a decrease in gold mining activity.
The ministry said in a statement Saturday that some 12,700 hectares (31,380 acres) of forest were cleared in 2013. That’s a decrease of nearly 15 percent compared to the previous year.
Gold mining commonly requires companies to clear forests. Officials noted that gold production has dropped by at least 20 percent this year.
The ministry said the report will now face two independent reviews, including one by Norway. In 2009, the Norwegian government promised to give the South American country a grant of $250 million to encourage it to protect its forests and uphold sustainable mining.
Guyana already has lost $20 million of that funding because of increased deforestation in 2012.