G.PAUL held a training session on the revegetation of mining sites at the Agricultural School of Matiti on October 25th, 2015.
It presented Guyafix project to the students and its progress on the ground, while explaining the benefits of nitrogen-fixing plants for soil that has lost all life due to exploitation.
The session covered the following themes:
Solicaz took part in the leguminous event at Matiti Agricultural High School, which brought together about 40 people, actors from the agricultural world.
The guests visited the fodder platform and the active fallow of the school before discovering the different experiments carried out by IKARE and Solicaz at the local level.
G. Paul has developed the subject of agroforestry with fixing trees. She presented the results of the planting of several Inga legume species (sweet pea) on degraded soil at depth to show the beneficial effects that nitrogen fixing trees can have in the agroforestry sector.
The topics covered were:
POLLUTEC is an environmental and energy fair, bringing together professionals from all over the world.
It serves as a springboard for international cooperations by allowing more than 2,000 exhibitors to present their research and their work to more than 60,000 visitors, many of whom are professionals seeking possible partnerships.
F.ETIENNE and A-M.DOMENACH discovered some of the 155 innovations presented in previews and followed a few conferences while meeting various companies to present the work of Solicaz on the biological functioning of soils and the revegetation of mining sites.
A-M.D in front of the equipment of a wastewater treatment company
The first international mining show in Suriname brought together more than 350 delegates, 25 sponsors and 45 companies including SOLICAZ, which presented their different areas of expertise and their roles in French Guiana by working for local development that respects the environment.
The show was held over three days, during which 56 speakers were able to discuss topics during various roundtable sessions. Speakers presented case studies detailing mining patterns as well as current projects related to the mining sector.
SOLICAZ presented its work on the restoration of mining sites and the revegetation of degraded soils during the round tables on the theme, Finding solutions of balance between the exploitation of natural resources and the promotion of biodiversity.
Roundtable, Session 8. From left to right: A.ARMSTRONG (UNDP MP), M.WRONG (moderator), G.PAUL (Solicaz Engineer) and M.WRIGHT (WWF Guyana Director)
The presentation of the work and the results of the company on the Saint-Elie mine site attracted a lively interest. This interest was seen via the questions posed to G.PAUL by contributors from other companies in the sector as well as by the latter appearance of several articles both in Suriname and French Guiana:
An article in French-Guiana written on June 24th, 2014.
An article in the magazine of CCI Guyana, and a development of June 2014, n ° 110 “Notre pays d’or nommé Guyane” – (Our golden country named French Guiana).
Establishment of a production of nitrogen-fixing plants endemic to French Guiana for the restoration of degraded sites, carried out by Solicaz.
Appointment by the MEDDTL, as part of the National Strategy for Biodiversity 2011-2020.
Funded by: DEAL and the Regional Council of Guyana
Partners: PTMG, SMSE Mining Operator, Macouria EPLEFPA Farm, Guyane Consult, UMR Ecofog, and AMAP CIRAD.
The richness in gold of the subsoil in the French Guiana region coupled with an extremely rapid population growth generates an increase in deforestation which causes a loss of heritage of the only primary forest that Europe possesses each year. The increase in the current value of gold may accelerate this deforestation.
In an environment as disturbed as that of a mine after exploitation, the soil has lost all its fertility potential both in terms of nutrients (organic matter) and in terms of its capacity to produce it (i.e. it has lost the microorganisms capable of transforming this organic matter). Under these conditions, it seems difficult to revegetate a site without large supply of inputs and without major implementation work.
One method is to use certain plants which, because of their ability to metabolize nitrogen in the air, – thanks to their symbiosis with microorganisms, – can live on very poor soils without the use of nitrogen fertilizers. Acacia mangium, a legume native to Papua New Guinea and introduced to French Guiana several years ago has succeeded in this colonization of extremely poor soils because it can associate naturally with Rhizobium; rhizobium is widely found in French Guiana’s soils. However, the invasive character of Acacia mangium in an open environment engenders concern for large scale usage.
Previous works (Roggy et al 1999, Roggy et al, 1999 b, Roggy and Prévost 1999, Domenach et al., 2004) allowed us to identify in the French Guiana forest, species of trees endemic to this region and with qualities identical to those of Acacia mangium (rapid growth and/or moderate nitrogen fixers) and which could represent an alternative to this species.
The objective of the project is to provide the necessary tools for the establishment of a production chain of local nitrogen-fixing species adapted to the environment that can be used for its restoration or maintenance while meeting the needs of the sectors involved. For example, the mining and agricultural sectors could utilise the co-cultivation of these nitrogen-fixing species to minimize nitrogen inputs. Simultaneously, the installation of new trees could be used for the production of energy through biomass.
In order for this objective to be realized, the following is needed:
(1) the study of the production and multiplication of endemic nitrogen-fixing plants of French Guiana,
(2) the experimentation on degraded sites (e.g. mining sites) of the assembled species based on their functional traits for the restoration of biodiversity
(3) a study of the technical-economic feasibility for the establishment of a local production chain.
