friends of green Suriname is an initiative of funding our natural capital GREEN SURINAME friends of The future of conservation is in good hands

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1 friends of green Suriname is an initiative of funding our natural capital friends of GREEN SURINAME The future of conservation is in good hands

2 W A heart to resolve, a head to contrive, and a hand to execute.

3 SURINAME The Greenest Country on Earth With more than 90 percent of its land area cloaked in forest, Suriname is the greenest country on Earth. Suriname s forests are one of the largest remaining blocks of primary tropic forest on Earth, and they harbor a range of extraordinary environmental values: protecting a wealth of biodiversity, producing enormous volumes of freshwater, and capturing vast stores of carbon. Suriname is part of the Guiana Shield, a geologic region which covers over 270 million hectares (667 million acres) and encompasses Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Venezuela, and associated ecosystems in northern Brazil and eastern Colombia. LOCAL CHALLENGES Over the past several decades human activity in Suriname s rainforest has increased dramatically. A burgeoning timber industry and the development of roads and infrastructure have made the protection of nature and critical ecosystem services for climate change mitigation and human well-being a growing challenge in our region. The most noticeable threat comes from the extractive industry. Currently, Suriname s economy is dominated by the mining industry, accounting for a total of 23% of total government income. The biggest threat to our natural capital lies in the artisanal small-scale gold mining sector, which has grown exponentially over the past 15 years. Inefficient mining techniques are causing substantial mercury pollution in rivers and surrounding ecosystems, forming a direct hazard to the health and livelihoods of the local communities. The future of conservation is in good hands friends of green Suriname: funding our natural capital

4 The gold rush in Suriname has prompted the government to engage in a program to regulate these activities, which in turn has prompted the small-scale miners to adjust their mining practices to accelerate the rate of extraction. The aforementioned change in practices has resulted in a current ratio of 5 kg of mercury used to extract 1 kg gold. Considering that the Central Bank had bought about 30,000 kg gold from the local small-scale miners last year. This level of activity indicates that about 150, 000 kg of mercury has made its way into the environment. GLOBAL CHALLENGE Climate Change Suriname, in spite of its high forest cover, is not spared from the impacts of global climate change. According to reports from the World Bank, Suriname is one of the most vulnerable countries to rising sea levels, because about 50 60% of the population is located along our coastline. Suriname s vulnerability to the slightest rise in sea level poses a direct pressure on development and governance, ultimately threatening to flood Suriname s Capital and major economic zone along the coast. W Suriname, the greenest country on earth with a carbon negative footprint, is uniquely challenged by the externalities of climate change, as other major global carbon-emitting countries, who will not suffer as directly as Suriname, have thus far not been able to provide the kind of support Suriname and other low lying developing countries need to cope with these impending threats.

5 THE RESPONSE OF CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL Conservation International Suriname (CIS) responds to these challenges by implementing projects that link conservation of nature and sustainable economic development. Through our work, CIS is helping Suriname to identify and protect reservoirs of natural capital, its vast and pristine rainforests, rivers, mangroves, and coastal estuaries, to build effective governance systems that incorporate the value of healthy ecosystems in decision-making; and to promote sustainable production systems that meet people s needs without eroding the natural capital that underpins human well-being. The future of conservation is in good hands friends of green Suriname: funding our natural capital

6 OUR WORK CIS is dedicated to keeping Suriname the greenest country on earth by demonstrating the value of Suriname s ecosystems for human well-being and by using science-based knowledge to support policy improvements and increased awareness in order to ensure the long-term sustainable management of Suriname s natural resources. W

7 Securing Natural Capital One of our major successes was the establishment of the Central Suriname Nature Reserve (CSNR) in 1998, which at the time, was the largest and most pristine nature reserve in the world. The CSNR conserves 1.6 million hectares of pristine tropical rain forest in central Suriname. This area includes a variety of ecosystems, a wide diversity of flora and fauna, and produces a significant amount of freshwater. These unique characteristics triggered UNESCO to designate the CSNR as a World Heritage site in Currently, CIS focuses a large part of our operations in the South of Suriname, one of the last remaining blocks of undisturbed tropical rainforest on Earth. Here we are working with indigenous communities and the government to conserve over 2 million hectares of pristine rainforest. Working together with these partners we are helping to identify the essential ecosystem services that support the local culture, economy, and subsistence. Decision makers can then use this information for spatial planning and the development of land management actions that are in harmony with local needs and traditional practices. The future of conservation is in good hands friends of green Suriname: funding our natural capital

8 Sustainable Production CIS is working with the private sector and government to support their efforts in greening local businesses, mitigating negative impacts, supporting design of land-use planning tools, and implementing best practices in mining, oil and gas. Fostering Effective Governance We are engaging with the government of Suriname to ensure that decision makers and leaders have the knowledge and tools needed to sustainably manage their natural wealth for the long term well-being of their people. W Together with the government, we are mitigating climate change by assisting in development of the country s Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system which seeks to minimize and avoid deforestation. This is a key element of REDD+, an international mechanism to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and to stimulate forest conservation. The implementation of the REDD+ process will create a model for the sustainable management of our forests and the ecosystem services that they provide.

9 GET INVOLVED In the past 20 years, CIS has demonstrated its dedication to a holistic approach conserving nature so that people can thrive. We are aiming to create a constituency of partners who will support our organization for the mission we strive to fulfill, moving away from singular interventions into more holistic programming. We are therefore inviting individuals and organizations to subscribe to our fund-development community, Friends of Green Suriname (FOGS), and to become part of our work and our vision. FOGS is envisioned to be a broad community of funders, both local and international, who share the same vision held by CIS To keep Suriname the Greenest Country On Earth - and who have a common understanding of the problems and challenges that are threatening this reality. We are looking for partners who agree that to be successful we must create behavior change that will require a long-term vision and approach. The future of conservation is in good hands friends of green Suriname: funding our natural capital

10 FOGS members recognize that social change comes from the gradual improvement of an entire system over time and are ready to dedicate their attention and their financial support to help make our mission and our vision a reality. We welcome you to join CIS in keeping Suriname the greenest country on earth. Be a Friend of Green Suriname! For more information, please direct your to: ci-suriname@ci.conservation.org You can also phone us or send a letter to the address below: Kromme Elleboogstraat 20 Paramaribo, Suriname South America Tel: (+597) W

11 The future of conservation is in good hands friends of green Suriname: funding our natural capital

12 friends of green Suriname is an initiative of