Inception Forest Management and Empowerment of Wayana Indigenous Communities in South Suriname
Situated in the northeastern part of South America, the Guiana Shield is formed by French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana and parts of Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia. The region is considered the most untouched and pristine area of rain forest in the world, with a huge potential for conservation and sustainable development. More than 80% of the land area is still covered with forest, whereas human populations are small and threat levels relatively low. However, pressures are expected to grow rapidly in the near future due to determined pushes for economic development especially in the forest, mining and agricultural sectors.
The “Shared Resources, Joint Solutions” (SRJS) programme focuses on safeguarding climate resilience, water and food security, also known as International Public Goods (IPGs) throughout several countries and landscapes. The intention is to work towards sustainably managed landscapes that provide the most essential ecosystem services. Within the Guiana Shield the focus is on Guyana and Suriname.
The activities that Tropenbos Suriname will carry out in this project are as follows:
- Support with technical knowledge and expertise related to participatory approaches to spatial planning and landscape level planning, such as Participatory 3-Dimensional Modeling (P3DM)
- Strengthen capacities and empower local communities with community-based approaches and tools to measure and monitor (social-) ecological factors and to develop of sustainable community development plans
- Support in the implementation of a performance-based payment mechanism, support engagement with local communities in awareness and capacity building process for fulfilling this mechanism
Duration
July 2018 – December 2020
Objective
The main objectives are:
- Establishing strong and proactive partnerships, which foster cooperation and join forces in the lobby for improving environmental governance and compliance
- Improving the enabling environment through strengthening targeted policies and practices, including a more targeted gender and inclusiveness approach.