Status of Tropical Forest Management 2005

Latin America & the Caribbean

Suriname

Suriname

©UNEP-WCMC 2004

Suriname has a large forest resource base that contains a sizeable growing stock of valuable hardwood timber. However, its forest-management institutions are not yet equipped to oversee the introduction of SFM in a commercial sector that has materialized only in the last decade or so. In addition, insecure tenure and recent difficult economic circumstances jeopardize the implementation of SFM.

Key points

  • More than 80% of Suriname is forested, and very little deforestation is taking place.
  • The PFE comprises an estimated 6.89 million hectares of natural production forest and 4.43 million hectares of protection forest. A further 2.59 million hectares of forest have not yet been allocated.
  • As of late 2003, 67 logging concessions had been allocated over a total area of 1.74 million hectares.
  • A coherent forest policy and legislation is under development, and the 1992 forest law is currently being revised.
  • Current requirements for forest management plans do not have a strong focus on SFM.
  • No area of either production or protection PFE has been identified in this report as under sustainable management. Nevertheless, most of the PFE is intact due to a lack of development pressure.
  • Suriname's forests produce an estimated 160,000 m3 of industrial roundwood per year; the sector is a significant employer.