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Keep Suriname the greenest country on earth!
John G.
started this petition to
The President of the Republic of Suriname
Suriname is about to lose its status as
greenest country on earth
:
Documents [1a] indicate that the Government of Suriname is planning to designate 560.000 hectares of Suriname's territory for large-scale agricultural plots.[1b].
It has been confirmed that of the total area, 451,000 hectares are threatened primary forest in the proposed agriculture plots (441,362 ha for the Ministry of Agriculture and 9,958 ha for Foundations backed by private land developers).This would result in a shocking amount of primary forest loss for a country that has experienced an average annual deforestation of 6,560 hectares over the past 21 years (137,746 hectares in total since the year 2002).[2].
Impact on People :
Converting this area of land to agricultural lands will destroy eight indigenous and tribal villages, poison and pollute tens of creeks and three major rivers that those and other villages need for sustenance and cultural values.
These lands are currently not yet recognized by the government as indigenous and tribal lands [3], however, these lands involve areas where the indigenous and tribal communities have been living for hundreds, if not thousands of years. These people and their way of life will be destroyed if this is allowed to happen. [4]
Impact on Biodiversity :
Converting this land to large scale agriculture will also destroy all the biodiversity that lives there. And its impact will be felt far beyond those 560.000 hectares, as the human wildlife conflict that will ensue will result in the killing of many protected species like Jaguars, Spider Monkeys, Giant Otters, and many, many more. [5]
Impact on Climate :
This will also impact the entire world, as destroying and burning these forests will release a minimum of 330.000.000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, not to mention the annual sequestration of 300.000 tonnes that will no longer happen.
Impact on Economy :
Finally, this will mean the end of Suriname's status as a carbon negative country, and in so doing, we will lose the potential of earning up to 2 bln USD annually for the carbon storage and absorption services that our forest provides.
The ask :
I call upon the President of the Republic of Suriname to stop this process and to provide formal, written assurances that this will not happen without a public debate and that we will abide by the international rule of law regarding indigenous and tribal people and lands, which means that there must be Free, Prior and Informed Consent!
I am a citizen of the greenest, most forested country on earth, and I will not have that identity taken away from me without a fight. The forest belongs to all of us, it is our heritage and cannot be allowed to be destroyed. Join me and sign this petition. LETS STAY STRONG AND STAY GREEN!
[1a] https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24223074-suriname_docs?responsive=1&title=1
[1b] https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/suriname-preparing-to-clear-amazon-for-agriculture-documents-suggest/
[2] https://www.maaproject.org/2024/deforestation-suriname/
[3] https://www.dbsuriname.com/2024/01/02/vids-donkere-wolken-hangen-boven-het-hoofd-van-inheemse-volken/
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/dec/15/suriname-indigenous-tensions-mennonite-christian-sect-farm-settle-amazon-deforestation
[5] https://www.revistanomadas.com/bolivian-mennonites-bring-the-hell-of-deforestation-to-suriname/
Documents [1a] indicate that the Government of Suriname is planning to designate 560.000 hectares of Suriname's territory for large-scale agricultural plots.[1b].
It has been confirmed that of the total area, 451,000 hectares are threatened primary forest in the proposed agriculture plots (441,362 ha for the Ministry of Agriculture and 9,958 ha for Foundations backed by private land developers).This would result in a shocking amount of primary forest loss for a country that has experienced an average annual deforestation of 6,560 hectares over the past 21 years (137,746 hectares in total since the year 2002).[2].
Impact on People :
Converting this area of land to agricultural lands will destroy eight indigenous and tribal villages, poison and pollute tens of creeks and three major rivers that those and other villages need for sustenance and cultural values.
These lands are currently not yet recognized by the government as indigenous and tribal lands [3], however, these lands involve areas where the indigenous and tribal communities have been living for hundreds, if not thousands of years. These people and their way of life will be destroyed if this is allowed to happen. [4]
Impact on Biodiversity :
Converting this land to large scale agriculture will also destroy all the biodiversity that lives there. And its impact will be felt far beyond those 560.000 hectares, as the human wildlife conflict that will ensue will result in the killing of many protected species like Jaguars, Spider Monkeys, Giant Otters, and many, many more. [5]
Impact on Climate :
This will also impact the entire world, as destroying and burning these forests will release a minimum of 330.000.000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, not to mention the annual sequestration of 300.000 tonnes that will no longer happen.
Impact on Economy :
Finally, this will mean the end of Suriname's status as a carbon negative country, and in so doing, we will lose the potential of earning up to 2 bln USD annually for the carbon storage and absorption services that our forest provides.
The ask :
I call upon the President of the Republic of Suriname to stop this process and to provide formal, written assurances that this will not happen without a public debate and that we will abide by the international rule of law regarding indigenous and tribal people and lands, which means that there must be Free, Prior and Informed Consent!
I am a citizen of the greenest, most forested country on earth, and I will not have that identity taken away from me without a fight. The forest belongs to all of us, it is our heritage and cannot be allowed to be destroyed. Join me and sign this petition. LETS STAY STRONG AND STAY GREEN!
[1a] https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24223074-suriname_docs?responsive=1&title=1
[1b] https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/suriname-preparing-to-clear-amazon-for-agriculture-documents-suggest/
[2] https://www.maaproject.org/2024/deforestation-suriname/
[3] https://www.dbsuriname.com/2024/01/02/vids-donkere-wolken-hangen-boven-het-hoofd-van-inheemse-volken/
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/dec/15/suriname-indigenous-tensions-mennonite-christian-sect-farm-settle-amazon-deforestation
[5] https://www.revistanomadas.com/bolivian-mennonites-bring-the-hell-of-deforestation-to-suriname/
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