An article by ANI News details the extent of the illegal timber business in Suriname, largely driven by Chinese companies, which own over half of the logging concessions in the country. After illegal exploitation, logged timber is sold online through hard-to-track companies. As a consequence, Suriname loses approximately 100 million euros annually due to illegal logging, with the money flowing to criminal cartels. Suriname produces nearly 1.5 million cubic metres of wood yearly, with China and India being the primary buyers. Despite efforts to monitor illegal activities using technology, the vast area of rainforest makes control challenging. Corruption is also widespread, with officials and concession holders implicated in illegal activities. ANI News explains that the significant discovery of containers filled with illegal timber indicates potential involvement by customs officials.
Keywords: Latin America, Suriname, timber, procurement of permits, primary production, illegal timber trade, illegal logging, serious organised crime, corruption and bribery
Sources: https://www.aninews.in/news/world/others/chinas-illegal-timber-business-is-stripping-surinames-forests20210522154932/
The article from National Geographic discusses the issue of jaguar poaching in Suriname, which is linked to Chinese immigrants in the country. These immigrants have established networks to hunt jaguars, process their bodies, and smuggle the products to China. The jaguars are “killed to order,” turned into jewellery and a medicinal product called “glue,” and smuggled out of Suriname in carry-on luggage on commercial airlines. This illegal trade in jaguar products has developed in the context of heavy Chinese investment in Suriname, which has brought in thousands of people who work as loggers, miners, and shop owners. The influx of Chinese citizens has likely expanded the domestic market for jaguar parts in Suriname. This case is emblematic of a much larger, well-organised network of international jaguar trafficking.
Keywords: Latin America, Suriname, illegal wildlife trade, smuggling
Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wildlife-watch-news-jaguar-poaching-trafficking-suriname
According to the Guardian, Suriname, the most forested country in the world, is facing significant threats to its forests due to increased illegal gold mining and logging. This expansion has also violated the rights of Indigenous and tribal peoples by infringing on their ancestral lands. The Saamaka people, among other Indigenous groups, have voiced strong opposition to these illegal activities, that severely disrupt their livelihoods. Despite a 2007 ruling by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) mandating a stop to these harmful economic activities and to respect the territorial boundaries of the Saamaka, the judgement has been largely ignored by local companies and other actors in the region. Instead, a fourfold increase in deforestation on Saamaka lands has been observed. In addition, illegal gold mining operations in the region are often characterised by labour rights abuses, which have increased in the nation as a whole. Health risks due to exposure to toxic chemicals such mercury further devastate communities.
Keywords: Latin America, Suriname, timber, minerals, gold, Indigenous rights violations, illegal mining, forced labour, land grabbing, illegal deforestation, environmental crime
Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/feb/21/suriname-loggers-miners-forests-deforestation-saamaka