In Suriname’s rainforest, Saamaka woodcarvers face the pull of gold mining and logging

In the heart of Suriname's Amazon rainforest, the Saamaka tribe is employing modern technology to protect their ancestral lands from encroachment and deforestation. Led by Navaldo Vola, a 31-year-old Saamaka man, a group of tribe members trekked up a mountain in search of signs of logging activity. They discovered an abandoned excavator and a makeshift camp, suggesting recent logging operations.

The Saamaka have been battling Chinese loggers and gold miners who have increasingly penetrated their territory. To combat these threats, the tribe has turned to satellite imagery, GPS mapping, and patrols to monitor incursions. In villages like Tutubuka, residents hope that evidence collected through these methods will lead to the government recognizing their traditional forest management practices, which have been upheld for centuries.

Suriname, a country of about 650,000 people located between Guyana, French Guiana, and Brazil, boasts 93% forest coverage. Its forests, part of the Amazon rainforest and Guiana Shield, absorb more greenhouse gases than the country emits. However, tribal territories in Suriname have lost nearly 154,000 hectares (380,500 acres) of forest since 2001, an area roughly twice the size of New York City.

The Saamaka, one of Suriname's six communities of African descent, have governed their forests through traditional agreements, setting aside areas for farming and protecting other regions for spiritual, cultural, or historical significance. Today, the Saamaka are mapping these traditional protected areas to document their forest management system and bolster their claims for government recognition.