Suriname

Suriname is at a defining crossroads. As major investments accelerate along the Suriname River and its estuary, the country’s growth is shifting focus—from inland roads to strategic ports, shipping hubs, and coastal access. This project ensures that this new era of maritime development protects one of the most intact forest and mangrove systems in the wider Amazon region.

(GEF ID: 11472)

image of a scarlet ibis from Suriname — ©Roger Leguen, WWF

Overview

The Suriname project supports the integration of nature-positive approaches into upstream planning and design for transportation infrastructure, with a particular focus on port and port-related development along the Suriname River. Implemented by WWF and executed by the Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning, the project works with national ministries to strengthen policies, planning frameworks, and financing mechanisms so that new infrastructure maintains or enhances the country’s exceptional marine, coastal, and riverine ecosystems.

Challenge

Suriname is part of the Amazon biome and remains one of the most forest-intact countries globally, with over 90% of its land area still covered by primary tropical forest. Along its coast, extensive mangrove ecosystems support fisheries, protect shorelines, and provide habitat for migratory birds and sand beaches for sea turtles, and other globally significant species.

Suriname faces an unprecedented wave of port expansion driven by offshore oil development and extractive industries. Multiple new ports and port expansions are planned or underway along the Suriname River and estuary, alongside new roads and increased shipping traffic.

Without stronger planning frameworks, these investments risk fragmenting mangrove ecosystems, disrupting migratory routes, and undermining the natural defenses that protect coastal communities and infrastructure from climate impacts.

Opportunity

Strong national commitments to maintaining high forest cover, carbon negativity, and coastal protection provide a rare foundation for aligning development with conservation. By focusing on the Suriname River—a critical economic artery and ecological system—the project positions nature as an asset.

Integrating ecosystem services into port siting, design, and spatial planning can reduce long-term risk, improve resilience, and set a new benchmark for infrastructure development nationwide.

Approach

The Suriname project works upstream to shape how infrastructure decisions are made:

Enabling conditions: strengthening policies, guidelines, and regulatory frameworks to embed nature-positive infrastructure principles in transportation planning.
Integrated and inclusive planning: linking spatial, coastal, and transportation planning to safeguard mangroves, river systems, and marine habitats.
Finance and de-risking: advancing sustainable finance mechanisms that lower risk for infrastructure projects incorporating nature-based solutions.

Nature-based solutions and nature-positive infrastructure are used in tandem, combining ecosystem-based protection, such as mangroves for coastal defense, with strategic planning that avoids biodiversity loss from the outset.

Results & Impact

Through its focus on upstream decision-making, the Suriname project is expected to deliver lasting impact:

Improved management of approximately 2,500 hectares of riverine and coastal landscapes and 60,000 hectares of marine habitat.
Direct benefits for more than 300 practitioners and decision-makers, strengthening long-term institutional capacity.
Indirect contributions to climate mitigation by protecting mangroves and forest ecosystems that function as major carbon sinks.

More broadly, the project aims to shift how port and transportation infrastructure is planned, embedding nature-positive principles as best practices.

Partners & Local Team

The Suriname project is implemented by WWF in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning and a broad range of public, private, and civil society stakeholders.