On 19 March 2012, WWF Guianas delivered shocking photo report to government of Suriname showing extensive small scale gold mining damage in Protected Area and icon Nature Park Brownsberg. Four years ago, the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation met in Paramaribo in 13-18 June 2008. Two symposia at ATBC2008 focused on "Remote sensing imagery and products for tropical forest monitoring" (organized by Eileen Helmer and Valery Gond) and "Minding and mending mining in the tropics" (organized by David Hammond, Paul Ouboter and Judith Rosales). Such a report is not really a surprise for the biologists who used to worked at BNP or simply visited the Protected Area in the past, and produced several ATBC resolutions on this issue. Still, it is encouraging today, even 4-8 years later, to read in the WWF Press release that "the current government of Suriname has recently installed a high level commission to lead intensive measures against illegal gold mining and its impacts on the environment." (Photo : Witi Creek, Brownsberg Nature Park © Pierre-Michel Forget, May 2004)

• Protected Area Brownsberg destroyed by illegal gold mining
• Suriname : le Parc Naturel du Brownsberg est fortement menacé par l'or illégal

Illegal Mining at Irene Val, Brownsberg Nature Park (© Pierre-Michel Forget, May 2004)

About the Gold-mining threat in the Guianas and the Amazon

• ATBC Resolution in Support of Halting Illegal Gold-mining Activities in Protected Areas of the Guianas and Northern Amazonia
• A satellite to track illegal goldmining in the Guianas
• Swenson JJ, Carter CE, Domec J-C, Delgado CI (2011) Gold Mining in the Peruvian Amazon: Global Prices, Deforestation, and Mercury Imports. PLoS ONE 6(4): e18875. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0018875
• Map of Gold-mining activities in the Guianas
• Gold Rush in the Guiana Shield (ATBC2008.org)

Photo: Goldmine at Brownsberg Nature Park (© Pierre-Michel Forget, May 2004)