Conservation International Suriname uses an integrated approach that draws on both knowledge and expertise of highly trained Surinamese conservationists as well as on CI's on-the-ground experience in more than thirty countries. CI-Suriname's initiatives include:



* Geographic Information Systems (GIS) projects that document and map natural resource use by both the Saamake communities north of the Brokopondo lake and the Tareno community (known in scientific literature under the name of Tirio) of Kwamalasamutu in southwestern Suriname.



* Protected areas management projects that contribute towards the rehabilitation of the former Raleighvallen Nature Reserve and Brownsberg Nature Park.



* Ethnobotanical projects that include the International Cooperative Biodiversity Group's (ICBG) Bioprospecting Program, an initiative with the Saamaka and Tareno peoples that identifies and screens tropical plants for potential medicinal uses on an international scale. The ICBG is a cooperative endeavor of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development.

Other partners in this project include Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Missouri Botanical Garden, Bristol Myers-Squibb and BGVS, Suriname's national pharmaceutical company. CI's ethnobotanical work also includes the Shaman's Apprentice Program, a scientific education program that works to preserve indigenous knowledge of plants for the benefit of local people.



* Economic development projects that seek to promote economic alternatives. An important component of this work is the promotion of nature tourism development. CI has given technical assistance to community-owned nature tourism projects, provided input in national nature tourism strategies and legislation, and initiated in-country nature tourism campaigns. CI is also promoting the development of non-timber forest products as an economic development alternative for Suriname.

CI's tourism development activities in Suriname include the design of a tourism development plan for three key areas, the CSNR, The Upper Suriname River, and the cultural tourism of Paramaribo. In April of 2000 a successful Charette (design workshop) was held in Paramaribo. In the future the focus will be primarily on developing a tourism master plan for the Reserve, designing research and tourism facilities and trails, establishing long-term tourism development guidelines and carrying capacity for sites and specific species, as well as the drafting of a formal business plan and marketing strategy.



* Environmental Policy development projects, as well as active involvement in the development of the National Biodiversity Strategy, the National Strategy for Rural Sustainable Development, the National Strategy for Environmental Education and Awareness, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACT), the development of the petroglyph site Werehpai, GEF small-grants program, the Sipaliwini Nature reserve, identification of and assistance for community-based projects.