Suriname

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Latin America and the CaribbeanApplies 2024–2035Source: Updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2024–2035

1. Overview

Suriname's Updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2024–2035 (NBSAP) was developed in response to UNCBD Decision 15/6 and organises the country's biodiversity commitments around four strategic pathways* and around 20 national commitments***Suriname's NBSAP refers to these as "national targets" (numbered 1.1–4.8). This page uses "national commitment" to distinguish them from the 23 GBF Targets. The document itself reports the count variously as 19 (enumerated in §19), 20 (Executive Summary §4) and 21 (financial overview §70); "around 20" is used here where a single figure is needed.Suriname's NBSAP calls these "strategic pathways." The first three align with the three UNCBD objectives; the fourth is cross-cutting and described as "similar to GBF Goal D" — they are not GBF Goals A–D. This page uses "national commitments" grouped by pathway to avoid confusion., aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) [§41, §43]. The document was produced by the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment (Min. ROM), the UNCBD national focal point, building on Suriname's first NBS (2006) and first NBAP (2011) [§4, §45]. Targets are to be achieved by the end of the 2024–2035 period, while action tables focus on the initial 2024–2030 window [§41].

The mobilisation of financial resources, the capacity needs assessment, and communication and outreach on the updated NBSAP are explicitly deferred to phase 2 of the Min. ROM update project [§4, §33]. The document identifies lessons from the previous NBSAP: weak integration into national planning, absence of a monitoring system, no gender mainstreaming, and limited financing and institutional capacity [§4].

Suriname's updated NBSAP positions the country as a carbon-negative, high-forest state with still-largely-intact terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and commits to expanding protected areas to 30% of national territory — including the first marine protected areas in its 345-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone — while building legal architecture for indigenous and tribal collective rights, traditional knowledge, and access and benefit sharing. Pathway-level costs sum to $43.0M; the document's stated total is $14,280,622, and reconciliation is deferred to implementation.

Sources:

  • §4 — Executive summary
  • §33 — Part 1 > 4 Implementation framework
  • §41 — Part 2 > Executive summary (Part 2)
  • §43 — Part 2 > 1.1 Suriname's updated Biodiversity Strategy
  • §45 — Part 2 > 1.3 Applied methodology
  • §70 — Part 2 > 2.5 Financial overview

2. Ecological Context

Suriname sits on the Guiana Shield between the Orinoco and Amazon rivers, and the NBSAP describes the country as "the most forested country in the world," with its tropical rainforest forming part of one of the few remaining large intact forest areas in the Amazon biome [§12, §17]. The marine Exclusive Economic Zone extends up to 345 sea miles northward from the coast [§12]. Territory is partitioned into four zones: a marine EEZ with possible coral reefs; an estuarine zone (1% of surface area) with mangroves, mudflats and hypersaline marshes; a coastal plain (13%) of freshwater swamp and marsh forest; a Zanderij savanna belt (5%); and the interior (82%) of rainforest, creeks, clear-water rivers and upland ecosystems to 1,250 m [§13–§15].

The NBSAP records approximately 7,906 flora species — over 5,100 vascular plants — and approximately 2,020 fauna species, including 196 mammals, about 500 freshwater and brackish-water fish, over 200 amphibians and reptiles, and over 700 bird species [§16]. It lists 123 endangered species (12 critically endangered) and approximately 3,800 near-threatened or least-endangered species, with 189 protected animal species and seven tree species protected against logging as of 2021 [§16]. Between 2016 and 2021, approximately 24,000–27,000 animals were exported under CITES licence, worth US$6 million [§16]. The existing protected-area estate comprises 11 nature reserves (11.5% of surface area), two nature parks (0.09%) and four Multiple Use Management Areas (1.5%), with no marine protected areas currently designated [§17, §49].

Pressures. Granted mining and forestry concessions cover about a quarter of the land territory, "often a source of conflict when it concerns living areas of indigenous and tribal communities" [§17]. Gold mining is identified as the main driver of deforestation; artisanal and small-scale gold mining is described as "particularly destructive to local ecosystems" through sediment release, water turbidity and mercury use [§17]. Overfishing is the main pressure on marine biodiversity — Southern Brown Shrimp populations "have been depleted and failed to recover," and around half of Suriname's IUCN Red List species are fish [§17]. Expected offshore oil exploitation in the EEZ is flagged as an emerging risk absent appropriate protocols and contingency capacity [§17]. Leatherback sea turtle nests have "dropped drastically compared to twenty years ago," and jaguar poaching for parts believed to hold medicinal value is identified [§17]. Projected climate-change effects include sea-level rise, reduced annual average rainfall, more extreme rainfall events, and rising atmospheric and sea-surface temperatures [§17].

Cultural context. Suriname is home to four indigenous tribes and six afrodescendent tribes, each with their own worldview, values and local ecological knowledge, which the NBSAP identifies as "highly relevant for Suriname's biodiversity with regard to conservation of natural habitats and the reduction of forest loss" [§17].

Sources:

  • §12 — National context and vision > Biodiversity context
  • §13–§15 — Biodiversity context > Ecosystems (marine, estuarine, coastal plain, Zanderij belt, interior)
  • §16 — Biodiversity context > Wildlife species (2021)
  • §17 — Biodiversity context > Protected areas, pressures, cultural and institutional context
  • §49 — Part 2 > Target 1.1

3. National Commitments and GBF Alignment

The NBSAP organises commitments around four strategic pathways: (1) Conservation of biodiversity; (2) Sustainable use of biodiversity; (3) Fair and equitable benefit sharing; and (4) Mainstreaming and enabling conditions [§19, §43]. Pathway-level costs are $8,318,088 (P1), $15,738,738 (P2), $4,938,606 (P3) and $14,012,332 (P4) [§70]. The 2035 vision is to "value and conserve [Suriname's] diverse natural and cultural heritage, including traditional knowledge, for present and future generations, by protecting, sustainably using and restoring Suriname's biodiversity in all sectors on land and in sea, and enhancing benefits from healthy ecosystems for all of society" [§18].

Pathway 1 — Conservation of biodiversity

Commitment 1.1 Protected areas. "Terrestrial, marine and wetland protected areas comprise 30% of the total area and are effectively managed, including in the EEZ" [§19]. Baseline: 13% of surface area in protected areas, no marine protected areas [§49]. Key instruments: draft Nature Management Act (establishing a Nature Management Authority and Nature Protection Commission); Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan; co-management models with indigenous and tribal peoples [§49]. Maps to GBF Targets 3, 8, 11. Indicators: GBF headline indicator 3.1 (PA/OECM coverage), PAME, SAGE, KBA component indicators [§72]. Measurable commitment — 30% area target with 2035 deadline.

Commitment 1.2 Ecological restoration. Suriname initiates restoration and rehabilitation of degraded, polluted or depleted ecosystems using evidence-based procedures and national guidelines [§19]. Instruments: draft Mining Law to be finalised with the Suriname EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group; sectoral land-, sea- and aquatic policy revisions [§50]. Maps to GBF Targets 2, 11. Indicator: GBF headline 2.2 (area under restoration). Directional aspiration — no hectare target.

Commitment 1.3 Endangered species and wildlife trade. Coordinated management and monitoring, with enforcement capacity for wildlife trade regulations [§19]. Instruments: revisions to the Game Law and Forest Management Law; Jaguar Action Plan (2022); CITES and IUCN reference framework [§50]. Maps to GBF Targets 4, 5. Indicators: GBF A.3 Red List Index, A.5 effective population size, 5.1 sustainable fish stocks. Directional aspiration.

Commitment 1.4 Invasive alien species. Awareness, early detection, and management systems [§19]. Instruments: update to the Plant Protection Act (1965); new laws to register, monitor and control introductions [§51]. Maps to GBF Target 6. Indicator: GBF headline 6.1 (IAS establishment rate). Directional aspiration.

Pathway 2 — Sustainable use of biodiversity

Commitment 2.1 Spatial planning. Adoption of terrestrial and marine spatial planning laws and regulations, including zoning and integrated management plans [§19]. Instruments: draft Spatial Planning Law (Concept Wet Ruimtelijke Planning, 2018–present); Law on Maritime Zones (2017); implementing decrees and land-zoning policy [§53]. Maps to GBF Target 1. Indicator: GBF headline 1.1 (% land/sea covered by biodiversity-inclusive spatial plans). Directional aspiration.

Commitment 2.2 Pollution reduction. National environmental quality standards, integrated waste-management and monitoring systems [§19]. Instruments: Environmental Framework Act; Minamata Convention on Mercury (2018); dedicated oil-spill and hazardous-contamination emergency response plan for EEZ operations [§54]. Maps to GBF Target 7. Indicator: GBF 7.2 (pesticide environment concentration). Directional aspiration.

Commitment 2.3 Sustainable exploitation. Responsible practices and technologies across land-, sea- and freshwater-use sectors [§19]. Budgeted at $8,188,926, the largest single-target line in the NBSAP [§70]. Instruments: Fisheries Management Plan 2021–2025; draft Code of Practice for sustainable forestry (2011); National REDD+ Strategy (2018); Tourism Framework Law; revised Agriculture Master Plan (2016–2030) [§55]. Maps to GBF Targets 5, 10, 11. Directional aspiration.

Commitment 2.4 Nature-based solutions. Incorporation of NbS in urban planning, climate resilience, food production and sustainable livelihoods [§19]. Instruments: updated national ecosystem services assessment and valuation; natural capital accounting system [§55]. Maps to GBF Targets 11, 12. Directional aspiration.

Commitment 2.5 Subsidy reform and business incentives. Priorities and a plan for phasing out or reforming subsidies and incentives harmful to biodiversity, with transparency and compliance provisions [§19]. Budgeted at $1,379,088 [§70]. Instruments: assessments of private-sector incentives; legal, policy and tax-incentive development; "green labelling" national standards [§57]. Maps to GBF Targets 15, 16, 18. Directional aspiration — no quantified phase-out value or deadline.

Pathway 3 — Fair and equitable benefit sharing

Commitment 3.1 Collective traditional knowledge and IP rights. Recognition in legislation of the collective traditional knowledge and associated intellectual property rights of indigenous and tribal communities [§19]. Budgeted at $741,336 [§70]. Instruments: FPIC-based engagement with rightsholders (VIDS, KAMPOS, VSG); new laws to protect traditional knowledge and IP; Bureau Intellectual Property as partner [§59]. Maps to GBF Targets 13, 21, 22. Directional aspiration.

Commitment 3.2 ITP capacities and community resource management. Budgeted at $1,699,530 [§70]. Maps to GBF Targets 13, 22. Directional aspiration.

Commitment 3.3 Access and benefit sharing. Incorporation of UNCBD ABS provisions in national legislation, with transparent procedures for bioprospecting and benefit sharing [§19]. Budgeted at $2,497,740 [§70]. Instruments: Nagoya Protocol; new FPIC-based ABS laws and regulations [§30, §61]. Maps to GBF Target 13. Directional aspiration.

Pathway 4 — Mainstreaming and enabling conditions

Commitment 4.1 Institutional capacity — $1,097,502 [§70]. Individual, institutional and systemic capacity strengthening; brain-drain identified as a contextual constraint. Maps to GBF Target 20. Directional aspiration.

Commitment 4.2 Finance — $1,257,654 [§70]. Increase of the national budget for biodiversity and improved access to international finance, including payment for ecosystem services, biodiversity offsetting and climate finance synergies [§19, §64]. Maps to GBF Target 19. Directional aspiration — no $ goal or domestic/international split.

Commitment 4.3 Education and awareness. Structural integration of biodiversity in elementary and middle-school curricula. Maps to GBF Target 22 (indirect). Directional aspiration.

Commitment 4.4 Research and data — $6,435,090, the largest line in Pathway 4 [§70]. Suriname Environmental Information Network; VBGSS national chapter; GBIF, ACTO Observatory and BGCI partnerships [§31, §66]. Maps to GBF Target 21. Directional aspiration.

Commitment 4.5 Climate–biodiversity linkages — $659,178. Working toward a National Climate Accord; interdisciplinary team linking biodiversity and NAP/NDC [§31, §67]. Maps to GBF Target 8. Directional aspiration.

Commitment 4.6 Policy harmonisation — $1,728,048 [§70]. Dedicated unit for NBSAP monitoring, evaluation and coordination. Maps to GBF Target 14. Directional aspiration.

Commitment 4.7 Gender and inclusive participation — $1,313,920 [§70]. FPIC-based structural public-ITP partnership ($617,550); public-private-civil-society platform; National Gender Vision Policy (2019) and 2023 addendum [§76]. Maps to GBF Targets 22, 23. Directional aspiration.

Commitment 4.8 SDG synergies — $144,708 [§70]. Formal collaboration between the UNCBD focal point and the SDG National Commission and Platform [§76]. Maps to GBF Section D. Directional aspiration.

Interim workstreams

A technical working-group prioritisation categorises commitments as high, medium or lower priority but is explicitly flagged as "for the draft version and may be subject to slight adjustments" [§36]. Financial resource mobilisation, capacity needs assessment, and communication and outreach are deferred to "phase 2" of the NBSAP update project [§4, §33] — interim workstreams rather than classified commitments in this NBSAP.

Sources:

  • §4 — Executive summary (phase 2 deferral)
  • §18–§19 — Vision, principles, pathways and targets
  • §30–§32 — Pathway 3 and 4 targets
  • §33, §36 — Implementation framework, prioritisation caveat
  • §43 — Updated Biodiversity Strategy
  • §49–§76 — Target-level narratives and indicators
  • §70 — Financial overview

4. Delivery Architecture

The NBSAP is coordinated by the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment (Min. ROM) as UNCBD national focal point [§45]. The NBAP is structured around eight components per target: strategic target, actions and interventions, required capacity, lead agency, timeframe by priority, estimated costs, funding opportunities, and synergies [§33]. Commitment 4.6 establishes "a dedicated unit for monitoring, evaluating and coordinating the implementation of the updated NBSAP" and a coordinating government structure to streamline international treaty obligations [§75].

Conservation and nature management. The draft Nature Management Act (pending parliamentary approval) would establish a Nature Management Authority and Nature Protection Commission, alongside the yet-to-be-instated National Environmental Authority (NMA) — currently NIMOS — whose mandates are to be evaluated against the adopted Environmental Framework Act [§49]. The Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan is to be updated and implemented [§49]. Management of protected areas sits with LBB/NB under the Ministry of GBB–NB [§49].

Production sectors. Forestry delivery draws on updates to the Code of Practice, revisions to the Forest Management Law (1992), and synergies with the National REDD+ Strategy and NDC [§55]. Fisheries delivery operates under the Fisheries Management Plan 2021–2025, with licensing, bycatch, fishing-technique and vessel-monitoring policies, and references to Turtle Excluder Devices [§24, §55]. Agriculture delivery revises the Agriculture Master Plan 2016–2030 and addresses GMO governance through the National Biosafety Framework (2004) [§55]. Tourism delivery operates under the recently approved Tourism Framework Law and Tourism Authority Law, led by Min. TCT and the National Tourism Authority [§55].

Extractives. The draft Mining Law is to be finalised for responsible practices and rehabilitation, in partnership with the Suriname Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Multi-Stakeholder Group (SEITI) [§50]. The Law on Maritime Zones is to be evaluated and marine spatial planning policies developed [§53].

Indigenous and tribal architecture. Delivery involves VIDS, KAMPOS and VSG as ITP authority representative organisations, with a dedicated FPIC-based public-ITP partnership as a costed action under Commitment 4.7 [§59, §76]. Collective land-rights legislation has been drafted but parliamentary approval is pending [§30].

Research infrastructure. Delivery draws on the national biodiversity database (NMA/NIMOS with BBS and NZCS), the Suriname Environmental Information Network, the VBGSS national chapter of the Association for Biodiversity in the Guiana Shield, and partnerships with GBIF, the ACTO Observatory and BGCI [§31, §66].

Sources:

  • §24 — Pathway 2 > Spatial planning and practices
  • §30 — Pathway 3 > Targets
  • §31 — Pathway 4 narrative
  • §33 — Implementation framework
  • §45 — Methodology
  • §49–§55 — Target narratives
  • §59, §66, §75, §76 — ITP, data, M&E, participation

4a. Extractive Industries and the Restoration Frontier

Extractive industries form a structural spine of the NBSAP, appearing as both the dominant pressure and a domestic finance source. Gold mining is identified as the single largest driver of deforestation, with artisanal and small-scale mining described as "particularly destructive" through sediment release, water turbidity and mercury use [§17]. The draft Mining Law is pending parliamentary approval and is to be finalised alongside the Suriname EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group in light of responsible practices and rehabilitation requirements [§50]. Commitment 1.2 on restoration is anticipatory — focused on developing scientific protocols for rehabilitation following destructive activities before scaling implementation [§50].

Expected exploitation of offshore oil in the EEZ is flagged as an emerging pressure without current protocols or contingency capacity, and Commitment 2.2 includes a dedicated emergency response plan for oil spills and hazardous contamination in terrestrial and marine ecosystems [§17, §54]. On the finance side, Action 4.2.5 commits Suriname to developing "regulations that designate a portion of extractive industries revenues to a national nature and environment fund" ($467,970), an unusually concrete domestic-finance mechanism [§64].

4b. Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, Traditional Knowledge, and Collective Rights

Suriname is home to four indigenous tribes and six afrodescendent tribes [§17]. The NBSAP treats indigenous and tribal peoples (ITP) as structural, not ornamental. The whole of Pathway 3 — three commitments totalling $4,938,606 — is devoted to collective traditional knowledge, community resource management, and access and benefit sharing based on FPIC principles [§30, §70]. Commitment 1.1 incorporates co-management with ITP communities into the legal-update workstream for protected areas [§49]. Commitment 1.3 includes a distinct action for ITP authority representatives (VIDS, KAMPOS, VSG) to lead assessments of external pressures on biodiversity within indigenous and tribal territories [§50]. Commitment 4.7 funds the FPIC-based structural public-ITP partnership at $617,550 — the largest line item within that commitment [§76].

Collective land rights legislation has been drafted but parliamentary approval is still pending [§30]. Classical IP rights legislation is noted as offering "insufficient protection to collective rights," and Target 3.1 works with the Bureau Intellectual Property to develop complementary legal architecture [§59].

5. Monitoring and Accountability

Implementation oversight sits with Min. ROM, with Commitment 4.6 establishing a dedicated unit for NBSAP monitoring, evaluation and coordination [§75]. The M&E framework is designed for annual evaluation during the full NBAP implementation period, and the information structure is designed to support reporting obligations [§72]. The framework comprises nine components per target: strategic target; baseline description; progress indicators as intermediate outcomes; achieved outcomes in year x "in terms of what or who has changed, when and where"; level of significance in relation to the strategic target; contributing activities; obstacles encountered and needs identified; key actors; and relevant GBF headline, component and complementary indicators in line with COP decision CBD/COP/15/5 [§72].

Indicator sets draw primarily from GBF headline indicators — including 3.1 (PA coverage), A.3 (Red List Index), 6.1 (IAS establishment rate), 1.1 (biodiversity-inclusive spatial plans), 7.2 (pesticide environment concentration), 10.1 and 10.2 (agricultural and forestry sustainability), 5.1 (sustainable fish stocks), B.1 (ecosystem services), C.1 and C.2 (benefits), and D.1–D.3 (public and private biodiversity funding) — supplemented by component, complementary and SDG indicators where appropriate [§72–§76]. The NBSAP notes that "some targets do not yet have headline or other GBF indicators, but may still be added at a later stage as the Technical Expert Group on Indicators for the GBF develops additional indicators" [§72]. The framework "does not specify detailed indicators for each individual action" — that detail is expected to be added during implementation through financed projects and programs [§72].

The NBSAP explicitly identifies the absence of a monitoring system in the previous NBSAP as a lesson driving the current M&E design [§4]. Baselines are recorded per target — for example, protected areas at 13% of surface area with no marine protected areas, spatial planning legislation "being prepared… yet to be submitted to Parliament," and no existing legislation on bioprospecting [§72–§74].

Sources:

  • §4 — Executive summary (previous-NBSAP lessons)
  • §45 — Methodology
  • §72–§76 — M&E framework
  • §75 — Dedicated monitoring unit (Target 4.6)

6. Finance and Resource Mobilisation

Pathway-level estimated costs sum to $43.0M: $8,318,088 (Pathway 1), $15,738,738 (Pathway 2), $4,938,606 (Pathway 3), and $14,012,332 (Pathway 4) [§70]. The document's summary table reports a TOTAL figure of $14,280,622 [§70]; this page reports both figures without reconciling them. The largest single-target allocations are Commitment 2.3 on sustainable exploitation ($8,188,926), Commitment 4.4 on research and data ($6,435,090), Commitment 2.2 on pollution reduction ($3,274,530), Commitment 3.3 on ABS ($2,497,740) and Commitment 1.2 on restoration ($2,570,022) [§70].

Domestic public finance. The Government of Suriname is identified as a potential funding source for fifteen of the twenty commitments [§70]. The NBSAP notes "a need for allocation of more national funds to biodiversity-related activities" and that "given the current financial and economic context in Suriname, a helpful step in that direction is to actively coordinate across government for efficient allocation of financial resources" [§64]. Action 4.2.4 coordinates annual budget allocation for biodiversity activities ($230,580) [§64].

Innovative domestic mechanisms. Action 4.2.5 commits Suriname to developing regulations that designate a portion of extractive industries revenues to a national nature and environment fund ($467,970) [§64]. The NBSAP distinguishes incidental project financing from "continuous financing" mainly derived from production sectors, "which would mainly serve to cover running costs and depreciations" [§64].

Multilateral and bilateral finance. Identified potential funders include GEF, UNDP, GBFF, IDB, World Bank, EU, GCF, FAO/WECAFC, CRFM, ACTO, (climate) Adaptation Fund, Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, US Embassy, CeDePesca, Suriname Conservation Foundation, and the SDG Fund [§70]. The NBSAP notes that "in order to obtain the money from big multilateral donors such as GEF, a long project cycle needs to be started; that means that there are often years between submitting draft projects and obtaining funds" [§64]. The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership is referenced as a programme providing technical and financial support, NBSAP process support, access to finance, alignment of financial flows and knowledge management [§71].

Subsidy reform. Commitment 2.5 commits Suriname to setting priorities and developing a plan for phasing out or reforming subsidies and incentives harmful to biodiversity, with a total estimated cost of $1,379,088 [§70]. Action 2.5.3 develops legal, policy and tax incentives for the private sector ($177,636) [§57]. No quantified value of subsidies to be redirected and no elimination deadline are specified.

Capacity for resource mobilisation. Action 4.2.1 strengthens government and organisational capacity for fund allocation and international mobilisation ($134,088), led by Min. ROM with Min. FIN and Min. BIBIS; Action 4.2.2 strengthens scientific-institute capacity via AdeKUS ($129,000); Action 4.2.3 consults on legislation for international climate and forest financing and benefit-sharing mechanisms ($204,408); Action 4.2.6 pursues synergies with forest, climate, SDG and other environmental financing ($91,608) [§64].

Sources:

  • §57 — Target 2.5 business incentives
  • §63–§64 — Targets 4.1 and 4.2
  • §70 — Financial overview
  • §71 — NBSAP Accelerator Partnership

7. GBF Target Coverage

GBF Target 1 — Spatial planning. Addressed. Commitment 2.1 commits Suriname to adopting terrestrial and marine spatial planning laws and regulations, including zoning and integrated management plans. Key instruments are the draft Concept Wet Ruimtelijke Planning (2018–present) and the Law on Maritime Zones (2017), led by Min. ROM – Dir. Spatial Planning with the National Planning Office. Marine spatial planning is treated alongside terrestrial planning, anchored on the EEZ. Indicator: GBF headline 1.1 (% biodiversity-inclusive spatial plans).

GBF Target 2 — Ecosystem restoration. Addressed. Commitment 1.2 ($2,570,022) frames restoration as anticipatory — focused on preparing procedures, protocols and legal hooks before scaling implementation. The draft Mining Law is the principal legal vehicle, with scientific protocols for ecosystem restoration following destructive activities. Indicator: GBF headline 2.2 (area under restoration). No hectare target is specified.

GBF Target 3 — Protected areas (30x30). Addressed. Commitment 1.1 ($2,303,580) commits to expanding protected areas to 30% of total area by 2035, including first-ever marine protected areas in the EEZ. Instruments: draft Nature Management Law; Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan; co-management models with indigenous and tribal peoples built into the legal-update workstream. Indicators: GBF headline 3.1 (PA/OECM coverage), with PAME, SAGE and KBA component indicators.

GBF Target 4 — Species recovery. Addressed. Commitment 1.3 ($1,755,360) commits to effectively protecting endangered animal and plant species through coordinated management and monitoring and building enforcement capacity for wildlife-trade regulations. Instruments: Game Law and Forest Management Law revisions; Jaguar Action Plan (2022); ITP territorial pressure assessments led by VIDS, KAMPOS and VSG. Captive breeding feasibility is added as M&E progress indicator 10. Indicators: GBF A.3 Red List Index, A.5 effective population size, 5.1. No species-population-recovery number is specified.

GBF Target 5 — Sustainable harvest. Addressed. Coverage is routed through Commitment 1.3 (wildlife — revision of Game Law, Forest Management Law and sanctions for poaching and illegal trade) and the Fisheries Management Plan 2021–2025 referenced as an existing instrument. Turtle Excluder Devices, Reduced Impact Logging and improved artisanal and small-scale gold-mining practices are flagged as responsible practices requiring upscaling. Indicator: GBF 5.1 (fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels).

GBF Target 6 — Invasive alien species. Addressed. Commitment 1.4 ($1,689,126) commits to awareness, early-detection and management systems. The existing IAS inventory is acknowledged as more than five years old, and the Plant Protection Act (1965) is flagged as possibly insufficient — legal modernisation is part of the action set. Indicator: GBF headline 6.1 (IAS establishment rate).

GBF Target 7 — Pollution reduction. Addressed. Commitment 2.2 ($3,274,530) commits to national environmental quality standards and integrated waste-management systems. Priority pressures: mercury from gold mining, pesticides, POPs and plastic pollution. Instruments: Environmental Framework Act and Minamata Convention (2018). Plastic pollution receives a dedicated regulatory action, and an offshore-oil-spill emergency response plan is prepared ahead of expected EEZ exploitation. Indicator: GBF 7.2 (pesticide environment concentration).

GBF Target 8 — Climate and biodiversity. Addressed. Commitment 4.5 ($659,178) commits to increased understanding of climate-biodiversity linkages and integration of biodiversity in climate adaptation. Anchored on Suriname's carbon-negative status and working toward a National Climate Accord, with references to the State of the Climate report, third National Communication, NAP (2019), NAMAs (2019) and second NDC (2020). Wildlife open-season regulation adjustments are tied directly to climate-change findings.

GBF Target 9 — Wild species use. Mentioned. Wild-species use is not given a standalone commitment. It is absorbed into Commitment 1.3 (wildlife as food, hunted, collected alive, cultivated) and Pathway 2's sustainable-use framing, with Pathway 2 narrative referencing beekeeping, nature and agro-tourism, traditional medicines and non-timber forest product value chains.

GBF Target 10 — Agriculture / forestry sustainability. Addressed. Routed through Commitment 2.3 ($8,188,926 — the NBSAP's largest single-target line). Existing sectoral instruments — Fisheries Management Plan 2021–2025, National REDD+ Strategy (2018), draft Code of Practice for sustainable forestry (2011), Agriculture Master Plan (2016–2030) — carry operational substance. Detailed action table for Commitment 2.3 is not present in the source briefing. Indicators: GBF 10.1, 10.2.

GBF Target 11 — Ecosystem services / NbS. Addressed. Commitment 2.4 ($1,286,784) commits to incorporating NbS in urban planning, climate resilience, food systems and livelihoods. Actions include updating the national ecosystem services assessment and valuation and developing a system for natural capital accounting. Framing extends beyond carbon to coastal protection, urban heat, food security and corridor planning. Indicator: GBF B.1.

GBF Target 12 — Urban biodiversity. Mentioned. Addressed as a sub-theme of Commitment 2.4 rather than as a standalone commitment. The NBSAP notes that more than half of Suriname's population lives in and around Paramaribo; actions request recommendations on incorporating NbS in urban planning, infrastructure development and climate adaptation.

GBF Target 13 — Genetic resources / ABS. Addressed. Covered across Pathway 3. Commitment 3.1 ($741,336) recognises collective traditional knowledge and associated IP rights. Commitment 3.2 ($1,699,530) builds ITP capacities. Commitment 3.3 ($2,497,740) incorporates UNCBD ABS provisions into national legislation via FPIC-based processes, anchored on the Nagoya Protocol. Bureau Intellectual Property is a named partner.

GBF Target 14 — Mainstreaming. Addressed. Commitment 4.6 ($1,728,048) commits to harmonised environmental and economic policies, with a dedicated NBSAP coordination unit. Mainstreaming is framed as a corrective to the previous NBSAP's weak integration with national planning. Detailed action table not present in the source briefing.

GBF Target 15 — Business disclosure. Mentioned. No standalone disclosure commitment. Covered indirectly through Commitment 2.5 (HSE corporate standards, ESIA roles) and Suriname's EITI commitment, which includes an environmental reporting requirement. No reference to TNFD, ISSB or analogous reporting standards was identified.

GBF Target 16 — Sustainable consumption. Mentioned. Covered through Commitment 2.5 actions on "green labelling" of biodiversity-responsible products and corporate training to "promote sustainable consumption through short courses on biodiversity and ecosystem services." No food-waste, footprint or consumption-reduction metric is specified.

GBF Target 17 — Biosafety. Mentioned. The National Biosafety Framework (2004) is cited as an existing instrument in the institutional inventory. No update or modernisation action, and no reference to LMOs, GMOs or Cartagena Protocol implementation, was identified in the source briefing. Adjacent Commitment 1.4 actions on registering and controlling introductions border the biosafety topic without addressing LMOs explicitly.

GBF Target 18 — Harmful subsidies. Addressed. Commitment 2.5 commits to setting priorities and developing a plan for phasing out or reforming harmful subsidies and incentives. Sequenced assessment-then-legislation approach, bundled with positive-incentive design. No quantified value of subsidies to be redirected and no elimination deadline are stated.

GBF Target 19 — Finance mobilisation. Addressed. Commitment 4.2 ($1,257,654) commits to increasing the national budget and improving access to international finance, including payment for ecosystem services, biodiversity offsetting and climate finance synergies. The earmarking of a portion of extractive industries revenues to a national nature and environment fund ($467,970) is a distinctive domestic mechanism. The total NBSAP cost is stated as $14,280,622, though pathway-level sums equal $43.0M. No domestic/international split is specified.

GBF Target 20 — Capacity and technology. Addressed. Commitment 4.1 ($1,097,502) commits to institutional capacity strengthening across individual, institutional and systemic levels. Brain-drain from the current economic crisis is explicitly cited as a contextual constraint. Detailed action table not present in the source briefing.

GBF Target 21 — Data and information. Addressed. Commitment 4.4 ($6,435,090 — the largest Pathway 4 line) commits to increased Surinamese scientific research published and linked to national databases, including community-based research. Infrastructure: Suriname Environmental Information Network; VBGSS national chapter; GBIF, ACTO Observatory and BGCI partnerships; National Land Monitoring System; National Mangrove Inventory and Monitoring.

GBF Target 22 — Inclusive participation. Addressed. Commitment 4.7 ($1,313,920) combines participation, gender and intersectionality. The FPIC-based structural public-ITP partnership ($617,550) is the largest line item within the commitment. Pathway 3 operationalises participation through ITP traditional-knowledge and ABS work. The public-private-civil-society platform is a separate action line.

GBF Target 23 — Gender equality. Addressed. Gender is treated both as a cross-cutting NBSAP principle and as a target-level commitment under Commitment 4.7. Actions 4.7.3–4.7.5 target gender-disaggregated data: incorporating gender and biodiversity questions in the national census ($45,034), compiling existing gender and biodiversity information ($91,608), and facilitating gender-specific assessments of ecosystem services ($415,020). The Bureau of Gender Affairs (Min. BiZa) leads, anchored on the National Gender Vision Policy (2019) and 2023 addendum.