
Gold Rush
The massive rush for Sranan gowtu = Surinamese gold (in the local tongue) across the country results in the destruction of thousands of hectares of rainforests and the contamination of rivers with highly toxic materials.
There is a significant presence of small-scale and informal gold mining in Suriname. This informal sector sometimes operates outside regulatory frameworks, leading to challenges in monitoring, environmental management, and social wellbeing. Many young men go to work in this informal gold mining sector hoping to find Eldorado.