Jeff Graham

Dependency on the Tree

The rainforest is a vital lifeline of the world=s ecosystem, food chain, economy, and natural ability to grow. Suriname is the Middle Island of three Guyanas, situated on the South American continent, to the right of Venezuela. Suriname is a small underdeveloped country, which relies heavily on the rainforest for all aspects of its livelihood. As a resident of Suriname, I am in despair, day in and day out, as I watch all hope of our country growing and becoming a stronger taken away with every tree cut down in our rainforest. I have been driven to take an activist stand when it comes to saving the rainforest. Suriname is unable to survive without the rainforest. Without the rainforest, all aspects of Suriname=s culture would be nonexistent.

The rainforest in general is vital to the world=s progress. I think it is important for me to show how the rainforest affects the world, and then show how unrelinquishable it is to Suriname. The rainforest covers less than two percent of the Earth=s surface, yet in many eyes it is the most important two percent. It is home to fifty to seventy percent of the life forms known to man. It is also the most complex and productive ecosystem in the world. (Blue Hypermedia)

Suriname relies on the rainforest for many reasons; one of the most important reasons is it is a source of aluminum ore (bauxite), and also the production of aluminum. The bauxite economy is probably the main reason that the rainforest in Suriname remains virtually intact (Marco Bleeker). It has been recent that alarming messages that there are exhaustion of the ore have become public. This exhaustion is already leading the way for some multinationals to come in and start logging the rainforest. The logging is also beginning a trend of political unrest in Suriname (Webster, 27). Suriname has created very favorable conditions for the multinationals, because the government has no means to enforce the very few regulations that they have.

As a member of the Suriname community, it has become very clear to me that the multinationals are causing many environmental complications in my country. Near me, gold mining has become the new rage. The process to filter the gold from the river involves severe pollution of the environment. Again, there is no enforcement of the regulations and there are many illegal miners and developments that are chaotic. I have already had clashes with these multinationals. Notwithstanding earlier agreements, the population of the interior has not been involved in any decision making. Indians and Maroons have now united in the Gran Krutu, or Athe highest authority of the interior,@ in an attempt to defend the regions where they live (Marco Bleeker).

I have recently become a member of the Gran Krutu and was appointed to the executive council. My most recent run in with the loggers was when they tried to gain logging permits for the mountain of Brownsberg. Brownsberg is now a nature reserve. I guess I could take a good deal of credit for that. Brownsberg is the most fertile and complex area of Suriname=s rainforest. It is home to many different plant and animal species. As a member of the council, I have made this mountain one of my main priorities, and I will never compromise my position on Brownsberg.

Another reason that the rainforest is an asset of Suriname is that it houses my people, the Bush Negroes, or Maroons. We are descendants of escaped slaves who sought refuge in the rapids of the forest. The different tribes founded villages along the rivers. For our people, Cassava is a major part of our diet. We delicately produce flour from its roots. If it was not for the rainforest, my people would have no shelter.

The rainforest is the livelihood of Suriname and my people. As a member of the Gran Krutu, it is my duty to see that the logging and pillaging of the rainforest, not only in Suriname but all over the world, ends. If there could only be guidelines and rules to how the rainforest is used, maybe then we could find a way to use the rainforest to our advantage and continue to use the rainforest. In addition, as a leader in the rainforest campaign, I will be the first to stand up and defend the future of the world=s rainforests.