The entire coast of Suriname is considered the most important area for wintering North American-breeding shorebirds in the Americas. Three WHSRN sites of Hemispheric Importance were designated here in the 1980s. Together they host over 1.5 million wintering shorebirds, mostly Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla), Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), Lesser Yellowlegs (T. flavipes), Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) and Short-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus). The coast of Suriname is of critical importance for mudflats and mangroves, but the threats are many and rapidly growing. The natural integrity of the coast and its resources are under great pressure due to increasing habitat loss and degradation, the unsustainable use of natural resources, and perhaps most pressing, exploration and development of the offshore oil reserves.
Fortunately, the Suriname government has long acknowledged the importance of the coastal areas and much of it is protected as “Multiple Use Management Areas” (MUMAs) – which provide some protection but also allow for sustainable use of natural resources under permits. However, the government acknowledges that inadequate technical and financial management capacities have limited the conservation effectiveness of Suriname’s coastal protected areas system.
Left: American Golden Plovers on rocks at the Bigi Pan WHSRN Site. (Pluvialis dominica). Photo: Arne Lesterhuis. Right: Semipalmated Sandpipers at Bigi Pan WHSRN Site. Photo: Arne Lesterhuis.
To address this, Manomet developed a project in collaboration with the Ministry of Land Policy and Forest Management (GBB by its Dutch acronym) and the Suriname Forest Service (LBB by its Dutch acronym) to build capacity and implement conservation efforts for shorebirds. Funded by the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) grant program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) the program’s main goal is managing critical habitat for shorebirds at Bigi Pan MUMA by supporting the implementation of the site’s management plan.
To formalize this partnership for migratory species and their habitats in Suriname, Manomet recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the GBB and the LBB. The MOU, signed by the minister, Mrs. Dinotha O. Vorswijk, and Manomet’s President Lizzie Schueler, expresses the desire of both parties to cooperate with each other in matters relating to the management and conservation of migratory shorebirds and habitats through cooperative efforts.
Observation tower at Burned Bush, Bigi Pan. Photo: Arne Lesterhuis
A key role of the WHSRN Executive Office highlighted in the MOU is to build capacity among members of a Management Commission (MC) established by the GBB for the Bigi Pan MUMA that will oversee the implementation of the 2019-2023 Management plan for the area. The commission is chaired by the Head of the LBB and includes representatives from local government, the Nature Conservation Division (NCD), fishermen, local farmers, and community-based organizations. In August 2023, WHSRN Executive Office will organize a 3-day workshop for the MC and staff of GBB/LBB to increase their knowledge on a variety of topics including shorebird identification, shorebird ecology, threats, conservation strategies, wetland management, monitoring shorebird populations, and tactics for decision making when working with diverse stakeholders and multiple priorities. In addition, the WHSRN Executive Office will be supporting management actions at Bigi Pan. For example, there are plans to restore the observation tower at Burned Bush in the Bigi Pan MUMA. This tower will be an important resource to monitor shorebird and waterbird populations foraging on mudflats during low tide. Steps have also been taken to increase coastal resilience by restoring areas where mangroves have been lost.
For now. the focus is on Bigi Pan MUMA, but the WHSRN Executive Office and Manomet plan to expand activities to other areas along the coast of Suriname to ensure shorebird habitat is preserved along the entire coastline.
Cover Photo: Mudflats as far as the eye can see at the Bigi Pan WHSRN Site. Photo: Arne Lesterhuis.
