The Government of Suriname is developing a national strategy to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). The aim is to maintain the country’s high forest cover and low deforestation status, without compromising the need for social and economic prosperity. The national REDD+ strategy will introduce activities to increase the value of forests with the aim of transforming the forest landscape into a more productive ecosystem that sequesters carbon and safeguards forest benefits. UNIQUE was contracted to support the national REDD+ process with a study that informs the design of this program. Specifically, our tasks included conducting an analysis of the causes of deforestation and forest degradation, as well as identifying barriers to achieving REDD+.

• Comprehensive analysis of drivers, agents and underlying causes of deforestation.
• Spatial analysis to stratify the country into productive forest types, relevant for REDD+ interventions.
• Detailed analysis of drivers, including opportunity cost assessments in priority areas.
• Capacity building for national counterparts to conduct remote sensing tasks.
• Assessment of key commodities beyond the forest sector causing deforestation, using value chain approach.