WWF in Guianas - Our work

Since the mid-1960s, WWF has supported conservation activities in the Guianas through projects under WWF-France, WWF-Netherlands, and WWF-United Kingdom. In 1998, WWF opened an office in Paramaribo, Suriname, which coordinates regional conservation work.

WWF Guianas works regionally in partnership with local NGOs, universities, government agencies, and local communities to address threats posed to forests, coasts, and wildlife of the Guianas. WWF has developed activities that support research, legislation, public policy, environmental education, communications, and regional cooperation for conservation.

Marine turtle conservation
The beaches of the Guianas (Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname) host the largest Atlantic leatherback turtle nesting beaches in the world. Hawksbill, olive ridley, and green turtles also nest on these beaches. Unfortunately these coasts also are host to a series of factors that affect these vulnerable creatures, such as coastal erosion, egg poaching, meat consumption, and incidental capture by fisheries operations, which are seriously threatening marine turtles in this region.

WWF has supported marine turtle conservation in these countries for more than 20 years through marine turtle research, supporting enforcement of conservation regulations, developing ecotourism, encouraging selective fishing gear use, and reducing turtle meat and egg take.

In these projects, WWF involves the proactive participation of local communities in monitoring, management, and research, while respecting traditional knowledge and customary laws and practices where possible. In many cases alternative livelihood development is crucial to reverse unsustainable practices.

For example, in the last few nesting seasons, WWF has supported educational camps for local communities and supported the Almond Bay women's coconut project, in Guyana - an alternative livelihood to the poaching of turtle eggs.