In October, the Surinamese community of Bigi Poika received its Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate from the President of Suriname, Jennifer Simons, the first forest community in the country to do so.
The achievement is described as a major breakthrough with international significance for certification internationally, says advisors and analysts Stichting Probos of the Netherlands which supported the certification process.
“This milestone not only marks significant progress for forest management in Bigi Poika but also demonstrates the potential for other communities — in Suriname and abroad — to sustainably manage and protect their own forests,” it says. “It opens new opportunities for accessing high quality international timber markets that increasingly value sustainability, transparency, and traceability.”
Obtaining the FSC certificate was the result of a multi-year process during which Bigi Poika developed its own strategy and management plan for community forest management, while ‘step by step investing in professionalization’ of community members.
Under the guidance of Environmental Services & Support (ESS) of Suriname and Stichting Probos, the community completed the first phase of the FSC Continuous Improvement Procedure (FSCCIP) — a stepwise certification pathway for communities. The project was funded by the international Cities4Forests initiative and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Lab under its SUSTAME programme aimed at ‘catalysing a market-based approach to sustainable timber extraction and processing’. Over a number of years, the Bigi Poika forest team participated in a range of training programmes on sustainable forest management and FSC certification and in May certifier Control Union conducted the FSC forest management audit, with the official certification granted in September.
“This achievement took five years of hard work, with a clear vision, direction, and perseverance from the traditional community leadership, working groups in the office, and the forest team in the field,” said Hans Paters, director ESS.
According to Stichting Probos, the certification opens doors to a growing market for sustainably produced timber from community forests — so-called ‘conservation timber’.
“This is wood with a story: sourced from forests managed not only according to international standards for sustainable forest management, but also contributing to sustainable economic development, local employment, and the conservation of forests and biodiversity,” it says.
Probos added that, through collaboration between it, ESS, Suriname sawmill Soekhoe & Zonen, Dutch timber importer Van den Berg Hardhout, street furniture producer ERDI, and the Municipality of Amsterdam, the first shipment of timber from Bigi Poika has been sent to the Netherlands. The wood will be used to make city benches for the Amsterdam streets, each fitted with QR codes telling the story of the timber and the community.
“Interest from other municipalities and market actors is growing, as they recognize that using conservation timber contributes to supporting economic, social, and ecological value creation,” says Probos.
According to Eli Prins of Probos, Big Poika has established a template with global possibilities. “Their certification is an incredible achievement for them, but the story is bigger. Other communities in Suriname can learn from their success and the first collaborations are already taking shape,” he said.
Worldwide, he added, indigenous and local communities are estimated to manage about 20% of the world’s tropical forests. In the Amazon region, this number is closer to 30%.
“And studies show that community forests are often better protected against deforestation than conventional concessions,” said Mr Prins. “By conserving and sustainably managing their forests, communities directly contribute to climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and water management. At the same time, they strengthen local social and economic development, as both income and decision-making remain close to the community.”
Within the IDB Lab SUSTAME programme, Probos, and ESS are now working on scaling up to other communities in Suriname. The next phase, co-financed by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), aims to facilitate an FSC group certification system for communities, allowing multiple villages to join under one system. On the market side, efforts are underway to develop short, transparent supply chains toward Dutch and other international buyers. The ambition is to ‘create maximum added value for communities in Suriname while ensuring a consistent demand for high quality, sustainably produced timber.
“The certification of Bigi Poika proves that the conservation and sustainable use of tropical forests can go hand in hand,” said Probos. “With local leadership, international standards, and fair market access, a new perspective emerges for both communities and forests. Stichting Probos, ESS, and their partners remain committed to advancing this example in Suriname and beyond.”
