VZCZCXRO5526
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHPO #0303 1651619
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141619Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9435
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO 1134
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 1476

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000303 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR LLUFTIG 
OES/OMC FOR WGIBBONS-FLY 
BRAZIL FOR HUB COORDINATOR JSTORY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EMINECINECONSENVTBIONS
SUBJECT: PSYCHEDELIC PURPLE VERSUS THE LUSTER OF GOLD 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: The discovery of 24 new animal species by Surinamese and 
American scientists, including a frog with psychedelic purple 
markings, has given Suriname world-wide attention, as reported in 
over 150 newspapers and journals.  These articles have also 
highlighted the threat to Suriname's highly diverse ecosystem from 
mercury pollution caused by illegal gold mining.  The study that led 
to the discoveries was carried out by Conservation International 
(CI) and was paid for, by bauxite mining companies Suralco and 
BHP-Billiton, who are looking into the environmental impact of 
mining in their concession area.  Community conscious Suralco looks 
to be a good corporate citizen, while illegal gold miners continue 
to pollute the area. END SUMMARY 
 
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24 NEW SPECIES OF WILDLIFE 
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¶2. On June 4, CI scientists reported they had discovered 24 new 
species of wildlife in the remote plateaus of eastern Suriname, 
including a frog with fluorescent purple markings, other amphibians, 
and fish and insects. The CI scientists had partnered with the major 
two bauxite mining companies in Suriname, BHP-Billiton and Suralco, 
who sought to understand potentially harmful impacts on the 
environment from mining. In 2005, CI's Center for Applied 
Biodiversity Science conducted a Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) 
Expedition in the eastern mountains of Suriname. The report that RAP 
leader Leeanne Alonso, Ph.D. presented to the Government of Suriname 
(GOS) on June 4 details the invaluable biodiversity the team 
discovered during its expedition. Alonso said, "This is a totally 
unexplored area: lots of new species, with many more to be found. 
Our study will be a vital component in determining how to promote 
economic development in Suriname while protecting the nation's most 
valuable natural assets." 
 
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THREATENED BY MINING? 
--------------------- 
 
¶3. CI-Suriname Executive Director Ambassador Wim Udenhout told 
media, "Where current economic imperatives dictate mining, our 
responsibility is to ensure that operations are kept within the 
bounds of our benchmarks."  In other words, it is imperative for 
mining companies to understand potentially harmful impacts on the 
environment. In his introductory remarks on June 4, Suralco's 
Managing Director, Warren Pedersen, emphasized his company's 
responsibility and respect for the environment. He noted that 
neither mining companies, nor environmentalists, need be opponents; 
good business and conservation can both be accomplished provided 
they are managed "in the right way". The company is the largest 
employer in Suriname and is known for its efforts to be a good 
corporate citizen in Suriname, for example by providing humanitarian 
assistance to the community. Still, while Suralco may be a 
responsible player, Suriname's pristine forests are increasingly 
threatened by small scale, illegal gold mining. The miners use 
mercury to extract gold from soil, and it subsequently ends up in 
the streams and rivers, degrading water quality and damaging fragile 
ecosystems.  Small scale gold mining has already affected two 
unprotected plateaus surveyed during the RAP expedition, 80 miles 
south of Suriname's capitol, Paramaribo. 
 
¶4. COMMENT: With nearly 20 percent of the world's water running 
through the region, there are few places like Suriname left in the 
world.  Suriname and its neighbors are home to the largest expanse 
of undisturbed rain forest on the planet.  The discovery of 24 new 
species as reported on MSNBC, FOX, and the Associated Press, among 
others, has probably given this obscure country more international 
attention than it has received in years. Biologists and other 
conservationists are flocking to the region. 
 
  ¶5. COMMENT CONT'D: Suriname hopes that its rain forests (and what 
lies beneath them) can fulfill two often contradictory tasks: remain 
an international treasure generating eco-tourism dollars, while also 
earning mining revenues through resource extraction. In order to 
manage this balancing act, Suriname must not simply pay lip service 
to conservation on the one hand, while tolerating illegal 
environmentally unsustainable mining practices on the other. 
Although Suriname's fluorescent purple frogs reached the world stage 
thanks to CI's RAP report, Post doubts that the GOS has the 
political will or the ability to protect them, should they have the 
bad fortune to hop into an illegal gold mining operation. Post will 
remain in contact with CI-Suriname to gauge its perspective and the 
dynamics of mining and conservation in Suriname. END COMMENT 
 
Schreiber Hughes