Suriname: The Green Heart of South America

Suriname is a fascinating blank spot on the map: South America’s smallest country consists of 93 per cent dense rainforest and boasts a dynamic mudflat coastline, 400 kilometres long, which is unique in the world. Its coastal region is home to rare Guyana dolphins with pink bellies, cute sloths and dangerous giant otters. Between a 120,000-year-old inland coastline and the young, highly dynamic Atlantic coast, a bizarre natural landscape full of waterways has developed. The former Dutch colony has been independent for 50 years.

Suriname is the green lung of South America: 93 per cent covered in rainforest, it is home to exotic species such as the orange rock cock. Whilst raging rivers serve as transport routes, the Maroons – descendants of enslaved people who fled – live deep in the forest according to ancient traditions. A bizarre highlight is the huge Brokopondo Reservoir. Here, divers use chainsaws underwater to harvest valuable timber from decades-old, flooded forests. But this paradise is under threat: gold mining and deforestation are endangering jaguars and the ecological balance of this mysterious country.