Background/Question/Methods
While over 90% of Suriname’s territory remains forested, most of which is pristine, developmental pressures on our environment are constantly increasing, including large-scale mining, illegal small-scale mining, logging, urban growth, and road-building. If conservation in Suriname is to be successful, it cannot follow traditional pathways and be left to the handful of professionals. The pressure and money for development will continue to swamp these limited efforts. Therefore we have to find and develop alternative ways to involve the larger public in (citizen) scientific projects that are focused on conservation.
The establishment of the Dolphin Programme in Suriname has done that by providing local people of all ages with an opportunity to contribute to a conservation project, irrespective of their education, age, gender, or class. Our volunteers participate irregularly, but trips occur every Sunday throughout the year. Individuals sign-up whenever they can and often bring friends who, in turn, join the effort. As long as the volunteer has eyes to observe with and can mark down numbers and observations, he/she is fit to engage as an amateur scientist in the Dolphin Programme. Although the equipment is gradually becoming more sophisticated, much of the data we collect involves simple techniques and inexpensive materials available in local shops.
Results/Conclusions
After five years, the programme has a volunteer corps of around 30 Surinamers, who in addition to providing their time, expertise and money, have become increasingly engaged in environmental issues, not just those concerning dolphin conservation. Special volunteer days organized every six weeks ensure cohesion within the group and an exchange of experiences. It is clear from the experience of the Dolphin Programme that Surinamers are interested in becoming actively involved in nature conservation, and can learn how to collect data in a systematic manner to back their convictions. Data collected by the volunteers is being used to address questions of environmental impact of the proposed expansion of the harbor and dredging of the river. We have also shared data with other dolphin scientists, providing a unique, long-term monitoring of the dolphin population, as well as their behavior and activity patterns. Because we have provided our citizen scientist volunteers with both theoretical training and practical experience, they are better able to understand and participate in environmental policy debates that are increasingly critical in Suriname.
