Suriname races to cancel amazon rainforest deal that threatens its carbon-negative status

Suriname officials are scrambling to cancel a controversial agribusiness contract that could destroy over 280,000 acres of pristine Amazon rainforest, potentially ending the small South American nation’s rare status as carbon-negative. The 2024 deal between the Ministry of Agriculture and private company Suriname Green Energy Agriculture N.V. would convert 113,465 hectares of northwestern rainforest into industrial farmland—but forest clearing has already begun despite lacking proper environmental permits.

The environmental stakes extend far beyond Suriname’s borders. “This is not just a local issue. This is a regional issue because of the role rainforests play on the continent,” John Goedschalk, climate advisor to Suriname’s president, told Mongabay. “The continued deforestation in the Guiana Shield endangers access to water for people all the way to Argentina.” The targeted land overlaps almost entirely with protected logging concessions designed to preserve primary forest under sustainability regulations.

Adding to concerns, the company has hired Mennonites to work the land, raising fears about rapid agricultural expansion into forested areas—a pattern seen elsewhere in the region where Mennonite farming communities have contributed to deforestation. Government emails reviewed by Mongabay reveal that clearing began without approval from the National Environmental Authority, highlighting regulatory failures in the public-private partnership.

For Suriname, one of only three carbon-negative countries worldwide, this deal represents a critical test of balancing economic development with climate commitments essential to global climate stability.