The Boven Coesewijne Nature Reserve ( nl, Natuurreservaat Boven-Coesewijne) is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

and nature reserve in

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. The reserve is located along the headwaters of the Coesewijne River. It is important for the brown sand and white sand savannahs located within the reserve.

Overview

Boven Coesewijne Nature Reserve is located at the junction of the coastal plain and the rain-forested interior of Suriname. It contains

savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

s, swamp forests, and rainforests. The reserve can be accessed from the village of Bigi Poika or by boat via the river, a long journey which can take more than a day. The total number of species is 342 of which 22 are restricted to the area. There are over 600 plant species of which 68 are

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

. 23 plants are endemic. Many

manatee Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living species ...

giant otter The giant otter or giant river otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'') is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to . Atypical of musteli ...

s and

caiman A caiman (also cayman as a variant spelling) is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Mexico, Central and South America fro ...

s can be found in the reserve.

Management

The reserve is managed by (Stichting Natuurbehoud Suriname). The

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...

has sponsored Stinasu in 2004 with a donation of $350,000 as part of the Guianas Forests and Environmental Conservation program.

Threats

Land rights have been given to the indigenous population at Bigi Poika. Threats to the reserve include

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...

, and

mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

pollution from gold mining in the Goliath Creek located outside the reserve.

References

Bibliography

* Nature reserves in Suriname Para District Saramacca District {{SouthAm-protected-area-stub