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Facing climate challenges, the BIO-PLATEAUX 2 project united Suriname, Brazil, and France in 2024 to strengthen management of the Maroni and Oyapock basins. Participatory workshops, shared data platforms, and a joint declaration signed in Paramaribo marked this EU-supported initiative (INTERREG Amazonia).
To find out more: www.bio-plateaux.org.

The Shield of the Guianas has never been so aptly named. A veritable bulwark against greenhouse gas emissions, its forests play a role of global importance. The severe low-water period of 2024 highlighted a vulnerability, intensified by climate change, for both ecosystems and populations.

In this context, the BIO-PLATEAUX 2 initiative has put the transboundary river basins of the Maroni and Oyapock rivers in the spotlight in 2024. Throughout the year, discussions facilitated by the International Office for Water (OiEau) between Suriname (Ministry of Public Works), Brazil (State Secretariat for International Relations of Amapa – SECRICOMEX) and France (Office de l’Eau de Guyane – OEG) highlighted the importance of establishing shared decision-making tools for these majestic rivers of the Guiana Plateau.

The project promoted this coordination at several levels:

  • territorial, with the organisation of workshops, the implementation of participatory work and awareness-raising activities;
  • technical, with the organisation of transboundary working groups to improve the sharing of data, information and experiences on water resources;
  • institutional, with preparatory work on a regional decision-making support system.

A conference organised in Paramaribo in November 2024, attended by the President of the Republic of Suriname, Chan Santhoki, brought together participants from the three countries to discuss the sustainability of the project’s activities. A joint declaration was signed.

Supported by the EU through the INTERREG Amazon Programme, the BIO-PLATEAUX 2 initiative is co-financed by the OEG, SECRICOMEX, the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French State, the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (CTG) and the Office français de la biodiversité (OFB).