31.10.2025
An inspiring example of sustainable community forestry in the heart of the Amazon.
On October 14, 2025, the Surinamese community of Bigi Poika officially received its FSC certification from Suriname's President, Jennifer Simons, becoming the first community in the country to obtain this international recognition for sustainable forest management.
This success is the result of several years of work by Environmental Services & Support (ESS) and Stichting Probos, as part of the SUSTAME program supported by the IDB Lab and Cities4Forests. Through technical support, training, and a progressive certification process (FSC-CIP), the community was able to develop its own vision and forest management plan.
Beyond this local success, Bigi Poika is leading the way for other communities in Suriname and elsewhere by demonstrating that tropical forest conservation can go hand in hand with sustainable use, job creation, and local development.
The first batch of certified wood produced by Bigi Poika has already been exported to the Netherlands for the manufacture of street furniture in Amsterdam, with each bench bearing a QR code tracing the history of the wood and the community. This innovative approach directly links producers and consumers around a common goal: promoting conservation wood.
This first certification paves the way for a group certification system for other communities in Suriname, supported by the Dutch agency RVO, as well as the creation of short and transparent supply chains to international markets.
" This is an incredible achievement for Bigi Poika, but the story is bigger than that: other communities in Suriname—and beyond—can draw inspiration from it," says Eli Prins of Stichting Probos.
The full Probos press release is available for download below.
Download the full Probos press release – Bigi Poika becomes Suriname's first FSC community
