Gold mining has developed itself into the backbone of the Surinamese economy, accounting for 80% of the country’s exports and a large share of government revenues [1]. During Dutch rule, gold already constituted the main export commodity of which most profits were captured by the colonizers. Between 2000 and 2014, gold mining activities underwent an 893 percent increase, reaching an annual official production of 32.8 tons in 2019 [2]. These numbers, however, are likely a gross underestimation of the true scope of gold mining activity because mining in Suriname predominantly takes place informally.  

Most of Suriname is covered by the Greenstone Belt, which is rich in minerals and therefore of great interest to gold miners. With a forest cover of 93%, Suriname is among the most forested countries in the world [3]. Suriname is home to some of the most intact primary forests in South America. Gold mining is the biggest source of deforestation in Suriname [1]. As tracks of forest are cleared, mining operations threaten local biodiversity through loss of habitat [4]. 

Suriname is home to both artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASM) and large-scale gold mining (LSM). There are two multinational gold mining firms operating in Suriname: Canadian company IAMGOLD, which owns Brokopondo and Rosebel Gold Mines, and American company Newmont, which owns Merian and Sipaliwini mines [5]. By 2023 Rosebel belongs to Zinjin, from China.

Since the 1990s, ASM practices have been growing rapidly [6]. Informal mining has become responsible for most of the Surinamese gold production [7]. Approximately a third of ASM producers are of Surinamese descent, and the remaining two-thirds of foreign migrants are mostly of Chinese origin or Brazilian garimpeiros [8]. Maroon people, who are descendants of formerly enslaved people of African descent, constitute a large share of ASM producers. Many inhabitants of Maroon villages have become economically dependent on gold mining, either because they mine themselves or because they rent out their lands to miners [1]. In many mining villages gold is an accepted payment method [9]. 

Mercury and cyanide are widely used by gold miners to separate gold particles from the soil. Although there have been no legal transactions demonstrating mercury imports for decades, estimates show that Suriname must be among the biggest mercury users in the world [1]. As mercury is released into rivers through the gold mining process, these waters are polluted, and mercury levels increase higher up the food chain through bioaccumulation. As such, big fish species such as anjumara’s and piranha’s, which form an important source of protein for communities in the interior lands of Suriname, carry high levels of mercury [1; 4]. Many Surinamese communities no longer have access to safe drinking water and can no longer consume the fish their livelihoods have depended on for generations. Women and girls tend to be responsible for bringing water in interior communities, where poor water quality and waterborne diseases form a serious issue [5].

According to the World Health Organization, mercury is among the ten most threatening chemicals to public health, and once released, mercury can remain in the soil for thousands of years [4]. Even in small amounts, mercury can have severe neurological and behavioral impacts. The health effects of mercury exposure are illustrated by the Minamata disease, which is characterized by symptoms such as hearing loss, muscle weakness, numbness, and insanity. In large concentrations, mercury exposure can lead to coma and death [9]. 

High levels of mercury have been measured among interior communities of Suriname, especially among people who consume diets high in fish. Mercury pollution not only puts communities living near mining sites at risk, but settlements further downstream polluted rivers are affected as well, meaning that most of the Surinamese population is at risk.

With most informal gold mining taking place in remote regions, ASM communities are generally characterized by low levels of formal education. As such,  it is alleged that there tends to be a lack of awareness of the dangers involved with the use of mercury in gold mining [9]. Besides, as the negative impacts of mercury pollution are noticeable in the long run and short-term gains are easily accessible, mercury continues to be used even if miners are aware of its impacts on their own health and livelihoods [10].

Cyanide is predominantly used by Chinese miners who can legally import the substance. Cyanide becomes poisonous once exposed to sunlight, and there are various reports of dead fish, dead chickens, and stomach problems among children in Surinamese communities connected to cyanide use [8].

In 2011, the Gold Sector Regulation Commission (OGS) was set up to inventorize the national gold mining sector and to evict illegal mining camps. However, the Surinamese government does not have sufficient environmental and social policies in place governing the mining sector [10]. Because most gold mining in Suriname takes place in remote locations, there is also hardly any surveillance on mining activity. Suriname is also the only South American country that does not enforce the Minamata Convention, which is an international agreement to control mercury trade, use, and pollution [6]. But there is also use of mercury mining in other countries. 

Suriname is one of the few Amazonian countries that has not ratified the right to Prior, Free and Informed Consent (PFIC) [1]. In some instances, therefore, mining takes place without permission from indigenous peoples, whose lands are predominately the targets of gold miners. For instance, Surgold’s Merian mine was created on Pamake peoples’ lands without consultation of these traditional landholders, and some Pamake people were evicted in the process. The Inter-American Human Rights Court has repeatedly ruled against Suriname for violating the rights of the Moiwana, Saramaka, Kaliña, and Lokono indigenous peoples [1].

Gold mines attract crime, and armed robberies are common [5]. Gold miners therefore usually equip themselves with (illegal) weaponry. The Suriname Police Corps is severely understaffed and underfunded, and corruption in the police force is a significant issue. Mining concession areas tend to fall into the hands of powerful individuals. Large mining concession areas tend to be given out to powerful individuals, such as Surinamese vice president and former guerilla leader Ronnie Brunswijk and ex-president Desi Bouterse, who are two of the most powerful Surinamese concession holders [1].

- 924 hectares of Brownsberg Nature park have been deforested for the mining industry [11].

- An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 artisanal and small-scale gold miners are active in Suriname [7].

- Approximately 50 tons of mercury are released into the Environment per year in Suriname [2]. [12]

Regarding foreign companies, by February 2023, it was announced that

Canadian miner Iamgold completed the divestment of its 95% stake in Rosebel Gold Mines N.V. to China's Zijin Mining Group [13].