Adventure Suriname – South America's green lung

The Spanish and Portuguese left their mark on all of South America. They only left the Dutch with a swampy coast with a wild hinterland: Suriname. “Surreyham” was what Baron Willoughby of Parham called the middle country of the Guyanas, which for him was the Garden of Eden: “A truly paradisiacal spot that produces wonderful land, proud trees and noble wood”. In 1667, the English had to swap their tropical gem for a cold strip of North America: the Treaty of Breda made Holland the new ruler. In return, England received Nieuw-Amsterdam, later New York - and lost the exchanged land just a century later.  When the first fortune hunters and adventurers arrived from Europe, Suriname was populated mostly by indigenous peoples.

Suriname, this unknown country - a hidden corner of the earth - is 80% covered with jungle. This little wonderland is sustainable and green, the tropical rainforest is intact. Suriname is committed to preserving its share of the Amazon rainforest and still manages to preserve these valuable habitats with an impressively low rate of forest destruction.

50 years ago, Suriname became independent from the Netherlands. Many Suriname residents now work to preserve their biodiversity. People are fighting to bring their efforts and efforts towards nature and biodiversity to the fore. Unfortunately, only illegal gold mining and the Chinese timber industry are reported in the international media in connection with Suriname. For the ARTE discoveries, this country will be explored in a two-part series through its flora and fauna. This land where water and land reflect two completely opposite worlds. From above with high-quality aerial shots, in the middle of the jungle, on the rivers, on the mountains and on the coast, with committed protagonists that lead to unique nature and animal themes. The “green lungs of South America” is a large two-part tour through a tropical paradise, through impressive national parks - with animals that are hardly known, such as pink river dolphins or lowland tapirs and white-throated sloths. Animals that are sometimes small but are made large by the camera, such as piranhas or unique colorful frogs, reptiles and butterflies. The two-part documentary will be a colorful jungle, river and coastal tour in a large, visually very high-quality style. From above and below. Botanical, scientifically based, but above all - a colorful feast for the eyes in lush green!

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