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Good practice Imported

Parc amazonien de Guyane — Indigenous Co-Governed Amazon Rainforest Park

French Guiana · Cayenne · See the French Guiana profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 59% 40/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

France's largest national park (3.39M ha, 40% of French Guiana) co-governs Amazon rainforest with Amerindian and Bushinenge communities; documents 1,200+ tree species, but 15+ years on, WWF and 2025-26 counts still find 170+ active illegal gold-mining sites.

3.39 million ha
Park area
~40%
Share of French Guiana territory
~1,200
Tree species catalogued
127
Species new to science (2015 expedition)
176 active
Illegal gold-mining sites (recent count)
428
Clandestine sites dismantled (Opération Harpie, since Jan 2026)
€62 million
Seized/damaged material value (since Jan 2026)
Parc amazonien de Guyane — Indigenous Co-Governed Amazon Rainforest Park Parc amazonien de Guyane — Indigenous Co-Governed Amazon Rainforest Park

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Parc amazonien de Guyane (Office français de la biodiversité / French State)
Period
2007–present
Keywords
rainforest conservation, indigenous co-governance, illegal mining enforcement, biodiversity hotspot, Amazon biome

Context

Created by Décret n°2007-266 (2007), the Parc amazonien de Guyane is France's largest national park at roughly 3.39 million hectares, covering about 40% of French Guiana, following the 1998 Twenké Accords establishing co-management with Amerindian and Bushinenge communities.

Activities

Park sources catalogue roughly 1,200 tree species, 520 bird species and around 200 freshwater fish species; the military-gendarmerie Opération Harpie, running since 2008, targets illegal gold mining (orpaillage), the park's principal documented threat.

Results

A 2015 scientific expedition identified 127 species new to science; Opération Harpie reported 428 clandestine sites dismantled and an estimated €62 million in seized or damaged material since January 2026 alone.

Conclusions

WWF's 2017 ten-year review found 'no significant improvement' in curbing illegal mining despite the park's existence, and active illegal-mining sites have risen from 120 to 176 in more recent counts.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M) — French state park management plus a dedicated military-gendarmerie counter-mining operation (Opération Harpie, running since 2008); no park-specific carbon-stock cost figure published.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Created by Décret n°2007-266 (27 February 2007); Opération Harpie running continuously since 2008.
Staffing & skills
Office français de la biodiversité park rangers, military-gendarmerie Opération Harpie personnel, Amerindian and Bushinenge community co-managers

Conditions for success

  • 1998 Twenké Accords establishing a co-management principle with Indigenous communities ahead of the park's legal creation

Common failure modes

  • WWF's 2017 ten-year review found no significant improvement in curbing illegal gold mining despite the park's existence
  • active illegal-mining sites rose from 120 to 176 in recent counts

Commonly funded by

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Data sources

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