Suriname: The Little Country That Could

Suriname’s pristine tropical rain forests are coveted by Asian timber companies. But last week the tiny country (pop. 400,000) announced that it is setting aside a tenth of its land–some 4 million acres–as a nature reserve, forgoing short-term profits for revenues from science and ecotourism. Conservation International, which brokered the deal, hopes it will be a model for other developing countries.