The very first App in the Indigenous Language Trio

Suriname has roughly 14 languages - the official and most spoken language is Dutch. One of Suriname's indigenous languages is Trio, which is spoken by the Tarëno, a conglomeration of analogous subgroups and distinct Amerindian groups (Mirella Nankoe, 2017). The total Tarëno population (Tarëno means "people from here") in Suriname can be estimated between 2,000 and 2,500 people. Trio is also spoken in parts of Brazil and French Guyana. In Brazil, the group is generally known as Tïrïyo, in French Guyana as Tirio (Mirella Nankoe, 2017).

The Green Growth Suriname project has collaborated with SPOTTERON for a Citizen Science App to help conserve the unique nature and biodiversity of Suriname. To support the increasing empowerment and activism of indigenous communities in protecting their land and habitat, the Green Growth Wildlife App is the first App ever in Suriname, translated in the language Trio. "Akonronmata" (Trio) for example, means "unity" and "taking care of". "Wewe" means "plants/forests" and "Sasame" is the term for "quiet" and "peace".

We are absolutely thankful to help to increase the visibility of Trio in Suriname within the Green Growth Wildlife App. The language is mostly spoken among the indigenous people themselves. Apart from that, the visibility of Trio is unfortunately very low at the moment.

A Citizen Science App to Monitor Suriname's Unique Wildlife

An impressive 93 percent of Suriname is covered in dense forests that are home to a wide range of unique wildlife. The Citizen Science App Green Growth Wildlife on the SPOTTERON Platform supports communities to contribute to protecting natural resources, biodiversity, flora, and fauna. With the App, users can efficiently map and analyze the status of Suriname's wildlife by gathering data through it. Researchers, lawmakers, and conservationists may access the collected data, allowing for evidence-based decision-making.

Beside Green Growth Wildlife, Green Growth Suriname collaborated with SPOTTERON also for the Citizen Science App Green Growth Forests, where users can keep watch on the forests and the tree logging in Suriname, and contribute to complement existing national data on forest conservation. 

 The Green Growth Wildlife Citizen Science App

Citizen Science Observations in the Green Growth Wildlife App

Languages of the Green Growth Wildlife Citizen Science App

The App is currently available in English, Dutch, Trio, Sranan Tongo and Saramaccan, allowing indigenous communities access to contribute to the conservation of the country's unique ecosystem by leveraging technology and citizen involvement.

Learn more about the Green Growth Wildlife App here:

We want to thank our project partner Green Growth Suriname for providing information about the Trio language for this blog post. More detailed information can be found in the paper "Trio's in Suriname and Brazil: a brief history" (Mirella Nankoe, Anton de Kom University of Suriname), published in 2017 in the Journal of Suriname.