Districts  Nickerie 

Bigi Pan

A breathtaking nature reserve in Suriname where you must have been on holiday!

This page introduces Bigi Pan to tourists, entrepreneurs, and students.

Bigi Pan is the largest lagoon in Suriname. Bigi Pan is connected to the Nickerie River via the Jamaer Canal.

It is because of the great bird diversity and the fact that hundreds of thousands of migratory birds use the Bigi Pan Special Management Area as their feeding area that this area has received international recognition. The striking scarlet ibis and flamingo live in the area.

Bigi Pan is a Special Control Area. In such an area, various commercial activities (such as fishing, agriculture, and aquaculture) may be developed and carried out, but only in such a way as to maintain the productivity and resources of the area and to guarantee the yield.

Big Pan means Big Lake. Many creeks, mangroves, and wet and dry swamps characterize the area.

Bigi Pan is a rich food source for a large number of bird species, including migratory birds (about 50 species), which come to winter from the cold north.

In addition, there are more than 70 bird species that permanently reside in Bigi Pan.

One of the most famous birds from the area is the Scarlet Ibis.

In addition to birdlife, the area is also rich in many species of fish, such as tilapia, and many species of reptiles.

The Bigi Pan Special Management Area is located in the north-western part of the Surinamese Estuarine zone, north of the Nickerie River. The northern boundary is at sea, on a line where the depth of the water at low tide does not exceed 6 m.

The Special Management Area has a land area of ​​67,900 hectares (679 km2) and an approximately equal area of seawater. About 15,000 hectares of land have been reclaimed for rice cultivation, and livestock are also raised in a small area.

(source: Wikipedia)

LBB is Managing Bigi Pan

The management of Bigi Pan is in the hands of LBB ('s Lands Bosbeheer).

Lodges

There are several lodges active in Bigi Pan. Some of these are:

  • Albatros Lodge
  • Mandje
  • Stephanie’s lodge
  • Bigi Pan Eco Lodge
  • Akira Over Water resort

These lodges offer the comfort that befits Bigi Pan.

Bigi Pan Eco Lodge

Aikira Over Water Resort

This resort has a nice and clear website:https://www.akiraoverwaterresort.com

Investing and Entrepreneurship

Map of Bigi Pan Muma

Under strict conditions, Bigi Pan offers many opportunities for sustainable entrepreneurship and investment.

Be sure to read the district page of Nickerie. You will then get a clear picture of Nickerie and your opportunities there.

Want to know more? Please get in touch with the district commissioner of Nickerie, Mrs. Senrita Gobardan, +597 231 712.

Read the Bigi Pan Management Plan from 2013.

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan uit 2013.

Read this document on Bigi Pan of the Wageningen University (WUR): WUR.nl.

Read this page on Bigi Pan with the foundation for protection of shorebirds: WHSRN.org.

Research and Business Opportunities

There are many opportunities for research and business in Bigi Pan.

For instance:

  • Webcams
  • Monitoring climate change
  • Maintain biodiversity
  • Study and monitoring of a type of bird
  • Study and monitoring of a type of fish
  • Study and monitoring of other types of animals
  • Monitoring and mapping the mangrove
  • Measure waste and pesticides in the water
  • Research safe and efficient solar panels, wind turbines, and other forms of alternative energy
  • Research for cultivation of mangrove oyster (filters water, is edible, and an early warning indicator for pollution)
  • Collaboration between local and several international universities in a field research station and student housing facilities campus with on-going research studies in the following areas/fields:
    Mangrove ecology, cage culture, aquaculture (e.g., mangrove oyster culture), green energy technology, ecotourism, construction technology for wetlands, and alternative building materials technology, climate, and environmental studies.
  • Student housing facility can accommodate nearby tropical agriculture research students for stations like the current Adron.

Please get in touch with the district commissioner for more info.