of the water and affecting other economic activities in the hinterland. She has already discussed the issue with the Ministry of Land Policy and Forest Management (GBB) and expects two decreets to be finished within the next two weeks. President Simons explained that the government must no longer intervene only after the problem has popped up but that it must determine beforehand which areas may or may not be used for gold mining. She mentioned the Upper Suriname River as an example. There are little to no good mining activities there as tourism is the biggest source of income. But the gold mining activities that are taking place in a creek that is connected to the Upper Suriname River could cause widespread pollution. President Simons explained that “it is therefore not enough to only protect areas within existing land rights but also the waterways that are outside these areas but which are connected to them”. She acknowledged that “it is complicated because the good mining sector is part of the economy for the hinterland. Within some communities there are people who are dependent on the gold mining activities but there are also people who have to deal with the negative impact of these activities.” “It is a process that must be carried out step by step. I do not believe that something that has grown out of proportion for many dozens of years can be solved within a year. I cannot believe that. But I will start addressing it. I have already started”, said President Simons.