Wood
The value of trees
All things of value are defenseless, certainly now the price of tropical hardwood increases significantly each year. Every tree carries a conflict in it that is battled out on the world stage between multinationals, governments and nature conservationists. 'The Worth of Wood' is a documentary about the choice each country - including Surinam - with a large forest area needs to make: the choice between enriching the national treasury with the earnings from timber or the value of long term nature conservation.
Director Gerrit van de Elst (a.o. 'The Kick'; 'Blond Dolly'; 'Advocate of the Roosters'; 'The Prophet'; 'Me and My Parents - My Parents and I'), takes us to the jungle of Surinam. How does the culturally and economically vulnerable society of Surinam, where corruption is not unusual, deal with its finite nature reserves? Which forces interact? And what will be the outcome?
