| Lucifer Dékou-Dékou Biological Reserve | |
| Location: | French Guiana, France |
| Map: | French Guiana |
| Nearest City: | Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni |
| Coordinates: | 4.645°N -53.9375°W |
| Established: | 11 December 1995[1] |
| Area: | 643.73km2[2] |
| Iucn Category: | Ib |
| Governing Body: | National Forests Office |
The Lucifer Dékou-Dékou Biological Reserve (French: Réserve biologique intégrale de Lucifer Dékou Dékou) is a wilderness area in French Guiana, France. The reserve is located in the communes of Apatou and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. It is the largest wilderness area of France, and consists of two separate parts, two mountain ranges covered in tropical rainforest; to the north are the Lucifer Mountains, to the south are the .[3] Controversially, the Montagne d'Or mine, the biggest mining project in France, is located in between the two ranges.[4] [5]
The Dékou-Dékou Mountains form an east–west ridge consisting of two plateaus separated by a little hill. The mountains rises to . The northern side is a moderate slope with numerous ravines. The southern side is a steep drop.[6] The forests on the slopes are interrupted by bamboo and grass plains.[7]
The Lucifer Mountains rise to more than, and form a vast plateau covered in forests which are home to many rare species.[3]
The wilderness area is home to a great variety of birds. 272 species have been identified and include the golden-olive woodpecker, the white bellbird and the blue-backed tanager. Two endemic species to the Guiana Shield are the sharpbill and the sooty-headed tyrannulet.[3]
On 27 July 2012, Lucifer Dékou-Dékou became a protected area.[8]
Gold mining in the area started in 1875 when Paul Isnard discovered gold.[4] Between 1996 and 1999, Columbus Gold, as of 2020 known as Orea Mining Corporation, started to explore the area.[9]
Montagne d'Or mine, a massive gold mining project covering was developed, and is the biggest mining project in France.[10] [5] The project is considered controversial, and has resulted in protests by environmental groups. Emmanuel Macron distanced himself from the project in 2019,[11] however the battle has moved to the courts, and is as of February 2021 ongoing.[12] The debate about whether the project can continue, has attracted garimpeiros, illegal gold miners, to the area.[4]