April to spend $100m doubling eco project

Indonesian papermaking giant April is responding to the current climate change summit in Paris by committing a further US$100m to forest conservation and restoration. The company will double its peatland restoration activities, which will set it on course to achieve a one for one hectares plantation and conservation ratio, the new funding will take it up to 83 per cent. April is one of the world’s biggest paper manufacturers – and a supplier to Australian merchants – and along with local rival APP has recently emerged from a decade of duress from environmental groups by tackling issues head on, gaining plaudits form the various green NGOs along the way. The increased commitment to Riau Ecosystem Restoration (RER) is believed to be the biggest investment by a private sector company in a single eco-restoration project in Indonesia, covering assessment, restoration and protection, and management and partnerships. “This commitment illustrates how private sector organizations can support climate goals not just in terms of pledges but by going beyond them and actually putting resources on the table,” says Tony Wenas, managing director, April Group Indonesia Operations.

$100m extra: Peatland restoration in Indonesia

$100m extra: Peatland restoration in Indonesia

April Group’s conservation and restoration activities delivered and committed now account for 400,000 ha – 150,000 in restoration and 250,000 in conservation – of forest in Indonesia, an area close to six times the size of Singapore, while nearly matching its commercial plantation area. The RER restoration area has been largely protected from burning during the last fire and haze season, one of the worst to have hit Southeast Asia, which indicates the effectiveness of APRIL’s landscape approach, supporting the case for further investment. The 1-for-1 goal of conservation to plantation is one of the commitments made by the company under its strengthened Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP) announced six months ago, which ensured deforestation was eliminated from its supply chain. The RER programmewhich was established by April Group in partnership with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and local NGO Bidara in 2013, protects and restores important peatland areas on the Kampar Peninsula in Indonesia’s Riau Province under eco-restoration licenses granted by the Indonesian Government. “The partners involved in the RER project hope that it will be a living, working blueprint — an evolving example of what other public and private sector organisations can achieve more broadly through strong partnerships and bold vision,” said Dr.Tony Whitten, Asia-Pacific Regional Director at Fauna & Flora International. Indonesia’s peatland areas are some of the most sensitive ecosystems in the world, while the Kampar Peninsula landscape is one of the largest peatland areas in Southeast Asia. Kampar’s tropical forests are rich in biodiversity and support endangered wildlife species, including the Sumatran tiger and sun bear. Drawing on the expertise of April Group, FFI and Bidara as well as local communities, RER employs a four-phase model of protection, assessment, restoration and management to rejuvenate previously degraded areas of forest and peatland. This model, complemented by April’s Fire Free Village Programme and water management strategies, ensured that the Kampar Peninsula largely remained free of fire during the recent haze crisis.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.  

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. All fields are required

Advertisement

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Advertisement