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APRIL Commitment to Biodiversity and Restoration Highlighted at COP28
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Nyoman Iswarayoga, head of External Affairs and Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER) Communications at APRIL Group, provides valuable insights into APRIL's commitment to restoration and biodiversity, in harmony with Indonesia's Forest and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink Initiative 2030. This occurred during the Pavilion Indonesia panel at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday (03/12/2023).
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mid the global conversation of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, where the global community is coming together to address the pressing challenges of climate change, APRIL Group, a leading sustainable pulp and paper products company, emphasized its decade-long commitment to biodiversity and restoration, aligning with Indonesia's Forest and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink Initiative 2030.
According to the UN Environment Program (UNEP), restoring forests, peatlands and mangroves, along with other natural solutions, can contribute to over one-third of the greenhouse gas mitigation needed by 2030. Conservation and forest management policies play a vital role in improving greenhouse gas emission absorption, aiming to surpass emissions by 2030 in line with Indonesia’s FOLU Net Sink 2030 targets set by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF).
Nyoman Iswarayoga, head of External Affairs and RER Communications at APRIL Group, said the company's ongoing efforts in biodiversity conservation through the Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER) in Sumatra's largest intact peatland rainforest. APRIL Group applies a "production protection" model, including a unique one-for-one commitment, ensuring the conservation and restoration of forest areas equaling the size of its managed land area, with 80 percent of this commitment already fulfilled.
APRIL's initiatives encompass the conservation and restoration of over 150,000 hectares of ecologically diverse tropical peat forests under its RER program. This initiative, twice the size of Singapore, stands as one of the largest private-sector forest restoration projects in Southeast Asia.
Despite global challenges, Nyoman stressed the crucial integration of nature into climate negotiations. During a panel at Pavilion Indonesia themed Ambitious Biodiversity and Green Recovery for Climate Resilience on Sunday (03/12/2023), Nyoman shared that, “by the end of 2023, we have now calculating 861 species. We are still conducting research on critically endangered species to develop a conservation strategy valuable for our inventory."
RER employs a four-phase model of protection, assessment, restoration and management to rejuvenate previously degraded areas of forest and peatland. Collaboration with the government, science-based experts and local communities has been central to RER's success and will continue to underpin its future.
In 2020, RER had the opportunity to support the Indonesian government, specifically the Environment and Forestry Ministry, by releasing a rehabilitated tiger into the landscape. This tiger, previously captured and injured, underwent rehabilitation in West Sumatra and was released following an intensive study. Additionally, RER initiated the first Odonata (order of insect) survey in the landscape a few months ago and, recently, the program assisted provincial Riau conservation agencies in releasing Sumbar deer.
Nyoman highlighted the critical role of community participation in protecting against fire and ensuring continued access to forests for livelihoods. A collaborative vision needed to protect and restore landscapes, involving the communities living around the managed areas, he added.
“Biodiversity is probably a core and strong entity that we have, but this cannot be left alone without the community participation protections from fire, as we need to do. The communities still have access to the forests that they rely on. There are fishermen that still, from time to time going into the river within our concessions, and how they can support the forest restorations that we need to deliver from year to year based on our annual plan for planting,” he said.
“Although many of the areas will not require active intervention, we have learned in the past 10 years that the forest can recover by itself, and the forest has a fairly strong ability to recover if we can create the environment without any disturbance throughout the year,” he said.
APRIL has secured long-term funding for conservation and restoration actions by imposing an internal tax of one dollar per tonne of wood produced from plantations. This funding solution aligns with APRIL2030, the company's vision for meeting the climate challenges for the next decade. Biodiversity targets under APRIL2030 include zero net loss of conservation areas, protecting wildlife, effectively conserving 50 percent of APRIL-managed areas and a 50 percent increase in productivity from the same landbank through sustainable intensification.
Alongside Nyoman, the panel had esteemed figures, including Rachmat Witoelar, Indonesia's former environment minister, Silverius Oscar Unggul, vice chairman for Environment and Forestry at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and Collin Moore – Regional Carbon advisor for the Mekong at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
This article was published in collaboration with APRIL Group.
