Solaris Paper has welcomed the announcement from its affiliate Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) of the acceleration of its Peatland Best Practice Management Project (PBPMP). Source: Timberbiz
The announcement was made on the 3rd anniversary of the company’s Forest Conservation Policy (FCP).
According the AAP, the FCP is APP’s commitment to immediately end deforestation in its supply chain and bring sustainability to the forefront of the company’s operations.
Policy commitments include the ending of natural forest conversion throughout its supply chain, best practice in peatland management, and adopting a collaborative approach to resolving social issues.
Specifically, work to block over 3500 perimeter canals to increase water levels in APP suppliers’ concessions located on peatland has recently been completed, with a total target of 7000 dams to be built by the end of the first quarter of 2016.
This is in addition to the retirement of 7000 hectares of commercial plantation areas in Riau and South Sumatra, announced by APP in August 2015.
In total, APP and its suppliers have allocated approximately 600,000 hectares for forest conservation and ecosystem restoration within its suppliers’ concessions.
Another forest protection initiative is the Integrated Forestry and Farming System Programme launched by APP during COP21 in Paris. The program aims to help local communities develop alternative livelihoods to achieve economic development while also keeping Indonesia’s forests intact.
As a first step in its implementation, community members will be given equipment and support in the form of microfinance or revolving funds to help kick start local businesses.
Horticultural training will also be given to help improve community capacity in managing fruit and vegetable crops using the agroforestry system.
The program will include 500 villages across the APP supply chain with up to $10 million invested over the next five years.
Since committing to a landscape approach in 2015, the company has worked to establish a platform to help manage and fund landscape conservation programs in Indonesia.
The company’s Belantara Foundation will work with communities, civil society, government and businesses to help ensure a careful balance is found between economic development, the livelihoods of people in local communities and environmental conservation. This involves overseeing natural forest restoration and endangered species protection and conducting studies to strengthen sustainable landscape management.
