RER – A Peatland Restoration Initiative That Sets an Example and Inspires

RER – A Peatland Restoration Initiative That Sets an Example and Inspires

The APRIL Group is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of pulp and paper products, but they are also much more than that. They are a company that has become famous for its intensive involvement in protecting the natural environment, for being permanently involved in implementing new sustainable production technologies, as well as for actively supporting the education of local communities. 

In 2013, they launched what can be considered one of the milestones of their service to the world: a conservation project aiming to preserve and restore the peatland in Kampar, Riau, Indonesia.

The Kampar peninsula is an area of special importance for the integrity of our natural environment not only because the area is one of the richest on Earth in terms of biodiversity, but also because peatlands are the most efficient carbon sinks. However efficient and important this peat ecosystem may be, it is a very fragile territory and its preservation requires not only great effort and energy, but proper education as well.

The project launched by APRIL in 2013 is called RER, Restorasi Ekosistem Riau, and is a long-term collaborative project with partners such as Bidara, a local non-governmental organization, and Flora and Fauna International (FFI), a conservationist innovator that carries out activities to protect threatened ecosystems and endangered species across the globe, with the aim of protecting and restoring 70,000 hectares of decaying forest. 

The project has been presented at numerous forums and international conferences to set example, inspire and inform environment protection agencies. The latest such event was the World Forestry Congress held in Durban, South Africa. The objective of the presentation was to emphasize the importance of joining forces to protect these sensitive ecosystems of vital importance to the existence of nature as well as to underline how valuable the engagement of local communities in the conservation of these areas can be.