Having observed its fifth anniversary last October, the Riau Ecosystem Restoration (or Restorasi Ekosistem Riau, RER) project recently published its 2018 progress report. The report documents the work done and results achieved in various areas of the multi-faceted project. The RER team, comprising conservation experts as well as forestry and sustainability professionals from APRIL (Asia […]
Observing International Day of Forests 2019
21 March is International Day of Forests. It is the day that the United Nations raises awareness on the importance of all types of forests. Also known as World Forest Day, the event has been observed since 2013. “Forests and Education” is the theme for International Day of Forest 2019 – last year’s was “Forests […]
RER Inaugural Annual Report Highlights Increased Biodiversity, Absent Fires and Engaged Communities
Endangered species have returned. Fires have been absent for almost three years. Communities have been engaged and their members, given alternative livelihoods. These are several of the highlights in Riau Ecosystem Restoration’s (RER) first annual report, released in April 2018. Guided by its pioneering approach of a four-phase model of peatland forest protection, creation and […]
APRIL’s Production-Protection Model Featured in LKYSPP Case Study
The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) featured APRIL in a case study entitled “A Production-Protection Model for Sustainable Pulp & Paper Operations in Riau, Indonesia”. It tells how APRIL “took steps to balance the economic and environmental concerns of paper production while taking into account multiple stakeholders, including the Indonesian government, local […]
RER: Where Conservation and Chilli Farming Meet
There was a time when Riau farmer Zamri had to struggle to make ends meet, having to provide for his wife and children, as well as for his mother and sister. These days, Zamri – better known by his nickname Acok – enjoys a relatively steady monthly income. All by running his own farm in […]
RER: Protecting and Documenting Endangered Bird Life in the Kampar Peninsula
Bird lovers rejoice! Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER)’s pioneering report, Birds of the Kampar Peninsula: An Annotated Checklist, has confirmed the presence of 299 rare and endangered birds in its Kampar Peninsula peatland restoration forest area in Indonesia. The annotated checklist records all the bird species that have been identified as of June 2017 and was […]
RGE 2017 Highlights
2017 was a significant year for the RGE group of companies, as RGE marked its 50th anniversary since Founder and Chairman Sukanto Tanoto started his first business in Medan, Indonesia. The milestone year was marked by various breakthroughs achieved by RGE business groups, in line with the existing Cs (Community, Country, Climate and Company) as […]
APRIL Gives Big with 1,265 Bags of Blood at Donation Drive
The fasting month observed by the Muslim-majority Indonesia often coincides with a noticeable increase in demand for blood. In order to contribute towards the blood bank supply, APRIL‘s Indonesia operations PT RAPP collaborated with Keluarga Donor Darah (KDD) to organise a blood donation drive among its Kerinci-based employees. A Tradition of Donation The event was the newest chapter […]
Ecosystem Restoration: A Salute to the Field Teams at Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER)
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on April Dialog. Dr Tony Whitten is Regional Director, Asia Pacific, Fauna & Flora International (FFI). FFI is RER’s technical partner, managing key elements of the project as they relate to biodiversity, climate and communities. As part of its role, it has released an important report, detailing Biodiversity on the Kampar […]
A Closer Look at the Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER) Project
Heard of the RER (Restorasi Ekosistem Riau) project? It is a collaborative project aimed at restoring and conserving ecologically important peat forest areas in Indonesia’s Kampar Peninsula. Spanning 150,000 hectares, the area was previously either mostly deforested or degraded peatland. APRIL Group established the RER project in 2013 as multi-year commitment to protecting, assessing, restoring and […]