LANDSCAPE ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT

Operating in Indonesia, a country with a stunning and unique natural environment, coupled with widespread rural poverty, we believe that we need to develop a strong integrated landscape approach to ensure that natural habitats are protected whilst not depriving local populations from meeting their development needs. The most central aspect of our sustainability policy is therefore a holistic landscape approach which provides for the protection, restoration, compensation and/or co-management of forests and other areas identified as having HCV and HCS. We are trialling participatory landscape approaches within and around the boundaries of our plantation lease areas to promote conservation and sustainable use of forest, peat and agroforestry with oil palm plantations to promote diverse landscapes that contribute to long term food and income security. These trials seek to identify appropriate conservation and sustainable use models for forest and peatland set-asides on the basis of FPIC. Our exploration of options places the village level at the centre of decision-making.