Presented by Brad Sanders, Head of Operations, Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER), Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper, on the ITPC side event “Peatland restoration in SE Asia: Challenges and opportunities” at the XV World Forestry Congress, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 2 May 2022.

1. Protecting & Restoring an
Ecologically Important Landscape
Brad Sanders
Head of Operations, Restorasi Ekosistem Riau

2. Tasik Lakar
• Private-sector Initiative: Integrated sustainable
landscape management that includes local
communities, government, forestry experts and
NGOs
• Commitment: Five 60-year concession licenses for
Ecosystem Restoration (2013) from Indonesian Ministry
of Environment and Forestry
• Restoring: 150,693 ha of degraded peat forest in
Kampar Peninsula and Padang Island, Riau Province,
Indonesia
• Funding: APRIL 2015 commitment of US$100 million for
forest conservation and restoration for initial 10 years
• Partners: BIDARA, Fauna & Flora International (FFI)
and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

3. Restorasi Ekosistem
Riau (RER)
APRIL’s production-protection model,
where sustainably managed ring of fiber
plantations provide:
1. Landscape protection
2. Financial resource
3. Long-term operational and
technical capability
RER Kampar Peninsula is located on the
largest intact peat swamp forest in
Sumatra.
Sumatra, Indonesia
Malaysia

4. STRATEGIC APPROACH
PROTECT ASSESS RESTORE MANAGE
Tropical peat swamp forests quickly recover in the absence
of disturbance; first priority is establish PROTECTION

5. Heavily degraded sites Songbird poaching
Challenges on-the-Ground
Illegal logging

6. 140 of 875 ha of heavily
degraded forest have been restored,
the remainder through protection &
natural regeneration
Security Patrols &
Community Agreements
are the key to RER forest protection
146 km of old drainage canals have
been closed restoring 9,106 haof
peat forest

7. Changeable Hawk-eagle
Credit: Prayitno Goenarto (RER)
Biodiversity of RER
Kampar
Peninsula is
habitat for 41%
of Sumatran
bird species
Total 838
Plants
Reptiles &
Amphibians
Fish
Odonata
Birds
Mammals
196
311
89
106
58
78

8. Tiger Release
Release site
for Sumatran
Tiger “Corina”
(Dec 2020)
54%
Time spent in
production habitat
GPS Collar
First insights on
how Sumatran
Tiger establishes
home range in peat
landscape
Kampar Peninsula
• Tiger Conservation Landscape capable of supporting 50+ tigers (2003)
• 1 of 6 priority landscapes in National Tiger Recovery Program (2011)
• 73% probability of tiger occupancy (SINTAS, 2020)

9. Green House Gas Monitoring
GHG Flux towers will improve the understanding and
reduce the uncertainty of land use emissions and
carbon sequestration

10. Communities living
around the RER area
1
17,000
People in Kampar
peninsula
24,000
People in Padang Island
COMMUNITY
Community
Volunteering
Fisherman Group
Agreement
5“No-burn” intensive
farming
1 Fish Farming
4 Clean Water wells
Sports/Religious
Activities
School Awareness
Program
Community
Firefighter Trainings
Honey Production/
Marketing
Villages
19
Communities
40,000+ people living nearby depend
on RER forests to provide important
livelihood and ecosystem services

11. Eco-Research Camp
RER Base Camp serves as a tropical peatland science hub for researchers and
stakeholders who wish to experience the peat forest ecosystem

12. Thank you
“Good Business is about what’s good for
community, country, climate, customer and
company… only then will it be sustainable"
Sukanto Tanoto, Chairman of RGE
www.frontiersumatra.com