Natnicha Petsakul
/WWF Thailand - OECMs Khao Krachom_Suphisit JITVIJAK
In partnership with WWF-Switzerland and WWF-Thailand, SIG has launched a project to protect and connect key forest landscapes in Thailand. The initiative aims to enhance forest management and connectivity in the Dawna Tenasserim, Lower Songkhram, and Dong Phayayen landscapes, benefiting a total of 60,000 hectares of forests. This is the company’s third forest landscape project as part of WWF’s Forests Forward program following projects in Mexico and Malaysia.
Thailand's forests are part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, one of the most biologically rich regions on Earth. These forests are home to a vast array of species, including clouded leopards, tigers, Asian elephants, and various orchids, many of which are endangered. Deforestation and habitat fragmentation pose significant threats to this biodiversity.
Forests play a critical role in supporting life on earth and are essential to SIG’s business, providing the wood fibers needed to produce paperboard for SIG carton packs. Strong, collective private-sector action is crucial to halting and reversing forest loss and degradation globally. Through Forests Forward – a signature WWF program for corporate action in benefit of nature, climate, and people – companies commit to ambitious goals on responsible sourcing, sustainable forest management, and investment in forest landscapes. Since 2021, SIG has sourced only FSCTM certified paperboard, ensuring high standards for responsible forest management practices that support biodiversity and communities. This new project aligns with SIG’s commitment to creating, restoring, protecting, or improving the management of an additional 650,000 hectares of thriving forest by 2030.
Angela Lu, President & General Manager Asia-Pacific at SIG: “SIG is dedicated to taking action against deforestation and forest destruction. With the exciting new project in Thailand, we can make another positive contribution to protect and restore more forests and show others a way to contribute to thriving forest ecosystems. The third joint project with WWF-Switzerland is an excellent example of how SIG can support significant improvements in forest management and restoration in high conservation value areas of a country while encouraging others to engage for thriving forests.”
The new project has three main objectives:
- Securing corridors essential to forest ecosystem connectivity and integrity.
- Strengthening existing conservation lands and supporting the designation of new protected areas.
- Fully engaging communities in conservation design, implementation, and monitoring, and providing alternative livelihood opportunities.
Activities under these objectives include reconnecting forest complexes to create conditions for the return of big cats, improving habitat connectivity to aid the spread of elephants in Khao Yai National Park, restoring riparian forests, designating protected areas, securing land use rights for communities, and promoting agroforestry and ecotourism.
Michael Roy, Conservation Director WWF-Thailand: “Our partnership with SIG is giving WWF-Thailand the opportunity to scale up our on-the-ground protection and restoration work in three of Thailand’s globally significant forest landscapes. This support will allow us to directly restore degraded forests and work with government and communities to designate new protected and conserved areas, reconnecting our forests and encouraging natural movement of iconic species, including tigers, gaur, and elephants.”
Tim Cronin, WWF Forests Forward Global Lead: “We need private sector leadership to address the climate and biodiversity crises. And forests can play an outsized role. Leadership means more than stopping the damage, and actively restoring what’s been lost. It also involves going beyond a company’s own supply chains, to support action in places where it’s needed most. Through supporting this work in Thailand, SIG is showing the way and inspiring others to follow.”
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