SIA commits US$3m to rainforest preservation in Indonesia

Joanne Chan Channel NewsAsia 20 Aug 10;

SINGAPORE : Asia's leading carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) is committing US$3 million towards rainforest preservation in Indonesia.

Funds donated will support the Harapan Rainforest Initiative, aimed at restoring ecosystems threatened by deforestation.

Rainforests in Indonesia have faced gradual degradation over the years from overlogging and slash-and-burn agriculture.

A new government policy was introduced in 2004 to avoid further deforestation and to maintain lowland forests.

Harapan Rainforest was the first to benefit.

Straddling Indonesia's Jambi and South Sumatra provinces, the forest is one and a half times the size of Singapore.

It serves as a buffer against climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide and is home to a wide variety of endangered wildlife such as the Sumatran tiger and Malayan tapir.

SIA's donation will go towards financing ongoing core operations such as the employment of forest patrols to prevent illegal logging, forest fires and poaching.

Boedi Mranata, spokesperson, Yayasan KEHI, said: "We have to protect the area with about 100 security men. With this security system, the illegal logging became less."

Currently, some 200 locals are employed as forest wardens, which have resulted in a decline in forest fires, illegal logging and poaching.

Plant and animal species protection programmes will also be put in place.

Harapan also plays a significant role in engaging the local indigenous community, with some 800 people depending on the forest for their livelihood.

An estimated US$2 million is needed each year to run the various programmes.

Singapore also stands to benefit from this project - by reducing slash-and-burn agriculture which is a cause of transboundary haze.

Bey Soo Khiang, senior executive vice-president, Marketing and Corporate Services, SIA, said: "When we were affected by the haze in Singapore, our lives were affected, our daily activities were to a large extent influenced by the PSI index. So being able to take part in a project which has an influence on the lives of Singaporeans, is something which SIA sees as a positive thing to do."

The Harapan Rainforest Initiative has found success through partnerships between international and local non-profit organisations, and by engaging locals in positions such as forest wardens.

And there are plans to replicate this model of collaboration in places such as the Philippines, Ecuador and Fiji. - CNA/ls/ms

SIA's $4m gift to save rainforest
Money will help preserve and conserve Sumatran rainforest that houses endangered species
Karamjit Kaur, Straits Times 21 Aug 10;

SINGAPORE Airlines will put US$3 million (S$4 million) towards the preservation and conservation of a Sumatran rainforest - its first such involvement in a green project.

The money will help fund an initiative by global non-profit organisation BirdLife International and Indonesia's Yayasan KEHI, which have recently taken on the task of looking after the Harapan Rainforest.

Straddling the provinces of Jambi and South Sumatra, the rainforest is home to more than 290 species of birds and 55 species of mammals, including endangered creatures like the Sumatran tiger and Asian tapir. It spans almost 100,000ha, or about 1-1/2 times the size of Singapore.

It will cost about US$2 million a year - double that in the first 10 years - to protect the rainforest and its inhabitants from illegal logging and forest fires, which have so far damaged about a third of the habitat.

Part of the restoration work being carried out there includes replanting activities, while round-the-clock patrols help ensure no further damage is done.

SIA is happy to do its part, said senior executive vice-president for marketing and corporate services Bey Soo Khiang.

Speaking to reporters yesterday after a signing ceremony at the Singapore Botanic Gardens to seal the partnership, he said that while there are many fund-seekers for so-called green initiatives, SIA wanted to make sure its money was well spent.

So in late 2008, he and two colleagues visited the rainforest to witness first-hand the work being done there.

Mr Bey said: 'We want to be sure that whatever money is being spent results in substantive progress that is meaningful and measurable.'

So even after signing the cheque, SIA will monitor closely the progress of the Harapan Rainforest, he said.

Apart from the Harapan project, the airline is also involved in other environmental initiatives related to its operations, including investing in more fuel-efficient aircraft and pushing for a paperless working environment.

As air travel increases, the global aviation industry has come under intense pressure in recent years from environmentalists who accuse airlines of being key contributors to increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

In its defence, the International Air Transport Association (Iata), which represents about 230 global carriers, has said repeatedly that aviation accounts for just 2 per cent of man-made global carbon emissions.

But there is room for improvement, and the target is an additional improvement of at least 25 per cent in fuel-efficiency and carbon emissions by 2020.

Led by Iata, the industry is also protesting against plans by several governments to levy environmental taxes and tariffs on airlines and their passengers.

The European Commission has also announced that airlines will soon be subject to carbon dioxide emissions trading, which will allow carriers that curb their emissions to sell spare allowances in an open market, and enable those that want to increase emissions to buy additional allowances.

Lending weight to the industry's unhappiness with such actions, Mr Bey said there are no guarantees that money collected by such means is used to support environmental objectives. He said: 'We always ask ourselves, 'Where is the money used and how?''

By participating in the Sumatran rainforest project, SIA's message is clear, he said, adding: 'We do not mind giving money but it must go to saving the earth.'