IUCN and APRIL launch five-year collaboration to advance conservation science in Indonesia and beyond

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 10 October 2025 – The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and APRIL Group, a member of the RGE group of companies, today announced a five-year strategic collaboration aimed at strengthening conservation science and applying evidence-based solutions to improving biodiversity outcomes in Indonesia and around the world.

The collaboration brings together IUCN’s global scientific expertise and APRIL’s operational reach in Indonesia to generate robust conservation science, expand the use of conservation tools in APRIL’s conservation and restoration landscapes, and build capacity that supports national and international biodiversity goals.

A key focus of the collaboration is the expansion of IUCN’s Red List of Ecosystems (RLE), one of the world’s most important indicators of ecosystem health under the Global Biodiversity Framework. This will contribute to a Global RLE Peatlands Assessment, aiming to provide stronger evidence to guide the conservation of this critical ecosystem and important global carbon sink.

The collaboration will also pilot the IUCN RHINO approach for Rapid, High-Integrity Nature-positive Outcomes within APRIL’s operations, including its 150,693-hectare Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER) forest conservation and restoration programme, located on Sumatra’s Kampar Peninsula.

The collaboration will evaluate and provide strategic guidance on ways to further enhance APRIL’s biodiversity conservation and restoration programmes, while generating practical lessons for the wider forestry and land-use sector on how they can measure, improve, and share progress on biodiversity outcomes.

“The world is running out of time to reverse biodiversity loss, and science must guide every step we take,” said Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General. “This collaboration with APRIL allows us to scale up the Red List of Ecosystems and test new approaches like IUCN RHINO in real-world scenarios. By combining IUCN’s science with APRIL’s operational reach in Indonesia, we can turn data into action and create a sustainable model for how business and conservation can work together to meet global biodiversity targets.”

The collaboration further provides a unique opportunity for IUCN to strengthen its work with its Indonesian members and conservation actors, catalyzing on-the-ground action at scale. As part of the collaboration, IUCN will deepen engagement with a range of stakeholders in Indonesia, contributing to the advancement of national efforts to conserve and restore biodiversity with strong integration of the perspectives of communities and experts in Indonesia.

Anderson Tanoto, Managing Director at RGE and member of the Executive Committee at APRIL said: “For us, conservation is about taking practical action. Businesses today are expected to move beyond pledges and deliver results that are credible, practical and measurable on the ground. Our collaboration with IUCN strengthens APRIL’s science-based approach to landscape management and accelerates delivery of our APRIL2030 commitments. By combining global science with local action, this partnership enhances our conservation and restoration programmes and engages a wider network of experts and stakeholders to achieve meaningful biodiversity outcomes.”

The IUCN–APRIL collaboration supports the delivery of the Global Biodiversity Framework, demonstrating how private sector engagement can align with international conservation priorities.

By fostering resilience in ecosystems, strengthening community engagement, and advancing biodiversity science, the partnership represents a concrete step to support global biodiversity targets.

Hashtag: #RGE #APRIL #APRIL2030 #IUCN #Biodiversity #Conservation #RLE #Peatlands #Nature #RER #Sumatra #Indonesia #Sustainability

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About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

About APRIL

APRIL Group is a leading producer of fibre products, including pulp, paper, viscose staple fibre, paperboard, and tissue. Based in Indonesia, APRIL operates a large-scale, vertically integrated production operation. This integration is fundamental to our competitive advantage, enabling us to manage resources responsibly through sustainable forest management and resource-efficient production practices. Our commitment to a positive future is encapsulated in our ambitious APRIL2030 commitments, which drive positive impact across Climate, Nature, and People. This includes significant conservation and restoration work, notably through the management of our 150,639-hectare Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER) programme.

APRIL actively collaborates with international experts, institutions, and partners to continually enhance our conservation practices and drive sector-wide improvements for sustainable growth.