Olam Agri's Wood Business in the Republic of Congo<span class="txt-orange"> Wins Biodiversity Champion at Reuters Global Sustainability Awards</span>

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<span class="p2">Our wood business in the Republic of Congo has been named winner of the Biodiversity Champion category at the Reuters Global Sustainability Awards, presented at a ceremony in London on 21 October 2026.</span>

<span class="p2">The category recognises organisations making measurable progress in protecting biodiversity, and the win reflects years of work by our teams in the forests of the Republic of Congo, alongside the communities and partners who share that commitment.</span>

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The Work Behind the Recognition

<span class="p2">For Olam Agri's wood business in the Republic of Congo, biodiversity is the condition of the business. For six decades, we’ve managed 2.1 million hectares of natural forest within the Sangha Trinational UNESCO World Heritage landscape. It's the world’s largest contiguous 1FSC® and PEFC certified tropical hardwood concessions.</span>
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Olam Agri&#39;s Wood Business in the Republic of Congo Wins Biodiversity Champion at Reuters Global Sustainability Awards
Olam Agri's Wood Business in the Republic of Congo Wins Biodiversity Champion at Reuters Global Sustainability Awards
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<span class="p2">Over the past two decades, landscape-scale wildlife surveys have consistently shown that populations of flagship wildlife species remain stable within our concessions, with densities comparable to, and in some areas even higher than, those recorded in the adjacent national park. These findings demonstrate that Olam Agri's forest management model not only maintains forest cover but also supports thriving populations of forest elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, antelopes and other key wildlife species.</span>
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<span class="p2">This comes from how the forest is managed: reduced-impact logging, 30-year harvest rotations, conservation set-asides, High Conservation Value protection and tree-by-tree GPS traceability. Pikounda Nord is fully set aside as a REDD+ project, and sensitive habitats, fruiting trees and Indigenous community areas are excluded from harvest. People are part of the model. Free, Prior and Informed Consent processes cover all Forest Management Units, and our medical infrastructure serves over 60,000 people in concession villages, delivering over 33,000 consultations in 2025. </span>
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<span class="p2">The winning entry, "Pioneering Sustainable Forest Management in the Congo Basin", presents one operating model that brings together conservation, scientific monitoring, community governance and commercial forestry, sustained for over 25 years.</span>

<span class="p2">At its centre is PROGEPP, the Peripheral Ecosystem Management Project, co-managed with WCS and the Ministry of Forest Economy since 1999. It covers 1.3 million hectares and borders four protected areas. It rests on four pillars:</span>

  • <span class="p2">Responsible forestry: FSC and PEFC certification maintained continuously since 2006 across all five units, with reduced-impact logging, conservation set-asides and GPS traceability supporting EUDR readiness.</span>
  • <span class="p2">Wildlife protection: Anti-poaching patrols backed by US$450,000 of annual investment, and landscape-wide wildlife surveys with WCS, with the next cycle planned for 2027-2028.</span>
  • <span class="p2">Communities: Free, Prior and Informed Consent, community development plans and healthcare for over 60,000 people.</span>
  • <span class="p2">Governance and finance: an ESG Risk & Safeguards Framework with board-level visibility, and a nature finance initiative under development to turn biodiversity outcomes into long-term capital.</span>
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Vincent Istace
<span class="p2">It is encouraging to see that the positive results our teams have observed on the ground are also being recognised more widely. Protecting forests also means giving them value. Our experience demonstrates that it is possible to develop economic activities that respect the integrity of forest ecosystems while preserving their many benefits for future generations.</span>
Vincent Istace,
Head of Sustainability, Olam Agri Wood Business
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<span class="p2">We thank our partners and our teams on the ground in the Republic of Congo for their dedication and for making this award possible.</span>

<span class="p2" style="text-align:center;display:block">--------</span>
1 FSC licence numbers: FSC-C014998 / FSC-C128941 / FSC-C104637 / FSC-C156094 / FSC-C005457 / FSC-C006439
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