EDITORS CHOICE
PLASWOOD PROVIDES BUILDING SOLUTION FOR RAINFOREST RESTORATION PROJECT
Specialist plastic lumber from Plaswood , a brand of Berry Global , is proving to be an ideal building material for a major ecosystem restoration programme in Indonesia .
The next phase of the project involving Plaswood will be the construction of elevated platforms in remote areas to provide outposts for safari tents and research camps .
Restorasi Ekosistem Riau ( RER ) comprises 150,693 ha of peat swamp forest , situated in two landscapes on Sumatra ’ s eastern coastline . Operating under five ecosystem restoration concessions ( ERCs ) issued by the Indonesian government for a 60-year period , the RER restoration area is about the size of London . The purpose of an ERC is to restore a degraded forest to a balanced condition , and to ensure that it can provide ecosystem services such as water storage and supply , carbon storage , fisheries and non-timber forest products .
Plaswood lumber , made from recycled plastic , is being used in the construction of pontoons , jetties , bridges and platforms . These will allow the research and conservation teams access to the remotest areas of RER , which comprise degraded tropical peat swamp forest on the Kampar Peninsula and Padang Island in Riau Province , Sumatra .
“ This is a very important and ambitious project , and one of which we are all proud to be part ,” commented Katherine Lorek-Wallace , General Manager at Plaswood . “ Considering the scope of the challenge and the scale of the task of restoring and protecting this versatile landscape , the use of Plaswood sustainable building materials that are longlasting , durable and safe for the rainforest environment is a logical choice . Unlike timber , Plaswood will not rot and deteriorate with time , which means that this diverse ecosystem will not need to be disturbed again to carry out replacement and maintenance works .”
To learn more about the project visit www . rekoforest . org
To find out more about Plaswood sustainable materials visit www . plaswood . eco
Plaswood is a particularly suitable building solution for the wet and swampy environments of a tropical rainforest . The material ’ s waterproof properties and longevity mean that it will not rot or degrade once the structures have been built . As a result , there will be no need to disturb the surrounding area again to replace decaying materials as would be the case if traditional timber had been selected .
Brad Sanders , Operation Head at Restorasi Ecosistem Riau said : “ Plaswood has proven itself very well in that it remains strong , un-weathered , and essentially unnoticed by visitors as being plastic ; indeed , they are quite surprised to learn it is recycled plastic .”
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