This latest trophy brings to 19 the total number won by Klabin over the history of the awards, attesting to the company’s firm commitment to environmental preservation.

São Paulo, March 30, 2022 – The initiative “Water production, conservation and monitoring in Klabin’s mosaic forests management” that was accompanied by Klabin, which is Brazil’s largest producer and exporter of packaging papers and paper packaging, won the Green Wave Trophy of the 28th Ecology Expressão Awards, in the category “Water Conservation.” The initiative is carried out in Santa Catarina, a state where the company has four production units, as well as forestry operations.

Conducted in the city of Ponte Alta, the winning case study involves maintaining experimental microbasins located on areas of reforested pine and eucalyptus trees and native forests to generate data on the hydrological functioning of the sustainable management of forest plantations. The Company participates in the environmental monitoring network (ReMAM) through the Environmental Monitoring Program (PROMAB) and the Institute of Forest Research and Studies (IPEF). Hydrological monitoring has been carried out since 2009 in two microbasins, with one spillway installed in a contribution area inside a native forest and the other inside in an area planted with taeda pine. The qualitative and quantitative data generated indicated an extremely positive hydrological balance in the region.

Recognized globally for its commitment to protecting fauna and flora, Klabin is a pioneer in adopting a mosaic planting system, which has become a trademark of the company. Under the system, areas of protected native forests, which correspond to nearly half of the Company’s total forest area, are interspersed with stands of planted forests of different ages. The method helps to protect natural resources, to improve the productive potential of the forests and to conserve biodiversity by creating ecological corridors that facilitate the movement of hundreds of wildlife species.

The work implemented by the Company in both sustainable management and monitoring the impacts of its operations makes an important contribution to water and soil conservation. Moreover, the monitoring of forest management and behavior in watersheds with planted forests is a way to prove scientifically that planted forests do not affect water availability in regions where the company operates. Today, Klabin has operations in 40 cities of Santa Catarina state, managing forest areas that protect more than 9,000 watersheds and over 5,000 kilometers of rivers.

In addition to debunking myths involving topic, understanding how forest management in watersheds can be continuously improved is a constant challenge. Recording nutrient inflows and outflows, for example, allows for comparing the medium and long-term dynamics of water resources in areas subjected to management with those of water resources in conservation areas.

 “Understanding forest management in ecosystems where Klabin operates and improving our operating procedures in the field every day to ensure forest sustainability are part of the company’s contributions to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Having our initiatives recognized by one of the preeminent ecology awards is extremely important for Klabin, because it shows that we are on the right path,” said Júlio Nogueira, Sustainability and Environmental Manager at Klabin.

The Ecology Expressão Awards were created by the publisher Expressão in 1993, one year after the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, known as Eco 92. The initiative promotes the environmental actions of companies in Brazil’s South and encourages other companies to follow the same path. Since the creation of the awards, over 2,900 case studies have been submitted by leading companies, NGOs, municipal governments and organizations in Brazil’s South region. The Ecology Expressão Awards are considered one of Brazil’s longest-standing awards.

#PrêmioExpressãodeEcologia #preservação #água #sustentabilidade #manejoflorestal #mosaicoflorestal