The initiative will initially focus on projects in Indonesia
Nestlé recently announced its support for the protection and restoration of over 500,000 hectares of tropical forest landscapes in Southeast Asia through the launch of Rimba Collective, the largest private-sector forest conservation initiative.
The program was developed by Lestari Capital in collaboration with founding partners including Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Wilmar. Lestari Capital is an enterprise that connects markets to conservation – it finances outcomes on the ground through ethical and efficient mechanisms, to support the adaptation of more equitable market systems.
Rimba Collective complements the palm oil industry’s efforts to end deforestation by funding conservation and restoration projects across the supply chain. The initiative aims at forest conservation investments that simultaneously support forest protection as well as economic development and job creation for local communities.
The initiative will initially focus on projects in Indonesia before expanding to others across Southeast Asia. Projects are prioritized based on their potential to protect and restore large, continuous areas of natural ecosystems and critical habitats. Other priorities include generating measurable ecosystem benefits and making livelihoods more resilient for local communities. All projects will undergo third-party verification.
