Pirelli, BMW and Birdlife International Together to Protect the Ecosystem

Pirelli and BMW Group have put together a new project linked to the production of sustainable natural rubber, in collaboration with BirdLife International, a non-governmental organisation which is active in the defense of natural habitats, of birds and of global diversity generally. The purpose of the project is to help safeguard the ecosystem of the Indonesian forest of Hutan Harapan, on the island of Sumatra, and the lives of the communities and animal species at risk of extinction who live there. In order to achieve this, Pirelli, BMW Group and BirdLife International, with the support of various local NGOs, have formulated a carefully articulated plan over a three-year period centred upon the rainforest of the island of Sumatra.

The plan seeks to ensure the conservation of an area of around 2,700 hectares based on a deforestation-free arrangement. In addition, there will be a system of direct monitoring and checks on the forest area, with the use of satellite and drone-based technology, and there will also be a census of the animals at the highest risk of extinction, such as the Sumatran tiger, the agile gibbon and two birds – the helmeted hornbill and the greater green leafbird -, involving the activation of conservation programmes together with the local communities. These communities will be at the centre of a large number of activities: training courses will be organised for the small local farming enterprises, with the objective of improving their practices for the cultivation and management of the plantation, in support of the environment, and the indigenous communities, thanks to their active involvement with the institutions, will have an important say overall in how the habitats are managed. …

Source: Pirelli