Taking action to protect biodiversity

Forests cover approximately 30% of the world’s land area. These vital ecosystems with varied habitats are home to the majority of species living on land. Preventing deforestation and actively engaging in reforestation and afforestation efforts are vital for preserving biodiversity and ecosystems.

Protecting and improving biodiversity is an area of focus in the IKEA Forest Agenda 2030, and we continue to lead projects and collaborate with others to enhance biodiversity globally, going beyond our own business. Special focus is given to how our biodiversity efforts can be monitored and made more efficient.

As a part of the Forest Agenda 2030, setting global standards that will enable businesses to assess their full value chain impact on biodiversity is a vital process. We are working together with others to develop standards and tools which can support IKEA and other businesses to include biodiversity in decision-making on, for example, material choice in product development.

Additonally, by extending our efforts beyond our value chain, we not only contribute to societal benefits but also gain insights we can apply to our raw material sourcing and potentially strengthen ecosystems connected to our operations.

Over the span of more than 25 years, together with our partners, we have protected 18,500 hectares of heavily degraded rainforest in Borneo, Malaysia. This number includes the restoration of over 14,000 hectares. From the start, approximately 700 individuals have been involved. This project, known as “Sow a Seed,” is one of the world’s largest reforestation projects with a focus on bringing back biodiversity and has now been given the highest protection status in Malaysia. IKEA has funded and actively supported the project with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Sabah Foundation, a Malaysian government organisation.

As a result of assisting the natural forest regeneration and replanting over five million nursery-produced seedlings of over 90 indigenous species of trees, other species have followed to recreate a forest ecosystem which in many ways is close to the original. And most importantly – wildlife has started to return to the area, including pygmy elephants, orangutans, clouded leopards, and hornbills, as well as other rare species spotted using camera traps.

One of the major components of the project has been research activities. Data from more than 20 years exists, bringing important learnings in terms of carbon storage, ecosystem integrity, water quality, and much more. Researchers are actively involved in the project to support the development and to gain and share knowledge. One such activity is a post-doctoral position, funded by IKEA, which will determine the amount of carbon stored and measurable biodiversity gains.

At the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) during COP15, the IKEA business, together with FSC and other leading companies and NGOs, participated in the launch of an initiative to fast-track biodiversity assessments in FSC-certified forests.

As current data on global biodiversity is lacking or not comparable and doesn’t reflect the real value of nature in society, this initiative will support FSC certificate holders in demonstrating their biodiversity impacts in line with the Global Biodiversity Framework agreed on at COP15.

This initiative represents a big step towards strengthening the FSC global certification system with understanding of its biodiversity impact, which can be a positive change for the entire forest management sector.