Context

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

Plaswood recycled plastic lumber is being used in the project for 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.

In their initial application, Plaswood building materials and signage were used at small, specialised locations around the restoration site, specifically in the wettest areas where solid wood tends to rot quickly. Applications included floating platforms, bridges and dock ramps on the Serkap River in Sumatra.

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 forest again to replace decaying wood materials, as would be the case if traditional timber had been selected.

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.

Testimonial

“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.”
– Brad Sanders, Operation Head, Restorasi Ekosistem Riau