Sustainable forestry
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, FAO, estimates that in Africa alone, over two million hectares of forests are lost every year. Population growth, urbanisation and a growing middle-class add pressure on the remaining natural forests.
Sustainable, responsible forestry is one key way to curb deforestation and climate change. In, for example, Africa, it can already be seen that the timber produced through sustainable plantations is easing the pressure on natural forests. Most of our direct forestry investees are located in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, where the deforestation rate is most alarming. Most of the forests managed by our investee companies have been certified by the international Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) as socially and environmentally responsible and sustainable.
Sustainable forestry has long been one of Finnfund’s focus areas. At the end of 2023, our investments in forestry (portfolio and commitments) were worth 189 million euros, which represented 17 per cent of the total portfolio. At the end of 2022, Finnfund’s direct investees had approximately 350,000 hectares under sustainable management, of which 130,000 hectares were planted and growing, and approximately 125,000 hectares (31%) were protected areas. In addition, through funds, Finnfund financed nearly 370,000 hectares of forest under sustainable management. Read more in our annual report.
See video on sustainable forestry
Finnfund is a leading global long-term investor in sustainable forestry. Forests are our most important carbon sinks and vital to stopping climate change.
More videos are published on Finnfund’s YouTube channel.
Why does Finnfund finance sustainable forestry?
The development effects of sustainable forestry have been summarized in the theory of change below.
Impacts are examined at three different levels: direct impacts on business, indirect development impacts, and broad societal impacts.
Read more about effectiveness and development impact assessment.
Examples of investments
Contact us:
Ilkka Norjamäki
Associate Director, Head of Agriculture and Forestry portfolio
ilkka.norjamaki@finnfund.fi
tel. +358 40 866 8642
Pauliina Halonen
Senior Investment Manager
pauliina.halonen@finnfund.fi
tel. +358 40 759 6479
Peter Chappell
rahoituspäällikkö
peter.chappell@finnfund.fi
p. 040 198 5742