forest protection

Forest lovers place their bet on INTERHOLCO’s wood products

14.06.2024. Just like you, we love forests.You care about protecting their wild and majestic environment. We love their unparalleled strength. Let's show our commitment together in the most beautiful way: by protecting the gorilla forests with our ‘Made in Africa’ products – sustainably natural.

Sustainable Hardwood Made in Africa, our natural ally in the fight against deforestation

13.12.2022. Last 6 December, the European Union agreed a new law that would ban the import of products linked to deforestation. INTERHOLCO's top priority is to ensure that the harvesting and transport of timber has minimal impact, with no permanent or irreversible change to the services provided by the forest.

For the love of tropical forests: INTERHOLCO at Gembloux JobDAY

14.02.2022. INTERHOLCO brought tropical forests to Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (University of Liège) on the occasion of Gembloux JobDAY. Last 18 November, the not-to-be-missed event brought together more than 200 forest management students, some of whom freshly graduated in forestry, agronomy and environment, returning for the first time after the 2020 pause.

Forests for all, forever our way forward

09.11.2021. The Republic of the Congo has a plan: co-creating solutions together with investors and natural tropical forests, not just for COP26 but well beyond. The way forward at bird’s eye view: (1.) Carbon positive forestry is possible in the Congo Basin. (2.) Together, we should compensate Africa’s forests. (3.) Forest and climate finance should share benefits with host countries and local communities.

Certified wood, my sustainable design ally

27.08.2021. Wood is the only building material that ensures it comes from responsibly managed sources, in this case forests.

Talking wood: "Our wood can tell where it’s from"

18.06.2021. When our wood products reach the port of delivery, their marking allows for identification of the supply, all the way to the forest of origin. This is known as, traceability.

Supporting customers with trust

26.05.2021. In December 2020, INTERHOLCO passed the FSC® audit, which took place in the field. 'At INTERHOLCO, we strive for honesty, integrity,'says Tom van Loon, Head of Sustainability, INTERHOLCO. 'We place utmost importance on successful long-term partnerships with our suppliers and customers.'

Sustainable Hardwood – Made in Africa, good for forest, people and planet

05.06.2021. A forest is more than a question of trees. People live in and from it, shaping their survival, identity and beliefs around it. At the same time, a forest is home to hundreds of species of animals and trees; it feeds water basins, stocks carbon and regulates rain regimes which affect far away countries.

Listening to forest peoples to deliver solutions

24.05.2021. In Baka language ‘Musungui’ means, ‘to help one another’. The spirit of ‘Musungui’ is what best describes INTERHOLCO’s ALLIANCE: the ability to deliver solutions, joining forces. One of the solutions is, in fact, listening. Listening makes it possible to pinpoint key factors, measures that need to be improved at strategy level.

Friends of the forest 2/2

21.05.2021. As agreed with the Congolese state, owner of the parks as well as of the Ngombé forest, INTERHOLCO is required to secure the area against unauthorised settlement, illegal harvesting, poaching, bushmeat trade and irreversible change.

Talking wood: ‘Conservation is only possible if we have a good relationship with the communities’

22.04.2021. INTERHOLCO works in synergy with the state eco-guards. Close cooperation between the state and the private sector for sustainable wildlife management is an arrangement which is unique to the Republic of Congo, as researchers from the University of Liège have recently illustrated.

The Surveillance and Anti-Poaching Unit that Mr. BOKANDZA coordinates (USLAB, in French) comprises 40 law-enforcing eco-guards

Friends of the Forest 1/2

19.04.2021. “Conservation is only possible if we have a good relationship with the communities.”José Blanchard BOKANDZA could not have made his approach clearer: “The communities are the first custodians of the forest. Because they are the ones who depend on it in their daily life.”

Fishing on the river Kandeko

22.03.2021. The fish is huge, its dimensions giving it the appearance of a predator: « We call itnina in Lingala. It's the electric fish, » the lady explains. Electric catfish (scientific name Malapterurus electricus) are a freshwater fish, commonly found in many African rivers and lakes, including those of the Congo basin.

Objects of art on a mission: a closer look at Africa’s ‘Forest dwellers’

23.02.2021.According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), between 2000 and 2010, large-scale commercial agriculture (generally related to cattle ranching and the cultivation of soya bean and oil palm) accounted for 40% of tropical deforestation, and local subsistence agriculture another 33%.

Africa’s forest dwellers win Conversations about Climate Change competition

15.02.2021. Gorillas, Bongos, Forest elephants and Chimpanzees team up with British architect Tom Wilson in ‘Forest dwellers’, one of the winners of the Conversations about Climate Change competition. Is it possible to sustainably harvest timber and natural products, contributing to ethical and sustainable economies, as well as safeguarding habitats, biodiversity and the health of the Earth? The four Forest Dwellers have been conceived to ask this very question.