Managing for biodiversity

Sappi owns and leases 399,996 hectares (ha) of land of which 261, 210 ha is planted and all of which is FSC-certified. The remaining 138,784 ha is maintained by Sappi Forests to conserve the natural habitat and biodiversity found there.

Our strategic approach

Our strategies for managing biodiversity include:

Managing natural vegetation according to best practice in terms of burning, grazing and weed control to ensure healthy habitats.
Ongoing assessment and monitoring of veld condition.
Protection of sites from poaching, illegal medicinal plant collection and overgrazing.
Participation in the national stewardship programme through which we have seven declared nature reserves.
Identification, monitoring and maintenance of 156 Important Conservation Areas (ICAs).
Long-term integrated weed management plans on all our plantations. Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are widely considered as a major threat to biodiversity, human livelihoods and economic development. Currently, there are 379 species of plants list as IAPs in South Africa. As a result of their high diversity and far-reaching distribution, they are extremely difficult to control. We combat weeds by implementing weed control programmes, managing natural areas to maintain healthy vegetation (weeds generally spread into disturbed poorly managed areas) and reducing sources and avenues of seed dispersal.

There are seven nature reserves and 156 Important Conservation Areas on our land.

Bushman painting in the ICA at Winterton

Bushman painting in the ICA at Winterton

Crowned eagle which is found on some of the ICAs

Crowned eagle which is found on some of the ICAs

Flagship species

Flagship species are a selection of charismatic easily recognisable red data listed animal species.
Flagship species on Sappi land include the Blue Swallow, Oribi, the Cape Parrot, Southern Ground Hornbill and all South African cranes.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust requests information on the numbers and location of these species from landowners.

Sappi Forests

Approximately 135,000 hectares of our land is set aside and maintained by Sappi Forests to conserve the natural habitat and biodiversity found there, including indigenous forests and wetlands.

Our sustainability targets for a thriving world

We’re unlocking the power of trees to make every day more sustainable – for the customers we serve, the communities where we operate and the planet we all call home.

How trees fight climate change

By reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and scaling up nature-based solutions, Sappi is increasingly part of the solution to climate change.

A multi-pronged response to climate change

Acting on climate change in South Africa

Climate change can stress forests and plantations through higher mean annual temperatures, altered precipitation patterns and more frequent and extreme weather conditions.

Variety: the spice of life and the answer to more sustainable plantations in South Africa

We’re shifting from planting pure species to more productive, better adapted, and more pest and disease-resistant hybrid varieties of both hardwood and softwood trees.

Creating spaces to connect with nature in South Africa

Nature reserves are becoming more and more important in an increasingly urbanised world. Only by spending time in protected places do we have a sense of how rich in birds, flowers and insects our countryside could be.

Reintroducing South Africa’s most endangered tree into communities

Reintroducing an endangered tree in Southern Africa

Endemic to the forests of Southern Africa (Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe), the Pepper-bark tree (Warburgia salutaris) is considered Endangered at the global level according to the IUCN Red List.

Product CoC Claim Options

2023 Sappi Annual Integrated Report