The protection of biodiversity is one of the premises of sustainable forest management that Ence promotes both in its own farms and in those that participate in its supply chain, with special emphasis on the management of protected species and habitats of community interest, that is to say , those who are threatened with disappearance in the territory of the European Union and whose preservation supposes a special responsibility for the EU. For this reason, on the occasion of the International Day of Biodiversity, it is important to highlight how the company contributes to preserving the ecosystems with which it lives.
Ence’s Integrated Forest Management System has specific instructions and management recommendations for protected species. By applying a system of identification and monitoring, the system takes into account their feeding characteristics, their reproductive cycle and the habitats of these wild species of fauna and flora.
Through differentiated management plans, which include specific objectives and measures, it is possible to increase the surface and connectivity of habitats, improve floristic richness, reduce the presence of invasive species and promote the protection of protected species.
In fact, Ence has a total of 275 mountains with Habitats of Community Interest, in which 15 species of protected flora are found in 87 different points. In addition, these forest areas serve as a means to develop other activities for the sustainable use of resources. Such is the case of 11,518 hectares on which sustainable grazing is carried out, the three mountains in which there is wind energy generation or the beekeeping productions that are carried out in seven mountains thanks to the collaboration with local producers.
This type of actions are framed within the sustainable forest management carried out by the company. Proof of this is the commitment that Ence has acquired with the territories in which it operates, materialized in the almost 7 million euros that the company allocated to tasks such as restocking, creation and maintenance of runways and firewalls, forestry work, elaboration of inventories and payment of rents and royalties.
Likewise, as a benchmark actor in the field of sustainable forest management, Ence has maintained its performance based on the principles of forest certification for another year, both in the masses managed directly by the company and through the promotion of said principles of action in the case of masses of third parties that are part of its supply chain, using recognized seals such as FSC and PEFC, which certify compliance with demanding environmental criteria. In this way, the company has more than 50,000 hectares of forest stands with double certification and has managed to promote sustainable forest management on nearly 9,595 hectares of forest.
