Singapore Airlines hands donations to save rainforests

The airline company donates US$ 3 million to Harapan Rainforest Initiative.

Singapore Airlines on Friday said it is donating US$3 million in its first major involvement in a large-scale green project with long-term, sustainable benefits for the global environment, according to a joint release by the two parties.

The release said funds donated by Singapore Airlines will go towards supporting the Harapan Rainforest Initiative, a unique collaboration between international non-governmental organisations including BirdLife International and Burung Indonesia (BirdLife Partner in Indonesia).

“Singapore Airlines is pleased and excited to be the exclusive airline partner of the Harapan Rainforest Initiative, a project which boasts tangible environmental benefits not just for Indonesia, but for the international community as well. Our support will be for the long term and further down the road we hope to get our customers as well as our staff involved,” said Mr Bey Soo Khiang, the Airline’s Senior Executive Vice-President Marketing and Corporate Services.

Representatives from Singapore Airlines, BirdLife International and Yayasan KEHI inked the agreement in Singapore on Friday.

According to the release, Singapore Airlines’ contribution towards the protection and restoration of one of the most extensive tracts of lowland rainforest left in Indonesia reflects its strong belief that environmental efforts must focus on making a real and direct difference to the well-being of our planet, and sustain our shared environment for future generations.

“Forests are among the world’s chief carbon stores, and the arrestment of deforestation is a key step towards combating climate change. The funds contributed will be used to set up the Harapan Fund, which will help finance ongoing core operations such as the employment of forest patrols to prevent illegal logging and forest fires as well as plant and animal species protection programmes,” said Mr Bey.

BirdLife International is the world's largest Partnership of national nature conservation organisations. The Nature Society (Singapore) is the BirdLife Partner in Singapore.