London, 28 October 2026: Olam Agri Congo biodiversity champion recognition has gone to the company’s wood business in the Republic of Congo, named winner of the Biodiversity Champion category at the Reuters Global Sustainability Awards 2026. The award was presented at a ceremony in London on 21 October 2026 and announced by Olam Agri on 27 October 2026.
The category recognises organisations making measurable progress in protecting biodiversity. According to Olam Agri, the win reflects years of work by its teams in the forests of the Republic of Congo, alongside the communities and partners who share that commitment. The Reuters awards list independently confirms Olam Agri as the Biodiversity Champion winner, with Rainforest Expeditions highly commended in the same category.
What the award recognises
The winning entry, “Pioneering Sustainable Forest Management in the Congo Basin”, presents one operating model that brings together conservation, scientific monitoring, community governance and commercial forestry, sustained for more than 25 years.
For Olam Agri’s wood business, biodiversity is described as the condition of the business itself. For six decades, the company says, it has managed 2.1 million hectares of natural forest within the Sangha Trinational UNESCO World Heritage landscape. It describes the area as the world’s largest contiguous FSC and PEFC certified tropical hardwood concessions.
Olam Agri Congo biodiversity champion: how the forest is managed
The forest is managed through reduced-impact logging, 30-year harvest rotations, conservation set-asides, High Conservation Value protection and tree-by-tree GPS traceability, according to Olam Agri. Pikounda Nord is fully set aside as a REDD+ project, and sensitive habitats, fruiting trees and Indigenous community areas are excluded from harvest.
FSC and PEFC certification has been maintained continuously since 2006 across all five forest management units, the company says, with GPS traceability supporting readiness for the European Union’s deforestation rules.
Wildlife and people at the centre
Over the past two decades, landscape-scale wildlife surveys have consistently shown that populations of flagship wildlife species remain stable within the concessions, Olam Agri says, with densities comparable to, and in some areas even higher than, those recorded in the adjacent national park. The species named are forest elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, antelopes and other key wildlife species.
At the centre of the model is PROGEPP, the Peripheral Ecosystem Management Project, co-managed with WCS and the Ministry of Forest Economy since 1999. It covers 1.3 million hectares and borders four protected areas. Its work rests on four pillars: responsible forestry, wildlife protection, communities, and governance and finance.
Wildlife protection includes anti-poaching patrols backed by US$450,000 of annual investment, and landscape-wide wildlife surveys with WCS, with the next survey cycle planned for 2027-2028. On communities, Free, Prior and Informed Consent processes cover all forest management units, and medical infrastructure serves more than 60,000 people in concession villages, delivering more than 33,000 consultations in 2025.
Key facts
- Award: Biodiversity Champion, Reuters Global Sustainability Awards 2026, presented in London on 21 October 2026.
- Winner: Olam Agri’s wood business in the Republic of Congo, for the entry “Pioneering Sustainable Forest Management in the Congo Basin”.
- Forest area: 2.1 million hectares of natural forest managed for six decades, within the Sangha Trinational UNESCO World Heritage landscape.
- Certification: FSC and PEFC certification maintained continuously since 2006 across all five units.
- Wildlife project: PROGEPP, co-managed with WCS and the Ministry of Forest Economy since 1999, covering 1.3 million hectares.
- Communities: Medical infrastructure serving more than 60,000 people, with more than 33,000 consultations in 2025.
Why this matters before COP31
The recognition comes days before COP31 opens in Antalya in November 2026, where forests, nature and implementation are expected to feature prominently alongside emissions cuts. Vincent Istace, Head of Sustainability at Olam Agri Wood Business, said: “It is encouraging to see that the positive results our teams have observed on the ground are also being recognised more widely. Protecting forests also means giving them value. Our experience demonstrates that it is possible to develop economic activities that respect the integrity of forest ecosystems while preserving their many benefits for future generations.”
The case is also a reminder that the climate champion role is not only about pledges made at summits. As the COP31 High-Level Climate Champion’s own programme has stressed, climate action must reach people where they are and deliver tangible benefits for health, livelihoods, nature and food security. Read more on Watan News: COP31’s High-Level Climate Champion promises “everyone’s COP” as 100,000+ expected in Antalya.
Sources: Olam Agri announcement, 27 October 2026; Reuters Global Sustainability Awards 2026 winners list.
