and advocated placing a monetary value on ecosystems. The report also highlighted efforts by the Thai Government to place a value on its mangrove swamps. It found that although removing the mangrove to create a shrimp farm might generate nearly $10,000 per hectare, if the mangrove swamps are retained, and their importance as a barrier against floods is taken into account, they could be valued at more than $16,000 per hectare.
Sustainable packaging But how does this argument play out with grocery retailers and food manufacturers, as an already competitive market faces even greater competitive pressures? In the case of packaging, natural resources do not have to be sacrificed in order for retailers to make sustainable decisions. Natural renewable materials, such as wood fibre from responsibly managed forests, offer a sustainable way of benefiting from natural assets while at the same time maintaining them – and they can even contribute to biodiversity protection. A recent study by the Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), commissioned by the Alliance of Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK, showed that certified, well-managed forestry can help support a range of biodiversity which, if forests were planted as large monocultures and not managed appropriately, wouldn’t be present. For example, the study found that clearfell and replant as a forest cycle increases biodiversity in forests through the provision of temporary open space, with either an increase in number of species, or abundance after clearfelling. Coppicing, although undertaken on a shorter cycle, and with the cut covering a smaller area, was also found to be effective in providing temporary open spaces, again creating a positive impact on plants and birds. In short, the presence of small open spaces within forests has a positive effect on all groups of biodiversity except mosses and woodland plants. The main factor influencing the size of this effect is the amount of light reaching the ground within these small open spaces, so wider roads and rides, as well as larger glades are recommended to maximise biodiversity gains. In Nordic countries, where the vast majority of wood fibre for ACE UK members’ (Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc) beverage cartons originates, foresters take a number of measures to maintain biodiversity:
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