Research from the program will be shared at a European level, to strengthen biodiversity and climate resilience

AXA has launched the AXA Forests for Good program to help restore damaged forest ecosystems and make them more resilient to climate change.

“The droughts and fires that occurred in France this summer are a reminder of the extent to which our forest ecosystems are exposed to climate change”, said Stéphane Hallaire, President and Founder of Reforest’Action, one of the program partners.

“Given the extent of the threat, which is increasing, in addition to that of diseases and insects affecting trees, it is essential to promote a better understanding of these issues in the field and to restore diverse forests that are better adapted to tomorrow’s climate.

”This is the purpose of the AXA Forests for Good programme, which we are pleased to support, and which brings together a number of renowned organisations.”

The program has four main objectives:

  • To study the impact of global warming and land artificialisation on the loss of biodiversity thanks to the measurements of the consortium’s experts who will visit the plots every quarter.
  • Restore the forest. After testing several restoration options, the consortium will make recommendations for species that promote the multifunctionality of the forest, i.e. the development of biodiversity, carbon capture and the production of biomaterials.
  • Strengthen AXA’s leadership on climate and biodiversity issues. The practices developed through this programme can then be applied at the European level and shared with the private and public forestry sector.
  • Contribute to a better understanding of the role of forests.

“This is another important step in our commitment to protect forest ecosystems, following on from our actions in this area in 2013 against unsustainable palm oil exploitation and in 2021 for sustainable forest management,” said Ulrike Decoene, head of Communication, Brand and Sustainability of AXA.

”This programme is also part of our global strategy to fight global warming and preserve biodiversity.”

The three-year program will be deployed on 600 of the 15,000 hectares of forest owned by AXA in France, and managed by AXA IM.

To carry out this project, AXA will be surrounded by a consortium of actors, led by Reforest’Action, and composed of FNE, Inrae, Jura Nature Environnement, AgroParisTech and SAPN. They will combine their environmental, social, technical and educational expertise.

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