SLU and IKEA launch global research lab on rainforest restoration

The journey started in 1998, when IKEA’s founder Ingvar Kamprad initiated what would become Sow a Seed; a long standing and large-scale restoration project in the rainforests of Borneo. Jointly headed by SLU and the Malaysian Sabah Foundation, Sow a Seed is one of the world’s longest standing restorations of its kind.

– This program is exceptional in its commitment to long-term impact. By combining a rare 25-year legacy of restoration work with a funding model spanning two consecutive decades, it creates a unique platform for generating knowledge that simply cannot emerge from short-term research, says Petter Axelsson, researcher at SLU within the Sow a Seed-programme.

From degraded forests to home for endangered species

Large areas of rainforest in Borneo have been destroyed through irresponsible logging and wildfires in the 1980’s and 90’s. But through the Sow a Seed-programme they have come alive again. More than five million trees of more than 90 different indigenous tree species have repopulated the 18 500-ha area of rainforest. 

Wildlife has now returned. Borneo elephants, clouded leopards and orangutans have been spotted in the regrown forests, and today the area has been granted the highest level of forest protection in Malaysia.

–  There is growing awareness of the urgent need to halt biodiversity loss, and Sow a Seed is an important example of what’s possible. Over the past 28 years, it has not only helped restore rainforest and biodiversity but also built valuable knowledge along the way. These insights demonstrate that regeneration is achievable and that what is learned here can help guide the recovery of other degraded rainforests in the future, says Lena Julle, Chief Sustainability Officer, Inter IKEA Group.

A new chapter for research and knowledge sharing

These achievements are evidence that regeneration and biodiversity restoration of even badly damaged rainforest is possible. The launch of the Living Rainforest Restoration Lab then marks a new chapter where focus shifts from restoration to deepened research and to sharing the newfound knowledge. 

–  We aim to empower policymakers and the growing number of restoration practitioners with better knowledge, so that more rainforests can be restored more efficiently, says Ulrik Ilstedt, program leader at SLU.

IKEA will fund the research programme for ten years. It comprises 24 projects jointly led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Malaysian universities and is one of SLU’s largest ongoing research initiatives.

As a real-world research platform, the Lab will generate knowledge on how degraded tropical rainforests recover over time and which methods deliver the strongest long-term results. By combining long-term field data, restored landscapes, and scientific expertise, it provides insights into biodiversity recovery, ecosystem functions, and climate benefits, including carbon storage, water regulation, and soil health.

–  A substantial part of the program is dedicated to spreading the knowledge of best practices. The 24 research projects in this program will therefore make a significant contribution to our global targets to conserve biodiversity and mitigate climate change on a substantially larger scale than the initial project, says Ulrik Ilstedt. 

Photos:

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Portrait of Ulrik Ilstedt. Photo: Susanna Bergström, SLU.

Portrait of Petter Axelsson. Photo: Susanna Bergström, SLU.

Portrait of Lena Julle, Chief Sustainability Officer at Inter IKEA Group. Photo: IKEA.

Seedlings growing within the Sow a Seed project. Picture from 2022. Photo: Susanna Bergström, SLU.

Rainforest area in the Sabah region of Malaysian Borneo. Picture from 2022. Photo: Susanna Bergström, SLU.