Our Company
WaKa - Forest Investment Services AG was founded in 2008 as a spin-off of an investment consulting firm. Its international team combines more than 100 years experience in 62 countries in sustainable forest management, forest business development, and customer advisory services. Prior to the founding of WaKa its senior team members have held executive positions in the forest investment industry and in international organizations. Additionally, the company benefits from a broad professional network in North and South America and Asia/Pacific. To deliver best-practice services we are members in professional associations, where we regularly participate in meetings and conferences
Memberships
History
| 1997 | Establishment of WaKa Finanz GmbH in Freienbach, Switzerland |
| 2005 | Founding of WaKa Partner AG |
| 2007 | Inscription of Dr. Reinhold Glauner in the Swiss Commercial Registry as Vice Director |
| 2007 | Official entry of WaKa Holding AG in the commercial registry |
| 2008 | Spin-off of WaKa - Forest Investment Services AG in Winterthur, Switzerland and registration in the Swiss Commercial Registry. The new WaKa opens its main office in Winterthur, Switzerland. |
| 2010 | WaKa opens an office in Florianópolis, Brazil |
| 2012 | Foundation of CPD-SWISS AG in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland as a 100% subsidiary of WaKa - Forest Investment Services AG and FORANS AG. CPD is focusing on the business area "green energy" by exploring the catalytic pressureless depolymerization process, also know as KDV-process |
| 2013 | WaKa - Forest Investment Services AG is moving to Bad Zurzach, Switzerland and focuses its main areas on forestry investments and forest consulting |
| 2015 | WaKa’s Managing Director is awarded the title as publicly appointed and sworn expert for forest valuation and forest investment appraisals |
| 2017 | Waka opens an office in Faro, Portugal |
Cavanillesia platanifolia (Humb. & Bonpl.) Kunth
A tropical tree from Central America from the family of Bombacaceae. The tree is known as Cuipo and reaches a height of up to 60m with a diameter of up to 2.5m. This tree inspired WaKa - Forest Investment Services AG to design the company logo.
Country Experience Map
Forest Cover Country Experience Location of WaKa offices
Services
Our services comprise two business segments:
Forestry Investments
We support our customers in the acquisition or sale of forest land. We develop certified assessments of forest assets and forest enterprises. After the acquisition, we carry out regular checks and develop concepts for the sustainable management according to best-practice standards. On request, we support our customers in the implementation of sustainable forest management.
We carry out due diligence missions and prepare initial and / or additional expert opinions.
Forest Consulting
We support our international clients in the identification, planning and implementation of forestry and climate protection projects. For this purpose, we develop expert reports, forest legislation and strategic policy documents. We work worldwide, often in developing countries, advising forest owners, forest managers and projects on the management and certification of their forest assets. One of our priorities is the ecological and economic optimization of the management of natural forests and forest plantations according to best-practice standards.
Achievements
- Our customers manage forestry assets amounting to ca. USD 750m in five countries.
- We have conducted due diligence missions on more than 1,600,000 ha of forests on behalf of sellers and buyers in almost 20 countries. Below pie-chart shows the distribution of this area by continent (in hectares and %).
Percentages give portion of total area of 1.6 million ha appraised area
- We advise forestry funds and family offices, which have acquired forestry assets amounting to EUR 150m.
- We are working worldwide for large international development banks and international donors to support sustainable development.
- Large forest consulting companies recruit us as subcontractors.
- We are working for private companies in the forest plantation and natural forest management business.
- We have conducted many forestry appraisals, prepared assessment reports and feasibility studies, and advised forestry companies on strategic and organizational development.
- We have established and managed 50,000 ha forest plantations and 80,000 ha natural forests according to FSC standards.
- We have prepared and formulated a number of forest management plans and guided several forestry enterprises towards forest management and chain-of-custody certification.
- Our company has invested in forestry investment projects and organises loans for promising forestry enterprises.
Team
Team Switzerland
Publications
We list here only officially published reports and documents.
- Ex-Post Evaluation Report for ITTO (external link zu ITTO)
- Conserving Teak for Future Generations (external link zu ITTO)
- The Global Teak Study. Analysis, Evaluation and Future Potential of Teak Resources, IUFRO World Series Volume 36 (externer Link zu IUFRO)
- The economic significance of planted forests (externer youtube-link)
- Nachhaltige Anlagen für institutionelle Investoren (externer NZZ link)
- Timberland: Holz - die grüne Anlageklasse (externer Amazon link)
- Financial Analysis of a Tropical Forestry Enterprise (external Amazon link)
- Forestry Investments in Emerging Markets (external Tropenbos link)
- Sustainable Investing for Institutional Investors (external Amazon link)
- Forests for People (external UN link)
- Teak Price Index (external FAO link)
- FAO Working Paper 27-1 (pdf-Download link from FAO)
- Regional Conference on Sustainable Forest Development in a Changing Climate (pdf-Downloads: Background document and Conference proceedings)
Contact us
Our office is located in the Solvay Industrial Park, in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland. We are only 30 minutes from Zurich Airport and 5 minutes from the German border.
WaKa - Forest Investment Services AG
Solvay Industriepark
Zürcherstrasse 42
CH 5330 Bad Zurzach
Schweiz
Tel +41 (41) 511 3239
Fax +41 (41) 511 3235
You may reach us through
Swiss public transport system (SBB)
or by road
Google Maps route planner