Why is the Heart of Borneo so important?

Shared area, same benefits and a joint responsibility
The Heart of Borneo is known for its unique wildlife and extensive tracts of pristine tropical rainforests.

But beyond the intrinsic values of the Heart of Borneo lie other key arguments to protect the ecological integrity of this critically important region.
Forest landscape with clouds, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. rel=
Forest landscape with clouds, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
© WWF-Canon / Alain COMPOST

Forestry

Approximately half of the Heart of Borneo area and its buffer zones are covered by logging concessions. Forests inside these concessions can be logged according to national standards, bringing employment opportunities and economic revenue for local and state governments. However, these benefits will only contribute to development in the long-term if they are responsibly operated.

Forestry threats in Borneo

Unsustainable logging practices lead to serious economic losses, especially in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). While the illegal flow of timber can provide short-term benefits for a few people, in the long run all stakeholders stand to lose.

Ultimately, local communities and governments suffer because of lost tax revenues from logging. These losses can be substantial. For example, it is estimated that Indonesia lost around US$660 million in royalties from illegal logging in 1996.1

What can be done

The future of the Heart of Borneo region depends on the sustainable management of the timber industries that operate here.

There are several ways to achieve this: encouraging investment in good forestry practices, using financial and trade levers to promote improved management where it is needed and also promoting forest certification, such as that afforded by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

More than 3 species discovered every month during the past 15 years

Between 1995 and 2010 more than 600 species have been discovered - that is 3 species each and every month.

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Oil palm plantations

Malaysia and Indonesia account for a considerable part of the world's total oil palm plantation area, and the importance of these countries for this commodity is likely to increase in the future as demand soars.

However, not all areas can be converted into plantations. In the Heart of Borneo, research has demonstrated that slope, soil and access constraints mean that most of the area is not suitable for oil palm plantations.

Oil palm threats in Borneo

If the Heart of Borneo were cleared for what would be unviable oil palm plantations, this would seriously affect the region’s water catchment role and would impact the region’s unique biodiversity. The unsuitability of the terrain may also result in large-scale soil erosion, flooding and increase the risk of fire.

What can be done

Outside the confines of the Heart of Borneo, there is still potential for oil palm expansion. Parts of Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) with degraded soils and vegetation may offer the best prospects, and WWF has identified such areas that have low biodiversity and other environmental values.

Moreover, industry-endorsed mechanisms such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and its “Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Palm Oil Production” represent new economic opportunities in the oil palm sector to replace unsustainable forest conversion practices.

/ ©: © WWF / Volker KESS
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) fruits being loaded onto a truck, Indonesia.
© © WWF / Volker KESS

Water catchment

Well-managed natural forests provide benefits to urban and rural populations in terms of high-quality drinking water. With 14 of Borneo’s 20 major rivers beginning their journey from the Heart of Borneo, the area is the source for the island’s considerable water resources.

Threats from water catchment in Borneo

When forests are clear-cut, the soil is left exposed to the rain. In the event of heavy rainfall, the erosion in the upper catchments of all the big river systems has the potential to lead to major damage downstream.

Poor management of upstream land and vegetation also has well-known adverse implications on hydro-electric facilities, filling up dams with sediment and damaging turbines. The economic costs that then arise can be massive.

Similar adverse effects can be experienced on a smaller scale by rural communities at the downstream end of small catchments. The cost may not be high to the State or the economy at large, but rural villages may suffer economically and socially.

What can be done

It is therefore in the interests of all stakeholders to protect extensive forests to ensure the protection of water catchments. The Heart of Borneo vision supports the maintenance of such forests, either unexploited or managed under sustainable harvesting regimes.
Aerial view of a passenger transport boat. Balikpapan, Kalimantan Timur, Kalimantan (Borneo), ... / ©: WWF-Canon / Tantyo BANGUN
Aerial view of a passenger transport boat. Balikpapan, Kalimantan Timur, Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia.
© WWF-Canon / Tantyo BANGUN

Fires

When left undisturbed, Borneo’s natural forests are not usually prone to fires. But as forests are opened up by humans, they dry out and are increasingly susceptible to fires, which among other problems cause dangerous atmospheric haze. Properly managed, the forests of the Heart of Borneo can provide an effective break to the worst effects of fires.

Threat of fires in Borneo

Fire and haze produce many adverse effects ranging from impacts on human health, short and long-term medical treatment costs, losses in tourism and forfeited timber revenue. The ability of forests to regenerate following large fires is greatly weakened.

In the highlands of the Heart of Borneo, the risks of fire are still small as few people live in this densely forested area. But with forest clearance progressing in several places in Borneo, the risk of fire is constantly increasing.

What can be done

Through the Heart of Borneo initiative, concerned parties in Indonesia are already helping to moderate risky development projects on the Kalimantan side of the island.

Over time, the initiative could bolster commitment from neighbouring countries towards implementing the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) agreement of Trans-boundary Haze Pollution.
/ ©: WWF-Canon / Michel Gunther
Forest fire
© WWF-Canon / Michel Gunther

references

1 Scotland N, and Whiteman A. 1997b. Economic Rent in the Indonesian Forest Sector Volume 5: Financial and Management Considerations. ITFMP report no. SMAT/EC/97/07. Jakarta, Indonesia.

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