Help us save Borneo's forests

Ecotourism in the Heart of Borneo offers a pathway to a more sustainable future for local communities. It provides an alternative way to generate income for communities while protecting the natural environment.

West Kalimantan

Home to Indonesia’s longest river, the Kapuas, and two National Parks nominated as World Heritage and Ramsar sites by UNESCO, West Kalimantan is a great place to explore Borneo’s heart.

WWF works closely with Komunitas Pariwisata Kapuas Hulu (KOMPAKH), a community based ecotourism organisation in the Kapuas Hulu district of West Kalimantan. KOMPAKH began in 2005 as a way to promote responsible tourism to the Kapuas Hulu district. It also supports the wellbeing of local communities.

Central Kalimantan

In Central Kalimantan, you may explore many artistic wisdom, culture and natural beauty of the Dayak land.

Visit the Sebangau National Park, where the biggest habitat for Borneo Orangutan and the gate to the depth of the Heart of Borneo area. You may contact our local partner Blue Betang Heart of Borneo Travel Adventure, a tour operator supported by WWF and local government. 

North Kalimantan

Supported by WWF and the local government, communities in Hulu Pujungan, Hulu Bahau (Malinau) and the Krayan Highlands (Nunukan) have been working together to progress Borneo-Ecotourism since 2002.

Both Hulu Pujungan and Krayan Hulu are partially included in the Kayan Mentarang National Park, the first park in Indonesia to be managed collaboratively with local communities.

Some areas are ideal destinations for ecotourism expeditions and jungle trekking, short- and long-distance, amidst primary and secondary forest. A world of wild rivers adventures, old village sites and archeological remains, traditional culture and village life, and Dayak warm hospitality awaits visitors.

Sarawak and Sabah

Both Sarawak and Sabah also have their own uniqueness in the adventure and tourism destinations.

Placing emphasis on the natural environment, culture and history, Borneo Adventure has established a reputation for innovative and informative tours in Sarawak, Malaysia. Since 1987 on Borneo Adventure has provided a highly personalized service which puts visitors in touch with the people and the land.

Meanwhile since 1991, the Borneo Eco Tours is a specialist in local tour operator in Sabah, Malaysia to help the tourists planning the trip to explore the natural wonders in Sabah's Jungle.

From handicrafts to food, a range of products are available that are responsibly and traditionally produced in the Heart of Borneo.

Through this initiative, products are marketed as “Green” and “Fair” in an effort to create added market value and target increasingly knowledgeable and socially responsible consumers.

As long as the products retain “green” and “fair” values, WWF is willing to endorse the products with a logo, lending credibility as the world’s leading conservation organisation. WWF does not act as a retailer or a trader for Green & Fair products, but facilitates market linkages between the producers and buyers.

These products are the result of a collaboration between WWF-Indonesia, women's groups and local communities in several villages across Indonesia—including the Heart of Borneo. They are available in the field or through the WWF Indonesia Panda Shop.

• Adan rice (links to PDF)
• Accessories/handicrafts from Kapuas Hulu
• Wild Honey from Danau Sentarum
• Mountain salt from the Krayan Highlands. The salt is produced by boiling the salty water from natural springs in the highlands. The water is seawater trapped in the geological stratum of the area millions of years ago. In the past this salt was traded to communities and groups in the interior.

Wood with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label is proof that a product has been responsibly grown and harvested.

The FSC is an independent, not for profit, non-government organisation that provides standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies and organisations committed to responsible forestry.

Look for the FSC label on wood and timber products, for everything from building materials and furniture to paper and even toilet tissue.

If it doesn’t have this label, it may well have come from illegal or controversial sources – and so have harmed forests, wildlife and local communities.

If you stop buying timber that comes from forests that are badly managed, or even perhaps that has been illegally produced, then the suppliers of this timber will have no choice but to change as well.

If you can’t find FSC-certified products in your local store, please ask the store manager to supply them.

Your shampoo, your ice cream, your margarine, your lipstick – all contain palm oil. Demand is still growing, as are oil palm plantations...but at what price to tropical forests and the biodiversity found there?

• Shop from companies that have committed to certified sustainable palm oil
• Look for the RSPO trademark on products
• Ask retailers to source certified sustainable palm oil products for everything they sell—not just their own brands
• Ask manufacturers to source certified sustainable palm oil.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was established to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through cooperation within the supply chain.

Indonesia launched its national palm oil standard, the Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification, in 2011. This standard will be mandatory for all oil palm plantation companies including Malaysians operating with effect from mid-2014.

Malaysia is expected to put in place its own voluntary Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standard before the end of 2013. 

Adopt a species through WWF – choose between a number of iconic species from within the Heart of Borneo.

Become a WWF Indonesia supporter:

• Join the Animal friends program - an ongoing donation supports WWF Indonesia conservation efforts to protect endangered species and habitat
• Provide financial assistance to support the Heart of Borneo’s wildlife rangers protect orang-utans
• Become a monthly WWF Indonesia supporter

Become a WWF Malaysia supporter:

• Adopt an orang-utan