Radday, M, WWF Germany. 2007. 'Borneo Maps'. January 24, 2007, adapted by Hugo Ahlenius, UNEP/GRID-Arendal (2007). "Extent of deforestation in Borneo 1950-2005, and projection towards 2020". Last Stand of the Orangutan, Rapid Response Assessment. UNEP. http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/extent-of-deforestation-in-borneo-1950-2005-and-projection-towards-2020.

Article by Sarah Jane Evans

'Life on earth is not evenly spread around our planet. Borneo...is one of its richest treasure-houses'

David Attenborough.

For many people, the Borneo jungle conjures images of a vast bastion of wilderness filled with exotic wildlife, where canopies swing with orangutans; an ancient place that inspires mystique and reverence. It is an image we cling to perhaps in the hope that somewhere there still exist places untarnished by human activity. Yet while the popular image persists, the reality is rapidly diminishing.

In just three decades the rainforests of Borneo have shrunk by 25-30%. Between 1985 and 2005 Borneo lost an average of 850,000 ha of forest per year, in line with the 2001 World Bank Report which predicted the total destruction of Borneo's most ecologically diverse forests by as early as 2010. Researchers from the National University of Singapore have estimated that, unless steps are taken, Borneo is likely to lose up to 44% of its indigenous plant species (as is predicted elsewhere in Southeast Asia) - some extinct before ever being discovered.

Ironically, as these forests continue to vanish, scientists discover new species at an astounding rate (361 new species were found between 1994 and 2004). In the words of Stuart Chapman, WWF's International Coordinator of the Heart of Borneo Program,

these discoveries reaffirm Borneo's position as one of the most important centers of biodiversity in the world

In the dense ecosystems of inner Borneo live 15,000 species of flowering plants as well as eight species of the world's largest flowers, the largest pitcher plant and many endangered mammals.

While forests are cleared to make way for monocultures, Borneo's natural resources have the potential to generate revenue for future generations. Already the rainforest has yielded promising medical discoveries. An anti-cancer drug, in the form of a Sarawak shrub (code name CBL316), is currently being tested by an Australian company Cerylid and, according to the US National Cancer Institute appears to be a novel treatment. Possible cures against HIV and Malaria are also being trialed. And other products - traditionally used for food, construction and medicine - could potentially be turned into sustainable industries Aside from the destruction of the natural environment and its dependent wildlife and traditional cultures, the current rate of deforestation has deep global consequences. Deforestation in the world's green lungs (the Amazon and the Borneo Rainforest) is considered by some environmentalists to be the major priority in the fight against global warming (according to current estimates deforestation is currently responsible for around a fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions).

When you are within it, the jungle seems robust, consuming everything in its wake and it is easy to mistakenly assume it can simply be replanted and replenished. But the jungle is fragile; the soil in most of Borneo is surprisingly infertile. It takes decades for the complex ecosystem to develop and once the cycle is broken it cannot be duplicated at will.

According to Hana Harun, WWF Heart of Borneo Communications Officer, forest restoration is anything but simple; requiring a thorough understanding of the

sequence of the forest ecosystems and its existing, current and past conditions

Factors such as:

species selection, the quality of forest, canopy cover and soil conditions

must be considered and, for the first four years, maintenance 'is strenuous in terms of monetary and man power' as manual weeding is required. Not to mention other factors such as meetings with numerous stakeholders and securing a stable supply of seedlings.

Surprisingly, up until the middle of last century the Borneo jungle was largely pristine, traversed by indigenous tribes (and a few intrepid foreign explorers who paved the way for the wild frontier images). But things changed fast. Tractors and chainsaws enabled roads to be cut through the jungle and trees to be rapidly felled -- first for their coveted timber and then, as the global economy continued to mushroom, to make way for agricultural plantations.

These days the jungle's greatest enemy is new plantation crops. Many of the devastating forest fires of 1997/8 (which destroyed more than six and a half million hectares of land as well as adding enormously to greenhouse emissions) were started for this purpose. Palm oil, with its high yield, is a major economic generator in the region. But while existing plantations or new plantations on already deforested land can be sustainably managed to minimize environmental damage, forest clearing for new plantations breaks up jungle corridors, stranding wildlife populations and leaving them vulnerable to extinction. On top of that the plantations introduce huge quantities of herbicides and pesticides into the environment.

Despite existing laws placing quotas on wood exports, Illegal logging is rampant in the region - even in protected national parks. Plantation timber is a long term investment with few incentives for some. Wildlife trafficking too is endemic with many animals (sun bears, clouded leopards, gibbons and orangutans) killed for body parts or captured and sold as pets.

Thus even for the most optimistic environmentalists, such enormous conservation challenges had until recently painted a grim picture for Borneo's natural habitats. Gratefully, at this juncture, the governments of Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia came together in the hope of conserving their trans-boundary treasure.

Flash forward to early last year. After three years of talks, an official tri-national declaration on the Heart of Borneo was signed in Bali in February 2007, signaling the start of ongoing meetings to create and implement conservation targets. Commenting on the event, Dato Seri Azmi bin Khalid, Malaysian Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said the event

is more than symbolic as it represents a commitment between our three countries to conserve and sustainably manage the Heart of Borneo

The area designated as the Heart of Borneo knits together protected parts of the island along the borders of Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, into one continuous 'corridor'. In a major victory, the Heart of Borneo declaration effectively put an end to Indonesian plans to create the world's largest palm oil plantation, backed by Chinese investors. The 4 million acre plantation would have destroyed the Island's two largest protected areas.

The first Heart of Borneo Tri-lateral meetings developed the Strategic Plan of Action (SPA), containing five main targets -- trans-boundary management; protected areas management; sustainable natural resources management, ecotourism development and capacity building. These targets are promoted through strategies such as: government biodiversity policies, implementation (or creation) of existing environmental laws, sustainable resource use, partnerships with local communities and education and awareness campaigns.

One practical measure being adopted is: payments for environmental services (PES). According to Hana Harun, WWF Heart of Borneo Communications Officer, paying farmers and peasants to conserve the rural environment helps to mesh the interests of the mostly urban conservation movement with the mostly non-conservationist rural population. Thus the PES schemes

may play an important role in securing financing for the conservation of the global commons (atmosphere, the seas, world biodiversity)

in the future. Harun says that ultimately the

litmus test for a PES approach may not be how much money it can collect today, but rather how can we use it to raise society's awareness of, and willingness to pay for conservation

.

Another strategy being utilized is the formation of conservation districts, administrative units based on sustainable development principles.

The success of the ambitious Heart of Borneo initiative obviously requires generous international support. The US Government has donated funds to relevant conservation agencies and several international environmental organizations have been garnering world attention. A recent Memorandum of Understanding to rehabilitate forest in Ulu Segama Malua (signed between WWF-Malaysia and the Sabah State Government) received a donation from Marks & Spencer UK. David Attenborough and other prominent international figures have expressed their support with HRH Prince Phillip Duke of Edinburgh declaring this

is a last chance initiative, and it simply has to succeed

Despite these recent glimmers of hope, there is still a long battle ahead. According to Hana Harun the major threats to the Heart of Borneo initiative remain the conversion of natural forests to oil palm plantation and other monocultures, unsustainable logging practices and hunting and poaching of wildlife. Existing environmental laws in Borneo have in the past been flagrantly violated and policing them is a logistical and financial challenge.

Widespread public support - in addition to government action and international donations - is essential. Individual support of conservation efforts in the Heart of Borneo can take a number of forms (in addition to limiting personal carbon footprints and donating funds to relevant conservation groups).

An obvious way of conserving forests is by purchasing paper products and tissues with a high recycled content - bearing in mind that each day around 270,000 trees are disposed of, either down the drain as toilet tissue or as garbage (2005 WWF Report). Ecotourism too can be beneficial, raising awareness of the issues and bringing in a sustainable income for local people - thus helping to combat the short terms gains from destroying the environment.

Albert Teo, from international and national award-winning Borneo Eco Tours, urges environmentally-minded consumers not to hold price as the main criteria in selecting eco-tours, since sustainable operations are expensive to run, necessarily investing profits back into the environment. He also warns against ecotourism 'green washing' which can result in the 'negative impact being more than the positive'. It is 'critical for consumers to be discerning' he says, as some operators, despite their rhetoric, are 'not responsible.'

While it makes no sense to boycott products we cannot do without, individuals can exercise buyer responsibility by purchasing sustainably produced goods. Garden furniture, for example, is often made from unsustainable tropical hardwood. Many timber products, such as some species of ramin tree are endangered (and illegally exported), along with species listed in the CITES list (convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Ask for the supplier's / seller's certification'

says Hana Harun, WWF Heart of Borneo Communications Officer,

it should be from an acceptable certification scheme which is credible like FSC

(the Forest Stewardship Council, an international non-profit agency that promotes responsible forestry). If you can, buy secondhand furniture, otherwise, as Harun advises, buyers should avoid

products acquired from high conservation value forests (HCVF)

In the words of Pierce Brosnan (promoting the FSC)

words are not enough. Take action!

Likewise do not purchase products derived from currently endangered animals (such as Sumatran rhinoceros, orangutan, sun bear, proboscis monkey, clouded leopard, green turtle and hawksbill turtle).

Awareness of the issues helps (for example the platform for sustainable palm oil production is currently heating up globally) and, of course, spread the message - there are not many green issues as pressing in our modern world as this one.