Adventures in Borneo

Published 18th November 2009 - 1 comments - 2875 views -

Borneo: tropical rainforest, orangutans, incredible biodiversity, proboscis monkeys, coral reefs, abundant wildlife, nature... Or at least so I thought. In reality Borneo is an island under siege.

It is the third largest island in the world, and divided between Malaysia, Brunei in the North and Indonesia in the South (the largest part of the island). It is the home of the endangered borneon orangutan, the Asian elephant, the Sumatran rhinoceros and the strange-looking proboscis monkey (pictured below) - who are threatened by changes to their habitat.

In the Malaysian part of Borneo, so much of the once dense tropical rainforest has been logged and converted to palm oil plantations. Although sustainability criteria now exist for these plantations, much of the damage has already been done. The endangered orangutans have fewer places to live, eat, breed and grow. Efforts to restore the orangutan population are admirable, but painstaking. 

Why all these palm oil plantations? Well, here is the irony. Palm oil is considered a major source of biofuel, a "sustainable" alternative to fossil fuels. It is used for cooking, for fueling cars and vehicles, for machinery, for heating... Yet if planting palm oil means cutting down the rainforest, just how sustainable an option is it? (See an earlier post here for one interpretation of the logic).

At the negotiations on the future climate change regime, deforestation is a major issue of contention. Issues on the table deal with how to ensure countries are equipped to manage forests, how to measure saved CO2 from keeping forest, how

to finance the management of forests, should every forest be included in the future climate regime, should only "threatened" forests be included? Forests act as the world's "lungs". They hold and store about 25% of the world's CO2. It is in our interests to safeguard our forests, to protect them, to restore them. Yet why can Brazil or Borneo not benefit from the development of their forest industries? It is a tricky issue of sustainability, justice and finance.

In Borneo, I could luckily find a restored and well-managed rainforest in the Danum Valley Conservation Area, where I spoke with scientists and researchers, wandered into the jungle, met some unusual insects and some red leaf monkeys, and marvelled at this island of nature conservation amid the vast palm oil plantations. I wanted to share a taste of the jungle with you, so have a listen to the sounds of the Borneon jungle below.

 

 

Category: Deforestation, Sustainable Development, | Tags: biodiversity, deforestation, borneo,

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Claire Roche Kelly
Brussels
Researcher

I am neither a journalist nor a writer, but I dedicate my days and hours to learning about and understanding the challenge of combating climate change. I am inspired and empassioned by the many steps being taken to secure the future, and yet I am disheartened by the fact that these many steps are not enough. This climate change challenge is our test - we have the responsibility of saving our planet and ensuring a habitable environment for the next generations. Born in Ireland, living in Brussels.

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