Heart of Borneo: Three Countries, One Conservation Vision Rodney Taylor Director of WWF International Forests Programme October 19, 2009

Heart of Borneo Three Countries, One Conservation Vision There are 4 places where the equator touches land, each one of these places conjure up images of remote tropical forests, a home to unique cultures, traditions and wildlife. The Congo Basin, Amazon, Borneo and Sumatra. The very names evoke a response and in the case of the Congo Basin and Amazon, these responses included the establishment of large scale forest conservation initiatives designed to protect and sustainably manage these resources (ARPA - 10% target, Yaounde declaration)

Five years ago a World Bank report predicted that all forests outside protected areas in Sumatra would be gone by 2005. This prediction has become a reality. Imagine if 15 years ago, a call for the conservation of the "heart of Sumatra" had been launched and had been successful in securing the conservation and sustainable use of a large core area of Sumatra. What would that be worth in conservation and economic terms today?

Map of Bornean forest over time 1900, 1950, 1985, 2000 (each click reveals reducing forest cover) Over a hundred year period, forest clearance has spread from the coastal areas inward. However, today, there is still a large area – approximately 220,000 sq km - of contiguous forest, shared by three countries. Forest conservation needs large tracts. However the clearance of forest for agriculture- mainly in lowland and most accessible areas is threatening this forest area.

Remote and inaccessible, This predominantly mountainous area is the Borneo water tower Remote and inaccessible this predominantly mountainous area, forms a ridge running across the centre of the island. This transboundary area also stretches out into the foothills into Brunei etc.

14 of 20 major rivers in the island originate in the forest of the Heart of Borneo

Forests in the Heart of Borneo are one of only two places on the planet where rhinos, elephants and orangutans co-exist

A New Mammal Species? One of richest places on the planet with, unique fauna and flora, high rates of endemism, 361 new discoveries to science in last 10 years, (3 every month), including this previously unknown species of mammal.

Provisional Scope and Main Protected Areas (DRAFT) 6 22 Proposed Scope of Heart of Borneo International Boundary HEART OF BORNEO Provisional Scope and Main Protected Areas (DRAFT) 2 3 5 7 8 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 KALIMANTAN (INDONESIA) SABAH (MALAYSIA) SARAWAK 1 9 10 12 23 4 13 BRUNEI DARUSSALAM 15 11 Batang Ai National Park Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary Betung Kerihun National Park Apan Entulu (Proposed) Balleh (Proposed) Danum Linau (Proposed) Apad Runan(Proposed) Pulong Tau National Park (Proposed) Ulu Belait Protection Forest Reserve Gunung Mulu National Park Gunung Buda National Park Ulu Temburong National Park (Proposed) Maligan Virgin Jungle Reserve Crocker Range National Park Imbak Valley Conservation Area (Proposed) Kinabalu Park Maliau Basin Protection Forest Reserve Danum Valley Conservation Area Sebuku Sembakung (Proposed) Kayan Mentarang National Park Gunung Muller National Park (Proposed) Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park Danau Sentarum National Park Pontianak Kuching Bandar Seri Begawan Kota Kinabalu Cluster of protected areas, proposed reserves, connected by natural forest corridors. Boundary still to be decided by governments. No single country can protect this area alone. HOB is not an exclusion zone for business and industry. If the area is to be maintained as forest and avoid predictions a new approach is needed for engagement with business and industry and this is where a regional economic cooperation initiative could provide the platform or mechanisms for engagement.

WWF Goal Ensure the protection and sustainable management of 240,000km2 of forest areas bordering Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia on Borneo. Aim for a zero rate of conversion of high conservation value forests to other land uses in this region. Help increase income generation for local communities and governments from environmental goods and services. Ensure the protection and sustainable management of 240,000km2 of forest areas bordering Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia on Borneo. Aim for a zero rate of conversion of high conservation value forests to other land uses in this region. Help increase income generation for local communities and governments from environmental goods and services.

WWF Programmatic work: Establishment and effective management of protected areas

WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network: Facilitating the 45 forest concession companies operating in HOB to gain FSC certification through: stepwise approach providing access to high value markets - There are many production and long term concession forests in HOB which maintain the large block of forest and connectivity between reserves The GFTN is working with concessionares to obtain FSC certification, providing benefits for these responsible forest operations including: - access to new, high value, low volume markets, efficiency gains through best practice forestry - improved brand image for companies and competitive advantage in increasingly environmentally sensitive markets  

WWF Programmatic work: Fresh Water Program   - 14 out of the island's 20 major rivers originate in HOB Improving markets to reward landholders for the environmental services they provide, using Payment for Environmental Services, has the potential to alleviate poverty and reward ecosystem conservation (e.g. forests supply clean waters). PES program in Mt. Rinjani’s NP in Lombok. forest clearance impacting on water supplies to the rice farmers in the adjacent lowlands and have lead to flooding and soil erosion. A joint study between the Mataram Water Company and WWF found that forest loss threatens the region’s US$ 50 million per year agricultural sector, as well as the domestic water supply market worth an estimated US$ 14 million per year. A scheme was developed to create an agreement for paying for water provided by the upland communities to downriver communities. The study also found that consumers were prepared to pay for the water they receive from the forests. Villagers, local authorities and the Mataram Water Company have agreed to work together to implement a PES project. Nearly all 43,000 households have agreed to pay up to Rp 1,000 per month in additional charges Payment for environmental services – WWF is developing markets for environmental services to reward land owners and stewards of the forests; has the potential to alleviate poverty

Here is the predicition of the approximate forest cover in 2020 if conservation efforts do not intervene. While the prediction is bleak, we are still ahead of the game. HOB is still whole. Its really now or never. WWF aims to assist Borneo’s 3 nations (Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia) to conserve these valuable and threatened forests We will do this through a network of protected areas and sustainably-managed forests, and through international co-operation led by the Bornean governments, supported by a global effort. The future of this transboundary area depends on the collaboration of all 3 governments. No one country can protect these unique uplands alone.

This is Heart of Borneo today, Predictions do not have to come true ! This is the Heart of Borneo today, together we can keep this vital forest area in tact. This is Heart of Borneo today, Help WWF to prevent it from breaking apart

Thank You For more information, visit www.panda.org/borneo