As in many tropical areas around the world, Borneo’s rainforests are being cut and degraded for timber, palm oil, pulp, rubber and minerals. The increase in these activities is being matched by a growth in illegal wildlife trade, as cleared forests provide easy access to more remote areas.
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What is being done to stop deforestation in Borneo?
By replanting areas with native rainforest trees and protecting them from wildfires, we restore critical habitats and reconnect populations of orangutans and other native species.
Is deforestation in Borneo slowing down?
The forests of Borneo, home to orangutans, clouded leopards and pygmy elephants, are among the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems.
Is Borneo forest protected?
The governments of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia (each governs part of the island) made a joint declaration to conserve around 220,000 sq km of rainforest – the “Heart of Borneo” – through a network of protected areas and sustainable forest management.
Who is responsible for deforestation in Borneo?
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – The palm oil industry was responsible for at least 39% of forest loss on the biodiversity-rich island of Borneo between 2000 and 2018, data from a research firm based in Indonesia shows.
Why is deforestation occuring in Borneo?
The leading reason for deforestation in Borneo is largely subsistence and agro-industrial agriculture. Subsistence agriculture mostly involves slash-and-burn practices from local communities. It requires low technology and is usually done on a rotation (or shifting) basis.
What is so special about Borneo?
Borneo is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, being home to an estimated 15,000 different plant species. Borneo is home to the Rafflesia Arnoldii flower; the largest flower in the world.Borneo is thought to be home to around 222 mammals – 44 of which are only found in Borneo.
How does deforestation affect the orangutans?
The scale of the deforestation had a severe impact on the population of the island’s orangutans, the largest arboreal animal. “The decline in population density was most severe in areas that were deforested or transformed for industrial agriculture, as orangutans struggle to live outside forest areas,” Voigt said.
How many trees were cut down Borneo?
Between 2000 and 2017, 6.04 million hectares of old-growth forest were lost in Borneo, a decline of 14%. About half of that area was ultimately converted to industrial plantations, and 92% of the forest that was converted was replaced with plantations within one year of being cleared, the study found.
What is the main impact of deforestation?
The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for indigenous people.
What are the impacts of deforestation caused by palm oil in Borneo?
Drainage systems required for plantations (oil palm plantations in Borneo are often established in swamp forest) may lower water tables, affecting neighboring forest areas. Further, destruction of peat lands increases the risk of flooding and fire.
How much of Borneo has been deforested?
On the island of Borneo, between 1973 and 2015, 50% of the forest was lost, much of this to oil palm and other industries. We explore the impacts of these four decades of forest loss on the functionally connected habitat of 245 forest birds and mammals.
What type of forest is Borneo?
Borneo lowland rain forests
The Borneo lowland rain forests is an ecoregion, within the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, of the large island of Borneo in Southeast Asia.
How much of Borneo is forested?
According to these figures, 16 percent of Sabah’s total forest area is under some form of protection. According to the state government, about two-thirds of Sarawak’s 8.22 million hectares are covered with natural forest.
What are the impacts of deforestation in Malaysia?
The main environmental effects of deforestation and forest degradation include reduced biodiversity, the release of greenhouse gas emissions, forest fires, disrupted water cycles and increased soil erosion.
Why are the forests of Borneo so environmentally important?
Many of Borneo’s major rivers originate in the Heart of Borneo. Maintaining the forests is critical to ensure the island’s water supply, moderate the impacts of droughts and fires, and to support ecological and economic stability in the lowlands.
What is Borneo now called?
Borneo (/ˈbɔːrnioʊ/; Indonesian: Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia.
Borneo.
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Indonesia | |
| Provinces | West Kalimantan Central Kalimantan South Kalimantan East Kalimantan North Kalimantan |
| Largest settlement | Samarinda (pop. 842,691) |
| Malaysia |
What makes Borneo a unique island?
Covering an area of roughly 287,000 square miles, Borneo is the third-largest island in the world.Given the abundance of rainfall, it makes sense that Borneo’s flora is among the most diverse in the world. Borneo has nearly 11,000 species of flowering plants, about a third of which are indigenous.
What is happening to the orangutans in Borneo?
Bornean orangutan populations have declined by more than 50% over the past 60 years, and the species’ habitat has been reduced by at least 55% over the past 20 years.
What has happened to the orangutan in Indonesia and Malaysia as a result of deforestation?
In the last 20 years, over 3.5 million hectares of Indonesian and Malaysian forest have been destroyed to make way for palm oil. Almost 80% of orangutan habitat has disappeared in the last 20 years. We are losing over 6,000 orangutans a year. There are now only 400 Sumatran tigers left in the world.
What is destroying orangutan habitat?
The primary threat to the orangutan’s habitats is deforestation for the benefit of oil palm plantations, mining, and infrastructure. In addition, forest and peat fires degrade the forests further. Over 60 percent of orangutan habitats in Indonesia and Malaysia have been destroyed in the past four decades.
