What is Borneo?
Borneo is a large island in Southeast Asia that comprises Malaysia, Indonesia, and the sultanate of Brunei. The Indonesian part of Borneo comprises the southern two-thirds of the island’s area and is divided into the four provinces of West, Central, South and East Kalimantan. The Malaysian part comprises the northern coast and is divided into the states of Sarawak and Sabah. The tiny nation of Brunei is wedged between these two Malaysian states.
Borneo is the third largest island in the world, after Greenland and New Guinea. Its population is roughly 16 million, of whom 12 million reside in Indonesia (Kalimantan) and 4 million reside in Sarawak and Sabah. Brunei’s population is 300,000. The island’s hilly terrain, unnavigable rivers, and thick forests deterred industrial development until recently, and as a result Borneo’s population is comparatively low. By comparison, the neighboring island of Java – with an area 1/5th that of Borneo’s – is home to over 16 times as many people (130 million).
Borneo is home to the world’s oldest tropical rainforests which, until a few decades ago, completely covered the island. Among the planet’s most biologically diverse ecosystems, these forests are home to thousands of endemic animal, reptile, insect and plant species as well as orangutans, rhinos, hornbills, macaques, gibbons, tarsiers, and slow loris. For countless generations, Borneo’s indigenous Dayak subsistence farmers and hunter-gatherers depended upon and managed these forests as their primary source of livelihood. Under their stewardship, the forests were able to maintain the highest species diversity of any terrestrial ecosystem, supplying food, medicines, cash crops and building materials.
This has changed dramatically with the advent of industrial logging and monoculture African oil palm plantations. For more information on threats to Borneo click here.
2.13.12 A Video from Borneo to Kosovo with Love: http://borneoproject.org/updates/a-video-from-borneo-to-kosovo-with-love-no-coal
5.4.12 BBC Celebrates David Attenborough’s 60-Year Career: http://borneoproject.org/updates/bbc-celebrates-david-attenboroughs-60-year-career
5.8.12: Tropical Precipitation Data Stored in Stalagmites in Borneo Caves: http://borneoproject.org/updates/tropical-precipitation-data-stored-in-stalagmites-in-borneo-caves
6.5.12: A Report from Earth Island Journal on The Borneo Project: http://borneoproject.org/updates/a-report-from-earth-island-on-the-borneo-project
6.19.12: Green Movement Takes Root in Malaysia: http://borneoproject.org/updates/green-movement-takes-root-in-malaysia