Heart of Borneo: Conservation vision gives hope to treasure island

The “Heart of Borneo” conservation initiative was officially launched today with the three Bornean governments – Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia – declaring their commitment to support it. The tri-country initiative aims to preserve one of the most important centres of biological diversity in the world, including approximately 220,000km2 of equatorial forests and numerous wildlife species.

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According to WWF, today’s announcement also spells the end of plans to create the world’s largest palm oil plantation in Kalimantan along Indonesia’s mountainous border with Malaysia. The scheme – supported with Chinese investments – was expected to cover an area of 1.8 million hectares and would have had long-lasting, damaging consequences on the Heart of Borneo. WWF repeatedly said new oil palm plantations should be established on degraded, non-forested land.

Rainforest Portal