Highlights:

• Borneo’s rainforest provides critical habitat for endangered species but faces major threats from deforestation, palm oil plantations, mining, and new infrastructure.
• The Upper Mahakam River sustains hundreds of species, including threatened species that need large forested habitats to survive, such as the Critically Endangered Helmeted Hornbill and the Critically Endangered Bornean Orangutan.
• We will support local partner Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara in protecting 600,000 acres by establishing community-managed forests, supporting Indigenous Dayak land rights, and preserving biodiversity.
  

  ---

The ancient rainforest on the island of Borneo sustains hundreds of species and astounding biodiversity. In the heart of the island, the Upper Mahakam River basin hosts a wildlife corridor that connects habitat for large, endangered mammals like orangutans and leopards. This stronghold for threatened species has withstood a legacy of deforestation, but its future is far from certain.

Some studies estimate that at least half of Borneo’s rainforest has been lost to land-clearing and extraction at industrial scales. Unsustainable agriculture, particularly plantations for palm oil, has destroyed the habitats that support the island’s remarkable species. Logging, mining, and a rapidly expanding population add to the ongoing threats. New infrastructure, including the proposed Trans-Kalimantan Road, threatens to destroy another 100,000+ acres of high-integrity habitat.

With our local partner, Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara, we will support the creation of Customary Forests and Village Forests to protect 600,000 acres in the Upper Mahakam River basin. These government designations will guarantee the right of Indigenous Dayak communities to pursue sustainable, forest-based livelihoods while protecting the rainforest and its wildlife from destructive outside interests.

Header photo: The Helmeted Hornbill, by Jamil Bin Mat Isa

Save a Critical Wildlife Corridor for Endangered Species

In the Indonesian region of Borneo, the Upper Mahakam River is home to hundreds of species of plants, birds, and mammals, including at least five globally threatened species that require large areas of healthy forest to survive: the Critically Endangered Helmeted Hornbill, Critically Endangered Bornean Orangutan, Endangered Bornean Gibbon, Vulnerable Sunda Clouded Leopard, and Vulnerable White- fronted Langur.

The new community forests will secure safety across a large expanse of rainforest, connecting to Betung Kerihun National Park in West Kalimantan and Bukit Sapat Hawung Park for total protection that covers more than 3 million acres.

Conserve Sacred Forests and Indigenous Ways of Life

The Dayak Indigenous Peoples have managed the rainforest in the Upper Mahakam River basin for centuries through ecological practices that are deeply rooted in cultural and spiritual beliefs. This project will center their voices and needs in planning conservation and management strategies across ancestral territories, including livelihood development programs involving women and youth.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT >>