Frequently Asked Questions
What is Heart of Borneo (HoB)?
The Heart of Borneo refers to an area in the center of Borneo, where three countries (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia) have agreed to build an initiative designed as a conservation and sustainable development programs in order to maintain one of the best remaining contiguous rainforests in the world for the benefits of the present and the future generations. It encompasses ecologically inter-connected highlands on the borders of, and shared among the three countries and ecologically related to the adjacent lowlands of Borneo.
Why Heart of Borneo? Not Heart of Kalimantan?
Borneo, refers to the whole island, the third biggest island in the world, while Kalimantan refers only the Indonesian side of the island. Heart of Borneo means protection of part of the Borneo island where the area is shared among, and lays on the same border of the three countries. . For public awareness purposes in Indonesia, “Jantung Kalimantan” (Heart of Kalimantan) is being used to facilitate understanding of idea and spirit of the Heart of Borneo.
When the Initiative of HoB formally declared?
HoB initiative was formally declared by the three Governments of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia on February 12, 2007, following long process, which included launching at the side event of CBD COP 8 (eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity) in Curitiba, Brazil, on March 2006.
What is the Approximate Size of the Heart of Borneo Area?
The Heart of Borneo covers approximately 22 million ha (about 30% of the island’s land area) of ecologically interconnected forests shared among the 3 nations. Of the size, 57% is within Indonesian territory (West, Central and Kalimantan Provinces), 42% is situated in Malaysia (States of Sarawak and Sabah) and 1% in Brunei Darussalam. There is no physical boundary to cover the area, but rather, this is a virtual boundary as the working basis for conservation and sustainable management of the area.
Why is Heart of Borneo Initiative important?
The HoB initiative was launched to address the increasing rate of deforestation in Borneo. Between 2000 and 2002, at least 1.2 million ha of Borneo’s forests disappeared annually. The combination of mismanagement, illegal logging, forest conversion and forest fires has contributed enormously to Borneo’s forest degradation. Deforestation has caused reduction of forest benefit for human and environmental globally. It leads to decreased forest productivity, biodiversity potential loss, more frequent and larger-scale ecological disasters as well as habitat fragmentation. The problem happens in accessible lowlands while highland forests in Heart of Borneo remain exist. If these forests are not to be protected or utilized in sustainable ways, the natural disasters such as flood, drought and fire will become serious threats to the whole island.
