What a difference 4 decades make: Deforestation in Borneo since 1973 David L.A. Gaveau
In 1973, 55.8 million hectares (76%), of Borneo was old-growth rainforest. About 19.5 million ha of old-growth forest area was destroyed between 1973 and 2016 by fire and agricultural expansion. By 2016, 50% of the island remained forested.
1973 2016
Visual legend:
Intact forest Industrial Forest degraded Intact peat- Selectively Non-forest areas plantation by ENSO* fires swamp forest logged forests
An Intact Dipterocarp Land converted to in- 7 Mha of forest turned Peat-swamp forest. Forest areas that have Young forest re- forest on mineral soils. dustrial plantations (oil to scrublands during Photo: been logged but re- growth, scrublands, Photo: © CIFOR palm or pulpwood). ENSO fires mainly in © Adam Gynch / main standing. Photo: tree plantations, Photo: © CIFOR 1982/83, 1997/98, CIFOR © Aidenvironment agricultural land, 2002/04, 2006/07 and non-vegetated and 2015/16. areas that already Photo: © H.-D.Viktor existed in 1973. Boehm Photo: © CIFOR / David Gaveau
1 4-decade overview: Focus on the last decade: 1973-2016 2005-2016
The plantation industry (oil palm + From 2004 to 2013, the plantation industry pulpwood) has been a marginal driver of (oil palm+ pulpwood) became the principal the loss of forest in Indonesian Borneo driver of deforestation in Kalimantan, as 53- (Kalimantan), as 15% (2.2Mha) of all 64% of annual deforestation was caused by recorded deforestation (14.4 Mha) over companies four decades was caused by companies. From 2001 to 2013, the plantation industry The plantation industry (oil palm + (oil palm+ pulpwood) was still the principal pulpwood) has been the principal driver driver of deforestation in Malaysian Borneo, of the loss of forest in Malaysian Borneo, as 51-72% of annual deforestation was as 60% (2.5Mha) of all deforestation (4.2 caused by companies. Mha) recorded over four decades was In 2003, 2007 and 2016, forest fires were the principal caused by companies driver of deforestation in Kalimantan, and coincided with Over four decades, ENSO* forest fires the 2002/03, 2006/07 and 2015/16 ENSO* forest fires. have been the principle cause of the loss of • In 2016, Kalimantan lost forests at the fastest rate old-growth forest in Kalimantan, with three since 1997 (400,000 ha cleared) peaks in 1982/83, 1997/98, and 2015/16, and account for 42% (6Mha) of all recorded • Half of this deforestation (200,000 ha) was deforestation (14.4 Mha) against peat-swamp forests A large proportion of oil-palm plantations in Kalimantan were developed on lands cleared before 1973 and on degraded lands (predominantly forests converted to scrublands by fire) (see below).
Types of vegetation cover converted to industrial plantations
The expanding area (9.1 Mha) of industrial plantations (oil-palm and pulpwood) shown in six time periods from 1973 to 2015, with the vegetation cover of the land just before observed conversion to plantations.
Borneo Kalimantan ONLY
2 What a difference 4 decades make: Deforestation in Borneo since 1973 Deforestation 2001 - 2016: all forests vs. peat-swamps
Total deforestation Fitted curve for total deforestation ToDtaelf doerfeorsetsatatitoionn caused by plantation industry (Oil Palm & PulpwooFitted curved) for total defFittedoresta curvetion for industry-driven deforestation D%ef osrhesataretio ofn c deforestationaused by plantation caused industry by (Oil plantation Palm & Pulpwoo industryd) Fitted curve for industry-driven deforestation % share of deforestation caused by plantation industry
TOTALTOTAL DEFORESTATION DEFORESTATION
MALAYSIAN BORNEO ONLY BORNEOBORNEO KALIMANTAN ONLYKALIMANTAN ONLY MALAYSIAN BORNEO ONLY 5.6 Mha cleared 3.4 Mha cleared 2.2 Mha cleared 2.7 Mha cleared by industry 1.4 Mha cleared by industry 1.3 Mha cleared by industry 600 100
600 90 100 500 80 90 500 70 400 80 60 70 300400 50
40 % Share 60 200 30 300 50 20 % Share Deforestation (Thousand Ha) 100 40 10 To200tal deforestation Fitted curve for total deforestation 0 0 30 Def2o00r1e200st2a2t00io3 2n00 4c2a00u5s200ed6 2 00by7 2 00plantation8 2009 2010 201 1industry2012 2013 20 1(Oil4 2015 Palm2016 &200 Pulpwoo1 2002 2003 200d4)2005 2006 2007Fitted2008 200 curve9 2010 2 0for11 2 0industry-driven12 2013 2014 2015 2016 de200fo1 2r00e2s2t00a3t2i00o4n2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 % share of deforestation caused by plantation industry 20
Deforestation (Thousand Ha) 100 PEAT SWAMP DEFORESTATION 10 0 0 BORNEO2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 20KALIMANTAN14 2015 2016 ONLY2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010MALAYSIAN2011 2012 20 1BORNEO3 2014 201 5ONLY2016 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 1.65 Mha cleared 1.13 Mha cleared 0.51 Mha cleared 0.95 Mha cleared by industry 0.51 Mha cleared by industry 0.44 Mha cleared by industry
600 100
90 500 80
70 400 60
300 50 % Share 40 200 30
20
Deforestation (Thousand Ha) 100 10
0 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Malaysian Borneo ONLY Uncertain: no data, or area obscured by cloud Intact Forest: pristine old-growth forests.
Logged Forest: old-growth forests that have lost their original structure and canopy cover through industrial- scale selective timber harvest at some point since 1973, indicated principally by the construction of logging roads.
Scrub: old-growth forests impacted by drought and fire; these burn/drought scars tend to recover slowly. They are vulnerable to further burning and conversion to short vegetation follows; hence they appear as “deforested” in satellite assessments.
Non Forest since 1973: areas that have been cleared before 1973.
Other Non-Forest: areas that have been cleared after 1973, but not converted to scrub.
We recognize that Non Forest since 1973 and Other Non-Forest may include secondary forests: young-growth, forest fallow or agroforest.
What a difference 4 decades make: Deforestation in Borneo since 1973 3 Industrial oil palm, 1973 - 2016 Borneo had 8.34 Million ha planted industrial oil palm 2016 in 2016, or about half of the estimated global planted Oil palm & Pulpwood area of 18 Mha (FAO) concessions Oil palm concessions: Pulpwood concessions: 13 Mha 8 Mha
Intact forest Industrial forests
Intact peat-swamp Selectively logged forest forests Non-forest areas
Conservation opportunity: Areas left in concessions yet to be developed Forest: 5.6 Mha Peat forest: 1 Mha
Planted industrial oil palm Planted industrial oil palm, on peatlands
BORNEO KALIMANTAN MALAYSIAN BORNEO
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2 Planted area (Million Ha) 1
0 1973 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2016 1973 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2016 1973 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2016
2001
Map data can be accessed at the Borneo Atlas: Sources: www.cifor.org/map/atlas www.nature.com/articles/srep32017 journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0101654 *ENSO = El Nino Southern Oscillation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBnbLJ5TzvE
Published: July 2017
This research is supported by USAID funding This work was partly funded by the United Kingdom’s for CIFOR’s Governing Oil Palm Landscapes Department for International Development KNOWFOR for Sustainability (GOLS) project Program Grant to CIFOR
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