October 2009, Issue # 6 HoB Pulse Still Strong at Local and Regional Level Inside this issue:

Agreements and resolutions announced at the Borneo and Coral Triangle Initiatives, and HoB’s peatland project in 222 third annual HoB tri-national meeting and the directed the concerned ministries to th on track for delivery 2010 6 BIMP-EAGA Summit prove that the local strengthen collaborative actions in protecting and regional ‘pulse’ of conservation and sus- Standard Chartered Bank spon- 222 the environment. sors forest survey in Brunei’s tainable development - the lifeblood of the HoB region HoB Initiative - is still strong. The statement also welcome Brunei Darussa- Building Indonesia’s future gen- 333 lam’s offer to host a ministerial conference eration at the border of Indonesia- Opening the HoB tri-national meeting held in focusing on the Heart of Borneo, particularly in Kalimantan September in , , Malaysia’s in supporting global efforts to address cli- Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Envi- mate change and help ensure a successful and Orangutan school campaign in 333 ronment, the honourable Tan Sri Datuk Seri Pan- the remote Heart of Borneo workable outcome at the forthcoming Cli- glima Joseh Kurup, said the HoB was a crucial mate Change Conference in Copenhagen in Charting the future of indigenous 444 part of South East Asia’s natural heritage. How- December, 2009. empowerment in Borneo ever, he warned that the task was far from com- plete and looked to the three governments in- WWF’s Heart of Borneo Initiative Leader, Sabah’s REDD workshop gener- 444 ates policy outcomes volved to agree on effective implementation of Adam Tomasek, said he was encouraged by agreements reached at the tri-national meeting. the local and regional support so publicly ar- Trialing underway for Malaysian 555 ticulated at both meetings. HCVF field testing tool kit The BIMP-EAGA Summit held in Thailand in MoU signed for restoration of 555 October, released a joint statement conveying its “As the world struggles with global climate Orangutan Habitat in Heart of support of the programs being undertaken to pro- change, it is vital for the governments of Borneo tect, conserve, and sustainably manage rich ma- Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia Heart of Borneo, New ecotourism 666 rine and terrestrial resources such as the Heart of to position the HoB Initiative as part of the Destination solution,” he said. Bukit Baka Bukit Raya Na- 666 tional Park’s twenty-year plan to final phase WWF Director General Jim Leape visits Heart of Borneo

CONTACTS Adam J. Tomasek Leader [email protected]

Anna van Paddenburg Leader Sustainable Finance [email protected]

Katie Stafford

Leader WWF-Malaysia © Photo Corporate Engagement [email protected]

Chris Greenwood International Communications Manager chris.greenwood @wwf.panda.org

Nancy (Ochie) Ariaini Communications Officer [email protected] WWF Director General (4 th from right, back row) explored the Heart of Borneo for the first time in October and was impressed Visit the Heart of Borneo on the web: by what he saw, both in terms of conservation outcomes and WWF staff dedication to the cause. “Via the Heart of Borneo Initiative, WWF has proven the power of how a solutions-oriented approach can work. We must continue to use the power of our www.panda.org/ heart_of_borneo vast Network to overcome some very daunting challenges,” he said. PageP age 222 Heart of Borneo Issue # 6

Peatland project in Brunei on track for 2010

The planning phase for a project in the HoB to “They also become very susceptible to fire rehabilitate degraded peatlands, reduce CO 2 and are major contributors to the haze that emissions and help mitigate climate change is envelopes parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Sin- on track for delivery of its final report next gapore and Brunei during dry periods. The year, according to project director, Dr Jon carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere Davies. from peatland drainage and fires in SE Asia is a major global contributor to climate The ultimate goal of the project is to reduce CO 2 change,” Dr Davies explained. emissions, fire and smog by creating awareness Undisturbed mixed swamp forest on on the wise use and rehabilitation of degraded Rehabilitation of peatlands requires restora- shallow peat in Belait District, Brunei. Photo: Jon Davies peatlands. tion of the hydrological regime (raising of the water table) by blocking canals, which will According to Dr Davies, most of Brunei’s peat- improve land’s humidity. Followed by refor- lands are within the HoB area and are largely in- estation of the degraded areas. tact. Moreover, Brunei peatlands are net carbon dioxide absorbers and hence very important in Experience in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia terms of mitigating climate change. has shown that peatland rehabilitation is vi- able and very cost-effective in contrast to However, peatlands are also very fragile ecosys- other carbon emission reduction schemes. tems. Once they are drained for logging and agri- culture, the peat starts to decompose and dry out The two year project is jointly funded by the and releases carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. In Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the the process they lose their carbon-accumulating UK and the Standard Chartered Bank, and Drainage and logging of peat swamp for- est in Pahang, Peninsula Malaysia. Such ability, flood control function and much of the strengthens regional cooperation by integrat- degraded areas are susceptible to fire, biodiversity is lost. ing peatlands experts from Indonesia and Ma- Photo: Jon Davies laysia in the studies. Standard Chartered Bank sponsors forest survey in Peatland restoration will help to stop carbon loss and in time the Brunei’s HoB region carbon-accumulating function can be recovered,” Dr Davies said. Standard Chartered Bank in partnership with Speaking at the launch of the survey pro- More information: WWF and the Heart of Borneo Council has posal, Danny Quah, CEO of Standard Char- [email protected] announced its sponsorship of a faunal biodi- tered Bank said the bank had a strong focus versity survey of the Sungei Ingei Protected on sustainability and the environment, and Forest. urged the community in Brunei to take steps to ramp up efforts for positive changes to- The survey project is the first of its kind in the wards our environment. Sungei forest and promises to reveal much about the biodiversity treasures to be found in the area. Dr Glyn Davies, Director of Programmes with WWF-UK, also at the launch added: According to the leader of the survey, Dr Joseph “Borneo is indeed nature’s Treasure Island K. Charles, from the Faculty of Science, Univer- and Brunei is its splendid green jewel. As the sity Brunei Darussalam, Brunei’s HoB region is world wakes up to the importance of forests home to some of the most biologically diverse in combating climate change, the conserva- forest habitats in the world with amazing wildlife. tion of the Heart of Borneo is being recog- Launch of faunal biodiversity survey of the nised as a crucial part of this effort. Sungei Ingei Protection Forest, in Brunei’s “It is a major hotspot for global biodiversity. The HoB region faunal survey will gather necessary scientific data Standard Chartered Bank’s funding for this Photo: Standard Chartered Bank to enable us to better manage Brunei’s natural Heart of Borneo Project is part of the habitats and their wildlife. Over a period of ap- US$500,000 prize donation from the Race proximately two years, much of the vertebrate For A Living Planet campaign which Brunei and invertebrate fauna will be surveyed through won in 2008. two major expeditions. More information: Chris Greenwood, [email protected] Heart of Borneo Issue # 6 PageP age 333

Building Indonesia’s future generation in the border region

On 17 October 2009, the Heart of Borneo Pro- An experts’ forum, held as part of the semi- gram, in collaboration with national founda- nar was attended by members of People's tion, Yayasan Sampai, organized a national Consultative Assembly of Indonesia (MPR) seminar entitled Building Indonesia’s Future and Legislative (DPR), who recommended Generation at the Border of Indonesia- further workshops be held to have in-depth Malaysia in Kalimantan. discussions on infrastructure, ecotourism and bio-prospects. The seminar aimed to gain ideas and recommen- dations on how the government should govern the It was concluded at the end of the seminar, border area in relation to poverty reduction, im- that development of the border must not only provement of education, health issues, conserva- be based on “prosperity and security” but tion and the economy. now it needs to include conservation value as Adopting sustainable development to improve the wellwell----beingbeing of local commu- an important element for border governance. nities along the border of IndonesiaIndonesia---- The seminar was opened by Vice People's Con- Malaysia in Kalimantan sultative Assembly (MPR) of Indonesia, Mrs. Hj. This commitment further strengthens the Photo: © WWF—Indoensia/ Irza RINALDI Meilani Leimena Suharli and presented experts trans-boundary conservation and sustainable and officials of different expertise, both national development principles. and from Kalimantan.

The result of the seminar was brought to the More information: president to be considered in the new cabinet's Dinda Trisnadi, [email protected] workplan.

Orangutan school campaign in the remote Heart of Borneo

About 300 students from 7 schools in Those areas are villages located along Building awareness and pride of young Batang Lupar, Kapuas Hulu District, West Labian-Leboyan River, a natural link be- people on the importance of forest conser- vation and orangutan as endemic species Kalimantan, participated in the orangutan tween Betung Kerihun National Park and Photo: © WWF-Indonesia / Sugeng HENDRATNO campaign organized by WWF-Indonesia West Danau Sentarum National Park. Unfortu- Kalimantan Program Office from 10-12 Sep- nately several forest areas and orangutan tember 2009. habitats linking the two parks have become fragmented. This educational campaign leveraged students' knowledge, skill and creativity through class ses- At least 2000 orangutans ( Pongo pygmaeus Friends and teachers, I am just sions, quizzes, film screening, writing, drawing pygmaeus sub-species) are found in Betung now aware that what WWF is and sports competitions, traditional games, pho- Kerihun National Park and Danau Sentarum doing in environmental tography and film documentaries. National Park, two important Heart of Borneo conservation, especially on national parks. orangutan habitat protection is The orangutan conservation school campaign is very important.” the third of its kind, with the first being organized in Ukit-ukit Village in September 2008 and in Acang, a student from SDN Nanga Leboyan, October 2008. More information: No. 7 Sungai Sedik, West Nancy Ariaini, [email protected] Kalimantan

PageP age 444 Heart of Borneo Issue # 6

Charting the future of indigenous empowerment in Borneo by Dora Jok & Cristina Eghenter

Recent meetings between WWF and leaders “The FORMADAT that we established in from FORMADAT* - the Alliance of Indige- 2004 is a forum in our own backyard to serve nous People of the Highlands of Borneo - have the interests of all of us who live along the set the scene to forge a strong partnership on border of the Borneo highlands. It unites us in trans-boundary issues led by this important one fellowship, one thought, one journey, to indigenous advocacy organization . look after our homeland, our rights. This place we call patar dita' ( highland ) Borneo is Key decisions reached at the meeting in Kuching the only homeland we the Lundayeh, Kelabit, included more organized and collaborative efforts Lun Bawang and Sa'ban have. We have no among the communities in Malaysia and Indone- other homeland, save the patar dita' Borneo Participation of indigenous groups in in- sia on trans-boundary tourism and organic agri- where we have lived for generations,” said ternational music festivals empowers culture. them to preserve and celebrate their cul- Lewi Gala P, the customary leader of Krayan ture with a global audience. Hulu area and Head of the FORMADAT- Photo: © WWF-Malaysia / Dora JOK In addition a strategy was developed for a ‘Visit Indonesia the HoB Year’ in 2012 and participation of FOR- MADAT in the Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching, July 2010.

More information: FORMADAT is recognized as a strategic partner Dora Jok: [email protected],my of the HoB initiative and WWF supports these Cristina Eghenter: [email protected] or [email protected] grassroots communities as leaders for effective action for trans-boundary conservation and sus- * Forum Masyarakat Adat Dataran Tinggi Borneo tainable development. Sabah’s REDD workshop generates policy outcomes by Rashidah Maqbool

Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) in collabo- 3. Harmonized and mainstreamed forest ration with WWF Malaysia held a REDD climate mitigation actions in Sabah for workshop in Sandakan, in August. The aim of credible policy (Sabah Development the workshop was to generate awareness, im- Corridor); and prove knowledge and build capacity on forest and carbon issues. 4. Reviewed viable options/activities for REDD implementation in Sabah. The workshop successfully:

1. Obtained the most recent and updated infor- mation on the Climate Change Negotiations Information presented at the workshop will at the UNFCCC pertaining to tropical forest contribute to Sabah State Policy on REDD mitigation efforts; and Carbon Projects. 2. Deliberated on forest climate mitigation op- More information tions from the ongoing compliance market to Rashidah Maqbool: [email protected] the voluntary market; 3. Detailed our options for financing voluntary carbon projects and credible carbon standards for full implementation in Sabah; PageP age 555 Heart of Borneo Issue # 6

Trialing underway for Malaysian HCVF field testing tool kit by Rashidah Maqbool

A High Conservation Value Forests Once the values have been identified, only (HCVF) field assessment tool kit was then can the management prescriptions be recently trialed in Sabah by a team put in place to manage and monitor the involving participants from WWF- areas. Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, School of International Tropical For- In pushing HCVF in the Sabah region, estry and Sabah Museum. WWF-Malaysia has been working with relevant stakeholders to establish a Sabah The assessment of HCVF areas is a vital HCVF Resource Group. Information gath- part of WWF HoB work on the ground as ered from this assessment will provide the they are an important component of base for a full scale HCVF assessment in HCVF field assessment tool kit was re- achieving certification. the near future. cently trialed in Sabah by a team from WWFWWF----MalaysiaMalaysia and its partner organiza- More information tions. Rashidah Maqbool: [email protected] Photo: © WWF-Malaysia / Rashidah MAQBOOL

MoU signed for restoration of Orangutan Habitat in Heart of Borneo

A five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) be- tween WWF-Malaysia and the Sabah state government to realize this goal” has been signed to restore 967 hectares of degraded "ITOCHU's support is a clear sign of Japanese interest in the orangutan habitat within the Heart of Borneo . Heart of Borneo and as host of the 2010 UN Convention on The MoU for the project - made possible with RM4.35 mil- lion contributed by ITOCHU Corporation of Japan - was signed during a regional forum on ‘Enhancing forest eco- systems and corridors within the Heart of Borneo in Sabah, Oct 26-27. Opening the forum, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, said the State was very serious about conserving its forests and very committed to the Heart of Borneo, adding that 250,000 hectares of forest had already been set aside for conservation. However, he said financing remained a crucial subject. To this end he thanked the Malaysian Fed- eral government for its contribution of RM5 million to the Sabah Forestry Department to kick-start programme imple- mentation - but stated that it was the hope of the Sabah state government that ‘friends’ from European countries and the USA could lend support to this endeavour. Signing of the MoU at the regional forum. (left to right) Dr Rahimatsah Amat (Chief Technical Officer, WWFWWF----Malaysia,Malaysia, Sabah office), Datuk Sam Mannan, WWF’s Heart of Borneo Initiative Leader, Adam Tomasek, (Director of Sabah Forestry Department) and (Sabah Chief Minister), Datuk Seri Musa Aman. congratulated the Sabah state government’s commitment to Photo: © WWF-Malaysia / Chris GREENWOOD the Heart of Borneo and emphasised his gratitude to Japan’s ITOCHU Group for its generous contribution. “These funds are vital for the restoration of a high priority Biological Diversity conference we look forward to profiling landscape and long-term viability for orangutans. Healthy this growing partnership between governments and the private forest ecosystems are a priority for the three country Heart sector," Mr Tomasek said. of Borneo initiative, and Sabah is providing a strong leader- ship example of working with the international community

PageP age 666 Heart of Borneo Issue # 6

HoB, new ecotourism destination by Hermas Rintik Maring

Ecotourism is one of the fastest growing WWF assisted KOMPAKH to engage a sectors of global tourism and WWF- prominent German-based travel agent, Indonesia’s staff in West Kalimantan, are which significantly boosted tourist num- looking to capitalize on this growth by bers. forming a group called KOMPAKH to promote tourism in the region. KOMPAKH is providing an effective ‘bridging’ agent between interested tour- Remotely located deep in the Heart of ism agency/groups, tourists and the local Borneo, Kapuas Hulu District offers ad- community. venturous tourism opportunities as a des- tination for its original culture and na- “This is our commitment together to help ture. The Kapuas Hulu region is a conser- facilitate alternative income for our com- Hermas is working in WWF-Indonesia vation district containing two internation- munity, especially for those who live in West Kalimantan Program. He is based ally known national parks - Betung Keri- in Putussibau Office, Kapuas Hulu Dis- and around the forest,” said Hubertus trict, and his current responsibility is for hun and Danau Sentarum. Tengkirang, a local member of KOM- Ecotourism Development. Hermas is PAKH team. Dayak Iban and initially the founder of The government of Kapuas Hulu and KOMPAKH team. WWF helped to promote and facilitate Information regarding KOMPAKH E-mail: [email protected] KOMPAKH with operators, agencies and promotion and marketing activity is even individual tourists. In particular, accessible on www.kompakh.org .

Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park’s 20-year plan moves to final phase

One of Indonesia’s important national parks in for the park are coordinated with regional Heart of Borneo, Bukit Baka Bukit Raya Na- plans and aspirations. tional Park, located between West and Central Kalimantan, will soon finalize its long-term The areas of cooperation between Bukit Baka management plan. Bukit Raya National Park and Heart of Bor- neo Program include: One priority task to handle by the park manage- ment is the boundary of the area. Currently the 1. Advocacy on management policy: such as park boundaries are not yet finalized, a few points effectiveness of park management, im- on maps and on the ground are not synchronized, proving the status of the region, as well as especially with production forests and community cross-border management. lands, both in the West and Central Kalimantan. 2. Strengthening information systems, park A view of mountain’s management and joint tourism develop- region of the remote Bukit Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park is still a ment with neighboring protected area Baka Bukit Raya National largely intact wilderness, especially along managements in the Heart of Borneo. Park in the Heart of Scwhanner mountain range with steep topography 3. Strengthening the role and benefits for Borneo in parts of West Kalimantan. The national park is local community, particularly on policy situated adjacent to timber concession areas and and implementation of cooperation some villages whose communities still carry out (including community-based tourism de- Photo: © WWF-Indonesia/ Bambang swidden farming, forest product gathering and velopment). BIDER hunting. The hills are headwaters of some tribu- 4. Involving private sector in the manage- taries and waterfalls. The diversity of these loca- ment area, such as investment in tourism tions means the area still requires proper zonation. sector, research, and development of

other livelihood alternatives. Since Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park is recognized priority of Heart of Borneo Program’s Strategic Plan of Action for three countries, it is More information: now more important than ever to ensure that plans Rudi Zapariza, [email protected]