Background to the project in Borneo

A feasibility study into the Borneo project was carried out by Kirsty Burgess, Conservation Programme Manager of the WLT, in April 2008, taking into account factors such as:

• the procedures for purchasing land and creation of formally recognised Wildlife Sanctuaries;
• future management options to prevent illegal poaching and logging;
• benefits to the local community.

Creation of Critical Wildlife Corridors in Malaysian Borneo

The World Land Trust has teamed up with the LEAP Conservancy, a Malaysian registered non-profit corporation established in 2006, with a mission to “facilitate projects, partnerships and exchanges that provoke sustainable ecological co-existence amongst groups, communities, nations and regions of the world.”

The focus is on the Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain, located in the federal State of Sabah in East Malaysia.

The Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain

The Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain is home to a strong-hold population of Bornean Orang-utan. Whilst over 20,000 hectares of forest is under protection in the floodplain, the forests are fragmented, and the aim is to create corridors to link them together to ensure continuous habitat for wildlife to move safely.

Habitats and species on the Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain

The high biodiversity levels recorded within the Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain can be attributed to the 7 distinct ecosystem types found there: dry lowland dipterocarp forest; seasonally flooded and riparian forest; freshwater swamp; mangrove; heathland and limestone (karstic) forests. These habitats provide a continuous supply of food for a vast array of mammal and bird biodiversity including:

• Bornean Orang-utan (classified as ‘Endangered’ within the IUCN Red List), of which an estimated 1,100 individuals are resident within the floodplain;
• 9 other species of Primates: Proboscis Monkey; Western Tarsir; Long-tailed Macaque; Pig-tailed Macaque; Dusky, Silver-leaf and Maroon Langurs; Bornean Gibbon and Slow Loris;
• Bornean Pygmy Elephant (also classified as ‘Endangered’ by IUCN),a sub-species genetically distinct from mainland Asian Elephants with an estimated population of 100-200 individuals found within the Kinabatangan Floodplain;
• All 8 species of Borneo’s Hornbills, including the Rhinoceros and Helmeted Hornbill.

More Information on the project in Borneo

To learn more about the Malaysia project visit the main project page: Protecting Critical Corridors for Orang-utans in Borneo.