A Strategic Land Purchase
We urgently need your help to raise £287,821 so our partner Hutan can secure 16 ha (40.1 acres) of critically important forest within Borneo’s Kinabatangan floodplain.
These 16 ha (40.1 acres) offer a highly strategic opportunity to strengthen connectivity across the wider landscape, supporting the long-term survival of endemic and highly threatened species. Among these are the Critically Endangered Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) and Bornean Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis).
This land is now at immediate risk and without urgent protection, it could soon be sold and permanently lost, severing a vital corridor for species already under pressure.
The first £50,000 of donations will be matched, meaning your gift to the appeal could be doubled in value and go even further towards our £287,821 fundraising target.
Proboscis monkeys are one of the many species which will benefit from your donations. Credit: ©David Higgins.
THE IMPACT OF YOUR DONATION
By donating to this appeal, you will:
◉ Relieve a critical bottleneck for wildlife movement near the village of Sukau, thereby greatly reducing human-wildlife conflict, particularly for Bornean Elephants.
◉ Reduce the genetic isolation of sub-populations of Critically Endangered and threatened species, including the Bornean Orangutan and Bornean Elephant
◉ Stabilise riverbanks and protect riparian habitat along the Sungai Sukau River, thus supporting sustainable fisheries and local livelihoods
We have a narrow window to act. Help us seize this opportunity.
Species you will help protect
The Sungai Sukau Wildlife Corridor lies within the Kinabatangan floodplain — one of Southeast Asia’s last remaining forested floodplains and part of the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot.
This region is exceptionally rich in wildlife. Since 1998, Hutan has recorded:
300+ bird species
600+ species overall
Over 10% globally threatened
It is also home to around 200–300 Bornean Elephants, and forms part of the Lower Kinabatangan Managed Elephant Range.
HUTAN's reforestation team in the nursery. Credit: ©HUTAN.
WORKING WITH PEOPLE, FOR WILDLIFE
The local community is at the heart of Hutan’s conservation efforts within this region. Based in the village of Sukau, Hutan employs over 100 local staff who lead research, reforestation, wildlife monitoring, ranger patrols, and conservation outreach.
This team will play a central role in restoring and managing the land secured through this appeal – from replanting degraded areas to monitoring wildlife and maintaining connectivity across the corridor.
In this shared and fragmented landscape, conservation also depends on collaboration beyond protected areas. Hutan works closely with Oil Palm plantation owners, local communities, and government partners to develop practical solutions that allow wildlife to move safely through the landscape.
Many of our team have been with us their entire working lives. Over time they have become experts – leading research, training others, and teaching government staff and university students. Now the next generation is joining, and this gives us real hope for the future."Dr Isabelle Lackman, Co-founder and Executive Director of Hutan
A view of the Kinabatangan River. Credit: ©Nick Garbutt
A globally recognised landscape
In September 2025, the Kinabatangan region was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
While this is a major milestone, much of the land remains under mixed ownership – meaning vital areas still need to be secured and protected.
Projects like this are therefore essential to translate the Biosphere Reserve’s vision into reality, securing critical sites that maintain connectivity and demonstrate how conservation and development can work together in a shared landscape.
A PROVEN APPROACH THAT WORKS
With the generosity of our supporters, WLT and Hutan have already contributed directly to this vision, supporting the creation of strategic wildlife corridors linking over 41,000 ha (101,313 acres) of protected forest:
-
2013 – 2025
Keruak Corridor – 72 ha (178 acres)
A riverine forest corridor reconnecting the 239-ha (591-acre) Keruak Virgin Jungle Reserve and the 35,365-ha (87,389-acre) Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. -
2017 – 2021
Pangi Corridor – 31 ha (77 acres)
Secured with support from WLT’s “Saving Kinabatangan Appeal” in 2017 and “Saving Borneo’s Orangutan Corridors Appeal” in 2021, this corridor protects and buffers the southwestern corner of the 444-ha (1,097-acre) Pangi Virgin Jungle Reserve.
Greater species diversity and increased wildlife movement
Hutan have carried out extensive ecological monitoring to assess the impact of these corridors. Between 2019 and 2024, monitoring of the Keruak Corridor indicates clear signs of recovery:
◉ 27 more animal species have been recorded in the restored Keruak corridor than in the neighbouring Oil Palm plantation only five years after their restoration efforts.
◉ Through camera traps, Hutan have recorded growing use of the corridor by Northeast Bornean Orangutans, Bornean Elephants, and Sunda Pangolins. Since 2024, the elusive Bornean Clouded Leopard was also seen in the corridor for the very first time.
Forest specialists returning and new sightings
◉ In 2025, camera trap footage showed a Bornean Yellow Muntjac within the corridor. Often considered a forest specialist, its presence is a clear indicator of habitat recovery.
◉ In 2022, Hutan discovered the tiny Bornean Pygmy Shrew exploring one of their insect pitfall traps, marking the first ever record of this species in the Kinabatangan region.
The results from Hutan indicate that focused, strategically placed corridors can reconnect habitats
and greatly support wildlife movement and recovery across the wider landscape.
The Sungai Sukau Wildlife Corridor represents the next step in this effort – closing a critical
gap in the network and strengthening connectivity across the landscape as a whole.
Together, we can build on what you have already made possible.
ACT NOW TO PROTECT BORNEO’S WILDLIFE
