The Borneo rainforest is the oldest rainforest in the world, and one of the most biodiverse.
There are about 15,000 species of flowering plants with 3,000 species of trees (267 species are dipterocarps), 221 species of terrestrial mammals and 420 species of resident birds in Borneo. It is also the center of evolution and radiation of many endemic species of plants and animals. Subject to mass deforestation, the remaining Borneo rainforest is one of the only remaining natural habitat for the endangered Bornean Orangutan. It is also an important refuge for the Asian Elephant, the Sumatran Rhinoceros, the and the Bornean Clouded Leopard.
There are seven distinct ecoregions in Borneo. The Borneo lowland rainforests cover most of the island, with an area of 427,500 square kilometres (165,100 sq mi). Other lowland ecoregions are peat swamp forests, freshwater swamp forests, and mangrove forests. The Borneo mountain rainforests lie in the central highlands of the island, above the 1,000 meters elevation. The highest elevations of Mount Kinabalu include the Kinabalu mountain alpine meadow, an alpine shrubland notable for its numerous endemic species, including many orchids.
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RECENT UPDATES
1.11.12: The Borneo Elephant is Now a Totally Protected Species
1.11.12: Borneo’s Most Elusive Feline Caught on Camera
1.17.12: Rhino Romance in Borneo
1.22.12: Langur Monkey Not Extinct After All?
1.27.12: Pregnant Orangutan Mother and Child Rescued from Bounty Hunters in Borneo
2.6.12 MoU to create wildlife corridor for Malaysia’s largest wildlife reserve
2.7.12 Orangutan Exterminators on Trial in Indonesia
2.11.12 Borneo Rainbow Toad Re-discovered After 87 Years
2.12.11 Check out this Tiny Ultrasonic Philippine Tarsier On Video
2.27.12 Borneo Bat Population Has Dwindled
4.1.12 Endangered Borneo Orangutans Returned to the Wild
4.7.12 Deforestation Pits Elephants Against Man in Nunukan
4.8.12 Wildlife Study Confirms Orangutans Need for High-Quality Forests
4.9.12 How a Crippled Rhino May Save a Species
4.13.12 This Praying Mantis is Ready to Go on a Bike Ride
4.17.12 Orangutan Nest Building Highly Sophisticated
4.18.12 Orangutan Rescued from Peat Forest
4.28.12 Eye to Eye with Borneo’s Orangutans
4.29.12 The Role of Tapirs in Seed Dispersal
4.30.12: Palm Oil Plantations Push Unique Orangutan Population to Brink of Extinction
5.3.12: Male Orangutans Need Large Swaths of Forests to Survive
5.10.12: Pitcher Plant, Ants Share Benefits Of Carnivorism, Nepenthes Bicalcarata Research Shows
5.13.12: The World of Jumping Spiders in Borneo
5.19.2012: A New Frog Discovered in Borneo
6.9.12: Plans to Build a Rehabilitation and Breeding Center for Borneo Wildlife
6.15.12: Rare Frog Species Waves Hello
7.9.12: Sunda Clouded Leopard Caught on Camera
7.9.12: Among the Orangutans of Malaysian Borneo
8.9.12: Orangutans Set to Be Released in Central Kalimantan
8.12.12: The Language of Orangutans
8.30.12: Three Sabah NGOs Support Protection Forest Initiative
9.8.12: Three Orangutans Trapped in An Unforested Area Between Industrial Logging Sites
9.10.12: Camera Traps Show Importance of Forest Corridors for Endangered and Rare Species
9.25.12: A New Population of Wild Orangutans Found
1.10.13: Logging Worsens Human-Tiger Conflict in Sumatra
1.11.13: How little do we know about Tropical Rainforests and the Threats to Forest Biodiversity?
3.25.13: Ant communities more segregated in palm oil plantations than rainforest
4.3.13: Malaysia May Loan Indonesia Rhinos to Save Species from Extinction
