The Borneo Project

A CRITICAL MOMENTTO PROTECT RAINFORESTS AND RIVERS

Industrial logging and plantation development in Borneo’s forests have polluted rivers, degraded fragile forest ecosystems and made it difficult for communities to find the forest products they need to survive.

ABOUT BORNEO

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORTFOR INDIGENOUS CAMPAIGNS

The Borneo Project responds to the needs of local partners, providing whatever support best suits programmatic and campaign needs.

OUR WORK

ELEVATING GRASSROOTS VOICESWATCH OUR FILM SERIES

The Borneo Project Film Team created a series of short documentary films about the 12 mega-dams slated for construction in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, in northern Borneo.

WATCH NOW

HUMAN RIGHTSFOR FOREST PROTECTORS

Most of the indigenous communities of Borneo do not have legal rights to the land that they depend on for their lives and livelihoods.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Latest News

26 Feb

February Updates

The Baram Heritage Survey kicks off in Sarawak We’ve just returned from Sarawak, where our field technicians have been hard at work cutting and walking…

16 Jan

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium Inauguration Overshadowed by Rainforest Destruction

SDGs Undermined; NGOs Demand Accountability from Tokyo 2020 Organizers Last month, to mark the inauguration of the new national Olympic stadium in Tokyo, 12…

Behind the Scenes

borneoproject

Helping #Borneo's #rainforest communities protect their lands, livelihoods, and cultures for generations to come. #Sarawak #indigenousrising

Save the date, Berkeley! We'll be holding our annu

Save the date, Berkeley! We'll be holding our annual party on April 3rd — mark your calendars and tell all your friends. 😊 It's going to be a good one.

It isn’t often we get the chance to make a huge,

It isn’t often we get the chance to make a huge, profound difference – the kind of difference that will last long into our grandchildren’s lives.

At The Borneo Project, that’s exactly what our supporters have to opportunity to do. By supporting indigenous led campaigns to protect the rivers, rainforests and cultures of Sarawak, our project dives into the David and Goliath battles on the frontline of the fight against climate change. We send in reinforcements, and we win. The reason we are so effective, is because our projects are led by indigenous communities. All of our projects are designed and devised on the ground in Sarawak. For 29 years, we have learned to build trust through radical listening, taking note of indigenous knowledge and respecting the indigenous gaze.

Communities in Sarawak, where we work, have been fighting in every way possible to protect their rainforests: everything from hifalutin legal battles in the Federal Court to putting their bodies in the way of bulldozers. They know what strategies work, and they know that community consultation is essential for projects to succeed.

To support indigenous-led climate justice, head to borneoproject.org/ways-to-give #linkinbio

A great transition is taking place in communities

A great transition is taking place in communities around the world as we transform back into a sustainable human society that recognizes we are not separate from our environment.

If we exploit and destroy the natural systems around us, we destroy our own futures. This understanding for the natural world has been continuously upheld by Indigenous cultures, and while some modern solutions are needed for our modern problems, we cannot move ahead without taking our cues from these ways of thinking. At The Borneo Project, we’re led by Indigenous priorities and wisdom, and we use those values to inform projects that result in real transformation.

We believe that indigenous communities should be supported in their fight to protect Sarawak. To sponsor the Baram Heritage Survey and help heal the lungs of our planet, head to #LINKINBIO 🌏

After 9 hours on the logging road only a couple mo

After 9 hours on the logging road only a couple more meters to Long Tungan 💚

Using the Baram Heritage Survey smartphone app, ou

Using the Baram Heritage Survey smartphone app, our technicians will pinpoint animal sightings, documenting which species are present in the Baram region.

With a combination of GPS, smartphones and old school compasses, they have the tools to gather robust, scientific data. But more importantly, our indigenous field technicians have the traditional ecological knowledge to actually know what they're looking at when working deep in the forest.

We believe that indigenous communities should be supported in their fight to protect the precious rainforests of Sarawak. To sponsor this awesome initiative and help heal the lungs of our planet, head to #LINKINBIO 🌏

#indigenousrising #endangeredspecies #IUCN #RedList #indigenous #science #fieldwork #GPS #GIS #compass #rainforest #forestprotection #conservation

Threatened with the destruction of their livelihoo

Threatened with the destruction of their livelihood and culture, the Penan people have been campaigning since the 1980s to defend their homeland. They built blockades to prevent loggers reaching their forests and protested government complicity. Vast areas of forest were lost, but one of the groups that managed to hold back the loggers to some extent were the Penan from the Selungo valley in the Upper Baram area.

Pictured here is our fantastic Baram Heritage Survey team from the Selungo. They will be working with us to monitor their land and analyze the value of the forest in the hopes of protecting it. This is one step towards creating the Baram Peace Park — an indigenous managed protected zone aimed at preserving one of the last pockets of unspoiled rainforest in Malaysian Borneo.

The forests of the Upper Baram don't just contain magnificent endangered wildlife — they are home to ancient communities and cultures that are equally threatened with extinction if the land is lost to destructive industries. For indigenous peoples, conservation and cultural survival are one and the same.

We believe that indigenous communities should be supported in their fight to protect the rainforests of Sarawak. To sponsor the Baram Heritage Survey and help heal the lungs of our planet, head to borneoproject.org/ways-to-give 🌏

When the Sarawak state government replaced headman

When the Sarawak state government replaced headman James Nyurang of Tanjung Tepalit, a small village in the Malaysian part of Borneo, the reason was clear: they wanted a pro-dam leader of the village. James had been protesting the proposed Baram Dam, one in a series of 12 dams planned for Sarawak, along with many of his neighbors and friends.

The move didn’t go down well. Instead of accepting the new headman, the village decided to ignore the government’s appointee and keep looking to Nyurang for guidance. After all, he was trying to ensure the village would not be underwater in a matter of years.

The people of Tanjung Tepalit made their own decision about their future, and it did not involve mega-development projects.

Now that the plans for the Baram dam have been shelved, we're working closely with James and his village on the Baram Heritage Survey, a project that will hire and train local indigenous people to monitor their land.

James is just one of the many unsung heroes across the Baram region who have rejected destructive industries and protected the rainforests of Sarawak for generations to come. 🙌

We believe that indigenous communities should be supported in their fight to protect Sarawak. To sponsor the Baram Heritage Survey and help heal the lungs of our planet, head to #LINKINBIO 🌏

Tanjung Tepalit is a Kenyah village that was instr

Tanjung Tepalit is a Kenyah village that was instrumental in the fight against the Baram Dam. The Baram Dam would have been the second largest dam of its kind in the world, would have displaced 20,000 Indigenous people (including everyone at Tanjung Tepalit), would have released huge amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, and would have resulted in a huge loss of forest critical for the endangered wildlife of Borneo, including clouded leopards, gibbons, and pangolins.

After many years of community-led resistance, the dam was cancelled in 2016. Tanjung Tepalit was a key stronghold of Indigenous resistance throughout the campaign. The people of Tanjung Tepalit spent 3 years building and manning the blockade against the dam. They helped organize trainings to mobilize and inform communities, and showed up en masse to countless demonstrations and meetings.

The people of Tanjung Tepalit have put their lives on the line to save their community and their forests, and they need our support to help them establish long-term forest protection in the area. The Baram Heritage Survey is a crucial step in protecting the land and traditional culture of this community.

Pictured here is the fabulous Tanjung Tepalit Baram Heritage Survey team. We believe that indigenous communities should be supported in their fight to protect the precious rainforests of Sarawak. To sponsor the Baram Heritage Survey and help Tanjung Tepalit heal the lungs of our planet, head to #LINKINBIO 🌏

#indigenousrising #indigenous #science #fieldwork #rainforest #forestprotection #conservation #landrights #humanrights #indigenousrights #sarawak #malaysia #baram

You never get sick of this place 💚🍃

You never get sick of this place 💚🍃

Meet the Jamok team for the Baram Heritage Survey!

Meet the Jamok team for the Baram Heritage Survey! The Jamok community are under constant pressure from logging interests, and have created two communal forest reserves to protect their land. The first was made by their ancestors along the Sulan watershed. The second was created in response to unapproved logging happening in their forest. Neither protected area has received formal recognition.
Indigenous communities shouldn't have to chase loggers off their land. The Jamok are seeking recognition, protection and an end to logging concessions. This is just one example of the many ways indigenous communities in Sarawak are stepping up for the climate and standing up to intense pressure from destructive industries. 👏

We believe that indigenous communities should be supported in their fight to protect the precious rainforests of Sarawak. To sponsor the Baram Heritage Survey and help Long Tungan heal the lungs of our planet, head to #LINKINBIO 🌏
#indigenousrising #indigenous #science #fieldwork #rainforest #forestprotection #conservation #landrights #humanrights #indigenousrights #sarawak #malaysia #baram

The Baram Heritage Survey smartphone app has been

The Baram Heritage Survey smartphone app has been developed by finding out from communities what is important to them. Unlike a traditional scientific survey sending grad students out to the field, we have hired 100% indigenous village-based field technicians. They know the context, they know the language, they know what every sign and sound they come across means. They have what no university can teach: intergenerational ecological knowledge. What we want to know is, why doesn't everyone do it this way?

We believe that indigenous communities should be supported in their fight to protect the precious rainforests of Sarawak. To sponsor the Baram Heritage Survey and help heal the lungs of our planet, head to #LINKINBIO 🌏

#indigenousrising #endangeredspecies #IUCN #RedList #indigenous #science #fieldwork #rainforest #forestprotection #conservation #doogee #rough #rugged

Field technicians from Long Tungan and Long Sepige

Field technicians from Long Tungan and Long Sepigen pictured here nailing their compass training. Using the Baram Heritage Survey smartphone app, our technicians will pinpoint animal sightings, documenting which species are present in the Baram region.

With a combination of GPS, smartphones and old school compasses, they have the tools to gather robust, scientific data. But more importantly, our indigenous field technicians have the traditional ecological knowledge to actually know what they're looking at when working deep in the forest.

We believe that indigenous communities should be supported in their fight to protect the precious rainforests of Sarawak. To sponsor this awesome initiative and help heal the lungs of our planet, head to #LINKINBIO 🌏

#indigenousrising #endangeredspecies #IUCN #RedList #indigenous #science #fieldwork #GPS #GIS #compass #rainforest #forestprotection #conservation @sussexroyal

Zooming into 2020 like☝️

Zooming into 2020 like☝️

This year has flown by, and while it has been full

This year has flown by, and while it has been full of the all-too-familiar anxieties about the climate crisis and the world, we also see a collective change happening. A great transition is taking place in communities around the world as we transform (back) into a sustainable human society that recognizes we are not separate from our environment.

If we exploit and destroy the natural systems around us, we destroy our own futures. This understanding for the natural world has been continuously upheld by Indigenous cultures, and while some modern solutions are needed for our modern problems, we cannot move ahead without taking our cues from these ways of thinking.
At The Borneo Project, we’re led by Indigenous priorities and wisdom, and we use those values to inform projects that result in real transformation.

Looking towards 2020, The Borneo Project is stretched, both in terms of commitment and resources. But we know that we can bring these transformative projects to life thanks to the passion of our staff and our partners on the ground, and also thanks to the strength of our network here at home.

I am asking you to help us meet our increased financial needs because you believe in our work. Protection and restoration of tropical forests is an essential component of preventing catastrophic climate change, the principal responsibility of our time. We are paying respect to traditional knowledge, because we believe that the best work with the most integrity will come from pathways of Indigenous knowledge.
This holiday season make a personally significant donation to The Borneo Project. You are the backbone of our organization, and we can’t do it without you. Donations can be made at #linkinbio

Last week we landed back in the cold and rainy Bay

Last week we landed back in the cold and rainy Bay Area after spending most of the month in the sticky heat of Sarawak. This trip was spent meeting field technicians for the Baram Heritage Survey, hiking with them through tough terrain to open our first transect for scientific assessment, and learning from these indigenous trackers about the animals and plants that surrounded us.

Our technicians are based in the Baram river basin area of Sarawak’s interior, where cell service, intact roads and decent jobs are hard to come by. The Baram Heritage Survey is partnering with people at the village level, placing value on their traditional ecological knowledge, and gathering information to substantiate the flora, fauna and carbon value of the area. Eventually we hope to use this information to kick out the loggers and establish indigenous-managed forest protection initiatives.

Within a few hours we had seen signs of porcupines, civets, otters, barking deer, wild boar and dozens of birds. During our week together we poured over our Mammals of Sarawak book with the group, confirming that the North Borneo Gibbon, Bay Cat, Helmeted Hornbill, Sunda Clouded Leopard and Sunda Pangolin are found in Baram, all of which are listed as endangered or critically endangered. The area we are monitoring contains some of the last unprotected forest in the world where these species are found.

We need your support to keep this project thriving. We have a small amount of seed funding to get the Baram Heritage Survey off the ground, but we need more. If we get the support we need, we can add more transects and village clusters, more technicians, and more jobs on the ground in the Baram.

This holiday season, we urge you to consider supporting The Borneo Project. We're proud to invest in indigenous knowledge, indigenous-led innovation, and indigenous climate justice. And we never waste a dime doing it.

You can find out all the ways to contribute here: borneoproject.org/ways-to-give

We spend a lot of time worrying about polar bears

We spend a lot of time worrying about polar bears and tigers, all the charismatic creatures that catch the conservation headlines. But little critters are also important! Ecosystems need all the parts working together to create balance: plants, animals, air, soil and light all need to be healthy. Don't forget the little guys. 🦀 🐟

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