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

Will Malaysia become Southeast Asia’s clean energy leader?

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Sarawak can invest in or give away its future

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Forest protection is Malaysia’s climate ace card

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UN Report Says Indigenous Sovereignty Could Save the Planet

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How many dam bursts are too many?

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Latest News

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…

17 Dec

A letter from our Executive Director

Dear Friends of The Borneo Project, This year has flown by, and while it has been full of the all-too-familiar anxieties about the…

Behind the Scenes

borneoproject

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

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

*Sound on* for that rainforest wake up call. Good

*Sound on* for that rainforest wake up call. Good morning world!

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. 🦀 🐟

How to find the rest of your crew without signal w

How to find the rest of your crew without signal when you’re upriver 👉

Quick snap of the office 📸 #nofilter

Quick snap of the office 📸 #nofilter

Bananas, anyone?

Bananas, anyone?

Did you know that The Borneo Project works closely

Did you know that The Borneo Project works closely with a Swiss organization called BMF? @brunomanserfonds also focus on indigenous-led campaigns, and here is our Executive Director Jettie hanging with the BMF campaigns champion Annina at the Clean Energy Collaboration Kuching.

We're always chasing waterfalls in #Sarawak

We're always chasing waterfalls in #Sarawak

They have pretty serious jewelry game in Long Lama

They have pretty serious jewelry game in Long Lamam. We visited this beautiful Penan village to chat about the Baram Heritage Survey, our latest project working with indigenous trackers to survey the Baram region for flora fauna and carbon, as well as interview communities about their wants and needs.

This project is an important step towards establishing the Baram Peace Park — as the data collected will be used to substantiate grounds for forest protection. Forest monitoring teams will take forest management out of the hands of corporations and into the hands of communities.

On top of all this, Baram Peace Park will create a wildlife corridor with Brunei and Indonesia, which is critical when you consider the Baram area is home to gibbons, pangolins, sun bears, clouded leopards and hornbills, all of which are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN red list.

Think this project sounds pretty cool? Care about stopping the extinction crisis? Want to protect forests by investing in indigenous-led climate justice? You can do all these things by donating at borneoproject.org/ways-to-give

Laughter really is the best medicine. But these wo

Laughter really is the best medicine. But these woven sun hats are a close second. They sit high and wide for maximum shade and minimum heat, crucial in the relentless tropical heat of #Sarawak.

Anyone know what this one is?

Anyone know what this one is?

Thank you so much to everyone who came to our part

Thank you so much to everyone who came to our party last night! Special shout out to Peter and Maria for coming all the way from Sarawak to celebrate with us and update our Berkeley community on the upcoming Baram Heritage Survey. If you couldn’t make it but would still like to support our work with Peter and SAVE Rivers, head to borneoproject.org/ways-to-give 💚✌️