Rainforest: Additional Detailed Specific Examples (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography): Revision Note

Detailed specific example - Borneo rainforest

• Borneo, the third-largest island in the world

• Located in Southeast Asia it is divided among three countries:

  • Malaysia (states of Sabah and Sarawak)

  • Indonesia (Kalimantan),

  • Brunei

• Over 50% of the island is still covered in tropical rainforest

• Borneo is part of the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot, among the most biologically diverse places on Earth

Climate

• The Borneo rainforest has an equatorial climate:

  • High annual rainfall – between 2,500 mm and 4,000 mm

  • Consistently high temperatures averaging 27–32°C year-round

  • Humidity levels frequently above 80%

  • Rain often falls as daily convectional storms, especially in the afternoon

Biodiversity

• Borneo's rainforest has one of the richest ecosystems on the planet:

• Over 15,000 plant species, with over 3,000 species of trees

• Home to the endangered Bornean orangutan, pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, and clouded leopards

• 420 bird species, 100 amphibian species, and over 150 reptile species

• Exceptional endemism due to its long period of isolation

Threats to the rainforest in Borneo

• Borneo has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, especially in Indonesian Kalimantan and Malaysian Sarawak

• The main threats to the rainforest include:

Logging

• Commercial logging for tropical hardwoods

• Illegal logging, especially in remote Indonesian regions

• Even selective logging requires road access, increasing forest fragmentation

Palm oil plantations

• Borneo is a major producer of palm oil

  • Clearance to plant palm oil is responsible for millions of hectares of cleared land

• Large-scale deforestation has replaced forest with monoculture plantations

Mining and infrastructure

• Open-cast coal and gold mining in Kalimantan

• Road and dam construction (e.g., Murum Dam in Sarawak) lead to displacement and forest submersion.

Fires

• Slash-and-burn agriculture by local and commercial interests causes uncontrolled forest fires

• Dry periods increase the risk of fires, releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide

Urbanisation and settlement

• Government policies (e.g., Indonesia’s Transmigration Programme) encouraged settlement in more rural remote areas in Borneo, leading to additional land clearance

Impacts of destruction of the rainforest in Borneo

Environmental

• Soil erosion due to removal of protective tree cover

• Reduced interception causes more overland flow and flooding

• Leaching of nutrients leads to poor soil fertility

• Loss of biodiversity including critical endangered species such as the clouded leopard, orangutan and pygmy elephant

• Increased greenhouse gas emissions due to biomass burning

Social

• Displacement of Indigenous Dayak communities

• Loss of traditional knowledge and medicinal plants

• Health impacts from smoke 'haze' pollution caused by fires (e.g., 2015 Southeast Asian haze crisis)

Economic

• Short-term income from timber and palm oil

• Long-term loss in ecotourism and ecosystem services like water regulation and pollination

Strategies to protect the Borneo rainforest

International efforts

• Heart of Borneo Initiative (2007):

  • Collaboration between Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei with WWF to protect 220,000 km² of forest

• REDD+ Programs: Financial incentives to reduce emissions from deforestation

• Sustainable forestry certification (FSC/PEFC) encouraged for logging companies

Government initiatives

• A ban on new palm oil plantations in Indonesia (since 2018)

• Increased protected areas, though enforcement remains a challenge

NGOs and Indigenous communities

• Reforestation initiatives by NGOs like Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation and Hutan

• Borneo Nature Foundation working with Indigenous groups to protect the rainforest

• Community-based forest management by Indigenous groups

Ecotourism

• Ecotourism projects in Sarawak and Sabah to provide alternative income (e.g., Danum Valley Conservation Area)