Global 200 Ecoregions

Protecting the Unknown Rainforests Sumatran lowland and north Borneo Tropical Forests

Map of Sumatran ecoregion
 
Major Habitat Type
Tropical Moist Forests

Biogeographic Region
Paleotropics

Location
Indonesia, Malaysia, and the
Sultanate of Brunei



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Biological Diversity

The People

The Threat

The Challenge

The Response


Summary


The rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo are perhaps the oldest and some of the most diverse in the world. The northern interior of Borneo in particular has been, until recently, one of the world's least known areas. These forests are home to some of the rarest wildlife anywhere, including the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) and orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus).

At their closest point, the large islands of Sumatra and Borneo are 450 kilometres apart. They were connected by a land bridge in the recent geologic past, accounting for the similarity of species on the two islands. Sumatra and two-thirds of Borneo are part of Indonesia. The rest of Borneo is made up of the Sarawak and Sabah provinces of Malaysia and the tiny, wealthy Sultanate of Brunei.

The rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo, like rainforests throughout the world, are threatened by clear-cutting for agriculture, trade, and timber. Especially three of the most important protected areas on these islands, the Kayan Mentarang National Park and the Batang Ai National park (Borneo), and the Kerinci Seblat National Park (Sumatra), are threatened by encroaching deforestation around their borders. The lives and economic welfare of local communities are being disrupted by a growing number of people from outside, who are moving into the forest to exploit its resources.

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