A mosaic of landscapes
Although Borneo conjures images of dense tropical rainforests stretching as far as the eye can see, the landscape offers a mosaic of varied habitats: mangroves, peat swamps and freshwater swamp forests,
lowland dipterocarp forests, ironwood forests, heath forests and
montane forests are all part of a complex ecosystem that has evolved over thousands of years.
Massive rivers cut across the landscape, weaving their way from Borneo’s central range. These are the island’s lifelines, offering not only transport and communication but also providing the freshwater needs of river communities.
A shared asset
Borneo is divided between 3 countries - Indonesia, Brunei-Darussalam and Malaysia - whose shared responsibility to manage the island’s central highland rainforests - the Heart of Borneo - is leading to an
ambitious transboundary conservation initiative.
Climate, from wet to very wet
Straddling the equator, Borneo is subject to an intense tropical climate. In the lowlands, temperatures range between 25°C and 35°C, while at higher elevations things can get noticeably cooler. Borneo has 2 monsoon seasons: the “dry” monsoon (May - October) and the “wet” monsoon (November - April). The entire island lies within what is called the ‘ever-wet zone’, receiving between 2,000 mm - 4,000 mm of rainfall per year.
Cracking open Borneo's biodiversity vault
Although Borneo has a long history of research and exploration, the most recent findings suggest that there are still literally thousands of species of plants and animals left to discover in the island’s tropical rainforests.
The area that is most likely to offer new discoveries is the Heart of Borneo - the relatively inaccessible centre of the island that harbours some of the most pristine forests that remain.
The forests' caretakers
The Heart of Borneo is mostly inhabited by the
Dayak, a term which is generally agreed to mean "interior" or "upriver" person, and refers to the variety of indigenous peoples living in the area, each of which has a specific language and culture.
