Borneo Rainforest: Location, Age, and Biodiversity

The Borneo rainforest covers much of Borneo Island, the world’s third-largest island, divided among three countries:

• Indonesia (Kalimantan – ~73%)
• Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak – ~26%)
• Brunei (~1%)

Key Facts

• Age: ~130 million years—oldest tropical rainforest on Earth.
• Biodiversity Hotspot: Part of Sundaland; ~15,000 plant species, 3,000 trees, 221 mammals, 420 birds.
• Iconic Endemics: Bornean orangutan, pygmy elephant, clouded leopard, proboscis monkey, rhinoceros hornbill.
• Indigenous Peoples: Dayak, Penan, Iban, and others rely on forest for food, medicine, culture.

Threats

• Palm oil plantations, logging, mining, fires.
• ~30% lost since 1970s; fragmentation continues.

Conservation

Protected areas: Kinabalu Park (UNESCO), Gunung Mulu (UNESCO), Danum Valley, Heart of Borneo initiative (transboundary).

Borneo’s rainforest is a global treasure—ancient, diverse, and under pressure.