Day 10

11 m² of rainforest will be reforested on Borneo

More than just reforestation - a future for people and nature More than just reforestation - a future for people and nature

11 m² of rainforest will be reforested on Borneo
Day 10
1 million trees against poverty and deforestation in Borneo

Indonesia, and especially the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, Kalimantan, has often made negative headlines in recent years in connection with palm oil. The developments are frightening: nature and people are suffering more and more from the increasing deforestation and the changes to the rainforest, including the expanding monocultures. But the situation is not hopeless; people on the ground are looking for alternatives and want to create change. There is a great need for action. With the "1 million trees for Borneo" project, Fairventures Worldwide wants to make Borneo the "green lung of Asia" again. Together with the residents in the project villages, the organization is helping to prevent this lung from collapsing further and to protect the climate again instead of further burdening it.

1 million trees against poverty and deforestation in Borneo
need
An alternative form of land use that brings income to farmers in Borneo while protecting the rainforest.
activity
Fairventures Worldwide, together with a local NGO, supports farmers and tree nurseries in raising seedlings and establishing sustainable timber plantations.
Measurable performance
4,500 seedlings will be distributed and planted, 40 farmers will be employed in the project and 6.6 hectares of rainforest will be reforested.
Result
40 farmers and tree nurseries generate income independently of the palm oil industry, for example. A sustainable economy is created in harmony with nature.
Systemically relevant impact
The alternative form of land use is becoming established, farmers have sustainable sources of income and a long-term contribution to climate protection is being made.
background

Logging (legal and illegal), oil plantations and population pressure have decimated Indonesia's forests over the past 25 years. Between 1990 and 2005 alone, the forested area in Indonesia decreased by 20%. In Indonesia, tropical rainforests are still disappearing faster than in any other country in the world (GIZ, 2015). One region particularly affected is the island of Borneo, where deforestation rates are much higher than in the rest of the country. The cause of deforestation can be traced to a large extent to the industrialized countries: the EU is one of the largest importers of products derived from illegal deforestation. 25% of these imports from illegal deforestation come from Indonesia, mainly palm oil. Germany, together with the Netherlands, is the largest consumer of palm oil in the EU. This is partly due to the extensive use of palm oil in the food industry and partly because we use palm oil for our biofuels (Fern, 2015).

The loss of forest has serious consequences for biodiversity in Borneo: orangutans and forest elephants are just the most prominent victims of deforestation. The indigenous population, the Dayak, have also lived in harmony with the forest for centuries, using sustainable farming methods to produce food, medicinal plants and building materials. Due to the loss of the ecosystem's biocapacity, i.e. nature's ability to provide food, water and much more, the local population is losing its natural livelihood. In many places, forests are being replaced by monoculture plantations, e.g. palm oil, which destroy the soil and whose profits do not benefit the local population.

Tumbang Talaken, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia
Day 10 Day 10
The good deed

Degraded areas are reforested, responding to the increasing deforestation and the devastating consequences it has for people, animals and nature. Local nurseries and farmers raise and plant seedlings, which means the population is integrated from the start. In this way, they independently improve their livelihoods and the program is anchored in the long term. The trees make an important contribution to climate protection through their ability to store carbon.

AboutIndonesia
Jakarta
Jakarta
Capital city
249 865 600
249 865 600
Population
3 534 USD
3 534 USD
Gross domestic product per capita per year
108
108
Human Development Index (Human Development Index)

Due to slash-and-burn practices, Indonesia is the third largest emitter of CO₂ in the world. In no other country are rainforests disappearing faster than in Indonesia.