Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra

1|Page
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

Table of Contents
Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra ................................................................................................................1
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................3
Body .................................................................................................................................................................3
Deforestations Impact on other Spheres and Scale .........................................................................................3
Biophysical Processes ....................................................................................................................................4
Erosion .....................................................................................................................................................4
The Water Cycle ......................................................................................................................................5
Human Impact ..............................................................................................................................................6
Unsustainable Agriculture .........................................................................................................................6
Logging ....................................................................................................................................................7
Stakeholder (WWF) .....................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 12
References ...................................................................................................................................................... 13

2|Page
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

Introduction
Deforestation is the 'act or result of cutting down or burning all the trees in an area' thus
being a process in which is both a biophysical process and a human impact. With this
knowledge, deforestation is a major dilemma in the Borneo and Sumatra rainforests which
span across Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Biophysical processes erosion and the water
cycle are related to deforestation as it is a global issue. The Rainforest has many
stakeholders attempting to resolve this issue, such as the World Wildlife Fund through
its several campaigns and initiatives such as the Heart of Borneo and Roundtable of
Sustainable Palm Oil. The Heart of Borneo will be evaluated in their sustainable
management strategy with the criteria of its ecological sustainability of their solution
which means the ability to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Body
Deforestations Impact on other Spheres and Scale
Deforestation is a major issue in the world that relates to several spheres including the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Deforestation affects the atmosphere
through the amount of water is in the atmosphere and on the land. Plants and trees
photosynthesise which also transports carbon dioxide and other harmful gases which
could be released if they are cut down by deforestation. Deforestation impacts the
hydrosphere through the trees and plants that perform a key role in keeping the balance
between water on the land and water in the atmosphere so that if the balanced is disturbed
it results in changes in precipitation and river flow. It also affects the lithosphere as the
land is now more susceptible to floods and landslides due to the weakened topsoil. Finally,
the biosphere is influenced by deforestation as many animals lose their habitats along with
many native and endangered species of fauna that are destroyed during the process of
deforestation such as the Tigers of Sumatra and the Rafflesia parasitic plant. Deforestation
is a biophysical component of mainly the biosphere that doesnt only occur in the
Rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra but also the rest of the world. As seen in the Global
Index Map below, deforestation occurs throughout the world with countries of extreme
risk including Brazil, Nigeria and Papua New Guinea. Because of this, deforestation is an
issue that has a global effect.

3|Page
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

Severity of Deforestation around the World. Global Index Map

(http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4edf7250ecad04967f000030/image.jpg)

Biophysical Processes
Erosion
Erosion is a biophysical process that is heavily related to deforestation. Erosion is the
movement of rock particles from one place to another. With the lack of support from the
rainforest, soil erosion is very likely to occur and thus place Borneo and Sumatra in a more
critical zone with less biodiversity, more vulnerable to winds, rains and floods. This is
caused by the soil that is held together by tree roots and how they maintain water in an
ecosystem that consequently could cause for habitats to be destroyed by deforestation and
the erosion that follows. The topsoil is now weakened which in turn causes a worsened
effect of floods, rainfall induced landslides and etc. The type of water erosion that has the
most impact is sheet erosion which is when water moves thin layers of topsoil through
raindrop impact and shallow surface flow. The effects of this are the increased likelihood
of landslides and floods, heavier rainfall and stronger winds. Erosion has affected Borneo
and Sumatra in many cases such as the landslides of 2013 in Borneo. The landslide was
caused by the heavy rainfall that resulted in a landslide that killed 16 people and left 9
people missing. The landslide covered 15 houses and ended the month of continuous
heavy rains and floods consequently 32 deaths in the capital Jakarta and forcing 46000
people to leave their homes for protection. (Borneo Post online, 2013)

4|Page
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

Landslide in Borneo 2013. Shows how deforestation and palm oil plantations have caused for landslides to occur.

Types of Water Erosion

The Water Cycle

The water cycle is also related to deforestation as the rainforests are a vital step in the
process of the water cycle. Water is moved around through the energy from the sun
through various stages. The key stages include condensation which is the process where
water changes from a gaseous state back into a liquid state, evapotranspiration which is
the process where water transforms from liquid to gas, evaporation is the physical process
where moisture is directly lost to the atmosphere from a body of water due to the sun's
heat or the effects of air movements, transpiration a biological in which water is lost from
5|Page
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

pores of the leaves of plants, precipitation results when large mass of moist air are cooled
rapidly cooled below dew point. All these stages are heavily influenced by deforestation as
trees and plants play a huge part in the water cycle because they are responsible for
extracting groundwater from the soil and returning it the atmosphere, so when trees are
cut down the water isn't released into the atmosphere and the balance of the water cycle
is disturbed. The effect of this includes desertification, loss of biodiversity due to change
in climate and increased severity of natural disasters. This can be seen in Central Java, 5
February 2016 where a landslide occurred induced by heavy rain and as a result killed 5
people.
The Water Cycle (http://www.blueplanet.nsw.edu.au/biophysical-interactions/.aspx)

Human Impact
Unsustainable Agriculture
Unsustainable Agriculture is one of the many human impacts that have affected the
rainforests of the world. Specifically seen in Borneo and Sumatra are the palm oil
agriculture industries which have negatively impacted the rainforests over the past decade.
The harvesting of palm oil consists of injecting the matured palm oil tree with pesticide
which kills it from the inside. Then they cut down the trees through several methods

6|Page
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

including bulldozing which wipes out entire rainforests including various flora and fauna
that are unintentionally killed in the process. In Indonesia alone, palm oil production
expanded from 600,000 hectares in 1985 to over 6 million hectares by 2007 which has
both directly and indirectly contributed to deforestation. By wiping out rainforests for
palm oil plantations, it has destroyed the habitats of various critically endangered species
such as the Sumatran Tiger, Rhinoceros, Elephants and Orangutan and also decreased
biodiversity in Borneo and Sumatra.
Oblique Aerial of Palm Oil Plantation (http://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/palm-oil-the-hidden-truth-lurking-
in-your-home)

Logging
Logging is another human impact that has affected the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra.
Logging is the transportation of timber and has destroyed the land which in turn, affected
the biotic and abiotic surroundings of the Rainforest which includes the environmental
processes that occur and the flora and fauna that exist. An example of this would be the
Sumatran Tiger which has drastically decreased in population from an estimated 1000 in
1978 to > 400 today due to the loss of habitat. With forest cover in Sumatra declining
rapidly as seen in the colomn graph below, it is crucial that activities such as logging are
managed sustainably. A total of approximately 18 million hectares of land into 15 million
hectares is unacceptable and is destroying the forests.
In Borneo and Sumatra, the economy is reliant on its natural resources and thus has
attracted international companies to mine for their precious hardwoods and minerals to
palm oil, rubber, and coal. This includes the USA which have cut down forests for their
palm oil to make toilet paper for the brand Paseo. Paseo one of the fastest growing brands
7|Page
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

in America and with their toilet paper coming from 5 million acres of rainforest, it has
drastically affected the rainforest through illegal logging and forest conversion.

Through logging, it has

caused for animals to move
deeper and deeper into the
rainforests. This can be seen
through the Sumatran
Tiger. The Sumatran tiger is
a critically endangered
species with less than 400
left in the wild. Heavily
reliant on the forests for
their food and shelter,
Forest cover in Sumatra Column graph approximately 16.6 million
(http://news.mongabay.com/2012/08/rainforests-decline-sharply-in-sumatra-
but-rate-of-deforestation-slows/)
acres of forest were lost in
Sumatra between 1985 and
1997 which is more than half of Sumatras original forest land coverage thus only few
tigers left in Sumatra living in the remaining patches of forest on the island.
Deforestation in Kalimantan (http://kids.mongabay.com/slideshows/indonesian-rainforest-tour/indonesian-
rainforest-tour-07.html)

8|Page
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

Stakeholder (WWF)
WWF has attempted to solve the issue through the initiative Heart of Borneo. The
initiative strives to protect and manage the various parts of the Borneo forest that have
been inadequately managed by previous methods. With strategies of research and
education and inspiration, they can be seen as ecologically sustainable methods. With
previous protected areas too fragmented and too vulnerable to illegal logging, illegal
wildlife trade and forest fires, they were unable to secure the future of the forests. Also, a
very fragile ecosystem seeing as if the forests disappeared, thousands of species would
become extinct as seen in the decrease of population in the Sumatran tigers, Borneo
Orangutans and Sumatran Rhinos.
Map of Heart of Borneo. WWF

The WWF funded Heart of Borneo campaign was launched in 2004 and is one of the
major conservation initiatives that aim to protect and manage the forests of Borneo. With
three countries within this area as seen below, all three countries, Brunei, Malaysia and
Indonesia have signed the declaration in April 2005. A vision of three countries, one
conservation vision was created and its goals were that partner ships at all levels ensure
effective management and conservation of a network of protected areas, productive forests

9|Page
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

and other sustainable land-uses. Borneos magnificent heritage is thereby sustained

forever.
The strategy to reduce deforestation in Borneo consists of research which includes
Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR), Biodiversity surveys and wild-cats and
hunting impact. The community Based Participatory Research is a difficult time
consuming task which lets communities and foreigners collaborate to form research for a
particular issue like soil enriching alternatives to swidden agriculture. Biodiversity surveys
are a key to the revival of Borneos forest as they provide data required to monitor change
and manage conservation. By providing us with the species of plant or animal in an area
and their abundance, this allows people to take action and thus improve the ecosystems
that exist within the rainforest. Finally, Wild cat and hunting impact which is the
assessment of wild cat population status and the impact of hunting their prey. With the
hunting numbers unclear on their sustainability, it is heavily debated on whether or not
hunting prey impacts. Through research, these ideas will be cleared and people will learn
to have more sustainable methods to maintain the forests and as a result, reduce
deforestation.
Another strategy imposed by the Heart of Borneo to reduce deforestation is education
and inspiration to the general public. Through many methods of portraying their ideas
such as Art, multimedia, expeditions and classrooms, it has spread awareness on the causes
and effects of deforestation in the Heart of Borneo. The Borneo hub is one of these
methods that has been pending for funding. A platform that showcases and maps various
projects, expeditions and people that work on the island so that researchers. This concept
would be very successful as it allows people to learn from each other through a collective
body.
Through these strategies, the Heart of Borneo initiative implemented 5 programs which
were Transboundary Management, Protected Areas Management, Sustainable Natural
Resource Management, Ecotourism Development and Capacity Building.
Transboundary Management is due to the Heart of Borneo area residing within three
countries thus with each country having different uses for their borders, the management
was created. Due to their collaboration, it allows them to enhance progress and have better
management of the forests through agricultural needs, road construction, logging and the
needs of the local people are some of the issues that may negatively impact the forests if
this management strategy was not implemented. As seen in their proposed action below,
it can be seen as a sustainable management strategy that will indeed endeavor into the
future and also be a success if brought to action in the right manner.

10 | P a g e
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

Transboundary Management Proposed Actions

Protected Areas Management has been implemented due to the role of the protected areas
being crucial to the conservation of biodiversity of the forests. This program intertwines
with the transboundary management as it also finds goals in creating transboundary
conservation zones to strengthen the management but differs as it promotes the effective
management of protected areas of the Heart of Borneo area and enhances approaches for
improving land and vegetation management.
The Sustainable Natural Resources Management proposes to:
1. Enhance and strengthen existing mechanisms and guidelines to ensure the
implementation of practices natural resources management, sustainable use and
ecosystem approach in all natural resources uses
2. Develop scheme for rehabilitation and restoration programs on the degraded forest
areas
3. Promote areas as potential Reduction of Emission from Deforestation and
Degradation project sites
These propositions have been made to cover the wide range of plants and animals that live
in the forest ecosystem including the swamps and rivers.
Ecotourism Developments objective is to recognize and protect the value of special
nature and cultural places or sites within the HoB area which means that the three
countries will develop a network of cultures that will intertwine to promote community
based ecotourism and also voice the issues that the forests face thus being a sustainable
solution that will most likely succeed.
Finally, Capacity building which is the most sustainable and successful of all the 5
programs as it has established links between researchers and the community through

11 | P a g e
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

strategies like the Borneo hub. It has proposed to promote education and awareness of the
state of the forest and prevention methods and implement developments for conservation
such as land use planning and biodiversity conservation.
As seen above, the Heart of Borneo initiative is a sustainable management strategy that
will be successful if executed as proposed and fulfils the criteria of ecological sustainability
as it provides future generations with a thriving forest but also allows for current
generations to acquire various resources that the forests provide.

Conclusion
In Conclusion, Deforestation is a global issue that has worsened through the various
activities humans have done that has in-turn negatively impacted the forests of the world.
An example of this are the forests in Borneo and Sumatra and without initiatives like the
Heart of Borneo, the forest would be destroyed in the future due to the various
biophysical processes that have also been affected by these impacts.

12 | P a g e
 Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra |

References
BluePlanet , 2016. Year 11 and 12 Geography Biophysical Interactions. [Online]
Available at: http://www.blueplanet.nsw.edu.au/biophysical-interactions/.aspx
[Accessed 13 March 2015].

Borneo Post online, 2013. 16 killed in Indonesia landslides, nine missing: officials. Borneo Post online,
28 January, p. N/A.

Heart of Borneo, 2004. Strategic Plan of Action, N/A: N/A.

Heart of Borneo, 2013. Heart of Borneo. [Online]

Available at: http://www.heartofborneo.org/
[Accessed 13 March 2016].

Persoon, G. A. & Osseweijer, M., 2008. Reflections on the Heart of Borneo, Wageningen: Tropenbos
International.

Vidal, J., 2013. 'The Sumatran rainforest will mostly disappear within 20 years'. The Guardian, 26
May, p. N/A.

World Wildlife Fund Global, N/A. Deforestation Causes. [Online]

Available at: http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/deforestation/deforestation_causes/
[Accessed 13 March 2016].

World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Borneo and Sumatra. [Online]

Available at: http://www.worldwildlife.org/places/borneo-and-sumatra
[Accessed 13 March 2015].

World Wildlife Fund, N/A. Illegal Wildlife Trade. [Online]

Available at: http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade
[Accessed 13 March 2015].

World Wildlife Fund, N/A. Sumatran Tiger. [Online]

Available at: http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sumatran-tiger
[Accessed 13 March 2016].

13 | P a g e