Have a Heart, save the rainforest

The expansion of oil palm plantations in Indonesia (above) and Malaysia has led to deforestation, which has an impact on wildlife and fresh-water supply, as well as contributes to carbon emissions. -- ST FILE PHOTO

The head of the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF's) Heart of Borneo rainforest conservation initiative, Mr Adam Tomasek, was in Singapore recently to speak about the programme. The WWF is working with Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei to protect 220,000sq km of highland rainforest on the island of Borneo which is rich in species diversity. Mr Tomasek, 37, speaks to Grace Chua on the scheme's progress three years after the 2007 declaration was signed.

Three-nation pact shelters Borneo's ecosystem from logging, development

What were the issues facing the Heart of Borneo initiative?

It really comes down to economic development. Palm oil was a relatively new industry just 20 years ago and the impact of converting forests to oil palm plantations was not very well known.

As companies expanded in Indonesia and Malaysia, we started to see some of the impact and realities in higher rates of deforestation.

That is a combination of the timber industry rising and plateauing, and the palm oil industry on the upswing.

In those countries, over 80per cent, almost 85per cent, of the carbon emissions comes from deforestation and land use conversion... not urban development, not coal-fired power plants... It is keeping forests or turning them into something else.

What has the initiative achieved in the three years since the pact was signed?

There are a number of examples. One of them is that the Sabah state government has implemented a no-logging policy on more than 200,000ha of land.

This area has the highest density of orang utan in Malaysia.

They have also removed proposals to have more oil palm plantations.

There are real conservation outcomes - about 5,000 to 6,000 orang utan live in this part of Sabah, and they have a safe home.

And a one-million-ha forest corridor that will connect the four main national parks in Borneo is being planned, allowing species to roam around.

How did you get Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei to put aside their differences and cooperate?

In that long negotiating process, they agreed that they all shared the island. Borneo is still draped in these wonderful tropical rainforests, and there is a lot of pride in that.

But it is not just about forests. It is about the other things that come along with having a healthy forest ecosystem. One example is fresh water.

All the major cities, all the economic developments in the lowlands are completely dependent on water that comes from the highest parts of Borneo. And some watersheds are transboundary, so there is an interdependency.

In 2006, Brunei Shell - which runs the oil and gas refineries along the Brunei coast - came to the conclusion that if it were to lose the upstream fresh-water sources that it had not valued economically, in no more than 48 hours, the industrial energy and natural gas plants would be shut down.

Then all of a sudden you had a business voice on the table.

What challenges remain?

They are related to economic development. For instance, the Sarawak government started a statewide renewable energy drive to generate hydroelectric power and maybe export electricity, but that will affect watersheds.

So we have to ensure that the commitments around the Heart of Borneo are really embedded in these economic growth decisions.

What does the initiative mean for Singapore?

The Heart of Borneo is part of the regional heritage and Singaporeans can take pride that this is one of the few places in the world where you get orang utan, pygmy elephants and rhinoceroses living together.

In Singapore, citizens have a voice and they have a choice.

Palm oil is in almost every choice - food, cosmetics and so on. Being aware of good choices is a really big step.

There are very strong Singaporean business links to palm oil - such as holding, parent or investment companies - and there are very strong linkages to a lot of big industrial sectors.

We have been trying to engage them in a regional context.

But it is slow work. Agricultural product suppliers Olam and Wilmar or Asia Pulp and Paper have a lot of different business interests.

Part of it is figuring out what is in their best interests and where the liabilities and risks are.

(We are trying to) bring together a kind of green business network that would cut across the different sectors.

What do you think you can do to support the movement of 'Save the Forest'? You can post your thoughts under comments.