The Rungan River Peat Swamp Forest is a vast mosaic of threatened peat swamp and lowland rainforest in southern Borneo. Fruit-rich peat swamps support very high densities of Bornean Orangutans. The area also supports substantial populations of other imperiled endemic species such as the Endangered Bornean White-bearded Gibbon and Proboscis Monkey as well as the rare Flat-headed Cat and the bizarre Otter Civet.

The Rungan River landscape is one of the largest regions of lowland forest in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) that is currently unprotected and at grave risk of destruction. In addition, Rungan is at risk from conversion to oil palm and acacia plantations, so immediate action is required to protect this key area. Rainforest Trust and local partner Borneo Nature Foundation seek $778,686 to permanently overturn logging concessions and designate 385,000 acres as a permanent protected area.

The Kalimantan lowlands of southern Borneo have been extensively cleared during the past quarter-century, primarily to expand plantation agriculture for palm oil and wood-pulp and through massive forest fires in drained peat swamp forests.

These landscape changes have led to serious pressure on lowland habitats and associated species. This includes the Bornean Orangutan, which is forecasted to suffer a population decrease of 86 percent over three generations as a result of this conversion. Less than 25 percent of the orangutan’s current range is protected and over half is slated for conversion to agriculture.

Rainforest Trust seeks $778,686 to support our partner’s efforts to protect 385,000 acres of lowland rainforest and permanently overturn logging concessions.

Nearly all protected areas in the Central Kalimantan lowlands are in peat swamp habitat. This habitat is important, carbon-rich and under serious threat from annual forest fires, exacerbated by drainage, encroachment and climate change. Protecting more non-swamp (dryland) rainforest habitat is essential to ensure both that a range of habitats are protected and to avoid placing all conservation hopes on peatland protection. Despite this, there are no major protected areas in either the lowland dryland rainforest habitat-types (e.g., nutrient-poor kerangas forest) that occur between the northern coastal peatlands or the southern mountain chain, such as by the Rungan River landscape. Our local partner is still exploring different options for protected area designation in the region, but all approaches under consideration will be community-managed.