Rapid deforestation and illegal hunting are pushing the Critically Endangered Bornean Orangutan to the brink of extinction.
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Species at Risk
Bornean Orangutan (CR), Bornean Banded Langur (CR), Helmeted Hornbill (CR)
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Carbon stored
44,971,128 mT *
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Yayasan Sangga Bumi Lestari
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179,000 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
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Project Cost: $1,200,523
179,000
Rapid deforestation and illegal hunting are pushing the Critically Endangered Bornean Orangutan to the brink of extinction.
-
Species at Risk
Bornean Orangutan (CR), Bornean Banded Langur (CR), Helmeted Hornbill (CR)
-
Carbon stored
44,971,128 mT *
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Yayasan Sangga Bumi Lestari
-
179,000 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
-
Project Cost: £952,800
179,000
Indonesia’s disappearing rainforests are the final stand for the Critically Endangered Bornean Orangutan and other struggling species. Asia’s only great ape faces a grim 82% decline in its global population by 2025 as expanding agriculture wipes out prime habitat and illegal hunting further decimates its remaining populations.
The ancient rainforest region comprising the Labian-Leboyan Corridor harbors lush ecosystems, winding rivers and essential habitat for the at-risk Orangutan populations remaining there. But with escalating deforestation threats, we must move swiftly to save the intact forests and protect exceptional biodiversity within this landscape before it is lost forever.
Your donation will help Rainforest Trust and our local partner Yayasan Sangga Bumi Lestari support the designation of 179,000 acres of Customary Forests. This designation by the Indonesian government formally recognizes ownership and rights of Indigenous Peoples to manage and shield ancestral lands against commercial-scale logging, mining, illegal hunting and other threats endangering vulnerable wildlife like the Bornean Orangutan.
Explore vital habitat in the Labian-Laboyan corridor
Borneo Orangutan (CR)
Helmeted Hornbill, by Red Ivory
Landscape of project area, courtesy of Yayasan Sangga Bumi Lestari
Bornean Orangutans face
global population decline by 2025 if habitat destruction and illegal hunting continue.
Safeguard Old-Growth Forests And Rare Bornean Species
Protecting the Bornean Orangutan’s vital habitat in the Labian-Laboyan corridor has been an ongoing priority for years. Surveys from 2023 show steep population declines—with just 202 individuals in the adjacent Danau Sentarum National Park to the south and a further 71 within the southern corridor. This project is essential to connecting habitat as populations plunge. The corridor shelters other rapidly vanishing species like the Bornean Banded Langur, once common across Borneo but whose numbers are now critically low at 200-500 individuals. Bearded Pigs and Helmeted Hornbills, likewise, struggle to survive after extensive habitat loss and overhunting.
Support Indigenous Guardianship Of Rainforests
The daily lives of local Indigenous Peoples are guided by their customary practices and spiritual beliefs, which prevent them from hunting orangutans. It is well documented that Indigenous People’s cultural traditions and sustainable livelihoods protect the forests and waters of their territories, benefiting the abundant biodiversity within. This project ensures that their rights to own and manage their customary forests in the Labian-Leboyan corridor will benefit people, species and the planet for generations to come.
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Conservation work is critical, challenging, and can be costly. We work hard to ensure we raise only the funds needed for each project. In the rare case we raise more money than needed or a project comes in under budget, excess monies will be transferred to the Conservation Action Fund. This fund supports our important conservation work throughout the tropics.
Project Modifications
Rainforest Trust conducts extensive research and due diligence on each of the projects that we support, so that once a project is offered for public support we believe it will succeed. We work closely with our project implementers, offer support, and regularly monitor their progress. Given the nature of the work, projects may not progress exactly as intended and may be unable to meet all objectives. To respond dynamically to the needs of our project implementers and the realities of the landscapes in which they operate, Rainforest Trust expressly reserves the right to modify a project as it deems necessary, provided that donor intent is honored by ensuring that that the original project objectives are diligently pursued and that project funds continue to benefit the landscape and species identified in the project overview. Project modifications that we may need to make in certain circumstances include the specific project implementer, the size of the landscape to be protected, the type of protection to be afforded to the landscape, and the development of sustainability mechanisms.
Partnering to Save Rainforest
Our partners’ ability to work with their governments and build strong connections with local communities ensures the successful implementation of our projects.
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