…because every tree counts

Our world depends on forests for our survival, from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Forests provide habitats for plants and animals and protect our water supplies. Too many forests have been stripped bare of their resources.

Leading the way in sustainable forestry

The Borneo Initiative restores degraded forests so they can regain their value. Through sustainable forestry, we are preserving the environment while enabling forest communities to earn a decent living.

  • Forests

    4 million hectares managed
  • People

    300,000 people earn a living
  • Nature

    orangutan
    can thrive on 600,000 hectares

Our 10 year plan

Since 2008, the Borneo Initiative has supported sustainable forestry in Indonesia. While we are proud of our achievements, much more needs to be done. Together with our partners, we will continue to support sustainable forestry. Our 10-year goals include managing a total of 12 million hectares of natural forests and restoring 4 million hectares of degraded forests throughout Indonesia. This will directly benefit over 2 million people in rural communities.

rollover orange dots to see our progress
Borneo West Papua Papua 35- Wijaya Sentosa 33- Bintuni Utama Murni Wood Industries 32- Multi Wahana Wijaya 31- Gema Hutani Lestari 34- Hanurata Papua Barat 40- Jati Dharma Indah Plywood 37- Wapoga Mutiara Timber Unit II 36- Bina Balantak Utama 30- Telaga Bhakti Persada 28- Gorontalo Citra Lestari 29- Gema Nusantara Jaya 25- Indexim Utama 22- Upper Seruyan Landscape 21- Gunung Gajah Abadi 20- Utama Damai Indah Timber 19- Dwimajaya Utama 23- Suka Jaya Makmur 18- Graha Sentosa Permai 17- Carus Indonesia 15- Ratah landscape 14- Sumalindo Lestari Jaya V 13- Inhutani I Meraang 12- Roda Mas Timber 10- Sumalindo Lestari Jaya II 9- Belayan River Timber 8- Narkata Rimba 7- Karya Lestari 6- Wanabhakti Persada Utama 5- Aditya Kirana Mandiri 4- Sumalindo Lastari Jaya IV 3- Rizki Kacida Reana 2- Inhutani II Malinau 1- Inhutani II Semamu

1-Inhutani II SemamuInhutani II Semamu is a forest management unit in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certification in progress – over 71,000 ha.

2-Inhutani II MalinauInhutani II Malinau is a forest management unit in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certification in progress – over 29,000 ha.

3-Rizki Kacida ReanaRizki Kacida Reana is a forest management unit in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2018 – over 55,000 ha. Important tree species: Meranti, mixed hardwoods and fancy woods.

4-Sumalindo Lastari Jaya IVSumalindo Lastari Jaya IV is a forest management unit in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2017 – over 63,500 ha. Important tree species: Meranti, mixed species and fancy woods.

5-Aditya Kirana MandiriAditya Kirana Mandiri is a forest management unit in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certification in progress – over 42,500 ha.

6-Wanabhakti Persada UtamaWanabhakti Persada Utama is a forest management unit in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certification in progress – over 44,000 ha.

Karya Lestari

7-Karya LestariKarya Lestari is a forest management unit in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2018 – over 49,000 ha. Important tree species: Meranti and mixed species. Important orangutan habitat.

Narkata Rimba

8-Narkata RimbaNarkata Rimba is a forest management unit in East Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2011 – over 41,500 ha. Important tree species: Meranti, Kapur, Keruing and mixed hardwoods. Important orangutan habitat.

Belayan River Timber

9-Belayan River TimberBelayan River Timber is a forest management unit in E Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2012 – 97,500 ha. Important tree species: Meranti, mixed hardwoods and fancy woods. Important orangutan habitat.

10-Sumalindo Lestari Jaya IIAt 267,500 ha, Sumalindo Lestari Jaya II is one of the largest forest management units in E. Kalimantan. Around 50% of forest that will remain untouched. FSC Certification in progress.

Roda Mas Timber

12-Roda Mas TimberRoda Mas Timber is a forest management unit in the Upper Mahakam area in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2012 – over 69,500 ha. Communities have settled here. The company is developing social and economic development programs to support these communities.

13-Inhutani I MeraangInhutani I Meraang is a forest management unit in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certification in progress – over 70,500 ha.

14-Sumalindo Lestari Jaya VSumalindo Lestari Jaya V is a forest management unit in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certification in progress – over 61,500 ha. Large parts of land are shared with communities. Plans underway for joint management.

Ratah landscape

15-Ratah landscapeThe endangered Sumatran Rhinoceros still roams here. Ratah Timber is a forest management unit (93,000 ha), which includes virgin jungle and traditional Dayak communities.

Ratah Timber, which was FSC Certified in 2013, was the first in Indonesia to obtain the additional Ecosystems Certification. Ratah Timber supports tree planting and agro-forestry development with neighboring communities. They work with WWF to protect the large forest areas.

17-Carus IndonesiaCarus Indonesia is a forest management unit. FSC Certified 2014 – over 72,000 ha. Important tree species: Red Meranti, Keruing, Bangkirai and the rare Ironwood. Important orangutan habitat in the Heart of Borneo. In center of what WWF considers the most important forest landscape of Kalimantan.

Graha Sentosa Permai

18-Graha Sentosa PermaiGraha Sentosa Permai is a forest management unit in Central Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2017 – almost 45,000 ha. Important orangutan habitat in the Heart of Borneo. In center of what WWF considers the most important forest landscape of Kalimantan.

Dwimajaya Utama

19-Dwimajaya UtamaDwimajaya Utama is a forest management unit of over 127.000 ha in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2012. Important orangutan habitat. Important orangutan habitat in the Heart of Borneo, in center of what WWF considers the most important forest landscape of Kalimantan.

20-Utama Damai Indah TimberUtama Damai Indah Timber is a forest management unit of over 49,000 ha in E. Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2017. Important tree species: Meranti, mixed species and fancy woods. Important orangutan habitat in the Heart of Borneo. In center of what WWF considers the most important forest landscape of Kalimantan.

21-Gunung Gajah AbadiGunung Gajah Abadi is a forest management unit in E. Kalimantan of almost 75,000 ha. FSC Certified 2015. An important orangutan habitat landscape under intense development pressure.

The Upper Seruyan landscape

22-The Upper Seruyan landscapeThe Upper Seruyan landscape consists of lowland forests. It’s an important link between the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park and the coastal lowlands. Sarmiento Parakantja Timber is a forest management unit of over 216,500 ha. They are implementing a local economic development program. Important orangutan habitat.

23-Suka Jaya MakmurSuka Jaya Makmur is a forest management unit in W. Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2011 – over 171,000 ha. One of the largest forest complexes with major oil palm development in the past 15 years. Last remaining link between lowland orangutan habitat and the forests of the Heart of Borneo.

25-Indexim UtamaIndexim Utama is a forest management unit in Central Kalimantan. FSC Certified 2013 – of over 50,500 ha. Important tree species of the forests are Meranti, Keruing, Bangkirai and Kapur.

28/29-Gorontalo Citra Lestari and Gema Nusantara JayaGorontalo Citra Lestari and Gema Nusantara Jaya are a combination of tree plantation concessions covering 74,000 ha. The concession holder is implementing economic development program with neighboring communities.

30-Telaga Bhakti PersadaTelaga Bhakti Persada is a forest management unit on Obi Island in North Maluku. FSC Certified 2016 – over 61,000 ha. Important tree species: Red and White Meranti, Resak and Matoa.

31-Gema Hutani LestariGema Hutani Lestari is a forest management unit in Gorontalo. FSC Certified 2014 – almost 148,500 ha. Important tree species: Red Meranti, Kapur, Keruing and mixed hardwoods.

32-Multi Wahana WijayaMulti Wahana Wijaya is a forest management unit in West Papua. FSC Certification in progress – 139,000 ha.

33-Bintuni Utama Murni Wood IndustriesBintuni Utama Murni Wood Industries is located in West Papua. FSC Certified 2015 – over 82,000 ha. This is the largest FSC Certified Mangrove Concession worldwide. The company implements extensive local economic development, including community level natural tannin production.

Hanurata Papua Barat

34-Hanurata Papua BaratHanurata Papua Barat is a forest management unit in West Papua. FSC Certification in progress. Covering an area of over 415,500 ha, it would easily become the largest concession ever FSC Certified in Indonesia.

Wijaya Sentosa

35-Wijaya SentosaWijaya Sentosa is a forest management unit in West Papua. FSC Certified 2016 – over 130,700 ha. Important tree species: Meranti, Merbau, mixed hardwoods and fancy woods.

36-Bina Balantak UtamaBina Balantak Utama is a forest management unit in Papua. FSC Certified 2016 – over 298,700 ha. Important tree species: Merbau, Matoa and Nyatoh.

37-Wapoga Mutiara Timber Unit IIWapoga Mutiara Timber Unit II is a forest management unit in Papua. FSC Certified 2016 – over 169,000 ha. Important tree species: Merbau, Meranti and mixed hardwoods.

40-Jati Dharma Indah PlywoodJati Dharma Indah Plywood is a forest management unit in Papua. FSC Certified 2017 – almost 139,500 ha. The company is likely to become a central part of a sustainable landscape management initiative for the district of Nabire in Papua Province. (A) North Kalimantan Province (B) West Papua Province (C) Papua Province Inventory of all forest areas inside the province, including carbon stock assessment, to calculate the potential for forest carbon revenue through forest restoration and reduced deforestation.

News

  • PRESS RELEASE: Joint Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative Starts in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

    The project is a joint initiative of Precious Forests Foundation, the Borneo Initiative and the Forest Stewardship Council. Zürich, Jakarta, Bonn, 20 April 2021 – A joint initiative based on community and organizational collaboration is set to restore over 7,000 ha of degraded forest land within a contiguous forest complex of over 600,000 ha in […]

    • The project is a joint initiative of Precious Forests Foundation, the Borneo Initiative and the Forest Stewardship Council.

    Zürich, Jakarta, Bonn, 20 April 2021 – A joint initiative based on community and organizational collaboration is set to restore over 7,000 ha of degraded forest land within a contiguous forest complex of over 600,000 ha in the Mahakam Ulu Landscape of East Kalimantan province. The area has about 70,000 residents, mostly Dayak Indigenous Peoples who have traditional land rights throughout the landscape. 

    The Challenge

    Substantial areas within the logging concessions in the landscape are degraded and risk full loss of forest cover and associated biodiversity. Forest restoration in these concessions has the potential to reverse this trend and contribute to climate change mitigation. However, limitations to this approach are numerous, including the cost for large-scale application or intermittent use of the restored areas for agriculture.

    Collaboration for restoration

    The Borneo Initiative, Forest Stewardship Council and supported by Precious Forests Foundation have come together to bring about an innovative approach with the aim of making a significant contribution to the future protection of the integrity of the forest and its biodiversity, as well as offering associated benefits for local communities.

    The project consists of a three-year program that will trial cost-effective restoration techniques combining tree planting and natural regeneration, with the aim of restoring productive capacity and associated natural carbon capture. Importantly, the project will ensure support for permanent community agroforestry and delivering secure land access to communities with traditional land rights in the concession for their livelihoods.

    The situation in the Mahakam Ulu landscape is typical for much of the forest areas of Indonesia and indeed in tropical forests worldwide. If successful, the restoration approach will have important scope for further use in Indonesia and elsewhere.

    The Outcomes

    The partners have identified a gross area of 11,000ha inside an FSC-certified forest management concession where the project activities will be carried out over a period of three years. The restoration area currently consists of degraded forest, shrub, and other degraded lands. Within that area, a restoration area of 7,000 ha and a further 2,200 ha for company-community partnerships have been earmarked as project area. The outcomes in the area will be as follows:

    • Development of well-established restoration tools that can be monitored and demonstrate the long-term, positive impacts of restoration actions.
    • Development of a methodology to quantify carbon capture resulting from forest restoration using the FSC ecosystem procedure.
    • Adoption of an innovative approach to ensure that Indigenous Peoples benefit from improved land access inside the concession through long-term agreements on land use and revenues from permanent agro-forestry systems that replace slash-and-burn practices.
    • Partnership with communities to secure land tenure for concession holder and reduce risk of conflicts.
    • Establishment of an international partnership to ensure quality of the research and create the basis for national and international outreach activities.

    THE BORNEO INITIATIVE supports the restoration of degraded forests so they can regain their values. Through sustainable forestry, The Borneo Initiative contributes to preserving the environment while enabling forest communities to earn a decent living.

    PRECIOUS FORESTS FOUNDATION (PFF) is dedicated to improv the sustainable use and valorisation of tropical forests thus contributing to the lasting preservation of their ecosystem services for both local communities and the planet as well as to the responsible, multiple use of their renewable wood and non-wood products.

    THE FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL is the pioneer of forest certification. With 25 years of experience in sustainable forest management it is widely regarded as the world’s most trusted forest certification system, bringing together experts from the environmental, economic, and social spheres.

    The Borneo Initiative – Peter de Haan; dehaan@theborneointiative.org

    Precious Forests Foundation – Jeanne Ehrensperger; ehrensperger@precious-forests.foundation

    Forest Stewardship Council – Gemma Boetekees; g.boetekees@fsc.org

  • FSC® National Forest Stewardship Standard for Indonesia.

    FSC® National Forest Stewardship Standard for Indonesia.

    The FSC® National Forest Stewardship Standard for Indonesia is approved and will be effective by 1 December 2020. This standard is applicable to all forest operations and forest types in Indonesia. It includes some non-timber-forest products as well, which are listed in the standard. (https://fsc.org/en/newsfeed/indonesian-national-standard-approved)

    The Borneo Initiative through its local affiliate, Yayasan Inisiatif Borneo Lestari, is working closely with FSC Indonesia representative and other partner organizations to organize the dissemination of this new standard to all forest management operations, smallholder operations and broader stakeholder in Indonesia. The events will take place in October 2020 and conducted according to strict Covid-19 protocol. The NFSS for Indonesia can be downloaded in: https://fsc.org/en/document-centre/documents/resource/456

  • Forest Inventory Papua.

    The Borneo Initiative is carrying out an inventory of all forest areas in Papua and West Papua Provinces. The study includes protected areas, community areas, areas leased out as concessions, non-allocated lands and mangrove coastal zones. The study includes a carbon stock assessment for the whole of Papua and West Papua provinces. The mapping for the study is carried out by partner Satelligence.

  • Social Survey Ratah Landscape.

    As part of our work in the Ratah Landscape (East Kalimantan), our partner Yaysan Puter has conducted a social survey between March and July 2020. The study found high interest from farm households in an agro-forestry model based on a combination of Cacao and Sengon trees (Albizia chinensis).

    Cacao is increasingly popular in the area but is grown without any shade. Introducing shading will maintain productivity of the cacao over a longer time and provide additional timber income for farm households. Plantation of Sengon trees will start in the coming planting season, between December and March.

You can make a difference

  • Buy rain forest friendly products

    The wood, in FSC certified products, was harvested according to sustainable forestry practices. When you buy an FSC product you support forests, people and nature.

  • Follow our school program

    This program teaches students about the importance of Indonesia’s tropical forests. Program is currently available in Dutch, English and Indonesian.

Jesse Kuijper, Founder and Executive Board TBI

“Our aim is to plant and protect one billion trees.”

Jesse Kuijper, Founder and Executive Board TBI