Greening ASEAN to boost Borneo rainforest project

Jan 13, 2007, 12:10 GMT

Cebu, Philippines - Environmental concerns took centre stage at the 12th Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders' Summit, as three member countries vowed to intensify cooperation to save the region's last remaining rainforest.

The governments of Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to work closely in supporting a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) project aimed at saving the rainforest of Borneo.

The project, dubbed Heart of Borneo programme, covers 220,000 square kilometres of rainforest straddling territories from the three ASEAN countries.

'We will ensure an effective management, development and conservation of the areas, which they will designate as the Heart of Borneo,' the leaders of the three countries said in a statement issued on the eve of the summit in the central Philippine province of Cebu.

The project, launched in March 2006, would establish a network of protected areas, productive rainforests and other land uses across the borders of Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Borneo rainforest is considered one of the most important centres of biological diversity in the world and is believed to be home to still undiscovered wildlife species.

Recent scientific studies in the area led to the discovery of at least 30 unique fish species, including one that is so tiny it ranks as the second smallest vertebrate on earth.

WWF notes that the area is one of only two places on earth where rhinos, elephants and orangutans co-exist.

Since 1996, logging, forest fires and forest conversion for plantations across Indonesia have increased deforestation to an average of two million hectares per year, slicing in half Borneo's original rainforest cover.

'WWF considers the Heart of Borneo to be one of the planet's top global conservation priorities,' WWF International's Director General James Leape said.

'It is hugely important to maintain a large enough area of Borneo's forests for the survival of the natural ecosystems and the people that depend on them,' he added. 'This is critical for sustainable development.'

Leape said with the commitment of the governments of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, WWF was confident the Borneo rainforests would be 'effectively protected' by 2010.

The Heart of Borneo programme is also considered a flagship programme of the East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), a special sub- regional economic zone made up of the territories of Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

'We believe that successful conservation and preservation of the Borneo rainforest would be a great boost in our efforts to attract move investments for BIMP-EAGA,' said Jesus Dureza, a Philippine presidential adviser.

Dureza added that the endorsement of the Heart of Borneo programme by BIMP-EAGA members underscores the importance given by ASEAN to the environment.

ASEAN leaders also agreed to fully support the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, which was recently set up in the Philippines to promote biodiversity and conservation in the entire region.

The leaders also vowed to address the nagging problem of haze pollution and other environmental issues that plague member countries.