Skip to main content

News

Regrow Borneo

A reforestation program restoring forests in a way that will support wildlife and conservation, while improving livelihoods for local communities.

29/04/2021

Reforestation

Regrow Borneo is a reforestation program restoring forests in a way that will support wildlife and conservation as well as reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, while improving livelihoods for local communities.

The project plants trees in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Since the 1980s, three quarters of the area’s tropical rainforest has been lost to deforestation, largely from the expansion of oil palm plantations. This threatens many endangered species, including the Bornean orangutan, Bornean elephant, Sunda clouded leopard, Malayan sun bear, and contributes to climate change, while negatively effecting local communities.

Trees are grown, planted and maintained by local communities paid a fair wage. The project is also research led, it tracks the growth of the planted trees, their carbon sequestration rates, as well as the social, environmental, and economic impacts of forest restoration.

Average cost per tree = £2
Average cost per hectare = £5,000 = 2,500 trees

In December 2020, Orangutan Appeal UK was pleased to provide a grant of £5,000GBP to the Regrow Borneo project.

The project director, Professor Benoit Goosens, sent us this video, filmed in the Kinabatangan on one of the restoration plots to say thank for our support.

Explore more articles