Borneo and Sumatra

WWF helps communities find a voice through photography.

Discover five achievements from the Heart of Borneo.

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Read the story about a baby orangutan rescued on the island of Borneo.

Extraordinary snapshots of five of the seven wild cat species are a reminder of what could be lost to deforestation.

A team of researchers led by WWF found that after two rounds of conventional logging, forests can lose up to 80 percent of their timber value and a quarter of their biodiversity.

A declaration to protect Sumatra’s forests was endorsed by the governors of eight Sumatran provinces.

Nearly 750,000 acres of forest have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council in Malaysia.

Leaders from 30 countries met at the Brazzaville Tropical Forest Summit to find shared solutions to save their forests and support the fight against the devastating consequences of climate change.

Camera traps recorded an astounding 12 tigers in just two months in the central Sumatran landscape.

Business and political leaders met for the Business 4 Environment Global Summit, uniting around a goal to stop the forest loss that affects much of the world’s valuable and threatened forests.

A suspected tiger smuggler was arrested with the skin of an adult male tiger.

Rare footage of two Javan rhinos and two of their calves was captured on video recently.

A new investigation by WWF and other groups reveals that one of the world’s largest paper suppliers is still cutting down the rainforest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra – even though the company claims to have stopped doing so. The forest being cleared is vital to the survival of tigers and other endangered species. You can voice your opposition to this by making more responsible choices about the paper you buy.

A video camera trap installed by WWF and partners has captured footage linking the destruction of a crucial Sumatran tiger forest to the expansion of palm oil plantations in Indonesia’s Riau Province.

Almost 60,000 new trees are going to reforest critical tiger habitat on the Indonesian island of Sumatra as a result of global connection made on Forest Friends, an initiative that brings together young adults from Indonesia and Germany.

Marking the amended Lacey Act’s two-year anniversary, Senator Ron Wyden and Congressman Earl Blumenauer today praised the landmark legislation for protecting the environment, leveling the playing field for honest businesses and halting the egregious practice of illegal logging. The celebratory event, jointly hosted by WWF and the Environmental Investigative Agency (EIA), gathered a diverse group of experts from industry, government and the environmental community to share early successes, lessons learned and anticipated benefits of the Lacey Act.

Scientists have discovered more than 123 new species in the Heart of Borneo area during the past 3 years – an average of more than 3 new species per month. These finds include the world’s longest known stick insect, a flame-colored snake and a color-changing frog. In total, 67 plants, 29 invertebrates, 17 fish, five frogs, three snakes and two lizards and a brand new species of bird have been discovered.

Images of the near-extinct Sumatran rhino were recently captured by WWF-Malaysia and the Sabah Wildlife Department’s camera traps. Experts believe that this rhino is pregnant, giving hope for the species and adding urgency to the enforcement of anti-poaching laws in the region’s forest and wildlife reserves.

Video cameras installed in the Sumatran jungle have captured close-up footage of a tiger and two cubs, the first time that WWF has recorded evidence of tiger breeding in central Sumatra in what should be prime tiger habitat. The images have led to renewed calls for stronger measures against poaching and the rapid deforestation of tiger landscapes on the Indonesian island. 

China received praise here today from the International Tiger Coalition (ITC) for promising to work with its neighbors to end tiger trade and bring back wild tigers.

Among many foreign visitors to Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN), Pelalawan district, Riau, the presence of US Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron R. Hume brings its own impression to the Head of TNTN, Suprahman Hayani.

A massive logging operation planned by one of the world’s largest paper companies would destroy the forest home of 100 great apes that are part of the only successful reintroduction program for Sumatran orangutans.

Many violent incidents between people and tigers in Sumatra’s Riau Province in the past 12 years have occurred near forested areas being cleared by paper giant Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and associated companies, under the umbrella of its holding group, Sinar Mas Group (SMG), according to an analysis of human-tiger conflict data.

The Indonesian government and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today announced a bold commitment to protect the remaining forests and critical ecosystems of Sumatra, an Indonesian island that holds some of the world’s most diverse – and endangered – forests. The historic agreement represents the first-ever island-wide commitment to protect Sumatra’s stunning biodiversity.

Office-supplies giant Staples Inc. has ended their relationship with Asia Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd. (APP). Staples sourced over 9 percent of its total paper supply from APP, and is the latest of large paper sellers worldwide, including Office Depot Inc., to stop buying from this paper company because of its poor environmental practices. WWF, along with businesses and many other conservation organizations, believe that APP is destroying natural rainforest and contributing heavily to climate change in order to feed its mills.