Borneo and Sumatra

WWF is working hard to save the last remaining strongholds of the rare Sumatran tiger.
© WWF-Canon/Mike Griffiths

WWF protects wildlife and habitats to create conditions in which human needs are met in a sustainable way. The demand for natural resources, such as timber and coffee, along with the expansion of oil palm plantations are jeopardizing this irreplaceable region. We are focused on four areas that are the most critical to ensure both the survival of the region’s natural treasures and the prosperity of its local communities.

Protecting the Heart of Borneo

Borneo’s forests are increasingly threatened by logging and expansion of oil palm plantations. WWF is protecting the Heart of Borneo—a pristine area of equatorial rain forests larger than Kansas. We work with the three governments that share the island—Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia—to implement a collaborative conservation plan. This will safeguard rare species and drive the use of sustainable business practices.

Borneo's rainforests are breathtakingly diverse.
© WWF-Canon/Alain Compost

Safeguarding Sumatra’s tigers, elephants, and rhinos

The pulp and paper industry, oil palm expansion and coffee cultivation are encroaching on the last remaining habitats for Sumatra’s rare tigers, rhinos and elephants. WWF collaborates with local communities, industry and governments to achieve a sustainable balance between nature and people. We are focused on alleviating human-wildlife conflict and improving the enforcement of poaching bans, while providing alternate income opportunities for local people.

WWF has trained "flying squads" in Tesso Nilo to reduce human-elephant conflict.
© WWF-Canon/WWF Indonesia

Elephant flying squads

As forest is cleared for agricultural use, wild elephants are forced to wander in search of food, making farms and plantations an irresistible temptation. On the outskirts of the Tesso Nilo forest, WWF has trained four elephants and eight people to form a "flying squad" that drives wild elephants away from farms and toward forests that can support them. In one village, crop damage from elephants has dropped from nearly $4,800 to $29 a month. Learn more about the elephant flying squads. 

Enabling responsible forestry

Approximately 80 percent of Indonesia’s timber production is illegally harvested. WWF provides practical tools to producers, manufacturers and traders who are committed to responsible forestry. We educate consumers and institutions worldwide about the power of their choices to stimulate a healthy market for responsibly sourced wood products. We work with partners to responsibly rebuild and restore communities to ensure that fish, wood, and other essential natural resources are available for generations to come. 

Bukit Barisan Selatan park is one of the last refuges of the rare Sumatran rhino.
© WWF-Canon/Gerald S. Cubitt

Practicing sustainable agriculture

Indonesia and Malaysia produce 85 percent of the world’s palm oil. WWF co-founded the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil in 2003. This group has already grown to include 150 businesses—including leading producers, retailers, traders, financiers and buyers. Together, we are bringing sustainable palm oil to the marketplace.

Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park

At 875,000 acres, it is Sumatra's third largest protected area and home to elephants, rhinos and tigers. Almost 30 percent of the park has been degraded due to illegal cultivation of the region's highly prized Robusta coffee, which produces nearly 20 tons of illegal coffee annually. This commodity is traded, bought, roasted and sold by some of the world's most recognized brands. WWF's work in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park focuses on strengthening the protection of this park and promoting sustainable livelihoods in surrounding communities. Read how the trade in illegally grown coffee is destroying rhino, tiger and elephant habitat. 

Learn more about the partnerships that make this work possible.