Brunei has kept its pledge from the 2007 Heart of Borneo Declaration with Indonesia and Malaysia: roughly 72% forest cover and one of Southeast Asia's lowest deforestation rates (~0.5%/yr, 2005-2010), anchored by the 50,000 ha Ulu Temburong National Park.
72.1 % of land area
Brunei forest cover (2020)
409,861 hectares
Brunei's Heart of Borneo landscape area
0.5 %/year
Annual deforestation rate (2005–2010)
Details
Maturity
Established
Promoter
Brunei Heart of Borneo National Council / Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, with WWF Heart of Borneo Initiative
Period
2007–present
Keywords
forestry, biodiversity conservation, transboundary conservation, protected areas
Context
In February 2007, Brunei joined Indonesia and Malaysia in the Heart of Borneo Declaration, committing to conserve a shared 220,000 km² rainforest landscape; Brunei's portion covers about 409,861 hectares.
Results
Brunei's contribution rests on a strong conservation baseline — 72.1% forest cover in 2020 and one of Southeast Asia's lowest deforestation rates (about 0.5% a year, 2005–2010) — but headline restoration results often cited for the wider initiative (FSC-certified forest, a cancelled oil-palm concession) apply to Malaysian Sabah, not Brunei; no Brunei-specific restoration or monitoring data was found.
Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Brunei government (Heart of Borneo trinational secretariat)
Conditions for success
Low extraction pressure due to a hydrocarbon-based economy rather than logging or plantation agriculture
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Claim it —
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Data sources
Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.
National voluntary programme where private and communal landowners receive rates exemptions and technical support in exchange for conservation commitments; has …