Lowland Forest Loss in Protected Areas of Indonesian Borneo

TLDR

Bornean rainforests, whose ecology is driven by El Niño‑induced droughts that trigger synchronous fruiting and faunal reproduction, have been increasingly destroyed by logging and conversion, threatening even protected areas. The study argues that preserving Kalimantan’s rainforest ecological integrity requires immediate transnational management. Satellite, GIS, and field analyses reveal that from 1985 to 2001 protected lowland forests in Kalimantan declined by more than 56 % (>29,000 km²), with even uninhabited frontier parks logged, leading to isolation, deforestation, and buffer‑zone degradation.

Abstract

The ecology of Bornean rainforests is driven by El Niño-induced droughts that trigger synchronous fruiting among trees and bursts of faunal reproduction that sustain vertebrate populations. However, many of these species- and carbon-rich ecosystems have been destroyed by logging and conversion, which increasingly threaten protected areas. Our satellite, Geographic Information System, and field-based analyses show that from 1985 to 2001, Kalimantan's protected lowland forests declined by more than 56% (>29,000 square kilometers). Even uninhabited frontier parks are logged to supply international markets. "Protected" forests have become increasingly isolated and deforested and their buffer zones degraded. Preserving the ecological integrity of Kalimantan's rainforests requires immediate transnational management.