Function of Tropical Rainforests
Tropical Rainforest provides homes for diverse living creatures big and small. This biological diversity provides opportunities to human society for sustainable development. UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, UNESCO, clearly stated that biodiversity is the basis and the indicator for sustainable development. This means that if we lose biodiversity, there is no chance for sustainability on Earth.

The ecosystems of Borneo provide habitat for thousands of plants and animals but they also serve an essential global climate control function

Nature's Most Effective Carbon Sinks
One hectare of Tropical Rainforest can remove 400 MT of carbon the air in 40 years. This removal rate is twice what it is in temperate regions. These natural carbon sinks contribute significantly to the stability of global climate. If we lose this long term function, climate change will be accelerated and the effects of global warming will be swiftly dealt.

Tropical Rainforests, like those of Borneo, contain numerous varieties of plant species and can absorb three quarters of annual rainfall. These “natural dams” buffer surface runoff into river, lakes, wetlands and seas. Uncontrolled logging and development have stripped these natural barriers and caused numerous, frequent floods unlike any we’ve ever seen before. Meanwhile, rapid surface water runoff causes soil erosion and water shortages since the water kept in by the Tropical Rainforest is no longer there.

Therefore, the loss of Tropical Rainforest is not only an issue for people like us who live there, but an issue to be tackled by global partnership.

Oil palm and rubber plantations are taking over vast expanses of living forest

Tropical Rainforest Rapidly Decreasing
Borneo Island was once occupied by a lush climax of tropical forests stretching from river to mountain ranges that provided important habitats for unique wildlife and Earth’s greatest biological diversity. Borneo accounts for 20% of the world’s Tropical Rainforests and in recent years, these thriving ecosystems have been decreasing rapidly due to large demand for timber and expansion of Oil Palm Plantations. In the 1970s, forest coverage in the State of Sabah, Borneo, was at 86%. In 2005, it was less than 60%. It is said that only 5 – 10% of the original pristine forests remain there today. Between 1994 and 2004, over 100,000 hectares were developed annually into oil palm plantations in Sabah and Sarawak, of East Malaysia alone.

What Would Happen if the Tropical Rainforests Disappeared?
Thousands of wild plant and animal species would disappear from our mother planet Earth. Tropical Rainforests are so dense that even strong tropical sunlight cannot reach the ground. This makes these forests incubators of life. Plants like lichens, ferns, orchids and orchids thrive along with insects and a myriad of animals. These diverse living creatures are key for the highest biological reproduction and stability of ecosystems in the tropical rain forest.

Forest Fragmentation - About Borneo - Flora & Fauna