Written by Communications, MPOCC

Borneo is the world’s third largest island. Despite only making up 1% of the world’s land, its tropical forests hold around 6% of the universal biodiversity. The main part of the island is called the Heart of Borneo, and it is one of the largest transboundary rainforests remaining in the world.[1] Flora and fauna in the Heart of Borneo ranges from a wide variety of plants, primates, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.[1]

The Heart of Borneo extends into three countries, which are Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei Darussalam.[1] Not only is it a place full of biodiversity, but it is also a home to at least 11 million Borneons.[1]

Heart of Borneo (HoB) Initiative is a transboundary cooperation that was done willingly by the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.[2] This cooperation allows environmental protection and preservation while simultaneously upgrading the sustainable development that helps improve the well-being of the island’s residents.[2]

The official launching of the cooperation took place in Brazil back in March 2006, while the Declaration was issued in February 2007.[2] The three countries share one vision through the cooperation, which is to look after the peoples’ welfare by ensuring that the forest’s resources are managed effectively while preserving areas that are protected.[2]

A huge responsibility settles on the three countries involved in the transboundary cooperation, and Malaysia does not shy away from it as the government puts efforts into preserving and improving the Heart of Borneo. The area of the transboundary rainforest in Malaysia has been extended to 6.6 million hectares from its initial 6 million hectares.[2, 3, 4] The initiation to expand the area of HoB proves the government’s dedication in protecting the rainforests. Instead of using the land for agricultural or industrial purposes, the Malaysian government decided to go with adding more land for conservation.

**PRINCIPLE 5 OF THE REVISED MSPO STANDARDS MS2530:2022 - ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES, BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEMS SERVICES**

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To strengthen the protection of HoB forests, all palm oil industries must be certified through the Malaysia Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Certification Scheme by 2019. This is to ensure that the resources in the forests of the Heart of Borneo are handled sustainably. With sustainable palm oil made mandatory for palm oil industries, smallholders and palm oil plantations, these entities must comply with the rules that come with the MSPO Certification Scheme.

The new planting establishment under MSPO states that there should be no conversion of natural forests, protected areas, and areas marked as High Conservation Value (HCV) starting from 31st December 2019. Therefore, conversions towards protected areas and forests are prohibited.

Time passes in a blink of an eye, and more than half of Borneo’s forests have already faded away, with one third of those forests disappearing within the last thirty years. Malaysians should not rely solely on the government to act on this issue but also play their part as an individual to protect Malaysia’s forests.

Prohibited activities that put forests at risk, such as illegal logging and deforestation, should be avoided. The Malaysian government has done several measures to preserve the Heart of Borneo by setting up rules and regulations, thus abiding by them serves as a contribution to protecting those forests.