Bid to save Borneo’s rhinos

Reforestation will reconnect areas of rainforest - enabling larger mammals movement again

November 2010: A long-term reforestation project to help save Borneo's wildlife has been agreed in Sabah. Borneo's unique wildlife, including endangered species such as the Sabah rhino, the clouded leopard and the orang utan, is threatened by deforestation and habitat fragmentation. The project is focussing on restoring and reconnecting degraded and fragmented forest land.

The Sabah Forestry Department is working with the Rhino and Forest Fund (RFF), a German-based NGO. Sabah officials say they will now ensure that the reserve and the restored areas will remain protected, excluding any conversion or logging in the future.


The core area of Tabin remains still untouched and represents one of the oldest and most diverse rainforests in the world. But the reserve is surrounded by oil palm plantations, restricting movements of large mammals. The restoration project of the Rhino and Forest Fund will increase habitat and reconnect patches of rainforest, enabling the movements and breeding of isolated populations, such as the pygmy elephant and the Sabah rhino.

Datuk Sam Mannan, Director of the Sabah Forestry Department said: ‘Forests are important for Sabah's climate and its rich biodiversity. They provide fundamental services to human well beings and therefore need to be protected and restored.'

Dr Petra Kretzschmar, co-founder of RFF, stated: ‘We see the charismatic Sabah rhino as a flagship species for the diverse lowland rainforest in Sabah. The signing is a major breakthrough to effectively combine the protection of endangered species like the rhino and the restoration of their natural habitat.'

The restoration work will start in early next year and will be expanded as time goes on.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sabah-rhino.html