BORNEO IN 3D ACTION MOVIE!

SO WHAT IS THIS BORNEO 3D PROJECT ALL ABOUT? READ ON!

Borneo is the 3rd largest island in the world,
belonging to Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

BORNEO is the third largest island in the world and one ofthe most biodiverse places on earth. In Borneo we can find the larges speciesof flower, orchid, moth and carnivorous plant, as well as the smallest speciesof elephant and rhinoceros.

The island is located in South East Asia and belongs in itsmajority to Indonesia, but around 30% is part of Malaysia and Brunei. Despitethe wonderful natural riches of the island, its tropical rainforests are disappearingat an alarming rate because of uncontrolled logging and the inefficient conventionalconservation models. The orangutan, which has become Borneo’s trademark,together with thousands of other species, is endangered due to human causes.These include habitat destruction, and illegal poaching and trade.

Asia's last great rainforest (shutterstock.com)

Indonesia produces around 90% of the world’s oil palmconsumption, and thousands and thousands of hectares of oil palm monocultureshave been replacing virgin tropical forests to satisfy demand for thislucrative oil, used all over the world in the production of cosmetics,biofuels, and processed food (you most likely consume palm oil from Indonesiaand Malaysia every single day, without realizing it) Deforestation, togetherwith drought and forest fires, has created a biological desert and madeIndonesia the THIRD largest greenhouse gas emitter (this is crazy if you thinkthat the second and first place go to China and the US, both highlyindustrialized countries).

The legal, economic and political framework for halting thisdestruction is lacking, and the enforcement of current policies and regulationsproblematic. Designating large areas as natural reserves has proven to be inefficientdue to the corruption, the lack of funding, and the lack of support from localcommunities that have no economic incentive to conserve their forests. Newinitiatives, such as the ones proposed by Willie Smits, bring hope to the island’sbiodiversity. In 2002, a reforestation project was started in East Kalimantan(the Indonesian side of Borneo) with two very important characteristics:

Baby orangutans getting a ride in a wheelbarrow at
the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, largest
organization in the world for the protection of Bornean
endangered orangutans

1)    1) The local communities were involved andintegrated in the project, every step of the way, and local managementtechniques were incorporated into the new management strategy. This is just thebeginning of making local communities give value to the forests, first bylooking at the economic value and later at the other ecosystem services.

2)   2) Agroforestry was undertaken. By plantingfire-resistant sugar palms and fruit trees together with the native trees. Thesugar palms and fruit trees were able to be harvested as the trees weregrowing, thus they provided a stable income source for the inhabitants of the communitythroughout the duration of the reforestation process.

This conservation method was very effective and clear positive results were observed: between 2002 and 2006, jobs to support 650 families were created; hundreds of species of animals that had disappeared when the trees were gone came back; precipitation increased, and so did cloud cover. Poverty in the region dropped significantly, and school rankings went way up.

Check out Willie Smits TED talk about this conservation approach.

Bornean clouded leopard in Borneo and Sumatra,
'new' species announced in 2007

The international competition I’m currently participating inis an exciting opportunity for youth from all over the world to be activelyinvolved in the conservation of the forests. The ten selected project leaderswill go to Borneo to West Kalimantan to continue Dr. Smits’ work in reforestingthe island and bringing back biodiversity. They will be there for five monthsto film an incredible 3D nature documentary about deforestation and orangutans,and they will be communicating with the rest of the world though videos, picturesand blogs how the project is coming along and how the issues that theyencounter are resolved – a true action agent story! The things that the teamwill do include orangutan rescue (and the participation in the project ofbuilding one of the largest orangutan sanctuaries in the WORLD!) andreforestation activities, everything with the support of local communities. Thedocumentary will reach out to people from across the globe, and will be directedby Cathy Henkel (The Burning Season- a must watch to understand the fires in Indonesia!) and filmed by Don Alpine (Wolverine,Moulin Rouge).

Pretty cool stuff! Other Action Agents besides the 10project leaders will be involved in this great initiative and they will somehowparticipate in the project, which is really exciting because more people will stillbe part of this. This Borneo 3D Project is done in collaboration withTakingITGlobal, a global online community where youth from over 200 countriesengage and discuss about social issues. Create an account today and startparticipating in the dialogue! You can create really cool profiles, uploadartwork to participate in contests (or just so other people get a chance toappreciate it!), and connect your account with Twitter, Facebook and YouTube toshare your interests related to global issues with other like-minded people! 

DeforestACTION is this initiative that supports conservationthrough the engagement of youth in the decisions made about forests. There are many components to the project, including the Dome Tree and the rebuilding of a rainforest in Borneo (for this last one, students 'buy' land and protect it from deforestation for 100 years. This patch of land can be viewed online and its progress recorded with high definition cameras!) Find more about it HERE. It’s growing in popularity and the conservationmessage is spreading, which is also very very exciting! I swear you'll be inspired the second you start reading all about this and exploring the TIG website.

In Subotica, Serbia, building a reed fence for the Visitor
Centre at the Biological Research Station

Some things I’ve done in the past related to conservationand the environment:

-      I’m currently following my passion studyingNatural Resources Conservation! I’ve taken courses in silviculture, ecology,hydrology, GIS, statistics…all things that I believe would be great for theteam. In the Institute of Biology and ChemistryFaculty in the Mexican National University, I assisted a PhD student with her thesis’fieldwork and lab work on Bursera species, and Masters students with labanalysis of water pollutants. In high school I volunteered at the University’sBotanical Gardens on week-ends helping out with tours and public outreach, and one of the research projects I worked on the last year of high school was on the effects of orientation on insect herbivory within a plant. I also volunteered at the Biological ResearchStations of the Mexican National University in Chamela, Jalisco, and LosTuxtlas, Veracruz, were I helped in various research projects, including projects abouthowler monkeys and forest fragmentation.  After graduation I went to Serbia to work on an environmental projectrelated to the removal of invasive vegetation from the shores of Ludas Lake andthe surrounding forests, and  I spent this past summer working in Vancouver Island doing silviculture work (this was very physically challenging! After this, no slope will be to steep and no ground will be slashy enough to stop me). I love getting involved in things that expand my horizons and really make me challenge my views and make me aware of new concepts and ideas. I like to make the most out of every experience I have, and take advantage of every opportunity.

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I’m passionate, adventurous, lovebeing around animals and around people, have a passion for the environment, andlove love love LOVE communicating my experiences!

<--- Check out this movie that just came out to learn more about elephants and orangutans: Born to be Wild. Parts of it are set in Borneo, as the movie is mostly focused on the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation!