BORNEO - Reforestation

Reforestation and conservation on the Kinabatangan River, in one of the most consequential projects of my life.

LOCATION: KINABATANGAN RIVER, SABAH, BORNEO, MALAYSIA

FOCUS:  REFORESTATION OF A WILDLIFE CORRIDOR AND PALM PLANTATION RECLAMATION

LOCAL PARTNERS: HUTAN, APE MALAYSIA

TOTAL DONATED:  $100,000+ 

VOLUNTEER/CHARITY SUMMARY: 

I first went to Borneo back in 2024, just to educate myself on the issues and see a bit of wildlife while exploring Sabah.

As luck (or fate) would have it, Mus, my boat guide on the Kinabatangan River worked for a reforestation group, and took me to one of their planting sites. He asked if I wanted to plant a tree, and the answer was an absolute yes!!

I planted my little red fig next to an old palm plantation that was surrounded by fences and ditches, and quite an eyesore on the bank of this beautiful river.

As I began looking around, I realized that this plantation was creating a complete bottleneck between two massive protected forests. There was the river in front of it, and 1,000's of acres of palm plantations behind it, and this one 14 acre plantation acting as in impenetrable wall. This now illegal 14 acre plantation was the only thing between these reserves, and I got curious.

I'm a huge fan of wildlife corridors, so I asked Mus if he thought I could buy it and reopen the corridor, and he said he wasn't sure, but we could try to do something - if I really wanted to.

I emailed the head of his organization, committing to him that if they could get the courts to evict the illegal squatter, that I'd cover the costs to reconnect the corridor and reforest the entire thing.

They went to work, and the rest is history, and here I am back on the Kinabatangan watching this dream come true. This project has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and is best explained by the following videos: