P1 SECTION B The Living World - BORNEO RAINFOREST

Question 1

BORNEO : BACKGROUND AND LOCATION

Answer 1

• Shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei
• 25% of the rain forest has been lost since the 1980s
• Deforestation rate of 1.3 million hectares per year
• Malaysia produces 85% of world’s palm oil

Question 2

BORNEO : COMMERCIAL FARMING (CAUSES)

Answer 2

• Exports 16 million tonnes of palm oil per year
• Malaysia world’s largest exporter
• Responsible for 40% of forest loss since 2000

Question 3

BORNEO : ENERGY (CAUSES)

Answer 3

• $2 billion project completed to create Sarawk Dam
  -> 230 square km of forest being cleared
• Generates hydroelectric energy

Question 4

BORNEO : LOGGING AND MINING (CAUSES)

Answer 4

• Large exporter of tropical hardwoods
• Malaysia mines a lot of tin: forest cleared for mines

Question 5

BORNEO : ENVIRONMENTAL (IMPACTS)

Answer 5

• Over 50 000 orangutans on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra dead due to plantations (extinct in 25 years)
• Deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia accounts more than 80% of CO2 emissions
  -> 15% of global emissions
• Pollution from mining affects water sources

Question 6

BORNEO : ECONOMIC (IMPACTS)

Answer 6

• Palm oil creates 2-3 million jobs
• Selling timber, mining and commercial farming makes money
  -> Supports growing populations
• Timber industry worth over $400 million
• Long term deforestation destroys resource communities need + decreases tourism

Question 7

BORNEO : SOCIAL (IMPACTS)

Answer 7

• Loss of culture as indigenous tribes lose traditional ways of living
  -> Penan Tribe stops blowpipe hunting
• Allocation of plantains doesn’t account for land of indigenous and local communities

Question 8

BORNEO : MANAGEMENT

Answer 8

• Heart of Borneo (1/3 of Borneo) conversed
• Ecotourism: Iban tribe provide holidays in rainforest. Local guides employed to boost economy
• Helicopter logging: don’t have to build roads to transport logs
• International agreements
  -> FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) setup in Sabah: source sustainable timber. Mark products with logo so know it is sustainable
• Malaysia’s selective Management System: selective logging encourages sustainable approach to tropical forestry.