SEVENTEEN YEARS OF THE HEART OF BORNEO INITIATIVE: RESEARCH TRENDS, THREATS, AND PATHWAYS TOWARD A CONNECTED CONSERVATION LANDSCAPE

Launched in 2007, the Heart of Borneo (HoB) Initiative represents one of Southeast Asia’s most ambitious transboundary conservation collaborations, encompassing approximately 24 million hectares across Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Seventeen years on, this paper examines the progress, challenges, and research trends within the HoB landscape through a systematic review of published studies and conservation activities. Our analysis reveals that while the HoB has strengthened regional cooperation and raised global awareness of Borneo’s biodiversity, ecological integrity across much of the landscape continues to decline due to ongoing deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and unsustainable land use. Research and conservation efforts remain unevenly distributed across taxa and localities, with limited integration between science, policy, and management. To achieve the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30 × 30 target, we highlight the need to enhance ecological connectivity, establish other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), and strengthen governance across political boundaries. The HoB remains a globally significant yet fragile conservation experiment. Its success will depend on coordinated action, sustained political will, and equitable engagement with local communities.
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PROF. TS. DR. MOHD-AZLAN JAYASILAN BIN ABDUL GULAM AZAD

Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

Mohd Azlan Jayasilan bin Abdul Gulam Azad is the Director of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). His research explores the ecology and conservation of wildlife in the region, with a particular interest in how species respond to forest fragmentation in Borneo. He has published widely on conservation related topics and contributes to several IUCN Species Survival Commission Specialist Groups. He also works closely with local communities, encouraging practical, on-the-ground approaches to biodiversity protection.