About Us
The Borneo Initiative is an independent, non-profit organization established in 2008 to promote the responsible management of forests in Indonesia. Together with our partners we promote the use of certified timber and create sustainable forestry, making it possible to prevent deforestation and forest degradation. As a platform, our aim is to further accelerate sustainable forestry management in Indonesia through LEI-FSC certification, engaging all major stakeholders in the process.
Our Vision
Tropical forests worldwide can only be preserved if a successful balance is found between economic interests, sustainable management and the protection of high conservation value areas. It is only by achieving the right balance between these three that it will be possible to guarantee a long-term lifecycle for the forests, secure income for the people living off the produce of the forests, and continue to provide a natural habitat for the many forest animals.
Our Mission
Our mission is to join all stakeholders - forest concessions, governments, corporations, NGOs - in an international platform and enable them to jointly work towards sustainable forest management, according to international (FSC) and national (LEI) certification criteria.
Approach
Our primary focus is the Indonesian part of Borneo i.e. Kalimantan. Here The Borneo Initiative works towards large-scale certification of natural forests by offering a subsidy programme (USD 2/ ha) is offered to cover part of the costs involved in obtaining certification . We will mobilize the parties on both sides of the marketing chain who are needed for success - i.e. suppliers (forest concessions in Indonesia) and end users (in Europe). The Borneo Initiative sees itself as an open platform, establishing coordination between different governmental and non-governmental agencies, expert agencies, certifying bodies and forest concessions to achieve a common result: the sustainable management of Indonesia´s natural forests.
Forest certification: People, Planet, Profit
Forest certification is a system of inspection and tracking timber, pulp and other forest products to ensure they have been harvested according to a strict set of guidelines by FSC (Forest Stewardship International) and LEI (Lembaga Ekolabel Indonesia). It means more than just which trees to cut. Forest certification also accounts for the social and economic well-being of workers and local communities. As the biodiversity hotspots of the world, tropical forests are vital to the existence of millions of indigenous people and wildlife species. Tropical forests possess a unique set of social and environmental attributes. When decisions are taken by societies, industries or communities to further explore tropical forests, it is particularly important that FSC standards are met. Under FSC certification, civil and indigenous rights are respected, areas of high social and environmental conservation value are maintained or enhanced, natural forests are not converted, highly hazardous pesticides and genetically modified trees are prohibited, and harvesting must meet national laws and international treaties.
It is in the tropics where certification can result in substantial social and environmental improvements and ultimately support the conservation and long-term maintenance of these forests. The certification process begins in the forest and continues through the entire chain of custody, so the end consumer can be certain he or she is buying an environmentally sound product.
Results 2008-2011
Since 2008 the foundation has been established and all its administative procedures including the certification model have been described and implemented. Now in 2011, we work with a certification budget of 4milion EURO which covers the total of 2.5million ha of 17 forest concessionairs.
Supply and demand
The Borneo Initiative will mobilize the parties on both sides - in Indonesia and Europe - which are needed to make certification a success and to establish market links between the production partners and the market players. In addition to its fundraising activities with businesses, government agencies and NGOs, The Borneo Initiative will also offer support in the certification process.
Finally, The Borneo Initiative offers a network of stakeholders involved in certification.
The network facilitates an exchange of best practices, it promotes cooperation and encourages certification.
Our Targets
Our primaryfocus is Indonesia and to contribute directly - by way of funding, know-how and access to the stakeholder network - to increasing the LEI-FSC certified area in Indonesia from the current 1 million ha to 4 million ha in 2013 and 5 million ha in 2015 and beyond.
The Borneo Initiative: Innovative and distinctive
The Borneo Initiative's ambition is formidable and has not yet reached its limits. The Borneo Initiative is able to fulfil its ambitions because of its distinctive qualities in the following areas:
Partnership
The Borneo Initiative is an initiative and partnership of companies, NGOs and governments from Indonesia and Europe.
The Borneo Initiative acts as a catalyst, supporting on-going initiatives from e.g. TFF, TNC, TFT and GFTN.
This is the first time that an alliance of the main private parties in the Dutch housing sector have en masse and seriously expressed their support for the use of sustainable timber in the housing construction sector.The sustainable demand from the Dutch housing sector can have a decisive influence on the preservation of forests on Borneo and the creation of sustainable employment in Indonesia.
New model and up-scaling
The Borneo Initiative has developed a new model for large-scale certification; this model is also suitable for implementation in other parts of Asia, as well as in Africa and Central and South America.
Other commodities can also profit from the cooperation model, networks and systems that The Borneo Initiative has developed.
The Borneo Initiative Model
In order to support and monitor concessionaires, The Borneo Initiative has developed a model in collaboration with a major international accountancy firm tailored specifically to the Indonesian situation. The model will be the basis of a voluntary formal agreement in which the concession-holder, The Borneo Initiative and other stakeholders define their cooperation with each other.
For its fundraising The Borneo Initiative will request support from national and international NGOs, governments and corporate partners.
Presentation of The Borneo Initiative
