The second greatest source of climate change after the burning of fossil fuels is deforestation. Since 1973, the island of Borneo has reported a loss of over 400,000 hectares (4,000 square kilometers) of rainforest. Since 2000, nearly half of Borneo’s forest depletion is attributable to the oil plantations for which the rainforests across Indonesia have been destroyed. REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. United Nations REDD+ projects pursue long-term strategies to address the causes of deforestation and forest degradation. This project has managed to protect 64,500 hectares of carbon-rich peat swamp forests with a high biodiversity in lowland Borneo from the conversion to palm oil plantations surrounding the entire project area.In total, more than 120 threatened and endangered species live in the project area, including the endangered Bornean orangutan. The project activities prevent the release of 3.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents into the atmosphere each year. In addition, local communities are supported by providing training in sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity and wildlife habitat.
The project is accredited by the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS). In addition, this project is the first forest conservation project in the world to have its own contribution to the environment, biodiversity and social SDGs independently verified under the newly created Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta).
