Stories from the Forests of Kalimantan

As I step off the boat onto the boardwalk, my eyes immediately catch movement in the nearby trees. Flashes of fur, long tails swaying. In the dense tropical forest, it’s difficult to get a clear view. But as I scan deeper into the brush, a face suddenly appears right before me: a monkey.

Soon, others appear, occasionally stopping to give me an inquisitive look, but mainly gamboling through the trees, alternately playing and fighting.

I travel along the path, enjoying their antics, when my eye catches a slower movement in a forest clearing. A monitor lizard—4 feet in length—flicks its tongue as it heads toward some of the camp’s breakfast leftovers.

Farther down, a large handmade sign emblazoned in block letters says: “Welcome to the Jungle.”

I’m in Kutai National Park in the province of East Kalimantan, located in the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo—which is known as Kalimantan. A career nature and science writer, I’ve always dreamed of coming here, and I’m excited by the possibility of seeing an orangutan in its natural habitat. But I’m also here to learn firsthand what the future holds for orangutans and Bornean forests.

This opportunity is very good, because now I am traveling with YKAN and its partners. Arhaus, one of its partner, has made a significant financial commitment to YKAN in its efforts to support the Indonesian government, companies and communities to protect and sustainably manage the forests in Kalimantan. 

Borneo is the world’s third-largest island, and it is known for its exceptional biodiversity. This includes more than 15,000 plant species, well over 600 birds and more than 220 mammals. Over the past several decades, habitat has been lost to logging, infrastructure development, mining and agriculture. As a result, orangutan populations have declined precipitously. Still, Kalimantan holds roughly three-quarters of the world’s remaining orangutans, and East Kalimantan has some of the most significant tracts of forest remaining.

I’m in East Kalimantan to see how community-led conservation efforts are protecting the forest and wildlife, including the iconic orangutans. To date, the effort is protecting orangutan corridors within more than 1.3 million acres of important habitat, and the community-led approach is a model for helping achieve the protection of millions more acres of Indonesian forest. National parks, community-protected areas and logging concessions, I’ll soon learn, all have a role to play.

Let's continue the journey, and find out more about what this region has to offer.