Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located northwest of Australia in the Malay Archipelago. The island is politically divided between Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. Borneo has a tropical climate with an average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius and humidity ranging from 70-80%. The island experiences two monsoons each year, the southwest monsoon (from May to September) and the northeast monsoon (from November to March).
The flora and fauna of Borneo are unique due to its location at the intersection of two biogeographic regions, the Sundaland region which includes Southeast Asia, and the Wallacea region which includes Australasia. This has resulted in a high level of biodiversity with over 15,000 species of plants and 3,300 species of animals found on the island. Borneo is home to many endangered species including the Orangutan, Bornean Clouded Leopard, Sumatran Rhino, and Proboscis Monkey. deforestation due to agriculture, logging, mining, and palm oil production are threatening these species as well as their habitats.
Orangutans are perhaps the most iconic inhabitants of Borneo. These apes are only found in rainforests on Sumatra and Borneo. They spend most of their time in trees where they build nests out of leaves or branches to sleep in at night. During the day they search for food such as fruits, insects, small mammals etc.. Orangutans have been extensively studied by scientists due largely to their close genetic relationship with humans – we share 96% of our DNA with them! Sadly though Orangutans are now critically endangered due to habitat loss from deforestation mentioned earlier. Estimates suggest that there may be as few as 60-70 thousand Orangutans left in the wild making it vital that we take action now to protect them before it’s too late