Cause Marketing

Our Partnership with Arhaus

Supporting Forest Conservation in Indonesian Borneo

January 01, 2024

Wehea forest from above The dense tropical Wehea forest in the Kalimantan region of Borneo, Indonesia. © Arif Rifqi

The incredible rainforests of Borneo, Indonesia are some of the most species-rich and biodiverse in the world. Indonesia’s forests are more than 140 million years old — the oldest tropical forests on earth. And though they only cover about 1 percent of earth’s surface, their biodiversity is staggering, housing 10 percent of the world’s plants, 16 percent of reptiles and amphibians, 17 percent of birds, and 12 percent of mammals, including the iconic and critically endangered orangutan.

Forests and Habitats at Risk

Throughout Borneo, these forests are under threat, being logged (often illegally) or cleared to make way for new mines and vast oil palm plantations. Indonesia produces about half of the world’s palm oil, a profitable and ubiquitous food and cosmetics ingredient that has driven slash-and-burn deforestation and destruction of peatlands. Millions of acres of forests are now green deserts that support only human consumption.

Mother and baby Wild orangutan mother and baby high up in a rainforest in Borneo. © Ian Wade/TNC Photo Contest 2019

Deforestation in Kalimantan Tropical forest areas that have been deforested through a process of slash and burn to open areas for agriculture and subsistence farming in the Kalimantan region of Borneo, Indonesia. © Bridget Besaw

A Partnership to Help Protect Our Forests

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Arhaus are partnering to help protect these critical forests. Along with TNC's affiliate in Indonesia, Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN), we are working to forge sustainable livelihoods and secure habitats for wildlife in Borneo, Indonesia.

**Patrolling Wehea Forest:** A community member patrols Wehea Protected Forest, which provides important habitat for orangutans. © Nick Hall

We are honored to support TNC as it works alongside YKAN, its local Indonesian affiliate, to embark on an ambitious project that will help pave a new path for sustainable forestry."

John Reed

CEO & Co-Founder, Arhaus