Southeast Asian Rainforests
- NOTOC**
Southeast Asian Rainforests: Threats, Conservation and Community Stewardship
Southeast Asia contains some of the world's most biologically important tropical forests, including the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, the forests of the Cardamom Mountains in Cambodia, and forest landscapes throughout the Philippines and other parts of the region. These ecosystems support extraordinary numbers of plants and animals while also providing water regulation, carbon storage, livelihoods and cultural resources for millions of people.
Recent reporting from across the region illustrates both the continuing pressures on these forests and the increasingly diverse efforts being made to protect them. Logging, mining, plantation agriculture, infrastructure expansion, wildfire, peatland drainage and weak environmental governance remain important threats. At the same time, community conservation, Indigenous stewardship, wildlife rehabilitation, forest restoration, stronger enforcement and new conservation financing approaches are being tested across Southeast Asia.
Deforestation, Logging and Forest Governance
Deforestation in Southeast Asia is closely connected with agriculture, resource extraction, infrastructure and governance. Forest clearing does not occur through a single process but through overlapping pressures involving plantation development, mining, timber extraction and expansion into protected or customary lands.
In Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains, reporting has documented logging connected with dam development. The case illustrates how infrastructure projects can create new pressures in otherwise relatively intact rainforest landscapes.
Indonesia provides numerous examples of the relationship between forest governance and land use. Government authorities have pursued campaigns aimed at reclaiming millions of hectares of forest estate occupied by plantation and mining interests. Such enforcement efforts, however, may produce uneven consequences. Small farmers can face significant impacts even when much larger commercial interests have historically played major roles in forest conversion.
Industrial plantations remain another source of concern. Pulpwood and biomass plantations have been associated with continuing forest clearing and fire risks. Palm oil companies have also adopted zero-deforestation commitments, but research examined in the source material suggests that fulfilling corporate commitments does not necessarily produce large additional reductions in forest loss beyond what might otherwise have occurred.
Some observers therefore argue that deforestation should be understood as a governance problem as well as a land-use problem. Weak enforcement, unclear land rights, inadequate accountability and competing government policies can allow destructive activities to continue even where environmental rules formally exist.
Mining and Infrastructure Development
Mining has become an increasingly important source of pressure on tropical forests.
The rapid expansion of nickel extraction in Indonesia has raised concerns about overlap between mining development and areas important for national biodiversity goals. Mineral development can affect forests directly through clearing and indirectly through roads, settlements and supporting infrastructure.
Gold mining has also entered sensitive wildlife landscapes. In Sumatra, miners have reportedly breached an area intended as a refuge for rehabilitated orangutans, illustrating the difficulty of protecting wildlife habitat even after substantial investment in conservation and rehabilitation.
Large infrastructure projects can transform rainforest environments beyond their immediate physical footprint. Development surrounding Indonesia's new capital in Borneo, for example, is changing the forest soundscape, providing researchers with another way of documenting the ecological consequences of rapid development.
Roads, dams, mines and new urban development therefore represent interconnected challenges. They can fragment forests, provide access to previously remote areas and increase subsequent pressure from logging, settlement and other activities.
Wildfire, Peatlands and Regional Haze
Fire is one of the most persistent environmental threats affecting Indonesian forests and peatlands.
Periods of dry weather can produce extensive fires across Sumatra and Borneo. Smoke from these fires can travel across national borders and contribute to haze in neighboring countries such as Malaysia.
The ecological consequences are particularly serious in peatlands. Tropical peat contains large quantities of stored organic carbon. When peatlands are drained, they become much more vulnerable to burning. Fires may then continue underground and become difficult to extinguish.
Concerns about a strong El Niño have intensified fears that drought could increase the likelihood of widespread peat and forest fires. Yet fires have also occurred outside the traditional peak dry season. Thousands of peat fires have been reported even during periods normally associated with wetter conditions.
Fire threatens wildlife conservation efforts as well. Flames have approached orangutan rehabilitation areas, demonstrating that protecting individual animals is insufficient if the surrounding landscape remains vulnerable to large-scale ecological disturbances.
Governments have responded with enforcement actions, including investigations and criminal charges associated with fires. However, previous cases have raised questions about whether companies responsible for environmental damage consistently pay fines or face meaningful penalties.
The issue has also generated conflict involving scientists and affected communities. Scientists studying wildfire damage have faced litigation, while communities affected by plantation-related haze have sought legal and human rights protections.
Peatland Drainage, Flooding and Hydrological Change
Peatland degradation creates risks extending beyond wildfire.
Drainage canals constructed within plantation landscapes can alter regional hydrology. As peat dries and decomposes, the land surface may subside, increasing vulnerability to flooding.
Reports from Indonesia have linked corporate drainage canals with altered water systems and greater flood risks for surrounding communities. Widespread degradation of peatlands is therefore creating a long-term problem in which drained landscapes may become increasingly difficult to manage.
This connection demonstrates that rainforest conservation is not only about preventing tree loss. Protecting the hydrological functions of peatlands can also reduce fire risk, preserve carbon stores and help protect communities from flooding.
Biodiversity Under Pressure
Southeast Asian rainforests contain exceptional biodiversity.
Borneo contains distinctive forest ecosystems and exceptionally tall tropical trees. Scientific research has documented rare forest types with unusual habitats that remain inadequately protected. Researchers are also studying how some of Borneo's largest trees are able to reach extraordinary heights despite physical limits on water transport.
Southeast Asia is also an important global center of oak diversity. Many species face threats from conversion of natural forests to plantations, infrastructure expansion and inadequate protected-area coverage.
Wildlife dependent on these forests faces similar challenges.
All three orangutan species — Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans — remain critically endangered. Habitat destruction, fragmentation and human activity continue to affect their prospects for survival.
Other species face highly localized risks. Only a small population of Timor green pigeons may remain, making protection of remaining forest habitat particularly important.
Wildlife snares represent another direct threat. Conservation authorities and local teams in Sumatra have undertaken operations to remove snares threatening elephants, sun bears, tigers and other forest animals.
Together, these examples show that forest conservation protects not merely total forest area but also highly specialized habitats and species that may disappear even when some forest remains.
Orangutan Rehabilitation and Wildlife Recovery
Despite continuing threats, orangutan conservation provides examples of successful wildlife recovery.
Animals rescued from trafficking or human conflict can undergo lengthy rehabilitation before being released into protected forest landscapes. In one documented case, a reintroduced orangutan later became a mother in the wild, providing evidence that rehabilitation can eventually contribute to reproduction and population recovery.
Conservation organizations are also attempting to establish new self-sustaining wild orangutan populations in Sumatra through rehabilitation, release and long-term habitat protection.
Such programs demonstrate the importance of combining wildlife rescue with ecosystem protection. Rehabilitation alone cannot secure the future of orangutans if release sites are subsequently affected by mining, fire, deforestation or other pressures.
Indigenous Peoples and Forest Stewardship
Indigenous communities play an important role in many Southeast Asian forest landscapes.
The Penan of Sarawak have been involved for decades in struggles over logging, customary land and forest stewardship. Research and legal advocacy concerning these communities have helped bring Indigenous approaches to forest management into broader public and legal debates.
Indonesia has also begun developing initiatives intended to protect Indigenous ecological knowledge as part of national biodiversity conservation. Such efforts recognize that traditional knowledge can contribute to understanding ecosystems, species and sustainable resource management.
However, conservation rules can sometimes conflict with traditional practices. In parts of Borneo, stricter restrictions on the use of fire have affected Indigenous Dayak farming systems. Policies created to reduce wildfire risk can therefore disrupt livelihoods if they fail to distinguish traditional controlled burning from destructive large-scale fires.
Land conflicts remain another challenge. Indonesian lawmakers have called for investigations into disputes involving Indigenous communities, customary territories and forestry companies.
These cases illustrate the importance of including land rights, customary knowledge and community participation in forest policy.
Community Conservation
Community-led conservation programs offer evidence that local stewardship can reduce forest loss.
Research from Indonesian Borneo has linked community forest programs with lower rates of forest loss during the COVID-19 period. Such findings suggest that conservation strategies involving local communities can remain effective even during periods of economic and institutional disruption.
Community conservation can also combine livelihood improvements with wildlife protection. Women farmers working near a Sumatran national park have participated in efforts intended both to support agricultural livelihoods and to reduce conflict between people and elephants.
Forest rangers in Sumatra similarly operate on the front lines of conservation, protecting forest landscapes against illegal activities while helping safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Local cultural traditions can also evolve to support conservation. On an Indonesian island, an ancient ritual has been adapted in ways that contribute to protection of an endangered cockatoo and its forest habitat.
These examples show that conservation need not depend exclusively on centralized government enforcement. Local institutions, cultural practices, farmers, rangers and community organizations can all contribute to protecting forests.
Mangrove and Forest Restoration
Restoration is becoming an increasingly important complement to forest protection.
In Sumatra, local residents have planted mangroves in areas affected by coastal erosion. Mangrove restoration can help stabilize shorelines while supporting fisheries, wildlife and community livelihoods.
Other restoration efforts operate at the intersection of mangrove forests and degraded peatlands. Farmers attempting to restore damaged coastal ecosystems illustrate how individual and community action can contribute to rebuilding landscapes that have already experienced substantial ecological change.
Restoration nevertheless differs from preventing destruction in the first place. Mature tropical forests, peatlands and wildlife habitats contain ecological complexity that may take decades or centuries to recover. Restoration therefore works best alongside policies designed to prevent additional forest loss.
REDD+ and Carbon Markets
Forest-carbon programs have become an important part of international efforts to finance rainforest conservation.
REDD+ initiatives attempt to create economic incentives for reducing emissions associated with deforestation and forest degradation. In the Philippines, questions have arisen about whether such programs can generate meaningful conservation and livelihood benefits for Indigenous communities such as the Iraya Mangyan.
More broadly, research examining commercial concessions across Southeast Asia has found that substantial areas of natural forest remain inside agricultural and forestry concessions. These forests represent major opportunities for conservation.
However, carbon finance alone may not provide enough economic incentive to prevent conversion. Existing carbon prices can be too low to compete with revenues available from agriculture, timber or other land uses.
Carbon markets may therefore contribute to forest protection but are unlikely to replace effective governance, land rights, enforcement and other conservation policies.
Conservation and Environmental Leadership
Long-term rainforest conservation depends partly on institutions and people capable of sustaining environmental work across generations.
Programs in Indonesia are attempting to develop new environmental leaders who can defend forests, biodiversity and community rights. Such initiatives recognize that conservation requires political, legal and organizational capacity as well as scientific knowledge.
Protected-area management is also evolving. Indonesia has described interventions in heavily encroached national parks as potential models for dealing with long-standing environmental degradation.
Whether such approaches succeed will depend on how enforcement, community rights, livelihoods and ecological restoration are balanced.
A Regional Conservation Challenge
The material collectively presents Southeast Asian rainforest conservation as a problem involving far more than deforestation alone.
Forests are affected by interconnected systems of mining, plantation agriculture, infrastructure, wildlife trafficking, fire, peat drainage and weak governance. Environmental consequences can include biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, haze, flooding, habitat fragmentation and conflict over land.
At the same time, many responses are emerging from within the region. Indigenous knowledge, community forestry, wildlife rehabilitation, ranger programs, mangrove restoration, legal advocacy, conservation leadership and improved government enforcement all provide potential tools for protecting remaining forests.
Research also shows the importance of understanding forests at the landscape level. Protecting an orangutan release site, for example, requires addressing mining and wildfire outside the immediate conservation area. Protecting peat forests requires managing water systems as well as trees. Preventing deforestation requires attention to governance and economic incentives as well as formal protected areas.
Conclusion
Southeast Asia's rainforests remain among the world's richest ecosystems, but the pressures affecting them are diverse and persistent. Logging, plantations, mining, infrastructure development, wildfire and peatland degradation continue to alter landscapes across Indonesia, Borneo, Sumatra, Cambodia and other parts of the region.
The evidence also shows that rainforest decline is not inevitable. Community forest programs can reduce forest loss. Indigenous knowledge can strengthen conservation. Wildlife rehabilitation can return endangered animals to viable habitats. Rangers can protect threatened landscapes, and local residents can restore mangroves and degraded ecosystems.
No single solution appears sufficient. Carbon markets alone are unlikely to protect forests where competing land uses remain more profitable. Enforcement alone can create social problems when local communities and customary land rights are ignored. Wildlife rescue cannot succeed without habitat protection.
The most promising approach therefore combines forest protection, effective governance, community participation, Indigenous rights, biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration and sustainable financing. The future of Southeast Asia's rainforests will depend on whether these approaches can operate together at a scale capable of matching the pressures transforming the region.
- TOC**
Deforestation, Logging, Plantations and Forest Governance
Logging operations uncovered at Cambodian senator’s dam in the Cardamoms
[Logging operations uncovered at Cambodian senator’s dam in the Cardamoms | Gerald Flynn | Mongabay | 2026-09-02]
Investigates logging associated with a dam development in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains, one of mainland Southeast Asia’s largest remaining rainforest landscapes.
Palm oil firms kept zero-deforestation pledges, but forests saw little extra benefit
[Palm oil firms kept zero-deforestation pledges, but forests saw little extra benefit | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2026-08-25]
Assesses whether corporate zero-deforestation commitments have actually produced additional protection for tropical forests in palm-oil-producing landscapes.
Deforestation is just a symptom. The disease is de-governance
[Deforestation is just a symptom. The disease is de-governance | Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto | Mongabay | 2026-06-23]
Argues that Indonesia’s forest destruction reflects deeper weaknesses in governance, accountability and enforcement rather than simply pressure for land.
Indonesia says intervention in notorious Sumatran national park part of new ‘model’
[Indonesia says intervention in notorious Sumatran national park part of new ‘model’ | Suryadi | Mongabay | 2026-02-17]
Examines government efforts to address entrenched encroachment and environmental degradation in a heavily pressured Sumatran protected area.
Indonesia says 4 million hectares of plantation, mining lands reclaimed in crackdown
[Indonesia says 4 million hectares of plantation, mining lands reclaimed in crackdown | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2026-01-14]
Reports a government campaign to regain control over millions of hectares of forest estate occupied by plantation and mining interests.
The year in rainforests 2025: Deforestation fell; the risks did not
[The year in rainforests 2025: Deforestation fell; the risks did not | Rhett Ayers Butler | Mongabay | 2025-12-26]
Reviews global tropical forest trends while examining continuing pressures from agriculture, fire, mining and weakening environmental safeguards.
As Indonesia reclaims forests from palm oil, smallholders bear brunt of enforcement
[As Indonesia reclaims forests from palm oil, smallholders bear brunt of enforcement | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2025-07-30]
Explores the unequal impacts of a forest-reclamation campaign on small farmers compared with larger plantation interests.
Deforestation and fires persist in Indonesia’s pulpwood and biomass plantations
[Deforestation and fires persist in Indonesia’s pulpwood and biomass plantations | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2025-05-28]
Reports continuing forest clearing and fire risks associated with industrial tree plantations and growing biomass demand.
Wildfire, Peatlands, Haze and Hydrology
Indonesia charges 72 over fires as haze chokes Borneo and Sumatra
[Indonesia charges 72 over fires as haze chokes Borneo and Sumatra | Naina Rao | Mongabay | 2026-08-25]
Covers enforcement actions during severe forest and peatland fires affecting Sumatra, Borneo and neighboring countries through transboundary haze.
Indonesia’s wildfire season surges as haze spreads into Malaysia
[Indonesia’s wildfire season surges as haze spreads into Malaysia | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2026-08-13]
Reports on intensifying forest and peat fires in Indonesia and their consequences for rainforest ecosystems, carbon emissions and regional air quality.
Wildfire ravages Indonesia’s Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park
[Wildfire ravages Indonesia’s Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park | Naina Rao | Mongabay | 2026-08-11]
Reports on wildfire damage in an Indonesian protected landscape and the growing ecological risks associated with extreme dry conditions.
Flames reach edge of orangutan rehabilitation center, with fire season set to intensify
[Flames reach edge of orangutan rehabilitation center, with fire season set to intensify | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2026-08-07]
Describes wildfire threats to orangutan rehabilitation landscapes and recovering rainforest as Indonesia enters a dangerous dry season.
A possible strong El Niño fuels fears for fires across Indonesian tropical peatlands
[A possible strong El Niño fuels fears for fires across Indonesian tropical peatlands | Rendy Tisna | Mongabay | 2026-07-02]
Explores the threat that extreme drought could reignite widespread peat and forest fires across Sumatra and Borneo.
Thousands of peat fires flare across Indonesia despite rainy season
[Thousands of peat fires flare across Indonesia despite rainy season | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2026-02-13]
Highlights unusually widespread peat fires and the continuing vulnerability of drained tropical peatlands even outside the normal peak fire season.
Indonesia court clears wildfire scientists in case brought by palm oil company
[Indonesia court clears wildfire scientists in case brought by palm oil company | Rendy Tisna | Mongabay | 2025-10-17]
Covers a legal dispute involving scientists whose work examined environmental damage from fires associated with a palm oil operation.
Indonesia flooding traced to corporate canals that drain peatlands: Report
[Indonesia flooding traced to corporate canals that drain peatlands: Report | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2025-09-12]
Links drainage canals in peatland concessions to altered hydrology, subsidence and greater flooding risks for surrounding communities.
How Indonesian companies dodge fines for forest & peatland fires
[How Indonesian companies dodge fines for forest & peatland fires | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2025-08-19]
Investigates enforcement gaps that allow companies found responsible for damaging forest and peat fires to avoid or delay penalties.
NASA satellites show surge in Indonesia hotspots as 2025 fires send smoke to Malaysia
[NASA satellites show surge in Indonesia hotspots as 2025 fires send smoke to Malaysia | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2025-08-13]
Uses satellite observations to document rising fire activity across Indonesia and renewed transboundary haze.
Indonesia’s peatlands face growing flood risks amid widespread degradation
[Indonesia’s peatlands face growing flood risks amid widespread degradation | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2025-04-07]
Describes how drainage, subsidence and ecosystem degradation are making peatland regions increasingly vulnerable to persistent flooding.
Indonesians suing pulpwood firms over haze face intimidation, seek human rights protection
[Indonesians suing pulpwood firms over haze face intimidation, seek human rights protection | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2025-03-25]
Covers communities seeking accountability for smoke and environmental damage associated with fires in industrial plantation landscapes.
Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation
Gold miners breach a crucial refuge for rescued Sumatran orangutans
[Gold miners breach a crucial refuge for rescued Sumatran orangutans | Junaidi Hanafiah | Mongabay | 2026-08-31]
Reports on mining pressure affecting forest habitat intended to provide a secure refuge for rehabilitated Sumatran orangutans.
Southeast Asia is a hotspot for oak trees, many under ‘dire threat’
[Southeast Asia is a hotspot for oak trees, many under ‘dire threat’ | Sean Mowbray | Mongabay | 2026-08-21]
Examines Southeast Asia’s exceptional oak diversity and warns that many species face severe pressure from forest conversion, plantations, infrastructure and inadequate protected-area coverage.
Orangutan Day: Here’s where the three critically endangered species stand
[Orangutan Day: Here’s where the three critically endangered species stand | Mongabay.com | Mongabay | 2026-08-19]
Reviews the status of Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans and the continuing effects of habitat destruction, fragmentation and human pressures.
Only a few hundred Timor green pigeons may remain. There is still time to save them
[Only a few hundred Timor green pigeons may remain. There is still time to save them | Rhett Ayers Butler | Mongabay | 2026-08-17]
Highlights the precarious status of the Timor green pigeon and the importance of protecting remaining forest habitat on Timor.
Rescued from traffickers, reintroduced orangutan becomes mother in the wild
[Rescued from traffickers, reintroduced orangutan becomes mother in the wild | Ayat S. Karokaro | Mongabay | 2026-08-14]
Documents a successful orangutan reintroduction and reproduction in the wild, highlighting the potential value of long-term rehabilitation and habitat protection.
How Borneo’s giant trees defy gravity and old scientific theories
[How Borneo’s giant trees defy gravity and old scientific theories | Naina Rao | Mongabay | 2026-08-04]
Examines research on the extraordinary height and physiology of Borneo’s giant tropical rainforest trees.
How rescued orangutans are rebuilding a new wild population in Sumatra
[How rescued orangutans are rebuilding a new wild population in Sumatra | Nanang Sujana; Sandy Watt | Mongabay | 2026-08-03]
Describes efforts to establish a self-sustaining wild orangutan population through rehabilitation, release and long-term rainforest protection.
Crackdown on snares in Sumatra as elephant, sun bear and tiger rescued
[Crackdown on snares in Sumatra as elephant, sun bear and tiger rescued | Jaka Hendra Baittri; Vinolia | Mongabay | 2026-06-25]
Reports efforts to remove wildlife snares threatening some of Sumatra’s most important rainforest mammals.
Study maps rare Borneo forests with unique habitats & urgent need for protection
[Study maps rare Borneo forests with unique habitats & urgent need for protection | Basten Gokkon | Mongabay | 2025-08-13]
Examines research identifying distinctive Bornean forest ecosystems that support unusual biodiversity but remain inadequately protected.
Mining, Infrastructure and Development
Nickel expansion puts Indonesia’s biodiversity goals under pressure, study finds
[Nickel expansion puts Indonesia’s biodiversity goals under pressure, study finds | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2026-08-12]
Examines how rapidly expanding nickel mining is overlapping forests and habitats important to Indonesia’s biodiversity commitments.
As Indonesia’s new capital rises, the sounds of Borneo’s rainforest are changing
[As Indonesia’s new capital rises, the sounds of Borneo’s rainforest are changing | Mongabay.com | Mongabay | 2026-08-03]
Uses the changing soundscape around Indonesia’s new capital region to explore development pressures on Borneo’s forests and wildlife.
Community, Indigenous Knowledge and Forest Stewardship
Community programs linked to lower forest loss in Indonesia’s Borneo during COVID-19
[Community programs linked to lower forest loss in Indonesia’s Borneo during COVID-19 | Basten Gokkon | Mongabay | 2026-08-28]
Examines evidence that community-based forest programs helped limit forest loss in parts of Indonesian Borneo during the COVID-19 period.
Pete Brosius brought Penan forest stewardship in Sarawak into court
[Pete Brosius brought Penan forest stewardship in Sarawak into court | Rhett Ayers Butler | Mongabay | 2026-08-22]
Looks at decades of research and advocacy surrounding Penan communities, customary forest stewardship and logging conflicts in Malaysian Borneo.
New leadership initiative carries on legacy of late Indonesian environmental activist
[New leadership initiative carries on legacy of late Indonesian environmental activist | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2026-08-19]
Describes efforts to develop a new generation of Indonesian environmental leaders able to defend forests, biodiversity and community rights.
On an Indonesian island, an ancient ritual evolves to protect an endangered cockatoo
[On an Indonesian island, an ancient ritual evolves to protect an endangered cockatoo | Basten Gokkon | Mongabay | 2026-08-18]
Shows how traditional cultural practices are being adapted to strengthen conservation of forests and an endangered island bird.
How women farmers are helping elephants and forests in a Sumatran national park
[How women farmers are helping elephants and forests in a Sumatran national park | Suryadi; Yenni Kwok | Mongabay | 2026-08-14]
Explores community-led approaches that combine rural livelihoods, forest protection and reducing conflict between farmers and Sumatran elephants.
On the frontlines of conservation in Sumatra: Rangers safeguard Batutegi forest
[On the frontlines of conservation in Sumatra: Rangers safeguard Batutegi forest | Basten Gokkon | Mongabay | 2026-08-07]
Follows forest rangers protecting a Sumatran landscape from illegal activities while conserving habitat and ecosystem services.
Lawmakers seek rights probe into Indigenous conflict at Indonesian timber firm
[Lawmakers seek rights probe into Indigenous conflict at Indonesian timber firm | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2026-07-09]
Covers calls for investigation into an Indigenous land conflict associated with forestry operations and contested customary territory.
New Indonesia roadmap aims to protect Indigenous knowledge for biodiversity
[New Indonesia roadmap aims to protect Indigenous knowledge for biodiversity | Hans Nicholas Jong | Mongabay | 2026-07-02]
Describes a national initiative intended to recognize Indigenous ecological knowledge as an important component of biodiversity conservation.
In Borneo village, Indigenous Dayaks leave farming amid stricter fire rules
[In Borneo village, Indigenous Dayaks leave farming amid stricter fire rules | Rendy Tisna | Mongabay | 2025-04-24]
Examines how restrictions intended to prevent wildfires can disrupt traditional Dayak farming systems and forest-linked livelihoods.
Restoration, REDD+ and Carbon Markets
A Sumatran villager lost ground to the sea. So he planted mangroves
[A Sumatran villager lost ground to the sea. So he planted mangroves | Mongabay.com | Mongabay | 2026-08-27]
Profiles local mangrove restoration in Sumatra and shows how coastal forest recovery can protect communities, biodiversity and livelihoods.
Can REDD+ deliver for Philippines’ Iraya Mangyan?
[Can REDD+ deliver for Philippines’ Iraya Mangyan? | Keith Anthony Fabro | Mongabay | 2026-08-26]
Examines whether forest-carbon programs can provide meaningful conservation and livelihood benefits for the Indigenous Iraya Mangyan of the Philippines.
Why carbon markets alone won’t save Southeast Asia’s concessions forests
[Why carbon markets alone won’t save Southeast Asia’s concessions forests | Mongabay.com | Mongabay | 2026-08-19]
Examines research showing vast areas of rainforest remain inside commercial concessions but that existing carbon prices alone are unlikely to keep them standing.
On fragile Sumatran peatland, a farmer fights to bring back lost mangroves
[On fragile Sumatran peatland, a farmer fights to bring back lost mangroves | Suryadi | Mongabay | 2026-08-12]
Profiles grassroots restoration at the intersection of peatlands, mangrove forests, coastal erosion and rural livelihoods in Sumatra.
Carbon markets alone won’t keep Southeast Asia’s forests standing, study says
[Carbon markets alone won’t keep Southeast Asia’s forests standing, study says | Carolyn Cowan | Mongabay | 2026-08-04]
Reports research on tens of millions of hectares of natural forest inside Southeast Asian agricultural and forestry concessions and the economics of conserving them.
