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BRUNEI
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Brunei Darussalam Forest Figures
Forest Cover
Total forest area: 278,000 ha
% of land area: 52.8%
Primary forest cover: 278,000 ha
% of land area: 52.8%
% total forest area: 100.0%
Deforestation Rates, 2000-2005
Annual change in forest cover: -2,000 ha
Annual deforestation rate: -0.7%
Change in defor. rate since '90s: -13.1%
Total forest loss since 1990: -35,000 ha
Total forest loss since 1990:-11.2%
Primary or "Old-growth" forests
Annual loss of primary forests: -2000 ha
Annual deforestation rate: -0.7%
Change in deforestation rate since '90s: -13.1%
Primary forest loss since 1990: -10,000 ha
Primary forest loss since 1990:-11.2%
Forest Classification
Public: 100%
Private: 0%
Other: n/a
Use
Production: 62.6%
Protection: 6.8%
Conservation: 29.1%
Social services: 1.4%
Multiple purpose: n/a
None or unknown: n/a
Forest Area Breakdown
Total area: 278,000 ha
Primary: 278,000 ha
Modified natural: n/a
Semi-natural: n/a
Production plantation: n/a
Production plantation: n/a
Plantations
Plantations, 2005: n/a
% of total forest cover: n/a
Annual change rate (00-05): n/a
Carbon storage
Above-ground biomass: 63 M t
Below-ground biomass: 15 M t
Area annually affected by
Fire: n/a
Insects: n/a
Diseases: n/a
Number of tree species in IUCN red list
Number of native tree species: 2,000
Critically endangered: 37
Endangered: 24
Vulnerable: 31
Wood removal 2005
Industrial roundwood: 100,000 m3 o.b.
Wood fuel: n/a m3 o.b.
Value of forest products, 2005
Industrial roundwood: $3,160,000
Wood fuel: $2,000
Non-wood forest products (NWFPs): n/a
Total Value: $3,162,000
More forest statistics for Brunei Darussalam
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Despite its size, Brunei supports a variety of forest types due to its varied topography and geology. Brunei's forests are largely intact (almost 100 percent are virgin, according to U.N. data), although environmentalists worry logging may increase in this tiny country's primary rainforests, especially once its offshore oil and gas reserves begin to wane. Currently, Brunei enjoys a high standard of living and is one of the few countries in Southeast Asia that does not export timber. Recently the dry el Niño conditions contributed to the spread of fires sparked by slash-and-burn agriculture that burned more than 24,700 acres (10,000 hectares) of forest. Though forest burning has been banned since 1951, slash-and-burn agriculture is the primary means of clearing land for agriculture in Brunei. Breaking this forestry law is punishable by a maximum fine of $300. The government reacted to the fires by initiating a public-awareness campaign on fire safety and protecting forest biodiversity.
The government has otherwise made a strong commitment to conservation: more than 50 percent of the country is officially under some form of protection and the government has taken an active role in reducing logging activities. Brunei has some 6,000 species of plants, 455 birds, 157 mammals, and 73 reptiles.
Despite government efforts to prevent deforestation, Brunei lost 11.2 percent of its forests between 1990 and 2005.
Recent articles | Brunei news updates | XML
Google Earth reveals stark contrast between Sarawak's damaged forests and those in neighboring Borneo states
(03/28/2011) Images from Google Earth show a sharp contract between forest cover in Sarawak, a state in Malaysian Borneo, and the neighboring countries of Brunei and Indonesia at a time when Sarawak's Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is claiming that 70 percent of Sarawak's forest cover is intact.
Indonesia: Kalimantan's Lowland Peat Forests Explained
(12/04/2009) Earth's tropical rainforests are a critical
component of the world's carbon cycle yet cover only about 12% of its
terrestrial land. Accounting for 40% of the world's terrestrial carbon and 50%
of the world's gross primary productivity,[1].
the production of organic compounds primarily through photosynthesis, tropical
rainforests also are one of the engines driving Earth's atmospheric circulation
patterns.
Shell, HSBC put $665,000 toward Borneo rainforest conservation project
(10/26/2008) Brunei Shell Petroleum (Shell Oil) and HSBC have donated 500,000 Brunei dollars ($333,000) each to conserve forests on the island of Borneo, reports the Borneo Bulletin.
Experts: Borneo in urgent need of protection
(05/23/2007) A prominent group of 1500 scientists in over 70 countries have called for the urgent conservation of Borneo's forests, which are fast-disappearing on the southeast Asian island due to logging, fires, and conversion for oil palm plantations.
U.S. supports "Heart of Borneo" conservation initiative
(08/02/2006) Tuesday, the U.S. State Department issued a statement supporting the "Heart of Borneo" conservation initiative that will protect 220,000 square kilometers of tropical rainforest across Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
Nigeria has worst deforestation rate, FAO revises figures
(11/17/2005) Nigeria has the world's highest deforestation rate of primary forests according to revised deforestation figures from the the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
World deforestation rates and forest cover statistics, 2000-2005
(11/16/2005) Cambodia has the world's highest deforestation rate, Brazil loses the largest area of forest annually, and Congo consumes more bushmeat than any other tropical country. These are among the findings from mongabay.com's analysis of new deforestation figures from the United Nations. Monday, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its 2005 Global Forest Resources Assessment, a regular report on the status world's forest resources. Overall, FAO concludes that net deforestation rates have fallen since the 1990-2000 period, but some 13 million hectares of the world's forests are still lost each year, including 6 million hectares of primary forests. Primary forests -- forests with no visible signs of past or present human activities -- are considered the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet.
Suggested reading - Books
Unless otherwise specified, this article was written by Rhett A. Butler [Bibliographic citation for this page]
Other resources
Contact me if you have suggestions on other rainforest-related environmental sites and resources for this country.
Image copyright Google Earth, MDA EarthSet, DigitalGlobe 2005
CIA-World Factbook Profile
FAO-Forestry Profile
World Resources Institute
Last updated: 4 Feb 2006
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