The Heart of Borneo Declaration was made by the governments of the three HoB countries in 2007. Five years later, the articulation of the vision of conservation and sustainable development contained in the declaration has strengthened.

This was demonstrated at an International Conference organized by the Sabah Forestry Department, entitled The Heart of Borneo +5 and Beyond - Shaping and nurturing Sabah's future together, held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

What made this conference special was the overwhelming support from local and national governments for the Heart of Borneo Initiative and its role in sustainable development for people, planet and profit (3Ps People, Planet and Profit).

The November 2012 edition of the HoB newsletter will include articles about the conference and cover some of the issues discussed at the conference, but of particular interest will be the break-out sessions that gave meeting participants the opportunity to give their thoughts and opinions on the importance of HoB and the future of the initiative.

It was clear that many at the conference see HoB as a stepping stone for sustainable development and a starting point for proposing new ideas and agendas that will take us away from the unsustainable 'business as usual' approach.

Equally exciting were the many recommendations that emerged from the various workshop sessions as well as from the high-level meetings, organized as part of the conference, that fit perfectly into the green economy framework being developed by WWF and its partners, in relation to the three HoB countries. In particular, the local initiative called Forever Sabah is an example of a high-profile initiative, which can serve as a model in developing a green economy in Sabah.

For forested areas such as the HoB, a green economy is where governments, businesses and communities pursue green growth by recognizing the economic, ecological and social values of forests and investing in sustaining those values to address climate change, ensure food and water security, and maintain essential ecosystem services.

The growth of green businesses in the green economy could be a transformational factor for the Heart of Borneo region. It is a new economic paradigm where the 'profit at any cost' mentality is replaced by balancing social and sustainability factors, while maintaining a profitable business.

Generally any new system takes time to take hold, but companies like Google have shown that new business models do thrive and can become a new type of 'business as usual'. WWF stands ready to assist Borneo's three governments to realize the promise of a green economy in the Heart of Borneo, for the benefit of people, planet and profit (3Ps People, Planet and Profit).

The new HoB Global Initiative team leader in the new year
Tom Maddox, has been appointed to lead the WWF Heart of Borneo Global Initiative team. He is expected to join effective January 2013. Tom was previously with the University of Cambridge's Sustainable Leadership Program. In this position Tom worked with companies, academics and policy makers on improving natural capital management as part of the movement towards a green and sustainable economy.
Tom grew up with an interest in nature, joining numerous expeditions from the Kalahari to the Middle East to Borneo. As part of his Ph.D studies at University College, London, he spent most of four years living out of a Landrover in the Serengeti of Tanzania studying the role of Maasai herders in the ecology of large carnivores. Tom then joined the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) where his first assignment was to lead a tiger conservation project in and around oil palm plantations on the island of Sumatra. He ended up spending a total of 8 years in Indonesia, responsible for developing a national program with over thirty dedicated conservation staff. Tom left Indonesia to complete an MBA at the University of Cambridge, and has since worked on biodiversity, renewable energy and conservation funding projects across Asia.

With such a wealth of experience and relationships, Tom is ideally suited to continue the innovative work to achieve long-term conservation and sustainable development in Borneo. We look forward to Tom returning to Indonesia and leading GI's Heart of Borneo team in the new year.

Missing you already, Anna!
In November, our colleague Anna van Paddenburg, who served as Sustainable Financing and Policy Strategy Leader, bid farewell to the WWF HoB GI team and welcomed a challenging new position with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and oversaw the organization's start-up program in Indonesia.

Anna remains based in Jakarta and her immediate work mission with GGGI includes greening the MP3I region, steering REDD+ funding towards green growth and implementing activities in Central and East Kalimantan. There will certainly always be opportunities to re-engage with Anna in her new role.

As the main architect of the modeling and concepts behind the implementation of green economy in HoB, Anna has played a vital role in the success of HoB GI, during her three years with WWF.

Anna has consistently advocated for a change in the way we exploit these finite natural resources; including the invaluable ecosystem services.

In her farewell message Anna reluctantly left WWF and appreciated the passion and perseverance of WWF staff, especially colleagues working in Kalimantan with whom Anna had interacted extensively during her tenure. Similar sentiments were voiced by many colleagues who have worked alongside Anna. Congratulations to Anna in her new position! We hope there will always be opportunities to work together to keep the Heart of Borneo living, breathing and a global model for green economy action.