Balikpapan (21/9) --The fifth country-level meeting for the Heart of Borneo program (The 5th Heart of Borneo Trilateral Meeting) took place in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, from 21-23 September 2011. In this meeting delegates from each country in the Heart of Borneo (HoB) region, namely Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia, met to discuss the progress of the HoB program in each country and discuss several important issues as a follow-up to the fourth trilateral meeting in Brunei Darussalam last year.

Some of the important issues include initiatives and action plans within the HoB, joint HoB initiatives related to conservation and sustainable development issues, in addition to other modalities. In addition, each delegation will also submit progress reports and developments from 2010. For Indonesia, it will report on the development of HoB, among others, related to the implementation of the National Action Plan, transboundary program, conservation management and other cooperation programs.

"Entering the fifth year of conservation and sustainable development programs in the three HoB countries, it is hoped that through the momentum of this trilateral forum, work plans can be formulated that focus on the HoB strategic plan of action, such as cross-border cooperation, for example related to environmental services programs, cross-border ecotourism, and community economic development in border areas," said the Head of the Indonesian Delegation, Dr. Andi Novianto.

According to him, the implementation of these work programs is very important and is a concrete effort in order to ensure the protection and conservation of Borneo's highland forests.

HoB is an initiative of three countries Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia to manage tropical highland forests in Borneo based on the principles of conservation and sustainable development. The HoB area in the three countries covers an area of approximately 23 million hectares which are ecologically interconnected. The HoB area, mostly in Indonesia, is dominated by biodiversity-rich tropical rainforests and is also a water catchment area or water tower for the whole island.

The HoB international forum was attended by the Brunei Darussalam Delegation led by Haji Saidin Bin Saleh, Director of Forestry Department, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and the Malaysian Delegation chaired by Frederick Kugan, Deputy Director of Forest Sector Planning from Sabah Forestry Department. East Kalimantan Governor Dr. Awang Faroek Ishak will attend and officially open the three-nation meeting.

In addition, Ministerial Expert Staff for Forest Security Dr. Agus Mulyono will attend representing the Director General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (Director General of PHKA) who is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the opening of the tri-nation meeting attended by the central government, local governments of three provinces (West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan) and related partners.

In this series of meetings, a partnership dialogue (Partnership Forum Dialouge) will be held inviting various partners from donor countries, international cooperation agencies, non-governmental organizations, community groups and related businesses. The dialogue, which will be held on September 23, 2011, is expected to exchange information and initiatives to support conservation and sustainable development efforts in Borneo, especially in the HoB. On the same day, there will also be a field visit to Sungai Wain Protected Forest to plant trees in the protected forest as one of the efforts to support the monitoring of protected forests.

In an effort to bring the Heart of Borneo issue closer to the people in Kalimantan, especially in Balikpapan, along with the holding of the 5th Heart of Borneo Trilateral Meeting, yesterday (20/9) several supporting activities (side event) have been opened in the form of an exhibition of photographs made by the community in the Heart of Borneo Region, talkshow with speakers from photography activists, the community and celebrities, information displays about HoB, and educational visits from schools. Side event.

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About Heart of Borneo
Heart of Borneo (HoB) is a tri-national initiative of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia to manage highland tropical forest areas in Borneo based on the principles of conservation and sustainable development. The aim of the HoB initiative is to maintain and sustain the benefits of one of the best remaining rainforest areas in Borneo for the well-being of present and future generations. The Heart of Borneo is part of the HoB area in Indonesia. On February 12, 2007, the Governments of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia declared a commitment to maintain and sustainably manage the HoB. Please visit the website at www.heartofborneo.or.id