Last February marked the 11th anniversary of the Heart of Borneo Initiative - a cross-border collaboration of three Governments: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia - to conserve and sustainably manage the biodiversity, ecosystems and natural resources of the Heart of Borneo region. I am taking over the leadership of Heart of Borneo for WWF with a very exciting task.

Over the years, the enormous source of natural reserves has begun to face challenges driven by unsustainable exploitation and poor governance of natural resources. WWF itself seeks to contribute in promoting conservation and sustainable development efforts in the Heart of Borneo region together with various partners. Over the years, WWF staff have been at the forefront of wildlife conservation and local community development in Borneo, Sabah and Sarawak.

But certainly, the work is not yet complete. The next challenge is to implement the goals of the Heart of Borneo initiative, including: 1) Transformation of the policy framework, to establish commitments and objectives for the work of the three countries at national and sub-national levels to help build a policy framework that prioritizes the value of nature; 2) Transforming business behavior, to redirect the role of the private sector in natural resource management; 3) Empowering civil society, this goal will create enabling conditions for civil society, and; 4) Conserving natural capital, protecting ecosystems and species that have long been WWF's core business as well as existing projects in Kalimantan.

Heart of Borneo offers a vision where the values of nature are recognized and integrated into sustainable and prosperous communities. I am honored to take on this challenge to support the achievement of the vision of this Heart of Borneo initiative.

Iwan Wibisono

Heart of Borneo Leader