The flora and fauna of Kalimantan’s montane and lowland forests is amazing and each is an important genetic resource and wildlife habitat.  The "green gold" exploitation that began in the late 1960s has destroyed more then half its forests, but a turning point is in process. Now the Indonesian government and the local people understand the beauty and wealth of Kalimantan's tropical forests and efforts are being made to preserve them.

Kalimantan’s coastline features mangrove swamps and lowland rainforest. An inland belt of gentle hills and alluvial plains mark the start of the deep jungle. Towering Dipterocarpus trees, valuable ebony, and ironwood trees are scattered throughout. More then a half of the world’s hardwood tree species are here. Climbing rattan palms, vines, orchids, ferns, and pitcher plants are also common.

The wildlife is exotic and unusually diverse, with orangutans only found on Sumatra and Borneo Islands, along with the endemic proboscis monkeys, and other forest denizens including Malaysian sun bears, clouded leopards, leaf monkeys, macaques, and pangolins. Many lizard varieties and pythons live in Kalimantan’s jungles, while crocodiles and the last freshwater dolphins on earth ply the rivers.

More then 600 bird species make the Kalimantan forests their home, such as the sun birds, pheasants, cockatoos, and spectacular hornbills. Also many kinds of beautiful butterflies and metallic beetles, color this world, along poisonous polypods, brightly colored millipedes, and giant walking sticks.

Wildlife spotting opportunities are the best in the heart of Kalimantan or in the national parks or nature reserves. While seeing creatures in the wild is never guaranteed, visitors can at least get a glimpse of their habitats and experience their environment while waiting to see a rare animal or bird.

Despite exploration and development, many areas of Kalimantan are still untouched by the Western world. Tourist facilities are relatively undeveloped and visitors are few. Many Westerners you meet are from the oil and wood booms which began in the 1970s. Good roads are only found near the big coastal cities (there are paved roads between Samarinda and Banjarmasin and around Pontianak), but rivers are the main transportation arteries.

There is no volcanic activity here. The island’s central mountain ranges heavily eroded over thousands of years and are separated by broad river valleys. Kalimantan is crisscrossed by giant rivers including the Mahakam, Barito, Kapuas, and the Kayan.

The population of Kalimantan is diverse, thanks to the booming oil, coal, gold and timber industries. Many Indonesians – along with foreigners – have come to Kalimantan searching for work in the last two decades. The native Dayak people live deeper inland along the river banks throughout the interior. Each Dayak tribe has its own dialect and culture, thriving as hunters and gatherers. Other Indonesians consider the Dayaks to be backward because of their previous headhunting and other animist customs. The truth is that they are scrupulously honest by nature, though exposure to Christianity and modern values has muted this trait. Even with today’s airstrips and boat connections, Dayak territory is still among the most inaccessible on earth.

Kalimantan Island (Borneo) is one of the world`s flora center because the diversity of trees in a small plot of land in the island`s forest equals to those in the whole Papua or South America, according to the forestry ministry`s a press statement. The Island has the richest flora on the Sunda Islands because it has 10,000 to 15,000 special of floral plants. The flora diversity on the Borneo island is as rich as those in the whole Africa, which is 40 times bigger than Borneo.

The diversity of Borneo Island`s flora covers the Asian and Australian elements with more than 3,000 trees, including 267 species of Dipterocarpaceae (58 percent of them are endemic Dipterocarpaceae species) and belongs to the most important commercial wood in Asia. It has also over 2,000 orchid species, 1,000 fern species and various species of "kantong semar" (Nepenthes sp.).

The endemic plant rate is also very high, namely 34 percent of plant species and 59 plant families are only found on the island. Kalimantan has the high biodiversity and flora rates thanks to its geographical condition. The majority of the island`s geography is in coastal abd river areas and the height of almost half of its land is below 150 meters of the sea level. These conditions have made Kalimantan an ideal place for various floral plants to grow. Its tropical climate. constant temperature and high rainfall rate with even distribution make the Borneo forests always green all the years.

Kalimantan is the world`s third largest island after Greenland and Irian island. The island is located in three countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia (Serawak, Sabah), and Brunai Darusalam. The island is part of the Sunda Island chain consisting of two parts, namely Big Sunda Islands: Kalimantan, Java, and Sumatra; and Little Sunda Islands: Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Barat Daya Islands, and Tanimbar Islands.