This chapter lays a foundation for the other chapters, especially for readers not familiar with Borneo Island. First, the geographical background is provided before the chapter moves into a brief history of land-based development in Borneo. The summary is divided into five parts: the period of massive timber extraction in 1970–2000; the rise and fall of mega landbased projects from the 1990s; the concurrent growth of coal mining; the era of oil palm expansion in the first two decades of the twenty-first century and the ongoing, gradual shift to sustainable development beginning about 2010. For readers interested in understanding the detailed history of landbased development in Borneo, the books and publications described in Chapter 1, in the paragraphs before the section “Scope and Structure”, are recommended for further reading.

Special thanks to Jennifer Sheehan at the Australian National University (ANU) for drawing the maps in this chapter.

GEOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND

Borneo is the world's third-largest island located in Southeast Asia. The name “Borneo” relates to the phrase “Brunei Darussalam”, which possibly has a Sanskrit root of Váruṇa, i.e., the Hindu god of rain. The island is also called “Kalimantan” by the Indonesians, likely a derivation from Kālamanthāna, a Sanskrit word that carries the meaning of burning and hot air. The island has an area of 73 million ha, almost thrice the size of the United Kingdom, or eighteen times the size of the Netherlands. There are long swampy coastlines, a mountainous interior, and extensive river networks. As swampy and mountainous environments are generally less suitable for agriculture and not easily accessed, most settlements are concentrated in drier flat areas, traditionally along riverbanks.

Borneo is politically divided between Malaysia (26 per cent) and Indonesia (73 per cent), with the remainder forming Brunei Darussalam. The current political division in Borneo is a result of colonial history. The northern territories were under British control, while the south was colonized by the Dutch. Physically, the north and the south of the island are divided by a central spine of rugged mountains that vaguely form the political boundary between Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo (Figure 2.1).