Much of Borneo's peat-swamp forests have been drained and degraded by human activity, which causes the peat to dry out and become highly flammable. In 2015, forest fires ravaged millions of hectares of forest, burning for weeks on end. Vast areas of forest and their biodiversity were lost, the health impacts for local people were huge, and extensive peat carbon stores were released into the global atmosphere. Help Borneo Nature Trust kickstart their 1 million trees campaign to restore a critical peat-swamp forest ecosystem in Borneo, home to the worlds largest protected population of orangutang. They aim to grow, plant and protect 1 million trees by 2025, sequestering carbon to lead the fight against climate change and protecting a vast biodiversity-rich rainforest.

I had intended to visit Borneo as part of a school expedition in 2021 and as part of the fund raising activity decided to do something different from the usual cake stalls and jumble sales and that was relevant for Borneo.  I learnt that Orangutang population is under threat from intense deforestation, with over 350,000 Km2 of ancient rainforest being lost or severely degraded since the 1950s.  This is an area larger than the UK & Ireland.  I wanted to not only fund raise but also get people to think about the scale of deforestation (something that is easy to underestimate).  In the Autumn of 2020, between lockdowns, I collected and planted seeds & nuts from Oaks, Chestnuts & Maple from the area around Malmesbury in the Cotswolds.I now have almost 350 young saplings for sale by donation to Borneo Nature Foundation charity.  So plant a tree for the Jubilee and help save a rainforest as well.  Trees will need to be collected as we cannot post.