Exhibition "In the Forests of Borneo"
A threatened heaven
The forest at risk of disappearing
Forests are not just groups of trees or places that someone finds fascinating, but complex ecosystems governed by a myriad of balances and counterbalances. Even our very existence depends on their proper functioning in unsuspected ways.
160 years later, Beccari’s journey to Borneo - he was a man sensitive to the richness of nature but also an exponent of a positivist culture that saw in it almost limitless possibilities for harvesting and exploitation - offers today a cue for a bitter reflection on humanity’s impact and the urgency of conservation.
The harvesting of timber and the cultivation of oil palms at the expense of the forest are now the main threats to Borneo’s biodiversity: every choice you make daily can change the dramatic course of events!
Destroying a forest does not simply mean eliminating a collection of trees and animals; it impacts local and global climate, the cycles of phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium, as well as the dynamics of pollination and seed dispersal—without the proper functioning of which we would be doomed. Palm oil cannot be sustainable because rainforests are essential to us, who live in the present,, and they will be just as essential for those who come after us.
[N. Messina, Borneo: an Overview of the Current Situation, introductory essay to the new edition of In the Forests of Borneo, 2020.]
Ujung Kulon National Park, photo of Lorenzo Cecchi
Ujung Kulon National Park, photo of Lorenzo Cecchi
Ujung Kulon National Park, photo of Lorenzo Cecchi