Environmental projects in Western Kalimantan?

Hi 🙂

My name is Gregor, I am living in Germany and I am actually keeping the “wrong” fish here – Betta rutilans 🙂

I was encouraged to give blackwater fish a try sometime in 2010, by reading an article on how to provide the best conditions to breed Parosphromenus. But back then I decided in favour of “my” Betta rutilans.

I hope it is okay to still be registered here. The areas of Borneo where B. rutilans can be found, do also host different species of the genus Parosphromenus if I am not mistaken. So in this way I feel connected to this project somehow.
Environmental changes concerning the paro biotopes in Western Kalimantan may also have an influence on the Betta populations there. Not to mention the effects on every other living being in those habitats.

Besides keeping the fish, I’d like to find out about ways to support the preservation of their natural habitats. So far, I haven’t found an organisation being active in the respective areas. Actually, I have not found anything about the protection of certain small fish anywhere really.
There are international organisations that engage in the protection of the Orang Utang or the Clouded Leopard on the island of Borneo for example – but their projects all seem to focus on the Center, the South or the North and East of Borneo.

Since the Parosphromenus-Project is having an international approach, maybe someone here, respectively “there” knows about any local initiatives or activities in the regions around “Anjungan” or “Tayan” (which is where my fish are from. Yet, it is not a confirmed collecting location though)?

If those places are in any way threatened, that is. I have read about Bauxite mines and an Aluminum plant in Tayan…

Thanks a lot and kind regards,
Gregor