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Sabah National Parks
There are presently three land national
parks and four marine national parks in Sabah, plus a number of
wildlife reserves and natural forest reserves. In a most recent
development (2006) a nearly 1 mio hectare forest reserve has been
announced, to be implemented beginning 2008 especially for the
protection of Sabah’s orang-utans.
The national parks are:
Crocker Range,
Kinabalu and
Tawau Hills (land national parks); Pulau Tiga,
Tunku Abdul Rahman,
Turtle Islands and the most recent
addition, Semporna (marine national parks). No
information is as per yet available on the Semporna Marine National
Park.
|
Sabah National Parks |
Forest Cover |
Coral |
total ha |
% of total landmass |
|
Taman Kinabalu |
75370 |
0 |
75370
|
1.02% |
| Taman
Tunku Abdul Rahman |
1289 |
3640 |
4929 |
0.02% |
| Taman
Pulau Penyu |
15 |
1725 |
1740 |
0.00% |
| Taman
Pulau Tiga |
607 |
15257 |
15864 |
0.01% |
| Taman
Bukit Tawau |
27972 |
0 |
27972 |
0.38% |
| Taman
Banjiaran Crocker |
139979 |
0 |
139979 |
1.90% |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Total National Parks |
245232 |
20622
|
265854 |
3.33% |
Forest Reserve
Classification in Sabah
Sabah's vast forest resources are
divided into many forest reserves of various types. The
classification ranges from I to VII as follows:
Class I Forest Reserves
Class I Forest Reserves, or Protection Forest Reserves, are
strictly protected.
| Total Area: |
342216 ha |
| In % of total forest
reserves: |
7.0% |
| In % of Sabah's land
mass: |
4.6% |
Class I forests are conserved primarily
for environmental protection and biodiversity conservation. They are
protected by law from any form of land conversion or timber
exploitation. After the gazettement of the Protection Forest
Reserves in 1984, a total of 44 were gazetted as Class I, the last
being Maliau Basin Forest Reserve in 1997.
Class II Forest Reserves
Class II Forest Reserves are commercial forest reserves.
| Total Area: |
2683480 ha |
| In % of total forest
reserves: |
76.0% |
| In % of Sabah's land
mass: |
36.4% |
Class III Forest Reserves
Class III Forest Reserves, or Domestic Forest Reserves, were
established mainly to provide forest areas for natives living nearby
to hunt, fish and take minor forest produce for their own domestic
use, subject to permits.
| Total Area: |
7355 ha |
| In % of total forest
reserves: |
0.2% |
| In % of Sabah's land
mass: |
0.1% |
Class IV Forest Reserves
Class IV Forest Reserves, or Amenity Forest Reserves, were
established mainly to provide recreational opportunities for the
general public.
| Total Area: |
20940 ha |
| In % of total forest
reserves: |
0.6% |
| In % of Sabah's land
mass: |
0.28% |
Class V Forest Reserves
Class V Forest Reserves are Mangrove Forest Reserves.
| Total Area: |
316024 ha |
| In % of total forest
reserves: |
9.5% |
| In % of Sabah's land
mass: |
4.3% |
Class VI Forest Reserves
Class VI Forest Reserves, or Virgin Jungle Reserves (VJRs). They are
intended for research and biodiversity conservation. At present,
there some 50 VJRs throughout Sabah.
| Total Area: |
91914 ha |
| In % of total forest
reserves: |
2.7% |
| In % of Sabah's land
mass: |
1.3% |
Their sizes range from 3 ha to over
18,000 ha. Most of them are situated in the East Coast, on the
Kinabatangan Floodplain, and in the southeast, in the Lahad Datu and
Tawau regions.
Class VII Forest Reserves
Class VII Forest Reserves, or Wildlife Reserves, are strictly
protected.
| Total Area: |
132653 ha |
| In % of total forest
reserves: |
4.0% |
| In % of Sabah's land
mass: |
1.8% |
They are conserved primarily for the preservation of wildlife and
wildlife habitat. There are only two in Sabah, the Tabin Wildlife Reserve
(111971 ha) and the Kulamba Wildlife Reserve (20683 ha). The two
reserves are managed by the Sabah Wildlife Department. The Tabin
Wildlife Reserve is Malaysia's largest.
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Vast stretches of Sabah are covered in dense rainforest; its
conservation is more urgent than ever!
Mt Kinabalu, Sabah's icon, is surrounded by the Kinabalu National
Park, Malaysia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site
Pulau Tiga
Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan
The Maliau Basin, Sabah's lost world and a possible candidate for
World Heritage status |
