The Tropical Rainforests of Sabah

Tropical rainforests are an ancient but fast depleting natural wonder. The tropical rainforests have often being described as a “natural supermarket” as all of our every day’s basic essentials can be obtained from the forests such as food, drinks, fruits, medicine, etc.

At one time, tropical rainforest extent across the equator like a green belt but today, tropical rainforests cover less than 6% of the Earth's land area. The rainforests can only be found on three of the world's seven continents in the following geographical areas:

• Central America - In the Amazon River basin.

• Africa - Zaire basin, with a small area in West Africa and also in eastern Madagascar.

• Indo-Malaysia - Borneo, Southeast Asia, West Coast of India, Assam, New Guinea and Queensland, Australia.

The present surface area of the rainforests may be quite small compared to most of the other biomes, but it still plays an important role in the world around us. Tropical rainforests produce 40% of Earth's oxygen and more than half of all the world’s plant and animal species can be found here, where hundreds of species are being discovered daily as scientists explore the dense growth that is home to millions of organisms.

Given the biodiversity of the plant species, many of the medications that are used today have been created through the combination of the exotic vegetation. In fact, about a quarter of all medication today is produced using resources from the rainforest.

Borneo is one of the last places in the world where you can still find magnificent tropical rainforests. The forests of northwest and north Borneo have some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Borneo is also the centre of evolution and radiation of many endemic species of plants and animals.

The remaining pristine tropical rainforests of Borneo is the only natural habitat for the endangered Orangutan and primates such as the Proboscis monkeys, which are endemic to Borneo and Tarsier. It is also an important refuge for many endemic forest species, and the Asian Elephant, the Sumatran Rhinoceros and the Bornean Clouded Leopard.

There are roughly around 15,000 species of flowering plants with 3,000 species of trees (267 species are dipterocarps), 221 species of terrestrial mammals and 420 species of resident birds, which include eight species of hornbills, in Borneo (source: MacKinnon K, Hatta G, Halim H, Mangalik A. The ecology of Kalimantan. Oxford University Press, London. 1998). Borneo’s forest also provides a vast array of plant species - as many as 5,000 species.

Sabah is one of the most convenient places to experience the wonders of the tropical rainforests as the thriving forests are literally only a footstep away from civilization. In addition to its mega fauna diversity, this eco-rich region is among the richest in the world for floral diversity, exhibiting many mountain plant species, including many species of orchids and rhododendrons not found elsewhere.

Some of the prominent tropical rainforests regions in Sabah include the following:

• Kinabalu National Park - a World Heritage Site due to its richness in plant diversity combined with its unique geological, topographical, and climatic conditions.

• Maliau Basin Conservation Area - one of the oldest tropical rainforest jungles in the world, and also known as Sabah’s Lost World.

• Danum Valley Conservation Area - a natural paradise of lush tropical lowland rainforest and acknowledged to have one of the world’s most complex ecosystems.

• Tabin Wildlife Reserve - largest tropical rainforest region in Sabah and heralded as the finest wildlife viewing area in Borneo.

• Imbak Canyon Conservation Area - the last remaining untouched and relatively unexplored lowland dipterocarp tropical rainforests area of Sabah.

• Tanjung Tumunong Hallu Conservation Area - the most recent conservation project to be unveiled and touted as Sabah’s coastal gift to conservation.