Malua BioBank
Restoration and protection of a critical orangutan habitat in Sabah, Malaysia.
Category:
Trees and farms
•
Country:
Malaysia
Overview
What is it all about?
The Malua Wildlife Habitat Conservation Bank (Malua BioBank) is located next to one of the last areas of virgin rainforest in Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. The Malua BioBank will restore and protect 34,000 hectares (80,000 acres) of critical orangutan habitat within the Malua Forest Reserve.
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How does it work?
The Sabah State Government has licensed conservation rights for a period of 50 years to the Malua BioBank and a private investor has committed up to 10 million USD for the rehabilitation of the Malua Forest Reserve over the next six years. The Malua BioBank will sell Biodiversity Conservation Certificates, with each certificate representing 100-square meters of rainforest restoration and protection.
Revenues generated from the sale of these certificates will be used to cover costs incurred and to endow a trust fund, the Malua Trust, which was set up to manage the long-term conservation management of the Malua BioBank over the remaining 44-year period of the license.
Social benefits
Environmental benefits
One of the main goals is improving forest structure in order to increase carbon storage and resilience to fire. The rehabilitation process will include planting seedlings to reestablish key rainforest species and enhancing natural food resources for wildlife until the area regenerates into healthy tropical rainforest.
Regular monitoring of forest regeneration, water quality and wildlife are just a part of the comprehensive conservation strategy. The Malua Biobank also considers the needs of its most intelligent inhabitants, by placing rope bridges as key points to re-connect fragmented forest canopy. As logging has reduced the number of available nesting sites, artificial nests have been provided for exotic hornbills.
Biodiversity
| Common Name | Scientific Name | IUCN Status |
| Asian giant tortoise | Manouria emys | Endangered |
| Banded palm civet | Hemigalus derbyanus | Vulnerable |
| Bearded pig | Sus barbatus | Vulnerable |
| Binturong | Arctictis binturong | Vulnerable |
| Bornean pygmy elephant | Elephas maximus | Endangered |
| Marbled cat | Pardofelis marmorata | Vulnerable |
| Orangutan | Pongo pygmaeus | Endangered |
| Oriental small-clawed otter | Aonyx cinerea | Vulnerable |
| Otter civet | Cynogale bennettii | Endangered |
| Pangolin | Manis javanica | Endangered |
| Pig-tailed macaque | Macaca nemestrina | Vulnerable |
| Sambar | Rusa unicolor | Vulnerable |
| Sun-bear | Helarctos malayanus | Vulnerable |
| Sunda clouded leopard | Neofelis diardi | Vulnerable |
| Storm's stork | Ciconia stormi | Endangered |
| Tembadau | Bos javanicus | Endangered |
Jungle Cam
Pig-tailed macaque
Fruit and seeds comprise 74% of the pig-tailed macaque's diet. The rest consists of insects, nestling birds, leaves, buds and flowers. The pig-tailed macaque eats more than 160 kinds of plants.
Participants and Milestones
Participants
- Investor: Eco Products Fund
- Project Partner: New Forests
- Project Partner: Equator Environmental
- Project Partner: Sabah Forestry Department
- Project Partner: Yayasan Sabah
- Registry: Markit (formerly TZ1)
Milestones
- 01 August 2008 Conservation Management Plan established:
- 14 August 2008 Project initiation:
- 31 August 2008 Appointing the registry provider:
Location data
Location
Address:
Malua Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia
About the region
History
After being part of the Brunei and Sulu Sultanates, Sabah (at that time known as North Borneo) became a protectorate of the United Kingdom in 1888 and suffered from Japanese occupation all through the Second World War. After a period of being a British Crown Colony, in 1963, the territory together with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore formed the Federation of Malaysia.
Wildlife
The forests of Sabah hold the richest large mammal fauna in Borneo. This is a result of a once rich habitat and relatively minimal hunting pressure due to a lack of permanent human settlements. The area is an important refuge for Sumatran rhinoceros, Bornean pygmy elephant, sun bear, clouded leopard and other endangered species. As a result of land conversion to extensive oil palm plantations, Malua has high densities of orangutans seeking refuge in adjacent forest patches.
Touristic sites
Tourism, particularly eco-tourism is a major contributor to the economy of Sabah. The state currently has six national parks, from which the Kinabalu National Park is designated as a World Heritage Site.
Malua Forest Reserve
Downloadable documents
- Malua Conservation Management Plan
Adobe PDF (3.0 MB)
Description
Conservation Management Plan for the Malua Forest Reserve
- Birds of the Malua Forest Reserve
Adobe PDF (64 KB)
Description
A 2008 study showed that there are more than 130 different species of birds in the reserve.
- Malua BioBank Press Release
Adobe PDF (118 KB)
Description
Malua Wildlife Habitat Conservation Bank Launches in Sabah, Malaysia
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