Tawai Forest Reserve

Tawai Forest Reserve is a protected forest reserve in Telupid District of Sandakan Division, Sabah, Malaysia.[2] It was first created in January 1972,[1] before being designated as a Class 1 Protection Forest by the Sabah Forestry Department in 1984.[3][4] It was fully demarcated in 2002,[1] resulting in an area of 22,697 hectares (226.97 km2).[3] The reserve is mostly mountainous, consisting of ultramafic forest, upland mixed dipterocarp forest and kerangas forest. Mount Tawai, at 1,273 metres (4,177 ft), is within the reserve. It is flattest near its northern and eastern edges. The Tawai waterfall is located within the reserve, part of the many rivers which flow through it.[1] Protection of these headwaters was part of the reason for the reserve's establishment.[5] The reserve has been badly affected by fires that have spread into the reserve from nearby settlements and palm oil plantations. Illegal logging has occurred in areas of dipterocarp forest. Illegal logging and land clearance has occurred in some portions of the reserve.[1] There are plans for the Pan-Borneo Highway to be expanded in part through the northern portion of the reserve.[6] The forestry department runs a Rainforest Camp to generate tourism money, providing access to the clean river water of the reserve, rainforest treks, and a waystop near the path of the Sandakan Death Marches.[7]

Tawai Forest Reserve
Map showing the location of Tawai Forest Reserve
Map showing the location of Tawai Forest Reserve
Tawai Forest Reserve
Location in Borneo
LocationSabah, Malaysia
Nearest cityTelupid, Telupid District
Coordinates5°35′25″N 117°06′23″E
Area226.97 km2 (87.63 sq mi)
Established1984
Governing bodySabah Forestry Department[1]

Flora

1,070 floral species have been identified within Tawai Forest Reserve, 1030 flowering plants, 25 ferns, 13 gymnosperms, and 2 lycophytes. With 98 species endemic to Borneo, 35 endemic to Sabah, and 4 endemic to the local area, it has the highest endemism of forest reserves within inland Sabah.[8] The area is important for tree species including Anisoptera, Dipterocarpus, Hopea and Shorea species. An orchid species, Paraphalaenopsis labukensis, is endemic to the area. The forests are in good condition, aside from areas near the border of the reserve, especially the Ruku Ruku valley in the northeast, which is mainly secondary forest. Most of the reserve is ultramafic forest. At least 38 dipterocarp species have been identified.[1]

Fauna

Tawai Forest Reserve is home to animals including wild boar, clouded leopard, barking deer, red leaf monkey and gibbon. Bird species include grey-breasted babbler and the near-threatened scarlet-breasted flowerpecker, with a total of 47 species being identified. Butterflies inhabit shaded areas,[1] including the poorly understood Delias henningia.[9] Borneo elephants inhabit parts of the reserve, often concentrated in flat areas that are being considered for highway expansion.[6]

References
  1. "Tawai". Sabah Forestry Department. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  2. Sheldon, Frederick H (October 2015). "Gazetteer and site-based history of the ornithology of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo". Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University. 1 (86): 7. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  3. "Tawai Protection Forest Reserve". Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (Malaysia). Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  4. "FORESTS (CONSTITUTION OF FOREST RESERVES AND AMENDMENT) ENACTMENT 1984 (No. 4 of 1984)" (PDF). State of Sabah. July 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  5. Thomas, P; Hepburn, A J (1976). "The land capability classification of Sabah: Volume 2 The Sandakan Residency". Ministry of Overseas Development. p. 48. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  6. Cannon, John C. (28 August 2019). "The Pan Borneo Highway on a collision course with elephants". Mongabay. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  7. Kan Yaw Chong (24 September 2016). "'Silent Spring' in Sabah's wilderness". Daily Express. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  8. Sabran, Suzana; Nilus, Reuben; Pereira, Joan T.; Sugau, John Baptist; Kugan, Frederick (23 July 2014). "Contribution of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative towards botanical exploration in Sabah, Malaysia". Reinwardtia. 14 (1): 140-141. doi:10.14203/reinwardtia.v14i1.406.
  9. Chung, Arthur Y.C.; Majapun, Richard; Yukang, John L (November 2009). "Insect diversity and conservation within the Telupid forests in central Sabah". Malaysian Biological Symposium: 2. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
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