Maliau Basin

Facts & Figures

Location : South-central Sabah, approximately 40km north of Kalimantan border.

Size : 58,840 hectares/588.4sq km.

Maximum diameter of Basin 25km.

Extent : The whole of Maliau Basin plus an additional 19,840 hectares of land to the east and north of the rim including the 20 hectare Lake Linumunsut.

Elevation : Approximately 450m a.s.l. up to a 1700m a.s.l. escarpment enclosing most of the sub-circular Basin, peaking in Gunung Lutong on the northern rim at over 1600m a.s.l.

Status : Originally part of Yayasan Sabah Concession Area and voluntarily designated as a Conservation Area in 1981 for research , education and training purposes. Upgraded in 1997 to a Class 1 Protection Forest Reserve and extended to present size. Gazetted as a Cultural Heritage Site under the state Cultural Heritage (Conservation) Enactment in 1999. Day to day management by Yayasan Sabah on behalf of Maliau Basin Management Committee.

Rivers : Draining the whole Maliau basin is the Maliau River and its tributaries. The famous seven tiered Maliau Falls is located along this river, which flows out through a narrow gorge on the south east of the Basin into the Kuamut River, a major tributary of the Kinabatangan. Several other spectacular waterfalls are located throughout the Basin. Outside the northern rim of the Basin lies lake Linumunsut, formed by a land slide blocking a small tributary of the Pinangah River.

Main Forest : Lower montane forest; Heath forest; Lowland and hill dipterocarp forest.

Types Flora : Over 1,800 species so far identified, including 6 species of pitcher plants and 80 species of orchid.

Fauna : More than 70 species mammal. 261 bird species and over 30 species of amphibians.

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