Sandakan-Tambisan Coastal Wetlands
Location:
5°L7'-6°04'N, 117°48'-119°16'E; on the north coast of the Dent Peninsula, from Dent Haven (south of Tambisan) to Tanjung Pisau (NNW of Sandakan), eastern Sabah.
Area:
c.320,000 ha.
Altitude:
0-70m.
Biogeographical Province:
4.25.12.
Wetland type:
01, 02, 03, 05, 06, 07, 11, 15 & 21.
Description of site:
A vast coastal area of gazetted mangrove forest reserve with nipa and freshwater swamp forest. Freshwater swamp forest lies mostly in the Kulamba Wildlife Reserve (20,682 ha) and in the southeastern corner of the site. The Kinabatangan delta comprises a complex mixture of mangrove forest, transitional forest, lowland swamp forest and open reed marsh with patches of forest periodically flooded with fresh water. Two large rivers, Sungei Kinabatangan and Sungei Segama, flow into the area and provide the main surface water supply. The delta areas are brackish and tidal; some other areas are possibly slightly acidic. There are short-term and seasonal variations in river levels and flooded areas.
The Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve (4,295 ha) in the western part of the area is described separately as site 20a.
Climatic conditions:
Humid tropical climate with an average annual rainfall of 2,500 mm (at Mumiang); the wettest months are December and January, and the driest is April. The mean daily maximum temperature is about 32°C, and the mean daily minimum, 22°C.
Principal vegetation:
Seven major plant communities have been described in the K ulamba Wildlife Reserve as follows:
1. Mangrove forest.
2. Nipa forest, consisting almost entirely of Nypa fruticans. There are two substantial stands of nipa within the Wildlife Reserve and extensive fringes of nipa along rivers outside the Reserve.
3. Riverine forest of variable composition, but usually with Cerbera manghas, Heritiera littoralis, Teijsmanniodendron cf. hollrungii, Dillenia excelsa and Ficus spp.
4. Butabuta, consisting of almost pure stands of the mangrove Excoecaria agallocha with some Heritiera littoralis, Lumnitzera sp, and the fern Acrostichum sp. The spiny-leaved shrub Acanthus ilicifolius is also present. This habitat is on saline mud, partially or entirely inundated at high tide.
5. Beach, with open stands of Casuarina equisetifolia and coarse grasses.
6. Open swamp forest with thick scrub and grasses, frequently flooded. The only large trees in the area sampled were a species of Terminalia.
7. Closed-canopy swamp forest; a more heterogeneous and diverse plant community than 6, with a more complete tree cover. Prominent tree species include Campnosperma auriculata, Alstonia spathulala. Homolanthus populneus, Baccaurea stipulata, Planchonia valida, Memecylon laevigatwn, Pternandra coerulescens and a palm, Licuala sp. In parts, notably to the east of the Kapis River, Campnosperma auriculata is the most abundant tree and the ground cover is dominated by Hypolytrum nemorum. Such forest appears to be frequently inundated, depending on the tide and on rainfall.
In the Kinabatangan Mangrove Forest Reserve, the mangrove forest is dominated by species of Rhizophora. This Reserve has many small stands of various palms such as Pholidocarpus sp and Areca sp, extensive nipa swamps, and rather open lowland swamp forests where Terminalia copelandii is particularly common. The main vegetation types in adjacent areas are grassland with few trees, tropical forest on steep hills and flat dry ground, and riverine forest.
Land tenure:
Over 85,000 ha are state owned in two Mangrove Forest Reserves and a Wildlife Reserve, and a further 9,000 ha is State Land. Adjacent areas are State Land or privately owned agricultural land.
Conservation measures taken:
Two Mangrove Forest Reserves (totalling 64,464 ha), one Virgin Jungle Reserve and one Wildlife Reserve have been gazetteth Terusan Kinabatangan Mangrove Forest Reserve (40,471 ha), Kuala Segama and Kuala Maruap Mangrove Forest Reserve (23,993 ha), Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve (4,295 ha) and Kulamba Wildlife Reserve (20,682 ha, mostly freshwater swamp and nipa). The Kinabatangan Mangroves are a Class V Forest Reserve.
Conservation measures proposed:
No information.
Land use:
Much mangrove has been clear-felled, but such exploitation ceased in mid 1986. Mangrove forest has undergone and will continue to undergo selective exploitation, but swamp forest has suffered minimal disturbance. In the Kinabatangan delta, the principal activities are fishing and logging for wood-chips, but there is also a little charcoal production. All the dipterocarp forest around the wetland was logged during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. All non-swampy land less than 50 km from Kulamba Wildlife Reserve has been allocated for permanent agriculture.
Possible Changes in Land use:
The damming of the Kinabatangan or Segama rivers would affect the area.
Disturbances and threats:
The main threat has been the clear-felling of mangrove forest for wood-chips, although this activity has been indefinitely frozen in Sabah by the State Forest Department. Hunting and fishing cause some disturbance, but this does not appear to be excessive.
Economic and social values:
An important area for the maintenance of Sabah's east coast fisheries. The wetland provides an excellent example of the transition from mangrove to freshwater swamp forest, much of which is undisturbed, and thus presents an excellent opportunity for scientific research.
Fauna:
Thirty-four species of saltwater fish were recorded during a survey of Dewhurst Bay and the Sulu Sea bordering the Kulamba Wildlife Reserve and Segama Estuary.
The wetland is an important site for Storm's Stork Ciconia stormi and Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus, both of which probably breed in the area. The wetland also supports significant numbers of migrant shorebirds during the northern winter (November-March); Tanjung Bididari near Kg. Mumiang held almost 3,500 shorebirds in September-October 1984, including 2,030 Actitis hypoleucos. One pair of the megapode Megapodius freycinet has recently been observed, this constituting the first record of the species for this part of Sabah.
Bos javanicus is present in Kulamba Wildlife Reserve, and primates known to occur in the area include Presbytis rubicunda, P. hosei, P. cristata, Nasalis larvatus, Pongo pygmaeus and Hylobates mullen. Other mammals include Helarctos malayanus and Felis marmorara.
The Estuarine Crocodile Crocodylus porosus has almost been exterminated in the Kulamba area, although it still occurs in small numbers in the Kulamba Wildlife Reserve. In the l960s, as many as 1,000 crocodile hatchlings were caught each year in November and December at Danau Tidal, a freshwater marsh at Tanjung Linsang in the Kulamba Wildlife Reserve. The population could revive if given adequate protection, and perhaps aided by re-introduction from elsewhere.
Special floral values:
There are seemingly wild stands of Areca catechu in the Kinabatangan delta. This species is not known to occur anywhere else in Malaysia.
Research and facilities:
Surveys have been carried out at the Kulamba Wildlife Reserve by staff of the Wildlife Section of Sabah Forest Department in 1984 and by WWF Malaysia in 1985. The Wildlife Section of Sabah Forest Department and Interwader conducted a survey of the MumianglBididari area in 1984.
References:
Beadle & Whittaker (1985); Payne (1986); Whitaker (1984); WWF Malaysia (1985).
Criteria for Inclusion:
1b, 1e, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3b.
Source:
C. Phillipps, J. Payne and R. Rajanathan.