Sarawak Mangrove Forest Reserve
Location:
1°36'-1°41'N, 110°11'-110°25'E; 15 km NNW of K.uching, First Division, Sarawak.
Area:
11,651 ha.
Altitude:
Mostly near sea-level; hill on Pulau Salak to 140m.
Biogeographical Province:
4.25.12.
Wetland type:
02, 03, 05, 06, 07 & 11.
Description of site:
A deltaic mangrove system, with an extensive network of marine waterways and tidal creeks interconnecting the major rivers of Sungei Sibu Laut, Batang Salak and Sungei Santubong. Most of the reserve lies west of Sungei Santubong, with a small area to the east. The mangrove forest is of good quality and little disturbed. The main river catchment areas lie to the south in Bau and Kuching districts, up to the Bungo highlands. Salinities at Salak range from 25-30 p.p.t. The mean tidal range in Sungei Santubong is 5.5m.
Climatic conditions:
Humid tropical climate with an annual rainfall of 3,600-4,000 mm. The region is not directly exposed to the northeast monsoon. The rainfall is lowest during June and July, and reaches a peak in December and January.
Principal vegetation:
Primary mangrove forest dominated by species of Rhizophora, Sonneralia (notably S. alba) and Avicennia. This is interspersed with small areas of Nypa fruticans and occasional patches of kerangas forest. The mangrove canopy is at a height of about 8m, with emergents, especially in areas of Avicennia. There is some cultivation on Pulau Salak and also a small area of forest on the hill in the centre of the island. Terraces with kerangas cover are common in the interior of the islands in the reserve, and also in the bordering uplands to the south.
Land tenure:
State owned (Sarawak State Government).
Conservation measures taken:
The mangrove forest area was gazetted as a Forest Reserve in 1924; the original area of 17,153 ha has been reduced by various excisions to the present area of 11,651 ha.
Conservation measures proposed:
Bennett (1985) and the Sarawak Ad-hoc Subcommittee on Fisheries, Reptiles and Amphibians have made the following recommendations:
1. All possible steps should be taken to prevent illegal hunting of primates inside and outside the reserve.
2. The Kuching public should be educated about the wildlife laws and relevant penalties.
3. The whole reserve area should be fully protected by gazetting it as a National Biosphere Reserve, including an additional buffer zone round the reserve extending as far as the coast in the north.
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 l960s, l970s and l980s. All non-swampy land less than 50 km from Kulamba Wildlife Reserve has been allocated for permanent agriculture.
Possible Changes in Land use:
Rhizophora mangroves are cut by local people throughout the reserve for firewood and poles for the production of charcoal. At least four full-time charcoal camps are located within the reserve. The wood-gathering is highly selective, and is probably sustainable in the long term at present rates of exploitation. There is also a considerable amount of fishing in the area. There is a research project on cage culture and a demonstration project involving the culture of cockles (Anadara sp) on the mudflats near Pulau Salak. The nearby Damai Beach Resort is a centre for tourism.
Disturbances and threats:
Environmental degradation is occurring as a result of physical developments upstream at Samarang Batu and in the surrounding areas. Some 1,449 ha of mangrove forest in the Forest Reserve are being clear-felled for an aquaculture project, with consequent loss of 11% of the Forest Reserve and adverse effects on natural fisheries and wildlife. There is a considerable amount of illegal "sport" hunting of primates, including Nasalis larvatus (a protected species), by visitors from Kuching in speedboats, and this now seriously threatens the survival of primates in the area. Cultivation and quarrying activities on Pulau Salak also cause some disturbance.
Economic and social values:
Several villages inside the Forest Reserve depend on the ecosystem for fishing, charcoal and firewood. The mangrove swamps provide breeding and nursery grounds for many commercially important species of fishes and prawns, and are thus of great importance in maintaining the region's marine fisheries. The reserve has considerable potential for tourism, being an area of outstanding natural beauty in close proximity to Kuching and Damai Beach Resort.
Fauna:
Forty-three families of fishes have been recorded in the Sungei Salak; some of the species commonly caught include Clupeoides verulosus, Pellona spp, Opisthopterus tardoore, Setipinna Lazy, Stolephorus commersonii, Coila Spp, Setipinna melanochur, Anchoviella commersonii, Gerres abreviatus, Gobius giurus, Hemirhampus xanthopterus, Leognathus repsoni, Mugil ceramensis, Liza dussumierii, Upeneus suiphureus, Pomadasys hasta, Polynemus indicus, Polynemus intermedius, Otolithoides ruber, Sciaena dussumierii, Johnius dussumierii, Pseudosciaena birzwistlei, Scatophagus argus, Microphis boaja and Tachysurus venosus.
Little information is available on the waterbirds of the area, but Butorides striatus, Numenius phaeopus, Tringa totanus, Actitis hypoleucos and a variety of kingfishers (Alcedinidae) are known to occur. The Forest Reserve supports the greatest abundance of primates in the Kampong Salak area. The Proboscis Monkey Nasalis larvatus, Silvered Langur Presbytis cristala and Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis have been recorded, along with Plantain Squirrel Callosciurus notatus and Bearded Pig Sus barbatus.
Two Estuanine Crocodiles Crocodylus porosus were observed in July 1985 during a survey of 48 km of river (Cox & Gombek 1985). One was about one year old, indicating the presence of a small breeding population. Villagers occasionally report crocodiles from Sungei Trombol, Selang Sibu, Temanggong and Selalang. Although the crocodile population appears to be seriously depleted, the ecosystem remains intact and recovery should be possible. Monitor lizards Varanus spp have also been recorded.
Species of prawns caught in Sungei Salak include Penaeus indicus, P. penicillatus, P. merguiensis, Metapenaeus lysianassa, M. affinis, M. ensis, M. brevicornis, Parapenaeopsis hungerl ordi, P. gracillima and species of Macrobrachium and Acetes.
Special floral values:
The Forest Reserve contains an extensive tract of deltaic mangrove forest still in very good condition.
Research and facilities:
Forest inventories were carried out between 1934 and 1953, and again in 1973. Bennett conducted a primate survey in April 1985, and Cox and Gombek searched the area for crocodiles in July 1985. An inventory of fishery resources is being carried out within the mangrove area by the Sarawak Marine Fisheries Department, and there are cage culture and cockle culture projects in operation in the Pulau Salak area.
References:
Anon (1979); Bennett (1985 & 1986); Brunig (1974); Cox & Gombek (1985); Department of Agriculture (1982a); DID Sarawak (1979/80); Mohammad Mohidin (undated); Pang (1985).
Criteria for Inclusion:
1b, 2a, 2c.
Source:
Albert Chuan Gambang, National Parks and Wildlife Office (Sarawak Forest Department) and E.L. Bennett.