Maludam National Park
Encyclopedia
Maludam National Park is located in the Sri Aman Division
of Sarawak
, in eastern Malaysia on the island of Borneo
. It is located in the Maludam Peninsula and consists entirely of low-lying, flat peat
swamp
forest. Such forests cover about 10% of the total land area of Sarawak, but have mostly been exploited for timber and plantation agriculture. The Maludam National Park encompasses the largest single patch of peat swamp forest remaining in Sarawak and Brunei
.
The park covers an area of 432 square kilometre and was founded in 2000. It is the second largest park in Sarawak, and there are proposals to extend its area yet further.
Maludam National Park also has the only viable population of the Red Banded Langur
(Presbytis chrysomelas cruciger) remaining in the world today. This species is one of the world's most beautiful monkeys, and is endemic
only to Borneo. Its current range is restricted entirely to the peat swamp forests of the Sri Aman Division and Sarikei Division
of Sarawak.
Maludam National Park also has one of only about five viable populations of Proboscis Monkey
(Nasalis larvatus) in Sarawak. There is also a significant population of Silvery Lutung
(Trachypithecus cristata). Diversity of other mammals is low, but there are numerous birds in the Park, including Black
, Oriental Pied and Rhinoceros Hornbill
s, Blue-eared
and Stork-billed Kingfisher
s, Green Imperial Pigeon
, Slender-billed Crow
, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
and, occasionally, the rare Storm's Stork
.
The Park currently has no facilities and is not open to visitors, but undoubtedly this will change sometime in the near future with the growing popularity of ecotourism
in Sarawak.
Sri Aman Division
Sri Aman Division is one of the eleven administrative divisions in Sarawak, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. Formerly part of the First Division, which included Kuching, Sri Aman Division has a total area of 5,466.7 square kilometers. It was formerly known as Simanggang District.Sri Aman...
of Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
, in eastern Malaysia on the island of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. It is located in the Maludam Peninsula and consists entirely of low-lying, flat peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
forest. Such forests cover about 10% of the total land area of Sarawak, but have mostly been exploited for timber and plantation agriculture. The Maludam National Park encompasses the largest single patch of peat swamp forest remaining in Sarawak and Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
.
The park covers an area of 432 square kilometre and was founded in 2000. It is the second largest park in Sarawak, and there are proposals to extend its area yet further.
Maludam National Park also has the only viable population of the Red Banded Langur
Sarawak Surili
The Sarawak surili is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is endemic to the southeast Asian island of Borneo, where it is distributed north of the Kapuas River in Kalimantan, Indonesia, the Malaysia states of Sarawak and Sabah, and in Brunei. Its taxonomy is complex and...
(Presbytis chrysomelas cruciger) remaining in the world today. This species is one of the world's most beautiful monkeys, and is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
only to Borneo. Its current range is restricted entirely to the peat swamp forests of the Sri Aman Division and Sarikei Division
Sarikei Division
Sarikei Division is one of the eleven administrative divisions in Sarawak, east Malaysia, located on the island of Borneo. Formerly part of the Third Division, which included Sibu and Kapit, Sarikei Division has a total area of 4,332.4 square kilometers, and is the second smallest of the...
of Sarawak.
Maludam National Park also has one of only about five viable populations of Proboscis Monkey
Proboscis Monkey
The proboscis monkey or long-nosed monkey, known as the bekantan in Malay, is a reddish-brown arboreal Old World monkey that is endemic to the south-east Asian island of Borneo...
(Nasalis larvatus) in Sarawak. There is also a significant population of Silvery Lutung
Silvery Lutung
The silvery lutung , also known as the silvered leaf monkey or the silvery langur, is an Old World monkey. It is arboreal, living in coastal, mangrove, and riverine forests in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo....
(Trachypithecus cristata). Diversity of other mammals is low, but there are numerous birds in the Park, including Black
Black Hornbill
The Black Hornbill, Anthracoceros malayanus, is a species of bird of the hornbill family Bucerotidae.It lives in Asia in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand.-External links:...
, Oriental Pied and Rhinoceros Hornbill
Rhinoceros Hornbill
The Rhinoceros Hornbill, Buceros rhinoceros, is one of the largest hornbills, adults being approximately the size of a swan, 110-127 cm long and weighing 2-3 kg . The Rhinoceros Hornbill lives in captivity for up to 35 years...
s, Blue-eared
Blue-eared Kingfisher
The Blue-eared Kingfisher, Alcedo meninting, is found in south and southeast Asia. This is a small kingfisher almost identical to the Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis...
and Stork-billed Kingfisher
Stork-billed Kingfisher
The Stork-billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis capensis , is a tree kingfisher which is widely but sparsely distributed in the tropical Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia. This kingfisher is essentially resident throughout its range.This is a very large...
s, Green Imperial Pigeon
Green Imperial Pigeon
The Green Imperial Pigeon is a pigeon which is a widespread resident breeding bird in tropical southern Asia from India east to Indonesia. It has a number of subspecies, of which the distinctive Celebes form, Chestnut-naped Imperial Pigeon .This is a forest species; it builds a stick nest in a...
, Slender-billed Crow
Slender-billed Crow
The Slender-billed Crow is a species of bird in the Corvidae family. Its eastern populations are called Violaceous Crow and sometimes separated as Corvus violaceus....
, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
The Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Dicrurus paradiseus, is a medium-sized Asian bird which is distinctive in having elongated outer tail feathers with webbing restricted to the tips. They are placed along with other drongos in the family Dicruridae...
and, occasionally, the rare Storm's Stork
Storm's Stork
The Storm's Stork, Ciconia stormi is a large, approximately long, stork with black and white plumages, red bill, orange bare facial skin, red legs and yellow orbital skin. Both sexes are similar. The young has duller plumage and bare skin....
.
The Park currently has no facilities and is not open to visitors, but undoubtedly this will change sometime in the near future with the growing popularity of ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
in Sarawak.