DaMaI World Heritage, Sabah, Malaysia

Often referred to as the Heart of Borneo, the Danum Valley – Maliau Basin – Imbak Canyon (DaMaI) contains one of the last intact primary forests and wildlife habitats in Asia for endangered megafauna species including elephants, clouded leopard and orangutans to co-exist together in the wild.

Global Park Defense is being deployed in DaMaI by Sabah Environmental Trust, working with Sabah Department of Forestry and Sabah Foundation under a new MOU recently signed at the Heart of Borneo International Conference in October, 2017. This new MOU supports the first dedicated Ranger Patrol Teams for DaMaI Park and Wildlife Protection.

Training and deployment of Global Park Defense will help DaMaI Ranger effectiveness and provide critical communications, cellular trailcams, transport, training, equipment and systems for newly dedicated park ranger patrols.

Illegal hunting and wildlife poaching has rapidly increased over the past 10 years, resulting in the extinction of the last last Sumatran Rhino in the wild and depleted populations of both megafauna and their prey. Armed gangs and organized syndicates are aggressively hunting endangered wildlife for commercial profit including overseas trade and wildlife eateries in Sabah frequented by foreign tourists in the Heart of Borneo in Sabah.

DaMaI Rainforest Complex World Heritage would protect one of the last major primary forest ecosystems in Asia, including critical lowland forests protecting endangered elephants, orangutans, leopards, bear, hornbills and other species facing extinction in other parts of Malaysia and across Asia.

Protecting DaMaI World Heritage

Global Conservation is focused on accomplishing three primary goals:

  1. Deploying Global Park Defense

  2. Increasing Ranger Patrolling Coverage

  3. Establish DaMaI UNESCO World Heritage Park 

Global Park Defense equipment, systems and training is being funded to support newly dedicated Park Ranger Teams focused on anti-poaching and law enforcement in DaMaI core conservation areas. Key activities include:

• Ground & aerial surveillance equipment inc. Cellular Trailcams and UAV Drones.
• Command and Control systems and joint patrolling with law enforcement agencies.
• Detailed mapping of DaMaI forests and ecosystems using sophisticated LiDAR and multi-sensor analysis for Carbon Offset Value.
• Planning for tourism and improved park management including best placement of roads and tourism facilities to reduce impact on wildlife and sensitive forest habitats.

About DaMaI World Heritage

DaMaI (Danum-Maliau-Imbak) is highly threatened by organized domestic and foreign commercial wildlife poaching, as well as rampant community hunting. Without effective park and wildlife protection, we will further lose critical endangered species and wildlife habitats in one of the most biodiverse places on earth. Already, the rhino has become extinct across Sabah and Borneo.

The proposed DaMaI World Heritage Park has the potential to bring millions of visitors in the coming decades which provides a powerful financial model for long-term protection and sustainability. Few other rainforest wildlife areas offer this opportunity.  Already Sabah has millions of visitors to their other parks, marine areas and wildlife sanctuaries.

Unfortunately, a number of wildlife species in DaMaI are now already extinct, including the rhino. Elephants and orangutan are critically endangered, and there is little organized protection for wildlife protection in the proposed DaMaI World Heritage Park today.

Above: Illegal wildlife poaching and hunting in Sabah and DaMaI has ‘reached pandemic proportions’ according the Department of Forestry.

Conservation Success through Partnerships

Global Conservation is working with leading NGOs in Sabah including the Sabah Environmental Trust (SET), along with Sabah Forestry, Sabah Foundation, and the Sabah Department of Wildlife on the planning and design of Global Park Defense for the DaMai World Heritage to establish an effective park and wildlife protection program.

Primary Goals

1. Deploy Global Park Defense against wildlife poaching and illegal land clearing through an integrated system, technologies and training including park-wide communications, Cellular Trailcams, aerial surveillance, SMART Patrols and the Vulcan Domain Awareness System (DAS), ranger and community ecoguard training, as well as improved visitor security. Goal is to achieve ‘No Cut, No Kill’ Protection in 3 core wildlife habitats within 4-5 years.

2. Increasing Ranger Patrolling Coverage.  With almost no dedicated park or wildlife patrols today, DaMaI is highly vulnerable to illegal activities. Initially Global Conservation funding, training and oversight will be critical to ensure the highest quality training and equipment for Park Rangers including Threat Assessment, Patrol Support, a dedicated Master Ranger, and secured support across Park, Wildlife, Forestry and Law Enforcement for increasing targeted patrol coverage to 80% of core wildlife areas within 4 years.

3. Establish the DaMaI UNESCO World Heritage Park – working with the Sabah and Malaysian national government, we will move the nomination process forward while improving planning for protection, conservation and sustainable tourism. We are proposing new buffer zones, a single management structure and increasing the total area under state-level protection to over 2 million acres including:

• The Danum Valley Conservation Area (DVCA)
• The Maliau Basin Conservation Area (MBCA)
• The Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (ICCA)

Expected Outcomes

• Deployment of Global Park Defense systems
• Increase Ranger Patrolling Coverage 
• Multiply Arrests and Prosecutions
• Training of Rangers, Wildlife and Park Staff in Global Park Defense
• World-Class Master Plan for DaMaI World Heritage Park
• Redesign of nomination to a single World Heritage Park
• Single Management Unit and Board of Trustees for DaMaI World Heritage Park
• Successful UNESCO World Heritage designation

About DaMaI World Heritage

DaMaI World Heritage is considered a ‘Jewel’ and one of the last major forests and wildlife sanctuaries (elephant, orangutan, batang, clouded leopard, others) remaining in Asia.

DaMaI Rainforest Complex protects 3 core wildlife and primary forest conservation areas amounting of 130,238 ha, combined with new buffer zones which will total to 598,025 ha. 

Situated in the East Malaysian state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo, DaMaI Rainforest Complex comprises three protected areas: the Danum Valley Conservation Area (DVCA), Maliau Basin Conservation Area (MBCA) and Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (ICCA), which are today legally designated Class I (Protection) Forest Reserves. 

DaMaI’s unique and rich biodiversity includes Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio), Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi borneensis) and other large cats, Borneo pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) and all eight species of Bornean hornbills (Bucerotidae), species which are highly threatened and in other areas largely absent outside of DaMaI.

DaMaI World Heritage Park is proposed to “be an outstanding example representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals”

Under Criterion (x), DaMaI World Heritage “contains the most important and significant natural habitats for in-site conservation biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation”.

Partners in Global Park Defense

Sabah Environmental Trust is led by Dr. Rahimatsah Amat, FASc, FMSA, Chief Executive Officer & Founder.  SET works in capacity building, support and scientific studies related to the environment, and manage wildlife conservation and environmental activities in Sabah including training of rangers, scientific research and wildlife baseline populations studies.

Sabah Forestry Department is entrusted to manage forests and regulate forestry activities in Sabah, the second largest state in Malaysia. Led by Director, Sam Mannan, the forestry department is a strong partner against illegal deforestation and forest rehabilitation and management.