One of Sabah's largest intact lowland dipterocarp rainforests, long protected from logging and human settlement.
Danum Valley Conservation Area
Danum Valley Conservation Area is a large tract of relatively undisturbed lowland dipterocarp rainforest in the Malaysian state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo. Covering 438 square kilometres of forest that was uninhabited before its designation, the conservation area is unusual for the absence of historical hunting, settlement, and logging pressure, leaving a rare example of primary lowland tropical forest in the region.
The landscape is a bowl-shaped valley with terrain rising to about 1,093 metres at its highest point, drained by rivers that wind through towering canopy, often shrouded in morning fog. Its biodiversity is renowned, supporting species such as the Bornean orangutan, gibbons, clouded leopards, sun bears, the rare Bornean pygmy elephant, and over 270 recorded bird species, including the enigmatic spectacled flowerpecker.
Managed by Yayasan Sabah, Danum Valley functions simultaneously as a strict nature reserve, a major research station, a habitat restoration training site, and a controlled ecotourism destination. It has been proposed for UNESCO World Heritage recognition and is regarded as one of the most important sites in Southeast Asia for the study and conservation of intact Bornean lowland rainforest.
