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The 390 km2 (39,000
hectares) Maliau Basin was originally part of a 10,000 km2 (one million
hectares) timber concession belonging to Yayasan Sabah (the Sabah Foundation),
an organisation formed in 1966 through an Enactment by the State
Legislative Assembly, with the objective of improving the standard of
living and education of Malaysians in Sabah. In 1981 Yayasan Sabah
voluntarily designated Maliau Basin as a Conservation Area for the
purposes of research, education and training, along with Danum Valley
Conservation Area further to the east.
The basin was
'officially discovered' in 1947, by a pilot. But it was not until 1988
that the first major scientific expedition organised by Yayasan Sabah and
WWF Malaysia took place. The Murut, who traditionally inhabit the area but
have never settled in the forbidding basin have since time immemorial
organised a yearly hunting expedition to the rich grounds of Maliau, and
know of the seven-tiers waterfall, the Maliau Falls (picture) at
its heart – but they also know of many more stories and legends that
surround the place.
While all of this region is rugged, the saucer-shaped Maliau Basin is
distinguished by its almost circular perimeter, sharply delimited on all
sides by cliffs or very steep slopes up to 1,500m in height, making it
insurmountable on foot from most directions. The highest point is thought
to be Gunung Lotung on the north rim, which is over 1,600 m in elevation,
but has yet to be accurately surveyed. Resembling a volcanic caldera, the
25 km diameter Basin is in fact a sedimentary formation comprised mainly
of gently inclined beds of sandstone and mudstone.
 The Basin represents a single catchment, and is drained by a set of
radiating tributaries of the Maliau River, one of which descends a
magnificent series of waterfalls, known as Maliau Falls. Numerous smaller
waterfalls have also been discovered throughout the Basin. The Maliau
River then drains through a gorge out of the southeast of the Basin into
the Kuamut River, which in turn feeds into the Kinabatangan, the longest
river in Sabah.
After the 1988 scientific expedition other parties showed their interest,
but it was mainly in its rich coal deposits. However, international
pressure became increasingly strong to preserve the world-unique area. In
1997 the Sabah State Assembly gazetted Maliau Basin as a Class I
Protection Forest Reserve and increased its size from 39,000 to 58,840
hectares to include the outer northern and eastern escarpments and Lake
Linumunsut. In 2000 intensive field surveys started as part of the
preparation of the Maliau Basin Conservation Area Management Plan.
The first major
expedition to Lake Linumunsut (Sabah’s only true lake) in the
northern part of Maliau was conducted in 2001. By now, only about 25% of
the total area have been mapped, and less than 10% have been studied
intensively. Yet, the Basin has already yielded more new species of plants
and animals than many other places over many more years of studies! In
2002 we celebrated the ground breaking for the Maliau Basin Studies Centre
Site by HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark and Tan Sri Datu Khalil bin Datu Haji
Jamalul, the Director of Yayasan Sabah.
Now, talks are
underway that the Maliau Basin may become Malaysia’s third World Heritage
Site.
Visitors to Maliau Basin Conservation Area are welcome, but
access is strictly controlled and permission to
enter must be obtained in advance from Yayasan Sabah.
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