Balembangan Forest Reserve is a protected forest reserve on
Balambangan Island, off the northern tip of
Borneo. The reserve is part of
Kudat District in
Kudat Division,
Sabah, Malaysia.
[ It was designated as a Class 1 Protection Forest by the Sabah Forestry Department in 1984. Its area is .][ Balembangan's terrain is rugged and steep inland, with flat coastal areas of mangroves.][
]
Flora
Balembangan Forest Reserve hosts dipterocarp tree species including '' Dipterocarpus grandiflorus'', ''Shorea faguetiana
''Shorea faguetiana'' is a species of plant in the family Dipterocarpaceae. Along with other species in the genus ''Shorea'', it is also called '' Yellow Meranti.'' It is native to Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, and Thailand. It is the tallest fl ...
'' and ''Vatica maritima
''Vatica maritima'' is a tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae, native to Borneo and the Philippines. The specific epithet ''maritima'' means "of the sea", referring to species' habitat.
Description
''Vatica maritima'' grows up to tall, with a tr ...
''. Mangrove species include ''Ceriops decandra
''Ceriops decandra'' is a mangrove plant of tropical Asia in the family Rhizophoraceae. The specific epithet ' is from the Greek meaning "ten male", referring to the flower having ten stamens.
Description
''Ceriops decandra'' grows as a shrub o ...
'', '' Rhizophora apiculata'', '' Rhizophora stylosa'' and ''Sonneratia alba
''Sonneratia alba'' is a mangrove tree in the family Lythraceae. The specific epithet ' is from the Latin meaning "white", referring to the flowers.
Description
''S. alba'' grows up to tall with a trunk diameter up to . The cracked to fissured ...
''. '' Pandanus tectorius'' grows freely in watery areas behind the mangroves.[
]
Fauna
Balembangan Forest Reserve is home to mouse deer, sambar deer
The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...
and wild boar. Saltwater crocodiles and long-tailed macaques have also been observed.[
]
References
Forest reserves of Sabah
Borneo lowland rain forests
{{Sabah-geo-stub