Borneo’s ‘Lost World’ to be nominated World Heritage Site

Malaysian authorities have ended years of tortuous debate and decided to nominate the Maliau Basin as a World Heritage Site, in effect saving the celebrated rainforests from the clutches of timber and mining interests.

The basin, located deep within the remote interior of North Borneo, was discovered only in the 1970s and remains largely unexplored.

Scientists hailed the decision, saying it was a victory for the environment and the species that remain undiscovered.

Glen Reynolds, director of the Royal Society’s South East Asian rainforest programme, said that a listing coupled with project funding from the plantation group Sime Darby would go a long way towards securing the long-term future of the forest.

“It’s super for the Maliau Basin. It gives an extra layer of protection, if you like, to what is one of the most important habitats,” Mr Reynolds told The Times. “It’s really very remote indeed – it was only discovered as a defined feature a few decades ago.”

Home to clouded leopards, orang-utans, rhinoceros, and pigmy elephants, the basin covers almost 400 square miles (600 sq km) and ranges from 1,650ft (500m) to about 6,500 (2,000m) deep.

Hundreds of waterfalls dot the landscape which environmentalists call the Lost World.

“Maliau really does comprise a range of unique forest types, one of the truly last undisturbed forests,” Mr Reynolds said. “It is certainly an excellent candidate for World Heritage status. There are almost certainly many new species to be discovered there.”

Mining and timber conglomerates have long eyed the rich coal deposits and potential concessions in the basin.

But changing world opinion, concerns over climate change and Malaysia’s dwindling native habitat prompted a cabinet decision by the Sabah state government that cleared the path for the Maliau Basin to be given protected status by Unesco.

Masidi Manjun, Sabah’s Environment Minister, said that the decision to nominate Maliau Basin proved his Government had no interest in disturbing an area that possessed a unique natural heritage that could not be found anywhere else in the world.

But he added that the ministry had not yet decided whether the surrounding Danum Valley would also be nominated for listing.

Mr Reynolds said that rainforest preservation could be achieved only by including timber companies and miners – who manage the land – within the conservation process.

Sime Darby is currently in negotiations to finance a possible ten-year scientific study of altered forests and their ecosystems. Funding is expected to top millions of pounds and Mr Reynolds said that the study would focus on "hard science".

He said the study also highlighted improved relations with big business and efforts to protect what is left of the world’s natural habitat.

“It’s a recognition that we have to be pragmatic,” he said.