Protected areas of Brunei

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A suspension footbridge in Ulu Temburong National Park in the isolated Temburong District of eastern Brunei A walk in nature.jpg
A suspension footbridge in Ulu Temburong National Park in the isolated Temburong District of eastern Brunei

Protected areas of Brunei are established by the Government of Brunei, in accordance with national development objectives and global biogeoecological strategies in which forests play an important role. [1] The country's marine protected areas remained at 0.2% in 2022. [2] As of 2011, nearly half of Brunei Darussalam is still primary forest, however this coverage is dwindling and only 17% of the country is officially protected. [3]

Contents

Background

Brunei's ecosystem is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including tropical evergreen rainforests and coral reefs. The country is home to roughly 15,000 species of vascular plants and 2,000 types of trees due to its diversified ecosystem. This diverse plant life supports a vibrant ecosystem that is home to a wide range of animal species. Land development, pollution, encroachment, climate change, and invasive alien species are all threatening Brunei's biodiversity. Because of the high speed of land development for infrastructure projects and agricultural expansion, huge amounts of natural habitat have been cleared, resulting in habitat fragmentation and loss. Because many species rely on specific environments for life, the loss of ecosystems upsets the delicate balance of biodiversity. [4]

Policies

Acts

The Protected Areas and Protected Places Act specifies the procedures that must be taken to protect any protected area or protected place. No one may enter the premises of protected areas or places unless they have a permit issued by an authorised authority. The Act also includes defensive measures that may endanger the life of anyone entering or attempting to enter a protected area or protected location. [5]

The 2004 Protected Places Order established the declaration of protected location. It declares that the location listed in the first column of the Schedule, as more specifically detailed in the plan specified in the second column and deposited in the office of the Surveyor-General, is a protected place for the purposes of the act. The Schedule identifies protected locations, plan numbers, and the authority in charge. [6]

Heart of Borneo

The government proposes expanding Brunei's protected areas as part of the HoB Initiative, including expanding the 'Bukit Teraja' protection area. Currently, the country has three protected areas: Temburong, the Ingai-Bedawan reserves, and the Labi area (Teraja-Mendaram). The proposed Bukit Teraja Protected Area extension is a relatively small piece of land of 2,500 hectares (6,200 acres), but it would be of great value due to its high biodiversity, potential for eco-tourism, and connectivity with the Mendaram conservation area. [3]

The proposed Teraja Conservation Forest would also connect the existing Bukit Teraja Protection Forest to the Ulu Mendaram Conservation Forest, one of Borneo's last remaining intact peat-swamp forests, creating one large unified virgin rainforest, the connectivity of which is critical for plants and animals living there. [3]

Enrichment planting

Enrichment planting on understocked regions and holes produced after forestry operations is a significant component of Brunei Selection Felling System (BSFS). Seedlings of premium native species appropriate to the present forest conditions, such as Dryobalanops beccarii, Dryobalanops lanceolata, Shorea macrophylla, and Shorea parvifolia, are planted to increase the forest's total timber output. This ensures the long-term viability of timber production. During the 7th National Development Plan (NDP), the enrichment planting initiative was launched. The activity took place in two deforested areas: Labi Hills Forest Reserve in Belait District and Ladan Hills Forest Reserve in Tutong District. As of 2016, the Forestry Department had enriched over 14,000 hectares. [7]

Ulu Temburong National Park

Brunei's first national park, founded in 1991, protects over 50,000 hectares of primary rainforest, considered to be among the best-preserved on Borneo. Only 100 hectares of the 50,000 hectares are accessible to visitors. The national park is actually part of a larger protected area known as the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve, which encompasses up to 40% of the District of Temburong. [8] Ulu Temburong National Park has no road access and can only be reached by boat. [9]

The logging complex located in the national park, Ulu-Ulu National Park Resort, [10] is being renovated to become a luxury resort managed by a major international hotel operator. The execution would improve the park's image and appeal as one of the most important tourist sites in Brunei. [11] It can also only be accessed by boarding a Temuai (longboat) from Batang Duri Jetty. [10]

Nature reserves

Andulau Forest Reserve

The Andulau Forest Reserve is located southeast of Kampong Keluyoh and Sungai Liang of Belait District. It stands at an elevation of 82 metres (269 ft). [12] The forest reserve used a sort of selection system from the late 1940s until the implementation of the Malayan Uniform System (MUS) in 1958.  However, there are no records that properly describe its real application. It can only be assumed that a girth limit was imposed on the commercial species gathered. The MUS was initially used in Compartment 5 of the Andulau Forest Reserve in 1958, after it had been logged in 1955–1957. [7]

Sungai Basong Recreational Park Tutong 23 February 2023 05.jpg
Sungai Basong Recreational Park

Sungai Basong Recreational Park

Sungai Basong Recreational Park, located near the Muara–Tutong Highway and about 5 minutes from Tutong Town Centre, [13] is a tourist destination in the district for photographers and joggers. The park includes a Rumah Budaya (Cultural Village) that highlights the district's five ethnic groups. [14] The park was opened in 1989 and has undergone numerous improvements since then. The park is also a good place for camping and other outdoor activities. The park features two lakes and is surrounded by lush vegetation and wildlife. Since 2001, the park has featured five ethnic houses that showcase the traditional homes of the Dusun, Tutong, Iban, Kedayan, and Chinese people. [13]

Benutan Reservoir

The Benutan Dam, sometimes known as the Binutan Dam, is an embankment dam on the Benutan River in Tutong District. The dam was built in 1988 with the primary goal of enhancing water supplies to Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. It normally has a reservoir volume of 45,000,000 cubic metres (1.6×109 cu ft). [15] [16] [17] Following the impoundment of its reservoir in 1989, the Benutan Reservoir began to fill and was totally full by 1991. Since February 1990, monthly physicochemical and biological data have revealed that this is a stratified, dystrophic black-water lake with low levels of inorganic nutrients, high organic loads, and high productivity. [18]

Anduki Recreational Park Anduki Recreational Park 09.jpg
Anduki Recreational Park

Anduki Recreational Park

The Shelterwood Compartment System, is a silvicultural system used to be applied on the kapurpaya (Dryobalanops rappa) forests in Anduki Forest Reserve from the 1930s to late 1950s. [7] The Anduki Recreational Park, first opened in 1992 to commemorate Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah's silver jubilee, is an ideal refuge for both locals and tourists. The park, which overlooks a lake, provides a setting for gatherings or radio-controlled boat racing. [19] It is a 63 hectare recreation park situated in the outskirts of Seria town and borders the Anduki Airfield. [20]

Berakas Recreation Park

This park is mostly made up of Kerangas Forest, which has survived multiple wildfires, resulting in a variety of rare tree species such as the Ru Runang (Casuarina), Sindok-sindok (Endospermum), and Selunsor (Tristania). There are also acacia mangium, araucaria hunsteinii, and Kapur bukit (Dryobalanops) present. The park is located near the sea and is 18 kilometres (11 mi) from the capital and contains a forest reserve, including the park, of around 348 hectares. [21] [22]

Bukit Shahbandar Forest Recreation Park

It is 234 hectares in size and is located 15 kilometres from Bandar Seri Begawan. Plantings of caribbean pine and acacia mangium trees complement the natural Kerangas Forest. Aside from the standard amenities, this park has fish ponds and a multi-purpose outdoor arena, remote control vehicle racing, and other recreational activities. The observation tower at the top of the hill is a feature of the park, from which one can have a panoramic view of the South China Sea and coastline to the north, Bandar Seri Begawan and suburbs to the southwest, the Istana Nurul Izzah and Jerudong Park to the west, and vast tracts of green land. [23] [22]

Sungai Liang Recreation Park Sungai Liang Forest Recreational Park.jpg
Sungai Liang Recreation Park

Sungai Liang Recreation Park

The park is about 14 hectares in size and is mostly made up of lowland forest. It is roughly 70 kilometers from Bandar Seri Begawan. It is also close to the Brunei Forestry Centre. The recreational park offers tourist amenities such as picnic areas, jogging, hiking, and pathways that lead to various locations within the park. The park is frequently used for teaching and research by the Forestry Department and other educational institutions throughout Brunei.  This park also has a mini-lake, a floating hut, shelter huts, and open areas for outdoor recreational activities. It has been in operation since March 1989. [24] [22]

Others

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandar Seri Begawan</span> Capital city of Brunei

Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area with an area of 100.36 square kilometres (38.75 sq mi) and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei-Muara District, the smallest yet most populous district which is home to over 70 per cent of the country's population. It is the country's largest urban centre and nominally the country's only city. The capital is home to Brunei's seat of government, as well as a commercial and cultural centre. It was formerly known as Brunei Town until it was renamed in 1970 in honour of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei and the father of the current Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

Districts are the principal administrative divisions of Brunei. The country is divided into four districts, namely Brunei-Muara, Belait, Tutong and Temburong. Temburong is an exclave; it is physically separated from the three other districts by the Brunei Bay and Malaysian state of Sarawak. Each district has a town as its administrative and main economic centre, with the exception of Brunei-Muara, where the principal centre is Bandar Seri Begawan, a city and the country's capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tutong (town)</span> Municipality in Brunei

Tutong is a municipality town in Mukim Pekan Tutong Tutong District, Brunei. It is located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. It is the administrative centre of Tutong District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seria</span> Town in Brunei

Seria is a town in Belait District, Brunei, about 65 kilometres (40 mi) west from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The total population was 3,625 in 2016. It was where oil was first struck in Brunei in 1929 and has since become a centre for the country's oil and gas industry. The town's bazaar, officially opened on 19th September 1954, has few retail establishments, fresh food markets, supermarkets, banking services, tourist information centers, and a range of restaurants, including Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Italian ones as well as outdoor dining in somewhat rustic settings. For processing documentation related to owning a car and hiring domestic helpers (amahs), government offices are located in Kuala Belait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temburong River</span> River in Brunei

The Temburong River is a river in Brunei. It is the second smallest of the four main rivers in the country and drains a catchment area of around 840 square kilometres. Temburong District, through which it flows, is one of the four districts of Brunei. It lies in the east and is sparsely populated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mukim Labi</span> Mukim of Brunei

Mukim Labi is a mukim in the interior of Belait District, Brunei. It has an area of 361.8 square kilometres (139.7 sq mi); the population was 1,216 in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kampong Jerudong</span> Village in Brunei

Kampong Jerudong or simply Jerudong is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, about 21 kilometres (13 mi) from the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 3,856 in 2016. It is one of the settlements within Mukim Sengkurong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borneo lowland rain forests</span> Ecoregion in Borneo

The Borneo lowland rain forests is an ecoregion, within the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, of the large island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It supports approximately 15,000 plant species, 380 bird species and several mammal species. The Borneo lowland rain forests is diminishing due to logging, hunting and conversion to commercial land use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peradayan Forest Reserve</span>

Peradayan Forest Reserve is a 2,650 hectares (10.2 sq mi) nature reserve in Mukim Batu Apoi, Temburong District, Brunei. It is located about 15 km (9.3 mi) from Bangar town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borneo montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion in Borneo

The Borneo montane rain forests is an ecoregion on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It includes montane tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, also known as a cloud forests. The ecoregion is partly in East Malaysia and Indonesia (Kalimantan).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulu Temburong National Park</span> National park in Brunei

Ulu Temburong National Park is the first national park to be established in Brunei, protected since 1991. The park is in Temburong District in eastern Brunei, and covers about 40% of the district in the south at 550 square kilometres (210 sq mi). It is within the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve. The park contains unspoiled jungle and is known as the "Green Jewel of Brunei", described as "the finest example of the sultanate's successful forest protection policy". The principal rivers are the Temburong and Belalong Rivers. It is an important ecotourism centre in Brunei and hosts the Ulu Ulu Resort. The Peradayan Forest Reserve is also located in the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Brunei</span>

Tourism in Brunei is governed by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, which is planning to diversify Brunei's tourism to include adventure tourism, ecotourism and Islamic tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Brunei</span>

Transport in Brunei consists of air, land, and sea transport. Previously there was some rail transport in Brunei, but eventually most of it was closed down. Several public and commercial sector organizations are in charge of creating and overseeing these networks and infrastructures. The Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) is in charge of overseeing the maritime and aviation industries, as well as planning and regulating all kinds of land transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kampong Kapok</span> Village in Brunei

Kampong Kapok is a village in the north-east of Brunei-Muara District, Brunei and has an area of 1,241.01 hectares ; the population was 2,791 in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kampong Sungai Liang</span> Village in Brunei

Kampong Sungai Liang or simply Sungai Liang, is a village in Belait District, Brunei, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the district's principal town Kuala Belait and 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the oil town Seria. The population was 910 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Liang. The postcode is KC1135.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lalak Lake</span> Lake in Mukim Labi, Belait District, Brunei

Lalak Lake is a pond in Mukim Labi, Belait District, Brunei. It is located within the Labi Hills Forest Reserve as part of the Luagan Lalak Recreation Park, and 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Bandar Seri Begawan. The Brunei Malay term "Luagan", refers to a natural pond or non-flowing body of water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selirong Island</span> Island in Brunei

Selirong Island, also known as Mosquito Island, is an island located within the Brunei Bay and Mukim Labu, Temburong District, Brunei. The island also sits at the river delta of the Temburong River.

References

  1. ↑ "Forestry Department - National Forest Policy". www.forestry.gov.bn. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  2. ↑ "Brunei Darussalam Marine protected areas, 1960-2022 - knoema.com". Knoema. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  3. 1 2 3 "Brunei's Bukit Teraja – a forest area worth protecting. A view by Peter Engbers, Jacqueline Hen". wwf.panda.org. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  4. ↑ "Brunei Biodiversity: Animal and Plant Species and What Is Under Threat". 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  5. ↑ "FAO.org :". www.fao.org. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  6. ↑ "Protected Places Order, 2012". www.fao.org (in Spanish). 2014-11-27. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  7. 1 2 3 "Forestry Department - Silviculture". www.forestry.gov.bn. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  8. ↑ "Ulu Temburong National Park - The Green Jewel of Brunei". 2020-05-25. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  9. ↑ Turner, Karen (2017-12-29). "Visiting Ulu Temburong National Park in Brunei". Wanderlustingk. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  10. 1 2 "Ulu-Ulu National Park Resort". Brunei. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  11. ↑ "National park to be upgraded to luxury resort". The Star. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  12. ↑ "Andulau Forest Reserve, Brunei - Holidify". www.holidify.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  13. 1 2 E-borneo.com (2005-12-27). "E-Borneo.Com - Travel Borneo Blog: Brunei's Sungai Basong Recreational Park - Tutong's unique landmark". E-Borneo.Com - Travel Borneo Blog. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  14. ↑ "Department of Environment, Park and Recreation - Sungai Basong Recreational Park". www.env.gov.bn. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  15. ↑ Kajander, Tommi (June 2001). "Global Changes and Water Resources" (PDF). Helsinki University of Technology. p. 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "Dams & hydro plants.(Directory)(Illustration)". International Water Power & Dam Construction. 1 May 2004. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  17. ↑ Britannica Book of the Year: 1990, Volume 33. Encyclopædia Britannica. 1990. p. 207. ISBN   0852295227.
  18. ↑ Booth, Webber E.; Choy, Satish C.; Salim, Kamariah A. (1994). "Ecology of a tropical man-made lake in Brunei Darussalam with proposals for its development and management". SIL Communications, 1953-1996. 24 (1): 273–278. doi:10.1080/05384680.1994.11904048. ISSN   0538-4680.
  19. ↑ activ8bn (2020-08-12). "Anduki Recreational Park - Brunei Tourism" . Retrieved 2023-12-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ "Department of Environment, Park and Recreation - Anduki Jubilee Recreational Park". www.env.gov.bn. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  21. ↑ "Forestry Department - Berakas Forest Recreation Park". www.forestry.gov.bn. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Ahmad, Azman (June 1999). "Local perception of ecotourism: The risk case of Brunei's Merimbun Heritage Park". Borneo Review. Kota Kinabalu: Institute for Development Studies. 10 (1): 53. ISSN   0128-7397.
  23. ↑ "Forestry Department - Bukit Shahbandar Forest Recreation Park". www.forestry.gov.bn. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  24. ↑ "Forestry Department - Sungai Liang Forest Recreation Park". www.forestry.gov.bn. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
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