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UNESCO has recognised Sabah’s Kinabatangan as a Biosphere Reserve; a move Chief Minister Hajiji Noor hailed as a major milestone in the state’s push for environmental sustainability and global biodiversity conservation.
The announcement was made at the 37th session of the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme in Hangzhou, China, on Sept 27.
“This world-class status is expected to attract global attention in research, education, nature-based tourism and international collaboration,” Hajiji said in a statement from Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday.
He added that Sabah would continue to strengthen biodiversity conservation and expand community awareness programmes.
The Sabah Cabinet approved Kinabatangan’s nomination as a Biosphere Reserve in March 2022, and the nomination was cleared in August 2024.
The two-year process was led by the Sabah Biodiversity Centre with support from ministries, agencies, NGOs, industry and local communities.
Covering 413,866 hectares and stretching 560 km along the Kinabatangan River, the reserve is home to 315 bird species, 127 mammal species, and more than 1,000 vascular plant species.
It also shelters endangered wildlife such as orangutans, Bornean elephants, proboscis monkeys, sun bears and clouded leopards.
Kinabatangan becomes Sabah’s second Unesco Biosphere Reserve after Crocker Range, recognised in 2014, and Malaysia’s fourth overall. There are 759 Biosphere Reserves in 136 countries worldwide.
Unesco’s MAB Advisory Committee praised the nomination documents and the 22-month consultation process, highlighting broad stakeholder involvement.
The recognition also supports preservation of the Sungai dialect, listed as “severely endangered” in Unesco’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger. - September 30, 2025