Expeditions and other fieldwork

Borneo — Sabah — WWF Malaysia has obtained funding from the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC) to conduct botanical studies at Ulu Padas, in the extreme southwest of Sabah. A first expedition was carried out in April 2002 to the Maligan Virgin Jungle Reserve with a total area of 9240 ha, located 300 km S of Kota Kinabalu at 1220-1940 m altitude. It is subject to seasonal flooding as it is within a shallow sandstone basin. The Reserve is mainly made up of montane forest and still undisturbed. The montane marsh peat swamp forest/community there is very special and does not occur anywhere else in Sabah or Borneo.