BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

NAME Ulu Temburong National Park (formerly Batu Apoi Forest Reserve)

IUCN MANAGEMENT CATEGORY II (National Park)

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL PROVINCE 4.25.13 (Borneo)

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION Lies in the south of Temburong District, on the border with Sarawak. 4*30'N 115*11'E

DATE AND HISTORY OF ESTABLISHMENT First gazetted in 1950 as a forest reserve. In 1957 the boundaries were changed to exclude land on the north side so that all areas of shifting cultivation along the banks of the Sungei Temburong and Sungei Batu Apoi were excluded. Approved as a national park on the 10 March 1991 (Eaton, 1991).

AREA 46,210ha

LAND TENURE State

ALTITUDE 100-2,995m

PHYSICAL FEATURES Ulu Temburong is drained by the Ulu Temburong River which flows north into Brunei Bay. The terrain is fairly rough, especially in the southern part of the area, where it is predominantly rugged and mountainous, with narrow, frequently knife-edged ridges and concave slopes rising to 2,995m on Bukit Pagon. The substrate on the slopes is Setap shale, comprising clay and shale with sandstone blocks in the surface layers overlying sandstone bedrock, surmounted by mature sandstone peaks of the Meligan formation. Soils are shallow and unstable, of the skeletal Kapit family on higher ridge crests, and of the red-yellow podzolic Merit family lower down (Bennett et al., 1984).

CLIMATE Brunei Darussalam has an equatorial climate with an average annual rainfall of 2800mm. There are two wet periods, from September to January and from May to July. The driest period is from February to May. The air temperature is uniform throughout the country with an annual mean temperature of 27.5°C. Mean annual relative humidity is 92.6% with a range 85.3 to 95.6% (Othman et al., 1991).

VEGETATION Comprises undisturbed primary forest, with mixed dipterocarps on the lower slopes and montane forest at higher altitudes (Bennett and Caldecott, 1984). Virtually all the montane forest of Brunei Darussalam occurs within the park (Anderson and Marsden, 1988).

FAUNA The area contains a high diversity of birds and mammals (Bennett and Caldecott, 1984), with up to 90 species of mammal and over 200 resident bird species (Wong, undated). The fauna mostly comprises the same species found in other parts of northern Borneo. Three notable exceptions are orang utan Pongo pygmaeus (E), slow loris Nycticebus coucang and tarsier Tarsius bancanus. The leaf-monkey Presbytis hosei is present in greater numbers than elsewhere in Borneo (Bennett et al., 1984).

CULTURAL HERITAGE No information

LOCAL HUMAN POPULATION The reserve is uninhabited (Bennett et al. 1984).

VISITORS AND VISITOR FACILITIES The Ulu Temburong National Park may, in time, attract as many as 15,000 day visitors and 24,000 overnight visitors annually. The Department of Forests development plans include a visitor centre near the boundary, at the confluence of the Sungai Temburong and Sungai Belalong. This would incorporate accommodation in chalets and hostels, a restaurant and information centre (Eaton, 1991). There are also proposals for a network of trails to be developed by the Forestry Department that would incorporate the existing trail system from Bukit Belalong to the field studies centre (Anon, 1992).

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND FACILITIES An ecological survey of Ulu Temburong was made in 1984 (Bennett et al., 1984). The Royal Geographical Society, in collaboration with the Brunei Darussalam University, carried out a 15 month rainforest research program, during 1991-1992, including ecological, ethnobiological, geological an d botanical studies of the area around the field studies centre (Anon, 1992). The Kuala Belalong Field studies Centre has a fully-equipped laboratory and accommodation for 24 scientists (Edwards, 1992).

CONSERVATION VALUE Virtually all of the reserve supports undisturbed primary rain forest, much of which is below 600m. Lowland forests not only support a greater abundance and diversity of fauna and flora than montane forests, but also are being destroyed extremely rapidly in neighbouring Kalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak. The reserve is large enough to ensure the survival of most of the populations of plants and animals, although it is close to the minimum needed for the larger birds and mammals (Bennett et al., 1984). There are proposals for the park to be nominated for inclusion in the World Heritage List (Othman et al., 1991).

CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT Originally know as Batu Apoi Forest Reserve, the status of the park was changed, after the Brunei Rainforest Project, to that of national park, although there is no specific legislation for national parks and no official gazettal. There are proposals for some type of zoning system which would distinguish between recreational, conservation and research uses. The park is administered by the Department of Forests as well as the Brunei Darussalam Museum. Owing to limited training facilities, help is required for training the parks staff (Eaton, 1991).

MANAGEMENT CONSTRAINTS Ulu Temburong National Park faces threats from heavy logging, and sometimes illegal logging in border areas, in Sarawak, causing changes to the climate. There is also illegal hunting across the international border (Bennett et al., 1984). Hunting, fishing and gathering of forest produce by Ibans from neighbouring areas occurs and although they do not appear to have much impact at present, regulation is needed (Eaton, 1991).

STAFF Comprises a warden, conservation officer, botanist, zoologist, ecologist, education officer and 14 rangers (Eaton, 1991).

BUDGET The 5 year development plan proposes a budget of B$5,000,000 (US$8,161,000)(Othman et al., 1991).

LOCAL ADMINISTRATION Director of Forestry, Forest Department, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Bandar Seri Begwan 2067

Director of Museums, Brunei Darussalam Museum, Kota Batu, Bandar Seri Begwan.

REFERENCES

Anderson, J.A.R. and Marsden, D. (1988). Brunei forest resources and

strategic planning study. Unpublished report to the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam.

Anon. (1989). Preserving a primary industry. The Borneo Bulletin 25 February

1989. P. 11.

Anon. (1992). Raleigh International Information Sheet. P. 22.

Bennett, E. (1991). Brunei. In: Collins, N.M., Sayer, J.A. and Whitmore, T.C. (Eds), The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests. Asia and the Pacific. Macmillan Press, London. Pp. 98-102.

Bennett, E. and Caldecott, J.O. (1984). The Batu Apoi Forest Reserve,

Temburong District, Negara Brunei Darussalam. Unpublished report. 2 pp.

Bennett, E., Caldecott, J.O. and Davidson, G.W.H. (1984). A wildlife survey

of Ulu Temburong, Brunei. Unpublished report. 61 Pp.

Eaton, P. (1991). Protected Areas in Brunei Darussalam. University of Brunei Darussalam. Unpublished report. Pp. 16

Edwards, D. (1992). The Riches of Batu Apoi. Muhibah, January, 1992. Pp. 24-26.

Othman, M. and Ramos, V.J.A. (1991). National Report on National Parks and Protected Areas in Brunei Darussalam. A paper presented during the 36th Working session of the IUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas, Bangkok, Thailand. Pp. 66.

Wong, T.M. (undated). The Forest Reserves of Brunei Darussalam. Unpublished report. Pp. 11.

DATE November 1990; revised November 1992

DOCUMENT 0530V