World Heritage Identification Number: 1013
World Heritage since: 2000
Category: Natural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific
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Gunung Mulu National Park: A Tropical Karst Haven
Nestled within the heart of Borneo, the Gunung Mulu National Park (often abbreviated as Mulu National Park) stands as a testament to the wonders of nature and the intricate beauty of tropical karst landscapes. Established in 1974 and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, this pristine protected area spans an expansive 52,864 hectares, making it one of the largest national parks in Malaysia.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Important both for its high biodiversity and for its karst features, Gunung Mulu National Park, on the island of Borneo in the State of Sarawak, is the most studied tropical karst area in the world. The 52,864-ha park contains seventeen vegetation zones, exhibiting some 3,500 species of vascular plants. Its palm species are exceptionally rich, with 109 species in twenty genera noted. The park is dominated by Gunung Mulu, a 2,377 m-high sandstone pinnacle. At least 295 km of explored caves provide a spectacular sight and are home to millions of cave swiftlets and bats. The Sarawak Chamber, 600 m by 415 m and 80 m high, is the largest known cave chamber in the world.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criteria (vii), (viii), (ix) and (x): The concentration of caves in Mulu's Melinau Formation with its geomorphic and structural characteristics is an outstanding feature which allows a greater understanding of Earth's history. The caves of Mulu are important for their classic features of underground geomorphology, demonstrating an evolutionary history of more than 1.5 million years. One of the world's finest examples of the collapse process in Karstic terrain can be also found. GMNP provides outstanding scientific opportunities to study theories on the origins of cave faunas. With its deeply-incised canyons, wild rivers, rainforest-covered mountains, spectacular limestone pinnacles, cave passages and decorations, Mulu has outstanding scenic values. GMNP also provides significant natural habitat for a wide range of plant and animal diversity both above and below ground. It is botanically-rich in species and high in endemism, including one of the richest sites in the world for palm species.
Encyclopedia Record: Gunung Mulu National Park
The Gunung Mulu National Park, also known simply as the Mulu National Park is a national park in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that encompasses caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. The park is famous for its caves and the expeditions that have been mounted to explore them and their surrounding rainforest, most notably the Royal Geographical Society Expedition of 1977–1978, which saw over 100 scientists in the field for 15 months. This initiated a series of over 20 expeditions now named the Mulu Caves Project.Additional Site Details
Area: 52,864 hectares
(viii) — Outstanding example representing major earth stages
(ix) — Outstanding example representing ecological and biological processes
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: 4.13333 , 114.91667
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© Juanita at the Japanese wikpedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
