World Heritage Identification Number: 1012
World Heritage since: 2000
Category: Natural Heritage
WHE Type: Protected Areas & National Parks
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific
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Kinabalu Park: A Biodiverse Haven in Borneo
Kinabalu Park, located in the state of Sabah on the northern tip of Borneo, is a veritable treasure trove of biodiversity. Established as one of the first national parks of Malaysia in 1964, it was subsequently recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 due to its "outstanding universal values." This designation underscores the park's significance as one of the most important biological sites globally.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Kinabalu Park, in the State of Sabah on the northern end of the island of Borneo, is dominated by Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. It has a very wide range of habitats, from rich tropical lowland and hill rainforest to tropical mountain forest, sub-alpine forest and scrub on the higher elevations. It has been designated as a Centre of Plant Diversity for Southeast Asia and is exceptionally rich in species with examples of flora from the Himalayas, China, Australia, Malaysia, as well as pan-tropical flora.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (ix): Kinabalu Park has an exceptional array of naturally functioning ecosystems. A number of processes actively provide ideal conditions for the diverse biota, high endemism and rapid evolutionary rates. Several factors combine to influence these processes; (1) the great altitudinal and climatic gradient from tropical forest to alpine conditions; (2) steeply dissected topography causing effective geographical isolation over short distances; (3) the diverse geology with many localised edaphic conditions, particularly the ultramafic substrates; (4) the frequent climate oscillations influenced by El Niño events; and (5) geological history of the Malay archipelago and proximity to the much older Crocker Range.
Criterion (x): Floristically species-rich and identified as a globally important Centre of Plant Endemism, Kinabalu Park contains an estimated 5,000-6,000 vascular plant species including representatives from more than half the families of all flowering plants. The presence of 1,000 orchid species, 78 species of Ficus, and 60 species of ferns is indicative of the botanical richness of the property. The variety of Kinabalu’s habitats includes six vegetation zones, ranging from lowland rainforest to alpine scrub at 4,095m. Faunal diversity is also high and the property is an important centre for endemism. The majority of Borneo’s mammals, birds, amphibians and invertebrates (many threatened and vulnerable) are known to occur in the park including; 90 species of lowland mammal, 22 mammal species in the montane zone and 326 bird species.
Encyclopedia Record: Kinabalu Park
Kinabalu Park, established as one of the first national parks of Malaysia in 1964, is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and the role as one of the most important biological sites in the world with more than 4,500 species of flora and fauna, including 326 bird and around 100 mammal species, and over 110 land snail species.Additional Site Details
Area: 75,370 hectares
Number of Components: 1
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: 6.25 , 116.5
IUCN World Heritage Outlook
The 2025 Conservation Outlook on Kinabalu Park reports the following assessment:
Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) · View assessment
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© NepGrower, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
