Danum Valley Conservation Area

Danum Valley Conservation Area
Morning fog over Danum Valley, Borneo
Map showing the location of Danum Valley Conservation Area
Map showing the location of Danum Valley Conservation Area
Danum
Valley
LocationSabah, Malaysia
Nearest cityLahad Datu
Coordinates4°55′N 117°40′E / 4.917°N 117.667°E / 4.917; 117.667
Area438 km2 (169 sq mi)
Established1980
Footbridge to the tropical rainforest in Danum Valley

Danum Valley Conservation Area is a 438 square kilometres tract of relatively undisturbed lowland dipterocarp forest in Sabah, Malaysia. It has an extensive diversity of tropical flora and fauna, including such species as the rare Bornean orangutans, gibbons, mousedeer, clouded leopards and over 270 bird species. Activities offered are jungle treks, river swimming, bird watching, night jungle tours and excursions to nearby logging sites and timber mills.[1]

The area holds unique status in the sense that before it became a conservation area there were no human settlements within the area, meaning that hunting, logging and other human interference was non existent making the area almost unique. It is managed by Yayasan Sabah for conservation, research, education, and habitat restoration training purposes. There have been proposals to nominate the site as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Danum Valley". Tourism Malaysia. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.