OUTLINES

Kota Kinabalu Wetlands (KKW)

Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society (SWCS)

Biodiversity Conservation

Environmental Education Programme

KKW Towards RAMSAR Status

Achievement & Challenges

Introduction of Kota Kinabalu Wetlands

Mangrove 24 hectares
Area

15 minutes
from the
city
 KKW Today… Observatory Tower

Nursery

Office
Bird Hide

Entrance to KKW Boardwalk Outdoor Classroom

H
I
S
T
O
R
Y
 Environmentalist 2000
discovered the wetlands
area and lobbied for its Opened to the public
protection (1st March)

Designation of 2006
Likas mangrove as Sabah Wetlands
Bird Sanctuary for Conservation Society
mangrove took over, known as
protection Kota Kinabalu
1996 Wetlands

Gazetted as a State 2013

Cultural Heritage
Site(Conservation) Nominated as 2nd
; known as Kota Ramsar Site in
Kinabalu City Bird Sabah
Sanctuary
1999
 SWCS MANAGEMENT
 SWCS took over the management of Kota Kinabalu Wetlands (KKW) from Likas
Wetland Sanctuary Management Committee (LWSMC), with the objectives:

1 To promote the conservation of wetlands in Sabah and the variety of

plants, birds and other kind of living organisms found in them.

2 To raise public awareness and appreciation of wetlands and public

involvement in protecting wetlands.

3 To manage Kota Kinabalu Wetlands as a model wetland centre for the

purpose of conservation, education, recreation, tourism and research
SWCS forms a Management
Committee comprising of voluntary
members and Ex-Officios :
 Ex-Officio Members

Director, Sabah Wildlife Department

Director, Environment Protection Department

Director, Sabah Education Department

Director, Department of Irrigation & Drainage

Mayor, Kota Kinabalu City

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government & Housing

CEO, WWF-Malaysia

Legal Advisor Trustees Auditor

Ngui & Associates Yg.Bhg. Datuk K.J. Joseph
Ms. Chua Soon Lan
Ms. Maria Christina Fung
Mr. Alvin Wong
 ORGANIZATION CHART
Management
Committee &
Ex-Officio

Trustee -------------- EXCO

Executive
Secretary/Manager

Conservation & Environmental

Science Officer Education Officer

Conservation & Admin & Accounts

Handyman
Education Assistant Clerk
 SWCS is a Member of:
Sabah Environmental Malaysian International Society for
Education Network Environmental NGOs Mangrove Ecosystems
(SEEN) (MENGO) (ISME)
 Biodiversity Conservation
Group Family Scientific Name Common Name
Major Component Avicenniaceae Avicennia alba Api-api
Avicenniaceae Avicennia marina Api-api Putih
Avicenniaceae Avicennia officinalis Api-api
Combretaceae Lumnitzera littorea Teruntum Merah
Combretaceae Lumnitzera racemosa Teruntum Putih
Rhizophoraceae Rhizophora apiculata Bakau Minyak
Rhizophoraceae Rhizophora mucronata Bakau Kurap
Rhizophora apiculata Rhizophoraceae Bruguiera cylindrica Bius
Rhizophoraceae Ceriops tagal Tengah/Tengar
Rhizophoraceae Bruguiera hainesii Berus mata buaya
Sonneratiaceae Sonneratia alba Perepat
Minor Component Ceratopteridaceae Acrostichum aureum Piai/Paku laut
Mangrove Associate Malvaceae Hibiscus tiliaceus Waru-laut

Bruguiera hainesii
 MANGROVE FLORA

Sonneratia caseolaris
(“Pedada”)

Avicennia marina
(“Api-Api Merah”)

Rhizophora apiculata
(“Bangkita”)
Avicennia alba (“Api-Api Hitam”)
Summary of Fauna in Kota Kinabalu Wetlands
Fauna No. of species No. of family
Birds 92 38
Reptiles 6 5
Fish 21 19
Crustacean 19 9
Molluscs 13 9
Chelicerates 2 2
Insect 87 25
Cnidaria 1 1
 Mangrove
conservation
programme

Mangrove Mangrove
Experience Voluntary
Programme
Work

ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION
PROGRAMME
Outreach Hand-
Programme Crafting
Programme
Mangrove Experience Programme Mangrove Conservation Programme Mangrove Voluntary Work

Handcrafting Programme Outreach Programme

KKW Towards Its Ramsar Status

Does KKW qualify as a

Ramsar site?
YES!

Fulfils 4 of the 9 Criterias

 KKW is a particularly
Criterion 1 good representative
A wetland should be example of a natural
considered internationally coastal mangrove
important if it contains a system,
representative, rare, or characteristic of the
unique example of a Borneo (Udvardy,
natural or near-natural 1975)
wetland type found within biogeographical
the appropriate region.
biogeographic region.
 Criterion 2 KKW supports
A wetland should be Lesser Adjutant Stork
considered internationally Leptoptilos javanicus
important if it supports Listed in the 2010 IUCN Red List as
vulnerable, endangered, ‘Vulnerable’
or critically endangered Chinese Egret
species or threatened
ecological communities. Egretta eulophotes
Listed in the 2010 IUCN Red List as
‘Vulnerable’ and Appendix I of the CMS.
Criterion 3
A wetland should be
considered internationally
important if it supports
populations of plant
and/or animal species
important for maintaining
the biological diversity of
a particular biogeographic
region.
KKW supports more than TEN species of
mangrove trees and a large diversity of
animals including more than NINETY
species of resident and migratory birds,
various reptilian species like monitor
lizards and mangrove skinks, piscine
species including mud skippers,
archerfish, catfishes and halfbeak, many
crustacean species such as mud lobsters,
fiddler crabs, and tiger prawns.
Criterion 8
A wetland should be
considered internationally
important if it is an important
source of food for fishes,
spawning ground, nursery
and/or migration path on
which fish stocks, either within a rest place in their migration path.
the wetland or elsewhere,
depend.
KKW is an important spawning
and nursery ground for fish, prawn
and crab. It is also an important
feeding ground for water birds as
well as canopy birds. Migratory
birds such as sandpipers, red
shanks and snipes use the site as
 ACHIEVEMENT
 It is ranked by Sabah Wetlands Inventory of 1986 as the top most important wetlands habitat in Sabah to “…
water birds significant interest combined with accessibility making it ideal for educational tourist
development”.
Sabah Environmental Recognition
Night 2011
SWCS’ conservation effort was crowned with
the “Most Outstanding Non-Governmental”
Award handed out by YB Datuk Masidi Manjun,
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment,
Sabah. Among many aspects, SWCS is noted
particularly for its environment education
program as well as its mangrove restoration
program that are actively being carried out.
 Nomination as the second RAMSAR Site in Sabah in 2013.
 Successfully organized the 3-in-1 fundraising events; Fundraising Dinner, Fundraising Golf
Tournament and International Symposium on Conservation and Management of Wetlands in 2014.
 Development
Financial
Pressure

CHALLENGES

Encroachment Manpower
& Poaching
 WAY FORWARD

Research &
Development 10 Years
Project Management
Plan

KKW
Gazette as
RAMSAR
site
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Kota Kinabalu Wetland

Off Jalan Bukit Bendera Upper,
88400 Likas, Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah, Malaysia.
Tel: +60-88-246955
Fax: +60-88-247955
E-mail: swcs@sabahwetlands.org
Website: www.sabahwetlands.org