About us
Danum Valley Conservation Area or DVCA a 43,892 hectares Class I (Protection) Forest Reserve, is one of Sabah's last strongholds of undisturbed lowland dipterocarp forest. It is one of the world's oldest and richest lowland tropical forest with more than 200 species of trees per hectare. With the richness and abundance of flora and fauna, it is an ideal natural 'laboratory' for research on tropical forest ecology and conservation. Danum Valley Studies Centre or DVSC, previously known as Danum Valley Field Centre or DVFC, is a world-renowned scientific facility which was established in 1986 for research, education, training and wilderness recreation.
Activities at DVCA are guided by the Danum Valley Management Committee (DVMC) which comprises relevant State and Federal Government agencies, institutions, academia, and NGOs. A long-term research programme was initiated in 1984 between the Danum Valley Management Committee and The Royal Society, United Kingdom under its South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP). To date, a total of 534 research projects have been completed or are in progress, many of them collaborative between Malaysian and overseas scientists. The research projects comprise of Post-Doctoral, PhD, Masters, Bachelors and others. This makes Danum Valley as one of the three leading rainforest research centers in the world besides La Selva in Costa Rica and Barro Colorado Island in Panama.
Why danum valley is important
Bornean wildlife paradise
Among the inhabitants of DVCA are more than 120 species of mammals including ten species of primates such as the endangered Orang utan. Other large mammals include the Bornean pygmy elephant, Banteng, Malayan Sun bear, Clouded leopard, Bay cat, Binturong and many species of deer.
It is also home to 73 reptiles, 56 amphibians and more than 47 fishes. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded including the Red-Crowned Barbet, 8 species of pitta including the Fairy pitta and all 8 species of hornbills found in Borneo.
outstanding area of wild natural beauty
Danum Valley Conservation Area is 130 million years’ ancient rainforest, located just 80 kilometers East of Lahad Datu in Sabah. The Conservation Area is situated far from human habitation, preserving a near-pristine state of plant and animal life within and surrounding its Buffer Zone I and II. It is called an ancient forest due to its geological feature underlain by the oldest rock found in Sabah, ranging from Triassic (252 to 201 million years ago) to Pliocene (5.3 to 2.5 million years ago). The forests are mostly mixed dipterocarp forests that cover 95% of the area, with mountainous regions covering the remaining 5%.