Malaysia Biodiversity and Protected Areas Factsheet
Contents
Malaysia Biodiversity and Protected Areas Factsheet
This Malaysia Biodiversity and Protected Areas Factsheet was initally developed by the World Resources Instittute in order to provide an overview to salient biodiversity data and protected areas of the nation of Malaysia.
Malaysia is situated in southeast Asia. It consists of two disparate regions: Peninsular Malaysia in the west lying between Thailand and Singapore, and the states of Sabah and Sarawak located in the east on the island of Borneo. The two regions are separated by the South China Sea. The total land area of the country is 328,550km². Malaysia is a federal country, divided into 13states plus the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan Island..
The World Resources Institute (WRI) is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people's lives.Itsmission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth's environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. WRIhas createdEarthTrends, an online collection of information regarding the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world. Committed to the principle that accurate information drives responsible decisions by governments and individuals, EarthTrends offers the public a large breadth of statistical, graphic, and analytical data in easily accessible formats.
Factsheet
| Malaysia | Asia (excluding the Middle East) | World | |
| Total Land Area (ha) | 32,975,000 | 2,494,475,000 | 13,328,979,000 |
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PROTECTED AREAS |
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| Extent of Protected Areas by IUCN Category (ha), 2003: | |||
| Nature Reserves, Wilderness Areas, and National Parks (categories I and II) | 916,000 | 89,140,000 | 438,448,000 |
| Natural Monuments, Species ManagementAreas, and Protected Landscapes andSeascapes (categories III,IV,and V) | 468,000 | 57,211,000 | 326,503,000 |
| Areas Managed for Sustainable Use and Unclassified Areas (category VI and "other") | 8,717,000 | 57,878,000 | 692,723,000 |
| Total Area Protected (all categories) | 10,101,000 | 204,229,000 | 1,457,674,000 |
| Marine and Littoral Protected Areas {a} | 1,352,000 | 21,995,000 | 417,970,000 |
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Protected Areas as a Percentage of Total Land |
30.6% | 8.3% | 10.8% |
| Number of Protected Areas, 2003 | 647 | 5,761 | 98,400 |
| Number of Areas >100,000 ha, 2003 | 22 | 295 | 2,091 |
| Number of Areas > 1 million ha, 2003 | X | X | 243 |
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Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), 2002: |
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| Number of Sites | 1 | 98 | 1,179 |
| Total Area (ha) | 38,000 | 5,641,000 | 102,283,000 |
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Biosphere Reserves, 2002 |
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| Number of Sites | X | 55 | 408 |
| Total Area (ha) | X | X | 439,000,000 |
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NUMBER AND STATUS OF SPECIES |
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| Higher Plants | |||
| Total known species (number), 1992-2002 | 15,500 | X | X |
| Number of threatened species, 2002 | 681 | X | 5,714 |
| Mammals | |||
| Total known species (number), 1992-2002 | 300 | X | X |
| Number of threatened species, 2002 | 50 | X | 1,137 |
| Breeding Birds | |||
| Total known species (number), 1992-2002 | 254 | X | X |
| Number of threatened species, 2002 | 37 | X | 1,192 |
| Reptiles | |||
| Number of Total Known Species, 1992-2003 | 379 | X | X |
| Number of threatened species, 2002 | 21 | X | 293 |
| Amphibians | |||
| Number of Total Known Species, 1992-2003 | 198 | X | X |
| Number of threatened species, 2002 | X | X | 157 |
| Fish | |||
| Number of Total Known Species, 1992-2003 | 368 | X | X |
| Number of threatened species, 1992-2002 | 20 | X | 742 |
References and Further Reading
- Biodiversity and Protected Areas-- Malaysia. Earth Resources Institute
- [[Malaysia] country article on the Encyclopedia of Earth]
- Malaysia Geography Collection
