Kinabalu montane alpine meadows
The Kinabalu Montane Alpine Meadows, located in Borneo, represent a unique high-elevation biome characterized by an impressive diversity of flora and fauna. Positioned between the Himalayas and New Guinea, this region is home to approximately 4,500 plant species, including notable endemics like the giant rafflesia and various orchids and pitcher plants. Elevation plays a significant role in the area's ecological zones, transitioning from tropical lowland rainforests to montane forests and eventually to alpine meadows, with diverse plant life adapting to the changing conditions.
Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Borneo at 13,455 feet (4,101 meters), and surrounding ranges like the Crocker and Trus Madi, showcase extraordinary biodiversity, including 114 mammal species and 180 bird species, with many being endemic. Conservation efforts are crucial, with protected areas like Kinabalu National Park and Crocker Range National Park serving as sanctuaries for this rich biodiversity. However, the region faces environmental threats from agriculture, climate change, and tourism pressures, highlighting the need for ongoing protective measures. Visitors and researchers alike are drawn to the stunning landscapes and the opportunity to explore one of the world's most biologically diverse regions.
Kinabalu montane alpine meadows
- Category: Grassland, Tundra, and Human Biomes.
- Geographic Location: Asia.
- Summary: The highest mountain region between the Himalayas and New Guinea is a center of plant diversity and endemism; it is especially known for orchids, giant rafflesia, and pitcher plants.
The Kinabalu Montane Alpine Meadows biome is located on Borneo, the third-largest island in the world. Borneo is filled with mountains in a tropical wet climate zone, with widespread rainforests that provide a wide variety of unique habitats promoting plant and animal diversity. Borneo is home to 15,000 species of flowering plants, 34 percent of which are endemic, or exclusive to the island. It is a hotbed of scientific discovery, with an average of three new species discovered every month.
The highest mountains are in the area of northern Borneo dominated by Mount Kinabalu, the Trus Madi Range, and the Crocker Range, all of which are in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Other high mountains are found in the Tawau Hills and Maliau Basin of Sabah, the extensive plateaus along the border between Indonesia and Malaysia, and in the isolated Hose and Dulit ranges of the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
Vegetation
Mount Kinabalu and the Crocker Range exhibit changes in vegetation with increasing elevation. Below 3,281 feet (1,000 meters) is tropical lowland rainforest. In the range of 3,281–8,530 feet (1,000–2,600 meters), a montane zone exists, with oaks, chestnut, myrtles, eucalyptus, and cloves. Because of the mixture of lowland and mountain species, these areas have the greatest plant diversity.
Meadows here are especially known for endemic figs, orchids, laurels, heathers, nettles, pitcher plants, buckthorns, stone oak (actually a beech family), rhododendron, and magnolia plants. At 8,530–10,499 feet (2,600–3,200 meters) is a zone of dwarf shrubs, with great abundance of lichen, moss, and ferns. Above 10,499 feet (3,200 meters) is a rocky area, with thin soils supporting mostly rhododendron shrubs and herbs such as Elatostema, a genus of nettle.
South of Mount Kinabalu, montane rainforests occupy other areas in the mountains of Borneo above 3,281 feet (1,000 meters). The same elevation belts as on Mount Kinabalu are found, with a montane zone above 3,281 feet (1,000 meters), a rhododendron belt at higher elevations, and an alpine meadow on the highest peaks.
Biodiversity
The Kinabalu Montane Alpine Meadows ecoregion is a high-elevation biome with 4,500 species of flora—among the richest in the world—along with 114 mammal and 180 bird species. There are 78 species of fig, 750 orchid species, and 30 species of pitcher plant. Kinabalu National Park protects meadow habitats in some of the highest mountains between the Himalayas and New Guinea, topped by Mount Kinabalu at 13,455 feet (4,101 meters). Half of all families of flowering plants are represented here. Notable plants are orchids; giant rafflesia flowers, which grow up to 3 feet (1 meter) in width; and the world’s largest moss, which grows up to 3 feet (1 meter) tall. While the parasitic rafflesia may be the largest flower in the world, it is not a pleasant one. To attract its pollinator flies, it emits a smell of rotten meat.
Of the bird species found here, 23 are endemic. Mammals native to the area include squirrels, a shrew, and a ferret-badger. Endemic birds include the mountain serpent eagle, red-breasted partridge, crimson-headed partridge, and Bornean spiderhunter. The world’s longest stick insect, Chan’s megastick, was discovered in forests near the meadows here.
Protected Areas
Protecting the Kinabalu Montane Alpine Meadows is Crocker Range National Park, the largest protected area in Sabah. Both it and the Kinabalu National Park—a World Heritage site—are Important Bird Areas for endemic birds. Near Kinabalu is the Rafflesia Forest Reserve and Information Centre, which has trails to the world’s largest flowers.
The Danum Valley Conservation Area is an important scientific research center. Mammals found include rhinos, elephants, orangutans, mouse deer, pigs, leopards, and leopard cats. There are 275 known bird species, including nine endemics. A new bird species—the spectacled flowerpecker—was discovered in Danum Valley in 2009.
To the south of Mount Kinabalu is the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, a saucer-shaped basin surrounded by cliffs up to 6,234 feet (1,900 meters) high. Because access to the area is difficult, it is known as Sabah’s Lost World. Anyone able to venture to this region will have access to 280 species of birds, with many endemics. Pulong Tao National Park is a project funded by Japan and Switzerland in the Kelabit Highlands of eastern Sarawak, Malaysia. Notable plants are a gymnosperm timber, orchids, pitcher plants, gingers, and rhododendrons.
Kayan Mentarang National Park includes an extensive mountain plateau on the border between East Kalimantan and Sarawak. It is known for sun bears, which are the smallest of the bears; pangolins, mammals that eat ants and termites; and wild pigs. There is one volcano in the Borneo highlands, located in Tawau Hills National Park of Sabah. This park is noted for waterfalls, hot springs, and a volcanic landscape. Bombalai, Borneo’s only active volcano, is found here.
Despite the many protected areas, environmental threats persist. Some of the slopes outside the parks are being cleared for agriculture, development, mining, and wildlife trades—often without buffer zones between the various uses. Insufficient staff to enforce the various conservation and protection measures also is a factor. Climate change is beginning to affect species habitat, range, and reproduction. Forests under stress from temperature shifts exhibit increased occurrence of disease and harmful pests. Pollution and changing weather patterns combine to alter both rainy and dry periods, which is stressing plant and animal reproductive cycles. Increased tourism and illegal plant harvests by visitors add to the threats faced by the region.
Bibliography
Beaman, Reed S. Phylogeny and Biogeography of Elatostema (Urticaceae) From Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Gainesville: University of Florida, 2000.
Garbutt, Nick. Wild Borneo. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006.
Ildos, Angela S. and Giorgio G. Bardelli. Great National Parks of the World. Heathrow, FL: AAA Publishing, 2001.
“Kinabalu Park.” UNESCO, whc.unesco.org/en/list/1012/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Liao, Kristine. "Borneo's Elusive Spectacled Flowerpecker Is No Longer a Mystery." Audubon, 8 Nov. 2019, www.audubon.org/news/borneos-elusive-spectacled-flowerpecker-no-longer-mystery. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Normile, Dennis. “Saving Forests to Save Biodiversity.” Science 329, no. 1 (2010).
Whitman, Melissa, et al. "Edaphic Specialization and Vegetation Zones Define Elevational Range-Sizes for Mt Kinabalu Regional Flora." Ecography, vol. 44, no. 11, 2021, pp. 1698-1709. DOI: 10.1111/ecog.05873. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.