🔀 For Everyone

Sabah Forests 2026 — Forest Cover, Deforestation & TPA

Q: How much forest does Sabah have left?

Sabah has about 4.68 million hectares of forested land (Sabah Forestry Department), roughly 63.6% of its land area. This includes Forest Reserves (3.57 million ha, 48.6% of the land) and other forest land. We have not found an official figure for forest cover in the 1970s, so we no longer quote a historical loss. Protected forest within the 30% TPA system (2.23M hectares) is the most threatened by edge effects and fragmentation.

Q: What is causing deforestation in Sabah?

A study of satellite images from 1973 to 2010 found that 39.5% of the forest Sabah had in 1973 was cleared by 2010 , the highest rate in Borneo, and that only 19.1% of the forest left in 2010 was intact (never logged); the rest had been logged (Gaveau et al., PLOS ONE, 2014).

Q: What is a forest reserve vs. a national park?

Forest Reserves: Managed by the Sabah Forestry Department in seven classes, of which only the Commercial class is managed mainly for timber. Parks such as Kinabalu and Crocker Range are run by Sabah Parks and are fully protected. Gazetted Forest Reserves total about 3.57 million hectares, 48.6% of Sabah’s land (Sabah Forestry Department figures, 2020, as published in the state energy plan). They include Protection Forest, Commercial Forest, Mangrove, Virgin Jungle and Wildlife Reserves, so not all of it is logged.

Q: How does forest fragmentation threaten wildlife?

Fragmentation isolates animal populations — elephants, orangutans and other animals cannot move between forest patches to find mates, food, or new territory. Small isolated populations suffer inbreeding depression and are vulnerable to local extinction. Wildlife corridors and connected protected areas are critical to maintaining genetic diversity and preventing collapse of keystone species.

Last updated: 28 September 2026

Pristine primary rainforest canopy from above showing dense vegetation

ℹ️ The quick answer

Sabah has about 4.68 million hectares of forested land, roughly 63.6% of the state (Sabah Forestry Department, 2021 figures). Forest Reserves cover 3.57 million ha (48.6%), and in February 2026 totally protected areas were expanded to about 2.23 million ha (30%). A satellite study found that 39.5% of Sabah's 1973 forest had been cleared by 2010 (Gaveau et al., 2014).

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4.68M ha

Forest cover

~63.6% of Sabah (SFD, 2021)

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3.57M ha

Forest Reserves

48.6% of Sabah

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1.66M ha

Commercial reserves

managed mainly for timber

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2.23M ha

Totally protected

30% (Feb 2026)

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39.5%

1973 forest cleared

by 2010 (Gaveau et al.)

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19.1%

Intact forest

of 2010 forest (Gaveau et al.)

Sabah Forest Reserves by class (hectares, 2020)

Forest Reserves total 3,574,468 ha. Commercial reserves (46%) are managed mainly for timber; Protection reserves (40%) protect watersheds and soils.

Source: Sabah Forestry Department, via SE-RAMP 2040 (2023), p.131

How much forest does Sabah have?

The Sabah Forestry Department puts Sabah's forested area at about 4,679,594 hectares, roughly 63.6% of the state (figures as at 2021). Of this, 3,848,597 ha is in Forest Reserves and other forest land and 830,997 ha on stateland and alienated land. Forest Reserves cover 3,574,468 ha, 48.6% of the state, in seven classes: Commercial 1,655,483 ha, Protection 1,421,717 ha, Mangrove 234,680 ha, Wildlife Reserve 139,503 ha, Virgin Jungle 107,048 ha, Amenity 11,403 ha and Domestic 4,634 ha. Only the Commercial class is managed mainly for timber.

How much forest has Sabah lost?

We have not found an official historical series for Sabah's forest cover. The best long-run estimate comes from a satellite study of Borneo from 1973 to 2010: 39.5% of the forest Sabah had in 1973 was cleared by 2010, the highest rate in Borneo (Kalimantan 30.7%), and only 19.1% of the forest that remained in 2010 had never been logged (Gaveau et al., PLOS ONE, 2014).

Protected forest

In February 2026 Sabah expanded its totally protected areas to about 2.23 million hectares, 30% of its land (Borneo Post, 13 February 2026); the Forestry Department had earlier put them at 1,942,397 ha (26.4%). Totally protected areas include Protection, Virgin Jungle and Wildlife Reserve forest reserves and the parks run by Sabah Parks, such as Kinabalu Park (754 km²), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See protected areas.

REDD+ and Carbon Finance

REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus conservation and sustainable management) is a global mechanism that pays regions to protect forests instead of clearing them. In Sabah, the Kuamut Rainforest Conservation Project supplied the credits for the first auction of Malaysian carbon credits on Bursa Carbon Exchange in 2024: more than 20,000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent (13th Malaysia Plan). The state energy plan also counts Sabah's 3.6 million hectares of Forest Reserves as a carbon sink toward low-carbon targets. Carbon revenue can support:

Forest protection and enforcement: Ranger patrols, boundary demarcation, monitoring technology.
Community livelihoods: Alternative income for forest-dependent communities (e.g., eco-tourism, sustainable harvesting).
Restoration and habitat recovery: Funding for native species replanting and corridor creation.

REDD+ makes standing forests economically competitive with timber extraction and plantations. However, carbon prices remain volatile, and long-term financing is uncertain. Combining REDD+ with protected area designation and enforcement is most effective.

Frequently asked questions

Q How much forest does Sabah have left?

Sabah has about 4.68 million hectares of forested land (Sabah Forestry Department), roughly 63.6% of its land area. This includes Forest Reserves (3.57 million ha, 48.6% of the land) and other forest land. We have not found an official figure for forest cover in the 1970s, so we no longer quote a historical loss. Protected forest within the 30% TPA system (2.23M hectares) is the most threatened by edge effects and fragmentation.

Q What is causing deforestation in Sabah?

A study of satellite images from 1973 to 2010 found that 39.5% of the forest Sabah had in 1973 was cleared by 2010, the highest rate in Borneo, and that only 19.1% of the forest left in 2010 was intact (never logged); the rest had been logged (Gaveau et al., PLOS ONE, 2014).

Q What is a forest reserve vs. a national park?

Forest Reserves: Managed by the Sabah Forestry Department in seven classes, of which only the Commercial class is managed mainly for timber. Parks such as Kinabalu and Crocker Range are run by Sabah Parks and are fully protected. Gazetted Forest Reserves total about 3.57 million hectares, 48.6% of Sabah’s land (Sabah Forestry Department figures, 2020, as published in the state energy plan). They include Protection Forest, Commercial Forest, Mangrove, Virgin Jungle and Wildlife Reserves, so not all of it is logged.

Q What is REDD+ and how does it help Sabah's forests?

REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) is a carbon finance mechanism that pays countries/regions to protect forests instead of clearing them. Sabah’s best-known carbon project is the Kuamut Rainforest Conservation Project: the first auction of Malaysian carbon credits, on Bursa Carbon Exchange in 2024, sold more than 20,000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent credits from Kuamut (13th Malaysia Plan). Revenue from such projects is meant to fund forest protection, community livelihoods and restoration. REDD+ incentivizes conservation by making forests economically valuable standing.

Q What is a wildlife corridor and why is it important?

A wildlife corridor is a strip or block of forest that links protected areas, so animals such as elephants and orangutans can move between them. In Sabah, corridors matter most in the Kinabatangan floodplain and the central forests, where plantations separate forest blocks.

Q Are there active forest restoration programs in Sabah?

Yes. Restoration work is carried out by the Sabah Forestry Department, conservation groups such as HUTAN along the Kinabatangan, and research projects in logged forest. We have not found an official state-wide restoration total, so we do not quote one.

Q How does forest fragmentation threaten wildlife?

Fragmentation isolates animal populations — elephants, orangutans and other animals cannot move between forest patches to find mates, food, or new territory. Small isolated populations suffer inbreeding depression and are vulnerable to local extinction. Wildlife corridors and connected protected areas are critical to maintaining genetic diversity and preventing collapse of keystone species.

Sources & References 5 sources

Last verified: 28 September 2026