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Flora und Vegetation des Mt. Kinabalu (Borneo). Kinabalu Park: ein UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Kinabalu Park: ein UNESCO World Heritage Site GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: In the State of Sabah, Malaysia, in the northern part of Borneo. It is 83km to the westof Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah. The park boundary is determined by the co-ordinates 6º 00’ 25’’ – 6º 29’48’’N and 116º 21’30’’ – 116º 45’ 00’’E. DATE AND HISTORY OF ESTABLISHMENT : Kinabalu Park was established in 1964, following the passing of the Sabah National Parks Ordinance in 1962. Mount Kinabalu and its surrounding area became a park as a consequence of the infamous "Sandakan-Ranau Death March". In September 1944 the Japanese moved 2,400 Australian and British prisoners of war from Sandakan to Ranau, a distance of 240km. Only six prisoners survived. One of the survivors profoundly affected by the experience, Major Carter, formed the Kinabalu Memorial Committee, with the aim of preserving Kinabalu as a monument for the decency of man and a facility for the enjoyment of all of Sabah. Following two expeditions to explore the mountain and its flora by Professor John Corner, on behalf of the Royal Society of London, the idea of preserving the area was further reinforced. Corner wrote a report in 1961 entitled "The Proposed National Park of Kinabalu" and submitted it to the Governor of the Crown Colony. In 1964 the park extended over an area of 711sq. km, this has subsequently increased in recent years. AREA: 75,370 ha (753 sq.km). PHYSICAL FEATURES The park comprises of three main mountains, from south to north, Kinabalu(4,095m), Tambuyukon (2,579m) and Templer (1,133m). Six major topographical features occur with the park. These include peaks and plateau, gullies, rivers, streams and waterfalls, hot springs, caves (Paka Caves and the tumbled bats cave at Poring) and granitic slabs a characteristic of the slopes of the summit. Principle peaks include the summit peak, South peak, St. John’s Peak, Ugly Sister Peaks and No name peak. A 3.2 kilometre spur runs in a northeastern direction from the eastern end of the summit of Mt. Kinabalu. This culminates in a long, narrow, jagged ridge at approximately 3,500m. The spur encloses a deep cleft known as Low’s Gully, which has almost vertical walls between 1,000 – 1,500m. Examples of rivers flowing through the park include the Liwagu, Ulu sg. Mesilau, Sg. Kolopis, Sg. Kiibutan and the Silau-Silau stream. Some of the principal waterfalls include the Cascade Waterfalls and Liwagu Falls.
Kinabalu Park: ein UNESCO World Heritage Site GEOLOGY: The physiogeography of Mount Kinabalu is the result of volcanic, tectonic and geological processes that occurred 1.5 million years ago. Mt. Kinabalu itself is a plutonic intrusion [intrusion of granitic pluton] surrounded by metamorphosed and Tertiary sedimentary rocks. Rapid uplift followed by glacial erosion during the Ice Age accompanied by further geological activities has sculptured the mountain into its present form. The summit area of the mountain (above 3,200m) displays the effects of glacial activity in the shape of "nunataks" jagged peaks (such as Low’s Peak and South Peak), other areas shows signs of striations, grooves and polished surfaces, as well as the creation of cirques and deposit of glacial moraines. U-shaped valleys and gullies are present in the park, as well as roch moutonnés. Ultrabasic intrusive, granite and sedimentary rocks are present, acting as parent material for eight soil associations. CLIMATE: The site has a humid tropical climate typical of the region, with temperature, humidity and rainfall varying, with altitude. February to May are generally the driest months, while October to January are the wettest. At Park Headquarters (1,680m a.s.l) the mean monthly temperature is approximately 20 ºC, with a daily fluctuations of 7 - 9 ºC. Mean annual rainfall at this location is 2,380mm (Kitayama et al., 1999). A common climatic feature to the park are bright early mornings, followed quickly by clouding mid-morning, which obscures the mountains by mid-day. Showers usually occur on the upper slopes in the afternoon. In some years there are periods of prolonged dry spells, relating to the occurrence of the El Nino Southern Oscillation. This has severe effects on the park’s vegetation (Lowry et al., 1973). VEGETATION: The site contains six vegetation zones, classified according to altitude, and dominated by tropical forest. These include Lower Mountain Forest (1,200-1,900m), Upper Mountain Forest (1,900-2,700m), Ultrabasic Rock Forest (2,700-3,000m), Lower Granite Boulder Forest (3,000-3,300m), Upper Granite Boulder Forest (3,000-3,800m) and Summit or Subalpine (3,200-4,095m). Vegetation within the park has been further classified by Kitayama (1991), who lists 18 types of natural vegetation, and 3 types of substituted vegetation.
Kinabalu Park: ein UNESCO World Heritage Site BOTANISCHE BEDEUTUNG: Mt. Kinabalu is believed to contain one of the richest and most diverse assembelages of plants in the world. A recent study by Beaman & Beaman (1998) disclose that Kinabalu flora contains as many as5,000 – 6,000 species, comprising of over 200 families and 1,000 genera. The park contains a high number of endemic flora. More than half (78 species) of the 135 species of Ficus occurring in Borneo can be found at the site. There are believed to be 1,000 orchid species, including at least five species of slipper orchid, of the genus Papiopedillium. Papiopedillium dayanum and P. rothschildianum are considered Endangered (IUCN 1997). Other important plants occurring in the park include 608 fern species, 9 Nepenthes species (pitcher-plants, including 4 species that are endemic to Kinabalu: Nepenthes burbidgeae, N.rajah and N. villosa), 24 Rhododendron species (5 species are endemic to Kinabalu), 78 Fiscus species (over 50% of all the species found in Borneo), 52 palm species, 6 bamboo species and 30 ginger species (Beaman 1996; Holtum 1996; Lamb 1996; Wong and Dransfield 1996). Rafflesia is one of the rarest plants in the world, and is only found in very few locations in Borneo. A parasitic plant that grows from the trailing stems of wild grape-vines Tetrastigma spp. There are three species of Rafflesia in Borneo, Rafflesia keithii (VU) is known to occur in Kinabalu Park. The inventory of the plants of Mount Kinabalu is ongoing. To date three volumes have been published covering ferns and fern allies, orchids and gymnosperms and non-orchid monocotyledon. Two volumes relating to dicotyledons, are due to be published shortly (Beaman et al., 1992; Beaman et al., 1993; Beaman and Beaman 1998).
[KB] SEA-0192 Medinilla beamannii (MELASTOMATACEAE) image219
[KB] SEA-3649 Peliosanthes teta (alibda) (LILIACEAE s.l.) image151
[KB] SEA-3651 Peliosanthes teta (alibda) (LILIACEAE s.l.) image201