Kinabatangan has been officially declared as a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. This recognition marks another significant milestone in Sabah’s ongoing efforts to preserve environmental sustainability and biodiversity at the global level. With this designation, Kinabatangan becomes the second Biosphere Reserve in Sabah after the Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve, and the fourth in Malaysia. To date, there are 785 Biosphere Reserves across 142 countries worldwide.

This prestigious recognition was declared during the 37th Session of the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme (ICC), held on 27 September 2025 in Hangzhou, China.

The Sabah State Cabinet approved the intention to nominate Kinabatangan as a Biosphere Reserve on 30 March 2022, and the nomination dossier was approved on 7 August 2024. The nomination process, which took place over two years from 2022 to 2024, was led by the Sabah Biodiversity Centre in strategic collaboration with various ministries, government departments and agencies, non-governmental organisations, industry stakeholders, and local communities.

Read more:

1)https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/26-new-biosphere-reserves-unescos-continues-unprecedented-expansion-its-global-network?fbclid=IwY2xjawNGptNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmceAOssmzeiwDTpTtuW_PR6UNzS6t0eD1Uf0ToRkYRy2SH6G266Yd6OpCC__aem_tCKhJX-kE-z4PHPoPlV1mg

2) https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/09/28/kinabatangan-gains-unesco-biosphere-reserve-recognition

3) https://www.utusan.com.my/terkini/2025/09/unesco-iktiraf-kinabatangan-banjaran-crocker/