A recent expedition to the Meliau Range in the heart of Sabah has unearthed a wealth of biodiversity that has aroused the interests of scientists.

SITTING right in central Sabah is the Meliau Range, a mountainous area that soars to 1,336m at the peak of Gunung Meliau. This forestclad part of Sabah has aroused the interest of scientists, for the vegetation is predominantly ultramafic forests. Ultramafic soils are high in concentrations of magnesium and iron (“mafic” from magnesium and ferum) but poor in calcium, phosphorus,
potassium and other soil nutrients. Other elements that may be found in these soils are nickel, chromium and cobalt.

This unique soil condition can support only highly specialised forms of plants that have adapted to this environment such as orchids, pitcher plants and ant plants. A scientific expedition from Aug 9 to 20 confirms this fact; the 70 scientists who scoured the area found exciting and interesting flora and fauna.

Though the 30,197ha Meliau Range sits in the eastern part of the Ulu Tungud Forest Reserve, an active logging concession under the management of TSH Resources Bhd, it has been put aside for conservation. The aim of the expedition – organised by the Sabah Forestry Department in collaboration with TSH and the Global Environment Centre (GEC), an international conservation group based in Malaysia – was to gather information on the wealth of biodiversity found in the area. It was partly funded by the Keindaren Nature Conservation Fund (KNCF) of Japan.

Scientists and experts from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Sabah Parks, GEC, TSH and the Forest Research Centre formed the team. Their wide-ranging fields of expertise are on orchids, herbs, pitcher plants, land snails, ferns, termites, plant ecology and diversity, ethnoentomology, mosses, small mammals, fishes, saproxylic arthropods, ants, aquatic insects, ethnobotany and forest tourism.

“Meliau” means “clear waters” in the local Dusun language, referring to the Meliau River that flows from Gunung Meliau to the eastern part of the Range. This range is one of the few ultramafic biomes in Sabah with peculiar topography, clear water rivers, unique vegetation and biodiversity.

For the scientists to explore the site, an expedition base camp was set up beside the Ansuan and Solongson rivers at the fringe of the western part of the Meliau Range Conservation Area, about 4 km from Gungung Meliau. The road leading to the base camp was relatively tough and challenging.

After crossing the Labuk River on a ferry, the team crossed the Ansuan River and two smaller streams in four-wheel drive vehicles. Some vehicles got stuck in the mud and had to be towed. Some stretches of the old logging road were eroded and drivers had to carefully manoeuvre their vehicles. Despite these challenges, the weather throughout the expedition was fine. Otherwise, it would have been difficult.

The expedition unveiled some interesting findings from the Meliau Range. One fascinating find is the slipper orchid Paphiopedilum hookerae var. volonteanum, considered one of the rarest and most prized of all slipper orchids. It is endemic to Sabah, meaning that it is only confined to this state.

Orchid expert Anthony Lamb found orchid species endemic to ultramafic forests at the Meliau Range. Among them is the endangered Arachnis longisepala, with long red and yellow petals, usually found at 800m above sea level. Another unique species is the Porpax borneensis. Lamb also spotted one of the most primitive orchids, Neuwiedia zollingeri var. javanica, beside the Ansuan River near to the base camp. Unlike other orchids, the pollens are not enclosed in sacks. The orchid was flowering, with striking yellow inflorescence, thus it was spotted easily from afar.

A few species of pitcher plants, common to ultramafic areas were also seen. Among them were Nepenthes rafflesiana, N. macrovulgaris, N. stenophylla and N. veitchii. The latter three species are endemic to Borneo. Nepenthes are climbing and scrambling carnivorous plants. They grow in a low nutrient environment and are designed to supplement insufficient nutrients by trapping and digesting animals, particularly insects.

Some ant plants were also recorded. These plants do not trap ants but exhibit a mutualistic relationship with them. Parts of the plants such as their swollen tuber, stem or modified leaf, provide shelter for the ants and in return, the waste products from ants are taken by the plant as nutrients.

Other interesting plants found include a timber species, Borneodendron aenigmaticum, which is endemic to Sabah, and the “sempilau bukit” (Gymnostoma sumatranum), common in ultramafic soils.

In the evenings, scientists hung a white sheet and lit up one side of it to create a light trap. This simple installation is effective in
trapping insects which, attracted by the light, land on the sheet bythe hundreds. The insect diversity was not only seen in terms of species, but also in size, shape and pattern.

From the light trap, scientists collected the giant longhorn beetle (Rhaphipodus hopei), which can attain a size of 10cm, the rare and unique guitar-like beetle Mormolyce sp. and a stag beetle (Odontolabis vollenhoven) endemic to Sabah. And from the forest floor, 10 species of termites were collected.

At least two species of hornbills were seen flying majestically over the expedition campsite. The calls of the great argus pheasant, barking deer and gibbon were also heard. Arman Hadi and Elizah Jimmy of UMS who worked on fish diversity reported more than 15 species of fish, including the genus Gastromyzon, which is endemic to Borneo. This genus is often found clinging to the surface of rocks and gravel, feeding on various types of algae.

Ethnobotany, ethnoentomology and forest tourism surveys were conducted with the local people at Kampung Ansuan and Kampung Baba, villages fringing the conservation area. They are mostly Dusun Labuk and many of them are planters in the Felcra oil palm plantation scheme.

Despite the short survey period, the expedition has yielded many interesting preliminary findings in the ultramafic forests of the Meliau Range. All these are important in promoting conservation of the Range and stimulating research and biodiversity conservation of ultramafic forests. The presentation of research results from this expedition in March 2005 will undoubtedly reveal more interesting findings, and it is hoped that this would further enhance conservation of the Meliau Range.