National Parks and Protected Areas in Malaysia

Ask anyone where “Malaysia’s national park” is and they will point to one place. In reality, Malaysia does not have a single national park — it has three legal systems that are entirely separate, and one of them does not even cover the place most famous by the name “Taman Negara”. Understanding this legal map is the key to planning a visit, conducting research, or simply grasping how Malaysia protects its 130-million-year-old rainforests.

Why doesn’t Malaysia have a single, unified national park system?

The answer lies in the constitution. Land and forests are matters within state jurisdiction, not federal. When Sabah and Sarawak joined the federation in 1963, both retained broad autonomy over land and natural resources. As a result, Malaysia’s protected areas are divided into three main regimes:

• Peninsular Malaysia — governed by the National Parks Act 1980 (Act 226) at the federal level, with an important exception, plus several state parks.
• Sabah — its own system under state law, managed by Sabah Parks.
• Sarawak — its own system managed by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation.

Above these three regimes sits an additional layer: marine parks administered federally by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, and international recognition such as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and ASEAN Heritage Parks.

Regime	Principal law	Managing agency	Example
Peninsula (federal)	National Parks Act 1980	PERHILITAN	Penang National Park
Peninsula (Taman Negara)	State enactments 1938–1939	PERHILITAN	Taman Negara Pahang/Kelantan/Terengganu
Peninsula (state)	State park enactments	State corporation	Endau-Rompin Johor
Sabah	Parks Enactment 1984	Sabah Parks	Kinabalu Park
Sarawak	National Parks & Nature Reserves Ordinance 1998	Sarawak Forestry	Gunung Mulu
Marine parks	Fisheries Act 1985	Department of Fisheries	Pulau Redang, Pulau Tioman

What is the National Parks Act 1980 and what does it protect?

The National Parks Act 1980, or Act 226, is the federal law that provides the framework for establishing and controlling national parks. It received Royal Assent on 11 February 1980 and was published in the Gazette on 28 February 1980.

Its mechanism is interesting because it respects state power over land. Under Section 3, it is the State Authority — not the federal government — that may reserve State land (including any marine area) as a national park, at the request of the federal Minister. That reserve is then placed under the control of a national park committee established under Section 7.

The law’s objectives are clearly stated in Section 4: the preservation and protection of wildlife, plant life, and objects of geological, archaeological, historical, ethnological, scientific and scenic interest — while promoting education, health, aesthetic values and public recreation.

Several important provisions that visitors and developers should know:

• Section 9 allows the State Authority to lease or permit the use of land within a park only for limited purposes — roads, airfields, dams and reservoirs, hotels and rest houses, and public utility works consistent with the park’s objectives.
• Section 10 prohibits mining and prospecting within a national park, unless the State Authority, after consulting the Minister, believes a mineral deposit exists that is so exceptionally rich that it would be contrary to the State’s interest not to mine it.
• Section 11 empowers the Minister to make regulations — including prohibiting the killing or trapping of wildlife, controlling public access, setting entry fees, and prescribing penalties for offences. Note that the Act itself does not set the amount of fines; specific penalties are made through regulations under this section.

Operational management rests with the Director-General of Wildlife and National Parks — that is, the Director-General of PERHILITAN, appointed under the Protection of Wild Life Act 1972.

Why is the famous “Taman Negara” not subject to the National Parks Act 1980?

Here is the biggest paradox in the system. The most famous Taman Negara — the ancient rainforest straddling Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu — is in fact excluded from the National Parks Act 1980.

Section 1(2) states clearly that the Act does not apply in Sabah, Sarawak, and “State Parks of Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu which together constitute the Taman Negara”. Instead, these three parts remain governed by their respective state enactments: the Taman Negara (Kelantan) Enactment 1938, the Taman Negara (Pahang) Enactment 1939, and the Taman Negara (Terengganu) Enactment 1939.

Its history explains this situation. The area was first gazetted as the Gunung Tahan Game Reserve in 1925, then declared a national park in 1939 under the name King George V National Park by the British administration, to commemorate the coronation of King George V. After independence in 1957, it was renamed “Taman Negara” and placed under the jurisdiction of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong together with the Sultans of the three states. Its administration is handled by the PERHILITAN Department, and it was recognised as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 1984.

In terms of size, Taman Negara is the largest in Malaysia:

State portion	Area	Percentage
Pahang	2,477 km²	57%
Kelantan	1,043 km²	24%
Terengganu	853 km²	19%
Total	4,343 km² (434,351 ha)	100%

The highest peak in the Peninsula, Gunung Tahan (2,187 m), lies within this park, and three major river systems — Sungai Lebir, Sungai Terengganu and Sungai Tembeling — originate here.

What are Malaysia’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

Malaysia has two natural sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, both in Borneo and both inscribed in 2000. These are not just ordinary national parks — UNESCO status carries international obligations to preserve the site’s “Outstanding Universal Value”.

Kinabalu Park in Sabah covers 75,370 hectares and is dominated by Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Its altitudinal range from 152 m to 4,095 m produces a variety of habitats, from lowland rainforest to sub-alpine vegetation. It is recognised as a Centre of Plant Diversity for Southeast Asia, with an estimated 5,000–6,000 species of vascular plants including 1,000 species of orchids, as well as 326 species of birds. It is inscribed under criteria (ix) and (x).

Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, meanwhile, is famous for its caves and karst formations. Covering 52,864 hectares, it contains seventeen vegetation zones and around 3,500 species of vascular plants, including 109 species of palms. It is inscribed under all four of UNESCO’s natural criteria — (vii), (viii), (ix) and (x) — a rare achievement.

Feature	Kinabalu Park	Gunung Mulu
State	Sabah	Sarawak
Year inscribed	2000	2000
Area	75,370 ha	52,864 ha
Main feature	Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m)	Caves & limestone karst
UNESCO criteria	(ix)(x)	(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)
Manager	Sabah Parks	Sarawak Forestry / Mulu Park

The Mulu caves hold several world records. The Sarawak Chamber measures 600 m long, 415 m wide and 80 m high — the largest known cave chamber in the world. Deer Cave is the largest known cave passage, while the Clearwater Cave System holds the record as the longest cave in Asia at 110 km of mapped passage. At least 295 km of caves have been explored, home to millions of cave swiftlets and bats.

How do Sabah and Sarawak manage their own parks?

Because the federal Act does not apply in Malaysian Borneo, both states built their own frameworks.

Sabah manages its parks through Sabah Parks, a statutory body. According to UNESCO, the legal structure of Kinabalu Park is established under the Parks Enactment 1984 (amended 2007), which sets out its functions, procedures, protection and control. The Board of Trustees of Sabah Parks holds title and is responsible for management. Besides Kinabalu, Sabah’s portfolio includes well-known parks such as Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, the Crocker Range, and Tawau Hills.

Sarawak, meanwhile, manages its Totally Protected Areas through the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), established under the Sarawak Forestry Corporation Ordinance 1995. Its legal framework is the National Parks and Nature Reserves Ordinance 1998 and the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998. Sarawak has the most extensive park system in Malaysia — more than 15 national parks and 9 nature reserves. Sarawak’s first national park, Bako, was legally constituted in 1957 under the National Parks Ordinance 1956, making it one of the oldest protected areas in the country. Other well-known parks include Niah (caves and archaeology), Lambir Hills, Similajau, Gunung Gading, and of course Gunung Mulu.

What are marine parks and who looks after them?

Malaysia’s protection does not stop at the shore. Marine parks are administered at the federal level by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia under the Fisheries Act 1985 (with amendments in 1991 and 1993).

Marine park boundaries generally extend two nautical miles from the lowest low-water mark of a gazetted island, with certain exceptions (such as Pulau Kapas in Terengganu and several islands in Labuan, which are limited to one nautical mile). Within these boundaries, activities such as fishing, collecting coral and shells, and anchoring over reefs are strictly controlled to protect marine biological diversity.

Malaysia’s marine parks are grouped by region, among them:

• Kedah — the Pulau Payar group (Payar, Lembu, Kaca, Segantang).
• Terengganu — Pulau Redang, Perhentian, Kapas and Tenggol.
• Pahang — the Pulau Tioman group.
• Johor — dozens of islands including Pulau Tinggi and Pulau Aur.
• Melaka and Labuan — smaller island clusters.

Beyond UNESCO, what other parks are worth knowing?

Two parks in the Peninsula highlight how the federal and state regimes work in practice.

Penang National Park is a rare example of a park genuinely gazetted under the National Parks Act 1980 — in 2003. Formerly known as the Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve, it covers 2,563 hectares of land and sea and is often cited as one of the smallest national parks in the world. Despite its size, it harbours 417 species of flora and 143 species of fauna, including a rare meromictic lake.

Endau-Rompin (Johor), meanwhile, illustrates the state park model. Constituted in 1993 and managed by the Johor National Parks Corporation, this 48,905-hectare park is the largest protected area in the southern half of the Peninsula. It has two official entrances — Peta (Mersing) and Selai (Segamat) — and is critical habitat for threatened megafauna such as the Malayan Tiger, Malayan Tapir and Asian Elephant.

How do you choose the right park for your visit?

Because each park is administered by a different agency, entry procedures, permits and fees also differ. Use this simple decision framework:

1. Want to climb a high mountain or see alpine flora? Kinabalu Park (Sabah) — requires a permit and a registered guide through Sabah Parks for the summit climb.
2. Interested in caves and geological formations? Gunung Mulu (Sarawak) — most access is by flight to Mulu, and cave bookings must be made early.
3. Want ancient rainforest and the classic “Taman Negara” experience? Taman Negara Pahang (Kuala Tahan) — managed by PERHILITAN, with popular access via boat along Sungai Tembeling.
4. Diving or snorkelling? Marine parks such as Redang, Perhentian, Tioman or Payar — under the Department of Fisheries; marine park entry fees apply.
5. A day trip near the city? Penang National Park, Bako (Kuching), or Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (Kota Kinabalu).

What are common misconceptions about Malaysia’s national parks?

• Assuming “Taman Negara” is subject to the National Parks Act 1980. On the contrary, it is specifically excluded by Section 1(2) and governed by the state enactments of 1938–1939.
• Assuming the federal government can gazette a park in Sabah or Sarawak. Both states retain full jurisdiction; the federal Act does not apply there at all.
• Confusing land park permits with marine park permits. Marine parks have separate fees and rules under the Department of Fisheries, not PERHILITAN or a state agency.
• Assuming UNESCO status means management by UNESCO. World Heritage status is recognition; the actual management remains with Sabah Parks and Sarawak’s agencies.
• Expecting a single, tidy total of “Malaysia’s national parks”. Because of the three separate regimes, there is no single register; the total depends on whether you count state parks, nature reserves and marine parks.

What’s next

If you are planning a visit, start by identifying the agency that manages your target park — PERHILITAN, Sabah Parks, Sarawak Forestry, a state park corporation, or the Department of Fisheries — because each has its own permit portal and fee schedule. For climbers of Mount Kinabalu and visitors to the Mulu caves, bookings need to be made months in advance because of limited daily quotas.

For researchers and policymakers, the next step is to read the full text of the National Parks Act 1980 (Act 226) and the relevant state enactments, because the details of penalties, permits and zones lie in subsidiary regulations, not in the parent act. Note too that area figures and species lists are updated from time to time by the managing agencies, and the conservation status of some areas changes with new gazettements.

This article will be updated when there is a new park gazettement, a legal amendment, or an additional UNESCO inscription. Check the official sources listed for the latest figures and rules before making visit or research decisions.