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CONTENTS

22 KINABATANGAN .......................................................................................................22-1
22.1 Overview ....................................................................................................................22-1
22.2 Coastal Morphology ...................................................................................................22-1
22.3 Water Quality .............................................................................................................22-3
22.4 Coastal Infrastructure.................................................................................................22-5
22.5 Beach Quality.............................................................................................................22-5
22.6 Terrestrial and Mangrove Vegetation.........................................................................22-7
22.7 Marine & Intertidal Ecology ........................................................................................22-9
22.8 Socio Economics......................................................................................................22-10
22.8.1 Coastal Management Issues.................................................................................................. 22-12
22.8.2 Other issues identified by coastal communities ..................................................................... 22-12
22.9 References...............................................................................................................22-13

FIGURES, PHOTOS AND TABLES

Figure 22.1 Overview of Kinabatangan Cell. ....................................................................................... 22-1
Figure 22.2 Mangrove habitat is the dominant shoreline vegetation in the Sandakan and
Kinabatangan Cells. ......................................................................................................... 22-8
Figure 22.3 Known coral resources in Kinabatangan Cell and surroundings. Areas circled in light
blue represent areas where there have been indications of coral habitats either from
remote sensing or secondary data, but where no classification is available.................. 22-10
Figure 22.4 Villages in the coastal zone, Kinabatangan cell. ............................................................ 22-11

Photo 22.1 Old river bend cut off by coastal erosion between Kuala Kinabatangan Kecil and
Kuala Kinabatangan Besar............................................................................................... 22-2
Photo 22.2 Eroded beach of Kg. Tanjung Aru, Sandakan.................................................................. 22-3
Photo 22.3 Example of recently established oil palm plantations extending to the shoreline
without buffer zone. Vast plantations with several refineries can be seen in the
hinterland. Note the extremely murky water along the coast. .......................................... 22-4
Photo 22.4 View of discharge channel from oil palm mill. .................................................................. 22-5
Photo 22.5 Example of sediment plume and wood chips discharged from one of the smaller
Kinabatangan channels. ................................................................................................... 22-6
Photo 22.6 Coastal flats at Kuala Meruap Beach during low tide....................................................... 22-7
Photo 22.7 Narrow beach with relatively coarse sediments and wooden debris at Kuala Meruap
Beach................................................................................................................................ 22-7
Photo 22.8 Aerial view of mangrove habitat along the Kinabatangan Cell......................................... 22-9
Photo 22.9 Kg. Tambisan Laut ......................................................................................................... 22-12

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22 KINABATANGAN

22.1 Overview
The coastal stretch from Tg. Aru, at the entrance to the Sandakan Bay, to Pulau Tambisan,
close to the eastern extremity of Borneo, is dominated by the deltas of the Kinabatangan
and Segama rivers, which with combined catchment areas of about 21,200 km2 cover more
than a quarter of the entire Sabah land area. The rivers drain out through numerous
channels along the coastline with two of the main outlets from the Kinabatangan about 35
km apart. In addition, the smaller catchments of Mumiang, Manalunan and Lumeru also
have their outlets along this coastal stretch, which includes of the order of 20 major rivers
and a large number of smaller rivers and estuary outlets (Figure 22.1).

Figure 22.1 Overview of Kinabatangan Cell.

The coastal fringing forest varies in species composition from various types of mangroves,
nipah over casuarinas to smaller stretches of coconut palms and other cultivated species in
the vicinity of Sandakan. Some stretches have a narrow belt of bushy and swampy
grassland between the beach and the forest fringe. The entire area is alluvial and low-lying.
Except for the stretch between Kuala Kinabatangan Besar and Sungai Manalunan, which is
classified as a wildlife reserve, the entire coastal stretch is classified as mangrove forest
reserve. The width of the reserve along the coastline varies from a few hundred metres to
more than 15 km inland in some locations.

22.2 Coastal Morphology

The shoreline is morphologically active with shifting areas of erosion and siltation. Some
stretches are under erosion, which is revealed by mature trees being exposed to and felled

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by the sea. Other areas are experiencing siltation and have large silty/muddy flats in front
of the beach with new growth establishing along the beach. The outer, seaward facing
perimeter of the coastline generally has a narrow sandy/silty beach backed by coastal
fringing forest of various composition and/or grasslands. Photo 22.1 illustrates an example
of an eroding stretch of coastline where an old river bend has been cut off by coastal
erosion and the river outlet has changed.

Photo 22.1 Old river bend cut off by coastal erosion between Kuala Kinabatangan Kecil and Kuala
Kinabatangan Besar.

The Kinabatangan coastal cell has relatively few offshore reefs and shoals to provide
sheltering against waves, and the coastline is relatively exposed to the northeast monsoon
waves from the Sulu Sea. The high exposure together with the fine sediments along the
coastline leads to some of the highest littoral sediment transport rates in Sabah according to
the littoral drift modelling. This can potentially lead to large gradients in transport rates
and associated large morphological responses. This is for instance seen for the island
where Tg. Aru (across the channel from Sandakan) is situated. The large curvature of the
coastline of the island leads to significant gradients in the littoral transport rates with net
transport into Sandakan Bay along the western part of the island and net eastward transport
along the eastern section of the island, leading to a deficit in sediments along the coastline,
which again leads to erosion, see Photo 22.2.

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Photo 22.2 Eroded beach of Kg. Tanjung Aru, Sandakan.

The supply of sediment to the coastal cell from the rivers is very large, but much of the
sediment is very fine and transported far away from the coastline and deposited in deeper
water, which has led to the very shallow coastal slope of between 1:500 and 1:1000 in the
inner part of the profile. On a slightly longer time frame (in the order of decades or
centuries) but still short on a geological time scale, the river channels of the main rivers
discharging in the delta change positions and flow rates, which is an important factor in the
changing areas of deposition and erosion observed along the coastline.
Although some areas experience relatively high erosion rates, as seen in the above
examples (Photo 22.1 and Photo 22.2), the coastal areas are mainly undeveloped and as
such the coastal erosion is not threatening property or structures. It is therefore not
considered a major issue at present; however, this would need to be taken carefully into
account in the event of any potential coastal development in this cell.

22.3 Water Quality

The supply of fine sediments from the rivers is very large, and plumes from the rivers
combined with re-suspension of fines along the coast generally make the coastal waters
heavily sediment-laden and murky.
Towards the south-eastern end of the coastal strip at Sungai Ganduman and eastward, the
width of the mangrove reserve narrows down and eventually disappears, and oil palm
plantations have been and are being established almost to the edge of the shoreline, see
Photo 22.3. The hinterland in this area is completely dominated by oil palm plantations
with drains channelled straight out onto the beach.

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There are also vast areas of oil palm plantations further upstream in the Kinabatangan and
Segama catchments, and this obviously has a large potential impact on the discharge of
sediments, nutrients, etc to the coastline.
In addition to the impacts by the plantations themselves, there is also a potentially large
impact on water quality from effluents discharged from the numerous palm oil refineries
found within the catchments. This is an issue that was raised in the forums during the
inception phase and repeatedly during the socio-economic surveys. One such example is at
Teluk Tangusu where locals reported that the area was used for fishing in the past, but that
fish abundance has decreased since a nearby oil palm plantation was established as the mill
is said to discharge waste directly to the sea (Photo 22.4).

Photo 22.3 Example of recently established oil palm plantations extending to the shoreline without buffer
zone. Vast plantations with several refineries can be seen in the hinterland. Note the extremely
murky water along the coast.

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Photo 22.4 View of discharge channel from oil palm mill.

22.4 Coastal Infrastructure

There are very few areas with permanent human settlements along the shoreline of the
Kinabatangan coastal cell. The few settlements along the coast and within the rivers
generally rely on boats for traffic.

22.5 Beach Quality

Almost the entire coastal stretch is lined with wide tidal flats of varying sandy/silty/muddy
composition, and there are large alluvial fans extending out from the main outlets of the
Kinabatangan and Segama rivers.
Most of the coastline is lined with logs and wooden debris, see Photo 22.5, some from the
natural erosion but a large proportion originating from the inland logging and clearing.
Hundreds of square kilometres have been logged and cleared for oil palm plantations in the
catchments over the last decades, resulting is a massive wash-out of wooden debris in the
rivers. Some stretches of beach are covered in a thick layer (up to half a meter) of what
appears to be bark and wood chips.

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Photo 22.5 Example of sediment plume and wood chips discharged from one of the smaller Kinabatangan
channels.

From a purely beach-recreational point of view, the beaches are of poor quality, but there
are obviously other recreational values associated with the flora and fauna in the area,
although the sites further inland along the Kinabatangan River are the more famous and
sought after for tourism purposes.
The beach at Kampung Tanjung Aru in the north-western part of the cell was surveyed and
found to be dominated with mangrove species like Rhizophora apiculata, Lumnitzera
littorea, Bruguiera cylindrica and Ceriops tagal. The area is also mixed with terrestrial
and beach trees. Near to the beach, Ceriops tagal, Rhizophora apiculata, Causuarina
equisetifolia and Coconut trees were found. The beach can only be accessed by boat and
the nearest village is Kampung Tanjung Aru. Many dead trees, both standing and scattered
on the ground, were observed on the beach (see Photo 22.2 above).
Kuala Meruap beach is located approximately 6 km from Kg. Tambisan at the opposite end
of the cell. There is no road to the beach, thus access from the sea is the only option. No
particular attractions were observed in the area and there are no human settlements nearby.
The coastal profile is very flat during low tide (Photo 22.6), while the sandy part of the
beach itself is very narrow. The beach is comprised of sand, mud and stone (Photo 22.7).
Erosion is evident, with many dead trees, logs and branches lying on the beach.

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Photo 22.6 Coastal flats at Kuala Meruap Beach during low tide

Photo 22.7 Narrow beach with relatively coarse sediments and wooden debris at Kuala Meruap Beach.

22.6 Terrestrial and Mangrove Vegetation

The cell is made up of predominantly mangrove habitats (Figure 22.2, Photo 22.8), with
the main community types being Nipah and Mixed Nipah. Small areas of Rhizophora and
Sonneratia-Avicennia community types are also present nearer to the coast.

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Surveys around P. Tambisan near the eastern boundary of this cell found mangroves
dominated by Rhizophora apiculata. R. mucronata was also common, while Ceh riops
tagal, Lumnitzera littorea, Heritiera littoralis and Excoecaria agallocha were rare. The
mangroves along the coast here are relatively disturbed, being close to several villages, and
numerous open gaps and chopped trees were observed. However, these small-scale
disturbances have not seemed to affect the community as a whole, and the mangroves were
generally healthy.
Beach vegetation is a combination of mangrove and back mangrove species, with the
dominant species found to be the mangrove R. apiculata. The sea hibiscus and the coconut
were also found growing along the shoreline, as was the “Ketapang”, Terminalia catappa.

Figure 22.2 Mangrove habitat is the dominant shoreline vegetation in the Sandakan and Kinabatangan
Cells.

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Photo 22.8 Aerial view of mangrove habitat along the Kinabatangan Cell.

The Kulamba Wildlife Reserve is bounded by mangrove forest reserves on both sides and
large oil palm estates to the south (Figure 22.2). The main forest types are peat swamps,
freshwater swamps, beach forests and patches of Mixed Dipterocarp Forest and mangrove.
The northern portion of the Wildlife Reserve is relatively fire prone. Major breakouts
occurred in 1998 and 2000 where large tracts of beach forest and possibly drained
freshwater swamps were burnt. The coastal beach forest was burnt twice during those
times, making beach forest vegetation even rarer in Sabah. The Forestry Department has
recommended that international recognition and protection status be accorded to this site,
such as a World Heritage or RAMSAR site, and a corresponding management plan
formulated, prioritising fire management and the rehabilitation and conservation of rare
vegetation types and associations.

22.7 Marine & Intertidal Ecology

No significant coral reefs were found within this cell. Generally, the seabed is comprised
of silt, given the loadings from the Kinabatangan River. However, coral reef surveys
conducted in 2000 showed that there are coral reefs in good condition at the northeast and
eastern part of the Tambisan Island as shown in Figure 22.3 /1/.
The northern coastline of Pulau Tambisan consists of sandy beaches and submerged rocky
habitats. More than 30 sea turtles were observed in this area, and it is likely that nesting
occurs along the sandy beaches of P. Tambisan. It is recommended that further
investigations on the sea turtles in this area should be carried out.
In addition to turtles, recent sightings of dugongs (2003), dolphins and whale sharks (April
2004) were reported by villagers, and are said to visit the area on a seasonal basis.

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Seagrass beds are also reported by villagers in the sheltered areas and estuaries around
Tambisan.

Figure 22.3 Known coral resources in Kinabatangan Cell and surroundings. Areas circled in light blue
represent areas where there have been indications of coral habitats either from remote sensing
or secondary data, but where no classification is available.

22.8 Socio Economics

Although not directly on the coast, Kg. Simpang Ampat, Kg. Tidong, Kg. Abai and Kg.
Mumiang may be considered as within the coastal zone as defined under the present study
(Figure 22.4). To the eastern end of the cell, Kg. Tambisan Darat is located along the
shoreline, and Kg. Tambisan Laut on P. Tambisan itself.
Kg Abai was included in the Lower Kinabatangan Socio-Economic Study /2/. Findings
from the study found that majority of the villagers are involved in a combination of
multiple economic activities. Community and cultural tourism have also been recently
introduced to improve Lower Kinabatangan villager income. Tourism has penetrated well
down to Abai with some villagers engaging hosting home stay programmes.
The coastal villagers in the Tambisan area are Suluk. These are water villages, as shown in
Photo 22.9. Villagers in Kg Tambisan Darat derive income both from fishing and
agriculture, with fishermen comprising almost half of the population. Transition in
occupation is obvious beginning from this cell onwards given that income from oil palm
small holdings is more stable. Monthly income averages RM500-800, which is above the
poverty line.
Fishermen in the village mainly fish individually with only one trawler reported. Kg
Tambisan Laut is reported to have more trawlers, although these are reported to be owned

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by one Chinese man. Usage of pump boats is high in Kg Tambisan Darat with only ten
individuals known to own boats with outboard engines.
The entire stretch of this cell located about 10km from the shore is a prawn trawling
ground, however, the main area is located at the southern part of this cell and 5km north of
Pulau Tambisan. It is evident that the trawlers are from Sandakan or elsewhere, rather than
local.

Figure 22.4 Villages in the coastal zone, Kinabatangan cell.

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Photo 22.9 Kg. Tambisan Laut

22.8.1 Coastal Management Issues

Tourism, agriculture and fisheries were suggested as having potential for development in
the area. However, this is again limited by the present condition of the roads and lack of
electricity. Estuaries around Kg. Tambisan have been identified suitable for fish cage
activities by Department of Fisheries as reported during assessment.
Recent sightings of dugongs (2003), dolphins and whale sharks (April 2004) were
reported, and these can be observed in the area on a seasonal basis. Numerous turtles were
observed during the marine habitats survey, and are reported to land on the beach area for
nesting. The villagers reported that dugongs have been caught in fish nets in the nearshore
areas.
Decrease in fisheries resources was reported in Kg Tambisan Darat with competition from
other neighbouring villagers coming into the area to fish cited as the reason. There are cage
culture activities in the area.

22.8.2 Other issues identified by coastal communities

The area within this cell is still lacking in infrastructure and amenities. Water is obtained
from wells, electricity from generator sets and waste disposal is through burning and
dumping into the river.
It was reported that there is a remnant of a Japanese warship wreck in the estuary.

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22.9 References

/1/ Pilcher, N. & Cabanban, A. S., 2000. The Status of Coral Reefs in Eastern Malaysia.
Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) Report. Australian Institute of Marine
Science, Townsville.
/2/ Steel, M.J et al. 2001. Socio Economic Study in the Lower Kinabatangan. Community
Understanding on Conservation and Tourism Development. WWF Malaysia, Kota
Kinabalu

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