Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park - The gateway to Brunei's past and culture

Year of Declaration:  1984
Area (hectares): 7,800
Area and Location:

The park covers 7,800 hectares and is located 32 km south of Tutong-Kuala Belait coastal highway on the west bank of Sungai Tutong in Mukim Rambal, Tutong District, Brunei Darussalam.

 

Description:

Both a natural and cultural heritage of Brunei, this is the country’s biggest wildlife sanctuary, a recreational center and venue for research and education.  It is one of the 7 IBAs in the country, where you can find the Black Lake in Brunei Darussalam and home of ethnic Dusuns. 

 

Habitat Types:

Mangroves; freshwater swamp forest; peat swamps; lowland mixed dipterocarp forest; kerangas; old secondary forest; and grass marshes.

 

Unique Flora:

Pitcher plants(Nepenthes ampularia, N. mirabilis, N. bicalcarata, and N. gracilis); agar wood or gaharu (Aqualaria beccariana); ramin (Gonystylus maingayi); purun (Lepironia articulata); kapur paya (Dryobalanops rappa); Dactylocladus stenostachys; Cyrtostachys renda; Licuala paludosa; and Barassodendron borneense.

 

Unique Fauna:

Clouded  leopard; banded linsang; white-collared fruit bat; endemic species of damselfly, Euphaea ameeka; biggest dragonfly, Tetracanthagyna plagiata; smallest dragonfly, Nannophya pygmaea; Bornean gibbon (Hylobates muelleri);  proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus); Vordermann’s flying squirrel; gray leaf monkey; maroon langurs or red leaf monkey (Presleytis rubicanda); otter-civet (Cynogale bennettii);  and reticulated python.

 

Ecotourism Destination and Activities:

Village of the ethnic Dusuns, especially  every first of May when they celebrate the annual Adau Gayoh Festival, to express their gratitude for a good harvest; Balay Purun or Purun Hall made up of purun, a native plant growing abundantly in the lake; Dusun House, a sturdy, traditional house built entirely with materials from the forest and without nails, that evokes the handicraft skills of the Dusuns; nature trails; forest camp sites;  environment-friendly boat ride/lake cruise  at Tasek Merimbun Lake (Black Lake) and the lakeside gazebos; exhibition hall; interpretation trails;  and walkway to Pulau Jeludong, archaeological site in the park.

 

Biological Richness: • 50 species of freshwater fish
• 83 species of mammals
• 200 species of birds
• 23 species of amphibians
• 31 species of reptiles
• 181 species of Lepidoptera
• 58 species of dragons and damselflies
• 162 species of ants
• 14 species of stingless bees
• 800 species of plants