Sabah's Pin Supu Forest Reserve makes history as Malaysia's first terrestrial IUCN Green Listed Site
SANDAKAN: The Pin Supu Forest Reserve (FR) in Kinabatangan has been officially recognised as the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, a prestigious global recognition awarded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for excellence in conservation and protected area management.
Pin Supu FR is the first terrestrial site in Malaysia to be IUCN Green Listed. The certificate, issued in May 2025, is valid for a period of five years.
Earlier in 2022, the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA), also in Sabah, was recognised as the country's first marine IUCN Green Listed Area.
The Chief Conservator of Forests, Datuk Frederick Kugan, pointed out that this achievement places Pin Supu Forest Reserve as among the world's best-managed and most effectively governed protected areas. More importantly, this reserve is jointly managed by the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) in collaboration with KOPEL Berhad, a community-based cooperative in Kinabatangan.
Pin Supu is a Class VI Virgin Forest Reserve, encompassing 4,620 hectares, surrounded by five villages to assist in conservation projects A 10-year joint forest management agreement (2016-2026) was established between the Sabah State Government through the SFD and KOPEL Berhad. This partnership has brought positive outcomes, including nature-based tourism development that benefit local communities and promote sustainable forest management within the Kinabatangan area.
The journey towards Green List certification began with the formal application in 2021.
Over the course of four years, the site underwent a rigorous multi-phase process (application phase and candidate phase) to complete the 50 indicators which included comprehensive self-assessments, evidence submission through the COMPASS platform, independent expert evaluations by the Expert Assessment Group for the
Green List (EAGL), and a final review and verification by an independent reviewer.
The key milestone was the EAGL site visit, followed by the final reviewer verification in December 2024.
Kugan reiterated that managing Pin Supu with the involvement of surrounding communities has given numerous positive impacts – environmental, social and
economic benefits, including biodiversity conservation, local empowerment, and income growth.
This shows the success of joint efforts in promoting environmental sustainability. This IUCN recognition is a testament to the dedication and collaborative efforts of the Sabah Forestry Department and local community in particular KOPEL Berhad.
The IUCN Green List is a global initiative by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that recognizes and promotes well-managed, effectively governed, and fairly operated protected and conserved areas. Its main goal is to encourage and reward conservation success by assessing areas against globally consistent standards of good governance, sound design and planning, effective management, and positive conservation outcomes.
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