Kuching Wetlands National Park, Kuching

The Kuching Wetlands National Park is a national park in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is the remains of the former Sarawak Mangrove Forest Reserve which covered 170 km2.Located 30 km from Kuching, the Wetlands National Park was gazetted in 1992 and covers an area of 66.1 km2 on the estuarine reaches of the Sibu Laut and Salak rivers. The park is composed of coastal, marine and freshwater ecosystems. The predominantly saline and deltaic mangrove system includes an extensive network of marine waterways and tidal creeks, formed by the interconnecting rivers of Sungei Sibu-Laut, Batang Salak and Sungei Santubong that form the boundary of the park. Some small patches of heath forest are found within the park.BiodiversityThe park is the home of at least three predominantly arboreal primates; the endangered proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), the long-tailed macaques and the silvered langurs. White-bellied sea eagles, mudskippers and horseshoe crabs are also present. Otters and the Irrawaddy dolphins can also be sighted. On nearby Mount Santubong, hornbills can be seen.Historical InterestIn the 12th Century the area was an important trading post between the interior peoples for their jungle produce predominantly animal parts valuable in Chinese medicine traded with the Chinese for their pottery and earthenwares. Past and existing excavations have unearthed remains of the former Iron smelting industries active hundreds of years past. The Impressive Mt. Santubong acted as a clear navigational point for these traders no doubt.

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