Malaysia is one of the 17 mega-diversity countries in the world which are rich in biological diversity either on land or in the sea. The diversity of flora and fauna in Malaysia is very high and it is estimated that there are 15,000 species of vascular plants in Malaysia, 306 species of mammals, 742 species of birds, 654 species of amphibians, 506 species of reptiles, 2,068 species of freshwater and marine fish, including a large number of endemic species.
In order to conserve and preserve these biodiversity resources, certain areas have been gazetted as Protected Areas managed by different management agencies, regulated by different laws and covering various categories of Protected Areas.
A dearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.
(A detailed explanation of the definition can be referred to in the Guideline for Applying Protected Areas Management Categories (Dudley, 2008)
A geographically defined area which is designated or regulated and managed to achieve specific conservation objectives. While the definitions have slight differences, both definitions make reference to the need for
i. a stated objective for biodiversity conservation;
ii. dedication or designation of a defined area;
iii. regulation and management.
During the first National Workshop “A Master List of Protected Areas in Malaysia” on 7-8 April 2008, stakeholders have discussed about the Definition of Protected Areas for Malaysia and agreed to use the CBD definition. Therefore, the definition of a Protected Area is a defined area, which has certain rules and managed for the purpose of biodiversity conservation with clear management objectives.
**Sumber: A Protected Areas Master List of Malaysia; A Tool for National Biodiversity Conservation, Management and Planning (Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources), 2022.
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN), Peninsular Malaysia is one of the agencies/departments that play an important role in the management of Protected Areas in this country. Protected Areas managed by the Department can be categorized into several types, namely national parks, wildlife reserves, wetlands and wildlife sanctuaries. The Protected Areas Division is responsible for managing and monitoring the implementation of planning and policies related to Protected Areas managed by the Department.
The objectives and functions of the Protected Area Division are as follows:
PERHILITAN manages and supervises a total of 35 Protected Areas in nine (9) states throughout Peninsular Malaysia involving an area of 720,396.85 hectares. The list of Protected Areas under the management of the Department’s are as follows:
| STATE | PROTECTED AREAS | TOTAL AREA (HA) |
| Johor | Segamat Wildlife Reserve | 12,979.54 |
| Endau Kluang Wildlife Reserve | 101,107.15 | |
| Endau Kota Tinggi Wildlife Reserve | 43,520.10 | |
| Four Islands Wildlife Sanctuary | 12.18 | |
| Melaka | Tanjung Tuan Wildlife Reserve | 74.08 |
| Nine Islands Wildlife Reserve | 25.14 | |
| Pahang | Tengku Hassanal Wildlife Reserve | 60,551.61 |
| Kuala Pahang Birds Sanctuary | 1,482.70 | |
| Pahang Tua Wildlife Sanctuary | 1,335.00 | |
| Pahang National Park | 248,121.00 | |
| Tasik Bera RAMSAR Site | 31,225.00 | |
| Pulau Tioman Wildlife Reserve | 8,018.85 | |
| Selangor | Bukit Kutu Wildlife Reserve | 1,942.50 |
| Fraser’s Hill Wildlife Santuary | 2,974.00 | |
| Klang Gate Wildlife Reserve | 114.48 | |
| Kuala Selangor Hill Wildlife Reserve | 44.00 | |
| Bukit Sungai Puteh Wildlife Reserve | 36.00 | |
| Sungai Dusun Wildlife Reserve | 4,330.00 | |
| Paya Indah Wetlands | 450.77 | |
| Perak | Batu Gajah Wildlife Sanctuary | 4.00 |
| Tasek Budiman Birds Sanctuary | 995.00 | |
| Bota Kanan Terrapin Reserve | 6.30 | |
| Chior Wildlife Reserve | 401.00 | |
| Sungkai Wildlife Reserve | 3,305.00 | |
| Kedah | Bukit Pinang Terrapin Reserve | 1.00 |
| Sidam Kanan Terrapin Reserve | 1.00 | |
| Perlis | Wang Pinang Wildlife Reserve | 67.94 |
| Terengganu | Terengganu National Park | 103,082.00 |
| Bukit Paloh Terrapin Reserve | 1.00 | |
| Kuala Lumpur | Bukit Nenas Wildlife Reserve | 9.80 |
| Bukit Sungai Puteh Wildlife Reserve | 14.50 | |
| Negeri Sembilan | Port Dickson Island Wildlife Sanctuary | 212.80 |
| Crocodile Sanctuary Centre | 3.408 | |
| Kelantan | Kelantan National Park | 91,440.00 |
| Pulau Pinang | Penang National Park | 2,508.00 |
| TOTAL AREA | 720,396.85 |
