Brunei’s Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park is bringing its forest-and-lake conservation experience into a wider regional conversation. As the country’s only ASEAN Heritage Park approaches its 42nd designation anniversary on November 29, 2026, a recent ASEAN learning exchange highlights its continuing role in protecting biodiversity, supporting research and preserving Dusun heritage.
A Living Classroom for Southeast Asia
From March 28 to April 1, 2026, Brunei hosted regional training and exchanges under the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity’s EnCORE Wetlands Project, supported by the UK Mission to ASEAN. Participants visited Tasek Merimbun alongside Badas Peat Swamp and Pulau Selirong to examine conservation practices, ecosystem monitoring and restoration.
At Merimbun, the exchange explored how cultural traditions, low-impact tourism and scientific research can coexist. Explaining the broader significance of Brunei’s wetlands, Reni bin Haji Yahya, identified in the event report as Acting Director of Forestry, said: “They support biodiversity, enhance climate resilience, and serve as significant carbon sinks.”
A Small Bat, a Lasting Legacy
Covering 7,800 hectares in Tutong District, Tasek Merimbun received ASEAN Heritage Park designation on November 29, 1984. Its regional recognition followed fieldwork that revealed exceptional wildlife diversity.
The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity credits researcher Eyad Samhan’s team with capturing a rare white-collared fruit bat during surveys in 1983–1984. The discovery helped secure the park’s nomination into a network that then comprised just 11 sites. This history shows how patient scientific investigation can turn a little-known landscape into a regional conservation priority.
Merimbun also complements Brunei’s wider protected landscapes. The Forestry Department lists Ulu Temburong National Park at 46,210 hectares, illustrating the different scales at which the country protects its forests and offers opportunities for nature education.
Blackwater, Bright Discoveries
The park’s defining feature is its S-shaped blackwater lake, fed principally by Sungai Meluncur and Sungai Bang Oncom as they flow through peat forests. Around it, forest habitats support an extraordinary concentration of life.
An ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity inventory lists 800 plant species, 200 bird species, 83 mammal species and 50 freshwater fish species. Its account includes all eight Bornean hornbill species, while the park is recognised as one of Brunei’s seven Important Bird Areas. These records make Merimbun particularly compelling for birdwatchers, students and researchers.
That invitation to discovery has long guided its interpretation. In a published 2015 statement, Pengiran Muda Omar Ali, then curator of natural history and park manager, said: “May this book entice more nature lovers to visit this heritage park and discover what nature has to offer.”
Dusun Heritage Shapes the Experience
Merimbun’s cultural landscape is equally distinctive. Its islands contain archaeological finds including Dusun burial jars, ceramics and brass and bronze objects. The traditional Dusun house, constructed from forest materials without nails, demonstrates knowledge rooted in the surrounding environment. The annual Adau Gayoh harvest celebration further connects community life with the land.
These connections offer a foundation for locally led guiding, craft interpretation and educational visits. Developing such opportunities requires community participation, maintained visitor facilities and protection of sensitive habitats. Tourism’s strongest contribution would be to reward the knowledge and stewardship that keep the landscape alive.
As its anniversary approaches, Tasek Merimbun offers Brunei a powerful story to share: a place where scientific discovery, regional cooperation and living cultural heritage continue to meet beside the blackwater.
