KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s largest herbarium, the state Forestry Departments SAN Herbarium, has opened a new exhibition gallery showcasing its century-old botanical research and heritage preservation.
SAN Herbarium, which houses nearly 300,000 preserved plant specimens representing the state's rich botanical diversity, opened the gallery at the Forest Research Centre (FRC) in Sepilok.
It was officially opened by state conservator of Forests Datuk Zulkifli Suara.
The gallery was established to showcase Sabah's botanical heritage and highlight the important role of herbarium collections in scientific research, biodiversity documentation and conservation, the Forestry Department said in a statement.
It said the gallery is also an educational platform to introduce visitors to the work of botanists and herbarium scientists, including plant identification, documentation of plant species and preservation of scientific specimens.
Established in 1916, SAN Herbarium is one of Sabah’s most important botanical research facilities and houses the state’s largest herbarium collection.
The herbarium, also at the Forest Research Centre, maintains more than 280,000 preserved plant specimens alongside collections from other parts of Borneo and beyond.
The department said these collections are valuable references for plant identification, taxonomic research, biodiversity inventories, conservation assessments and documenting plant distribution.
They also provide essential historical records that enable researchers to study changes in plant diversity and distribution over time, it added.
The collections support research by botanists, foresters, conservation practitioners and other researchers working to improve knowledge and management of Sabah’s plant resources.
The exhibition gallery is open on weekdays for pre-arranged educational visits by secondary schools and academic institutions but not for general walk-in public visits.
Visits can be arranged through the SAN Herbarium curator via its website at https://www.sanherbarium.com/
