The Sarawak occupies the northwestern area of the island of Borneo which is the larger of the two eastern states of Malaysia (the other being Sabah).
   This is a land of tropical forest cloaked in trees from the interior to the costal swamps. The forests are home to a multitude of southeast Asia's most spectacular plants and animals species. The luxurient landscape faces mounting pressures from logging and forest clearance.

   The canopy of rainforest in Sarawak is a contiuous layer of greenery broken only by giant trees. Some of these trees easily reach 250 feet in height.
   There is a vast supply of fruit in the upper canopy that feeds large populations of fruit bats, forest pigeons, hornbills and the fairy bluebirds. Intricately patterned birdwing butterflies flit among the flowers here. These flowers also attract flocks of brightly colored flowerpeckers.
   The forests of Southeast Asia are famous for their range of gliding animals and Sarawak's rainforest is no exception. As well as colugos, there are several species of flying squirrels, one flying frog, flying lizards, and even flying snakes. All of these possess special flattened membranes or scales that an stretch out to form large gliding surfaces.

   The middle story is a zone where the foliage and branches of lesser trees, saplings, palms and tree ferns spread chaotically between the bare trunks of the taller trees. Some animal species live exclusively at this midway. Others visit temporarily to rest or feed. The colugo (or flying lemur) sleeps clinging to the tree trunks against which their mottled fur provides camoflage. The bluecrowned hanging parrot rests upside down clutching onto twigs with their feet which lock shut under the bird's weight.
   The best known of the forest's denizens is the orangutan which spends much time moving slowly up and down through the middle story. Figs are a favorite food of this placid, solitary ape. Always a scarce animal, the orangutan now survives in two main areas of the Sarawak. This is largely due to hunting and capture for the pet trade.

   In the lowland rainforest of Sarawak, growth on the forest floor is suprisingly sparse. Most of the sunlight is captured by the above foliage so there is patchy undergrowth. Apart from the hum of insects all is quiet. This is because the forest floor is a dangerous place and most animals remain in hiding. The principal predators are cats and snakes, such as the reticulated python. The garnett pitta, a stocky ground bird, hops in the undergrowth to avoid detection. The tiny mouse deer and bearded pig save their foraging until after darkness falls.

   About 5 million years ago, colliding continental plates forced the bedrock above sea level and created the mountain chain that composes the center of the island. The island continues to grow at the rate of 10 to 25 feet every thousand years.
   Because of past ice ages the levels of the oceans have dropped nearly 600 feet. For thousands of years, Borneo was not an island. In the last two million years, there have been at least 20 land bridges between Borneo and the mainland. During the last glacial peak, around 18,000 years ago, almost the entire continental shelf around the island was exposed.
   With each land connection, plants and animals from the ancient rainforest of souteast Asia spread to Borneo. As the seas rose Bornea once again became isolated. The newcomers were cut off and began to evolve seperately from their ancestors by taking advantage of new ecological opportunities.