[2] First established in 1972,[1] it was designated as a Class 1 Protection Forest by the Sabah Forestry Department in 1984.

[1] Prior to being established as a forest reserve, the area was used for logging and palm oil plantations.

[6] There is a small level of ecotourism activity in the reserve, consisting of guided tours from a nearby village,[5][7] which provides livelihood alternatives to logging and poaching.

[1] The rest of the reserve's forest is secondary, including areas populated by pioneer species.

The reserve is also home to Anisoptera, Dipterocarpus, Dryobalanops, Hopea, Parashorea, Polyalthia, Shorea, Syzygium and Vatica species.