Sarawak Biodiversity Centre

In 1997, the Sarawak State Government enacted the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre Ordinance and set up the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) the following year to "initiate programmes for the conservation, utilisation, protection and sustainable development of biodiversity in the state". The state government also enacted the Sarawak Biodiversity Regulations in year 1998. Before that, the centre's role was primarily inventory and regulatory – often known as the "gatekeeper to Sarawak’s rich biodiversity" to those who wanted access to and collection of biological resources in the state for research or commercial purposes.