Category: News

TESSA Knowledge Sharing & Exchange Visit in Tasik Chini, Pahang

TESSA group with Orang Asli representatives

The TESSA Pahang Team, comprised of members from the Tasik Chini Research Centre at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and the Pahang Forestry Department, in collaboration with SEARRP, recently implemented an Ecosystem Service Assessment in the Central Forest Spine, using the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA). Together the team organised a Knowledge Sharing and Exchange Visit Programme in Tasik Chini, Pahang, Malaysia which took place on August 7th and 8th, 2023. The event was attended by 33 TESSA team members hailing from Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Selangor, and Terengganu. Supported by Yayasan Hasanah, the primary objective of this programme was to share the team’s expertise in evaluating cultural ecosystem services through the utilisation of the TESSA toolkit. Additionally, the programme sought to enhance the understanding of the relationship between forest and lake ecosystems and the culture of the Orang Asli community in Tasik Chini.

Amelia from the TESSA Pahang team detailing their experience conducting the TESSA assessment in the Tasik Chini area

Orang Asli representatives explaining the use of plants from Tasik Chini for traditional medicine

 

The programme’s first day started with a sharing session led by the Orang Asli from the Jakun tribe. They discussed the influence of ecosystem services on their cultural beliefs and well-being. The morning session featured a guided forest trek led by Orang Asli guides who explained the forest’s interconnectedness with their traditions, customs, and culture. Additionally, they showcased medicinal forest plant species, explaining their preparation and emphasising the importance of responsible forest resource management. Following the guided walk, the local communities shared their beliefs and recounted the history of Tasik Chini, shedding light on the tradition of passing down stories to younger generations. And indeed the storytelling session proved to be very interesting.

Orang Asli representative showing the ‘sumpit’ or Jakun blowpipe

During the afternoon session, the group embarked on a boat ride to explore the Tasik Chini area and visited the Orang Asli villages, namely Kampung Cendahan and Kampung Sri Gumum. This provided the TESSA team members with the opportunity to meet with the communities, gain insights into their daily lives, acquire knowledge about their traditional hunting tools, specifically the blowpipe, including hands-on instructions on how to use it!!

Visit to Jakun community- Kampung Sri Gumum

On the last day of the programme, the group visited SK Tasik Chini (JHEOA), a school originally established by the Department of Orang Asli Development (JaKOA) and currently overseen by the District Education Office under the Pahang State Education Department. During the visit, the TESSA team were treated to a traditional performance by Orang Asli students, featuring the Kelundang and Sewang performance.This performance marked the conclusion of the programme, and the SEARRP team hopes that TESSA trainees have acquired valuable knowledge and experiences through the various sharing and exchange visits organised during the event.

Traditional performance by the students of SK Tasik Chini.

The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment is featured in The Guardian

Landscape picture of oil palm plantation in Sabah, Malaysia Photo Credit Chien Lee

In a recent in-depth report by The Guardian, the groundbreaking work conducted at the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment has been highlighted following a publication in Science Advances. This ongoing 20-year project stands as one of the world’s largest experiments of its kind and sheds light on the immense advantages of repopulating logged tropical forests with a diverse array of native tree species. The study’s findings underscore that increased diversity in replanting leads to swifter forest recovery in terms of canopy area and tree biomass when compared to areas undergoing natural regeneration or planted with fewer species. Notably, Professor Andrew Hector from the University of Oxford and Ryan Veryard emphasised that this approach not only expedites the rejuvenation of tree cover but also enriches biodiversity and vital ecosystem services like carbon sequestration. The research team found that the probable reason for the better recovery was that different tree species occupied distinct niches within the forest ecosystem and so diverse mixtures of planted species complemented each other and increased the effective functioning of the whole ecosystem.  This study’s insights underscore the paramount importance of preserving biodiversity in untouched forests and provide valuable guidance for combatting climate change and mitigating biodiversity decline through effective forest restoration strategies. For the full article, please refer here.

The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment is starting it’s first full census in 10 years!

New contract team learning how to measure trees at the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment Plot

The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment is studying the impact of tree diversity for restoration purposes in order to determine how much biodiversity is needed to maintain crucial ecosystem services like flood protection, nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. The project covers over 500 hectares that consists of plots that have been planted in monocultures, 4 tree species or 16 species. This design allows comparisons of tree biomass production, diversity and fauna recovery and nutrient cycling between the three plots to determine if planting diversity positively affects ecosystem functions. To study this, the SBE is beginning it’s first full census in 10 years! The team, that is comprised of experts and new contract workers, have just completed 10 plots of maintenance and have just measured the first plot. Already in during the team’s measurements they have discovered a tree with 40 cm dbh (diameter at breast height) after only 22 years and the largest tree that they  measured was 54 cm dbh  and over 30 m tall!! We will be updating on the progress of this census, so be sure to watch this space!

Danum Valley is expecting high numbers of visitors and tourists September-December 2023

At a recent SEARRP staff meeting we were notified by the manager of Danum Valley that the Field Centre is expecting high numbers of tourists during the final quarter of the year. For all scientists wishing to book accommodation, please try to do so early to ensure that you have a spot at DVFC for the duration of your research. For all questions, you can contact Adrian Karolus at adrian@searrp.org.

Danum Valley Field Centre is expecting high tourism numbers in the final quarter of the year, be sure to book accommodation early

Knowledge sharing and exchange visit to Ulu Bendul Forest, Negeri Sembilan

TESSA outreach workshop in Negeri Sembilan

On August 15th the SEARRP team travelled to Negeri Sembilan in Peninsula Malaysia to join TESSA project members for a 2-day visit to the Ulu Bendul Recreational Forest and Pasoh 50-hectare vegetation plot. The Ulu Bendul Recreational Forest is situated in the Angsi Forest Reserve, which is located between Kuala Pilah and Seremban in the Negeri Sembilan region of Malaysia. This forest reserve is in an ecologically significant location that is characterised by indigenous foliage and numerous ponds and streams.

TESSA workshop exploring the Forest

Tree Identification

The Pasoh 50-hectare vegetation plot exhibits an exceptional degree of tree species diversity, with over 330,000 trees encompassing 818 distinct species within 295 genera and 81 families. This site exchange gave participants a hands-on opportunity to learn about the forest ecosystem of the Ulu Bendul forest and a rare insight into the important research conducted by FRIM and their research partners at Pasoh Forest Reserve.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Access and Export applications for the 3rd Quarter need to be submitted to SaBC by August 23rd, 2023

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: The Access and Export evaluation committee meeting for the 3rd quarter (meeting series 3/2023) has been rescheduled to an earlier date. Therefore, all applications must be submitted to SaBC by 23 August 2023 (next Wednesday) for evaluation. Please email mobrien@searrp.org or adrian@searrp.org if you have any questions.

3rd Quarter Access & Export applications are due by August 23rd 2023

Signing Ceremony & Seminar of the 8th Quinquennial Memorandum of Understanding Between the Danum Valley Management Foundation, Sabah Foundation and SEARRP

Photo of representatives and participants of the 8th Quinquennial Memorandum of Understanding and Seminar

Last week representatives from the Sabah Foundation, the Danum Valley Management Committee, and the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARPP) convened to renew their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Danum Valley Research and Training Programme. This renewal marks the continuation of a long-standing collaboration that was forged nearly four decades ago and is a testament to a shared commitment to further scientific progress and foster mitigation strategies in response to the challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss.

Director of SEARRP, Dr Glen Reynolds, presenting on the history of the programme and the ongoing collaboration with Yayasan Sabah

Danum Valley was officially created in 1981 when the Sabah Foundation took decisive action to voluntarily set aside the area as a result of its remarkable biodiversity. This step was later strengthened in 1996 when the Danum Valley Conservation Area was declared a fully projected Class I Forest Reserve.

SEARRP was established by the Royal Society in 1984 and headquarted at the Danum Valley Field Centre. The scientific programme in Danum Valley, which the first MoU underpinned, has a twofold purpose: to enable and facilitate world class research in pristine and recovering rainforest and to nurture a new generation of scientists capable of addressing complex issues related to rainforest conservation and management.

Representatives from the Sabah Foundation, the Danum Valley Management Committee and SEARPPat the MoU signing

Over the last four decades, the programme has involved hundreds of local and international students and scientists, whose work has generated over 700 peer-reviewed articles – many of which have been published the the world’s leading academic journals. Additionally, the programme has supported over 250 students through their PhD and Master’s degrees, with at least 80 of these being early career scientists from Malaysia, mostly Sabahans. The research conducted in Danum Valley has led to a step-change in our understanding of tropical rainforests, their conservation and sustainable management.

SEARRP Team at MoU Signing

Science & Society: Solutions to Global Challenges – workshop exploring public attitudes to global environmental challenges in Malaysia – register now!

Science & Society: Solutions to Global Challenges – workshop exploring public attitudes to global environmental challenges in Malaysia

Researchers at the School of Psychology, Cardiff University in collaboration with the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP) are conducting two workshops for research to explore environmental challenges in Malaysia.

We are interested in public attitudes to global environmental issues and how to tackle them. We will be conducting a deliberation session to explore this topic which will entail guided group discussions, similar to a focus group discussion. Do not worry if you are unsure or do not know much about this topic. We want your opinions and perspectives!

Register here.

For more information, please contact Melissa Payne at melissajpayne@gmail.com.

Permian Global biodiversity and acoustic sensor training course for SEARRP staff

Group Picture of Permian Global Staff & SEARRP RAs at recent training course

The Kuamut Rainforest Conservation Project (KRCP) staff have been busy with a training course conducted at Danum Valley Field Centre last month.  Permian Global biodiversity and acoustic sensor experts, Dr Sunarto and Dr Joshua Taylor, conducted a three-day training course to teach SEARRP Research Assistants (RAs) how to manage, monitor, and evaluate biodiversity data collected by the KRCP.

Dr Joshua introduced a new system for handling acoustic sensors using a song meter that records at dusk and dawn. In addition to teaching data management skills, the training covered how to handle and exchange micro SD cards efficiently. As part of the project, these skills will be necessary for receiving, organising, and collecting data for each site.

An additional session was conducted by Dr Sunarto to refresh and improve the RAs skills for installing camera traps. The camera traps will be used in riparian areas, carbon plots, and will be installed a different heights and elevations to obtain a wide variety of data from the sites. This project concept was designed by Dr Sarah Scriven and will be an incredibly helpful addition to the biodiversity monitoring plan established for the KRCP. We now feel that our staff are trained with these newly learned skills that will allow them to maximise their work outputs in the field!

Demonstration from Philip Ulok – the KRCP project manager – on setting up acoustic trap to the SEARRP staff

Philop Ulok training the RAs on inserting the micro SD Card efficiently in to the camera traps

Song meter acoustic sensors that are ready to be installed!

Kew Gardens First Field Course at Danum Valley Field Centre!

Kew Gardens Field Course – Danum Valley Field Centre 2023

Kew Gardens recently sent it’s first field course to Danum Valley Field Centre! The group was led by two lecturers – Dr Kalsum Mohd Yusa and Dr Katherine Ann from Kew Gardens. The two week programme was filled with an excellent mix of interesting lectures and hands-on activities in the surrounding forest. The students worked together with SEARRP’s most experienced Research Assistants to learn how to set dung beetle, butterfly and light traps and a set a plot for looking at nocturnal termite activity. The students also tested out the Forest Integrated Assessment (FIA) tool, which enables non-experts to successfully assess forest quality by using the application.

Dung beetle trap

Insect survey

Evening Light Trap

 

Lucky Kew Gardens Field Course Students got to see Elephants!

Students had the chance to visit Innoprise-FACE Rainforest Rehabilitation Project (INFAPRO), to learn about the diversity of mushrooms with a senior lecturer from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Dr Jaya Seelan. While at INFAPRO the students visited old logging sites (Coupe 88 and Coupe 89) that were intensively logged in the 1980s but have been part of the forest rehabilitation programme since 1992. During the visit, the students were amazed to see the variety of species that have returned as a result of the rehabilitation project including insects, dipterocarp trees, birds and other rare wildlife. We are thrilled that Kew Gardens chose to work with SEARRP to host their first Danum Field Course and we are looking forward to welcoming the back in the near future!

Visit to INFAPRO with Kew Gardens field course group and Dr Jaya from UMS