Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition

There is a severe lack of wildlife survey information in Brunei Darussalam – there may be species yet undiscovered and new to science, possibly vulnerable to extinction; we know that there is a high degree of endemicity as seen in the herpetofauna of Belalong as well as in other taxa- all these are of extreme conservation value both locally and globally, in need of special management consideration and important to ecotourism and other economic significance.

To address this problem, a team from the Biology Department of Universiti Brunei Darussalam will lead a Brunei expedition linked to the Brunei Heart of Borneo Project Implementation Framework to Sungei Ingei Conservation Forest starting July 2010 to unravel the secrets of this forest. In the true spirit of transboundary scientific and management co-operation within the context of the HOB initiative, a few scientists from Malaysia and Indonesia will be invited to participate.

By Dr Joseph K. Charles

(Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University Brunei Darussalam)