Heart of Borneo - Brunei Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition

2012-01-09T11:30:00.002+08:00

Sg Ingei team works to attain goals

Project Administrator of Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, Dr Ang Bee Biaw (R) is showing the SCB personnel on how they capture small mammals for records for the faunal biodiversity survey during their expedition to Sg Ingei in October last year. Picture: BT/Rasidah Bakar

RASIDAH HAB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, January 8, 2012

THE Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity team said that they wold continue their efforts to attain their objectives to preserve and protect the flora and fauna found in the area.

In an interview, Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey's leader, Dr Joseph Charles and the survey's Project Administrator Dr Ang Bee Biaw spoke of the team's three future plans for Sg Ingei.

First and foremost is to protect Sg Ingei and its biodiversity by turning it into a wildlife sanctuary.

The scientists are vying to convince the Brunei government to convert the 18,000 hectares of protected forests of remote Sungai Ingei into a wildlife sanctuary, where they want the protection to focus in the "core" area, where the team are working on the survey.

Secondly, they wisi to increase the survey efforts all the way from Kg Melilas to Sg Ingei as an extension zone.

Dr Charles said that the integrity of Sg Ingei depends on the integrity of this area because animals do go out. "Animals don't know any boundaries, wherever there is food, they will go out," he said.

"We have got evidence of endangered species breeding outside Melilas and in Sg Ingei. This whole area outside Sg Ingei, we are trying to make that area as buffer zone for Sg Ingei. Once there is a buffer zone, then we can zone it for multipurpose for ecotourism for local people to sell their handicraft, an area for ecotourism and recreation where you charge people to see and showcase the locals' skills and also for public education."

He added: "If there are any sensitive findings (according to our data), people will not be allowed to go to Sg Ingei, so it will be left alone. You will not be able to see the animals anyway, because they only come out at night. You have the same beautiful trees and forests outside (in the buffer zone)."

Dr Charles added, "When you look at the wildlife sanctuary for the future, the only way it can stay as a good a sanctuary is to have a good buffer zone."

Dr Ang said that the ecological dynamics of buffer zone and protected zone is very closely integrated.

"We are going to make extension zone, study it, survey it that data will help the ministry (MIPR) protects that place," she said.

She also mentioned of the team's third objective, which is to look for fundings (for enforcement) by setting up honorary rangers.

"This means we will get our people, Angus (the surveys chief guide) and field coordinator Samhan Nyawa, to identify potential rangers who can help us to check whether people are going in (Sg Ingei). Pehin Hj Yahya (Minister of Industry and Primary Resources) is very keen on that idea, and we are hoping once we get the fundings, we will talk with him in more details on how the government can give us permission to carry out all these activities," she said.

"We cannot wait for reinforcement to come, we have to be proactive and do something for Sg Ingei. Because my fear is when things happen, Sg Ingei is already gone."

"We want people in Kg Melilas and all the stakeholders to feel that Sg Ingei project is their project. It is only when you feel that it is your project that you have a sense of belonging and you will protect it," she added.

She said they had included them (the residents) in their survey.

"Acting Penghulu of Kg Melilas, Pehin Datu Pekerma Dewa Hj Muhd Ali Abdullah Itam is very supportive so we are lucky in that sense. This is more like a community project rather than a government, scientists or ministry project," said Dr Ang.

"That is why when we finished phase two this year, before we went back, Pehin Datu Hj Ali told us 'Just because you finish the Sg Ingei project, please do not abandon us and go away,"' she added.

Dr Ang said she promised the acting penghulu that the team would try their best to help Sg Ingei and Kg Melilas as much as they could. "This is why we are pushing the ministry to put Sg Ingei as a sanctuary. At the end of the day, what do we gain? We do not gain anything, we just want to protect Sg Ingei so that the Melilas people will feel that the government is protecting their area," she said.

She went on to say "Because these native people, as far as I can understand from their minds, this is their land, their native right, they don't want people to come in and destroy their land. They themselves do not destroy their land.".

Dr Charles said if the locals did hunt, they would hunt just a deer, while the others (outsiders), come in lorry loads. They are depriving the locals of their onetime hunt. And the locals do not hunt all the time.

"You see the new road that was open for Melilas, this road is used as a highway for local poachers. What was meant as a good thing for Melilas for transport has now become a highway for these poachers," he said.

He shared that their concern now is for local stakeholders and the whole Brunei to have a sense of belonging, that Sg Ingei is special to them.

Asked whether their plan to release the findings next year is still on track, Dr Ang said they were hopeful that they would be able to do so.

"We are ready to release the results, but is Brunei ready to receive them? We do not want our results to be the reason why poaching starts in Sg Ingei because that will defeat our purpose," she added.

In voicing similar sentiment, Dr Charles said, "The sad part is we release some of our results and the news got out, and somebody had gone in Sg Ingei and started poaching around the (base) camp."The Brunei Times

2012-01-09T11:30:00.001+08:00

Scientists explore 'Magic of Brunei'

(Top) A Bornean leaf-nosed bat caught during the second phase of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey. (Center) A Harlequin Flying Frog caught by UBD postgraduate student volunteer Hanyrol Hanyzan Ahmadsah. (Above) A turtle found along the 'furthest' of four trails UBD scientists are using to study wildlife in Sg Ingei. Pictures: BT/Ubaidillah Masli

RASIDAH HAB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWANREAD ABOUT FUTURE PLANS FOR THE
SG INGEI FAUNAL BIODIVERSITY
SURVEY IN TOMORROW'S EDITION.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

BRUNEI conducted its first faunal expedition over a period of about two years starting July 2010 to explore and document the wildlife of Sungai Ingei Protection Forest in Belait, believed to be one of the richest forests in the Heart of Borneo (HoB).

The Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity survey is the country's first faunal expedition to explore and document the wildlife of the Sungai Ingei Protection Forest. It gathered scientific data that will enable Brunei to better their natural wonder and wildlife.

Coined by the scientists as the 'Magic of Brunei', for its many undocumented animal species discovery, The Brunei Times talked to the project leader, UBD's Dr Joseph Charles and Project Administrator, Dr Ang Bee Biaw on what started it all.

The idea that start it all

The idea for the Sg Ingei faunal survey expedition was actually born while the duo was participating in the Lanjak Entimau expedition in Sarawak.

"There was a HoB expedition, and they invited scientists including Brunei. A few of us went and this initial group was supported financially by Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab, (then Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources). Members from the Forestry Department also came," he said.

"From there, we thought why not we start an expedition for Brunei, using people in Brunei and building up capacity building," he added. Asked why Sg Ingei was selected, he said Sg Ingei was the only place left in Brunei that has not been explored or developed for ecotourism. "We thought this is the best time to inform the local people what we have and if there is anything new that we have," he added.

Led by UBD, the survey was backed by the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and sponsored by the Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) working in partnership with WWF.

SCB funded the two-year Heart of Borneo (HoB) project, from a US$500,000 ($700,000) prize donation from the Race for a Living Planet Environment Challenge, which Brunei won last year for its HoB initiative.

Phase one and two

The expedition flag off ceremony was held on July 2 last year which comprised 36 participants.

The results from the faunal biodiversity survey, which were conducted in two phases, hoped to convince authorities to fully protect the area and its wildlife by upgrading it into a national park. At present, the area is known as the Sg Ingei Protection Forest.

The second expedition was carried out in July this year. They were joined by invited scientists from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Dr Ang said, "We brought in UBD scientists, students and members from the Brunei Museum and Forestry Department for capacity building. All been trained in different fields and technology. For the first phase, the focus was focusing in capacity building and they help us collect data. For the second phase, we don't get new people for capacity building, we want to maximise all time and effort on data collection".

She added the survey will continue again in March next year.

"We are hoping to get new people coming in. We hope someone will come in and do a study on fresh water invertebrates. We realised that the invertebrates' diversity is so different but the pity is nobody is doing that quantitatively so far," she said.

She added, "We hope to get Professor Indraneil Das (from UNIMAS, Sarawak) to do a crocodile survey in Sg ingei as local people have been telling us that they have seen two to three species of crocodile in Sg ingei. All these need validations that are why we are bringing this people in".

This being a HoB project, it will be nice to bring scientists from Indonesia and Malaysia as well, she said. The expedition saw participation of a tarsier expert Dr Indra Yustian from Universitas Sriwijaya, Indonesia.

Poaching: Sg Ingei's biggest problem

Sg Ingei is sacred to the locals and they did not go venturing deep into Sg Ingei, hence helping the conservation, said Dr Charles.

"But now things have change. They (locals) do not go but others, (mostly hailing from Belait town) came. The dirt road that aimed to be an ease for transportation for the locals now acts as a highway for poachers," he said.

Driving into Melilas by car, one can see poachers' four-wheel drive vehicles parked and (there are) poachers' camps along the Belait river.

Solutions

The release of the survey findings next year is dependent on enforcement as poaching is Sg Ingei's biggest problem.

Museums Department, the country's main authority for wildlife, is in the process of revising the Wildlife Protection Act, created in 1978 and last revised some 27 years ago. Currently, the mammal list has been updated. And now they plan to continue with the birds list.

"We do not know when the law is going to come out, what we are pushing for now is to make Sg Ingei a sanctuary. At least to protect Sg Ingei from poaching, make it a sanctuary. These have been considered by the ministry," Dr Charles said.

The scientists are vying to convince the Brunei government to convert the 18,000 hectares of protected forests of Sungai Ingei into a wildlife sanctuary, are also suggesting for the establishment of a buffer area that can be zoned for ecotourism and other activities.

Support for a community project

One of the most important things that we did right at the word 'go' was to have dialogue with the stakeholders, Dr Charles said.

The locals from Kg Melilas and Kg Sukang were involved in the expedition every step of the way.

"The stakeholders are the Kg Melilas and Kg Sukang people. We held meetings with them and with the Acting Penghulu of Kg Melilas, Pehin Datu Pekerma Dewa Hj Muhd Ali Abdullah Itam.Even before we go there (to Sg Ingei), we discussed with them and they agreed to help. This was not (the case) of scientists barging through, right from the word go, we involved them. That is why we got so much support from them. This is a community project," he said.

The locals act as boatmen-cum-guides for the project. Even the base camp where the survey team stayed during the expedition was built entirely by the locals. Dr Ang added "they have a sense of belonging that the project belongs to them as well. They feel that they had contributed to the expedition and the area".

The expedition had invited prominent figures to join the project, among them were Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, who had visited Sg Ingei four times, British High Commissioner to Brunei Rob Fenn and Singapore High Commissioner to Brunei, Joseph Koh.

"We try to bring in prominent people who can make a difference to Sg Ingei, with the hope that they will be interested (in Sg Ingei) and they want to protect this place," she said.The Brunei Times

2011-11-14T13:10:00.001+08:00

SCB backs Brunei's green agenda

(Top) Standard Chartered Bank Brunei (SCB) CEO Lai Pei-Si (R) prepares to board the 'tamuai' to Sg Ingei. Behind her is SCB's Head of Corporate Affairs and Marketing Jennifer Kang. (Above) Project Administrator of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, Dr Ang Bee Biaw (L) briefs SCB CEO Lai Pei-Si (R). Both photos are taken on October 29 this year. Pictures: BT/Rasidah Bakar

RASIDAH HAB
BELAIT

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey

RECOGNISING Brunei's "green agenda" and its commitment to the Heart of Borneo (HoB) project, major banking institution Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) pledges to support this initiative by funding the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, which it is closely monitoring.

The bank's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in Brunei, Lai Pei-Si recently visited the project at its base camp on Sg Ingei, and told The Brunei Times that it "was very nice" to see where the money goes to, adding that the sponsorship "has brought many things together".

"In Brunei, we participate in the HoB project because it is extremely important to the Bruneian community," said Lai, who is also the SCB's Head of Consumer Banking.

SCB provided funding for the two-year Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, from a US$500,000 ($700,000) prize donation from the Race for a Living Planet Environment Challenge, which Brunei won last year for its HoB initiative.

She said the sponsorship has brought together "a group of incredibly passionate scientists", the community and relevant agencies. "On our way here (to Sg Ingei), we met with the penghulu of Kg Melilas, Pehin Datu Pekerma Dewa Hj Muhd Ali Abdullah Itam. It is obvious that he is excited (about) the project and (we can see) how important the role of the local people is in the survey," she said.

The CEO together with several SCB senior personnel on October 28 went on a three-day two night trip to Sg Ingei base camp in Ulu Belait. They were accompanied by the survey research team, which comprised the survey leader, Dr Joseph Charles and Project Administrator of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, Dr Ang Bee Biaw. The trip also saw participation of members of the media.

Lai said SCB's involvement in the project "is not only because it is green", but it is also important for Brunei "to be able to preserve what we have".

"It is important for Brunei's future generation and it is really apt under our slogan, 'Here for good'. It is something that we feel that we should do, and we did it," she said. The bank's CEO added that it wants to partner with Brunei in delivering aspirations that is important to the country.

The Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey is one of the bank's key Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project in the area of environmental conservation. SCB was also involved in the first HoB project: the rehabilitation of Borneo's degraded peatland forests. "We realised very earlier on, that HoB is strategic to Brunei," she added.

Touching on the progress of the survey, Lai said "they found a lot of biodiversity here, and it is our job to see how we can communicate this to the right stakeholders to ensure that it will be protected".

The findings of the survey are expected to be released next year, with the condition that wildlife enforcement is put in place. "My expectation on the presentation of the findings will confirm the researchers belief that Sg Ingei is diverse. It will give empirical data and proof on what is here, (then we need) to decide on what to do next," she added.

Personally, Lai said, "I have always known the wonders of forests, but never experienced it myself. It is one thing to read about the wonder of the forests and it is another story when you come here and see for yourself. This is one of the reasons why I feel proud to be in SCB today."

Lai jokingly said, "It takes a lot for someone like me who is absolutely cosmopolitan to take a bus ride for almost three hours and another potentially 11 hours boat ride (during low water level); we were lucky we only did four (hours)."

The faunal biodiversity survey, a Brunei project under HoB, is backed by the Ministry of Primary Resources and sponsored by SCB in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The arrival of the survey team members with SCB Brunei staff and the media at the base camp was welcomed by former Brunei Museum curator Samhan Nyawa, who is the survey's field coordinator and Angus, the survey's chief guide, as well as several Melilas locals who are also boatmen-cum-guides for the project. The SCB members left Sg Ingei on October 30, while the research team continues their survey until November 7.(.The Brunei Times

2011-11-14T13:08:00.000+08:00

Poaching affects locals, study results

A Kg Melilas local, known as 'Abdul Rahman, crosses the Ingei river with a 'tamuai' to pick a group comprising Standard Chartered Bank Brunei (SCB) staff and members of the media who are hiking towards the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey base camp in Ulu Belait on October 29. Picture: BT/Rasidah Bakar

Ripas Hospital Paramedic HjRoslan Hj Mustapha prays at a designated area at the SgIngei Faunal Biodiversity Survey base camp. The survey is a Heart of Borneo (HoB) project at Sg Ingei inUlu Belait. Picture: BT/RasidahBakar

RASIDAH HAB
BELAIT

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey

LOCALS in Sukang and Melilas have reported activities of poaching at SgIngei, where the two-year Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, a Heart of Borneo (HoB) project is being conducted, said its survey leader during a trip to its base camp over the weekend.

The poaching activities, alleged to have been executed by those hailing from Belait town, took place two weeks before the survey team, which comprised the survey leader, Dr Joseph Charles and Project Administrator of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, Dr Ang Bee Biaw, returned to their base camp on October 28. The survey team was informed of the activities by members of the local community in Sukang and Melilas.

Dr Ang said, "The Melilas and Sukang people really want to protect this place (Sg Ingei) and the (surrounding) areas."

"The locals catch one or two deer for personal consumption, but when other people actually come into their kampung and surroundings and poach a huge number, they get affected," she said. "We do get cooperation from the Melilas and Sukang people who tell us what is happening. We are really grateful for that. We do not want to mention names because we do not want them to be targeted."

The project administrator said this in an interview with The Brunei Times, during a three-day trip beginning October 28 to Sg Ingei base camp with senior personnel of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei (SCB), which included SCB Chief Executive Officer Lai Pei-Si, as well as staff of state broadcaster RadioTelevisyen Brunei (RTB).

Dr Charles, who represented Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) said, with the poaching activities going on at Sg Ingei, the release of the survey findings next year is dependent on enforcement.

He said, "Some of the results of Sg Ingei are sensitive and there is a need for enforcement because poaching is Sg Ingei's biggest problem."

"Enforcement must be put in place, before any findings can be released. Anywhere else in Brunei, whenever such results or findings were released, everything is gone," he said. The survey leader said "one of the reasons we did not release the results this year, are because the results are not ready and the poaching is going on".

"Whatever we said, poachers will know (what is here) and they will come for it," he added.

"When you drive into Melilas by car, there are poachers' cars parked and (there are) poachers' camps along the Belait river. This is the first time that we have seen poacher's camp in Melilas," he said. Poachers came in four-wheel drive vehicles to Melilas and "they have taken so much". "They won't stop or listen," he added.

"We have board signs that said 'Heart of Borneo and Universiti Brunei Darussalam research project no entry', but nobody cares. When we go back, it is our duty to inform the departments. We hope that there will be enforcement," said Dr Charles.

He added that the Forestry Department, under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and Museums Department, under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports have been providing them with tremendous assistance.

Poaching is not only done by outsiders but the locals as well, he said. "We are very sad that our local people are poaching. They are taking everything. Whatever they catch they just take, dead or alive. They are making money out of it. We are going to tell the ministry and police about it," he added.

The arrival of the survey team members with SCB staff and the media at the base camp was welcomed by former Brunei Museum curator Samhan Nyawa, the survey's field coordinator and Angus who is the survey's chief guide as well as several Melilas locals who are also boatmen-cum-guides for the project.

SCB provided the funding for the two-year survey, from a US$500,000 ($700,000) prize donation from the Race for a Living Planet Environment Challenge, which Brunei won last year for its HoB initiative.

The Brunei Times

2011-11-14T13:06:00.001+08:00

Don't be hasty in eco-tourism bid

Show Captionclick to expand contents

Rasidah H.A.B
BELAIT

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey

PROPER planning and management is needed for Sungai Ingei Protection Forest to become a national park, said a senior lecturer at Univerisiti Brunei Darussalam.

Dr Joseph Charles, who is also the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey project leader, said steps must be taken before eco-tourism is introduced in the area to prevent disasterous consequences.

The two-year survey will help the team of scientists working on the project to push for the classification of the Sungai Ingei Protected Forest into a national park.

This will set clear guidelines as to how the government can introduce sustainable eco-tourism in the area, a potential boost to the economy and creating better appreciation on the nation's green environment.

Dr Charles, however, said the word "sustainable" is open to abuse. "People use it and they do not know what it means," he added.

"We have many examples of poor management in other parts of Brunei and lack of communication between ministries and departments," the scientist said.

He an gave an example of the clearing of mangroves along the riverside near the Bengkurong village in May last year, which drove away the proboscis monkeys and endangering its population.

Dr Charles said the team is passionate about Sg Ingei because "we do not want anything that happened elsewhere to happen here, otherwise we have destroyed every part of Brunei".

Apart from thorough planning, tourist guides need to be well informed and trained. He added, "When you bring tourists, you are not just showing them the place, you are showing them how proud you are of that place. If you are proud, you must also think in terms of its sustainability."

He explained that whatever natural resource on display to tourists must maintain its beauty for many years to come. "By showing the resource, if it deteriorates in its wonder and beauty, then you are more or less committing suicide," he said.

"If we can have trained personnel and properly managed recreational eco-tourism facilities, then this will be (very good) and this can only come after proper planning, management and training," Dr Charles said.

The survey's Project Administrator Dr Ang Bee Biaw said she believes that the forests will give long-term sustainability. "If you log a forest, you gain short-term benefits and only a few (logging) companies will gain. If you protect the forests and you bring in properly managed eco-tourism, it will carry on for years and generations to come," she said.

Dr Ang added, "What is most important is we must have properly trained eco-tourism guides, who are well informed and know what they are talking about and proud of what they have in Brunei."

Commenting on the Bengkurong example, she said the proboscis monkey population will not be able survive long, as they move to an area with poor foliage, "there is not much food left (for them) and it was a sad scene to see".

"It is important to have a sense of pride of what we have in our country, and if you have pride, you will protect it," she added.

Dr Ang said members of the survey team are all volunteers. "We come here because we love the place. We are lucky to have a monarch passionate about forest conservation, but we need proper planning and management. Get input from people who live and work here, and those who know what we have in Brunei. I know many Bruneians who are proud of our heritage," she added. The Brunei Times

2011-11-14T13:03:00.001+08:00

Plans to include Melilas, Sukang in biodiversity survey

Show Captionclick to collapse contents

Rasidah HAB
BELAIT

Thursday, November 10, 2011

THE Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey team hopes to include Kg Sukang and Kg Melilas in their project as an effort to protect its wildlife, but this depends on the availability of funding.

A team of UBD scientists are currently undertaking a two-year survey of Sg Ingei in Belait to explore and document the wildlife of Sungai Ingei Protection Forest as it is believed to be one of the richest forests in the Heart of Borneo (HoB) project.

The survey's Project Administrator Dr Ang Bee Biaw said: "Sg ingei itself is only 18,000 hectares. That is only a small part of the country but the results that we have got is really encouraging. We are hoping that the government will convert this to a wildlife sanctuary."

To include other places for protection there is a need to do survey (in this area) first.

"We are hoping to get extra funding to buy more camera traps to survey areas between Melilas and Sg Ingei," Dr Ang said, adding that they were looking to turn Melilas into a centre of educational and tourism activities.

They also suggested for the establishment of a buffer area that can be zoned for ecotourism and other activities.

"We are hoping that once we have the different zoning done, (it will) convince the government that this is the (proper) way they can do it," she explained.

"One of the reasons why we work in Sg Ingei is because we want Kg Melilas to be known in Brunei. We are hoping that Kg Melilas will return to its old glory self. We do have lots of plans for KgMelilas and its people," she added.

According to Dr Ang, the Acting Penghulu of Kg Melilas, Pehin Datu Pekerma Dewa Hj Muhd Ali Abdullah Itam had requested them to help the villagers as much as they could.

He was also very supportive of the project and has also provided help in the form of manpower from the people of Melilas.

"But as scientists, the only thing that we can do is think of ideas, talked to minister and try to convince him of the things that can be done," she said.

Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey's leader, Dr Joseph Charles echoed Dr Ang's sentiment.

"They are the stakeholders. We have got some many different ideas. We will recommend this idea to the government. The local people are the ones who suggested that we continue our project beyond Sg Ingei and go forward Kg Melilas. They asked us for help in protecting their wildlife in Melilas," he said.

"We have been keeping them in contact with the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources to see what best ways that all of us can help," Dr Charles added.

The Brunei Times

2011-11-14T13:02:00.001+08:00

Three video cameras to be set up along Sg Ingei track

The survey leader of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, Dr Joseph Charles (C), former Brunei Museum curator Samhan Nyawa (R), the field coordinator of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey and Stephen Hogg (L), a professional photographer-cum-videographer whom the Universiti Brunei Darussalam-led scientific team invited to join the two-year expedition, examining the topographical map of Sg Ingei for strategic locations to place their camera traps. Picture: BT/Rasidah HAB

RASIDAH HAB
BELAIT

Saturday, November 5, 2011

THREE video cameras will be set up at Sg Ingei in Ulu Belait as part of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey. The installation of the video cameras follow suit the first cameras set up made in July.

Speaking during an interview at the Sungai Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey base camp, Stephen Hogg, a professional wildlife photographer-cum-videographer, said more than 60 camera traps had been set up around Sg Ingei area, and the video cameras were hoped to provide further visual of the 18,000 hectares area's biodiversity.

The three-day, two-night trip to Sg Ingei saw the participation of senior personnel of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei (SCB), including SCB Chief Executive Officer Lai Pei-Si, and members of the media.

Hogg was invited by the Universiti Brunei Darussalam-led scientific team to join the two-year expedition.

Hogg said they had huge results with the camera traps in the expedition set up in four trails around Sg Ingei.

"We have more than 60 camera traps and have more than 7,000 pictures in one sample (there are four samples altogether)," he said.

The next step is, because some of these animals are really unique and rare, it would be good to try to get video footage of the animals, he added.

The video traps will probably be set at the same trail of the camera traps. The video cameras, which can take 120 minutes of video, will be left on the chosen sites for six months.

"The three video cameras will be set in this trip but we do not know where yet. We will look for interesting trails, along ridges and we will see what we get," he added.

Hogg, from the Kuala Lumpur-based Wildtrack Photography, recorded the first footage of a Sumatran rhino with a video trap in Sabah, Malaysia, several years ago, and he will be using the same method to capture the faunal biodiversity in Sg Ingei.

For the survey, the team were not looking for any particular species, hence the video traps will be set at knee height or slightly higher but not waist height.

The reason was to enable them to capture all land animals, he said.

The survey's Project Administrator, Dr Ang Bee Biaw, said the pictures in the sample of the first trail had already been analysed.

They will be analysing the remaining sample soon. The team retrieved the fourth and final sample on October 30.

"Each sample is about three to four months of data, normally a sample we would have 7,000 to 12,000 pictures," she said.

"In the first sample we have more than 7,000 pictures. The second sample was the most, we have 12,000 pictures to analyse," she added.

"What we do for camera trap data analysis is we look at each picture, try to identify the animal, see if the animal is even in the picture or not, sometimes it is so vague, sometimes there is just a tail you can only see. You need to identify which animal the tail belongs to," Ang said.

The survey team together with Hogg arrived at Sg Ingei on October 28 and will continue their work there until November 7.The Brunei Times

2011-09-26T13:37:00.000+08:00

Another invites for VIPs to join Sg Ingei expedition

British High Commissioner Rob Fenn (R) receiving a souvenir from Project Administrator Dr Ang Bee Biaw during the appreciation dinner for the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Surveys held at The Airport Restaurant, Brunei International Airport, Berakas.Picture: BT/Ubaidillah Masli

Dr Joseph Charles delivering his remarks during the appreciation dinner last night. Pictures: BT/Ubaidillah Masli

UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, September 25, 2011

THE on-going Sungai Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey will once again invite "VIPs" and the media to tag along into the depths of the remote, virtually-undisturbed forests in the interior of Belait District next month.

The visit, slated for October 28-30, will see for the first time participation from senior personnel of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei (SCB), the survey's Project Administrator, Dr Ang Bee Biaw told The Brunei Times yesterday.

SCB is providing the funding for the two-year Heart of Borneo (HoB) project, from a US$500,000 ($700,000) prize donation from the Race for a Living Planet Environment Challenge, which Brunei won last year for its HoB initiative.

Attending an appreciation dinner to mark the survey's progress so far, SCB Chief Executive Officer Lai Pei-Si confirmed that she will be taking part in the visit and said that she was "excited" to go.

The CEO's predecessors have planned to visit the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) scientists at work in Ingei before but bad weather and mismatch of schedules have prevented them from doing so in the past.

The visit requires participants to travel up to a day upriver, depending on the water level and number of obstructions caused by fallen logs along the river, from the Bukit Sawat jetty and passing Kg Melilas by longboat.

The upcoming visit also invited British High Commissioner to Brunei Rob Fenn, who has been to Sg Ingeionce before earlier this year, and Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya SeriUtama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar.

Ang said that the minister has yet to confirm his participation due to a busy schedule, but if he did join, the October visit will make it Pehin Dato Hj Yahya's fourth to join the Sg Ingei biodiversity survey.

The project administrator added they would try to show the "VIPs" the unique forest mosaic found within the 18,000 hectares of the Sg Ingei Protection Forest. "Every time we bring guests out there, we try to do something different," Ang said.

The survey is hoped to mount enough evidence to convince authorities to turn the forests into a wildlife sanctuary and increase protection from threats and such.

The two phases of the project have been completed, but the scientists have to return periodically to retrieve the images caught by the heat- and motion-triggered camera traps left running in the forests. "Hopefully, by the end of the expedition in December 2012, we will have an exhaustive list of animal species found in Sg Ingei (forests)." The upcoming visit will also see the scientific team joined by a tarsier expert from Indonesia, Dr Indera Yustian and an expert on herpetofauna from Universiti MalaysiaSarawak, Professor Indera Neil Das, who will be studying crocodiles in Sg Ingei and Sg Belait. This was part of the initiative to include more people and more technologies to make it truly an HoB project, Angsaid.

The Brunei Times

2011-08-25T14:54:00.002+08:00

Study of Sg Ingei wildlife in videos

(Top) One of about 60 camera traps placed along suspected animal game trails and feeding grounds along the "furthest" of four trails scientists are using to study wildlife in Sg Ingei during a VIP visit of the UBD-led faunal biodiversity survey to Sg Ingei from March 25-27, 2011. (Above) Wildlife photographer and videographer, Hogg (R) in discussion at the Sg Ingei basecamp with members of the WWF Heart of Brunei project. Picture: BT file

UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BELAIT

Thursday, August 11, 2011

SEVERAL videos of the on-going study of wildlife in the remote forests of Sungai Ingei are anticipated to be produced by a professional photographer-cum-videographer whom the Universiti Brunei Darussalam-led scientific team invited to join the two-year expedition.

With about 40 years' experience documenting wildlife in the likes of Malaysia and Australia, Stephen Hogg of Kuala Lumpur-based Wildtrack Photography said that he has already managed to capture a number of animals that was "new to him".

The wildlife enthusiast told The Brunei Times that he has found at least two new tarantula spiders and "a variety of different bugs that I have never seen in my life before".

"The forests seems to be extremely rich," he said, adding that the loudness of the forests were an indication of its richness. "It's pretty blaring."

Speaking during an interview at the Sungai Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey basecamp, located some seven hours upriver from Bukit Sawat jetty, Hogg said that the diversity of the protected forests was evident also in the range of bird sounds heard there.

"Birds very rarely sing. Here you hear the song(s) of many different species," he said.

A freelance photographer who has been taking wildlife shots since his teenage years and has worked with the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) in the UK, Hogg has already produced at least one video for the expedition.

The video was shown to the VIP guests, which included the minister of Industry and Primary Resources, the British High Commissioner to Brunei and World Wildlife Fund for Nature officials, during a weekend excursion to Ingei last month.

The videos created by Hogg, who stayed with the scientists in Ingei from July 2-23 and also took part during the survey's first phase last year, were also planned to be used for future public education programmes.

"Our ideas are: we want to produce a general video, and short videos on specific techniques (to study fauna) hoped to be distributed and used in schools," Project Leader Dr Joseph Charles of UBD was quoted in a previous report.

Hogg was also supplying and assisting the scientific team in the use of camera traps, one of the technological tools they are using to remotely document the wildlife in Ingei.

The scientists has set up about 60 camera traps, which each have a "standard" compact camera fitted inside a Pelican case and was triggered by an electronic circuit board that emits a passive infra-red beam, in areas within the forest where animals were believed to frequent.

"It's a very sensitive beam, it can detect heat and motion at night beyond 20-25 metres. It's a long way down the (animal) trail."

"Anything that moves that's a mammal or a bird that's warm-blooded, crosses the path where the beam is pointing, although they can't see the beam, and that will trigger the camera to power up and take the picture," he explained.

Hogg has facilitated a number of "intensive training exercises" to advise the scientists on things to look out for when setting up the camera traps such as positioning the camouflage-painted devices to avoid glare from the sun, "reading" the wildlife trails and recognising certain fast-growing vegetation which can block the cameras as they were left there for several months at a time.

"Something it seems that they've never done (is) taking a look at the results that they get from the camera traps from the first time setting, and re-evaluating those results, and then changing positions of cameras," he said.

"For example, when they set the cameras, they are not taking into consideration where sun rise and sun set is."

However, despite the amateur attempts, Hogg said there were "some really awesome pictures" taken by the team.

The study, which concludes in 2012, is hoped to provide evidence for authorities to convert the 18,000-hectare Sg Ingei Protection Forests into a wildlife sanctuary.

The Brunei Times

2011-08-25T14:54:00.001+08:00

New frog species expected at Sg Ingei

A Harlequin tree frog caught by UBD postgraduate student volunteer Hanyrol Hanyzan Ahmadsah (pictured) during the second phase of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey. Picture: BT File

UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, August 20, 2011

ANY new finds of unrecorded species of frogs made during the on-going wildlife study of Sungai IngeiProtection Forest will be included into the national inventory of amphibians, members of the scientific team said yesterday.

Speaking over the phone while on a research trip in Labi yesterday, tropical ecologist Dr Ulmar Grafe said that although they have yet to make any "unusual" frog discoveries within the first leg of the two-yearSg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, they anticipated such finds could be made in this final year of the study.

"The place is a mosaic of different kinds of habitats. As we go in more and more, maybe we will find more unusual species that we haven't got so far," Grafe said. "There might be several new species but we don't have any firm evidence for that yet."

The Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) lecturer said that the findings will be included into the national checklist of amphibians, which he said currently stands at some 83 species, about half of all amphibians found on Borneo.

"(From) all the species found on the third largest island in the world...in a small section just in Brunei, (we can find) maybe half of the species that we find in the (whole) island. That's significant (and) puts Brunei on the map, with respect to amphibians."

The majority of the species were documented in Belalong of Temburong District and in Teraja, also inBelait, said a UBD Masters student volunteer who has been assisting Grafe with the research on amphibians in Ingei.

Hanyrol Hanyzan Ahmadsah, a Masters in Biology by Research student, said that a "limited" number of species could be found in Ingei when compared to Belalong due to the former area's terrain. She said, in a separate interview yesterday, that Belalong had a hilly, steep terrain giving rise to a greater diversity of amphibian species whereas Ingei was flatter.

Nonetheless, she said Ingei could still yield a different set of species than that found elsewhere in Brunei, further backing the scientists' efforts to come up with enough scientific evidence to turn the 18,000-hectare protected forests of Sg Ingei into a wildlife sanctuary.

When asked if the frog team has made any interesting finds so far, Hanyrol said, "for me, everything is interesting".

She shared that she would search for frogs at night, assisted by two staff from the Museums Department, at a pond "the size of a house" located nearby the UBD-led project's basecamp, some seven hours upriver of the nearest village of Kg Melilas.

"Every night we go there, we find different species around the pond," she said.

Frogs are taken back to the camp as samples, where they are identified and kept to be later preserved in alcohol and added to the Ingei collection of amphibian samples.

"Sometimes species identification is not clear just by the morphology and genetics. Samples have to be taken and DNA has to be analysed (to confirm) the species," Grafe said.

The collection would help to signify Ingei's value as an area rich in biodiversity and will be "our contribution to the cause" of persuading authorities to further protect Ingei as a haven for wildlife.

The Standard Chartered Bank-funded Heart of Borneo project was carried out in stages, where the scientists camp out and do their study in Ingei for weeks at a time. The scientists are currently away from the project, but camera traps were left on suspected animal trails.The Brunei Times

2011-08-04T12:29:00.000+08:00

WWF official lauds Sg Ingei survey

WWF Heart of Borneo Network Initiative Leader Adam Tomasek participating in a jungle trek near the Topi Camp along the Sungai Topi during the second phase of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey. Picture: BT/Ubaidillah Masli

(Top) A Bornean leaf-nosed bat caught by Dr David Lane of UBD during the second phase of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey. (Above) A Harlequin Flying Frog caught by UBD postgraduate student volunteer Hanyrol HanyzanAhmadsah during the second phase of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey. Pictures: BT/Ubaidillah Masli

UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BELAIT

Thursday, August 4, 2011

WORLD Wildlife Fund for Nature's (WWF) top official to the tri-nation Heart of Borneo (HoB) conservation pact has lauded the ongoing scientific project to document animals living in the remote, untouched forests of Sungai Ingei in Belait district.

"What I think is quite unique about this, is that this is a project that is set up specifically to better understand the biodiversity in a protection forest, and use that information and the science behind it to ideally improve both the understanding of why this is such a special area but also inform the type of management decisions that could be made in the future," said Adam Tomasek.

WWF's HoB initiative leader was among the "VIPs" invited to tag along for a weekend trip to Sg Ingei starting July 8, to observe an expert team led by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) biologists for the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey.

The study, which also involved specialists from around the region, has been looking at a host of animals, from large cats to exotic birds and some yet-to-be-confirmed species, found living in the 18,000 hectares of protected forest.

Speaking to The Brunei Times during the visit, Tomasek said he had been comparing the wildlife study to "what is or isn't going in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia (HoB member countries), under the same Heart of Borneo types of programmes".

"I think it is a great example of setting up a research project, not just for research in itself, but to look at how you can apply the findings of that research to improve government policy, local community awareness, national awareness, and in other ways, use it to inform the other two countries of Indonesia and Malaysia the type of work the government of Brunei is supporting under the Heart of Borneo."

Tomasek said bridging the communication gaps between the scientists and the policymakers was an aspect that was incorporated in the design phase of the wildlife study, while also noting that "outreach" with government officials was carried out from the project's outset.

Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj YahyaBegawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar has been the most senior official to have joined the arduous expedition, which is supported by basic temporary facilities such as a makeshift basecamp made of local wood and toilets dug into the ground. Including the recent excursion, the minister has observed and participated in the faunal survey at least three times.

"By having Pehin Yahya join the trip, they're (the scientists are) specifically looking at trying to bridge that gap between field research and what it could mean to policy- or decision-making," Tomasek said.

"Bringing the two together helps both sides better understand each other's point of view."

The WWF leader, who is based in Jakarta, also saw British High Commissioner to Brunei Rob Fenn'sparticipation in the recent visit as well as Singaporean High Commissioner Joseph Koh's participation in another visit to Ingei in March 2011 as a form of international recognition of the HoB work being carried out in Brunei.

"When I compare this to Indonesia, it's extremely difficult to get ambassadors to go out to these far off project sites, let alone have them sit on a boat like we did for seven hours upriver. One, it shows a level of commitment and interest," he said.

"But I think it also shows the significance of projects like this means something to the country as a whole and that there is a high level of recognition that the variety of work that's falling under the umbrella of the HoB in Brunei is very well known and recognised by high commissioners from different countries."

Tomasek said such foreign interest could lead to greater regional cooperation, suggesting possible tie-ups between foreign missions assigned here and their sister offices in Indonesia.

"Trying to make those linkages and be able to have the discussions in the different countries, sort of connect the dots, between the different countries is important for the region itself.

"Whether or not that leads to greater or more direct contributions to this kind of work from those countries, that's always a matter of bilateral assistance, priorities and things like that," he said.

"Often times, what you need is a really solid grounding, something that is globally significant but is also something very relevant in a place. I think that these kinds of projects provide that."

The Brunei Times

2011-08-03T12:26:00.001+08:00

Preserving Sg Ingei forests worth more to Bruneians than they know

WWF special adviser to the Heart of Borneo Dato' Dr Mikaail Kavanagh (L) helps other Melilas locals pushing the temuai blocked by sand banks and logs along the Sg Ingei at low water level during the second phase of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey recently. Picture: BT file

UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

PRESERVING the rich forests of Sungai Ingei holds more interest for the people than they are aware of, as it is a foothold for hydrological management, currency in the international carbon trade market and atransboundary security buffer, said the special adviser to the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative.

World Wildlife Fund for Nature's (WWF) Special Adviser to HoB Dato' Dr Mikaail Kavanagh recently spoke of the economic advantages in keeping the 18,000 hectares of Sg Ingei's pristine forests.

"This area is the upper most reaches of the Belait (River). Without it, if you strip the forests from here,Belait District will become very sedimented and much more prone to floods and droughts, much more uneven flow, even than we have now," he told The Brunei Times. He also said that the area was part of the source of raw water that the BLNG plant in Lumut needed for its daily operations.

"If the water stops flowing out of the Heart of Borneo, in the quantity and quality that they need, they stop producing LNG (liquefied natural gas) within 24- 36 hours," Kavanagh said.

Similarly in 2008, the former Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources spoke of the importance of managing the waterways and the conservation of the rainforests.

"The natural gas that Brunei LNG exports cannot be produced without the water from our forests," DatoPaduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab said.

Kavanagh also touched on the role of forests such as Ingei in trapping global warming contributor carbon in carbon sinks or stores, and thus its potential in carbon trading.

"Under the rules of the voluntary market, if Brunei increases the protection of forests that might otherwise be logged, then they can sell carbon credits on the voluntary market. That's a possibility, (getting) paid money for sequestrating (sic) or storing carbon."

Dismissing criticism surrounding the current functionality of carbon trading, Kavanagh said, "Yes it does work to some extent in that when people do the right thing, they get the financial reward for it".

"I'm no expert on what will happen in the long term, but one thing we can all say without a shadow of doubt is that (environmental issues) is probably one of the highest global agendas now," he said.

Brunei enjoyed "far better" air quality than the rest of the populated areas on Borneo island because of the Sultanate's forests.

The WWF conservationist pointed out that forests on other parts of the island were being "destroyed", and this is made evident in incidences such as haze, which affects all the countries regardless of national boundaries.

"This is something where we need to cooperate with our neighbours. That's what makes the HoBimportant because this area will be much less secure if the forests just over the border are utterly denuded," he said.

The Brunei Times

2011-07-30T15:09:00.000+08:00

Sg Ingei expedition will be known worldwide, says UK envoy

UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BELAIT

Sunday, July 17, 2011

"ONE day, not far from now, the Sungai Ingei expedition will be known throughout the world," said British High Commissioner to Brunei.

Rob Fenn (pictured) was among the "VIPs", which included the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, taking part in a weekend excursion recently to the remote protected forests of Sg Ingei in the interiors of Belait District, where a team led by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) scientists were conducting the second phase of a two-year study of wildlife found there.

"I think this a textbook example of how a government and a local community, the Melilas (and Sukang) longhouse(s) can get behind a cutting edge scientific expedition and propel it into the record books," Fenn told The Brunei Times

"They (the scientists) are very well set up. They've had generous sponsorship from a British bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and they are spending that money wisely and creatively."

The wildlife specialists have been employing techniques such as using heat- and motion-sensitive camera traps and mist nets to catch and document the elusive animals living around Sg Ingei, 18,000 hectares of pristine forests protected by the government.

About 60 camera traps, basically a camera and sensors placed within a protective casing, have been placed along trails where wildlife were believed to cross. But floods and other conditions have damaged some of the equipment, forcing the scientists to be more innovative with the technology that has been used by the likes of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).

"I just really enjoyed talking to the scientists here and discovering how they are, not only cataloguing Sg Ingei and finding fabulous species but (also) doing the art of camera-trapping better than it's been done anywhere else," Fenn said.

The UBD team have been careful in releasing the findings, some of which included potentially undocumented species, out of fear that the information could draw poachers to the area.

Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey Project Leader Dr Joseph Charles previously said that they will wait for the area to be fully protected as a wildlife sanctuary before the data is released and published.

The high commissioner has also agreed to keep mum about what he has been shown during his visit.

"They will find their time. They need to do the science, double-check everything, make sure they know what they've got and at that point, share the information with the world," Fenn said.

"I think they are looking ahead in a very sensible way to that moment."

It was that moment, that the high commissioner said, scientists, particularly experts from the UK, will be the amongst the first people "off the airplane", jumping at the opportunity to work in Brunei.

"For the reasons I gave, the Sungai Ingei expedition will be written about, will be thought about, will be visited, will inspire others and that's the great thing about science. It's not a zero-sum game; just because an expedition in Brunei has great success, it's not to the disadvantage of scientists elsewhere, it inspires them," he said.

"I think we will be amongst the first rank of people celebrating the expedition when the wrapping comes off. And yes, I think it will be in the self-interest of British scientists to be associated with a scientific success."

Fenn shared that scientists he was acquainted with were already "excited" about Brunei, while noting that the UK and the Sultanate have already established strong research links as a basis for further partnerships.

While at the basecamp, the high commissioner told the minister, WWF officials, UBD scientists and the local community helping out in the project that the Sg Ingei expedition was a representation "of what the rest of Brunei is becoming", in terms of environmental precedence.

"British scientists will want to be here. (They will) want to be part of the magic you are conjuring here," he said, referring to the slogan the UBD team has come up with for Sg Ingei, the "Magic of Brunei".

He described Brunei as the "heart" of the Heart of Borneo (HoB), the tri-nation initiative which the Sg Ingei project associated itself with.

This will also increase the popularity of the Sultanate, which he said was already renowned in the international energy community for its oil and gas.

"In the future, I'm talking about many, many years ahead, Brunei will need a brand, which is founded on science and research, 'hi-tech, low-carbon' and these sorts of slogans; and the Sg Ingei expedition is right up there as an optimum way to build a knowledge economy (as envisioned in the National Vision 2035)."

The Brunei Times

2011-07-30T15:06:00.000+08:00

Final phase of Sg Ingei expedition begins

Members of the Sungai Ingei Protection Forest Expedition team setting off in their boats to make the trip into the forest in the upper catchment of Sungai Belait yesterday morning. Picture: BT/Chua Guan Cheong

BELAIT

Sunday, July 3, 2011

SCIENTISTS from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) yesterday embarked on the second and final phase of their Sungai Ingei Expedition to collect vital wildlife information that could help the Sultanate preserve and manage its wildlife species in the forest.

The expedition in the Sungai Ingei Protection Forest will see almost 30 scientists spending three weeks in the upper catchment of Sungai Belait adjoining the Gunung Mulu National Park, which includes three types of forest; pristine mixed dipterocarp, upland Kerangas, and freshwater swamp.

According to Dr Joseph K Charles, the expedition leader from UBD's Biology Department, other than some limited information as to the biodiversity of the area, literally nothing is known of this undisturbed forest.

During the flagging-off ceremony for the crew yesterday, Dr Charles disclosed that the first phase of the expedition carried out last year was very successful with good preliminary results.

In a private session with The Brunei Times, Dr Charles said the results of the first expedition last July was still unpublished, and one of the main reasons was to prevent the information from being used by potential poachers to set up traps in the forest.

"The information will be released once the Sungai Ingei Sanctuary is ready to be set up," said the UBD professor.

On hand to send off the team of researchers was Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, who stressed that adequate capacity, which includes institutional set-up, skilled manpower, relevant knowledge, and an active research community are important for protecting and conserving Brunei's forests.

In this context, he was happy that UBD and other organisations were involved in the fauna survey of Sungei Ingei.

According to the minister, he will be joining the expedition crew from July 8-10 in the Sungai Ingei forests to see for himself the progress of their research.

Also present yesterday were MIPR Permanent Secretary Dato Paduka Dr Hj Amin Liew Abdullah, Deputy Permanent Secretary Hjh Normah Suria Hayati PJDSM DSU Dr Hj Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri, UBD Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Hjh Anita Binurul Zahrina, and UBD Deputy Vice-Chancellor Dr Zohrah Sulaiman.

The Brunei Times

2011-07-30T15:04:00.000+08:00

More protection for Sg Ingei needed

UBD postgraduate student Jeffery Ang (L) shows MIPR Minister Pehin Dato Hj Yahya (C) the inside of a camera trap during a visit of the UBD-led faunal biodiversity survey to Sg Ingei.Picture:BT/Ubaidillah Masli

Tree leaves forming a pattern during a visit of the UBD-led faunal biodiversity survey to Sg Ingei last week.Picture:BT/Ubaidillah Masli

UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BELAIT

Friday, April 1, 2011

A DIFFERENT approach will be needed to elevate the status of the protected forests of Sungai Ingei into a wildlife sanctuary, as demanded by scientists carrying out a wildlife survey there, the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources said.

However, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar said the decision for further government "action" on the 18,000-hectare Sg Ingei forests will hinge on the outcome of the two-year faunal diversity study led by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).

To give the scientists what they want, the minister said that the ministry will look at "various ways" to further protect the Sg Ingei forests.

He noted that the government has already designated an area of forest in Kuala Belalong in Temburong District for conservation purposes, but said that this method could not be replicated for Sg Ingei.

"Here, it is a very sensitive area, so we have to look at different ways (of further protecting) Sg Ingei," he told reporters during his second trip to Sg Ingei, as one of the VIP guests to the scientific expedition last weekend.

Pehin Dato Hj Yahya explained that Sg Ingei was far more pristine and largely untouched by man that any excessive human interaction with the virgin forests could spoil the environment and wildlife habitat.

He pointed out that too much human presence could also threaten or cause the extinction of the forest organisms.

"We have to look at how to develop Sg Ingei, so it will not spoil the habitat and the environment," he said.

"If we were to do things such as eco-tourism, we may have to step back a bit. Otherwise, if we bring in tourists beyond the carrying capacity and ability of the habitat to adjust (to human interaction), it may spoil the environment."

The minister had noticed that there were already traces of plastic bottles making their way into the Sg Ingei forests.

Although the country has yet to declare any wildlife sanctuaries, Brunei already has the provisions within the law in place to set one up, Pehin Dato Hj Yahya shared.

He further noted that a wildlife sanctuary would require manpower to monitor and ensure its enforcement.

However, the government also has to consider the effects to the local community, who depend directly on the forests for survival, and the country if Sg Ingei were to be "locked up".

Pehin Dato Hj Yahya said that results of the UBD study could help the authorities make their decision on the future of Sg Ingei.

"The intention (of the faunal survey) is to confirm and get more data. Probably from there, we can suggest actions."

One of the main leaders of the study, wildlife ecologist Dr Joseph Charles of UBD said they are proposing for not only Sg Ingei forests, but also the nearby salt lakes of Penipir, where the Sg Ingei wildlife has been known to travel to get their required nutrients, should all become part of the wildlife sanctuary.

"We're trying to save this whole place for prosperity, so that your kids and grand-kids will come and see this place," the UBD senior lecturer said.

The scientists have already made some significant discoveries to support their proposal to turn Sg Ingei into a wildlife sanctuary, but are withholding the data until it can be verified and announced formally at the end of the survey in 2012.

They are expected to reveal some of the findings so far in a seminar slated to be held in the coming months.

The extent of the finds have already prompted the biologists to coin Sg Ingei as "the magic of Brunei".

"When we release our results, you'll know why it's magic."

The Brunei Times

The River Ingei ("Sungei Ingei") Expedition: Camera traps in the Heart of Borneo

2011-07-28T15:13:00.001+08:00

The River Ingei ("Sungei Ingei") Expedition: Camera traps in the Heart of Borneo

The Ingei Expedition team was visited by a group of VIP this July during our Phase 2 Expedition. Take a look at what Mr Rob Fenn (British High Commissioner to Brunei) has to say about the Expedition.

2011-07-28T15:11:00.001+08:00

Study hoped to bring new life to Sg Ingei

Ubaidillah Masli
BELAIT
Tuesday, July 12, 2011

THE head of Mukim Melilas has voiced the support of locals for the study of animals in the Sungai Ingei Protection Forest, hoping that the community would benefit from sustainable and increased activity to the remote villages when the project ends in 2012.

"We support what they are doing. I also would like to see this place (Sg Ingei forest) full of animals," Acting Penghulu Pehin Datu Pekerma Dewa Hj Muhd Ali Abdullah Itam said.

Speaking to The Brunei Times while helping out in the second phase of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam-led Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, Pehin Hj Ali explained the importance of Sg Ingei forests as an aspect of the villagers' lives, many of whom have migrated to urban areas.

Located at least 14 kilometres upriver of Melilas longhouse, the virgin forests of Belait district was traditionally a place for Iban villagers to hunt and fish, and more recently, bring tourists.

They had been expecting to host a group of students and teachers from an international school in the capital wanting to experience the outskirts of Ingei earlier this month, but the arrangement was cancelled due to low water level, making the trip by temuai (longboat) "difficult and dangerous".

Villagers were concerned with the loss in visitors, particularly as each trip upriver can provide boatmen with $500 income, bringing about four to five passengers per boat, in high water level; more if conditions were worse.

Pehin Hj Ali shared that tourism activity in the area has become almost negligible, compared to 20 years ago, when the villagers received visitors from Japan, Germany and China.

The latest was a small group of Japanese tourists who stayed at an encampment belonging to two of the Melilas locals along Sungai Topi, some 20 minutes (high water) downriver from the Ingei basecamp. The group came to experience living close to nature and visit some of the waterfalls.

But such brief sources of income for the villages were few and far in between. In this regard, Pehin Ali was grateful for the UBD expedition, which employed at least 15 of the villagers from Kg Melilas and Kg Sukang, transporting the scientists and their gear, helping them track and study the animals in the area, and building and maintaining the camp facilities.

The UBD scientists hoped the findings of the biodiversity study will provide the backing needed to turn Sg Ingei into a wildlife sanctuary, with the villagers playing a key role in protection efforts.

"Just like us, they want to make sure that this place is cared for," Pehin Ali said. "What Belait district has, no other district has."

Project Leader Dr Joseph Charles of UBD's Biology department said with the findings, they anticipated greater public interest in the area, and thus locals would be able to benefit from "controlled" ecotourism activities just outside of the fully-protected Ingei area, like the Sg Topi camp.

Pehin Ali hoped the increased economic activity will also draw back many of those who left their native land.

The population of Melilas was 245 people, but most do not live there and only come back during holidays.

The Brunei Times

2011-07-28T15:06:00.000+08:00

Scientists try to convince gov't to turn Sg Ingei forests into wildlife sanctuary

Show Captionclick to expand contents

Ubaidillah Masli
BELAIT

Thursday, July 21, 2011

SCIENTISTS vying to convince the Brunei government to convert the 18,000 hectares of protected forests of remote Sungai Ingei into a wildlife sanctuary, are also suggesting for the establishment of a buffer area that can be zoned for ecotourism and other activities.

Leader of the two-year Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, Dr Joseph Charles of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), told The Brunei Times recently that they wanted protection focused in the "core" area, where the group of scientists are working in the second phase of the project.

"But outside, from the Belait River and all that, that is the buffer zone to here," he said.

Some 14 to 15 kilometres from the nearest village of Melilas, scientists have been living in the pristine forests for weeks at a time, documenting species using camera traps to catch elusive mammals, mist nets for birds and bats, and using other scientific techniques.

They claim that they have made significant finds, but are withholding much of the data to avoid attracting poachers who might be among the recipients of the news, until the proper enforcement is in place.

"We have now discovered (that) Ingei is one of the rarest places in Brunei that has got wildlife like this. So you really want to protect it."

However, Dr Charles said the Forestry Department gazetted area of "protection forest" was not large enough for the animals found there to thrive and thus, the scientists were asking to make the proposed sanctuary "much bigger".

"This is a new gem that we have found and it's not really big at all. To be able to sustain wildlife over a long period, you need much bigger area."

Along with the enlargement of the gazetting of Ingei, the senior UBD Biology lecturer added that it should be complemented with a buffer zone.

"We will suggest where the boundary can be," Dr Charles, said adding that it will be up to the policy-makers to act on the scientists' recommendations.

"The uniqueness of Ingei can only be maintained if you have sufficient area around Ingei to protect what's within."

World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Special Adviser to the Heart of Borneo, Dato' Dr Mikaail Kavanagh said that the buffer zone from the proposed sanctuary's boundary to Kg Melilas.

"It requires proper zonation. There are areas of very special conservation sensitivity and we're right in one now," said the conservationist, while joining a VIP excursion on July 8 to visit the scientists at work in Ingei proper.

"But there are other areas which are of great value to tourists and so on," the former WWF Malaysia CEO added.

Dr Charles said that carrying out "controlled" ecotourism activities into the buffer zone would particularly benefit the locals from Melilas and Sukang, many of whom have been migrating from thelonghouse life to urban areas.

"We have to somehow maintain the people and the culture, by making them produce (and) sell handicraft, what they were doing. They can bring in tourists, and stay in Melilas," he said.

Some of the villagers who have remained have been helping out the scientists with the wildlife survey, acting as local expert guides in tracking animals, as well as building the UBD-led project'sbasecamp in Ingei.

Downriver of Ingei, at Sungai Topi, was a camp owned by two of the Melilas locals, who occasionally use the cabins they built there to fish and hunt for their own needs. They have rented theTopi camp for the use of the scientists, as well as a group of Japanese tourists.

This type of activity was encouraged by the scientists, but in a controlled manner.

Dr Charles said that considering ecotourism's potential for the locals, it was in their interest to preserve the environment.

"What does a tourist want to see? He wants to go for a night-walk and see a slow loris in the forest at night. So don't knock the forest down, maintain it. Tourists come, you can show them every night. Charge them. All that can be done over there (in buffer zone)."

The Brunei Times

ANNOUNCEMENT!!! The Melanistic Bornean Clouded Leopard - First Ever Photograph

2011-03-03T14:13:00.012+08:00

By J.K. Charles, Ang Bee Biaw, Samhan Nyawa, Simmons Benalai, Mikaail Kavanagh

The Sungei Ingei Faunal Survey Expedition commenced in July 2010 in the Sg Ingei Protection Forest, Belait District, Brunei Darussalam, with the aim of documenting the wildlife of the area for science and to provide a basis for conservation management. It is a project of Universiti Brunei Darussalam, contributing to the national effort to conserve the Heart of Borneo.[1] An array of camera traps that has been set up has yielded the first photographic evidence that there is a melanistic form of the Clouded Leopard living on Borneo.

The Bornean Clouded Leopard, Neofelis diardii ssp.borneensis, is genetically different from the mainland species, N. nebulosa. While it is not one of the big cats, it is the largest predator on Borneo, having dagger-like canine teeth that are the largest of any cat in relation to body size.

Normally, it has a light tan coat with distinct, large, irregularly shaped ‘cloud-like’ patterns with dark edges. Occasional, very rare sightings have suggested that a dark (melanistic) form occurs in the population, but until now this has not been confirmed with hard evidence. Of the 37 cat species in the world, 11 are said to have melanistic individuals, the best known being the “black panther” which is a melanistic form of the leopard, Panthera pardus.

A camera trap photograph that was taken in the Sg Ingei Protection Forest in Brunei in July 2010 is indistinct but it definitely shows this dark animal approaching the camera, uphill at a distance (see picture). This is exciting news! The animal, as can be seen in the enlarged picture, is very dark with patterned markings. All pictures of clouded leopards in other parts of Borneo, including Brunei Darussalam, show the usual colour form (see picture).

Borneo has 24 carnivore species of which 11 are in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with 4 being endangered. This record of the melanistic form has important implications for Brunei. The Clouded Leopard is endangered throughout in Borneo and under the Brunei Wildlife Protection Act (1984) it is a protected species. Hunting or poaching it is a very serious offence. The Sg Ingei Protection Forest is known for its extraordinary diversity of forest types. While the data are not yet complete or fully analysed, the records emerging from the Faunal Survey are showing that this is reflected in a rich diversity of wild animals. The exciting confirmation of a melanistic form of the Bornean Clouded Leopard is part of a growing body of evidence that shows the major conservation value of this area.

The land area of Brunei is small compared with the overall size of Borneo, yet it is known to include some of the island’s best preserved primary forest. Brunei has pledged to conserve much of its natural forest both for the nation and for the overall Heart of Borneo initiative that is being undertaken jointly with Indonesia and Malaysia. Every effort should therefore go into protecting the Sg Ingei Protection Forest as one of the most biologically rich places on Earth. It is vital that the area and the surrounding region be fully protected for future generations. Ideally, it should become a Wildlife Sanctuary and should be part of a national effort to ensure the safety of all the endangered species of Brunei.

[1] The project is supported by Standard Chartered Bank in co-operation with WWF International’s Heart of Borneo support programme. We are grateful for the support of the Ministry of Industry & Primary Resources, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Forestry Department, Brunei Museum, and the people of Melilas.

Melanistic clouded leopard ( Photograph copyright of Joseph K Charles)

The Bornean Clouded Leopard – usual colour pattern (Photograph copyright of Adi Aizal)

Goodbye, Ingei! (Day 17 - 18/07/2010)

2010-12-18T18:50:00.001+08:00

Someone's alarm went off abruptly and the time was already 6am. Excitements filled the base camp as the participants released the air from their air mattresses and took down their mosquito nets. Our main chef and his assistant had boiled some water and even cooked breakfast. The Iban boatmen were refuelling their boat engines and checked that their boats were in good condition.

Everyone was very eager to pack up and go home!

Day 17 was the last day of the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition Phase 1. Despite the eagerness to head home, all the participants were instructed to help out in any last-minute packing such as taking down some of the remaining tarps, packing up of kitchen utensils and toilet buckets and etc.

In addition to that, Dr. Charles (expedition leader) and Samhan (field coordinator) held a short meeting to inform the male participants about the loading of luggage and other equipments onto the boats. 8 boats were available on that morning, in which 5 were allocated for passengers and the other 3 were for transporting our luggage and expedition equipments.

On Day 17 itself, there were 25 participants in the base camp as 4 others have left a few days before which are Dr. Zohrah, Amalul, Hajah Yatty and Zaiedi. Hence, 5 participants were allocated to each boats for safety reasons.

After the meeting, the male participants and the Iban boatmen proceeded to load the luggage onto the boats. The number of luggage was numerous but with proper coordination and planning, all the luggage were loaded carefully.

Small meeting held by Dr. Charles and Samhan

While the short meeting was held, Haji Ramlee (main chef) and Azri (assistant chef) were helped by the girls in the kitchen in preparing packed lunch for everyone. The packed lunch were prepared and eaten in the boats when we had short breaks during the return journey to Bukit Sawat jetty.

Packed lunch being prepared in the kitchen prior before departure

Haji Ramlee (middle) instructing the girls

The time was already 9am and everything was going as planned. The base camp looked barren as nothing was left behind. Moreover, all the luggage were placed in the boats and some of the participants were already boarding the boats with their life jackets.

Dr. Charles was the last to leave the base camp as he made some final check-up before boarding the boat. A doa selamat was recited by Haji Roslan (paramedic) prior before our departure. After that, the Iban boatmen signalled one another as they ignited their boat engines.

The water level was quite low that day but the boats managed to slowly made their way out to the mouth of Sungai Ingei, which connects to Sungai Belait. It was good enough that some of the male participants cleared the river the day before as mentioned in Day 16.

Although everyone was happy to be heading back home, mixed feelings clouded most of our emotions as we slowly left Sungai Ingei. The last sights of Sungai Ingei, as the boats enter into Sungai Belait, included the tall lush trees and white sand beaches and they shall remain as fond and beautiful memories of Sungai Ingei.

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Goodbye, Ingei!

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The water level of Sungai Belait was unexpectedly high that day and we reached Kampong Melilas within an hour's time. Some of the participants decided to eat their lunch or rest while others hiked up to the Melilas longhouse to visit the folks there and to buy their handicrafts.

Participants resting at Melilas

Dr. Charles looked weary but everything went really well for him

The expedition has brought everyone closer together like a family
Picture shows BB (project administrator) and Angus (chief guide)

We only spent about an hour resting at Melilas and continued our journey back to Bukit Sawat jetty after that. The weather was on our side as it had been sunny the whole morning with no signs of rain clouds.

Moreover, the water level was quite high and hence, the boats could move faster. The time was near 2pm as we finally reached Bukit Sawat jetty, much to everyone's relief!

Happy reactions as we reached Bukit Sawat jetty!

Sigh of relief!

The buses that we hired were not there to greet us at Bukit Sawat as the boats slowly dock at the jetty. Apparently, we arrived earlier than expected at the jetty and hence had to wait for awhile before the buses arrived. The participants were instructed to get off the boats slowly before helping out with the unloading of luggage from the transport boats.

Docking of boats at the jetty

Participants helping out in unloading the luggage from the boat

Our indispensable Iban boatmen and their boats

After all the luggage and expedition equipments were unloaded, another doa selamat was recited by Haji Saifullah (Iban boatmen) to bless the safe return of the participants to Bukit Sawat jetty.

The participants also thanked and shared their happy moments with the Iban boatmen, whom had been indispensable to the expedition. The expedition would not have been a success without their commitments and big help!

Haji Saifullah recited the doa selamat
Moments later, the buses arrived too

Participants and their luggage

Moments later, the buses arrived and we eventually load all the luggage onto the buses. We bid our farewells to the Iban boatmen as the buses headed straight to UBD, in which we needed to unload the expedition equipments and stored them in the store room. Day 17 itself saw the day in which a few sessions of loading and unloading of luggage were done.

We reached UBD at around 4pm and unloaded and stored all the necessary equipments in the proper places. Everyone was already tired and looked weary! The participants then parted their own ways as they got picked up by their spouses or families, much to everyone's happiness.

The Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition Phase 1 reached its final end on Day 17 after running for nearly three weeks. No injuries occurred during the stretch of the expedition and everything ran smoothly as planned.

On behalf of the participants of the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition, I would like to congratulate Dr. Joseph Charles (expedition leader) and his tireless administrative team in the successful running of the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition Phase 1 2010.

Group picture of all the participants of the expedition
with Pehin Yahya and other VIPs at the base camp

Check out this blog for more post-Ingei stories! Cheers!

In The End (Day 16 - 17/07/2010)

2010-12-14T17:59:00.000+08:00

The Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition came to a near end as Day 16 approached. Time did passed by really quick throughout the last two weeks and the expedition has been a successful one with a zero-percent occurrence of any injury.

All research works were halted and the respective research teams went to their sites in the morning to collect their traps/nets; small mammal team to shut and collect traps, bat team to collapse and collect their harp traps and the tarsier team to close their mist nets.

The frog team had switch off and collected their light traps the night before too. In addition to that, the camera trap team also didn't need to collect any camera traps from their respective sites as those camera traps are meant to stay in the field for months.

After a good lunch, everyone in the base camp helped out in packing up all the necessary items that were to be brought back to UBD. The tarps that were used as our 'curtains' were all taken down. In addition to that, extra canned food and other kitchen utensils were also packed up.

Nothing is supposed to be left behind at the base camp after the expedition so you can imagine the load of luggage that needed to be packed on that day. After most of the things were packed, the participants proceeded to pack their own personal belongings.

The afternoon of Day 16 was considered as one of the most relaxed period of the expedition. Since most of the logistics items and equipments were packed, there was nothing much to do except for cleaning up the base camp and its surroundings.

The weather was hot and dry and the water level for that day was at its lowest during the course of the expedition. With free time to spare and a cool river just right next to the base camp, the temptation to jump into the river was just too strong! After all, it was the last time the participants could enjoy the river and its beautiful, white beach.

No wrong in drying some clothes under the hot sun
although the expedition was coming to a very near end

Dr. Yustian writing his page
in the expedition's log book

The men went wild in the river!

Human choo-choo train in the river?

The girls relaxing at the beach
while dipping their legs in the water

The time was 4pm and most of the participants were resting in the base camp. Our expedition leader, Dr. Charles, was discussing some matters with Samhan (field coordinator) in the kitchen when suddenly, they heard some repetitive shouting from the river. Some of the participants that were lying on their beds also jumped to their feet to check out where the shouting was from.

Not far from the foot of the base camp, a few half-naked men were seen in the river and it seemed that they were lifting some logs that were found in the river. Those men were composed of Angus (field guide) and our Iban boatmen and they were trying to lift and move some of the smaller yet heavy logs that were blocking the river.

Since the water level was very low, it would be wise to clear the stretch of river to enable a smoother path for the boats to pass through on Day 17. On the other hand, the younger men in the base camp all ran towards the river after realizing that the elder men were hard at work in removing the logs. Apart from showing off their biceps and triceps, removing the logs was fun and challenging and hence, become that afternoon's main activity.

Old but still strong
Picture shows the elder men lifting the log that was stuck in the river

Soon after, the younger men all helped to lift this particular log

It wasn't easy as some of the logs were big and heavy

SPLASH! The log was removed and there were more to lift!

Male hormone levels were high!

The last dinner of the expedition was one of the best dinners that was prepared by our main chef Haji Ramlee and everyone was happy and thankful. After dinner, while some went to finalize their packing of personal belongings, a Sembahyang Hajat was also conducted and lead by Haji Roslan to acknowledge the smooth-running of the expedition.

Last dinner of the expedition

Haji Roslan led the Sembahyang Hajat

Prayers being conducted by the participants

The night of Day 16 ended with the participants feeling happy and excited, as everyone had longed to go back to their homes the next day to their beloved families. Every participant was away from their homes and also away from the real, bustling world for two weeks. It was time to go back!

Check out the next blog post as the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition reached a happy end.

To be continued...

Survivors (Day 15 - 16/07/2010)

2010-12-11T17:22:00.002+08:00

The morning of Day 15 was hot and sunny and the water level was very low. The base camp was anticipating the return of Team Samhan (one of the two camera trap groups of the expedition) from Sungai Berar. As mentioned in the blog post on Day 13, Team Samhan had camped for two nights at the Ingei-Berar subcamp. In addition to that, Angus (chief guide) expected Team Samhan to reach the base camp by foot by 1pm.

After breakfast, a cleaning campaign was carried out by some of the participants and tin cans were also crushed before they were thrown into a fire pit as led by BB (project administrator/camp manager).

The tin cans were collected and kept aside by our chef and his assistant whenever food was prepared. This way of disposing the non-biodegradable materials is more eco-friendly to the environment.

Breakfast time!

BB (middle) leading the tin-crushing activity

Stilts were used to crush some of the tin cans
L-R: Angus, Haji Roslan, Arpin, Bon, BB and Fen

Instead of burying the tin cans, crushing them is much eco-friendly

Crushed tin cans were thrown in a small fire pit

The day passed by quick and the time was already 3pm but there were no signs of Team Samhan returning from their long journey. Some of the participants in the base camp got a tad worried but the majority of them trust the capability of Samhan, Haji Bakhtiar and the boys in navigating their way around in the forest. After all, a trail was already established when Team Samhan first ventured towards Sungai Berar by foot.

The time was 4pm and some of the participants were having tea in the kitchen when suddenly they saw abrupt movements among the foliage across the river. Team Samhan has finally returned!

It was indeed a welcoming sight to see Team Samhan and a few of the participants, including Dr. Charles, BB and Angus, immediately went to the river bank to welcome them back. Cikgu Haji (Iban boatman) also steered the boat across the river to pick Team Samhan up.

View from across the river showing the base camp
Picture taken by Samhan

4 hours of walk and still standing!
Picture shows Samhan (left) and Haji Bakhtiar (right)

Cikgu Haji (rowing) picked Team Samhan up from across the river

BB (project administrator and camp manager)
was the first to welcome Team Samhan back on the beach

Team Samhan was glad to be back after their long journey and indeed, they looked fatigued and needed alot of rest. Dr. Charles (expedition leader) congratulated them in their successful journey to Sungai Berar by foot and also making it back to the base camp safely.

Team Samhan, and also other participants of the expedition, were instructed to rest well for the night as Day 16 would be a very busy day for everyone. I'll end today's post with some more pictures on the return of Team Samhan. Check this blog for more updates to come!

Team Samhan returning back to the base camp.
Dr. Charles (far right) was there to welcome them back

Happy faces...

...and also weary faces

Samhan's torn shirt indicated how tough the journey was

We have made it!
Metis and Moon

To be continued...

Sultan's Birthday (Day 14 - 15/07/2010)

2010-12-01T18:16:00.006+08:00

On every 15th of July, Taman SOAS located at the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan will take center stage as Bruneians of all walks of life will throng to see the Sultan and the beautiful parade. The 15th of July, as we all know, is the Sultan's birthday.

As his Majesty was celebrating his 64th birthday at town this year, the participants of the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition were far away from civilization but that didn't stop us from celebrating the annual royal birthday in the base camp.

The morning sky of Day 14 was clear and it had rained heavily the night before. The camera trap group Team Samhan were miles away from the base camp as they camped at Sungai Berar. After breakfast, the remaining participants in the base camp gathered together at the front porch of the base camp for a special event.

National Anthem and Flag as a sign of respect

The Brunei flag was raised high up and the participants, lead by Dr. Charles, sang the National Anthem. Although there was no audience (and they faced the beautiful forest when they sang), the event was held to show our respect and pride to our Sultan.

Since the Sultan's birthday was declared as a public holiday, a break was also given to the participants on Day 14. However, the Small Mammal group and the Tarsier group went to the field for a quick check and rested for the rest of the day after that.

To celebrate the Sultan's birthday, our main chef, Haji Ramlee, cooked us a special lunch and dinner and even baked two cakes, much to the delight of the participants in the base camp. The break was much needed because the participants were getting fatigued as the 3-weeks long expedition came to a near end.

Check out this blog for more updates!

Small Mammal group crossing the river to check their trail

Salwa and Cikgu Haji in action

Haji Ramlee (chef) writing down the special menu for the day

Haji Ramlee also baked this cake...

...and this too!

To be continued...

Ingei-Berar Subcamp (Day 13 - 14/07/2010)

2010-11-30T18:58:00.014+08:00

This blog post is based on the Ingei-Berar adventure as experienced by the camera trap group, Team Samhan, which is ideally made up of team leader Samhan, Haji Bakhtiar, Ishlah, Metis and Moon.

Date: 14th July 2010 (Day 13)
Time of departure: 10.00am

After breakfast, our leader Samhan gave us a short briefing and told us to enjoy the trip from the Sungai Ingei base camp to Sungai Berar. It was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime journey as not alot of people have experienced what we experienced.

We double-checked our luggage to see if we have brought everything that is necessary for the long trip such as the GPS, keys for camera trap locks, raffia strings, flagging tapes, tarps, canned food, gas stove, cooking utensils, tents, mosquito nets and coils, candles, clothes and etc. Our camping bags were very heavy but we were adapted to the weight after a short while.

Dr. Charles and our fellow friends bidded farewell to us as we boarded the boat to cross to the other side of the river. In addition to that, a prayer was recited by Haji Roslan (paramedic) to bless our journey. When we reached the other side of the river, we could see the base camp and everyone was waving to us happily.

So how did we navigate ourselves from the base camp to Sungai Berar?

1) We used two GPS to pin-point to us the way to the camera traps that were already set at Sungai Berar on Day 6. By using this method, we could find out the approximate distance between our positions to the nearest camera trap at Sungai Berar,

2) Our group leader Samhan also used the compass very well to navigate our way around in the forest. Apart from that, he also made alot of special markings along the journey on trees or rocks to indicate our pathway. We also used flagging tapes on trees to mark our paths.

3) Haji Bakhtiar (elder Iban guide) has been living in the forest since when he was a young boy and hence, he knows the forest very well. He was our main guide and he could use the sun's direction and position to navigate us around. Let's just say he used the sun as his own personal compass!

These 3 main methods ensured us that there was a zero percent chance that we could get lost in the forest. After all, it was a 4-hour long walk into unexplored areas of Sungai Ingei and I must say the terrain was not easy to walk on.

The forest types along the journey to Sungai Berar is composed of dominantly freshwater swamp forest, mixed dipterocarp forest and also riverine forest. The topography of the area is also made up of lush trees, steep hills, ridges and small rivers. There were a few of times that we had to cross these small rivers by walking on fallen logs. Very dangerous indeed!

Our brave leader Samhan was always the first
to cross the log as seen in the picture above

These rivers could be deep and the water
flow was actually quite fast! Picture shows
Ishlah, Metis and Moon posing on the log

Metis crossing another log slowly and steadily

Moon would rather cross the river that way!

As mentioned earlier, we came across steep hills and freshwater swamps and the concentration and energy spent on walking on these terrains actually made us very exhausted. Not forgetting to mention about the effort in cutting our way through the thick vegetation and also the heavy luggage that we carried on our backs!

We had 3 short breaks and one lunch break along the way to Sungai Berar and our water supplies ran out pretty fast. Some of us had to resolve to drink and store river water in our water bottles. For lunch, we only had digestive biscuits and fruits to replenish our energy. To be honest, we didn't have much mood to eat as our bodies were feeling very exhausted.

The time was near 2.30pm and the GPS indicated that the nearest camera trap at Sungai Berar was approximately 1km away from us. Even Haji Bakhtiar, who used the sun to navigate his way around the forest, said that we were not too far away. Unfortunately, dark clouds covered the sky and we had to find a place to set up our subcamp desperately.

Haji Bakhtiar insisted that we set up our subcamp near to a small river (for washing and drinking purposes) and not long after, we found one which actually branches out from Sungai Berar. This means that we were actually on the correct path towards Sungai Berar! The plan was to set up the subcamp and rest for the night and then continue on to search for the camera traps the next morning.

This is the small river in which
we set our subcamp right next to it

The river water was clear and there were fishes in it! The adjacent land next to the river was quite flat and we immediately cleared a small area of vegetation to set up our subcamp. We avoided setting the subcamp near to really tall trees as we tried to avoid any chances of tree fall, which can be dangerous.

Initially, Haji Bakhtiar and Samhan went to cut down some small trees, which were converted into stilts to set up our 'roof' as covered by tarps. Haji Bakhtiar also collected some rattans to tie some of these stilts together.

On the other hand, the three boys (Ishlah, Metis and Moon) cleared the forest floor, dug a deep hole (toilet), set up dressing lines and also set up their tent. Haji Bakhtiar and Samhan preferred to sleep on elevated beds made from stilts and canvas. The locals call it 'joli'. Mosquito nets would then hang down over the joli.

Tent set up under a tarp roof

Dressing line to hang our clothes

A 1 metre-deep hole was dug
for the purpose of you-know-what

Joli of Haji Bakhtiar and Samhan also covered by tarp roof

To avoid rain, Haji Bakhtiar also collected some
large leaves and used them as side-cover

Haji Bakhtiar taking a well-deserved rest on his joli

Overall view of the Ingei-Berar subcamp

The subcamp was eventually set up after 2 hours and the time was approximately 4.30pm. There was a mild drizzle and Samhan instructed us to boil some water and prepare dinner while he and Haji Bakhtiar looked around the vicinity of the subcamp for fire wood.

We also managed to wash ourselves quickly at the river before the drizzle and I must say that the river water is cold and refreshing! Haji Bakhtiar then made a bonfire to keep out insects and also to cook some fishes that he caught from the river.

Bonfire made by Haji Bakhtiar

A very innovative way to dry our wet clothes
as inspired by Haji Bakhtiar :)

Dinner was prepared at a
sheltered area in the subcamp

Guess who cooked rice that night? :)

Samhan and Haji Bakhtiar chatting
while awaiting dinner to be served

After dinner, we all rested for awhile and cleaned the cooking utensils and also hung the leftover food away from the ground to avoid animals from coming near to the subcamp. The rain was getting heavier and by 7pm, we all decided to hit the sack to get some good sleep. It got very cold at night but I guess everyone was too tired to be bothered.

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The birds were singing by 6am the next morning on Day 14 and we woke up from a very good night's sleep. The forest floor was wet as a result of a whole night of raining but we were more glad that nothing had gone wrong near to the subcamp (tree falls or flood).

Breakfast was prepared and at 8am, Team Samhan (excluding Haji Bakhtiar) set out to search for the nearest camera trap at Sungai Berar. As mentioned earlier, the distance from the subcamp to the nearest camera trap was less than 1km in distance. Haji Bakhtiar was instructed to stay behind to look after the subcamp and our luggage.

After 1 hour of walking, we managed to find the nearest camera trap and went along the trail to re-set all the camera traps on the Sungai Berar trail. It was nostalgic to be at Sungai Berar again and we managed to re-set all the camera traps within half an hour's time. After that, we went back to the subcamp and saw Haji Bakhtiar happily fishing for more fishes!

We spent another night at the subcamp before departing back to the Sungai Ingei base camp the next morning on Day 15. Prior before departing, we cleaned the area by picking up all the rubbish, took down the mosquito nets and joli, pack the tent and also took down the tarps and stilts.

The journey from the subcamp back to the base camp took a shorter time as we had already established a known trail. However, the luggage that we carried were still heavy despite finishing all the canned food that we brought earlier. We all walked very slowly in such a way that we won't get too exhausted and of course, we stored extra water for the return trip.

Team Samhan managed to complete their Ingei-Berar adventure safely and successfully and I must say that it was one of the most tiring but memorable adventure as experienced by the team members. For now, we shall anticipate for the camera trap pictures of Sungai Berar and the results will be published during the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition seminar.

Well done, Team Samhan!

Survival of the Fittest (Day 13 - 14/07/2010)

2010-11-30T17:51:00.011+08:00

Team Samhan, one of the two Camera Trap groups of the expedition, was ready to set out to no-man's land on Day 13, which is approximately a 4-hour walk from the Sungai Ingei base camp to Sungai Berar. There was no existing foot trail from the base camp to Sungai Berar and hence, some cutting had to be done by Team Samhan to make a small path with proper labelling on the trees.

The other Camera Trap group, Team Angus, set their journey to one of their existing trails for the purpose of re-setting their camera traps. They also had to walk quite far but they didn't need to camp for the night in the forest.

As for the Small Mammals group, it was the usual busy day for them as the participants went to check their traps in respective trails. Same happened to the Bat group and the Tarsier group and everyone was working hard to gather more data as Phase 1 of the expedition was near to its end.

After breakfast, most of the participants of the expedition were present to bid farewell to Team Samhan as they ventured into the thick, unexplored area to Sungai Berar. Some of the participants were very helpful as they helped the camera trap boys to finalize the packing of their luggage and equipments. It was a very long journey so it's always good to double-check on the things that are to be brought.

The next blog post will be on the Ingei-Berar trip as experienced by the camera trap group, Team Samhan (Samhan, Haji Bakhtiar, Ishlah, Metis and Moon). I'll end today's blog post with these memorable pictures. Stay tuned!

Camera Trap boys getting ready after breakfast
L-R: Moon, Bon and Jeff

Moon (black) helping Ishlah (blue) with the heavy camping bag

Arpin helping to tie the portable gas
stove to one of the camping bags

Metis making sure that he has brought everything!

Moon was all set for his once-in-a-lifetime journey

Both Camera Trap groups (Team Samhan and Team Angus)
posing for a picture prior before their departure

Camera Trap groups: Team Samhan and Team Angus
L-R: Samhan, Haji Bakhtiar, Moon, Ishlah, Arpin, Faisal, Bon,
Jeff, Angus, Metis and Haji Roslan (paramedic)

Team Samhan
L-R: Samhan, Haji Bakhtiar, Moon, Ishlah and Metis

Rangers in the making! ;)

Team Angus
L-R: Arpin, Bon, Jeff, Angus and Faisal

Team Samhan boarding the boat to
cross to the other side of the river

...and off they go!

Salwa of the Small Mammals group in action

Catherine setting up an arboreal small mammal trap

Pei Fen of the Small Mammals group in action

Our expedition leader, Dr. Charles, was also there to supervise
the small mammals group daily during the expedition

Team Angus taking a break from their long walk
L-R: Jeff, Angus, Bon and Faisal

L-R: Jeff, Arpin and Bon

Sembahyang Hajat being conducted at night

To be continued...