Sg Ingei offers more than just floral and wildlife biodiversity

Members of the Sungai Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey team boarding the boat to the base camp. Sg Ingei, the Magic of Brunei, is a biological diversity treasure where so much has yet to be discovered. Picture: BT/Rasidah Bakar

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Dear Editor,

THERE has been an increasing coverage on the two-year Sg Ingei faunal biodiversity study reporting on the need to preserve the virgin forests towards a wildlife sanctuary.

I am writing to praise the extensive coverage as it gives the readers an insight into what is coined the Magic of Brunei. I have never heard of Sg Ingei before. So, I was amazed after reading reports on it to discover that the pristine forests has so much to offer to Brunei.

The dedicated team of scientists who had pledged their time to volunteer for the study deserves an outstanding applause for the effort they put into the study. They are doing this voluntarily for what they strongly believe in preserving the rich forests of Sg Ingei.

This is understandably so, as what I can see, Sg Ingei is a biological diversity treasure where so much has yet to be discovered.

In another report, it said "preserving the rich forest of Sg 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 a transboundary security buffer." This shows that Sg Ingei has more to offer than just floral and wildlife biological biodiversity.

For those who have yet to acquaint themselves with Sg Ingei, I strongly encourage them to read up on it and be surprised that right here in the heart of Brunei, our pristine forests are something we should be proud of as well as the envy of our counterparts. To see our government committed more than half of the total size of our country is the right action towards a sustainable future and I hope our government's commitment will continue the same for Sg ingei.

For Sg Ingei to be preserved as it stands centuries ago, it needs the full support from our government as well as private corporations to see that it is an invaluable treasure we have to protect for the future. Here, I look forward to read on the day when Sg Ingei is endorsed as a wildlife sanctuary.

Sg Ingei, Bandar Seri Begawan

Bungee jumping for Sg Ingei funds

File photo of Iskandar, son of Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey Project Manager and WWF Special Advisor to the HoB project Dr Mikaail Kavanagh, walking past a large tree during a "VIP" visit of the UBD-led faunal biodiversity survey to Sg Ingei from March 25-27, 2011. Picture: BT file

RASIDAH HAB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, May 3, 2012

A MALAYSIAN student, Iskandar Kavanagh, is set to bungee jump to raise funds for Brunei's Sg Ingeibiodiversity faunal survey project on May 5.

Members of the public can donate and find out more information at http://www.justgiving.com/IskandarKavanaghJumps.

Iskandar, 20, a student at Durham University, UK will bungee jump on May 5, to commemorate his 21stbirthday and for the two-year Universiti Brunei Darussalam-led (UBD) Sg Ingei biodiversity faunal biodiversity survey, a project under the Heart of Borneo (HoB).

Iskandar shared with The Brunei Times via email on what inspired him to take the leap.

The bungee jump, which will be organised by Durham University Charities Kommittee, or DUCK, is an annual event, and this year it happens to be on his 21st birthday. Iskandar thought bungee jumping would be a fun way to celebrate his birthday right before his exams.

"If I were going to raise money for anything and do something that terrifying, what would I raise it for? The Sg Ingei Faunal Expedition came to mind, as I was a volunteer for them during my Easter break last year and I honestly feel like it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done!" he said.

And fortune has it, DUCK gave him the green light to raise money for the cause.

"I became really excited and basically acted on impulse from there," he said.

DUCK exists to help Durham Students raise funds and awareness for local, national and international charities.

As of 7pm (Brunei time, May 2), the donation stands at £384 ($771); Iskandar hopes to reach his target of £550 ($1,104).

Donations had been pouring in when he started on April 24 with, his initial target at £100 ($201). He decided to raise the target to £200 ($402), and that too was reached.

The donation reached £300 ($602) on April 30.

An excerpt taken from his website said, "I am absolutely ecstatic right now as the £300 target has been surpassed! This has really exceeded my expectations, thank you to everyone who has donated so far! I've been very happily surprised a few times already, so I've decided to REALLY raise the bar this time, with the new target of 550!".

The donation will be channelled to the UBD team through WWF, which manages the funds for the SgIngei Faunal Survey.

The second year Geography BSc undergraduate said the environment has always been his passion and it was this passion that compelled him to do more.

"I have loved animals since I was a little kid. It definitely stems from my parents taking me to the zoo and nature parks and growing up with pets in the house. That love just grew into a passion for conservation as I got older and once I started to understand the importance of such things to a higher degree," he said.

"My dad (WWF special advisor to the Heart of Borneo Dato' Dr Mikaail Kavanagh) who was going for the expedition, let me know about the trip and I showed how interested I was about it. He pointed this out to some of his colleagues and they said, 'Cool, bring him along!'," he said.

When asked what his most memorable experience was while volunteering at Sg Ingei, Iskandar said "I really enjoyed tracking all sorts of bugs at night, as I have always been into these 'creepy-crawlies' as I find them fascinating, combined with my interest in macro-photography," he said.

He hopes the biodiversity faunal survey will be successful, "from researching current wildlife and discovering new species to protecting that wildlife from poachers, unnecessary development and sustaining it for our future".

Iskandar said from what he had seen "the people of Brunei are doing a pretty good job at looking after their wildlife".

"Then again, that never stops. So keep up the good work and always remember that every little bit counts, from the smallest piece of litter being recycled to the amount of fuel used a week. Maybe even try a little volunteering here and there, it really does make you feel great. Most importantly, no matter who you are, know that you can make a change for the better," he added. The Brunei Times

Conveying conservation messages through photos

Wildlife Photographer and videographer, Stephen Hogg (R) in discussion at the Sg Ingei basecamp, with WWF Special Adviser to the HoB project Dato' Dr Mikaail Kavanagh (L) during the second phase of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey. Picture: BT file

RASIDAH HAB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

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PHOTOGRAPHS and videos can help foster a sense of responsibility in order to spur the local community to take part in preserving Brunei's rainforests and rich biodiversity.

Professional photographer-cum-videographer Stephen Hogg, who was invited by a scientific team from the Universiti Brunei Darussalam to join the two-year Sg Ingei faunal biodiversity survey expedition said that photographs can convey the importance of environmental preservation and conservation.

Hogg has been documenting the team's research work since the expedition started on July 2, 2010.

"To fall in love with something, you need to see it. By falling in love with something, you will believe in it and want to save it, protect and want to help it. The only way you can do that is through visuals," he said in an interview with The Brunei Times.

"How can you make them feel the same way that you feel? How would you be able to demonstrate to them what is so great about this place? Without pictures, it would be very difficult," he added.

"Pictures are very important. The captions of these photographs can help explain to a stranger what it really is."

The trip which took place last month, saw participation of Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka HjBakar, WWF special adviser to the Heart of Borneo Dato' Dr Mikaail Kavanagh, British High Commissioner to Brunei Rob Fenn, Singapore High Commissioner to Brunei Joseph Koh, as well as Australian High Commissioner to Brunei His Excellency Mark Sawers.

During the interview, Hogg said that the second best way to promote environmental preservation was through video.

He added, however, that taking footages required funding.

Hogg was all praises for the team that is conducting the Sg Ingei expedition, saying: "So many pristine places around the world had been spoilt because people had not stood up and took action. Here in Brunei, a small country, you have a group of people standing up and taking action to preserve this area. We must take our hats off for these people."

"It is better if I can show this through my photographs," Hogg added.

The fact that the government is heavily supporting the expedition, he said, means there is a good chance that the area would continue to be protected.

"We find a lot of things in this forest that we did not expect to find, (though it is) not necessarily new from my perspective. We found tarantula spiders in places I did not expect to find. We normally find them in embankments, but here we found them on forest floor. There are also an abundance of insects and plants," he noted.

He also said that the photographs he took during the expedition "just scratched the surface of the biodiversity of Sg Ingei".

Hogg admitted that while Sg Ingei was "a fantastic place", it is "photographically difficult".

"The birds are almost impossible to shoot, I got one or two species, not a huge amount. But the (photos from) camera traps we build are quite good, it shows diversity of mammals and birds."

The photographer said for the trip (last month) he focused on photographing smaller insects, fungi, plants and orchids.

"For this trip I am trying to get pictures of things that I have missed. I have lots of photographs of scientists doing their work, results of the scientists' works, landscape and scenery. When I went through the photographs I noticed that I did not spend enough time on insects. So, this trip I am concentrating on that," he said. The Brunei Times
 

Visitors hamper Sungai Ingei survey

Sg Ingei is pristine and largely untouched by man that any excessive human interaction with the virgin forests could spoil the environment and wildlife habitat.Picture: BT/Rasidah HAB

RASIDAH H A B
BELAIT

Monday, April 30, 2012

VISITORS keen to see Brunei's rich biodiversity have been urged to steer clear of Sungai Ingei after experts cited the negative impact on the study currently being conducted.

Recently two camera traps were stolen from the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey field site together with months worth of data, the survey leader, Dr Joseph Charles disclosed to The Brunei Times

Dr Charles explained during a field visit to the Sg Ingei base camp from April 13 to 15, that the camera traps were placed at several places in Sg Ingei aimed at gathering data of faunal biodiversity. So far, around 15,000 pictures had been collected.

Project Administrator of the Sg Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Survey, Dr Ang Bee Biaw said, "the most important message to Bruneians us that we want to say is if they can please avoid Sg Ingei (for six moths to one year) because of the effect they have on the team's survey project".

We have reports that local tourist approaching our boatmen to go to Sg Ingei. Of Course, they (the boatmen) need the additional income and they will take the tourists to Sg Ingei, she said.

"Unfortunately they also throw rubbish and that inevitably affect whatever survey that we do here. Sg Ingei has been here for centuries. They can avoid Sg Ingei for six months to a year and they can always visit Sg Ingei after our expedition," she said.

Dr Charles raised his suspicion that many people who come and take a boat to Sg Ingei are actually (reccing) the place for poaching.

"Not everybody comes (to Sg Ingei) to enjoy. They recce the place, walking through the forests and familiarise themselves with the place. Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) has stopped ecotourism entering Sg Ingei for two years, but people are still sneaking in," he added.

"It (Sg Ingei) is a good forest, but we have good forest in other parts of Brunei too. You cannot see wildlife, tropical wildlife is very difficult to be seen," he said.

Dr Ang added that the tourists wanted to use the facilities in the base camp for their trip.

"Our boatmen told us that the tourists want to use our facilities. But one of the boatman said they cannot, as this is a government property. If anything is damage, they would have to be responsible," she said.

Dr Charles shared her sentiments.

"There are many other places to go to, Ulu Temburong National Park (for example) is open for ecotourism, and it is good to place to enjoy. We want Sg Ingei to be a wildlife sanctuary for Brunei. People have to be proud of this national heritage," he said.

Scientists working under the survey are vying to convince the Brunei government to convert the 18,000 hectares of protected forests of remote Sg Ingei into a wildlife sanctuary, with the establishment of a buffer area that can be zoned for ecotourism and other activities.

"There are areas that we have to zone for ecotourism. One of the zones will be Kg Melilas where you can have ecotourism and lots of activities over there. There are other places which we can identify for ecotourism, but there will still be places inside the extension zone that you cannot allow ecotourism," Dr Charles said. He added, "If we find endangered species in a certain area, we will say don't come and disturb that place. Ecotourism if not properly handled can be very disruptive. There are so many case studies in the world where ecotourism has literally removed a species".

Dr Ang added, "Most of us are volunteers, the paramedic will always come, they don't mind working together as a team. "There are not many places in Brunei that are still pristine, and Sg Ingei is last threshold of that." She stressed that Brunei should maintain and preserve its wildlife and not exploit it. "What if 20 years from now we only have Sg Ingei, at least we still have Sg Ingei that we can be proud of," she said.The Brunei Times

Sanctuary will aid survival of Brunei's diverse bat species

A bat being inspected at the Sg Ingei base camp. Picture: BT/Rasidah HAB

FUNG SIEW MUN
BELAIT

Monday, April 30, 2012

ENSURING Sungai Ingei's forest remains pristine will aid the survival of its bat species.

Associate Professor David JW Lane, a lecturer in the Faculty of Science (Biology) at the Universiti of Brunei Darussalam (UBD), said this following a recent trip into the depths of the 18,000-hectares of Sg Ingei in the interior of Belait District.

The rich diversity of bats found in Sungai (Sg) Ingei is a good indicator of the quality of the pristine forest, where approximately 26 bat species have been found.

Lane was with a team of scientists conducting a two-year faunal diversity study on Sg Ingei's jungle led by UBD in hopes to push the protected forest into a wildlife sanctuary, when they discovered Sg Ingei's rich diversity of bats.

Using his research on bats as an indicator to determine the quality of the forest, David said other indicators may be used as well, such as bird and small mammals.

Although Sg Ingei does not have as many bat species found in Temburong forest, Lane said the species found in Sg Ingei as "much richer than some of the coastal forest areas in Brunei, particularly the horse-shoe bats".

In fact, Sg Ingei is now home to the Rhinolophus Philippinensis bat when Lane discovered it during his first expedition to Sg Ingei in 2010.

The species was a new record for Sg Ingei and the only example found so far in Brunei.

According to Lane, his research on bats helps to show a connectivity between parts of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) forests in different countries when bats fly between the forests.

"It shows a link with the other parts of Heart of Borneo because they are a connected forest, it is contiguous. Meaning the forests are touching and joining up," he said.

He explained that bats adapted and revolutionary designed to fly and search for food in enclosed dense foliage.

"They cannot survive in degraded or heavily logged forest because they cannot survive in open space," he said.

He added that Sg Ingei forests are in "very good condition so the habitat is very good."

As such, Lane remarked it is important for Sg Ingei to be a wildlife sanctuary because ensuring the forest remains pristine secures the survival of the bats.

When asked on his thoughts on the study which is nearing its end later this year, Lane felt there is more to be done.

"I think there is scope to do more because we only really look at certain key groups. There are plenty still, particularly insects like butterfly and spiders," he said.

Lane hopes to achieve further testimonial on the pattern of the richness, uniqueness and quality of the environment of Sg Ingei from his findings.The Brunei Times

A talk on Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition for PBioBD

PBioBD Holds General Meeting

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Brunei Darussalam Biology Association (PBioBD) held its general meeting to share with its members the association's activities and financial report, as well as to vote for the new council members for the term July 2012-June 2015.

The general meeting was then followed with a public lecture on 'Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition' presented by UBD researcher Dr Ang Bee Biaw, who is also the coordinator for the Biodiversity Conservation Programme (BIOCOP) under the Brunei Nature Society and project administrator for the Brunei Heart of Borneo Sungai Ingei Faunal Biodiversity Expedition.

Among those in attendance were PBioBD's President, Associate Professor Dr Zohrah Hj Sulaiman, its council members and ordinary members, as well as members of the public.

According to Dr Ang, the Sungai Ingei Protected Forest, located in the Belait District, is the hotspot for fauna and flora biodiversity. She shared with the participants amazing pictures and videos on the journey in setting up the base camp with the help of local people from Kg Sukang and Kg Melilas.

The base camp enabled her and her fellow researchers, both locally and internationally renowned scientists, to stay in the Sungai Ingei Protected Forest and conduct research on the fauna and flora found there, she added.

Dr Ang also shared with the participants some beautiful pictures of some of the fauna found in Sungei Ingei Protected Forest, which include bats, mammals, fishes, spiders and many more, some of which were even newly discovered species.

Before she ended her lecture, Dr Ang also thanked the relevant government agencies especially the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and UBD, as well as non-government agencies, for their continuous support.

Dr Ang expressed hope that, given the great number of fauna and flora biodiversity found in the protected forest, it will one day be upgraded to become a wildlife sanctuary

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin