Talk: Wild Orchid of Sarawak: A decade of study and way to go forward

Dear members and friends,

This time we have a colourful   Talk on Wild Orchids of Sarawak

Date:          Wednesday 30 October 2019

Time:          7.30-9.30 PM ( Please be on time)

Venue :     Islamic Information Centre (Lower Baruk)

                  Jalan Ong Tiang Swee (behind Swinburne University)

Entrance:   Free of charge but donations are always welcome.

Speaker:     Ling Chea Yiing (Ms)

Please register before 30 October to secure your place by email mnskuching@gmail.com.

Wild Orchids of Sarawak: A decade of study and way to go forward

Orchidaceae is one of the largest families of flowering plants, estimated at over  25,000 species  in the world today.   In Borneo presently, it is estimated at over 2,500 species with slightly over 1,000 species occurring  in Sarawak. It is one of the most studied  group of plants by many botanists and taxonomists during mid-18^th until  20^thcentury. 

The first enumeration on orchids from Sarawak listed only 160 species by Henry Ridley in 1860. In 1994, a checklist of the orchids in Borneo was reported at 676 species from Sarawak, and and  additional 343 species reported by Beamanet al., bringing the  total of species to 1019. Despite  being   one of the most well-studied groups, interesting species continue to be discovered from various botanical exploration conducted by Sarawak Forestry Corporation from 2009 until 2019. These include seven species that are new records for Borneo and eight species that are new records for Sarawak. Three newly described species are namely,  Bulbophyllum upupops J.J.Vermeulen & Lamb., Thrixspermum lingiaeP.O'Byrne & Gokusingand Dendrobium nangajuenseC.Y.Ling & P.O'Byrne.

The continuous discovery of orchids is possible owing to the ex-situ conservation effort implemented by Sarawak Forestry Corporation. A Wild Orchid Garden located at Semenggoh Nature Reserve holds a total of over 3,700 collections since its establishment in 1982. The collections were made from various sites through different projects. These include the endangered habitats, as well as totally protected areas. The major challenges in study and conservation of orchids in Sarawak are the accessibility to less botanised areas, continuous threats to their habitats, inaccessibility of type specimens and lack of local experts. In order to conserve the wild orchids perpetually, micro-propagation of orchids is important to expand the collection in the garden. Along-term collaboration with orchids experts is important to enhance our knowledge of orchids richness in Sarawak. Conservation status assessment and application of Species Distribution Modelling are the  way to go forward for future in conservation of orchids in Sarawak.  

About the author:

Ling Chea Yiing has working with Sarawak Forestry Corporation since 2006.  Her first assignment as an intern was to enumerate tree species at Semenggoh Arboretum at Semenggoh Nature Reserve. She developa her interest in orchids when she moved from Forest Research Centre to Botanical Research Centre in 2009. She spends her free time roaming the Wild Orchid Garden in the Centre, to search for any flowering orchids, photographing the flowering plants and collect samples for future study.

From 2012 onwards, she was in-charge of the Wild Orchid Garden in the Centre. Orchid is one of the priority species for rescue or collection, as it is a Protected Plant under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance, 1998. Many species of orchids were discovered during her 10-years surveys all over Sarawak. She has  authored  12 research papers/posters/journal about orchids and more are being published.

Regards,

Cynthia Lobato

Talk :Relictual Great Apes of Sundaland – Fossil and Prehistoric Orangutans

Talk:Relictual Great Apes of Sundaland – Fossil and Prehistoric Orang

Dear members and friends,

Our talk this time is organised in collaboration with FoSM and we are pleased to have Dr LIM Tze Tshen to share this interesting topic with us.

Topic: Relictual Great Apes of Sundaland – Fossil and Prehistoric Orangutans
Speaker: Dr. LIM Tze Tshen
Date: Thursday 29 August 2019
Time: 7.30-9.30 PM ( Please be on time)
Venue : Islamic Information Centre (Lower Baruk)
Jalan Ong Tiang Swee (behind Swinburne University)

Entrance: Free of charge but donations are always welcome.

Please register by email mnskuching@gmail.com to confirm your seat. Latest by Wednesday 28 August.

Short Abstract:

Orangutan fossils are not uncommonly found among prehistoric faunas across Southeast Asia and southern China. Fossil finds are mostly limited to isolated teeth, jaw and bone fragments from both palaeontological and archaeological sites.

Our current knowledge of the fossil record indicates that this Asian great ape had a broadly continuous distribution across the region, ranging in time from Early Pleistocene to Holocene (2.5 million years ago to present). The modern-day distribution, confines to certain parts of pockets of rainforest in northern Sumatra and Borneo, represents only a small portion of their former geographic range, which includes the Indochinese and Sundaic biogeographic provinces.

This talk will give an overview of what we have learned from the fossil record about the natural history (biogeography, taxonomic diversity, dental size variation over time among different geographic populations, and possible evidence of island dwarfism) of prehistoric orangutans. Evidence for selective hunting by prehistoric humans in Borneo, gathered through the extensive study of the rich zooarchaeological remains from Niah, and its implication for the local demise of the great ape will also be discussed.

Short Biography:

LIM Tze Tshen, University of Cambridge graduate (2018), is a research fellow of the Sarawak Museum Campus Project. By profession, he is a vertebrate palaeontologist and a zooarchaeologist. Lim has carried out systematic research on historical and more recently discovered orangutan fossils kept in museums worldwide.

In collaboration with colleagues from the University of Malaya and Palaeontology Society of Malaysia, he is also actively involved in the search for and study of fossil orangutans recovered from palaeontological sites in Peninsular Malaysia. His current research topics in Sarawak Museum focus on the systematic cataloguing of the rich and diverse zooarchaeological collections stored in the museum, and detailed investigation of the large mammal remains from Niah Caves archaeological sites, particularly, primates and other locally extinct mammal species.

As a biologist, he is keen to explore practical ways through which palaeontological and zooarchaeological findings can turn into effective conservation measures to alleviate the current loss of tropical biodiversity. He also maintains a strong interest in the professional preservation and scientific curation of natural history collections in Malaysia. He is a strong advocate for a dynamic and research-and-education oriented national natural history museum in Malaysia and the relevance of a well-maintained and sufficiently curated natural history museum to the well-being of modern-day society.

Web: https://cambridge.academia.edu/TzeTshenLIM

Regards Cynthia Lobato
MNSKB Secretari

Shorebird Outreach Programme – Batrisyia Teepol

Animals have been a part of the ecosystem even before we were born. But how many of us actually do take notice on their existence? Some do, some don’t and some, yet to.

Bako-Buntal Bay is one of the 55 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) in Malaysia and the first site recognized as the Flyway Network Site of East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) for Malaysia. In order to let the locals see and understand the amazing annual migration of the migratory shorebirds, Malaysian Nature Society Kuching Branch’s intern, Batrisyia Teepol (Conservation Leadership Programme [CLP] Internship) decided to win the hearts of the younger generation. She visited three schools within Bako-Buntal Bay (SK Bako, SK Goebilt and SK Buntal) and shared her knowledge and concerns regarding shorebirds. She believes that education is the most powerful tool that can change the world and for this purpose – conservation.

About a total of 180 students (aged 11-12) participated in the programmes as a whole. She gave talks on shorebirds and why they migrate and dived deeper into plastic awareness. A range of activities were also organized, such as, colouring, presentation by the students and quizzes. The students participated actively and gave their full cooperation. Some students were excellent and showed interests during presentations and Q&A sessions.

With all the talks conducted, she hoped that she has done her part in instilling awareness and compassion for nature among these students and may they be the next leaders – with a passion for conservation.

Branch report May-July2019

Dear Members

We attach an  update of talks and activities  from May – July 2019 for your information.

Regards,

Cynthia Lobato

MNSKB Secretariat

Talk :Relictual Great Apes of Sundaland – Fossil and Prehistoric Orangutans

Dear members and friends,

Our talk this time is organised in collaboration with FoSM and we are pleased to have Dr LIM Tze Tshen to share this interesting topic with us.

Topic:      Relictual Great Apes of Sundaland – Fossil and Prehistoric Orangutans

Speaker:  Dr. LIM Tze Tshen

Date:       Thursday 29 August 2019

Time:       7.30-9.30 PM ( Please be on time)

Venue :    Islamic Information Centre (Lower Baruk)

                Jalan Ong Tiang Swee (behind Swinburne University)

Entrance: Free of charge but donations are always welcome.

Please register by email  mnskuching@gmail.com to confirm your seat. Latest by Wednesday 28 August.

Short Abstract:

Orangutan fossils are not uncommonly found among prehistoric faunas across Southeast Asia and southern China. Fossil finds are mostly limited to isolated teeth, jaw and bone fragments from both palaeontological and archaeological sites.

Our current knowledge of the fossil record indicates that this Asian great ape had a broadly continuous distribution across the region, ranging in time from Early Pleistocene to Holocene (2.5 million years ago to present). The modern-day distribution, confines to certain parts of pockets of rainforest in northern Sumatra and Borneo, represents only a small portion of their former geographic range, which includes the Indochinese and Sundaic biogeographic provinces. 

This talk will give an overview of what we have learned from the fossil record about the natural history (biogeography, taxonomic diversity, dental size variation over time among different geographic populations, and possible evidence of island dwarfism) of prehistoric orangutans. Evidence for selective hunting by prehistoric humans in Borneo, gathered through the extensive study of the rich zooarchaeological remains from Niah, and its implication for the local demise of the great ape will also be discussed.

Short Biography:

LIM Tze Tshen, University of Cambridge graduate (2018), is a research fellow of the Sarawak Museum Campus Project. By profession, he is a vertebrate palaeontologist and a zooarchaeologist. Lim has carried out systematic research on historical and more recently discovered orangutan fossils kept in museums worldwide.

 In collaboration with colleagues from the University of Malaya and Palaeontology Society of Malaysia, he is also actively involved in the search for and study of fossil orangutans recovered from palaeontological sites in Peninsular Malaysia. His current research topics in Sarawak Museum focus on the systematic cataloguing of the rich and diverse zooarchaeological collections stored in the museum, and detailed investigation of the large mammal remains from Niah Caves archaeological sites, particularly, primates and other locally extinct mammal species. 

As a biologist, he is keen to explore practical ways through which palaeontological and zooarchaeological findings can turn into effective conservation measures to alleviate the current loss of tropical biodiversity. He also maintains a strong interest in the professional preservation and scientific curation of natural history collections in Malaysia. He is a strong advocate for a dynamic and research-and-education oriented national natural history museum in Malaysia and the relevance of a well-maintained and sufficiently curated natural history museum to the well-being of modern-day society.    

Web: https://cambridge.academia.edu/TzeTshenLIM

Regards Cynthia Lobato

MNSKB Secretariat

Forest Governance Forest Zonal Workshop 4th-6th October 2019 in Kuching

Dear Members

The Forest Governance Zonal Workshop will to be held in Kuching from 4^th-6^th October 2019.  Workshop fees, meals and accommodation will be sponsored  by Malaysian Nature Society.   You  will be responsible for your own transportation.

The Workshop  is limited to 30 MNS Members only. If you know someone who is interested to attend but is not an MNS Member, please contact MNS Kuching Branch Secretariat at mnskuching@gmail.com.

If you are interested to attend the Workshop.  please register via Google doc link as stated in the Poster attached herewith. Details and the Programme are also attached herewith.

Cynthia Lobato

Secretariat

MNS Kuching Branch

Honorary Wildlife Ranger Training Course

Dear Members

This is to remind   you that application for  the Honorary Wildlife Ranger Training Course to be held at Matang Wildlife Centre from 9^th – 11^th July 2019 will close on:

FRIDAY 31^ST MAY 2019.

THEREAFTER WE SHALL NOT ACCEPT ANY MORE APPLICATIONS.

Cynthia Lobato

Secretariat

MNS Kuching Branch

Dear Members,

A training course for the voluntary Honorary Wildlife Rangers is being organised by Malaysian Nature Kuching Branch.The training is jointly sponsored  by Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC)  and  Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) under the European Union-BirdLife International Project.

The Honorary Wildlife Ranger programme was started by the Forestry Department Sarawak in 1998. Its main aim is to get members of local communities to work hand-in-hand with SFCto protect wildlife and natural environments. These rangers are the eyes and ears of the relevant  authorities  in  Sarawak and assist in conservation efforts and in saving endangered species.

Honorary Wildlife Rangers also play important roles in managing national parks and help to monitor illegal activities, such as poaching, by reporting  the actions to SFC. They are part of SFC’s management approach to protect  the 12 million hectares  of totally-protected areas.  

This training is open to  MNS Members who are Malaysian citizens, domiciled in Sarawak, and are  between 18 and 70 years of age. It is important to have a passion for nature and be in good health. 

The dates of  the 3-day, 2-night course are from Tuesday – Thursday,  9^th– 11^thJuly 2019.  The Course will include classroom training and field activities at Matang Wildlife Centre. There are no training fees, and meals and accommodation are provided at Matang Wildlife Centre.The time of the training will be from 9.00am to 6.00pm each day. The Programme will only be given out on the day of the Course itself.

The possible topics included the following. However, please note that there could be changes.

·       Biodiversity

·       Habitat types and their differences

·       Status of Wildlife in Sarawak

·       Threats to Wildlife in Sarawak

·       Roles and responsibilities ofan HonoraryWildlifeRanger

·       Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998

·       CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)

·       Public Speaking Skills

·       Field training

If you are interested in becoming an Honorary Wildlife Ranger,  please complete the attached  Application Form and return it to  mnskuching@gmail. com.  In addition, if you have any questions please send them to the same email address. Additional information (if any)  will be updated in subsequent announcements.

We are looking forward to your participation in the Honorary Wildlife Ranger Training Course. 

Love Life, Love Nature

Rose Au Nyat Jun

Chairperson

MNS  Kuching Branch

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Matang+Wildlife+Centre/@1.609363,110.160219,13z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x3d321bc5b61cd47c!8m2!3d1.609363!4d110.1602186?hl=en-US

Talk:What if there is no marine conservation in place?

Dear members and friends,

We invite you for an interesting talk entitled “What If There Is No Marine Conservation In Place” ? 

Speaker: Dr. Achier Chung Fung Chen

Date:       Wednesday 22 May 2019

Time:       7.30-9.30 PM ( Please be on time)

Venue :    Islamic Information Centre (Lower Baruk)

                Jalan Ong Tiang Swee (behind Swinburne University)

Entrance: Free of charge but donations are always welcome.

Please register  by email  mnskuching@gmail.com to confirm your seat.

Talk synopsis 

What if there is no marine conservation in place? 

Case study: Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA), Sabah Malaysia

Nearly 85% of the populations along the coast of Sabah depended for the sea for daily living. Despite these, over-harvesting of sea products continues to occur, from traditional fishing to illegal fishing practices that eliminating coral reef habitat. 

With an increase of fishing activities and no control of the fishing methods, Sabah will lose it marine resources in the long run, by failing to maintain coral reef system that important nursery ground for marine fishes, and unsustainable fishing down to the aquatic food web. Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA) established in 2001 for the biodiversity conservation and recreational purposes. 

SIMCA is the first privately managed marine conservation area in Malaysia. Reef Guardian is the manager of SIMCA with long term goal to conserve coral reef ecosystem and minimize anthropogenic threats to SIMCA. Reef Guardian implementing five main programmes, which are 1) Marine conservation, 2) Enforcement, 3) Environmental control, 4) education and awareness and, 5) Ecotourism. Reef Guardian increase enforcement presence in SIMCA since 2005 through a partnership with Conservation International Philippines and the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have allowed restoration of marine fishes especially the commercial species such as groupers, snappers, sweetlips, and sharks.

Coral reefs are in recovering stages and allowed recruitment of critically endangered sea turtles such as Hawksbill turtle in the reefs. However illegal fishing continues to exist in the marine reserve especially at night time when nighttime enforcement is limited. Destructive fishing practices are carried out destroying coral reef habitats, and bottom gillnet fishing placed along reef edge overnight harvesting threatens species such as sharks, rays and often drowning adult and juvenile sea turtles, and fish trawlers are trawling at the hot-spot areas that often trapped and downing sea turtles. Beside human-induced stress, the reef suffers from an increase of sea surface temperature that results in corals bleaching since 2014. Furthermore, with increases of coastal development that result in river and nutrient runoff, there have been recorded of the frequent outbreak of Crown-of-thorn starfish that predated on live corals. 

Biodata

Dr. Achier Chung Fung Chen

 Achier Chung is a Lead Marine Biologist/Advisor for Reef Guardian Sdn Bhd that managing the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA), at Sandakan Sabah. Member of the national-level IUCN Expert Assessment Group for Green List (EAGL) for Malaysia. She has recently received an award as the first Malaysia SeaKeeper from the International SeaKeepers Society for her passionate in marine conservation, and environmental education works in SIMCA. 

Achier stationary on Lankayan Island for more than a decade manages and run marine conservation programme with a team of 10 to 15 people. She earned her doctorate in the year 2015 in marine science/fisheries. Her expertise is in managing marine protected area, sea turtle biology, reef fish behaviour, coral trout spawning aggregation and Marine Protected Area enforcement.

In the past 15 years, Achier logged over 2000 hours dives for research, exploration, and documentation of marine creatures around Lankayan Island, and islands around Sabah.

 Regards,

Cynthia Lobato

MNSKB Secretariat

talk : Managing Shorebirds at Bako-Buntal Bay.

Dear members and friends,

 We would like to invite you for an interesting talk about Managing Shorebirds at Bako-Buntal Bay. 

Speakers:  Oswald Braken Tisen, General Manager & 

                    Rambli Ahmad,  Ecologist, Sarawak Forestry Corporation.

Date:         Wednesday 24 April 2019

Time:          7.30-9.30 PM ( Please be on time)

Venue :     Islamic Information Centre (Lower Baruk)

                 Jalan Ong Tiang Swee (behind Swinburne University)

Entrance: Free of charge but donations are always welcome.

Please register  by email latest by 23 April by email mnskuching@gmail.com to confirm your seat.

Managing Shorebirds at Bako-Buntal Bay 

Bako-Buntal Bay(BBB)  extends from the northern tip of the Santubong peninsula, down its east-facing coast, and eastwards to Kuala Bako. The bay formed between the Santubong and Bako peninsulas contains extensive intertidal mudflats fringed with mangrove forest.

 BBB is  the first and  only East Asian-Australasian Partnership (EAAFP) Flyway Network site in Malaysia. Thousands of shorebirds winter here   every migratory season.  Thus, it plays an important role in providing a roosting and feeding area for the migrants   to complete their journey. 

A Sarawak state-wide survey of waterbirds in 2011, conducted by Malaysian Nature Society, recorded a total of 35,338 birds in the whole of Bako-Buntal Bay Flyway Network Site, representing 50% of all shorebirds counted in Sarawak, making BBB the most important site for migratory birds in the State.

There are at least 30 species of shorebirds which  stopover from September-February each   year.  Threatened   species like Nordmann’s Greenshank, Chinese Egret and Far Eastern Curlew can be found along the coastline of BBB in the wintering months. 

Malaysian Nature Society  Kuching Branch has invited Mr Oswald Braken Tisen, General Manager, and Mr Ramli Ahmad, Ecologist, both of  Sarawak Forestry Corporation to talk on  managing  BBB and the shorebirds in these areas.

What does the future hold for these birds?

How do we manage these  birds? 

 Please come and join us to find out. 

Regards,

Cynthia Lobato

MNSKB Secretariat