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- Staff
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Flora of Brunei Online

About IBER
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Flora of Brunei Online

Newsletter

IBER Newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 2

Post published:27/05/2019
Post author:iber
Post category:Newsletter
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Continue ReadingIBER Newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 2

IBER Newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 1

Post published:25/05/2019
Post author:iber
Post category:Newsletter
Post comments:0 Comments

Continue ReadingIBER Newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 1

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Contact Info

Address:Institute For Biodiversity and Environmental Research, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
Email:office.iber@ubd.edu.bnOpens in your application

About IBER
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ubd.iber.kbfsc

Volunteers Needed! Lend a helping hand in educati

Volunteers Needed!

Lend a helping hand in educating school children in Brunei about biodiversity!

When?
9.00 to 11.30 am on 8th, 9th and 10th March 2023

Where?
Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER) &
Botanical Research Centre (BRC) of Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

To volunteer, please email:
rafhiah.kahar@ubd.edu.bn

Registration closes on 7 March 2023 at 12 pm.

The second IBER Seminar, "Revegetation of degraded

The second IBER Seminar, "Revegetation of degraded peatlands" was presented by Mr. Wim Giesen from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.

Revegetation of degraded peatlands requires a tailored approach to achieve success and avoid unnecessary costs. Key is the amount of peat loss / peat subsidence, the linked degree of flooding, and how much original peat swamp forest vegetation remains, both in situ and in proximity. This will determine the choice for either natural or assisted regeneration, the degree and type of assisted regeneration, and the choice of species. In parallel, existing land status (e.g. conservation, production) and land use, and availability of funds will also determine species selection in replanting programs. Rewetting of peatland (e.g. blocking of artificial canals) and fire prevention are both essential for the recovery of PSF vegetation, though each plays a different role.

Mr. Wim Giesen has a degree in biology, and although recently retired he is associate with Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands. He worked as ecologist and natural resource manager in many (wetland) ecosystems and countries, including Southeast Asian peat swamp forests since his first assignment for WWF in Indonesia in 1985-86. Since 2007 he has helped develop approaches to peat swamp forest rehabilitation, including the paludiculture approach for using useful indigenous peat swamp forest species in peat rehabilitation programmes.

@ubdbuzz
@forestry.brunei
@peatswamp.iber

#iberseminar #iber #ubd #peatswamp #borneo

Two IBER Seminar Series were presented on 15 Febru

Two IBER Seminar Series were presented on 15 February 2023 at the IBER lecture room. In attendance were UBD staff and students as well as officers from Forestry Department and Department of Fisheries, MPRT.

The first talk was entitled "An Ichthyologist’s Digest. From caves to torrents – descriptions of new fish species." and was given by Dr Tan Heok Hui from Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at National University of Singapore.

With an interest in fishes since young, the speaker realized his career pathway when he entered NUS and never looked back. This talk is based on two recent publications in September 2021. The first paper was with a Filipino collaborator, describing the first cave dwelling cyprinid fish from Mindanao. This is quite a sensational discovery for Philippines freshwater aquatic biodiversity. It also highlights the rich biodiversity of aquatic life in Philippines. The second paper closes another chapter for Borneo sucker loaches, a favourite subject for the speaker. The genus Hypergastromyzon was a loose end from the speaker’s doctoral project. It’s only 15 years later, with sufficient and fresh material, that this can be realized – with the descriptions of a new genus and two new species. The documentation of this journey will be showcased.

@ubdbuzz
@forestry.brunei

#iberseminar #iber #freshwaterfish #kbfsc

Dr Bill McDonald from Queensland Herbarium present

Dr Bill McDonald from Queensland Herbarium presented "Saving Paradise - Biodiversity Values and Management of the Lord Howe Island World Heritage Area" for the IBER Seminar Series on 14 February 2023.

The Lord Howe Island Group, located c. 600 km east of the Australian mainland, was one of the first Australian World Heritage properties, inscribed in 1982. I first visited Lord Howe Island in 2002 and have returned most years since to participate in ecotours arranged through the Friends of Lord Howe Island group. This has provided a great opportunity to witness the increasing research interest on the island. This talk will focus on the terrestrial and marine ecosystems of the island and their wildlife and the development and implementation of restoration and threat abatement programs.

Dr Bill McDonald joined National Parks Branch, Qld Department of Forestry in 1974 and transferred to Botany Branch, Qld Department of Primary Industries (incorporating the Queensland Herbarium) in 1977. Since then he has worked on botanical survey and mapping projects throughout central and southern Queensland. He initiated and co-authored the first report on rare and threatened plants of Queensland in 1987. He was appointed a member of the first Scientific Advisory Committee under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act (1992) and was a long-serving member of the Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee for the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Areas. Prior to his retirement in 2012, Dr McDonald was heavily involved in the Queensland Herbarium’s vegetation mapping programs in the Wet Tropics, Central Queensland Coast and South-East Queensland biogeographic regions. He continues to follow his interests in rainforest ecology and classification as an Honorary Research Associate with Queensland Herbarium.

#iber #iberseminarseries #iberseminar #ubd

IBER conducted a workshop on Freshwater Fishes on

IBER conducted a workshop on Freshwater Fishes on 13th February 2023. The workshop was facilitated by Dr Tan Heok Hui who is the Collections Manager and Curator of Fishes at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at National University of Singapore. He is one of IBER's international collaborators who is involved in the 'KBFSC Biodiversity Conservation Research Project'. Among the topics covered during the workshop were Fish Anatomy with a practical session, Fish Sampling Methods and Scientific Photography. The workshop was attended by 15 participants comprising UBD students, IBER staff, members of the UBD Museum, as well as officers from the Forestry Department of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism.

@forestry.brunei
@ubdbuzz

#iber #freshwaterfish #ubd #borneo

The Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental R

The Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research seeks to hire two (2) BSc-level part-time Research Assistant(s) for a period of four (4) months, starting from 1st March to 30th June 2023.
The Role
We seek candidates with background in science and knowledge and experience with working in a laboratory.

Job description:
• To assist with inventory of existing equipment, items and chemicals in IBER Labs.
• To arrange for safe disposal of old and unused chemicals via UBD OSHE.
• To assist with transfer of equipment, samples, chemicals and items to the IBER Labs.
• To clean and organise all items available in the IBER Labs, including proper labelling of the lab.
• To prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) for lab equipment for lab users’ reference.
• To prepare the Health Safety precautions label for the IBER labs.

Minimum requirements:
1. Brunei Citizen or permanent residents.
2. Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences or Health Sciences (or related field).
3. Experience in labwork and knowledge on handling scientific equipment.
4. Experience with health and safety matters is an advantage.
Documents:
Interested candidates to submit softcopies of the following documents to Associate Professor Dr Rahayu Sukri (rahayu.sukri@ubd.edu.bn) until 25th February 2023:
1. Cover letter
2. Degree certificate
3. Copy of National IC
4. CV

Repost from @ubd.botanicalgarden • Visit by His

Repost from @ubd.botanicalgarden
•
Visit by His Excellency Phạm Minh Chính, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and spouse Lê Thị Bích Trân to the UBD Botanical Research Centre, IBER @ubd.iber.kbfsc on 11th February 2023.

He has planted an endangered Bornean endemic tree known as Cotylelobium burckii or Resak Durian in UBD BRC. The tree is from the Dipterocarpaceae family and can be found in Kerangas forests.
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#visit #brunei #vietnam #ubd #ubdbrc #botanical #garden #endemic #borneo #tree #planting #dipterocarp

KBFSC received a special visit by the Rt Hon Anne-

KBFSC received a special visit by the Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, United Kingdom’s Minister of State (Indo-Pacific) last Wednesday, 8 February 2023. Accompanying the visit was Dr Joyce Teo, Assistant Vice Chancellor (Global Affairs) UBD, officials from the British High Commission’s office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During her visit, Minister Trevelyan handed a mock cheque of the UK Climate Diplomacy Fund in support of the research on biodiversity and conservation carried out by KBFSC.

During the visit, Dr Salwa Khalid (Head of KBFSC), gave a briefing on IBER research and education activities followed by a tour of the Centre’s facilities and a short walk along the Ashton Trail.

#kbfsc #iber #ubd

@ubdbuzz
@ubdglobalaffairs
@british.hc.bn

Call for volunteers to assist during UBD Open Day

Call for volunteers to assist during UBD Open Day 2023. Volunteers will be scheduled in rotation.

Certificate will be given for the volunteer work.

@ubdbuzz @pmubd

An in-house IBER Biostatistics Workshop (Part 1) w

An in-house IBER Biostatistics Workshop (Part 1) was conducted on 24-25 January 2023 at Bilik Keruing, IBER. The two-day workshop was participated by IBER staff, interns, research assistants and students; and was facilitated by Associate Professor Dr Rahayu Sukmaria Hj Sukri and Dr Salwana Md. Jaafar. The workshop aimed to provide participants with an introduction to statistics in Biology and to introduce participants to the R statistics programme.

#iber #ubd #biostatistics

An IBER Seminar entitled “Differential impacts o $An IBER Seminar entitled “Differential impacts of Acacia invasion on nutrient fluxes in two distinct Bornean lowland tropical rain forests” was presented by Dr Salwana Md Jaafar (IBER, UBD) on 18 January 2023. Invasive Acacia can alter nutrient cycling processes in forest ecosystems, particularly affecting total litterfall production and litter decomposition patterns. This study examined the effects of exotic Acacia mangium species on total litterfall production, nutrient concentrations in leaf litterfall fractions, leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release in lowland heath and mixed dipterocarp forests in Brunei Darussalam, Borneo. Habitats invaded by Acacia exhibited higher total litterfall production, increased leaf litter concentrations of nitrogen, potassium and calcium, increased addition of all nutrients measured in litter (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium, especially in the Acacia-invaded mixed dipterocarp forest (AMDF) and nitrogen and potassium in Acacia-invaded heath forest (AHF)), reduced nitrogen and potassium use efficiencies in AHF and, reduced stand-level nitrogen and calcium use efficiencies in AMDF. Litter decomposition rates and nutrient release were lower in AMDF than in the three other habitats. The significantly higher total litterfall production coupled with higher nutrient addition in the two Acacia-invaded habitats are expected to progressively increase the abilities of these habitats to produce large quantities of nutrient-rich litter and will likely eventually lead to an enrichment of nutrients in the soil, thus facilitating further invasion by Acacia, particularly in the MDF. Dr Salwana Jaafar is an Assistant Lecturer/Postdoctoral Researcher in Tropical Ecosystem Ecology at the Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER), Universiti Brunei Darussalam. #iberseminar #iber #ubd #acacia$

A sharing session for two IBER staff was organized

A sharing session for two IBER staff was organized with Forestry Department on 17 January 2023 at the Sungai Liang Tropical Biodiversity Centre. Presentations were given by Dr Salwana Md Jaafar and Mr. Soon Boon Yu on their participation in two separate events. The session was attended by officers and staff from the Forestry Department and IBER on 17th January 2023.

Dr Salwana gave a presentation titled ‘Variation in tree species diversity and soil physicochemical properties of Mixed Dipterocarp Forests of Long Mekaba, Gerenai FMU, North-Eastern Borneo, Sarawak, Malaysia’, a project she took part in as part of the "9th Heart of Borneo (HoB) Scientific Expedition 2022: Exploring the Hinterland of North-Eastern of Sarawak" at Long Mekaba, Gerenai FMU, Ulu Baram Miri, Sarawak on 12-25 September 2022. This was organised by Forest Department Sarawak with the support of Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources Malaysia and Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development Sarawak.

Mr Soon Boon Yu shared a presentation entailing his experience in the 2022 AFOCO Science and Technology Exchange Partnership (STEP) Program which was jointly organized with the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum (BDNA) with the theme "The Role of Arboretums in the Conservation of Forest Plant Biodiversity". The program took place on 19 September – 14 October 2022 in Baekdudaegan National Arboretum, South Korea. It focused on plant conservation, landscape design and operation of arboretums through hands-on experiences.

@forestry.brunei

#workshop #sharingsession #iber #ubd #heartofborneo

More than 40 participants of the Bioinspiration an

More than 40 participants of the Bioinspiration and Biodiversity Workshop visited Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC) on 10th January 2023. The workshop took place on 9-13 January 2023 and was co-organized by the Faculty of Science (FOS), the Faculty of Integrated Technologies (FIT), the School of Digital Science (SDS), and the Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER) in collaboration with Virginia Tech (VT).

#ubd #iber #bioinspiration #kbfsc

Repost from @ubdvtcenter
•
Group photo of the bioinspiration and biodiversity workshop participants at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Center. Photo: Martin Thomas.

Do you have keen interest but little experience in

Do you have keen interest but little experience in tropical biology? Join us in TREx 2023 from 12 June to 2 July 2023. The 3-week course offers a unique experience in Bornean tropical rainforests of Brunei Darussalam and provides a practical training with an emphasis on building skills and understanding in biodiversity,
ecology and conservation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The highlight of the field course is an 8-day research field trip to the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, which is a premier research centre of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and is located
within the largest forest reserve in Brunei.

Further information about TREx 2023 is available from: https://iber.ubd.edu.bn/trex-2023/

Apply now! Limited spots are available.

Closing date of application is on 31 March 2023.

#fieldcourse
#tropicalbiology
#tropicalrainforest
#tropical
#borneo
#universitibruneidarussalam
#belalong

A group of 29 students and staff from the Faculty

A group of 29 students and staff from the Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) visited IBER on 10 December 2022.

The educational visit included a sharing session of IBER's research and education activities by the Director of IBER, Dr Hjh Norhayati Hj Ahmad, and a discussion between IBER and the visiting faculty members present. The visit ended with a tour at the UBD Botanical Research Centre @ubd.botanicalgarden

The IBER Seminar entitled "Herbaceous flora of Bru

The IBER Seminar entitled "Herbaceous flora of Brunei's rainforests with particular attention to mycoheterotrophic plants" was presented by Associate Professor Dr Martin Dancák from Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic on 7 December 2022.

The herbaceous flora of tropical rainforests is usually somewhat neglected compared to the trees. Yet it is equally interesting, especially in terms of systematics and taxonomy. Mycoheterotrophic plants used to be one of Brunei's most understudied herbaceous groups. However, with many discoveries in recent years, our knowledge of these peculiar plants improved considerably. Besides mycoheterotrophs, other currently studied groups interesting from the taxonomical point of view are Curculigo and Hanguana.

AP Dr Martin Dancak is a plant taxonomist based at the Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic. He is interested in the herbaceous flora of tropical forests, especially in mycoheterotrophic plants of Borneo.

#kbfsc #iberseminar #iber #mycohetertrophs

IBER Seminar entitled “Reforestation of degraded

IBER Seminar entitled “Reforestation of degraded heath and peat swamp forests - case studies from Brunei Darussalam” was presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr Rahayu Sukri on 16 November 2022.

Brunei holds large areas of pristine peat swamp forests, as well as smaller areas of tropical heath forests. These forests are biodiverse and are home to high conservation value flora and fauna. Despite their importance, both forest types are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic disturbances. Reforestation of degraded habitats via native tree planting is a recognized forest conservation practice. This talk will focus on ongoing research at IBER involving two pilot studies of the reforestation of degraded heath and peat swamp forests in Belait, Brunei.

Dr Rahayu Sukri is an Associate Professor in Plant Ecology with the Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam. She received her PhD in 2010 from the University of Aberdeen. Her current research focuses on tropical forest ecology, biodiversity and conservation, particularly on tree diversity and community compositions, peat swamp ecology, the impact of invasive Acacias on natural ecosystems in Brunei and the reforestation and revegetation of degraded forests in Brunei. She has successfully secured both local and external research grants as the Principal Investigator for these projects.

#iber #iberseminar #peatswamp #peatswampresearch

An IBER seminar entitled “The unknown microfungi

An IBER seminar entitled “The unknown microfungi: a slow road to understanding the cosmopolitan and species-rich Laboulbeniales” was held on 20 October 2022 and presented by Dr Danny Haelewaters from Ghent University, Belgium.

Laboulbeniales are an order of microscopic fungi that are associated with arthropods for the entire duration of their life cycle. They are considered ectoparasites but the truth is that researchers are currently undecided whether these are true parasites, mutualists, or occupy an overlapping range on the spectrum of symbiosis. Most research has been based on simple morphology. Only in recent years, modern tools and approaches, including sequence-based species delimitation methods, scanning electron microscopy, nano- and micro-computed tomography, and standardized laboratory bioassays, are being applied and push the field forward faster than ever before. Newly generated molecular phylogenetic data are leading to a renewed understanding of the diversity of this group.

Dr Danny Haelewaters is currently working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Biology, Research Group Mycology of Ghent University in Belgium. More information on his work can be found on http://www.dannyhaelewaters.com

#iber #Laboulbeniales #kbfsc #iberseminar

Eleven staff from IBER, KBFSC and UBD BRC particip

Eleven staff from IBER, KBFSC and UBD BRC participated in the Wilderness First Aid Training, organised by the UBD Office of Safety, Health and Environment (OSHE) on 23-25 November 2022. Facilitated by Persatuan CARE Brunei’s ECSI Education Center, the training aims to provide knowledge and skills to survive with first aid emergencies in the Wilderness/Remote location.

#iber #kbfsc #ubdbrc

An environmental clean-up event was organised by I

An environmental clean-up event was organised by IBER UBD Botanical Research Centre on 12 November 2022. This event was held in conjunction with the 'Online Joint Environmental Clean-up Event' led by Kagawa University of Japan. Twenty-six Friends of Belalong volunteers participated in the clean-up of the UBD Botanical Research Centre and the vicinity. Collected items were sorted into different types and recorded. All items were then disposed off at the recycling sorting bin available within the UBD campus. A report of this event was presented by IBER during an online sharing session on 27 November 2022.

#environmentalcleanup

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