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Flora of Brunei Online

About IBER
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Flora of Brunei Online

IBER Newsletter: Volume 2, Issue 1

IBER Newsletter: Volume 2, Issue 1

Post author:iber
Post published:05/08/2019
Post category:Newsletter

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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

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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

An in-house 2-day Introduction to QGIS Workshop wa

An in-house 2-day Introduction to QGIS Workshop was conducted on 9-11 November 2022 at Bilik Keruing, IBER. It was facilitated by Mr. Rodzay Hj Abd Wahab, Lecturer and Research Coordinator at IBER. The workshop aimed to highlight the usability of a Geographic Information System (GIS) to perform basic functions in Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS). This includes loading data and performing preliminary visual explorations by mapping, spatial data processing, and spatial analysis. QGIS is an open-source software package that benefits from the contributions of experts and users worldwide. The workshop was participated by IBER staff, students and research assistants.

#qgis #iberworkshop

Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental resea

Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental research (IBER) of UBD will be conducting an environmental clean-up event at UBD Botanical Research Centre (UBD BRC) in collaboration with the 'Second Joint Environmental Clean-up event' organised by Kagawa University. Volunteers are needed to collect and sort out items for recycling, weeding of plants in the garden, clearing walkways and other clean up activities. All sorted items collected disposed of at the recycling sorting bins available in UBD. A report of this event will be presented by IBER during the joint environmental clean-up event session on 27 November 2022.

IBER would like to invite UBD students and staff to participate in this event as volunteers.

🌱 When: Saturday, 12 November 2022
🌱 Time: 9.00 - 11.00 am
🌱 Venue: UBD Botanical Research Centre (UBD BRC/Herbal Garden UBD); https://goo.gl/maps/UjC7EnQiT3vzcwXXA)

Certificate of participation will be given to volunteers.

🌱 To participate please sign up below:
https://forms.gle/kmmYYqpVg2a37Drh6 or in the link in bio.

IBER hosted a special visit by His Excellency Kenn

IBER hosted a special visit by His Excellency Kenneth O'Flaherty, the Ambassador of United Kingdom's COP26 Regional Ambassador to Asia-Pacific and South Asia on 25th October 2022. Director of IBER, Dr Hjh Norhayati Hj Ahmad, presented a briefing on the institute's research and education activities, while insight on Climate change research activities conducted by IBER was shared by Assoc. Prof. Dr Rahayu Sukmaria Hj Sukri. In attendance during the meeting were British High Commission officials, the Deputy Director of IBER, as well as IBER and UBD BRC staff.

#brunei
#biodiversityresearch
#climatechangeresearch
#ubdiber

US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Her Excellency

US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Her Excellency Caryn R. McClelland visited Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC) on 31 August 2022. She was accompanied by US Public Affairs Officer, Jeff Barrus and Media and Content Coordinator, Low Leng May. The visit was hosted by the Head of KBFSC Dr. Salwa Khalid, Associate Professor Dr Joeri Strijk and KBFSC Supervisor, Mr. Teddy Chua from IBER, UBD. Their visit began with a forest walk at the Ulu Temburong National Park in the morning, then to KBFSC. At the field station, Assoc. Prof. Dr Strijk gave a short presentation highlighting the biodiversity research at UBD, including the collaborations between UBD and US Institutions. The visit ended with a short tour of the facilities at KBFSC.

@usembassybsb
@ubdbuzz

#kbfsc #iber #biodiversityresearch
#borneo

A research seminar entitled “Value of Peat Swamp

A research seminar entitled “Value of Peat Swamp Forests” took place on 17th August 2022 at the Tropical Biodiversity Centre, Forestry Department in Belait. The seminar was co-organised by the Forestry Department, Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) and the Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), supported by Brunei Shell Petroleum Co. Sdn Bhd. The welcoming speech of the event was presented by YM Dr Hajah Norhayati Haji Ahmad, Director of IBER, followed by the opening remarks by YM Reni bin Haji Yahya, Acting Deputy Director of Forestry Department.

Ongoing biodiversity conservation initiatives and research activities that are being conducted in Brunei Darussalam’s peat swamp forests, including at the Badas peat dome were shared during the seminar. It also focused on the key findings of these research projects, highlighting the importance of peat swamp forests in environmental stability as well as socio-economic aspects. The research seminar was attended by senior officers and officers from relevant government and private agencies and stakeholders.

@forestry.brunei
@bsp_company
@ubdbuzz
@peatswamp.iber
@ubd.botanicalgarden

#peatswampforest #peatresearch #borneo #ubd #iber #biodiversity

Professor David Wardle and his research team at Na

Professor David Wardle and his research team at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) visited IBER's field station, KBFSC, to experience firsthand our pristine Mixed Dipterocarp Forests. The NTU team is working with an IBER team led by Associate Professor Rahayu Sukri to study the diversity of microbial and insect communities in Brunei's heath and peat swamp forests.

@ntu_sg
#kbfsc #ntu #ubd #peatswampforest

TREx 2022 is open for registration now! Please go

TREx 2022 is open for registration now! Please go to the link in bio to sign up 📝

Check out the feedback from our previous participants 😄

🌿Credits
- Video by: Hazimah Hj Md Din
- Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/transcend
License code: IWBU1FJCYVUO3MKB

iCUBE Webinar on “Bird Genome 10K, A Genomic All

iCUBE Webinar on “Bird Genome 10K, A Genomic Alliance for Understanding Global Bird Diversity”.

All are welcome to register.

The link for registration is as follows:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jcGeKj0tSoWXhAumLaO92w

For further enquiries, please email to icube.secretariat@ubd.edu.bn

IBER is pleased to announce that TREx 2022 is back

IBER is pleased to announce that TREx 2022 is back! Please visit the link in bio for more info! 😄

#iber #kbfsc #fieldcourse #borneo #brunei #biodiversity #pristine #ecology

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