KUCHING: A series of exciting Public Talks and hands-on science activities will be featured during the Biodiversity Day 2018 celebrations on May 12 2018, from 9am until 5pm at the fifth floor of the Imperial Hotel here.
Held for the very first time outside the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre’s (SBC) own premises, the event is organised at a central location in efforts to make the celebration and activities more accessible to the general public.
SBC organises the Biodiversity Day celebrations annually in conjunction with the International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD) which is observed on May 22 each year.
This year, the IBD’s theme of “Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity” marks the 25th anniversary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and highlights the achievements made by Parties to the Convention, at the local level.
Malaysia was the 64th country to ratify the CBD in June 1994 following the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, and Sarawak subsequently enacted its Biodiversity Centre Ordinance in 1997 to sustainably manage and develop its biological resources; the first in Malaysia.
In line with the international theme of the IBD, the series of talks will kick off with a keynote address at 9.00am entitled Biodiversity, Ecosystem Changes and Conservation and Conservation in Malaysia by Prof. Emeritus Dato Dr. Abdul Latiff Mohamad who is a Research Fellow in Botany Conservation Biology at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
This will be followed with an intriguing talk on Green Intelligence by Veera Sekaran of Greenology, Singapore. Veera, founder and Managing Director of Greenology who coined the term “green intelligence” will talk about the application of smart solutions for urban greening which are integrated with science and technology.
Equally fascinating is the work carried out by the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation (IBEC), UNIMAS, which was specifically established following the Rio Summit to address biodiversity conservation research in Sarawak. Today, IBEC is known for its immense contribution to the field biodiversity conservation for Sarawak. During Biodiversity Day 2018, Prof Dr Andrew Alek Tuen, a research fellow at IBEC will talk about the research and interesting outreach activities that IBEC carries out.
For lovers of marine biology, and who want to more about the mysterious sea cow, or dugong, the organisers of Biodiversity Day 2018 have especially arranged for James Bali to speak about these increasingly threatened sea mammal. James, known as an avenger for marine life to many in the field of marine conservation is a researcher with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation.
Also lined in the series of talk on the day is a talk where traditional ecological knowledge is interwoven into interpretive communication the context of tourism. This will be presented Sarawak Forestry Corporation’s Victor Luna Amin who is known for his intriguing talks on traditional knowledge and augury myths in biodiversity conservation.
Wildlife photography plays an influencing role in the success of Biodiversity conservation outreach. To talk about the challenges and how the work of a wildlife photographer can have an impact on conservation, will be Ch’ien Lee, a biologist turned photographer.
No stranger to the Bornean rainforest, Ch’ien’s captivating wildlife photography have been used by international publishers including National Geographic, the Smithsonian and the BBC. All talks and activities featured during the Biodiversity Day 2018 are free and open to members of the public, and of all ages.
However, those who wish to attend these talks can contact the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre by calling 082-610610 to speak to Nurulliza Murtadza or Constance Vanessa Victor for an itinerary and to secure their seats at these talks.
They can also send an email to biosar@sbc.org.my to sign up for these talks, or alternatively leave a message on SBC’s official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/sarawak.biodiversity.centre
