A scientific expedition comprising local and international researchers will be exploring the nation’s biodiversity until June 9, with their base camp at Batu Apoi Forest Reserve in the Temburong District.
The 11-day expedition, organised by the Forestry Department and Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), was launched by Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Abdul Manaf bin Haji Metussin yesterday.
The expedition comprised 31 participants from 10 research teams from local and international higher education institutions, including UBD, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from the United Kingdom.
According to the Forestry Department, the main focus of this expedition is to highlight the country’s pristine forest treasures, largely still in their original state, to the international community.
“This scientific expedition will involve several research projects from various disciplines related to biodiversity, including flora and fauna, forest ecology and ecosystems, non-timber forest products, microbiology, geology, hydrology and medicinal plants,” said the department.
“Through this study, we hope to obtain new findings and information about the country’s biodiversity, some of which will be shared through a conference presentation at the Brunei Darussalam Conference on Biodiversity on June 11-13.”
The expedition and biodiversity conference is an activity held in conjunction with the Brunei Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition 2024.
