The team of authors from Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s (UBD) Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER) and Biodiversity and Natural History Society (BruWILD) have compiled the various ferns found in the country to raise awareness and provide a reference point for this plant group, UBD’s IBER Director Dr Hussein bin Taha said.
He said this during the launch of the Ferntastic Brunei book and a posted titled, Ferns of Brunei Darussalam at the Simpur Cafe, UBD yesterday. The project is a collaborative effort between UBD and BruWILD, a non-governmental organisation.
Dr Hussein added; “As we all know, Brunei is home to a diverse collection of ferns that can be found everywhere in the forests of the country. Ferns have a variety of uses in our community, either being made into a dish such as lemiding and pakis or used as medicine.”
He added, “The rhizomes and leaves of brackish fern for example are widely used to treat infections and wounds. Some ferns are also known to remediate contaminated soil. Ferns are also important because they perform various ecological roles which sustain our forests and livelihoods.”
Like many other species, ferns face immense pressure from changes in their habitats. Thus he said, “The motivation for this book comes from the fact that ferns are understudied and with limited reports on them. We are pleased to present to you the Ferntastic Brunei coffeetable book that illustrates the various ferns found in Brunei Darussalam and some of the ethnobotanical connections that we share with these plants. This book represents one of the many initiatives and efforts that the IBER, particularly the UBD Botanical Research Centre (BRC), has carried out together with our counterparts to make sure that the research and conservation of our unique flora and fauna will continue to progress, and contribute towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
The event was officiated by UBD Vice-Chancellor Dr Hazri bin Haji Kifle and attended by Director of the Forestry Department at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) Hajah Noralinda binti Haji Ibrahim as well as members from BruWILD and UBD senior officials. Ferns are non-flowering plants and are typically identifiable through the sori (reproductive units) found underneath the leaves. As with many plants, humans rely on ferns for many uses such as food and medicine.
As ferns bear no flowers and their features do not have any striking colourations, they often go unnoticed. Fern diversity however, is stunning as ferns can be found in all the forest types in the Sultanate, with many varieties of species growing in different habitats.
Brunei currently records 300 fern species belonging to 37 families in 116 genera where this alone constitutes an estimated 23 per cent of fern diversity in Borneo. The launch of Ferntastic Brunei was complimented with a series of activities jointly organised by the IBER, UBD and the BruWILD, including a seminar on ferns and fern-inspired activities at the UBD BRC garden. – James Kon
