UBD steps up to preserve the local 'kerangas' tree

RACHEL THIEN
BRUNEI-MUARA

Thursday, October 29, 2009


IN A major step to save a local tree from being endangered in Brunei, Universiti of Brunei Darussalam (UBD) pounced on the opportunity to rehabilitate forests around its campus by encouraging students to plant the native kerangas tree around the area yesterday.

Caring hands: Two UBD students soil their hands in the burnt kerangas forest near their campus' entrance as part of a rehabilitation effort under the university's Green Project in Tungku. The university pounced on the opportunity to rehabilitate forests around its campus by encouraging 60 students to plant the native kerangas tree yesterday. Not many people in the Sultanate give value to local species of trees as they are more interested in exotic species. Picture: BT/Saifulizam

UBD's Department of Biological Science Senior Lecturer Dr Kushan Tennakoon, also facilitator of UBD's Green Project workshop, told The Brunei Times that not many people in the Sultanate had given value to local species of trees as they were more interested in exotic species.

The senior lecturer explained that if students and staff did not support the rehabilitation of the kerangas, then the exotic Acacia shrub in the forests would invade its lands and alter the landscape.

"In collaboration with UBD's estate office, the forestry department, UBD's volunteer club and its student council, we decided to educate students on methods in planting the trees because we want to avoid the alteration process from happening, which could occur within the next few years," he said.

Considering students' critical role in the future of the country, UBD intended to inculcate as much knowledge as they could to students about preserving and rehabilitating forests.

UBD's Assistant Registrar of the Estate Office Hjh Maudena Hj Abd Hamid said this was the first time UBD had conducted a workshop specifically to educate students on planting trees and its purpose.

"We want students to develop the sense of being green, and we also hope that students will be able to pass on the message to others," she said.

However, she added it did not stop there. "We want follow-up actions, such as planting the trees after the workshop and maintaining the trees," she said, adding the reason for holding the workshop was to impart knowledge on skills in handling the trees.

Hjh Maudena also said the workshop and tree-planting activities were "hands-on training" that would ensure students would like taking part in conserving forests. "This initiative could even lead to students participating in projects of a broader scale, such as the Heart of Borneo project," she said.

Meanwhile, she added UBD's green initiative would also contribute indirectly to Heart of Borneo.

"Heart of Borneo concentrates on conserving Brunei's forests, but what we are doing is contributing to it by rehabilitating this special species of tree that lives all around us," she said.

Before students planted the 60 trees donated by the Forestry Department, they went into the forests surrounding the campus to gather saplings for the next cycle of tree planting.

"We want to continuously have a bank of saplings to rehabilitate this area, and that is why we are sending the students to gather them before actually planting this round of trees," Hjh Maudena said.

Senior Forestry Officer Noralinda Ibrahim said, "We are working with UBD because we want to re-green the area back to what it was before. This is also part of the climate change initiative," she said.

She was also pleased that UBD stepped forward to aid the department "green" Brunei.

However, she said that the forestry department was not only looking for students or the public to plant the trees, but to maintain them.

A total of 60 trees were planted during the event, involving more than 60 students and staff of the university.

Also present were 13 officials from the Forestry Department.

The Brunei Times