UK bat expert to attend UBD biodiversity meet
Saturday, June 9, 2007
A NATURAL history and chiroptera specialist from the University of Aberdeen will be on a British High Commission-funded visit to the sultanate next week to participate in a conference on biodiversity at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).
University of Aberdeen's Professor Paul Racey, will be attending the three-day Biodiversity Crisis on Tropical Islands conference organised by UBD's Biology Department. The conference, which will begin on June 11, will focus on deforestation, biodiversity loss, conservation and the Heart of Borneo initiative.
Professor Racey, who co-chairs the Chiroptera Specialist Group (CSG), will be one of the keynote speakers during the terrestrial biodiversity session of the conference, and will be presenting a piece on "Reconciling livelihoods and flying fox conservation".
Chiropterology is the study of a mammal, such as the bat, which is a member of the order Chiroptera and has forelimbs modified as wings.
A veteran bat researcher since the past 20 years, the well-travelled professor has also won numerous awards for his achievements and services to chiropterology. He is a recipient of the Gerritt S Miller award from the community of bat researchers of North America, and has also been awarded the UK Mammal Society's Medal.
In a press statement, British High Commissioner to Brunei John Saville expressed delight to support the conference and congratulated UBD on the initiative.
"As a strong supporter of the Heart of Borneo (initiative), I see scientific input is vital, both to help policymakers in the government understand what they can do and to tell them if it works. I hope that the visit by Professor Racey will further strengthen academic links in the life sciences between Brunei and the UK," he said.
At least eight internationally recognised researchers and conservation workers will be expected to give keynote addresses on topics, such as biodiversity appraisal and losses; extinction of endemics; threats due to alien introductions; and conservation initiatives. The conference is being organised in a tie-up with the 20th anniversary of the founding of the university.
Professor Racey is also a Council Officer on Cambridge-based Fauna & Flora International, the world's first international conservation organisation instrumental in establishing much of today's global and local conservation infrastructure, including organisations, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, IUCN - The World Conservation Union and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora, and conservation instruments such as the Red List of endangered species.
The Brunei Times
University of Aberdeen's Professor Paul Racey, will be attending the three-day Biodiversity Crisis on Tropical Islands conference organised by UBD's Biology Department. The conference, which will begin on June 11, will focus on deforestation, biodiversity loss, conservation and the Heart of Borneo initiative.
Professor Racey, who co-chairs the Chiroptera Specialist Group (CSG), will be one of the keynote speakers during the terrestrial biodiversity session of the conference, and will be presenting a piece on "Reconciling livelihoods and flying fox conservation".
Chiropterology is the study of a mammal, such as the bat, which is a member of the order Chiroptera and has forelimbs modified as wings.
A veteran bat researcher since the past 20 years, the well-travelled professor has also won numerous awards for his achievements and services to chiropterology. He is a recipient of the Gerritt S Miller award from the community of bat researchers of North America, and has also been awarded the UK Mammal Society's Medal.
In a press statement, British High Commissioner to Brunei John Saville expressed delight to support the conference and congratulated UBD on the initiative.
"As a strong supporter of the Heart of Borneo (initiative), I see scientific input is vital, both to help policymakers in the government understand what they can do and to tell them if it works. I hope that the visit by Professor Racey will further strengthen academic links in the life sciences between Brunei and the UK," he said.
At least eight internationally recognised researchers and conservation workers will be expected to give keynote addresses on topics, such as biodiversity appraisal and losses; extinction of endemics; threats due to alien introductions; and conservation initiatives. The conference is being organised in a tie-up with the 20th anniversary of the founding of the university.
Professor Racey is also a Council Officer on Cambridge-based Fauna & Flora International, the world's first international conservation organisation instrumental in establishing much of today's global and local conservation infrastructure, including organisations, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, IUCN - The World Conservation Union and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora, and conservation instruments such as the Red List of endangered species.
The Brunei Times
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