Friday, September 07, 2012

Mentawai Expedition to the Heart of Borneo attracts more than 100 participants


MIRI: The Mentawai Scientific Expedition for the third edition of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) series was launched on Wednesday.

Sponsored by the Sarawak Forestry Department, the expedition will see more than 100 people comprising scientists, researchers and officers from various agencies and universities camping in Mentawai Limbang from that day till September 17.

“Mentawai is targeted in view of its location in Mulu National Park famous for its variety of flora and fauna,” said Forestry Department deputy director Wan Shardini Wan Salleh, who represented his director Ali Yusup, in a symbolic launching ceremony complete with multimedia presentation, briefing and dinner for about 60 people in Mega Hotel here.

The Mentawai region, known as the Headhunter Trails, is located in Mulu National Park which is a Unesco-certified World Heritage Site.

“Its uniqueness is also influenced by the boundary factor with Brunei Darussalam and Bentung Kerihun National Park of the Republic of Indonesia.

“Therefore, on the basis of collaboration and understanding between three countries, this area becomes the focus of attention in the business of forest conservation,” said Wan Shardini, who hoped participants would enhance mutual cooperation besides recording findings made during the expedition.

In view of the vast natural wealth, Wan Shardini believed that more treasures were yet to be explored and recorded scientifically.

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