BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BRUNEI has been invited to share research findings on hornbills at the upcoming National Hornbill Conference in Miri, Sarawak.

The Sarawak Forestry Corporation will host the conference from August 11 to 13 in the neighbouring state, providing a platform for regional participants to discuss current status, future trends and challenges pertaining to conservation of hornbills in Malaysia.

Themed ‘Hornbill Survival in Fragmented Landscape’, the conference sessions will focus on the conservation status of hornbills; hornbill biology and husbandry; habitat fragmentation and connectivity; and importance of hornbills.

The keynote speaker for the three-day conference will be Professor Emeritus Pillai Poonswad from the Hornbill Research Foundation Faculty of Science at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand.

Her research on hornbills earned her the 2006 Rolex Award, which enabled her to implement a successful project that aimed to teach schoolchildren and villagers about the need to protect hornbills and their habitats, along with the installation of artificial nests for the birds.

As one of Thailand’s most prominent conservationists, Professor Emeritus Poonswad was also honoured with the 2006 Chevron Conservation Award for helping to reverse the decline of the hornbill species.

The conference will also feature speakers Professor Andrew Alek Tuen of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Oswald Braken Tisen of the Protected Areas and Biodiversity Cooperation at Sarawak Forestry Corporation.

Although the call for abstract was closed on May 11 for abstract submission and July 11 for full paper (non-edited) submission, the National Hornbill Conference is still accepting registrations before July 30 via www.sarawakforestry.com or www.facebook.com/hornbillconference2015.

Hornbills are a group of birds from the family Bucerotidae with eight species recorded in Sarawak. The majestic birds are closely associated with the local communities, where it is used as the state official crest.

The Brunei Times