FRIM IN F CUSISSN 1394-5467 March 2006

A Q u a r t e r l y O f T h e F o r e s t R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e M a l a y s i aA Q u a r t e r l y O f T h e F o r e s t R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e M a l a y s i a

FOR

EST

RESEARCH INSTITUTE

MALAYSIA

This issue’s focusThis issue’s focus

ForestForestManagementManagementSeraya-Ridge and Kapur Forests:Seraya-Ridge and Kapur Forests:Management PrescriptionsManagement Prescriptions

Also in this issueAlso in this issueFRIM Annual AwardsFRIM Annual AwardsBiological Diversity ConservationBiological Diversity ConservationFood for Thought - Fungi FocusFood for Thought - Fungi FocusGardens of FRIMGardens of FRIMOne Stop Nature Education Centre @FRIMOne Stop Nature Education Centre @FRIMBats : Friends or FoesBats : Friends or Foes

EDITORIAL BOARD

AdvisorsDato’ Dr Abdul Razak Mohd AliDr Abdul Rahim Nik

Technical EditorDr Chan Hung Tuck

Editor & Production CoordinatorNorhara Hussein

WriterNabila Nasir

FRIM In Focus (FIF) is distributed free of charge upon request. We welcome feedback on any of the FIF articles. Address comments and queries to :

Production CoordinatorFRIM In FocusForest Research Institute MalaysiaKepong, 52109 Selangor, Malaysia

Telephone603 – 62797482

Facsimile603 – 62731076

E – mailnorhara@frim.gov.my

Websitewww.frim.gov.my

Layout & DesignUneedis Sdn Bhd

FOREST MANAGEMENTSeraya-Ridge And Kapur Forests :

Management Prescriptions

Malaysia is lucky to be blessed with relatively large tracts of natural tropical forests that are rich in timber and other products. Consequently, timber and timber products industry is very important and the forestry sector plays a significant role in the country’s economy.

Malaysia’s supplies of timber resources are still being mainly sought from the undis-turbed forests, which naturally have high timber stocking of valuable species. Amongst such forest types are the unique Seraya-ridge and Kapur forests – extremely rich timber sources sought after by logging companies.

The Seraya-ridge forest is characterized by large trees, which is semi-gregarious in nature. It is a common hill forest type that occurs throughout the main range of Peninsular Malaysia. It forms a dominant stand of large canopy trees along the ridge granitic soil.

Kapur forests can be found on flat and undulating grounds, on foothills and hilly areas, but are mainly restricted to two large blocks along the east coast of Peninsular Malay-sia. Kapur has a competitive advantage compared to other trees due to its ability to withstand water stress, strong wind and to grow into large size trees.

All inland production forests are currently being managed under the SMS or Selective Management System that came into practice since 1978. The success of the SMS would be dependent on several determining factors such as tree growth andmortality rates, logging damage to the residual stand, an equitable net economic cut and adequacy of residual stock to ensure sustainability.

The issue at hand is that the implementation of the SMS is not being metconsistently and thus affecting the sustainability of many residual stands. Also, based on analysis from growth plots, the mortality rates per annum are higher than expected.

In addition, logging damages inflicted on the residual stands are much higher then anticipated. It has been identified that the damages to the residuals and the younger regeneration are mainly from the use of heavy machinery that moreover results in an inadequacy of residuals at the end of cutting cycles.

SMS can potentially be a high grading system that tends to cull out the best commercial species, the impact of high grading however, may be evident after more than one cutting cycle.

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Kapur forest at FRIM

Root buttress of Kapur

The impacts of high grading could be reduced if a conservative approach is taken in decisions on cutting regimes. It is also indicated that the clumping of species in Seraya-ridge and Kapur forests may result in high logging damage if fixed cutting limits are applied.

A simulation could demonstrate the potential damage that could be inflicted on a Seraya-ridge forest if unsuitable cutting limits, although fulfilling the SMS selection criteria,were applied. It was indicated that application of single cutting limit could result in a large amount of timber removed from the area resulting in high damage and a poor and impoverished stand.

Therefore, it is proposed that an alternative management prescription is to be applied for unique forests such as the Seraya-ridge and Kapur forests, to ensure that sufficient healthy residuals are retained for the next crop, the integrity of the forest structure is maintained by avoiding large gaps, the regen-erative capacity of the stand is not compromised, species composition of the desired residuals is not reduced, and an economic cut is fulfilled.

The chronological of activities of the proposed management prescription to be adopted are to implement pre-felling inventory, to make an assessment of the grow-ing stock, and lastly, to determine the threshold level of harvest.

In this inventory, all trees above 30 cm dbh (diameter at breast height) will be fully enumerated and mapped. The information to be collected includes species, tree coordi-nates, health condition and merchantable height.

Based on the results of the inventory, an assessment of the growing stock would be made. Stock and stand reports would be generated for trees, basal area, volume and stand density index. Then, a maximum threshold for harvesting would be determined to ensure sufficient residuals are retained for the next crop and that the regenerative capacity of the stand is not compromised. The tree location map generated would assist in determining trees to be felled.

Forests managers would be able to produce a GIS map of the area that indicates the position of the trees, the alignment of the roads to be constructed, the buffer zones and the protected areas. The GIS map could also be enhanced to include the direction of felling, slope classes and drainage pattern.

Having this, a software could be developed to assist in the selection of trees to be felled based on the criteria selected. Collecting information on tree positions may incur additional costs, but the value of the data for planning is worthier than this.

Identifying tree positions enables the manager to better plan the forest operation before, during and after logging. Some of the aspects that could be facilitated include stratification of the area based on stocking density and skid trails and landing sites, planning the rehabilitation work and monitoring of the harvesting operations. It could also assist in timber certification by providing evidence on the number of residuals retained.

In unique forests such the Seraya-ridge and Kapur forests, where the stocking commercials are very high and where large trees dominate more than 80 percent of the net stand volume; apply-ing a strict cutting limit approach to management would result in a high removal of the growing stock. This approach is detrimental, as it will cause extensive damages to the residual stand, not only in terms of stocking but also soil damage and overall reduction in productivity.

Therefore, the suggested approach would ensure that the integrity of the residual forest stand is not compromised to an extent that will affect its capacity to regenerate to the desired crop within the cutting cycle. However, it has been proposed that the method be tested further and studied in a suitable area to evaluate its effectiveness and efficiency.

Summarised from the project paper “Proposed Management Perscription for Seraya-ridge and Kapur Forests” bySamsudin Musa, Dr Abd Rahman Kassim & Dr Shamsuddin Ibrahim

Photos: Asmar Hassan

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Kapur forest at FRIM

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“Furniture Components Made From Laminated Veneer Oil Palm (LVOP)”, a project led by Abdul Hamid bin Saleh won the FRIM Best Research Award at the Institute’s Awards Day and 20th Anniversary ceremony held on 9 December 2005.

The occasion was officiated by Dato’ Sazmi b. Miah, the Parlimentary Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

The Best Thesis Award (Ph.D. category) went to Fathilah binti Abdul Razak from the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya. Her thesis was entitled, “An in vitro study on the potential anti-plaque effect of Piper betel and Psidium guajava”.

The ceremony also saw 64 FRIM staff members receiving Individual Award for Excellent Service and 52 receiving the Award for Long Service (Anugerah Khidmat Setia). The Annual Best Staff Award went to Mohd Zaki bin Mohd Isa (professional and management group) and Asmar bin Haji Hassan (support group).

In conjunction with the ceremony, FRIM’s Terengganu Tradi-tional House was also officiated by Dato‘ Sazmi. This rare and antique 100-year-old ’Rumah Bujang Berserambi Selasar’ was originally situated 50 m from Terengganu River in Pulau Rusa. It was purchased and relocated into the FRIM grounds as part of the collection and display of traditional Malay houses.

FRIM AnnuaLAnnuaLAwardsAwards

One of the recipients of the Excellent Service Award

Dato’ Sazmi officiating the Terengganu Traditional House

Dato’ Sazmi addressing FRIM staff

Photos : Asmar Hassan

Biological Diversity ConservationI m p r o v e d F o r e s t P l a n n i n g To o l s t o S u s t a i n t h e D i v e r s i t y o f L i f e

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Biological diversity has been one of the most discussed topics in the effort to reach the UN’s Millenium Development Goal (MDG) and Malaysia is fully committed to protect and conserve biological diversity in its natural tropical forest.

In trying to fulfill this noble commitment, Malaysia, through the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) has proposed a targeted research project on “Conservation of Biological Diver-sity Through Improved Forest Planning Tools” to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for funding.

Tropical rainforests are the most complex and diverse ecosys-tems on earth. In addition to having extremely rich and diverse plant and animal life, these forests also play a signifi-cant role in the socio-economic development of the countries that harbor them. These countries also value the forests for their roles in the maintenance of soil and water resources, stabilizing climate and the conservation of biological diversity.

However, current forest management practices in many tropi-cal countries tend to over-emphasize timber production. Appropriate planning tools that will enable planners and decision makers to decide on areas for conserving the rich biological diversity in tropical forest ecosystems are lacking especially within production forests. This deficiency would certainly threaten sustainability and conservation of biological diversity.

This project will develop tools that are needed to ensure that productive forests are planned and managed in a manner that will contribute to biodiversity conservation, besides sustain-ing a removal of timber species to meet the demand by timber industries. Therefore, the tools that will be developed by the

project will complement efforts to promote sustainable management of tropical rainforests.

It is also now generally accepted that effective biodiversity conservation strategies must include the integration of biodi-versity considerations into the management of timber production forests.

This is especially crucial when those forests adjacent to protected areas that contain assemblages of species that are not well-represented elsewhere. Inadequate valuation of biodiversity in developmental decision-making will continue to result in inefficient allocation of forest resources to conser-vation.

This research project addresses these gaps and will develop tools that enable forest planners to assess the adequacy of existing protected areas for biodiversity conservation and, if there is a need to establish additional areas, to determine how large they should be and where they should be located. The project will also include predicting impacts of management on biodiversity and developing models to predict biodiversity changes related to current management practices.

Though the project was not designed to implement specific logging practices, it will examine the impact of experimental logging techniques that seek to maintain the three dimen-sional structures of the forest.

Summarized from the project paper “Conservation of Biological Diversity Through Improved Forest Planning Tools” by Dr Shamsuddin Ibrahim & Samsudin Musa.

Photo: Asmar Hassan

Tropical rainforest – a diverse ecosystem

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We are all quite familiar with mushrooms or larger fungi.

Take a peek at a local supermarket; the succulent oyster

mushroom, the ever-famous shiitake, the canned button

mushroom and the popular medicinal Ling-zhi. These

cultivated or imported fungi are household names that

need no introduction.

However, there are local larger fungi which are equally

delicious and are said to contain high medicinal values

which are less known to the Malaysian public. Names like

‘cendawan sisir’ or ‘cendawan busut’, though very rarely

found in supermarkets, are sometimes sold at ‘pasar

malam’ or the night market.

The indigenous people of Malaysia and other rural

communities consume certain wild mushroom for food

and medicine. However, not much is known about this

and there has been very little documentation on the

types and species of fungi they consume.

FRIM researchers took to the task in documenting the

indigenous knowledge of fungi utilization as it has never

really been systematically recorded. They subsequently

met up with the sub-tribes of Semai, Temuan, Bateq, Che

Wong and Jakun from the three states of Selangor, Perak

and Pahang.

Armed with pictures of some commonly encountered

forest fungi, the researchers carried out interviews with

the indigenous people who were mostly represented by

the ‘tok batin’ or elders of the village. They were shown

Food forthoughtFungi Focus

Cendawan busut (Termitomyces sp.)

Cendawan merbau (Clavulina sp.)

Cendawan perah (Amauroderma subresinosum)

Betes kismas (Lignosus sp.)

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pictures of the fungi and asked to give their names for the fungi. Whenever possible, the researchers went together with them to collect the fungi. Unlike collecting plants, this activity has to be carried out during the fruiting season of the fungi.

Many compounds useful to humans have been discovered from fungi and these include antibiotics, immuno-suppressants, immuno-potentiators and anti-tumour. Besides this, most edible fungi have rich taste. Orang asli are more versatile in their consumption of fungi as food or medicinal purposes. As with most folk tradition, the knowledge of these fungi was passed down verbally from one generation to another.

FRIM researchers recorded 38 species of edible fungi from the survey. Among the edible ones are ‘cendawan busut’, ‘cendawan perah’, ‘cendawan merbau’ or Clavulina sp. There

are about 19 species of medicinal fungi used for treating various ailments such as itchiness, sore eyes, and even as birth control.

One particular fungus known to the Semai as ‘Betes kismas’ or Lignosus sp. has many uses including for the treatment of asthma, cough, fever, cancer, liver-related illnesses, joint pains and they are also used by men to revitalize their bodies and as medicines for women after child-birth. However, to the Semai, this fungus is usually used to enhance paddy yield.

According to Dr Chang Yu Shyun, a Senior Research Officer from the Medicinal Plants Programme at FRIM, approximately 25% of the fungi in Malaysia have been properly studied, and there is still much that we do not know about this particular group of organisms.

Photos: Dr Y.S. Chang & Dr S.S. Lee

FRIM IN FOCUS 6FRIM researchers interviewing the indigenous people

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KEPONG BOTANIC GARDEN

GARDENSOF FRIM

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A botanical garden is a museum of live plants that houses planted flora for the purpose of research, especially in botany. A 200 acres area has been allocated for the Kepong Botanic Garden as part of the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). Situated at the edge of the Bukit Lagong and Bukit Hari Forest Reserves, it was originally an abandoned tin mine, covered by bushes. A large part of the area is configured hill slopes and lakes of various sizes. Previously, this location has also been a site for pine forest.

Envisioning a tropical botanic garden, the Kepong Botanic Garden (KBG) is connoted to be the centre of excellence in the conservation of flora and their habitats as well as an axis of knowledge to the general public regarding the roles and importance of plants, forests and the e nvironment as a whole. It also acts as an information focal point and a core-breeding centre for plants in Malaysia.

FRIM’s mission amid the KBG is to facilitate an eminent centre for research in horticulture, botany and ethnobotany, as well as works on domestication and documentation of selected tropical plants, and education. It is also part of FRIM’s effort to create public awareness on the significance of plants and forests to the environment and to provide a recreation space within the botanic garden. Moreover, it is an exceptional approach using resources to its fullest in producing high quality plants and fulfilling the much needed research infrastructure for forestry in Malaysia.

“Many do not know that Malaysia is the twelfth country in the world in mega biodiver-sity, and much efforts have been taken to preserve this biodiversity. Therefore, KBG has been built to highlight the heritage of Malaysia’s rich nature,” said Noorsiha Ayop, a Research Officer at the Garden Management Unit of FRIM.

Solanum macranthum

Costus speciosus

Hoya sp.

more on next page

One would imagine the complicated processes involved in order to ensure the success of ex-situ conservation, a method of preservation that takes a specimen out of its habitat and nurtures it in another environment altogether. At the KBG, the infrastructure support is provided for such efforts. The ground also includes the edifice of various themed gardens such as orchids, gingers, aroids, ferns, palms and climbers. There are also terraces of plants with economic and medicinal values, decora-tive shrubberies and various species of timber. Adding to the already impressive array of flora is a part of vegetation life that can only be found in specific habitats such as limestone and fresh water swamps. Exhibitions on plants according to their characterizations will also be exposited.

“Unlike the botanic garden in Penang, which functions as a place of recreation and history, the KBG’s role is to be a centre of research excellence and an education whistle stop for the public to learn of the various species of plants available in Malaysia. Although having said that, there are tracks lining round the KBG for visitors who take pleasure in jogging and cyclingwhile enjoying the lush tropical surroundings” Noorsiha added.

Set to be opened to the public soon, the Kepong Botanic Garden, needless to say, would not be ofdisappointment to its patrons.

Photos: Noorsiha Ayop

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ETHNOBOTANIC GARDENThe term ‘ethnobotany’ defines the study of all plants which are of economic importance, or considered as the cultural and social heritage of certain ethnic group. The 0.7 ha ethnobotanic garden at FRIM houses collection of plants used in traditional medicine and which sometimes are of economic importance too.

Realizing the limited attention given to the study of medicinal and aromatic plants, FRIM Ethnobotanic Garden was established with the main purpose of research. However, it is also intended to promote public awareness and appreciation of the value and importance of these plants.

The garden is a repository of more than 200 species of both local and introduced species of medicinal and aromatic plants with particular emphasis on the species from the Malaysian forests. Majority of the species are used in traditional remedies.

In this garden, the plants are planted according to types - forest species, ornamentals, citruses, gingers, fruit trees, vegetables, ferns, palms and climbers. The seedlings or saplings of these plants were collected from various places in Malaysia including Johor, Perak, Selangor, Pahang and Terengganu.

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Asam gelugor

(Garcinia atroviridis)

FRIM Ethnobotanic Garden

Fruits of Garcinia atroviridis

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Kepong Botanic Garden FRIM IN FOCUS

In an interview with Zainon Abu Samah, an ethnobotanist at FRIM, she said that the garden focuses on the collection of forest species used by the indigenous people in their traditional medicine. “We target an addition of 10 - 15 species to the garden every year” she said.

“People do not realize enough how important it is to conserve these plants and to learn of their values as they bring many benefits to us. Therefore, this ethnobotanic garden at FRIM would help them to understand the agricul-tural principles of the indigenous people,” Zainon added.

Some useful plants in the FRIMEthnobotanic Garden

Garcinia atroviridis, locally known as ‘asam gelugor’. Extracts taken from the roots, leaves and stems of this plant are high in anti-oxidants and used to treat rheumatism. Eurycoma longifolia, the famous ‘tongkat ali’ is consumed to revitalize the body.

Piper betle, also known as ‘sireh melayu’ is used as an antibacterial agent.

Goniothalamus scortechinii, also known as ‘gajah beranak’ in Malay, is used to improve blood circulation.

Though the highlight of the garden is the Ethnobotanic Garden is the ex-situ conservation of plants. FRIM is also stressing on domestication aspect. In addition to this, the garden also functions as an education centre for the public. It is a popular place for visitors to FRIM , in particular with students from schools, colleges and the universities.

FRIM researchers evaluate the therapeutic as well as commercial potential of medicinal and aromatic plants. Besides conducting basic research on these plants, FRIM in collaboration with SIRIM Bhd. has successfully developed personal care products and insect repellents using essential oils from ‘serai wangi’ or Cymbopogon nardus.

FRIM is also assisting the local industries through training, development and application of modern techniques in the production process of herbal and medicinal products. MOUs have also been signed with several companies to develop the standardized extracts into cosmeceutical prod-ucts. It is also here that the university students find the opportunity to conduct research and receive relevant training. They could also benefit from the comprehensive ethnobotanical information provided by FRIM researchers.

At the moment, FRIM Ethnobotanic Garden is a growing trove of medicinal and aromatic plants and FRIM intends to expand into its full potential.

Photos: Zainon Abu Samah & Dr Y.S. Chang

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Tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia)

Sireh melayu (Piper betle)

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With environmental education as the

main purpose of the Centre, displayed

on the walls of NEC’s main hall are the

objectives:

To promote appreciation and

conservation of the natural

heritage

To instill positive attitude towards

the environment

To explore the rich and diverse

natural resources in the

environment

In line with the objectives, the NEC has

developed a series of modules that

cover major issues relating to environ-

ment education and awareness in

Malaysia today. These modules are

then implemented in the form of

nature camps that are open to the

general public.

The nature camps could span between

half a day to three days. Participants

could choose which program they are

interested in.

The topics that the NEC focuses on are

insect study, forest ecology, freshwater

stream ecology, the 3R concept

(reduce, reuse and recycle),

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The FRIM-MNS-SHELL Nature Education Centre (NEC) was established in 1993 and is situated within the lush tropical forest of the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) manages the NEC with an annual grant from Shell Malaysia. This tri-partite effort aims to increase awareness of nature and the envi-ronment and to reach out to the public, especially children. Housed in a renovated bungalow at the end of Jalan Symington in the grounds of FRIM, it is just 16 km away from the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

ONESTOPNature Education Centre

!

FRIM@Enjoying games organized by the NEC

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Those interested to find out more about theNEC can contact:

Nature Education CentreTel : 03 – 62771703Fax : 03 – 62754376Email : frimnec@po.jaring

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and wildlife. These activities are supplemented by

other fun and informal activities such as night walks

and blind trails, which encourage experiential

learning for the participants. On a clear night, they

might even have an astronomy class while stargaz-

ing!

As the safety of the participants is of vital

importance to the NEC, there would be at least one

education officer on the premise at all times, and

facilitators would guide activities that involve some

degree of risk.

The NEC has two dormitories with a total of 36 beds

furnished with fans and attached bathrooms. Bed

sheets, pillowcases and blankets are also provided.

For large groups, arrangements for camping could

be made. For overnight camps, food is included in

the package. Typically, the dishes served are

Malaysian delicacies such as nasi lemak, nasi ayam

and chicken curry.

Apart from the nature camps, the NEC has other

activities in store such as nature talks and

exhibitions. It is also an excellent place to source for

research materials. Reference books and

educational materials are available for sale. Besides

that, visitors and guests could also make use of the

photocopy machine and audio visual aid such as the

LCD, slide projector, OHP, television and VCR. Field

course equipments such as binoculars and

microscopes are also made available. Furthermore,

they could bring Malaysian Nature Society

souvenirs home.

Having all the resources and expertise available to

assist participants to explore nature, the FRIM-

MNS-SHELL Nature Education Centre is without a

doubt, the hub for gaining environmental

knowledge and valuable experiences.

Photos: Courtesy of NEC

“What have I caught in my net ?”

“Wow ! what a big fungi ….”

“This is how you recycle paper …”

Learning about stream ecology

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Bats are not an uncommon sight in most urban areas. Although you may never have a bat in your house, you cannot avoid them. Bats are shy, intelligent ani-mals that are important to our ecosystem and of considerable benefit to humans.

Friends or FoesBATSBATS

Christine Fletcher fell in love with bats the moment she laid

eyes on them, caught in her harp trap in Gunung Nuang way

back in 1999. She has never looked back since. She began

studying bat species at various altitudes of Gunung Nuang in

Selangor.

Christine’s current research at Krau Wildlife Reserve in Pahang

is to understand the selection criteria of bat roosts - a project

funded by the Malaysian Bat Conservation Research Unit

(MBCRU) in collaboration with FRIM. Her work at the MBCRU

includes conducting Earthwatch expeditions and creating

environmental awareness. She says, “As we continue to

encroach into bats’ natural habitats and cut down trees, we

are bound to encounter them taking up residence in our

homes and offices.”

“There is no need for us to kill or capture bats as they bring no

harm. They are simply little winged creatures lost in this

concrete jungle we have created for ourselves,” Christine

added.

Rhinolophus sedulus

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A few facts on bats that you might not have known before. Bats are the ONLY ‘true’ flying mammal (ironically, flying squirrels can’t fly but use non-powered glide)

Bats are not blind. Bats do have eyes. In fact, the eyes of the fruit-eating bats are relatively large because they depend highly on their sense of sight and smell to locate fruits at night. The eyes of insect-eating bats are so small because they use more of their echolocation ability to detect fast flying insects.

Bats do not suck blood! There are three vampire bat species in Central and South America but none in Asia. They feed mostly on the blood of cattle and birds by pricking a hole in the skin and lap up the blood that flows out. Bats are not dirty. Like cats, they frequently groom and clean themselves using their tongue and claws. Bats not only live in caves, but also in a variety of habitats; fallen tress, under leaves, under bridges, eaves of roofs, abandoned houses, tunnels and drains. The wings of bats are essentially elongated finger bones and a skin membrane that stretch between the fingers to form the wing. Hence the order Chiroptera to which bats belong to. Chiroptera means ‘hand wing’ in Greek. The hind limb of a bat rotates 180 degrees so that its knees face backwards. This helps it to hang upside down with their feet. Like humans, bats give birth to the young, as frequent as once a year. They nurse the young from a pair of mammary glands. At birth, the baby weighs a third of the adult weight. That is equivalent to a 60 kg mother giving birth to a 20 kg baby!

Most bats are very faithful and devoted to their mates. For a mammal of its size, it has exceptionally long life – 34 years.

There are 1111 species of bats worldwide. 126 species are found in Malaysia, of which 108 species are insect-eating bats and 18 are fruit-eating bats. Up to 40% of the mammals in Malaysia and 50% of the mammals in Malaysian rainforests are bats. Already 25% are listed as vulnerable to extinction.

The smallest bat in the world is the bumblebee bat found only in Thailand and Myanmar weighing less than 2 g and have a wingspan of 15 cm. The largest bat in the world is the giant flying fox found in Malaysia with a wingspan of 180 cm!

Bats are the main pollinators of the ‘durian’ (Durio zibethinus) and ‘petai’ (Parkia speciosa) flowers generating up to an annual US$120 million worth of durian fruits throughout Southeast Asia and USD$2.8 million in Klang Valley of Peninsular Malaysia alone. Bats are excellent as natural pest control. A single insect-eating bat can catch up to 1200 tiny insects in an hour.

In Peninsular Malaysia, only the flying foxes are partially protected. Regulated hunting is still permitted under license. Only in Sarawak are all bat species protected by law.

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Though more often than not, Christine gets queries from people who are keen to get rid of their furry bat friends from their homes and offices. She recommends the following ways of getting the bats out of the wanted area without harming them:

If bats are found in closed rooms or buildings; at sunset observe where these bats leave the room from. There should be a a way through which they gain entry. Once this exit/entrance is found, block it or close it. If bats are roosting under the eaves of the roof, lining the roosting surface with aluminium foil or zinc sheets may prevent bats from hanging there because the surface is too slippery for them to claw onto. Installing small electric fans or flood lights may act as a deterent. When there is a single bat in a room, open all windows and doors leading outside to give the bat a chance to escape. Do not try to herd the bat towards a window. Just allow it to calmly gain its bearings. Within ten to fifteen minutes the bat should settle down, locate the open door or window and fly out of the room.

On a last note Christine said, “if all else fails, take advantage of their guano. Place plastic sheets, suspended under their roosts or on the floor directly below their favourite feeding spot in the evening and simply put away the sheets in the morning. It’s a win-win situation. We give bats a place to live and they control our insect pests and fertilize our gardens!”

Photos: Christine Fletcher

Kerivoula papillosa emerging from roost

Rhinolophus sedulus in a roost

Rhinolophus trifoliatus and pup

Typical roost entrance of Hipposideros ridleyi bats

Typical roost preferred by Rhinolophussedulus bats

fRIM 20052005Tahun 2005 menyaksikan FRIM terus berjaya menonjolkan keunggulannya sebagai sebuah institusi penyelidikan hutan tropika yang disegani dunia. Kejayaan demi kejayaan telah diraih oleh FRIM dan para penyelidiknya pada pering-kat tempatan mahupun antarabangsa.

Dua belas program penyelidikan termasuk latar belakang, matlamat, objektif dan bidang-bidang keutamaan serta bidang tumpuan penyelidikan bagi RMK-9 telah dikenal pasti sebagai komponen utama penyelidikan FRIM. Program tersebut ialah: Sustainable Management of Natural Forests; Quantification and Sustenance of Ecological Functions and Services of Forests; Conservation and Management of Forest Biodiversity; Urban Forestry and Forest Recreation Management; Plantation Forests for Sustainable Development of Forest Industries; Natural Products Discovery and Herbal Processing Technology; In Search of Promising Lead Compounds for the Development of Phytopharmaceuticals; Biotechnology in Forestry for Knowledge and Wealth Creation; Discovering New Drug Leads for Targeted Diseases; Protection and Development of Wood-Based Products; Quality and Market Enhancement via Technology Development; dan Utilisation of Wood and Wood Fibres for Value-Added Products.

Pada tahun 2005, pembiayaan IRPA berjumlah RM8 juta telah diluluskan bagi tiga projek penyelidikan di FRIM. Dua projek utama ialah Flora of Peninsular Malaysia dan Conser-vation Monitoring of Some Rare and Threatened Plants of Peninsular Malaysia di bawah program Safeguarding the Forest Plant Biodiversity of Peninsular Malaysia.

Lembaga Penyelidikan dan Pembangunan Perhutanan Malaysia (MFRDB) telah meluluskan sebanyak RM200 000 bagi pembiayaan dua projek penyelidikan FRIM. Salah satu daripada projek tersebut ialah projek berkaitan kelip-kelip (Pteroptyx taner). Di bawah projek ini, tabiat pemakanan pelbagai peringkat tumbesaran kelip-kelip telah dikenal pasti. FRIM juga berjaya membiak kelip-kelip di dalam makmal. Satu seminar bagi pengusaha kelip-kelip telah diadakan di Kampung Kuantan, Selangor pada 24 April 2005.

Buku Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak Jilid 5 telah diterbit-kan. Famili tumbuhan yang didokumentasi di dalam Jilid 5 termasuklah Apocynaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Symploca-ceae dan Thymelaceae. Tahun 2005 juga menyaksikan beberapa judul baru bagi penerbitan bersiri FRIM yang lain.

Di bawah naungan Pasukan Petugas Khas Jawatankuasa Operasi Menanam Pokok-Pokok Bakau dan Spesies-Spesies yang Sesuai di Persisiran Pantai Negara, Jawatankuasa Teknikal Penyelidikan dan Pembangunan telah menganjur-kan Bengkel Kebangsaan di Sungai Petani, Kedah dari 13-14 Jun 2005 bagi membincangkan pengalaman, isu-isu,

masalah dan cabaran-cabaran yang dihadapi. Peruntukan sebanyak RM1 juta telah diluluskan untuk membiayai pelak-sanaan projek pada tahun 2006.

Persidangan dan seminar yang turut dianjur oleh FRIM dalam tahun ini termasuklah Perhimpunan Agung ke-6 bagi International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME) yang telah diadakan di Kuala Lumpur pada 24 Ogos 2005 dengan kerjasama ISME, UNDP-GEF, Wetland International, ITTO dan Jabatan Perhutanan Semenanjung Malaysia. Pada perhim-punan tersebut juga diadakan Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Eksekutif ISME, simposium hutan bakau yang bertajuk The Importance of Mangrove and other Coastal Ecosystems in Mitigating Tsunami Disasters, bengkel Global Mangrove Information System (GLOMIS) dan lawatan ke lapangan di Matang, Perak dari 23-26 Ogos 2005.

Seminar Tumbuhan Ubatan dan Beraroma 2005 yang bertajuk Harnessing Cures from Nature: Trends and Prospects telah diadakan di Kuala Lumpur dari 13-14 September 2005, dan diikuti dengan pameran Herbal Asia dari 15-18 Septem-ber 2005 juga di Kuala Lumpur.

Conference on Forestry and Forest Products Research (CFFPR) 2005 yang bertajuk Investment for Sustainable Heritage and Wealth turut diadakan di Kuala Lumpur dari 22-24 Novem-ber 2005.

Dr Rahim Sudin, seorang penyelidik FRIM telah dinobatkan sebagai Tokoh Pekerja Lelaki sempena Hari Pekerja 2005 dan sekali gus telah menyemarakkan lagi nama FRIM di persada dunia penyelidikan saintifik. Penyelidik-penyelidik FRIM yang lain juga berjaya membolot lima pingat pada pertandingan Reka Cipta, Inovasi dan Teknologi Reka Bentuk Industri Malaysia 2005 serta satu pingat gangsa di International Exhibition of Inventions, Geneva dari 6-10 April 2005.

Penyelidik FRIM turut mendapat pengiktirafan antara-bangsa dengan pelantikan Dr Chan Hung Tuck sebagai Naib Presiden ISME serta Dr Lee Su See sebagai Ahli Lembaga International Union of Forestry Organisations (IUFRO) (2005-2010) dan Management Committee Member, IUFRO (2006-2010). Dr Noor Azlin Yahya dilantik sebagai Commissioner for Malaysia, International Federation of Parks & Recreation Administration (IFPRA) manakala Dr Saw Leng Guan pula dilantik sebagai AJK Audit Sains, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom.

Mesyuarat Ketua-Ketua Eksekutif Badan Berkanun yang dipengerusikan oleh Ketua Setiausaha Negara telah diada-kan di FRIM pada 26 September 2005. Sebagai tanda kenang-kenangan mesyuarat, satu majlis menanam pokok telah diadakan di Taman Botani Kepong.

sepintas lalu...sepintas lalu...Nik Zanariah N.M. & Dr H.T. Chan