USM, UKM To Research Orang Utan In Bukit Merah, Flora And Fauna In Belum Forest

PUTRAJAYA, July 10 (Bernama) -- Two Malaysian universities Thursday committed themselves to the preservation and conservation of and education and research on the Orang Utan on Orang Utan Island in Perak and the flora and fauna in the Belum Forest, also in that state. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) signed a memorandum of understanding for the five-year programmes with the Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island Foundation and the Pulau Banding Foundation, respectively. Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island Foundation Trustees Board chairman and Pulau Banding Foundation advisor Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar, USM vice-chancellor Prof Dr Omar Osman and UKM vice-chancellor Prof Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali were present at the signing, which was witnessed by Second Education Minister Idris Jusoh. Idris said the Orang Utan Island and the Belum Forest were huge national assets, not only to ensure balanced development but also for the use of research institutions as a niche area. "When people talk of the Orang Utan, they can refer to USM. When they talk of the Belum Forest flora and fauna, they can refer to UKM. They enable these universities to undertake research and education. "We are establishing this collaboration for the benefit of the people and the country," he told reporters after the signing ceremony. USM Professor of Biological Sciences Dr Mashhor Mansor said the research would aim to raise the status of the Orang Utan to that of the Panda because the Orang Utan was native to only Malaysia and Indonesia. "They are very iconic species whereas we do not have the room to conduct in-depth studies such as in the case of the Panda. Anything that we publish on the Orang Utan will reach the international level," he said. The Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island is the world's only ex situ (off-site) conservation centre for the Orang Utan, whereby an almost natural habitat had been created to prevent their extinction. The centre had leased nine Orang Utan from the Sarawak government and three more from the Melaka Zoo, and today the animals have multiplied to 24. The Pulau Banding Foundation, established in 2007, aims to promote, undertake, as well as perform research and studies on tropical rainforests. It developed from a vision of maintaining the sustainability of the Belum-Temengor Rainforest complex’s landscape, environment and communities. -- BERNAMA