During the Penang Hill BioBlitz in October 2017, many rare and relatively unknown cyanobacteria species were detected among the algae samples collected. To understand their contribution to ecosystem functioning, and potential role in biotechnological developments, further study is necessary.
Read More “The Hidden Diversity of Subaerophytic Cyanobacteria on Penang Hill”
Spanning an area of around 500 hectares, in the northern region of Seberang Perai, lies one of the few remaining intact wetlands in Penang. The Teluk Air Tawar-Kuala Muda (TAT-KM) Coast is an internationally recognized Important Bird Area (IBA) and part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
Read More “Conserving the Migratory Shorebirds and Wetlands of Teluk Air Tawar-Kuala Muda Coast”
Clemens Fischer, who hails from Eberwalde, Germany is a researcher that spent some time at The Habitat Penang Hill doing what he loves best, exploring the forest canopy.
Read More “Clemens’ Research Gets off the Ground”
The Habitat Foundation is proud to have been a supporter of Langur Project Penang, an innovative citizen science project helping to educate the public to understand the challenges facing Penang’s captivating dusky langurs.
Jo Leen Yap, a promising young primatologist, has been spearheading Langur Project Penang to study the ecology and behaviour of dusky langurs in Penang since 2016. Dusky langurs spend most of their time feeding and sheltering on tall trees but they also need to cross the road from the forest to the coast to forage for plants that are important to their diet. The lack of tree connectivity means dusky langurs are at higher risk of casualty due to falling from cables or getting hit by vehicles.
LPP has shown itself to be an effective outreach tool, after having successfully organised and been apart of numerous nature education and awareness programmes including talks, workshops, festivals, science events and school and university outreach. The project has served as an important platform in Penang to educate the local community about wildlife in urban settings while promoting empathy and support for these species.
Through its citizen-science approach, LPP has also collected invaluable data on dusky langurs and other native arboreal wildlife in Penang. The interaction with the local community has established a long-term road ecology project where residents act as collaborators and volunteers in collecting dusky langur crossing hotspots. This translates into further awareness-raising and pragmatic steps to lower dusky langur mortality rates, such as the installation of a canopy bridge above the busy coastal road in Teluk Bahang.
LPP, in close collaboration with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, has already established itself as one of the main contact points for human-primate conflict and roadkill-related issues in Penang. Looking forward, LPP hopes to further introduce more canopy crossings between fragmented patches of trees as well as near residential areas.
Project Pteropus is a research initiative by Rimba Research to fill the gaps in our understanding of old-world fruit bats such as flying foxes (Pteropus spp., Acerodon spp.) which are known to be important ecosystem service providers, pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds over long distances.
Read More “Project Pteropus – Dr Sheema Abdul Aziz of Rimba”
Night Spotting Project is a research and conservation outreach initiative led by Priscillia Miard who has been studying nocturnal mammals for the past six years, a journey that has taken her from her native France, to the jungles of Brunei and Sabah.
Read More “Night Spotting Project – Priscillia Miard”
Langur Project Penang is an innovative citizen science project led by Jo Leen Yap, a promising young primatologist from Penang. The project is helping to educate the public to understand the challenges facing Penang’s captivating dusky langurs.
Read More “Langur Project Penang – Jo Leen Yap”