Sarawak Air Pollution

Elevated air pollution readings, signifying bad air quality over the past 20 years, were primarily identified as a result of haze stemming from uncontrolled fires in neighbouring countries, particularly during El Niño events. The readings were taken at Kuching. http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2024-5303-11

New Species

Seven new species of the genus Rhyparus Westwood, 1845(Beetles) are described and illustrated. One is from Borneo. Studies and Reports Taxonomical Series 20 (1): 131-152, 2024

Wind Speed

The highest wind speeds occur in Kuching from July to September for three years. The wind speed was consistent for the whole of Malaysia. /doi.org/10.3390/en17071563

Nusantara

The Indonesia New Capital Nusantara (IKN) project envisions a modern, sustainable city to replace Jakarta, situated in Borneo. The blue economy refers to the ocean and coastal resources to support economic growth, improve livelihoods, and promote environmental sustainability. It encompasses a wide range of economic activities and sectors related to oceans and seas, such as fisheries, aquaculture, maritime transport, tourism, renewable energy from the ocean, and marine biotechnology. This paper develops actionable recommendations for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders involved in the Indonesian New Capital. CAFEO 41 Engineering Conference Proceeding, Bali 21-23 Nov 2023

The History of Rainforests

Old-world rainforests began their evolution at different times and different periods. Paleotropical and Neotropical began their evolution in the late Cretaceous. (100-66 million years ago) The paleotropical areas include most of Africa south of the equator across to Borneo Island. The neotropical regions include Central and South America. The trees evolved in Sudan spread to India as it was moving north and then to Southeast Asia about 46 million years ago. The new plants and animals replaced a poorly developed ecosystem. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP549-2023-73

Tree Diversity

The number of species of plants in a tropical rainforest is dependent on several factors. For example, tree diversity declines with elevation because many species do not tolerate lower temperatures. Likewise, seasonally dry periods also affect diversity because many plants cannot tolerate a prolonged drought. Infertile soils may remove species with high nutrient requirements. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes may cause major species turnover events that could have an archipelago-wide impact on current diversity. As one moves from Sumatra, through Malaya, across to Borneo (Sunda) and then across the Wallace line (Sumbawa, Flores, Sulawesi and Seram) and finally into the Sahul (New Guniea) the number of species decreases per unit area. This paper studies the effects of volcanism and earthquakes on species diversity. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.07038

Nusantara and Sarawak

The possibility of an impact on Sarawak, a Malaysian state located within a short distance of the planned new capital, is of significant importance. The main objective of this study is to analyze and explain the economic sectors involved in the migration of Jakarta to Sarawak, with a specific emphasis on industries. : https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v9i3.2773

Shore Birds

Shore Birds are long-distance migrants who congregate on mud flats during their non-breeding season. This study aimed to determine the foraging behaviour of Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) and Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus) at Asajaya and Buntal mudflats. https://doi.org/10.55230/mabjournal.v53i1.2712

Animal Images at Niah

Zoomorphic refers to images of animals. In the Painted Cave at Niah, there are several animal images, which have not been adequately interpreted or understood. The paper concludes that the images demonstrate the significance of chicken during the Neolithic period as a source of food. Based on the premise that ancient people drew the images on the cave wall when they believed they were important as part of history, the paper argues that ancient society could have started consuming chicken as their source of protein at that time. https://doi.org/69275/ISVSej_2024-11-02-25

Bako National Park

Bako National Park (BNP) is the oldest and smallest national park in Sarawak, Malaysia and its richness in biodiversity of flora and fauna here is indeed a major attraction for international and local tourists to watch proboscis monkeys. The impacts of Covid 19 and the Movement Control Order greatly affected the park and tourism. : https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v9i3.2740

Mosquitoes

A small machine called Mobile Net V 2 is 97% effective in identifying mosquitoes in the field. doi:10.1017/S000748532400018X

Sea Urchins

Data among sea urchin populations in coral reefs around Malaysia has been lacking. As for the Borneo island, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, has been under-sampled. This study aims to fill this sampling gap and to learn more about the origins of sea urchins Diadema in Malaysian Borneo and its relationships with global Diadema sea urchins. https://doi.org/10.55230/mabjournal.v53i1.2786

Forest Decline in Sabah

Cutting of forests and hunting are two major drivers of species declines in tropical forests. We conducted a camera-trap survey across three production forest reserves in central Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, each with different past and current logging regimes. We found forest degradation to be a strong driver of the occurrence of individual species. Such responses led to declines in diversity where forest-dependent species decreased while disturbance-tolerant species increased. DOI: 10.1111/btp.13320

Tuna

This study was undertaken to determine the number of different species of tuna from Yemen to Borneo. There are three distinct lineages across the five marine regions: the Straits of Malacca, the South China Sea, the Sulu Sea, the Celebes Sea, and the Arabian Sea. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2024.103193

Gibbons

· We present an example of how Borneo Nature Foundation, an NGO based in Indonesia, is working to use the recordings of the songs of Bornean white-bearded gibbons (Hylobates albibarbis) to inform conservation actions and education efforts. 10.1002/ajp.23626

Dayak Agabag People

 The Dayak Agabag of North Kalimantan live in remote inland areas around the Sembakung River along the Malaysian-Indonesian Border. This border village lies in Hulu(kampong) Sembakung’s mountainous region, far from the state capital. As frontier people, the Agabag retain their history through the sacred Tiagang Sinsilog stone their ancestors found while crossing the Keningau to the Pensiangan. This folklore shows that the Ulu Sembakung River people crossed national borders for thousands of years. In the Hulu (kampung) Sembakung, the residents trade large water jugs(tempayan) between the two countries. Citizens face contradictory situations due to the state’s policy of occupying borders. However, residents in upper Sembakung show exceptional resilience and independence by not yielding to 

state law.http://dx.doi.org/10.30641/ham.2024.15.1-18

Lost Kingdom

A publication called Lost Kingdom which describes animal death in the age of humans is available for download. The book consists of 12 chapters and has 331 pages.https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Steve-Best-

Nasopharynx Cancer

Nasopharynx cancer is a prevalent cancer, especially among the Serian Bidayuh in Sarawak. The genes suggest it travelled from Africa, across Southern China into the Arctic regions and spilling over into North America. This suggests the Bidayuh could have originated from the Austroasiatic areas. It is exceedingly rare except in the Serian Bidayuh population. It is often incurable because of late diagnosis. A new test using image databasing has shown a 94% accuracy. https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2404/2404.03188.pdf

New Species

A new species of orchid has been made known to the Western world from Brunei.  10.11646/PHYTOTAXA.644.1.3

NEW BOOK

Escaping Kakania is about fascinating characters—soldiers, doctors, scientists, writers, and painters—who travelled from their eastern European homelands to colonial Southeast Asia. Their stories are told by experts in different countries in the two regions, who bring diverse approaches into a conversation that crosses disciplinary and national borders. 

BorneoHistory.net