Some Solutions To Environmental Issues Are Harmful
By Yulz. Wednesday, 13. June 2007, 08:47:18
Jerudong - Some solutions can do more harm than good and it applies, even to efforts at protecting the sultanate's biodiversity, speakers at the International Conference Biodiversity Crisis on Tropical Islands said yesterday.
In scientists' parlance, it's called biodiversity invasion.
Dr Joseph K Charles of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam Biology Department, for example, discussed the effect of the acacia tree that was brought in from Australia to consolidate soil or prevent soil erosion. He referred to it as a "common invader".
The acacia tree is a pioneer plant, meaning they are one of the first trees to colonise an open field area. Once it has grown, the seed it relinquishes produces more acacia trees. Then they grow fast, making it difficult to grow local trees. These acacia trees can be found along the stretch of the Muara and Belait highway.
Dr Charles stated that environment impact assessments should be made prior to each project to lessen the effect of environmental disturbance.
"Our natural heritage is very easy to destroy but extremely hard to maintain," said Dr Charles.
The fact that the extinction of plant and animal species are growing at an increasing rate is a clear indication that precautionary approaches are needed in serious attempts to conserve them.
With rainforests occupying a large percentage of the country's total area, Brunei Darussalam has become a hotspot area for biodiversity, according to Dr David J W Lane, senior lecturer at the UBD Biology Department and chairman of the conference.
Biodiversity provides humankind with economic benefits, directly and indirectly, in terms of timber, food, fibre, industrial materials, medicines and other ecological services. The erosion of biodiversity has been increasingly observed, particularly in tropical islands such as Borneo.
The three-day international conference, organised by the UBD department, boasts some eight internationally recognised researchers and conservation workers who are keynote speakers at the conference. Biological invasions and aquatic biodiversity and conservation were the themes of the keynote addresses made yesterday by seven researchers and lecturers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Speakers talked about biological invasions having profound effects on the ability of ecosystems to work for mankind. The effects are usually mediated through the simplification of biodiversity.
The debate around invasive species requires careful handling for ecological, social and ethical reasons as biological invasions will continue to proliferate and hence will be increasingly difficult to control. The second theme concentrated on the implications for biodiversity studies of aquatic ecosystems.
With the aid of case studies done mainly on crustaceans and fish in habitats like peat swamps, caves, marine rubble beds and deep-reef systems in various parts of Southeast Asia and the West Pacific, the lecture emphasises on how little people know about the planet's various aquatic ecosystems and how incorrect generalisations may have dangerous consequences for conservation biology.
Dr Charles, co-chairman of the conference, stated that the international conference aims to identify problems of biodiversity in tropical islands in order to find solutions on how to mitigate the problems with careful planning.
Some 56 people participated in a mid-conference field visit to Andulau Forest, Bedukang Island, Tasek Merimbun and coral reefs yesterday afternoon as part of the international conference.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times
In scientists' parlance, it's called biodiversity invasion.
Dr Joseph K Charles of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam Biology Department, for example, discussed the effect of the acacia tree that was brought in from Australia to consolidate soil or prevent soil erosion. He referred to it as a "common invader".
The acacia tree is a pioneer plant, meaning they are one of the first trees to colonise an open field area. Once it has grown, the seed it relinquishes produces more acacia trees. Then they grow fast, making it difficult to grow local trees. These acacia trees can be found along the stretch of the Muara and Belait highway.
Dr Charles stated that environment impact assessments should be made prior to each project to lessen the effect of environmental disturbance.
"Our natural heritage is very easy to destroy but extremely hard to maintain," said Dr Charles.
The fact that the extinction of plant and animal species are growing at an increasing rate is a clear indication that precautionary approaches are needed in serious attempts to conserve them.
With rainforests occupying a large percentage of the country's total area, Brunei Darussalam has become a hotspot area for biodiversity, according to Dr David J W Lane, senior lecturer at the UBD Biology Department and chairman of the conference.
Biodiversity provides humankind with economic benefits, directly and indirectly, in terms of timber, food, fibre, industrial materials, medicines and other ecological services. The erosion of biodiversity has been increasingly observed, particularly in tropical islands such as Borneo.
The three-day international conference, organised by the UBD department, boasts some eight internationally recognised researchers and conservation workers who are keynote speakers at the conference. Biological invasions and aquatic biodiversity and conservation were the themes of the keynote addresses made yesterday by seven researchers and lecturers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Speakers talked about biological invasions having profound effects on the ability of ecosystems to work for mankind. The effects are usually mediated through the simplification of biodiversity.
The debate around invasive species requires careful handling for ecological, social and ethical reasons as biological invasions will continue to proliferate and hence will be increasingly difficult to control. The second theme concentrated on the implications for biodiversity studies of aquatic ecosystems.
With the aid of case studies done mainly on crustaceans and fish in habitats like peat swamps, caves, marine rubble beds and deep-reef systems in various parts of Southeast Asia and the West Pacific, the lecture emphasises on how little people know about the planet's various aquatic ecosystems and how incorrect generalisations may have dangerous consequences for conservation biology.
Dr Charles, co-chairman of the conference, stated that the international conference aims to identify problems of biodiversity in tropical islands in order to find solutions on how to mitigate the problems with careful planning.
Some 56 people participated in a mid-conference field visit to Andulau Forest, Bedukang Island, Tasek Merimbun and coral reefs yesterday afternoon as part of the international conference.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times
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