Inaugural BRainS 2016 - From Science to Action
A unique summit in the Belum-Temengor rainforest, Malaysia.
- (1888PressRelease) September 15, 2016 - Petaling Jaya, 14 September 2016 - The Pulau Banding Foundation, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting research and eco-tourism through the sustainable development of the rainforest ecosystem, is holding its inaugural Belum Rainforest Summit 2016 (BRainS 2016) on Pulau Banding in Perak, Malaysia, to highlight and tackle issues on rainforest conservation and sustainable use.
BRainS 2016, to be held from October 17- 22 at the Belum-Temengor Rainforest, will bring together experts from a multitude of disciplines ranging from academia to public policy to share their knowledge and give insights on how to resolve issues affecting not only Belum-Temengor, but rainforests globally. Such issues will include biodiversity conservation, climate change and sustainable resource management, all of which are among the themes that will be discussed during the summit. A similarly-themed youth summit will also be held concurrently from October 20 - 22 at the Belum Adventure Camp.
The outcome of BRainS 2016 will be the Belum Rainforest Blueprint - a design plan for rainforest conservation and sustainable use that can be applied internationally while remaining flexible enough to suit the demands of the time.
Belum-Temengor is the second largest rainforest in Malaysia and is estimated to be 130 million years old, making it even older than the Amazon Rainforest. This rainforest is extremely rich in biodiversity and serves as a sanctuary for many endangered species such as the Malayan tiger, of which only 250 remain in the wild, mostly in Malaysia.
Simultaneously, BRainSfeed, a dedicated social engagement platform, has been set up to interact with the public. BRainsfeed is a blog-like portal that features engaging content related to the Belum-Temengor rainforest, BRainS 2016, sustainability and conservation.
It will allow readers to glimpse the beauty of Belum-Temengor and find out more about BRainS 2016. More importantly, it will inspire the public to play a more active role in rainforest conservation as exemplified by the hashtag #getinvolved, one of the platform's core messages.
"We want BRainS 2016 to be the start of a long-term commitment towards managing our rainforests sustainably. That's why we have chosen to host the summit at the Belum Rainforest Resort. The participants will see for themselves the lush greenery of this natural treasure and understand why this forest, and others like it around the world, is worth saving," said Tuan Haji Ahmad Khalif Bin Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal, a member of the Pulau Banding Foundation's Board of Trustees and Executive Director of the Emkay Group which supports the Foundation.
"We've had researchers visit Belum-Temengor in the past and we've also hosted scientific expeditions and symposiums to document the many species found within it. But with BRainS 2016, we want to do more than just publish new papers. We want to think ahead, to prepare for long term rainforest management that will benefit all of the stakeholders while remaining true to our goal of sustainability and conservation," added Dato' Dr. Abdul Rashid Ab. Malik, CEO of the Pulau Banding Foundation.
Among the keynote speakers who will be participating in the summit are Dr. Michael Brady, Senior Operation Officer, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group; Prof. Dr. Michael Wingfield, President of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO); Mr. Pavan Sukhdev, Chair of the Advisory Board, The Economics of Ecosystems & Biodiversity (TEEB); Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dr. Zakri Abdul Hamid, Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia; and Dato' Sam Mannan, Director of the Forestry Department, Sabah.
Meanwhile, BRainSfeed is being periodically updated with interesting and interactive content such as articles on Belum-Temengor's wildlife and plants, the latest news on rainforest topics from around the world, updates on BRainS 2016 and its speakers, and fun quizzes to test the reader's trivia knowledge on all things rainforest.
To learn more, log on to www.brainsfeed.org and check out their social media pages using the following links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brainsfeedlive/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BRainSfeedlive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainsfeedlive/
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