The Project on Development of Management Systems for Multiple Utilization of Biodiversity in the Tropical Rainforests at the Protected Areas in Sarawak

This project was conducted from 2019 to 2023 as a Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) project, with Kyoto University representing Japan.
The tropical rainforests of Borneo island are one of the world’s greatest hotspots of biodiversity. This equatorial island staraddling Malaysia and Indonesia is home to a vast number of species. The State of Sarawak in the Federation of Malaysia is expanding its national park to conserve the rainforest. However, basic information on biodiversity in previously designated conservation areas is almost impossible to obtain, and as a result it is difficult to obtain local residents’ understanding regarding the importance of the conservation area and the biodiversity it protects.
In this project, we use leading-edge technology to conduct comprehensive surveys of the rainforests of Sarawak’s national parks, adjacent areas and newly proposed national parks, clarifying the distribution of flora and fauna living there, the status of their habitats and their diversity. The results of these surveys are archived to provide a basis for research promoting the science of biodiversity and create a “biodiversity intellectual resource platform” for the utilization of these intellectual resources.

Survey of insects living in the forest canopy (Lambir Hills National Park)