One day dedicated to learn about Palm Oil industry from the perspective of local people in Sabah, Malaysia. Why is this interesting? My interest in the palm oil industry started due to the current news in Colombia, my home country, (currently fourth producer of Palm oil worldwide after Indonesia and Malaysia) to increase its production … Read more
Palm oil, or oil palm as the locals refer to it, is a pretty contentious issue whether you live in Sabah or residence in the United States. Over the past few days we’ve had a crash course into the history and contemporary growing and manufacturing of palm oil in Sabah region of Borneo, Malaysia. When taking … Read more
Our tour of the Forest Research Center operated by the Sabah Forestry Department began through the seed germination lab. Here they use various instruments to measure the best techniques to germinate tree species that are best for timber production and produce fruits for local wildlife. One instrument they utilize in a table filled with … Read more
Day 5 and 6 On day 5 “Team Borneo”, our unofficial group name, embarked on a slight adventure through the Sepilok laut trail to reach the Mangroves at the Sepilok laut reserve. Despite the occasional struggles along the way due to the heat and humidity adding some difficulty to the already semi-strenuous hike, it was … Read more
As a wildlife conservation enthusiast who has worked for a rehabilitation project in Africa, I was ecstatic about being able to see how Malaysia handled their animals. There were mixed emotions within the group, about whether animals should be kept in enclosures or not, but we popped over to the sun bear and orangutan centres to see … Read more
I have landed back in Borneo for my fifth trip since Shark Stewards began working here in 2013. This trip is part University of San Francisco field course, part shark conservation and part conservation film making and diving. Five days in the jungle and so far so good. As part of the University of San … Read more
We began our trip to Borneo with a 8 hour layover in the Singapore airport after 18 hours of flying across the Pacific. What better way to spend a long layover than to pay a visit to the beautiful butterfly garden in Singapore’s airport. When we first entered the butterfly garden, we immediately felt the … Read more
Fourteen University of San Francisco MSEM, ENVS, ENVA, and Biology students are heading to Borneo next week! Professor Gretchen Coffman will be leading this two week Arrupe Immersion Class from June 12 -28. Students will be working closely with locals conducting ecological restoration for wildlife habitat. The class will take place in Malaysian Borneo along … Read more