Al Kautsar Hidayanto placing a bioacoustic recorder to capture the vocalisation of wild birds. — Photo courtesy of AL KAUTSAR HIDAYANTO ABDUL RAHIM
SPANNING five days, a recent expedition to Gunung Nuang, in Hulu Langat, Selangor, brought together 70 researchers from local universities to identify and record the diverse plant and animal life there.
Funded by the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department (JPSM), the scientific expedition was jointly organised by Universiti Putra Malaysia.
It was the second expedition to be conducted at Gunung Nuang since 1991 and the researchers included PhD students.
Al Kautsar Hidayanto Abdul Rahim from UPM, who specialises in wildlife ecology and management, said the programme was an eye-opener.
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“I was surprised to find plenty of threatened species in Gunung Nuang despite its proximity to Klang Valley.
“Although my research revolves around big mammals, the things I learned here still offered useful insights,” he said.
Having studied wild birds during his master’s programme, he had hoped to observe the species present at Gunung Nuang.
“Five days is too short a period for a proper survey,” he added.
Nur Nazifah Fitriyah Mohd Zariman of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), who focuses on taxonomy, aimed to classify the different species of bats.
Nur Nazifah says bat families can be identified using their echolocation frequencies.
She and fellow researchers set up recorders at certain locations to capture the frequency emitted by bats at night.
“We captured the animals and examined their external characteristics before recording their echolocation frequencies.
“There are many families of bats and each can be identified using their frequencies,” she explained.
University of Nottingham Malaysia’s Siew Zahen Yun said the expedition gave him newfound appreciation for fieldwork.
Siew says the expedition gave him newfound appreciation for fieldwork.
Focusing on biomedical research, he said he used to spend time analysing data in the laboratory.
“I often wondered why data-gathering took so long but I now realise there are many logistical challenges involved.
“For example, due to their nocturnal nature, data on bats can only be collected at night,” he said.
Amira Aqilah Muhammad from Universiti Malaya (UM) said the expedition offered useful training for future research.
Her PhD study centres around the roles of insects in an ecosystem, having completed her degree and master’s in ecology and biodiversity.
“Insects such as grasshoppers can be used as a bioindicator to give insight into the local environment.
Amira Aqilah (left) on the lookout for damselflies at a river while fellow researcher Muhammad Akmal Hidayat Zulkifli measures the water quality. — Photo courtesy of AMIRA AQILAH MUHAMMAD
“For example, pygmy grasshoppers, which are found here, can indicate moisture levels in the locality,” she said.
An event was held to mark the end of the expedition at Taman Eko Rimba Gunung Nuang with state public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin and JPSM secretary-general Datuk Zahari Ibrahim among those in attendance.
