At KOPEL, rainforest and riparian restoration sites are maintained and monitored with the hope of reforesting heavily degraded forest areas along the Kinabatangan River. One of several ways that KOPEL measures the success of these restoration sites is by setting up wildlife camera traps in efforts to see what wildlife could possibly be repopulating the … Read more
From the moment we arrived at KOPEL’s EcoCamp, it became abundantly clear that not everyone was enthusiastic about the multitude of invertebrates that inhabit Borneo’s rain forest ecosystems as I was. More specifically, there seemed to be a distinct sense of terror surrounding the many (and some of them, frankly, quite large) spiders that had … Read more
This was my first time experience traveling to a tropical rainforest. From two weeks in June, I changed from an AP environmental science high school student in Los Angeles to a passionate observer who loves nature and its wonderful plants and animals. At the beginning when I first arrived in Borneo, I found the weather … Read more
Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta), an invasive water weed, has infested Tungog Lake, located at the Kopel rainforest ecocamp in Malaysian Borneo. This aquatic fern is listed in the top 100 most invasive species on the planet. If you ever have the chance to visit Tungog Lake (hint: you should!), you’ll understand why. Physically, giant salvinia … Read more
When the average adventurous traveler plans a trip to equatorial jungles, curious minds usually gravitate to charismatic mammals, like the handsome orangutan or the beloved pangolin; perhaps a beautiful, endemic flower, like the Rafflesia keithii, which has the largest flower in the world. Some excited travelers, such as new scientific researchers, may anticipate local flora and … Read more
This USF Tropical Restoration Ecology field class has contained many memorable moments, one of these being meeting the local community here in Batu Puteh. In this post I am spotlighting our good friend and guide here at KOPEL BHD, Mohd Faijan bin Mustapah. Faijan was born and raised in Batu Puteh village here in the … Read more
Cultural Exchange through Homestay Homestays have become a popular way for travelers to experience how locals live on a daily basis. It may sound like an Airbnb, but it’s so much more than just a bed to sleep in. This June as part of the University of San Francisco’s MSEM Tropical Restoration Ecology Arrupe Immersion … Read more
In Sepilok, Malaysian Borneo we had the unique opportunity to get a private tour of the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) from the founder and director Dr. Wong Siew Te. The BSBCC was only about a 20 minute walk from the Sepilok B and B were our University of San Francisco Tropical Restoration Ecology class … Read more
On our last day of University of San Francisco’s Tropical Restoration Ecology class, we were graced with an impromptu lecture by Dr. Wong, found and director of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. I was expecting to hear more about sun bears or other conservation topics. It was to the delight of this plant person … Read more
Wildlife in the jungle comes alive twice a day, once at dawn and again at dusk. As the class started our evening hike through the Kabili–Sepilok Forest Reserve at the Rainforest Discovery Center (RDC) on the evening of June 8th, 2019 the rainforest was just beginning to put on its big show. As it was my first … Read more