The Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) co-hosted the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) Seminar recently at Recital Hall, UMS.

The seminar was initiated by Preferred by Nature and was co-organized with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Malaysia and WWF Malaysia.

According to UMS Vice Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Dr. Kasim Hj. Mansor, as a university with associates from various industries, UMS was glad to provide a platform for discussion on the EUDR and its potential impact on Sabah's key sectors, such as timber, palm oil and rubber, which are essential to the livelihoods of many rural communities.

“Malaysia has experienced deforestation over the years due to various factors, including agriculture expansion, logging, and urbanization.

“It is hoped that this seminar will help shed light on what affected sectors can do to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the EUDR,” he said.

He noted that as the regulation will further drive responsible production in various industries, it is optimistic that the potential negative effects on smallholders can be mitigated, if impacted stakeholders collaborate with each other.

He also delighted to see a good turnout of UMS’ students at the seminar.

“I believe that it is crucial for our future professionals to learn about the regulatory landscape and its impact on our industries”, said Kasim.

Also present, Regulatory Impact Programme Director at Preferred by Nature (PbN) Malaysia, David Hadley Garcia; Director at FSC Malaysia, Charmaine Chee; Director of Market and Development, Southeast Asia at Preferred by Nature (PbN) Malaysia, Christian Schriver; and Forestry Chair Holder, Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Berhaman Ahmad.

The seminar was attended by 100 participants from various government and private agencies, and industries that are related to forestry.

University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) graduate has been chosen as one of the five from Malaysia to the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship program in the United States (US).

Lua Pei Ling, 24, UMS alumnus from the Faculty of Psychology and Education selected for the Spring 2022 cohort under the theme of civic engagement.

When contacted, she informed the program was conducted in a hybrid format, with an initial virtual component held in April-May 2022, followed by an in-person at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) and Arizona State University from March 3 to March 22, 2023.

"There are three of us now at University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), while another two are going to Arizona State University.

"This YSEALI Academic Fellowship is a U.S. government program that provides skills training to young leaders in Southeast Asia.

"This exchange program is fully sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which includes lodging, transportation, and stipend," she said.

According to Pei Ling, the Academic Fellowship focuses on one of three themes: Civic Engagement, Environmental Issues, and Social Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

"My primary interest is in mental health advocacy, and participating in this fellowship has enabled me to establish a wide network and gain insights into civic engagement topics such as active citizenship, community building, and volunteerism.

"Throughout the virtual component of fellowship I joined last year, I have developed several mental health advocacy plans that promote inclusivity to the tertiary education students in line with my civic interest," she added.

The receiver of the Gold Alumni Award in UMS 24th Convocation also expresses her gratitude as one out of five to represent Malaysia in that prestigious international program.

"I am thrilled and honored for the opportunity which has allowed me to expand my horizons, develop my skills, and connect with young leaders from across the ASEAN region.

"This is my first time visiting the United States, and I'm absolutely in love with the culture here as well as my host institution, the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

"I hope to use this experience to inspire and empower other young people in my country to pursue their dreams and make a positive impact in our communities," said Pei Ling.

Also representing Malaysia at the YSEALI Academic fellowship program were Raenuga Indran, Jit Lee Woon Kiat, Nur Irdina Jailani, and Ahmad Alif Halimi.

Atmospheric scientist Prof. Dr. Justin Sentian, from the Environmental Science Programme, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) will be the first Malaysian scientist to carry out climate and atmospheric science research in Antarctica during the long winter season.

This is his second Antarctica research grant award from Sultan Mizan Antartic Research Foundation (YPASM) in collaboration with Santiago University, Chile.

This winter research grant award for three years (March 2023-February 2026) is for research entitled ‘Tropospheric Ozone and Halocarbons Variations in the Antarctic Peninsula Under Extreme Weather Conditions’.

According to Justin, he will be departing from Malaysia to Punta Arena on 19 March 2023 and will be at Professor Julio Escudero Base Station for six months before returning to Malaysia on 15 September 2023.

“The main objectives of the collaborative winter research expedition are to characterise surface ozone and halocarbon concentrations variability under extreme winter weather conditions over the Antarctic Peninsula.

“In addition, the roles of bromocarbons (bromine compounds) and extreme winter weather conditions in surface ozone chemistry will also be investigated. In this study, the source of halocarbon (bromine compounds) in snow, sea ice, and air during the Antarctic winter will be investigated.

“To further investigate the role of biogeochemical cycles of bromocarbons and to understand the burden of atmospheric bromine and its roles on surface ozone

variability and ozone chemistry during polar winter, a climate-chemistry model will be employed,“ he said.

Justin added, the research output will certainly enhance understanding of surface ozone variability under extreme weather condition as well as identification of possible sources of bromocarbons, which is thought to be affecting the polar surface ozone chemistry and variability.

“Tropospheric ozone, a secondary pollutant as well as an important greenhouse gas, is generally understood to be generated largely from photochemistry reactions. However, surface ozone concentrations over Antarctica display an obvious seasonal variation with high concentrations in winter and low in summer and was thought that halogens (bromocarbons) were involved,” he said.

Recently, the unexpected new source of bromocarbons in sea ice, snow, and air during the Antarctic winter have revealed, and if they are found to be significant sources, it has crucial implications for atmospheric chemistry and climate at a hemispheric scale.

The future tropospheric ozone in the polar region is therefore relevant and very crucial to the global climate, as tropospheric ozone is considered an important greenhouse gas.

“This research will significantly contribute to the global community’s ongoing efforts towards understanding the potential sources and chemistry of tropospheric ozone under future climate scenarios, and the influence of halocarbons emissions on tropospheric ozone chemistry and variability.

“Under changing climate scenarios and its effect on ozone chemistry can be further evaluated for future ozone budgets and global climate projections,” Justin said

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is allocating RM350,000 to overcome the serious water supply problem on the university campus.

Its vice-chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor, said it would involve the implementation of internal water resource supply innovation projects such as gravity water, underground water and rainwater.

He said the project would be carried out by a team led by deputy vice-chancellor (Research and Innovation) Professor Dr Rosalam Sarbatly, together with the UMS Development and Maintenance Department (JPP), as well as experts and academicians from the UMS Faculty of Engineering.

“Efforts to carry out this clean water filtration process will also be assisted by UMS researchers who are skilled and specialised in the field,” he said in a statement here today.

“It affects not only the students but also the staff who are in the office premises,” he said.

According to the statement, the main campus of UMS Kota Kinabalu uses a piping system to obtain supply of up to 80,000 litres a day of hill water, as well as provides the tanker service to supply 300,000 litres of water from the Penampang water treatment plant (LRA) to the campus.

The Sabah Water Department (JANS) is forced to implement temporary rationing due to the inability of the Telibong LRA to meet the needs of residents of Tuaran, Sepanggar and the surrounding districts, which is 190 million litres per day (MLD) compared to its production of treated water of only 164 MLD.