Protecting endangered species with Sabah Wildlife Department

A decade-strong partnership preserving the wildlife and habitat of the Kinabatangan floodplain – the largest wetland in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Cardiff University and Sabah Wildlife Department have joined forces to identify and preserve species and habitats in the highly fragmented and oil-palm-dominated landscapes of the Kinabatangan floodplain.

Led by Professor Benoit Goossens, School of Biosciences, the partnership centres on the Danau Girang Field Centre in Sabah, where Professor Goossens is now Director. Dr Goossens says: “Our purpose is to further scientific research with the aim of contributing to long-term conservation projects in the area, and develop a better understanding of our environment and the living things we share it with.”

Together, we can co-create a better future

The project began as field survey and ecological work on endangered animals – including the Bornean banteng, the Bornean elephant, the proboscis monkey and the Sunda clouded leopard – leading to ten-year State Action Plans and acclaimed rainforest protection policies.

Preserving rare rainforest habitat

Initial species population surveys led to international workshops and conferences, which in turn led to direct work with government on rainforest conservation, most notably Regrow Borneo – the UK’s first carbon-balancing project – in October 2019.

In 2020, as a collaboration with Cardiff University’s Sustainable Places Research Institute, Regrow Borneo had already raised nearly £20,000 for tree planting in the Lower Kinabatangan, which will balance carbon created from air travel, improve biodiversity and support conservation of local ecologies as well as sustaining local livelihoods and culture.

Danau Girang Field Centre has welcomed 55 students from 30 international universities, hosted over 82 field courses, secured £3.5m in grant funding, produced 16 PhD studentships and generated over 120 academic publications.