Borneo: Primate Conservation
| In Borneo: | June 25 – July 5, 2010 (Dates listed show course start and end date) |
| At Home or School: | September - early December 2010 (Web-based Learning Community) |
| Credits: | 7 graduate credits from Miami University; $3,000 in-state & $7,000 out-of-state tuition waived; course can be applied to Global Field Program. |
| Institutional Partner: | The Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, is a core partner in the Borneo course. |
| Course Cost: | $1150 + airfare into Sandakan, Malaysia (via Kota Kinabalu) |
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Nestled in the Malay Archipelago, tropical Borneo has captured the imaginations of explorers and naturalists for centuries. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and home to remarkable cultural and ecological diversity. Borneo’s primate community is exceptionally rich—the Earth Expeditions course site along the Kinabatangan River in Sabah (East Malaysia) is home to ten primate species, including proboscis monkeys, which occur only in Borneo, two species of leaf monkey, two species of macaque, gibbons, as well as the large-eyed, nocturnal tarsier and slow loris. Of greatest conservation concern is the orangutan, which occurs naturally on only two islands in the world, Borneo and Sumatra, and is under increasingly severe pressure, primarily from habitat loss. Researchers have projected that the orangutan, the only great ape in Asia, may completely vanish from the wild within two decades. We will be joining researchers from the NGO Hutan and the Danau Girang Field Centre, and villagers of the Kinabatangan region who are responsible for model community-based efforts to preserve orangutans, Bornean pygmy elephants, and other species. In addition to becoming familiar with primatological field methods and their applications, students in the course will work with local groups and develop new ways to engage communities worldwide in saving orangutans and other wildlife. Possible field studies include: social behavior of primates, habitat selection, census methods, impact of forest fragmentation and reforestation, and the use of social networks in great-ape conservation campaigns. Prior to and following the field experience in Borneo, students will complete coursework via the Dragonfly Workshops Web-based learning community as they apply experiences to their home institutions. |
Course Themes
- Primate conservation
- Introduction to the ecology of Southeast Asian rainforests
- Inquiry-driven learning
- Community-based conservation and participatory education
- Public engagement in science
A typical Field Expeditions day in Borneo is likely to include:
- Study at field conservation sites
- Lectures
- Student-led discussions of key course topics
- Engagement with local communities
- Open inquiries
- Journal writing
[Click on an image to open it in a new window]
Borneo
One of the principal reasons which induced me to come here was, that it is the country of those most strange and interesting animals, the orang-utans, or "mias" of the Dyaks.--Alfred Russell Wallace, 1855
Straddling the Equator, the island of Borneo is divided between Malaysia and the Sultanate of Brunei in the north, and Indonesia in the south. Borneo’s unique plants and animals helped inspire the great 19th century naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace to formulate his theories on natural selection, concurrent with, but independent of, Darwin’s. Today, Borneo remains remarkably varied with more than 30 ethnic subgroups, some of the most species rich coral reefs on Earth, and a host of notable species such as Storm’s storks and flying frogs. Borneo is also under serious threat from a number of human activities including logging, mining, and large-scale rubber and palm oil plantations.
Planned Sites in Borneo
Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
The Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary consists of approximately 27,000 hectares of fragmented forest along the banks of the mighty Kinabatangan River. We will work with
the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project (KOCP), founded in 1998 by Drs. Marc Ancrenaz and Isabelle Lackman-Ancrenaz of Hutan, a French non-governmental organization, in collaboration with the Sabah Wildlife Department. KOPC is run by trained staff from the nearby village of Sukau and has been the source of significant data regarding the ecology and behavior of wild orangutans in secondary forest habitats. KOCP seeks to restore harmonious relationships between people and the orangutan, and supports local socio-economic development compatible with habitat and wildlife conservation.
Danau Girang Field Centre
Located in the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, this modern research facility directed by Dr. Benoit Goossens and supported by Cardiff University and the Sabah Wildlife Department is surrounded by a mixture of lowland dipterocarp forest types, ranging from primary forest to disturbed secondary forest, in a matrix landscape that includes significant human impact including villages, small-scale agriculture, and oil palm plantations. It is thus an ideal location to study wildlife and the effects of anthropogenic habitat alteration on biodiversity.
(Course locations are subject to change.)
Web-based Learning Community
Before departing for Borneo, students will join instructors and classmates in Project Dragonfly’s collaborative Web community to complete pre-trip assignments in preparation for the expedition. After returning to the United States, students will continue to work in their Web-based community from September through early December to develop projects initiated in the field, discuss assignments, and exchange ideas. All students should expect to spend two to three hours a week contributing to their learning community from their home or school computer. Navigating the Web platform is easy--it's designed for people with no prior computer experience. To learn more about this unique Web experience, visit dragonflyworkshops.org.
Cost: $1150 + Airfare
All basic expenses in-country are covered in the $1150 course costs, including:
- Meals (incidental snacks and drinks not included)
- Lodging
- Field station fees
- Field equipment (as needed)
- Ground transportation (van, boat, train, etc., as needed)
- Park entrance and guide fees
Course costs do not cover personal expenses, such as gifts, or some ancillary costs, such as passport fees and course texts.
Financial Support
Because of support from Miami University and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, the course costs listed above are a fraction of actual program costs. Earth Expeditions recommends that accepted applicants to the program check with their school district or employer to see if professional development funds are available to further offset costs. Click here for more Grant Funding Tips.
Tuition costs:
Non-Miami University Participants
To support involvement by a broad range of educators, Miami University is currently waiving all tuition (approximately $2,400 for seven credit hours) for all Earth Expedition participants who are not full-time students at Miami University.
Miami University Students
Full-time Miami University undergraduate and graduate students pay tuition for five credit hours unless they have summer tuition waivers through a graduate assistantship or scholarship. Miami students receive an additional two credits when they complete the required Web-based follow-up
Airfare:
To estimate fares to the gateway city of Sandakan, applicants may wish to visit an online fare finder or call a travel agent. Bear in mind that airlines have seasonal fluctuations in fares.
More Information
For more information on the admissions process, physical requirements, and more, please visit Admissions and/or FAQs.