The talk, “Orangutans: Research & Rainforest Protection in Borneo”, will take place Nov. 10, from noon to 1:30pm, at 305 91��ɫ Lanes, Keele campus. There will also be a panel discussion with representatives of BOS Canada. Light refreshments will be served.

The event is designed to help spread the message about the work Russon is doing in Kutai National Park, about the work of BOS Canada and about the many potential opportunities for research available in this incredibly unique and threatened wilderness.

Russon specializes in research on wild orangutan intelligence and has recently taken over Camp Kriu in Kutai National Park in Indonesian Borneo, where she studies a large population of wild orangutans. Her work is represented in Canada as part of BOS Canada.

In 2002, Borneo suffered massive fires. Kutai National Park was heavily damaged and was thought to be a write-off by many conservation biologists. As Russon will discuss during her talk, this was anything but the case. Secondary growth in the forest of Kutai has taken off, providing an incredibly rich habitat for wildlife with faster growing plants and more available fruit than in a primary forest setting.

Left: Anne Russon

Consequently, a healthy wild orangutan population is now thriving there. The park, however, is not unthreatened. Across the narrow Sangata River that divides Kutai from private land, there is a coal mine large enough to be seen from space. Like the rest of Borneo, the park risks being re-zoned for timber, mining or palm oil, should its value as a nature reserve come into dispute.

It is important to note that this region of Indonesia represents the second most biologically diverse area of the world after the Amazon. It is quickly being swallowed by the oil, timber and mining industries with little regard for the indigenous peoples who live on the land.

Russon’s profile in the park, as someone living and working there, helps to keep it protected. To continue building the profile of her project and expanding the research activities at Camp Kriu, Russon is welcoming interested students and researchers to join her.

For more information, visit the .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Glendon primatologist talks orangutans, research and rainforests appeared first on Research & Innovation.

“Environmental History of the Glendon Campus & Forest: Challenges of Conservation & Sustainability in the 21st Century,” part of the Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS) Speaker Series, will take place Oct. 27, from noon to 1pm, in the Senate Chamber, Glendon campus. Light refreshments will be served.

Right: A path through the Glendon campus forest

Schoenfeld will provide an overview of the website, while Psathas, a senior fellow at IRIS, will provide an update on the forest.

“The project was designed with two goals. First, to share the knowledge about our campus more widely. Second, to document the history and current state of environmentalism at Glendon,” Schoenfeld writes in an on the website.

“The project is intended to be a contribution to the common culture of those who work and study here. We are the custodians of a remarkable place. Knowing more about it, we can better appreciate the gift we have been given of working and studying here. We can also appreciate that the Glendon campus has been taken care of, and that responsibility continues.”

One of the things the new website offers is an overview of how conservation issues and environmental issues have become part of the local culture and how Glendon is responding to the current challenge of sustainability. It has taken much work to keep the upper portion of the Glendon campus landscaped and to perverse the forest in the valley, as well as introduce new environmental practices.

For more information, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Glendon Campus Project on sustainability launches website tomorrow appeared first on Research & Innovation.