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.

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The first lecture will take place on Monday Oct. 3 from 11am to 1pm in 305 91��ɫ Lanes. Professor Matthew Evenden (right) from the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia (UBC) will present his lecture titled “Of muskrats and minerals: The Second World War and the Canadian environment.” Evenden’s talk will focus on the processes of economic and environmental transformation in Canada during the Second World War through an examination of commodities such as aluminium, timber, wheat; even muskrats have a part in the story.

Other speakers in the series include geography Professor Arn Keeling and history Professor John Sandlos from Memorial University, and geography Professor Graeme Wynn, history Professor Tina Loo and Professor Emerita of geography Julie Cruikshank, all of UBC.  

The series is run in conjunction with a series at UBC's Green College with additional support from Networks in Canadian Studies and the Environment (NICHE) and the UBC Canadian Studies Program.

The Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies is located on the seventh floor of the 91��ɫ Research Tower.

For more information, visit the Robarts Centre website, or contact Laura Taman, Robarts project coordinator, at llt@yorku.ca.

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

The post Robarts Centre hosts lecture series on history of environmental change in Canada appeared first on UAP 2026-30.