“The ultimate in applied learning” – Borneo field trip 2019

Canopy walk

A group of 14 Bachelor of Applied Science students from across Unitec, Northtec and Toi Ohami went on a field trip to Borneo in April.  Every year since 2013, Unitec students from the Bachelor of Applied Science have gone there to study for a two-week credit bearing course.  Here is Environmental and Animal Sciences Senior Lecturer, Dr Diane Fraser’s first-hand account of the trip

The excitement at the airport was palpable. In an inter-institute collaboration, fourteen students, thirteen from the Bachelor of Applied Science (BASci) Unitec and Northtec, and one student from Toi Ohami Institute of Technology, Rotorua, were off on an adventure… the Borneo Field Trip 2019.

This is an elective course, led in 2019 by Dr Diane Fraser, and is available for students doing either major of the BASci; Biodiversity Management or Animal Behaviour & Welfare major, and can be said to be the ultimate in applied learning. The philosophy of the degree emphasises the application of theory in the practical context, so conducting a small research project in the Bornean jungle definitely ticks that box.

Forest sampling

Students first met each other at Unitec where they completed a short talk (Pecha Kucha style) on a range of topics relevant to the environment and people of Borneo. Flying from Auckland via Kuala Lumpur, students arrived to the heat and humidity of Sandekan, Sabah, Borneo to then be transported to Sepilok for their first couple of days. The first experience of the sights, sounds and smells of this new environment was, for some, slightly overwhelming.

Invertebrate collection

The following couple of days included a Bornean Health & Safety talk – snakes and elephants aren’t really a problem in NZ – and exploring the Research Discovery Centre established by the Sabah Forestry Department both in daylight and a night walk. Some of the highlights were giant flying squirrels, water monitor lizards, pit vipers and birds sleeping in the trees so close you could almost touch them. Visits to the Sepilok Sun Bear and Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuaries provided an opportunity to both see these incredible animals up close but also to understand the tremendous conservation and rehabilitation effort focused on returning these animals to the wild. 

The next stop, after a long drive through what seemed like endless palm oil plantations, was Danum Valley Field Centre in the Yayasan Conservation Area, one of the last remaining primary lowland rainforests in South-East Asia. Danum is the headquarters of the South East Asian Rainforest Research programme (REARRP), which provides facilities and coordination for education programmes and large scale research projects within the Bornean jungle. Set in the forest by the Segama River, the facility and the highly knowledgeable research staff provided the setting for our students to conduct a small trial to compare some of the biodiversity of pristine forest with that of selectively logged forest.

Students, supported by Diane and her colleague, Environmental and Animal Sciences Senior Lecturer Graham Jones, were tasked with designing, implementing and analysing data collection on the forest structure, terrestrial vertebrates, moths and butterflies, and birds, using call identification and mist nets (catch and release). Students were assigned control of one of the three study areas, but were all given the opportunity to collect data from each trial.

It is hard to communicate the wonder of being immersed in the jungle, listening to the unusual calls of birds, such as the great argus or rhinoceros hornbills, at 6am in the morning, the delight of the delicacy of the little spider hunter bird up close, giant insects and towering specimens of magnificent dipterocarp trees.  It makes up for the sweaty and uncomfortable conditions in the jungle. Every day was filled with fascination, with special moments such as a wondrous sunrise creeping over a jungle cocooned in mist and the gradual eruption of bird song and the haunting calls of gibbons through the warming air.

The little spider hunter

Having completed the collection of field data, the group transferred (a journey of about 10 hours) to Maliau Basin Field Centre, made tolerable by spotting elephants at the side of the road. During the three days at Maliau and between analysis and presentation of their findings, the students challenged themselves by climbing up to the very steep walk to the uppermost edge of the Maliau Basin crater, a geological catchment surrounding the Maliau River. Climbing from tropical rainforest to montane forest, plant species such as Agathis tree species, similar to the New Zealand Kauri tree, huge centipedes and carnivorous pitcher plants were admired.

To wrap up their assessment for the course, all student groups came together to produce a single powerpoint presentation incorporating all the data in their field study. Each student also completed a field journal in which they recorded all their observations during the trip. A great reminder of their adventure. The trip was completed by a couple of days of rest and relaxation in Kota Kinabalu, including a snorkelling trip to Manukan Island, before heading back to New Zealand.

Living and working/studying in a group of students, many of whom you do not know well, and in hot and humid conditions, is challenging. Not only does this course provide the opportunity for learning in a very different environment from New Zealand, it also allows self-reflection and understanding of human interactions and behaviours.  A holistic education.