Malaysia

Dr. Meg Lowman is heading up a biodiversity survey in Penang, Malaysia with approximately 45 local and international scientists. Their mission is to tally the species living on Penang Hill, beloved by the citizens of Georgetown and within a 15 minute drive of approximately 2 million people. This unique rain forest, situated on an urban interface, will be proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage Man and the Biosphere site, using the data collected by Lowman’s team. A large group of the California Academy curators will participate, as well as the host university, University Sains Malaysia in Penang.

The Habitat Penang Hill Launch was founded by the Cockrell family whose focus is to provide conservation, awareness of habitat loss and need to preserve bio-diversity. Their intention is to bring locals and tourists to the forest so all can appreciate and enjoy what it has to offer. One way of doing that is through Canopy Walkaways which have become a wonderful tool for forest conservation. Canopy Walkaways serve as a way to educate visitors, as a tool for research by scientists and to bring income to conserve the forest. The rainforest park has been structured with hands-on activities for all visitors and the profits are moved on to a foundation. The foundation’s goal is to provide a link between science, research and the public with the immediate objective of creating a field research center in the middle of the rain forest. The proposal of having The Habitat Penang Hill as a UNESCO World Heritage Man and the Biosphere site will bring much needed awareness and conservation to the rainforest.