A Collaboration Between Universiti Tun Hussien Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for Collecting of Flora and Fauna
Date:
07th March 2019 until 10th March 2019
Place/Venue:
Johor National Park Endau Rompin
Participants:
Students and lecturers from UTHM and UTM
Description:
A collaboration between Research Center for the Conservation and Use of Natural Resources (CoR-SUNR) Universiti Tun Hussien Onn Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia for collecting and recording the specimens of flora and fauna in Johor Natural Park Endau Rompin (TNJER). The research activity is to make the MyDNAmark project: Nation-wide Genomic Sequencing Project for Malaysian Species involving 13 researchers and coordinated by Ts. Dr. Kamarul Rahim Kamarudin, a lecturer at the Faculty of Applied Science and Technology (FAST) and head of research for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, CoR-SUNR.After collecting and recording specimens of this flora and fauna, the UTM represented by the Senior Lecturer of the Faculty of Science, Dr. Faezah Mohd Salleh coordinates the process of tissue-taking from accumulated specimens for DNA analysis purposes.
The results of the DNA analysis are very important in establishing an informative database to be the reference genomic DNA of various species of flora and fauna found in Malaysia. In addition, related mobile applications are being developed to assist in the implementation of the National Biodiversity Policy (DKBK) 2016-2025. According to Dr. Kamarul Rahim, although this fieldwork has ended, the collaboration between CoR-SUR UTHM and UTM Skudai is still in progress until the stated objectives are achieved.” The CoR-SUR UTHM hopes such cooperation will continue in the years to come and will be one of the efforts to further strengthen the existing good relations between UTHM and UTM,” he said.