Dr. Ragupathy Kannan leans against a giant forest tree that serves as a home for hornbills in Sabah on Borneo in Malaysia.
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Kannan Promotes Coexistence with Wildlife in Malaysia
Written By: Judith Hansen
妻友社区 biology professor Dr. Ragupathy Kannan has returned from a three-month program to Malaysia with new professional contacts, friends, and allies in the fight to protect biodiversity.
Kannan鈥檚 trip was funded by his fourth Fulbright Scholar award and was designed to teach students and citizen naturalists how to observe, monitor, and revere biodiversity.
Faculty hosts from Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur, including Dr. Ravinder Kuar in Biological Sciences, aided his efforts.
鈥淚n three months, thanks in part to Dr. Kaur鈥檚 long reach, I traveled the length and breadth of the nation,鈥� he said.
Moving around the country, Kannan taught professionals and amateurs to use iNaturalist, the leading citizen science online portal for recording and learning about biodiversity.
He believes this tool encourages citizens to engage more with their environment.
Kannan worked extensively with the staff of Malaysia Environmental Consultants, a local organization seeking sustainable solutions to environmental challenges caused by humans.
鈥淚 gave a presentation on iNaturalist to their group, which really got them fired up about citizen science. They now have started their own iNaturalist compilations and have started networking with iNaturalist experts around the world,鈥� Kannan said.
Those who would like to see Kannan鈥檚 observations can do so at . The site offers more than 800 photos and audio recordings of more than 500 species. Kannan noted over 150 volunteers identified his posts and more than half his observations were confirmed by experts and marked as 鈥淩esearch Grade,鈥� meaning they have been vetted and are accepted for research purposes.
Kannan appreciated the chance to spend time in Malaysia because its natural, abundant biodiversity is in peril.
鈥淢alaysia, like many countries in the region, has yielded to economic pressures to replace their precious rainforests with sprawling oil palm plantations,鈥� he said. 鈥淏iodiversity hangs precariously in these areas. Even endangered orangutans persist defiantly, making their nests in oil palms and eating their fruits.鈥�
While Kannan was in Malaysia, oil palm giant Wilmar reached out to him for advice on coexisting with 鈥渞emnant wildlife.鈥� Kannan said he stayed in their guest house and toured their plantations in Sabah on the island of Borneo.
鈥淚 hiked their steep forested ridges, where oil palms cannot grow, and which are refuges for remnant wildlife,鈥� Kannan said. 鈥淭he company has declared these 鈥楥onservation Areas鈥� and is sincerely trying to promote biodiversity conservation.鈥�
Kannan has begun planning research projects aimed at enhancing coexistence among humans and wildlife there.
He intends to build on the contacts and friendships he has made with Malaysian colleagues. He is about to start a project to digitize the bird-banding records of David Wells, a renowned British ornithologist who lived in Malaysia.
鈥淢y Fulbright has ended, but the work will continue,鈥� Kannan said.
Kannan鈥檚 previous Fulbright projects sent him to India in 2007 and 2019, and to Sri Lanka in 2020. The Fulbright program, named for the late Arkansas Sen. William J. Fulbright, is the U.S. government鈥檚 flagship international educational exchange program. It offers scholars in more than 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to mutual understanding.
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