Powering Sustainability with Infinite Varieties in Our Biological World

From left: Hizaz officiating the conference, while Prof Faidz and Dr Goh look on

Themed ‘Powering Sustainability with Infinite Varieties in Our Biological World’,  the conference aimed to bring together the world’s experts to present and share their current findings, as well as to strengthen interdisciplinary research links among researchers and stakeholders by promoting effective communication on various current issues related to biodiversity. The conference consisted of three plenaries, seven keynotes and four symposiums. Each symposium discussed a specific sub-theme, which were ‘Fundamentals of Biodiversity’, ‘Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security’, ‘Biodiversity and Human Health’, and ‘Biodiversity in Modern Living’.

Enriching minds via plenary sessions

The first plenary saw Dato Sri Dr Gathorne-Hardy presenting his research titled “Swiftlets (Aves, Apodidae, Collocaliini) in Science and Society: Research in the Past Six Decades and Future Prospects”. He shed new light on the origin of the distinctive 'domesticated' phenotype now occupying house-farms. The unique features of this fascinating group of birds will continue to provide opportunities for enhanced cooperation between science and society.

His research explained that the swiftlets form a natural group, classed as 'tribe' Collocaliini within the typical swifts Apodidae, distributed at tropical or sub-tropical latitudes across the Indo-Pacific region from the Seychelles to Hawai'i, north to the eastern Himalayas in continental Asia, and south to northern Australia. A new industry has developed in the construction of purpose-built premises (called 'house-farms') and the management of swiftlets occupying them, often in urban environments. The expansion of house-farming has not prevented over-harvesting of nests in natural breeding sites which has seriously reduced many wild populations of swiftlets to local extermination. These developments represent a novel form of domestication of a bird, the first time that this process can be monitored scientifically. Beyond these obvious fields of economically and socially productive science, improved capabilities of molecular genetics have opened the door to ground-breaking research into the systematics and phylogeny of swiftlets, wild and domesticated.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) academic Prof Dr Yuen Kah Hay presented the research titled “Neuroprotective properties of vitamin E tocotrienols from palm oil: Evidence from cell to animal and human studies”, at the second plenary. Prof Yuen’s research explained that crude palm oil is highly rich in phytonutrients, especially in vitamin E tocotrienols. Palm vitamin E tocotrienols have immense potential in the preventive management of such neurodegenerative disorders, and to provide opportunities for enhanced cooperation between science and society. Tocotrienols but not tocopherols, have been shown to possess neuroprotective properties. At nanomolar concentrations, alpha-tocotrienol was able to block glutamate induced neuronal cell death by modulating chemical signals within the neuronal cells. More recently, in a double-blind placebo controlled human study, it demonstrated that the tocotrienols could significantly attenuate the progression of brain white matter lesions (WMLs) compared to placebo. WMLs are abnormal hyperintense regions observed in MRI T2-weighted sequences of the brain. Often detected in elderly people, these lesions are attributed to pathological changes in the small blood vessels of the brain, leading to chronic hypoperfusion and ischemic damage in the white matter. They reflect a spectrum of neuropathological changes with tissue damage of varying severity. Recent studies have shown that WMLs are strongly associated with neurodegenerative diseases which give rise to cognitive dysfunction, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

The third plenary saw University of Greenwich, UK academic Dr Chan Jin Hooi presenting his research titled “Sustainable Innovation and Social Entrepreneur in Biodiversity Related Sectors”. Dr Chan highlighted the abundance of potential in using innovations in the knowledge pertaining to the environment and biodiversity. It is the businesses’ mission to challenge the current business world, and to initiate and facilitate behavioural changes of the general public leading to sustainable development. Social entrepreneurship is a movement well suited to this era with great social and environmental challenges. He also explained that an entrepreneur needs to combine the passion of a social/environmental mission but also need to operate in a business-like manner. Nonetheless, social entrepreneurship is a larger and more active movement particularly involving young people and technology. Social entrepreneurship involves new thinking, new types of organisations in both traditional and emerging sectors such as bio-resources related and conservation. The entrepreneurs need to challenge existing business models and also to think about new business models and practices. Innovations in business models and practices are essential, in addition to sustainable innovations in sciences and technologies.

Deepening understanding through Keynote sessions

At the first keynote session, University of Nottingham Malaysia academic Prof Dr Asgar Ali discussed the potential of advanced technologies in delaying ripening and extending postharvest life and reducing postharvest disease of tropical fruits and vegetables, through his research titled “The Role of Postharvest Technology in Achieving Food Security”. The research explained that, according to the United Nations, current world population is expected to reach 9 billion by the year 2050 and food production will have to increase by 70% to meet the food and nutrition needs of the rising population. One strategy for increasing the food available to feed the ever-increasing population is to ensure proper and better utilization of the food that is already produced. It is estimated that one third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted along the supply chains from production to consumption stage globally. This translates into 1.3 billion metric tons of the total volume of the food produced. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reports that annual food losses and wastes (FLW) worldwide worth about US 2.6 trillion (including energy, water and workforce required), which is approximately 5% of the world GDP. The reduction of FLW is an important strategy to ensure food and nutritional security in efficient and sustainable food systems. Therefore, an urgent need exists for a concerted effort at national, regional, and global levels to reduce FLW. New technologies are being developed to prevent food waste - one of the most straightforward 'wins' to achieve global food supply. In developing countries, as much as half of harvested crops are lost between the field and consumer. Pilot scale studies are being carried out here in collaboration with industry to develop an edible coating technology.

The second keynote session saw Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia academician Prof Dr Iskandar Z. Siregar discussing on the current progress on genetic studies (e.g. marker based and field trial based) of several promising forest tree species (e.g. dipterocarps and non-dipterocarps) and their practical implications to conservation management, silvicultural practices and other forms of utilization (i.e. breeding), through his research titled “Genetic Consideration and Sustainable Forest Management in the Tropics: Lessons Learned from Indonesia”. He explained that efforts to meet sustainability principles in tropical forest management require sufficient verified knowledge products on ecological and socio-economic aspects. Within the context of knowledge management cycle, the significant results on ecology and biodiversity research are necessary to be captured, documented, verified and finally adopted by the respective users (i.e. policy makers, practitioners and academician) in order to sustain the innovation in forestry sector. In Indonesia and other tropical countries, however, researchers often observed significant gaps in knowledge management to enhance the utilization of research outputs, particularly genetic research on priority forest tree species with significant ecological and socio-economic functions. In turn, this condition could lead to the ad-hoc policy formulation. Through long term research on various genetic aspects of priority tree species in Indonesia (e.g. genetic inventory, population genetics and breeding), the researchers attempt to interface between science and policy with various lessons learned.

Universiti Putra Malaysia academician Dr Chee Hui Yee presented her research titled “Genetic Diversity of Rhinovirus C3’ Non-coding Region” at the third keynote session. The aim of her research was to investigate the genetic diversity of RV-C 3’ non-coding region (NCR) which is involves in virus replication with respect to primary sequence (linear sequence) and secondary structure via bioinformatics analyses. She explained that respiratory disease is the most prevalent viral disease in humans and Rhinovirus (RV), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Human Enterovirus (HEV) and Influenza Virus (IFV) are among those viruses causing respiratory tract infection. RVs have been reported to be one of the viruses that frequently associated with respiratory tract infections. There are 3 groups of RV, RV-A, RV-B and RV-C where RV-C has been reported in causing more critical illnesses and exacerbations of asthma. A similar domain Y was identified in RV-C primary sequences although pairwise similarity of these sequences demonstrated a huge difference. Each RV-C member showed a minimal conserved stem-loop secondary structure that derived from 3’ NCR sequence. Based on the numbers of loop (apical loop and interior loop) in secondary structure, a potential grouping of RV-C was suggested. A relative conserve motif, AUNUNNNA was identified in RV-C 3’ NCR, while UAG codon was frequently seen in the loop sequence of RV-C 3’ NCR secondary structure. Due to lack of disease severity information for sequences retrieved from Genbank, relationship of the suggested RV-C grouping in the present study and disease severity was not able to be elucidated. In turn, the current information will be able to provide additional insight for future study on the functional impact of sequence and structural differences of RV-C to illustrate the potential relationship of 3’ NCR sequences and disease severity.

Dr Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz from University of Nottingham Malaysia, at the fourth keynote session reflected about the learnings from almost 10 years of work of The Management & Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME), an interdisciplinary project run as a collaboration between local wildlife authorities and university researchers that aims to bring an evidence-based approach to the conservation of Malaysian elephants, through his research titled “What Will It Take to Conserve Wild Elephants in Peninsular Malaysia”. Participants learnt that elephants and other megafauna play key and irreplaceable roles in ecosystem processes but, due to their high demand for resources and lack of natural predators, are maladapted to the current human-dominated world. For megafauna to survive beyond the bottleneck of the 21st century, business as usual is not an option and there is a need to find effective ways to coexist with them. Therefore, the research also listed a few key issues for the successful conservation of elephants in Peninsular Malaysia are: (1) to protect more elephant habitat as Protected Areas (PA), since less than 6% of Peninsular Malaysia is formally gazetted as a PA; (2) to promote connectivity between these PAs and other forest habitats, which would require the implementation of the existing Central Forest Spine (CFS) land-use Masterplan; (3) to mitigate human-elephant conflict, which is likely to increase as elephant habitat becomes more fragmented; and (4) need to reconsider Federal-State Government relationships in order to effectively achieve the three previous points.

Prof Dr Kang Ming, from South China Botanical Garden, China, with his research titled “Past Climatic Change as A Driver of Plant Diversification in the Karst Ecosystems from Southern China” demonstrated that past monsoon activity is positively correlated with speciation rate in East Asia. The case study could also motivate further investigations to assess the impacts of past environmental changes on the origin and diversification of biodiversity in global karst ecosystems, most of which are under threat. In depth, the research explained that Karst ecosystems in southern China are species-rich and have high levels of endemism, yet little is known regarding the evolutionary processes responsible for the origin and diversification of karst biodiversity. The genus Primulina (Gesneriaceae) comprises ca. 170 species endemic to southern China with high levels of ecological (edaphic) specialization, providing an exceptional model to study the plant diversification in karsts. We used molecular data from 20 regions (9 chloroplast and 11 nuclear) and macro evolutionary analyses to assess the origin and cause of species diversification due to paleo environmental changes and edaphic specialization in Primulina. We found that speciation was positively associated with changes in past temperatures and East Asian monsoons through the evolutionary history of Primulina. The climatic change around the mid-Miocene triggered an early burst followed by a slowdown of diversification rate towards the present with the climate cooling. The researchers also detected different speciation rates among edaphic types, and transitions among soil types were infrequently and did not impact the overall speciation rate. Findings suggest that both global temperature changes and East Asian monsoons have played crucial roles in the floristic diversification within the karst ecosystems in southern China, such that speciation was higher when climate was warmer and wetter.

Dr Alice Catherine Hughes from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China presented at the sixth keynote session, with her research titled “Biodiversity Threats in the Asian Tropics”. Her research explored the main threats to the regions biodiversity, evaluating their relative impact and exploring the prognosis for different parts of the region. Much of Asia has reached a point of almost no return with much of its native biodiversity, with rates of undocumented road building in many parts of the region (i.e. 90% or roads in central Kalimantan are unmapped) symptomatic of the rapid rates of deforestation, and the rapid exploitation of native resources and species in these regions. The research also explored the various threats to the regions biodiversity, and discussed which ecosystems, species and regions are most at risk. She also discussed priorities for action and implementation using various approaches, and the major barriers to implementing the necessary policy and management protocols to secure a future for the regions biodiversity. Dr Alice also discussed the relative responsibilities of the West, as the end-buyers of many products and the role of intergovernmental agreements in trying to enforce various regulations (i.e. SDGs, Aichi targets) to try to change the trajectory of this region, and its threatened biota.

Meanwhile from UTAR, Prof Peter Ooi Aun Chuan, with his research titled “Rich Biodiversity Helps Keep Invasive Insects from Becoming Serious Pest Problems” discussed how recent invasive insect pests are kept in check in Malaysia at the seventh keynote session. His research explained that insect pests from native oil palms quickly transferred to the newly introduced oil palm from Cameroons. However, it was soon found that the natural enemies, one of four agro biodiversity components that kept the insects in check as they did so on native palms. There were some evidence on the role of agro-biodiversity in keeping insect pests of oil palm in check. These fortuitous biological controls were studied with the invasive pests Aleyrodicusdispersus and Heteropsyllacubana. Studies showed that native coccinellids fed on these invasive pests and their impacts were reduced as a result.

Spurring academic exchanges through symposiums

Symposium 1: Fundamentals of Biodiversity (click to read the abstracts) consisted of:

Symposium 2: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (click to read the abstracts) consisted of:

Symposium 3: Biodiversity and Human Health (click to read the abstracts) consisted of:

Symposium 4: Biodiversity in Modern Living (click to read the abstracts) consisted of:

Engaging the public through forum

A public forum titled “Conservation of Biodiversity, A Way Forward for Better Life”, was also held on the second day of the conference. The panellists were Dato Sri Dr Gathorne-Hardy, Dr Chan Ji Hooi and Dr Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, along with moderator Dr Daniel Baskaran. Dato Sri Dr Gathorne-Hardy enlightened participants on ways of approaching policy makers, and ways to influence policy makers in order to get the message out. Meanwhile, Dr Ahmisa shed light on the need to protect megafauna, like elephants, because megafauna is important for forest conservation. Graphs and charts were also used to support the need for conservation of megafauna.

Dr Chan asked the participants “What can we contribute as individuals?” and explained on sustainable socio-technical transitions.  He also mentioned that sustainable innovation, a process where sustainability considerations (environmental, social, and financial) are integrated into company systems from idea generation through to research and development, and commercialisation, is very much focused in the present time. He used the example of conservationist using the virtual reality (VR) technology to enable the public to see the beauty of the Amazon forest, and help encouraged sustainable efforts from public. The Q&A session also led to interesting discussions on matters, such as management of resources; the need for improving quality of life and managing human consumption; and education method to encourage participants from the younger generation in conservation efforts.

Industrial experts were also present for the industrial talk, which included Orbiting Scientific and Technology Sdn Bhd on “Mercury Analysis and Danger of Mercury Poisoning”; Matrix Optics (M) Sdn Bhd on “Digital Microscopy”; Ligno Biotech Sdn Bhd on “Tapping into Malaysian Biodiversity”; and Hi Tech Instruments Sdn Bhd on “Low kV High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy”.

“I enjoyed this conference, particularly on the note that I have gained more information on molecular genetics, forest species and tropical species, which will be very helpful for my current research projects,” commented Amaliena Ahmad, from UniKL MICET, Malacca.

Meanwhile, Miera Rozman and Hanis Syafiqah from UniKL MICET mentioned that they received feedback to improve their researches, and meeting other researchers at the conference had enabled them to get research assistance as well as forging potential collaborations.

The closing ceremony, held on 10 October 2018, marked the end of the conference. Present at the conference were Faculty of Science Dean Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng and Director of South China Botanical Garden Prof Dr Wang Ying, organising committee, speakers and participants.

“I am very grateful to the local organisers for organising this conference. Without the local support, we would not be here. Altogether from China, 12 delegates participated in this conference. We are indeed happy because we were able to explore the rich biodiversity of Perak. This conference is truly a good platform for an exchange of knowledge and for building meaningful friendships. More so, we are able to extend our networks with UTAR and other local researchers,” said Prof Wang Ying.

Meanwhile, Dr Lim, in his speech commented, “The three-day discussion on various aspects of tropical biodiversity has opened up avenues for future actions and collaborations in a new network. In the pursuit and competition of development many precious ecosystems have been destroyed out of human greed, selfishness and ignorance. The perpetrators have forgotten that we share the planet with other living things, who have the equal right to survive. A break in the chain of life will trigger a domino effect, which may not be immediate or conspicuous. We must fulfil our duty; the trust inherited from our ancestors to protect the environment, and eventually pass down to future generations, hopefully in a better condition.”

Dr Lim continued, “Though the conference ends today, moving forward from here, we should make concerted efforts to influence those around us, not restricted to politicians, about conservation and protection of the environment and its biodiversity. I also take this opportunity to thank the organising committee for their hard work in making this gathering possible. They have worked for two years in preparing for this conference. I also thank the sponsors who have supported this event financially. Thank you to the participants as well, for sharing your enthusiasm at this conference.”

The winners for best oral presentations and best poster were also announced and awarded at the closing ceremony. The winners’ list is as below:

Best Oral Presenters:

Champion: Dr Kong Hang Hui (SCBG, China)

Different Species or Genetically Divergent Populations? Integrative Species Delimitation of the Primulina hochiensis Complex from Isolated Kart Habitats

1st Runner Ups:

Dr Tong Woei Yenn (UniKL, Malaysia)

Nanotechnology Based Drug Delivery System for Bioactive Compounds

Syafiqah Mohd Nor Hamin (UniKL, Malaysia)

Punica Granatum L. Extract for Medical Cotton Fabrics – A Natural Remedy of Nosocomial Infections

2nd Runner Ups:

Prof Dr Wang Ying (SCIB, China)

Biosynthesis and Regulation of Bioactive Compounds in Chinese HOT Plant – Epimedium sagittatum

Dr Chew Li Lee (UCSI, Malaysia)

Anthropogenic Disturbances in Tropical Coastal Waters: What Impacts on Zooplankton Community?

Best Poster Presenters (click to read the abstracts of posters presented):

Champion: Fuh Nien-Tse (Tunghai University, Taiwan)

How call properties and territory qualities affect male mating success and egg hatching rate in Kurixalus Eiffingeri

1st Runner Up: Tham Yong Yao (UTAR, Malaysia)

The effect of lauric acid on glucose uptake, glucose transporters and reactive oxygen species production in insulin-resistant macrophages

2nd Runner Up: Dang Tin Tin (UTAR, Malaysia)

Effect of diet variation on the sialic acid content and nutrition composition of Malaysian gastropod (Achatina fulica) slime

In line with UTAR’s commitment in invigorating intellectual pursuits through research and innovation, CBR has been consistently organising symposiums, seminars as well as workshops such as the Agriculture Technology Seminar Series, JPA/JSPA/UTAR Seminar on Physiological Anthropology, UTAR National Postgraduate Fundamental and Applied Sciences Seminar, and Agriculture Technology Workshop with the mission to promote multi-disciplinary research, product development and training of personnel in priority areas to drive local industries towards sustainable utilization of natural resources. CBR also focuses on housing research in biodiversity and bioresources; coordinating collaborative research among groups; enabling strategic alliances with local and foreign partners; promoting development of Biodiversity Park; matching expertise and services to needs of industry and community; and developing human resource in key research areas. CBR’s key research areas are Aquaculture and Aquatic Biodiversity, Natural Products, and Plant Biotechnology. 

To view more photos, click here.