KA Report | Tropical Forest Ecology Field Course, Borneo

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Jakub Niederle (2024 MBiol Biology) writes:

I am very grateful to the Keble Association for awarding me a Study Grant towards participation in a Tropical Forest Ecology field course, organised by the Oxford University Department of Biology at the Danum Valley Field Centre in Sabah, Borneo.

The grant contributed towards fieldwork expenses and accommodation costs at the field centre, one of the leading facilities for tropical research globally.

I spent two weeks in Danum Valley, a pristine nature reserve and one of the largest remaining areas of intact rainforest in South-East Asia. There, I received training in tropical forest ecology and a range of field research methods from Oxford teaching staff, as well as local researchers. Working alongside staff and fellow students, I gained experience in field sampling, data collection, statistical analysis and scientific communication. I had the opportunity to try a variety of field techniques, including moth trapping, mist-netting for bats and birds, tree ecology surveys and species identification.

A major component of the course was the completion of an original research project carried out in Borneo. My group investigated the effects of habitat fragmentation and forest edges on predator-prey interactions using artificial caterpillar models. Combined with lectures and talks, the field course activities provided an exceptional opportunity to link ecological theory with practice in one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems.

The experience was invaluable, both academically and personally. It provided first-hand exposure to tropical research and deepened my appreciation of both the extraordinary biodiversity of primary rainforest and the urgent challenges posed by anthropogenic land-use change and habitat loss.

I would like to thank the Keble Association once again for its generous support, which enabled me to make use of this amazing opportunity.