Research & Education
Research
1. Ex-situ and in-situ conservation of Brunei’s flora
To support conservation efforts focusing on native Brunei’s flora, UBD BRC has been actively conducting field work to collect high conservation value species which are now incorporated into our living collections for ex situ conservation. The team is monitoring and collecting seeds and seedlings of native tree species from Brunei’s Mixed Dipterocarp, peat swamp, heath and beach forests, focusing on critically endangered, threatened and rare native tree species. The UBD BRC is also involved in collaborative projects on propagation of native species.
2. Cataloguing Brunei’s plant diversity
Cataloguing Brunei’s plant diversity involves frequent field work to Brunei’s forests and collecting of voucher specimens for the UBD BRC database and IBER Herbarium. The UBD BRC also conducts studies on tree diversity within the heath forests at the UBD BRC garden and at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre. Most recently, the UBD BRC has started a collection of ultra-low and ultra dry native plant samples for genomic research and are involved in genomics collaborative research with key partners in the region.
3. Research on natural products and medicinal plant
The UBD BRC living collections are regularly used for research on phytochemical screening of medicinal plants, focusing mainly on ginger species as well as other plants that are commonly used by local communities. Several collections of different species of stingless beehives enable the extraction of their honey which is also used for UBD research.
Education & Outreach
The UBD BRC plays a crucial role in raising awareness of the importance of plants in our daily lives and our role in their conservation and sustainable use. As a research centre focusing on for the conservation of native flora, the UBD BRC is committed to educating the public on Brunei’s unique flora. The UBD BRC regularly conducts outreach and educational activities through our garden tours and dedicated education activities for students and local schools, citizen science programs involving garden volunteers, training workshops for government agencies and local stakeholders, and public outreach via plant fairs and tours.