Second UKM-UI Joint Seminar

1. This morning at about 1015 hr I gave a keynote address at the said seminar. The first was held in Jakarta in 2007. My topic was,"Biodiversity in Malaysia and Indonesia : The most undervalued natural asset"

2. Both countries share of the richest biodiversity in tropical Asia and yet both countries are still struggling to turn their biodiversity richness to eradicate rural poverty. Durng the colonial years both the British and Dutch exploited the richness in their colonists to the fullest. Both the Malay Peninsula or Malaya and Java have their own Flora. No other islands have their own Flora.

3. Both countries have a diverse ecosystem or community diversity, from islands to the mountains in Irian Jaya and Sabah. The richness of corals in both countries is also unimaginable to the botanist. The edaphic forests are immensely rich in unique floras.

4. The species diversity in both countries totals more than 30,000 from the smallest diatoms in the sea to the gigantic tualang and cengal in Peninsular Malaysia and rasamula in Indonesia. Don't forget both countries share more than 14 species of the gigantic and beautiful rafflesias and rhizanthes.

5. Both have the National Biodiversity Policy and National Biotechnology Policy, and yet both countries fail to realise their dreams to transform their rich biodiversity into the ingredients of biotechnology. The pristine ecosystem diversity and some of the iconic species are ingredients for ecotourism. I feel both the development in biotechnology and ecotourism could bring potentials in foreign exchange, in addition to the existing oil palm industries, timber industries, etc.

6. I just wonder what it takes to convince our economic and political masters to exploit the rich biodiversity for the benefitsof the poor in our pursuit of sustainable development. Perhaps these ideas will remain as dreams ......until we lost all these to the changing times and ignorance/