Dear members & friends

You are invited to a talk entitled The Malaria Detective.

Speaker :Professor Dr Balbir Singh from Unimas University
Date: 17 August 2017
Topic: The Malaria Detective
Time: 7.30-9pm
Venue: Islamic Information Centre (Lower Baruk)
Jalan Ong Tiang Swee (behind Swinburne University)

Registration: MNSKB Members, please register with Secretariat at:
mnskuching@gmail.com

Cost: Free of Charge.You may walk in and bring your friends.

Speaker:
Prof Balbir Singh is the director of the Malaria Research Centre (MRC) at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). He graduated with BSc, MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Liverpool. He began working on malaria in 1984 as a postdoctoral scientist at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom. He joined Universiti Sains Malaysia in 1992 and 7 years later moved to UNIMAS. The team that he leads at MRC studies the mosquitoes that transmit malaria, the people that are infected and their clinical features. His team’s most significant discovery has been that there is a monkey malaria parasite causing malaria in humans and these infections are potentially fatal. He has been invited to give numerous talks at conferences in Europe, USA and Australasia, has been an advisor to the World Health Organisation and was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.

Description of talk entitled Malaria Detectives:
Infections of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium knowlesi were thought to be restricted to long- tailed and pig-tailed macaques in nature, until it was discovered that there was a large number of human cases in the Kapit Division of Sarawak. The talk will begin with an introduction to malaria followed by how the malaria detectives at UNIMAS undertook investigations that lead to the discovery of this large focus of human infections. The history of this parasite will be described together with details of further investigations involving monkeys, mosquitoes and humans. These show that humans in Southeast Asia get infected with P. knowlesi by being bitten by mosquitoes that acquire the malaria parasite from monkeys. Recently this ‘monkey malaria parasite’ has become the most common type among malaria patients in Sarawak and Sabah, and poses a hurdle in efforts to eradicate malaria.

Regards,
MNSKB Committee

Dear MNS members and nature loving friends:

You are cordially invited to a talk in June as stated below: 

Title: Asian Raptors And Their Migration (He will introduce the results of collaborative surveys of raptor migration carried out in 2012 and 2013.

Presenter: Dr Toru Yamasaki
Date: Sunday 8th June 2014
Time: 5.30pm SHARP – 6.30pm
Venue: Abell Hotel, Jalan Abell, Kuching

Come November 9th and 10th, the Malaysian Nature Society Kuching Branch and Permai Rainforest Resort will host the Santubong Nature Festival. The two-day event is opened to MNS members and the public.

Here’s why we are celebrating this nature festival:

• To raise public awareness of the priceless natural and historical – local and global – heritage value of the Santubong Peninsula;
• To advocate for a holistic and integrated approach to development and management of the area safeguarding its unique landscape, biodiversity and historical assets;
• To showcase the tourism and recreational potential of the natural and cultural values of the Santubong Peninsula;
• To stimulate reflection on responsible and sustainable further management of the peninsula and its surroundings.

What to expect!
Interesting activities highlighting Santubong peninsula’s natural, historical and cultural heritage such as multi-sport treasure hunt, heritage & heritage walks, talks and tree planting will be held at Permai Rainforest Resort during the festival.

Lead up activities to Santubong Nature Festival such as photography contest, boat trips, talks and ‘Secret Rooms’ tour will be held in Kuching and Santubong peninsula as well between now and November.

MNSKB, as a local environmental NGO, is very concerned with the overall development and well-being of Santubong peninsula. It recognises the need to develop the area but that development should be well-planned so that development would not degrade the iconic mountain.

Land clearing for housing, tall buildings and a proposed cable car to the peak of the mountain could alter the landscape and scar Santubong’s aesthetic visual value if not properly planed. Development taking place without sensitivity to historical and archaeological considerations would also produce many irreversible problems.

It is hoped that the Santubong Nature Festival will help to address these through greater public awareness and eventually advocate for a holistic, sustainable and integrated approach to development and management of the area. So, make a date with us.

For more information, log on to the official festival blog and the festival Facebook page