Talk by Sarawak Biodiversity Centre at Curtin Sarawak on 23 August

Miri – 19 August 2016 – Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) will be hosting a talk entitled ‘Enriching Lives through Biodiversity Innovations and Traditional Knowledge Documentation’ by Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) on 23 August, from 12.30 to 1.30pm, at Curtin Sarawak’s GP3 104, Prinia 3.

It will be delivered by Asha Devi Kaushal, Communications Officer of SBC. Asha heads the Corporate Communications team at SBC and is responsible for communicating SBC’s roles and functions to the general public, as well as NGOs, governmental and corporate bodies.  Since joining SBC in 2001, Asha has been leading its Awareness and Appreciation Programme which aims to disseminate information to the general public on the value, wealth and potentials of Sarawak’s diverse biological resources.

With Traditional Knowledge (TK) receiving global recognition and pharmaceutical companies shifting from synthetic alternatives in favour of natural products in both food and therapy, Sarawak’s unique biodiversity offers a rich source for novel discoveries.

The talk will offer fresh insights into sustainable development initiatives that taps on Sarawak’s natural heritage and rich biodiversity. It will also highlight the ongoing work by SBC, one of Sarawak’s leading state government agencies in research and development (R&D), on its Documenting Traditional Knowledge (TK) programme and shares initiatives designed to channelling benefits back to communities through management and utilisation of biological resources.

Researchers; Masters/PhD students; environmental/biodiversity enthusiasts and journalists; and corporate communication and public relations professional, are invited to this talk.

Established under the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre Ordinance, SBC is committed to documentation of Traditional Knowledge among the indigenous communities of Sarawak and implementation of a research and development (R&D) programme to discover novel therapeutic/useful compounds from Sarawak’s unique biodiversity. The Centre’s ultimate goal is to achieve sharing of benefits with the State and its indigenous communities from these discoveries.

SBC’s past and current research collaborations include countries such as USA, Japan, Australia, Switzerland and Singapore.

For more event details or to register, email to Curtin Sarawak’s lecturer of public relations Dr Kamala Vainy Pillai at kamala.pillai@curtin.edu.my.

Speaker Asha Devi Kaushal, Communications Officer of Sarawak Biodiversity Centre