Rimba

FINAL UPDATE: Rimba is closing down

And that’s a wrap!

Rimba is now taking steps to close down. It’s been a wild, crazy, wonderful and fulfilling roller coaster ride over the past decade (and more!) of our existence – but, as we’re a small local nonprofit with very limited resources and capacity, the frequent situations of financial insecurity, insufficient funds, plus the lack of long-term and sustainable financial support to pay ourselves a living wage make it impossible for us to continue operating under this model. So starting January 2022 we will no longer function as a fully operating entity.

We’re taking this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all our supporters and partners who have made our work and successes possible. We really couldn’t have made all that progress and impact without you, especially in these very difficult times we’ve all been going through!

^{The Harimau Selamanya rangers in the field with project partners and volunteers}

So THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts, and please take hope from the knowledge that you have helped us to make conservation action a reality, creating some really lasting positive changes in the Malaysian conservation scene.

^{Members of Team Cerberus and PERHILITAN after completion of training}

However, this doesn’t mean that all our work ends with us. Some of our projects are spinning off to continue pursuing what they started, and some have already done so. If you’re interested in following the continued progress of the work started by Rimba, here’s how you can stay updated:

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December 31, 2021March 10, 2024 by Rimba Categories: Home, Project UpdatesTags: Harimau Selamanya, Hutanomics, Kenyir, Kenyir For Life, Project Cerberus, Project Limestone, Project Pteropus, Rimba, Terengganu

Project update 23: Project Pteropus wrap-up

Our Fruit Bat Fundraiser by Project Pteropus ends today – and we managed to raise RM43,790, well beyond our original target of RM30,000!!! We’re so deeply grateful to everyone who supported this initiative – those who donated funds to help us complete our research next year, those who bought merchandise to help us widen our public outreach impact this year, and those who helped spread the word. Thank you for helping us to make this fundraiser such a success.

While our public outreach initiatives also end today, the additional funds we’ve raised will allow us to extend this project for an additional 6 months into 2022 in order to complete our durian pollination research that was negatively impacted and delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this extended time period we’ll also be able to finish up our work on monitoring and protecting flying fox populations, which was also delayed due to the pandemic. So we’re on track to successfully complete and wrap up this project as originally planned – just on a slightly later timeline!

Take a peek into the team and our work on fruit bat conservation that you’re helping to support:

December 31, 2021 by Rimba Categories: Project UpdatesTags: conservation, durian, flying fox, fruit bat, Hana Abdul Aziz, Island Flying Fox, Large Flying Fox, Mary-Ruth Low, pollination, Project Pteropus, Pteropodidae, Pteropus, Pteropus hypomelanus, Pteropus vampyrus, Reuben Clements, Sheema Abdul Aziz, Sunway University, Tree Climbers Malaysia, Yong Joon Yee

Press Release: New Public Resource to Assist Limestone Conservation Efforts in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, 2 September 2021 – Researchers have just released a publicly accessible online resource that contains the most comprehensive information on Malaysia’s limestone hills to date. Containing detailed maps, photos, and data in the form of 7 separate eBooks, the resource is titled ‘Conservation of Limestone Ecosystems of Malaysia’.

Limestone hills harbour unique biodiversity and provide numerous ecosystem services to humans, but face intensifying disturbances from forest loss, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development. In the National Policy of Biological Diversity 2016-2025, the protection and restoration of limestone ecosystems are listed as one of the 17 national biodiversity targets.

In order to find out which limestone hills warrant urgent protection, a team of researchers felt the need to create a public database that includes information on their location, biodiversity, surrounding land use and extent of habitat disturbance.

With the help of satellite images, drone technology and ground verification, researchers have now accurately mapped 1393 limestone hills in Malaysia, with 911 located in Peninsular Malaysia, and 482 in Malaysian Borneo.

“After two years of analysis, compiling information, and travelling more than 22,000 km, I think we now have an almost complete picture of how Malaysia’s limestone hills are doing.” said Foon Junn Kitt, Project Coordinator of Rimba’s Project Limestone, who led the intensive field surveys.

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September 2, 2021September 2, 2021 by Rimba Categories: Biologist's Toolbox, Home, Project UpdatesTags: conservation, database, ground-truthing, karst, Kelvin Foon Junn Kitt, Liew Thor-Seng, limestone, Malaysia, mapping, online resource, Project Limestone, Reuben Clements