08 January 2025

Restoring Hope from Borneo to Mexico: A Journey of Tropical Forest Restoration and Community Empowerment through South-South Cooperation

Amaziasizamoria Jumail

What do the flora and fauna in Mexico and Malaysia have in common? A lot.

For starters, both countries sit in the south of the equator, and are blessed with lush terrains including tropical rainforests - making these “M and M” countries amongst the most biodiverse places on the planet!

Both countries are also party to the Global South Cooperation, also known as South-South Cooperation. This is a collaboration among developing countries primarily located in the Southern hemisphere which focuses on promoting sustainable development and mutual growth, through sharing in three areas: technical cooperation (sharing expertise in areas like agriculture, health, education, and climate change), economic collaboration (enhancing trade and investment opportunities) and cultural exchange and understanding.

Given the myriad similarities of countries in this Cooperation, researchers focussing on the environment can share knowledge and leverage on each others’ experiences.

As such, as part of the Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment, I chose to work with the research teams in two institutions in Mexico: Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación (CIByC) of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos. The latter served as my host institution where I worked with Dr. Cristina Martinez Garza, a restoration ecologist, and the Instituto de Ecología, A.C.

My goal was to immerse myself in Mexico’s diverse ecosystems, as well as to explore, learn and share information about tropical forest restoration ecology within the context of the Global South, with a specific emphasis on methods that could be applied to the Regrow Borneo project in Malaysia where I currently work. I also had the opportunity to share the vision and progress of the Regrow Borneo project with esteemed colleagues at CIByC and INECOL which was particularly rewarding. The discussions not only highlighted our project's unique challenges and achievements but also facilitated a rich exchange of ideas.

Health, Science and Technology

Dato' Professor Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman

Recipient for Year 2022

Something that is worth doing is often tough, but the rewards can be big.

Three Ecosystems in Three Months

From February to May 2024, I visited four different restoration sites: a high-altitude fir (oyamel) forest in Disierto de los Leones National Park, a tropical rainforest in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, a dry forest in Sierra de Huautla, Morelos, and another dry forest in Jicarero, Morelos.

These visits offered an extensive view of the restoration methodologies across different types of forests. Here, I did a variety of fieldwork for 20 days in four different restoration sites including sampling rodents, birds, bats, and reptiles. We did live trapping for rodents, mist-netting for birds and bats, and visual encounter survey for reptiles which provided invaluable knowledge and experience about ecosystem recovery.

Giving talks and seminars at different institutes and universities about Regrow Borneo in; A) Institute of Ecology of Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM); B) Instituto de Ecologia (INECOL), Veracruz, Mexico; C) CIByC, an institute I'm honored to be affiliated with

I went on my first fieldtrip to Desierto de los Leones National Park with Dr. Juan Pablo, who leads a fascinating restoration project in the high-altitude fir (oyamel) forest west of Mexico City.

Giving talks and seminars at different institutes and universities about Regrow Borneo in;
A) Institute of Ecology of Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM);

Giving talks and seminars at different institutes and universities about Regrow Borneo in;

B) Instituto de Ecologia (INECOL)

Giving talks and seminars at different institutes and universities about Regrow Borneo in;

C) CIByC, an institute I'm honored to be affiliated with

Fieldwork in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz; with the soil and bat and bird teams

Fieldwork in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz; with the rodent team

Fieldwork in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz; with the reptile team

Fieldwork at Dr. Cristina's restoration plot in Sierra de Huautla's dry forest where trees appear dead in the dry season but burst to life in the wet season

New Perspectives, Discoveries and Insights for Success

These are some of my key takeaways from the attachment which I will be applying in my work:

1)Research Rigour

I observed that Dr. Cristina’s approach to restoration is highly experimental and meticulously organised. Dr. Cristina’s research team has put in place long-term plots with specific and targeted restoration treatments and have also undertaken detailed censuses of various animal species such as medium-sized mammals, birds, rodents, frugivorous bats, reptiles, and dung beetles. This method of monitoring and assessing restoration efforts is something I would love to adopt for the Regrow Borneo project. I intend to set up similar experimental plots within the Regrow Borneo project, inspired by the experimental rigour of Dr. Cristina’s team. This will bring about a more thorough assessment of restoration impacts thus paving the way for more successful and replicable restoration strategies. This also ensures a more detailed evaluation of different types of methodological alternatives employed during the process.

2) People, Key Part of the Progress

I came to realise that community participation is vital in any restoration process. In Mexico, 80% of the land is community-owned thus the need for constant engagement with the locals. Dr. Cristina’s team best portrays this through their practice of leasing land from communities to restore forest plots within the communities’ pastures, which underscores the need to educate and involve local people in forest restoration programs. It creates goodwill among local stakeholders and ensures that such multi-year projects have a higher rate of success. I also learned how people can coexist with wildlife while appreciating their contribution towards rebuilding ecosystems as well as meeting their habitat requirements by allowing small areas to regenerate naturally or through replanting, where it fosters biodiversity revival and supports the ecosystem's well-being.

3) Data Matters

Another key learning was the importance of compiling solid baseline data in restoration projects. The Regrow Borneo project, being one of the first large-scale restoration initiatives in Borneo, is setting a precedent by assessing the impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and community benefits. The information collected not only contributes to scientific understanding but also serves as a catalyst for community involvement and benefits, creating a basis for further research and specialised studies. This approach enhances our understanding of the impact of restoration activities in tropical rainforests and encourages sustainable coexistence with wildlife. When it comes to restoring the forests, there is no way that we can simply go back to how things were.

The Lasting Impact on Catalysing Future Research

The knowledge and experiences I gained during my attachment in Mexico have shaped my perspective on my ongoing research and future projects.

This attachment has also laid the groundwork for potential collaborative studies between our sites in Malaysia and Mexico. These studies - which could include comparing methodologies in different geographical locations, restoration techniques, case studies etc. - will enhance our understanding of tropical forest restoration across different, yet similar contexts, and contribute to the global body of knowledge on restoration ecology.

In experiencing the vibrant Mexican culture and hospitality, I also deepened my appreciation for the importance of cultural exchange in scientific collaboration. Moreover, the Mexican teams’ resilience and perseverance when faced with challenges have made me more determined to overcome obstacles in Borneo. Their ability to devise new ways of doing things coupled with adaptable management techniques provides an avenue through which large-scale ecological complexities can be addressed.

In a nutshell, the Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment marks the beginning of many things both to my career growth and Regrow Borneo project advancement. It has been instrumental not only in enriching my role as a researcher but also in fostering international cooperation as well as cultural exchange.

The most thrilling part is that I can now put into action the learnings from these experiences, contributing more effectively towards ecological restoration so that eventually all lost biodiversity within tropical rainforests may one day be recovered.