Crocker Range National Park Sabah

Crocker Range National Park Sabah - Natural Ecosystem and Species Components (Volume 1)
Edited by Ghazally Ismail and Lamry Ali
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The Scientific Journey through Borneo is a series of research expeditions initiated originally by Universiti Kebangsaan Sabah Campus, Sabah Parks and Sabah Wildlife Department in 1988 at Tabin Wildlife Reserve Sabah. This was followed by Tawau Hills Park Sabah (1989), Danum Valley Sabah (1990), Sayap-Kinabalu Park Sabah (1992), Mount Silam and Darvel Bay Sabah (1994), Bario Sarawak (1995) and Crocker Range National Park (1999). The participants in all these expeditions, comprising researchers from a multitude of disciplines, were drawn from universities, research agencies and government departments, both locally and abroad. These expeditions have provided the researchers with the rare opportunities of collecting and collating scientific data on the biological complexity, occurrence, distribution and ecological relations of species found within our tropical ecosystems. Indeed these expeditions have generated voluminous vital information direly needed for effective conservation and management of wildlife reserves and other threatened habitats in Borneo generally.

To effectively manage a magnificent and hugely diverse conservation area such as the Crocker Range National Park (CRNP), relevant new scientific information on its complex ecosystems and species is required. Over the years, much scientific activities carried out within this mountain range have concentrated on the Kinabalu Park, Poring and Sayap but rarely on the Tambunan side of the CRNP, despite its many unique and distinctive features. This book represents a scientific and scholarly output of yet another highly successful expedition as part of the continuing series of Scientific Journey through Borneo lasting for about two weeks in October 1999 at the CRNP. The first volume of this book contains a collection of reports by leading regional experts of flora and fauna based on species collected or observed in the tropical rainforest habitats of the Park. In addition to descriptions of floral and fauna species found within the boundaries of the CRNP, reports on the ecological changes and water quality of the river systems flowing within the Park are also included.

Crocker Range National Park Sabah - Socio-Cultural and Human Dimension (Volume 2)

Edited by Ghazally Ismail and Lamry Ali
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When considering biodiversity issues, we must look beyond the natural components of the ecosystem. It calls for a critical look beyond that of its flora and fauna but also the socio-cultural activities that can impact biodiversity either directly from its use and exploitation or indirectly through adverse environmental changes. Hence to some of the researchers who had participated in the Crocker Range Scientific Expedition, the word “biodiversity” signals a cultural phenomenon. There are social and cultural values embedded in biodiversity.

For instance, in espousing a people-orientation goal of achieving food security, poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability, we need to understand the germplasm, breeding lines and varieties of food crops cultivated and consumed by the indigenous communities. Genetic diversity of both plants and animals will ensure that cultural diversity is endured. The cereal and vegetable quality, for example, must match the preferences of a given community, which are truly cultural preferences. In many traditional societies and subsistence farm households, food security is not just a matter of food production but also of investing and maintaining social relations. The second volume of this book also includes reports on the agricultural and land tenure systems of the indigenous communities living within the vicinity of the CRNP; their use and dependence on the diverse natural resources found within the boundaries of the Park and how rapid changes in the socio-cultural norms are affecting the indigenous communities in relation to their disease burden and economic status.