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Dept. Biology has successfully organized the 3rd Summer Course on Biogeology of Belitong Geopark

  • 14 December 2020
  • Last modified at 14 December 2020

The pandemic era that we all experience today is not a barrier to create an incredible adventure experience. It is a new thing that we all can enjoy in this online learning semester around the world. Department of Biology, IPB University held the 3rd Summer Course on Biogeology of Belitong Geopark. This event was held online on 30th November to 12th December 2020 with a total of 65 students from universities in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Nottingham, UK.

We combined the experiences of an international study’s atmosphere, student centre learning, online collaboration project, hands-on workshop, virtual tour, interactive dialogue with experts, and international online seminar. Through this event, participants experienced to explore, observe, and discuss the following topics with notable experts. These topics were the field study on plants and primate’s biodiversity of coastal and wetland area, intensive course on tropical marine biodiversity, the environmental impact of mining as well as the international students’ competition in scientific presentation. We selected best mentors from Indonesia and around the world to share their expertise, such as Dr Nunik Sri Ariyanti, Dr Yohana Caecilia Sulistyaningsih, Dr Bambang Suryobroto and Prof Dr Antonius Suwanto from IPB University, Prof Dr Jatna Supriatna from University of Indonesia, and Dr Bagus Putra Mulyadi from University of Nottingham UK.

Besides the online course, we also include two international online seminar series in the summer course. These international online seminars present notable experts in geological perspective on the biodiversity of Belitung Island, best practice in the development of Belitong Geopark, discovering local biodiversity to enhance geo-food tourism as well as protected areas for sustainable ecotourism and Hoya as a strategy of sustainable utilization. We also discuss food waste trap as a reservoir of novel yeast taxa, dolphin in hot water: cooperation and survival as well as drones conservation and machine learning. The expert on these areas was Ir Oman Abdurahman, MT from the ministry of energy and mineral resources, Ir Dyah Erowati from Belitong Geopark, Amanda Katili Niode, PhD from The Climate Reality Indonesia, Prof Dr Ahmad Ismail from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Dr Sri Rahayu from Indonesia Institute of Sciences, Dr Nantana Srisuk from Kasetsart University Thailand, Prof Dr Michael Krützen from University of Zurich Switzerland, and Prof Dr Serge Wich from Liverpool John Moores University UK.

It is not just science lessons that the participants get through the whole event. They were also getting close and introduce to the uniquity of belitong cultures and peoples through some videos on our virtual tour. Participants indirectly learn about the successful rehabilitation of ex-mining open-pit Nam Salu, village-ecotourism Terong and its indigenous culture, traditional fermented food process in Batu Bedil, the prehistoric forest of Peramun Hill, and eco-evolution and local adaptation of freshwater biodiversity in Tebat Rasau. The 3rd Summer Course on Biogeology of Belitong Geopark gives a warm heart experience to all the participants. It would not successfully happen without great collaboration between Department Biology IPB University with Belitong Regency, Belitong Geopark, as well as University of Nottingham UK whom supporting this event. Shall knowledge spread through time and obstacle that could appear. Everybody can hold the same knowledge and great experience that they deserve.

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