The five finalists to compete for this year's 11th Princess Rashidah Young Nature Scientist Award (PRYNSA) were revealed yesterday in a ceremony held at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.
One of the finalists, which were selected from 19 projects overall, were Chung Ching Middle School, Seria for their project entitled "Nepenthes Bicalcarata: A research and study on the habitat, adaptation, physical characteristic and mutualistic association of carnivorous pitcher plant with ants in the Andualu Forest Reserve."
Each of the five finalists were presented with $1,000 by the guest of honour, Awang Hj Mohd Sufri Bin Hj Sulaiman, head of the HSE and security from Brunei Shell Petroleum, to fund their research.
Prior to the announcement of the finalists, Awang Haji Saidin bin Salleh, the Director of Forestry, said in his opening remarks that "with the destruction of forest as the cause of climate change and realising the importance of natural resources in the development of social and economic progress, the Department of Forestry will continue to practice the policy of forest conservation".
"To inculcate the spirit of care for the forest to the younger generation is one of the pillars or strategy relating to the policy on conservation for our environment. Other strategies also include practising a system of control logging, practising a system of selective logging, restoring and replanting of forests in logging areas, creation of forest plantations, restoring an area after forest fires, updating the forestry rules and regulations and to promote economic activities that will give minimal impact to the environment like eco-tourism and others," he said.
