Expedition to Kuala Belalong, Temburong

The first thing that came to my mind with regard to the students on the Kuala Belalong expedition was: will they survive in Kuala Belalong without all the facilities that they have in Kuala Belait. Will they survive living without their parents? Those were the questions in the minds of the teachers.

It was a great chance for the students to learn to survive in Kuala Belalong and a chance to live in the jungle and gain a good lesson about our beautiful forests. These days, the younger generation never really knows what is behind the scenes on such expeditions.

So here are some of the insights into the Kuala Belalong field trips for the benefit of parents and other students of SMPW who are about to embark on their own study trips to Belalong, in Temburong District.

About 20 students from Sekolah Menengah Perdana Wazir (SMPW), Kuala Belait, from 5 Science, 5A and 4 Science, were accompanied by two teachers, namely Miss Lee Sii Chin from Science Department and Ck Yong Kah Foong from the History Department.

The expedition was hosted by the University of Brunei Darussalam which sent two facilitators to accompany the students and teachers at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC), Temburong.

The expedition provided an opportunity for the students to gain experience and knowledge about the natural environment, the history of the Brunei forest and also to understand the ecology of the Belalong rainforest. It also guided the students and the teachers towards an awareness of the importance of forest conservation.

The four days spent in KBFSC, provided the students with a lot of information about the habitat of the rainforest as well as the river ecosystem which is part of the subject that is covered in their “O” level syllabus.

The journey from Bangar to the Outward Bound Centre and the ride on a boat called “Temuai” was an enjoyable journey. It was beautiful scenery with the sounds of the river and the songs of birds and insects that the students had never heard before, living in the town in Kuala Belait.

When the students arrived in Kuala Belalong, the facilitators briefed them on the rules and regulations of the centre during their stay. During those four days spent there, it was not a holiday or a vacation trips for them. Instead, they examined several specimens collected from Belalong field studies.

On the first night of their stay, they were briefed on the history of KBFSC. It was an interesting presentation done by the facilitators. They mentioned the forest cover found in the field studies centre which was something that the students had never heard about before. Most of the forest found in Kuala Belalong consists of mixed lowland Dipterocarp forest.

The next day, the students took part in an intensive field study trip to the jungle on the Ashton Trail in the morning. The students spent hours trekking through the jungle and recording their findings. They also learned about the different strata of tropical rainforest layers, made observations about the creatures that live on the leaf litter, the food chains of the habitats, and the cycle of natural changes that are happening in the forest all the time.

Besides that, the UBD facilitators also conducted a short briefing in the jungle, so that the students would know about the ecosystem around them, and be aware of the characteristics of the plants. They also examined several types of habitat found in the jungle, different types of insects and also different types of fungus found along the trail. The intensive expeditions left the students with little rest during the day and nights in Belalong.

During the rest in the afternoon, the students were given the opportunity to have a swim in the river for an hour. It was a great experience for the students and something which they had never done in their hometown, swimming in cold river water.

In the evening, students then presented a report on their findings and what they had learned from their jungle treks. After they had presented their findings, the UBD facilitators conducted a short briefing on stream ecosystems which was conducted for their practical investigation the next day.

The practical investigation of the stream was done at Sungai Esu. The main objectives of the research were to determine the diversity of macro invertebrates at Sungai Esu, to investigate the correlations between the macro invertebrates found and the biotic factors measured, and to determine the quality of the stream water based on the data of macro invertebrates sampled. On the field investigation, students made general observation of the characteristics of the stream within their site, took water and plant samples, made an estimation of the canopy cover using an instrument called a densitometer, made a record of the pollution level using the Water Quality Index to assess the water quality, and recorded their findings in the field.

Students were separated into four groups and they were given some group coursework. They were supervised by their teachers and the UBD facilitators. After completing the coursework tasks, they were taken by the facilitators and tour guides to the inner parts of the stream where they got the chances to see the beautiful waterfall known as Sungai Esu Waterfall. They were also given time to have a swim in the waterfall.

After the trip, they were given a short rest and in the afternoon, they were taken to the canopy walkway near the national park. It was a great expedition experience in which they had to climb a slope with a height of 1500 meters. When they reached the destination, they were given a chance to climb up the canopy walkway even though it was a rainy day. It was a special experience for them and it was great scenery which the students had never encountered before. From the top of the canopy walkway, they got to see the scenery of a real V-shaped valley which they had learned about in the Geography syllabus in the river processes topic.

On their return from the canopy walk, they were given a short rest and then they were surprised by the UBD facilitators when they had a brainstorming session to prepare for their presentation on their research findings.

At times these sessions lasted through the night, depending on their presentations. From this research and the presentations, students experienced first hand and understood the basic need for such an investigation to be done by researchers to obtain all the essential information.

The study expedition to Kuala Belalong Field Studies Research left a great impression on the young students, and will maybe arouse interest in them to become researchers in the future. Some of them said that they want to come back to Belalong as voluntary researchers during their long vacations after their “O” level exams.

From the field studied, students get the opportunity to experience something that they have never experienced before and possibly will never experience again in their lives. The study expedition not only teaches students the value of teamwork but also helps them to gain knowledge of the diversity of the forest ecosystem.

Those who work day in and day out in the concrete jungle will never be able to appreciate the great treasure of Temburong, found in the forest at Belalong. The abundance of the flora and fauna and numerous animal species in Temburong remind us of the true value of our forest and why we must preserve it for ourselves and future generations.

Hopefully in the future the young generation will be able to appreciate the beauty of the natural environment and also be able to conserve the forest and understand the need to protect its ecosystem.