UM to conduct ecological study on dam
By Vijaya Rani
THE ecology unit of University Malaya’s botany department will conduct a ten-day ecological research at Kenyir Dam and its surrounding areas next month.
It would be the third of a series of projects, begun three years ago under an eight-year programme which is financed by a $1 million environment study grant.
"The study, which complements our programme here, will try to understand various life forms which will then be used as a yardstick to measure the impact of pollution as a result of development," said Prof E. Soepadmo.
It will cover theory and fieldwork experiments which will provide first-hand experience for students who will be undertaking the research under the supervision of lecturers.
"We will study the effects on water quality and forest structure since the building of the Kenyir Dam," he said
"Ecology is a study of the reaction and association of living organisms within an environment," said Prof Soepadmo.
"Scientific problems can be solved but there are other interrelated issues which must be considered in the real world situation," he said.
The unit has undertaken similar expeditions in the past to Kuau in Pahang and Endau-Rompin.
"Over the past five years, there has been a steady increase in the number of students enrolling in this degree programme," said Prof Soepadmo.
While other universities in the country were just beginning to set up programmes in ecology, University Malaya’s botany department has become a leader in this field.
Since the inception of the ecology degree programme in 1976, it has developed 24 courses to date.
It also offers similar courses at the Ph.D level.
There are about 250 students in the first and second year of the programme and about 40 and 25 respectively in the third and fourth years.
Source : The Star, May 27, 1992
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