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Blog Citizen Science Origins Borneo Futures Director, Erik Meijaard, has long been working on the idea of using citizen science to better inform adaptive biodiversity management. It all started in 2005 when, on a routine visit to train biodiversity experts at a timber concession, Erik realised that those who truly knew where and what the species were were not the experts, but the staff on the ground spending day in and day out in the forests. This observation sparked a simple but powerful question: Why does so much of this knowledge go unrecorded, and how could we develop systems to collect it more effectively? From here, Erik entered discussions with Borneo Futures Co-Director, Rona Dennis, to formalise a system whereby anyone could monitor biodiversity and contribute to a more comprehensive database of observations. At the time, Rona was working in environmental risk assessment for a multinational mining company with exploration sites in Indonesia. She took the concept to her seniors and partnered with a colleague to roll it out across the Indonesian project. The trial was a huge success, surpassing expectations and acting as a crucial proof of concept. Senior management praised the initiative, recognising the benefit it brought for their sustainability commitments through widespread engagement with conservation and a record number of new species sightings. People began to get excited about conservation. When the company unexpectedly closed its Indonesian projects, Rona and Erik were committed to citizen science and weren’t going to let it disappear with the loss of their major pilot. Instead, they turned to alternative avenues. Erik had been working with palm oil producer ANJ since 2011 and looked to integrate this approach into an oil palm landscape. The first attempt failed due to a lack of integration into company policy. However, with Rona’s expertise in creating formal systems, they tried again. In 2019, ANJ began deploying the project across its seven estates in Indonesia. This project, which garnered great praise over five years of implementation, was dubbed PENDAKI, a name signifying care for the environment. The outcomes were remarkable: over 190,000 species sightings so far, including many new records, and strong staff engagement. “The social benefits of PENDAKI demonstrated the importance of community engagement because, without it, biodiversity will always be a siloed activity or afterthought.” This spurred a shift towards community-based systems. Initial interest was modest, but participation surged once incentives were introduced. Villagers were given tablets to view their own observations and told that if they recorded 600 sightings, they could keep the device, a target they initially doubted, but met with ease. When a payment system was later introduced, the numbers skyrocketed, with each village now contributing between 6,000 and 7,000 observations every month. Now well established and thriving, the project’s ambition extends beyond collecting wildlife data to changing mindsets about biodiversity. Through its incentive programme, the aim is to make conservation more valuable than poaching. The long-term goal is to expand the model across communities and companies, and embed it into government programmes such as Dana Desa in Indonesia, where villages that protect biodiversity could receive premium payments. With a target of 50 project sites by 2028, a milestone expected to be easily met, the project is attracting growing interest from both companies and communities. This balance is crucial, as it demonstrates that the approach is low-cost compared to traditional methods, yet generates far more data that can be transformed into near-real-time insights on the impact of conservation activities. Such immediacy is rare in the sector, where few investors in conservation ever see the direct effects of their actions. Understanding why people choose to participate, whether for financial reward, recognition, or the satisfaction of helping the planet, is key to sustaining this momentum. The approach is scalable, adaptable, and targeted, “a radical redesign of conservation incentives at scale,” as its creators describe. “Just imagine, what if conservation paid better than poaching?” Challenges remain, especially in keeping up with technological updates, but the potential is undeniable. Citizen science is proving to be a true innovation for conservation, transforming local knowledge into national impact and showing that when communities lead, biodiversity thrives.

Blog From Learning to Leadership: Safwanah’s Experience on the ASEAN-Australia Centre’s Emerging Leaders Program The ASEAN-Australia Centre’s Emerging Leaders Program and Short Courses bring together early-to-mid-career professionals from ASEAN, Timor-Leste and Australia to strengthen leadership, strategic thinking and regional networks in key sectors like the digital economy and sustainable agriculture. Over three months, participants take part in virtual workshops and a one-week in-person program in Australia. The course blends practical learning, cultural exchange and engagement with experts, culminating in a return-to-work plan to help drive positive change in their fields and communities. She extends her gratitude to the ASEAN-Australia Centre, in partnership with Griffith University, for organizing the program, with support from the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Last month, Safwanah Said, Director and Spatial Analyst at Borneo Futures, embarked on a journey to deepen her understanding of the role women play in STEM and develop her capacity to excel in her profession and act as a steward for equal representation in the field. While the in-person course lasted only a couple of weeks, Safwanah will carry forward the lessons learned to encourage current and future generations of women, including her young daughter, to recognise their worth and take up space in their chosen fields of expertise. Safwanah first joined Borneo Futures in 2020 as a research officer with a focus on GIS and geospatial mapping. Since then, she has steadily progressed to become a confident spatial analyst, taking a leading role in land use change (LUC) analyses, spatial data modelling, and the mapping components of research studies and conservation projects. Her primary interest lies in conducting critical habitat assessments, where she can apply her diverse skill set to determine the natural and modified habitat of project areas. This work helps generate multi-factorial maps to guide biodiversity and sustainability assessments. Her passion for GIS was sparked during her undergraduate studies in Environmental Sciences in Brunei Darussalam, where a short module on ArcGIS introduced her to the world of spatial data. Two semesters abroad at King’s College London offered her the opportunity to explore remote sensing, which further solidified her interest, although opportunities to pursue this field locally remained limited. Determined to continue, she later completed a Master’s degree in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, with a thesis that placed GIS at its core. Despite this strong academic foundation, Safwanah entered a job market with few roles that allowed her to apply her specialised skills. Through persistence and dedication, she carved out a space for herself, bringing technical excellence and a unique perspective to her work in Brunei’s growing sustainability and conservation sector. Safwanah first heard about the ASEAN-Australia Centre Short Course on Women in STEM through a Borneo Futures Director and her supervisor, Rona, who encouraged her to apply. With a full plate at work and young children at home, she hesitated at first. The opportunity sounded exciting but was it realistic? Could she make the time? Was she even the kind of candidate they were looking for? Her uncertainty quickly gave way to disbelief when she received the acceptance email. Out of over 200 applicants from across Southeast Asia, only 20 women were selected, and she was one of them. That moment marked a turning point, not just in her career but in how she viewed herself: as a representative of Brunei, a woman in STEM, and a role model in her field. The application process was rigorous. Safwanah completed multiple written components and was later invited to an interview that pushed her to reflect on the state of STEM in Brunei, particularly for women. She spoke honestly about how, despite the strong quality of education in Brunei, there are few pathways for progression after graduation, especially in technical fields such as spatial analysis. She also highlighted the lack of visible local role models. Most of the technical expert roles in STEM fields are often held by expatriates. The absence of visible Bruneian women in technical roles limits what young girls believe is possible. These reflections were not easy to voice but they were honest, and they resonated with the selection committee. Her application and interview emphasised not only her technical expertise and leadership potential but also her deep understanding of the barriers women in Brunei face in STEM fields, and her determination to help change that. Over the two-week programme, Safwanah travelled to Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Canberra; each city offering a unique perspective on women’s roles in STEM. In Brisbane, she attended sessions on global gender disparities in STEM, leadership, machine learning and personal branding, which left her feeling both empowered and challenged. On the Gold Coast, hands-on exposure to cutting-edge STEM applications, from 3D printing to marine biology, fuelled her excitement for real-world impact. In Canberra, policy and science converged through site visits and key presentations, including a transformative session by Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE). Throughout, Safwanah was struck by the systemic support available for women in Australia and she returned with renewed motivation to advocate for greater inclusion in Brunei. She described her time in Australia as eye-opening and empowering, both professionally and personally. The programme’s engaging, workshop-style sessions, covering leadership, personal branding, and gender equity in STEM, pushed her beyond her comfort zone and encouraged her to find her voice. Highlights included visits to cutting-edge labs such as ADaPT, the BioSpine Lab and the Sea Jellies Research Laboratory, where she saw first-hand how innovative technologies are applied in biomedicine and environmental science. She was especially struck by the emphasis on inclusivity in Australian STEM programmes, an approach less commonly emphasized in Brunei, and how this ethos helps to drive innovation. The presentation by SAGE was particularly impactful, shifting her perspective from the challenges of entry into STEM to the deeper, systemic issues around retention and career progression. Safwanah returned inspired to advocate for structural changes in Brunei, particularly as the country moves towards developing a national action plan to empower women in leadership. As

Blog Brunei’s First Licensed HCV/HCS Assessor Leads the Way in Conservation In December of this year, Syazwan Omar, known as “Wano,” achieved a major milestone by passing his final assessment for a High Conservation Value and High Carbon Stock (HCV/HCS) course. Wano is a graduate of Universiti Brunei Darussalam and holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master of Science in Geoscience from the institution. Passing his final assessment makes Wano the first provisionally licensed HCV/HCS assessor in Brunei Darussalam. HCV assessments have been used for the past two decades to identify and protect areas with high conservation value from land use change, often related to extractive industries and agriculture. The methodology is versatile and can be applied in a wide range of contexts, making it an ideal means of standardizing land use assessment and environmental protection. Wano is a leading environmental analyst at Borneo Futures, who joined the team after demonstrating his expertise in the first Brunei-wide environmental assessment for peat, which he completed in his final project to attain his master’s degree. Since joining Borneo Futures in 2023, his career has evolved toward a focus on environmental sustainability and citizen engagement, a shift that aligns perfectly with his recent certification. His passion for this field was evident in his enthusiastic participation in the HCV/HCS assessment course held in Bogor, Indonesia. Looking forward, Wano aspires to apply his training by conducting assessments in Indonesia and spearheading efforts to establish a domestic market for HCV/HCS assessments in Brunei. Brunei, with its rich biodiversity and extensive tropical forests, stands to benefit greatly from the adoption of HCV and HCS assessments. These tools help balance development with environmental and social priorities, offering significant advantages. HCV assessments can pinpoint critical habitats for rare and endemic species, ensuring their protection amid urban expansion or agricultural growth. HCS assessments complement this by identifying high-carbon areas, safeguarding Brunei’s forests as vital carbon sinks and supporting the nation’s climate commitments. Economically, these assessments enable sustainable policies that balance ecological integrity with growth, particularly in forestry and agriculture. Aligning with global sustainability standards enhances market access for products like timber and palm oil, which face increasing scrutiny for environmental compliance. Additionally, these tools address community well-being by considering the needs of local and Indigenous groups, fostering equitable land-use practices. Protecting high-value areas could further bolster Brunei’s ecotourism sector, showcasing its pristine forests and biodiversity.   While implementation of these assessments requires expertise, resources, and coordination among stakeholders, integrating them into Brunei’s land-use planning could position the country as a regional leader in sustainable development and conservation. Wano’s certification marks a crucial step in this direction, as it equips Brunei with local expertise to navigate these challenges and opportunities. In a recent interview, Wano shared insights into the intensive course that spanned a week and offered both theoretical and practical training. Hosted by Remark Indonesia, the course delved into the fundamentals of HCV/HCS assessments and provided hands-on experience through fieldwork, mock assessments, and group activities. Wano highlighted the emphasis on communication and teamwork, two pillars of a successful assessment process. Participants engaged in exercises such as designing “perfect” landscapes for evaluation, conducting patch analyses and land cover mapping, and practicing stakeholder consultations tailored to different audiences. On-site interviews were also conducted to assess resource use and biodiversity values. Notably, the course emphasized Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), a principle integral to Borneo Futures’ projects. Aside from the ‘perfect’ landscapes, students were also assessed through continuous assessment of the theory learned throughout the course, as well as presentations of stakeholder consultations, including the outcomes and consultation process. The final assessment took the form of a group report, to mimic the conditions under which a standard HCV/HCS assessment would take place. The final assessment was submitted in September, with the results released in December. The overall grade was largely composed of this final assessment but factored in the assessments during the course too. To pass, students had to achieve a score of at least 70%. Wano, very impressively, scored 85% – an achievement to surely be proud of and a testament to his dedication to the subject matter and desire to succeed. Now in the probationary phase of his certification journey, Wano must submit two complete HCV/HCS reports to gain full accreditation as a fully licensed assessor. Drawing on his extensive connections in Indonesia through his work at Borneo Futures, he is optimistic about finding opportunities to fulfill this requirement. Wano’s achievement not only sets him up for future successes in Brunei and beyond but also represents a pivotal moment for the nation. As Brunei seeks to integrate sustainable practices into its development strategies, the groundwork laid by Wano and HCV/HCS assessments could catalyze its transformation into an active contributor to a global drive towards prioritizing conservation and sustainable land management.