KUCHING: Not only is it tiny and peculiar looking, this plant is so rare that it has only been spotted twice in 151 years. “Although the braconid (wasp) was probably only a coincidental victim, the flies may represent potential pollinators,” the resear­chers wrote. Sarawak Assistant Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administra­tion and Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh said the discovery was made possible through the state’s Research for Intensified Manage­ment of Bio-rich Areas in Sarawak (Rimba) programme. Further research will definitely be carried out as part of the ongoing initiative by Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) and Sarawak Forestry Department. Launched in 2015, the Rimba prog­ramme provides a platform for collaborative research between SFC and international institutions such as Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Kew Gardens and other researchers towards practical conservation.

Source: The Star March 09, 2018 22:52 UTC