By Asmahanim Amir
Pix Abd Ra’ai Osman

BANGI, April 13, 2016 – The National University of Malaysia (UKM) and the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) will be collaborating on climate change research in Malaysia.

FRIM Director-General Dato’ Dr Abdul Latif Mohmod said the research will see UKM scientists and FRIM researchers studying the changes which occur in the country’s tropical rain forests.

“The collaboration will not only involve climate change issues, but also factors like biodiversity and ecosystems,” he said to reporters after the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between both parties here, yesterday.

Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali said UKM has taken steps to carry out research on the increasing the impact of carbon dioxide on forest ecosystems through the establishment of Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) research stations in the UKM Fernarium.

UKM also has a CO2 Glasshouse Automated system for carrying out studies on plant species responding to the increasing impact of CO2, which is the main gas causing the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Prof Noor Azlan hopes that the advice and expertise of UKM and FRIM researchers in the project can provide more information on the adaptation of tropical forest ecosystems and the impact of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.