Campus Beautification Project

Background

In response to the nation’s call for every citizen to maintain a more attractive and greener environment, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, with the cooperation of the Forestry, Agriculture and Municipal Departments, will carry out a Campus Beautification Project involving the planting of ornamental trees and fruit trees, particularly those of local fruits which are gradually facing extinction. This long term project will be implemented in several stages over a period of four to five years, and will also constitute one of the events to mark World Forestry Day 2000.

Objectives

Apart from raising public awareness of the importance of maintaining a green and healthy environment, the project also aims to:

	unite members of public, private sectors, and the Universiti Brunei Darussalam community in cooperative participation in an environmentally friendly project;
	create a recreation park in Universiti Brunei Darussalam which will be of benefit not only to the university community but also to the general public, as well as to primary and secondary school students;
	provide a gene bank of local plants and local fruit trees;
	provide a site which will enable scientific research on an extensive range of plants, fruits, herbs, bamboos, ferns, and palms; and
	become a civic-oriented project which will not require huge funding from the government.

Implementation

Universiti Brunei Darussalam currently has a land area of 439 hectares, of which only 100 hectares have been developed to house the campus buildings. It is hoped that, in 10 years’ time, the UBD campus will also eventually house an arboretum (where trees and shrubs are cultivated), a bambusetum, a palmetum, a fernarium, and a herbal garden.

The university authorities will implement this project in the following stages:

Phase One will involve the planting of ornamental trees along the roads lining the campus and the planting of local fruit trees in the hostel ground as well as in the site of the proposed arboretum.

Phase Two will involve the planting of different varieties of bamboo trees in the site of the proposed bambusetum and more local fruit trees in the arboretum .

Phase Three will involve the planting of an extensive collection of ferns in the site of the proposed fernarium and even more local fruit trees in the arboretum

Phase Four will involve the planting of an extensive collection of herbs in the site of the proposed herbal garden and more local fruit trees will be added to the arboretum.

Phase Five (the final stage) will involve the planting of different varieties of palm trees in the site of the proposed palmetum and a more extensive collection of local fruit trees in the arboretum.

Participation

Members of the public and private organisations, and the Universiti alumni are welcome to participate in this project by means of monetary donations, or material donations in the form of treelets of local traditional fruit trees, fertilisers, and other related materials. Currently, the Universiti Special Fund has received contributions of B$80,000.00, more than 1000 fruits, palm and ornamental trees.

In the 1st Phase, around 1900 trees has been planted all along the roadside as well as within the campus. The 2nd Phase will see the planting of MORE fruit trees, esat of the main gate to the campus as well as the setting up of the Bambusetum Theme Garden next to the Faculty of Science. Priority will be given to trees NATIVE to Brunei. To achieve this, we need MORE trees. Currently we only have 341 fruit trees and a variety of bamboo in our collection.

Interested individuals and organisations are welcome to contribute. All contributions, queries and correspondence should be sent to the following address:

Secretariat, Campus Beautification Project,
Universiti Brunei Darussalam,
Tungku Link,
Bandar Seri Begawan BE1410,
Brunei Darussalam.
Tel: 02- 249001 Fax: 02-249554

Cheque donations should be made out to "Tabung Universiti Brunei Darussalam".

Universiti Brunei Darussalam would like to record its appreciation and gratitude for the support and donations it receives for the successful implementation of its Campus Beautification Project.