It was in the 1980s when Mr. Eyad Samhan left his job as a town planning officer to pursue his love for nature. He became a Wildlife Conservation Officer with the Brunei Museums Department, where he taught himself to become a researcher in the sciences.

He started his work on biodiversity by conducting scientific research in all seven forest types in Brunei Darussalam. With the Royal Brunei Arm Forces (RBAF) providing helicopter services, Mr. Samhan and his research team was able to access isolated places in the wilderness. This journey led to new species discovery and records for Brunei Darussalam including Betta macrostoma, a species of fish which forms part of The IUCN Red List of Brunei and is endemic to Borneo. 

He also discovered a total of 30 species of pitcher plants (Nepenthes species) for Brunei including the discovery of Rafflesia priceii – a new record for Brunei. He also discovered the Rhizanthes lowii in Temburong District.

In an effort to discover more species, he led expeditions to Tasek Merimbun, Kuala Belalong, Sg Ingei, and Belait Peatswamp. As a field supervisor of Tasek Merimbun in 1983 and 1984, he led a research team that caught a rare species of fruit bat, Megaerops wetmorei, which is endemic to Borneo and southern Philippines. This new significant discovery led to the nomination of Tasek Merimbun as one of only 11 ASEAN Heritage Parks at that time. The ASEAN Heritage Parks are educational and inspirational sites of high conservation values, preserving a complete spectrum of representative ecosystems of the ASEAN Member States. These parks embody the aspirations of the people of the ASEAN nations to conserve their natural treasures.

Following this feat, he was then promoted to become the Curator of Natural History and the Manager of Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park.

As the curator of Natural History and manager of ASEAN’s Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park between 2001 and 2009, he decided to zone the park into three categories which allowed the general public, scientists, and local communities to appreciate, participate, and promote their traditional lifestyle.

In the early 1990s, the Royal Geographical Society of London and Universiti Brunei Darussalam launched the 14-month joint expedition to the Kuala Belalong lowland Mixed- Dipterocarp Rainforest. The rainforest ecosystem is home to some of the most diverse and species-rich forests on earth. Mr, Samhan was seconded from the Brunei Museums Department to Universiti Brunei Darussalam to head the expedition that involved about 74 scientists and live in the wilderness. He lived and worked there for five years in isolation, devoting his time to the research and conservation management of the rainforest ecosystem. This was where he discovered Rhizanthes lowii, a first record for Brunei Darussalam.

By 2012 to 2014, he took another challenge at the Heart of Borneo Initiative where headed the first and most daring camera-traps project in the wilderness of Sungai Ingei in the upper source of Beliat River. Although poachers hacked many of their camera traps, Mr. Samhan and his team managed to capture rare beautiful images of Catopuma badia in four different locations. This was the first-ever record for Brunei of all five species of wildcats in Borneo (now confirmed existing in the wilderness of Brunei Darussalam). It was here that he again encountered the critically endangered Betta macrostoma. By issuing a decree, His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei has banned the species from export.

The Heart of Borneo Initiative project in Sungai Ingei also led to the discovery of the Licuala, a species endemic to that area. 

From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Samhan was involved in the survey on fauna and flora of the unique Belait peatswamp, the largest in tact peatswamp forest ecosystem in Borneo dominated by the Shorea albida. His findings contributed significantly to the preparation of the Belai Peatswamp Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).

To share his discoveries with the public, he served as a regional documentary presenter for several television stations.

Now retired from the government, Mr. Samhan works as a freelancer on Ecosystem Services and as a volunteer assisting the Village Legislative Council (Majlis Perundingan Kampung) Bukit Udal, Tutong by managing ecotourism activities at Homestay Alai Gayoh Anak Pulau (HAGAP). 

The program was established in 2001 in conjunction with Brunei Visit Year. Mr. Samhan helped produce the Local Management Plan of the conservation area on community-based tourism activities with the theme: “Protection, Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and Cultures.” The program has created awareness and appreciation of Mother Nature. Among activities he conducts with HAGAP are interpretation forest walk, birds watching, spotlighting on mammals, reptiles and amphibians, watching of Bornean Gibbons, and Basic Identification of Tropical Rainforest Plants. The target audience of the activities are students and other interested groups. HAGAP had already attracted tourists from about 35 countries. 

In 2010, HAGAP received the “Excellent Village Award” that deserved a visit from a Royal Prince – Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Duli Pengiran Muda Haji ‘Abdul ‘Azim Ibni Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’Izzaddin Waddaulah.

In taking on the challenge of protecting Brunei’s biodiversity, Liaw Lin Ji knows all too well that there’s strength in numbers – and age. So when the young leader founded non-governmental organization Biodiversity and Natural History Society (BruWILD) in 2014, she aimed to engage the youth, along with the public, to do their role in conserving the country’s flora and fauna through nature-based education and other activities. 

As the group’s founder, the 34-year-old environment specialist works with a group of passionate and like-minded biologists from different fields of interests with a vision to create a world where nature and humans can survive and thrive in harmony. 

Eight years later, BruWILD has remained one of the most prominent youth-led environmental groups in Brunei, reaching hundreds of schoolchildren and inspiring them to take part in biodiversity conservation and climate change-related initiatives.

To ensure greater accessibility to biodiversity knowledge for people of all ages, Ms. Liaw and BruWILD work closely with important stakeholders in the Brunei government, academic institutions, as well as private sectors to conduct biodiversity educational roadshows, produce biodiversity documentaries, and develop educational materials for local schools and institutions. 

With the hopes of sparking curiosity and inspiring connection to environment among the youth, the group ensures that schoolchildren can access fun, creative, and interactive biodiversity information through print and online platforms.

Driven by her passion for biodiversity conservation and protection, Ms. Liaw shows no signs of stopping – and not even a global pandemic can deter her dedication. While COVID-19 made it challenging for BruWILD to run their normal activities, she managed to overcome the limitations by creating more virtual content such as downloadable content and conducting online talks to continue educating and engaging the public.

Through Ms. Liaw’s leadership, BruWILD has earned a stellar reputation as a conservation and environmental group, which led to numerous recognitions within the country and the region. In 2015, the team received the ASEAN Green Award during a ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. BruWILD was also awarded the Model Project 2017 for Brunei’s National Youth Day Celebration. For her role at BruWILD, Ms. Liaw herself was nominated to receive the distinguished ASEAN Youth Eco-Champions award in 2019. 

In addition to being at the forefront of BruWILD, Ms. Liaw is currently the Head of Environmental Solutions & Brunei Country Manager of an international environmental consultancy firm, DHI Water & Environment. Since being part of the firm in 2013, she has managed and executed numerous Environmental Baseline Studies (EBS), Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental Management and Monitoring (EMMP) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) projects in the region, including Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia. With a strong background in biodiversity management and field ecology, Ms. Liaw is instrumental in ensuring project development impacts to biodiversity are prevented or minimised. 

Ms. Liaw actively participates in the execution of ecological and biodiversity surveys, focusing on floristic composition of the tropical forests. She is also a core member of the firm’s Sustainability Group, pioneering innovative blue carbon and nature-based solutions in many countries including the United States of America (USA), Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines.

At 34, Ms. Liaw’s vast knowledge and fluency in biodiversity management and field ecology through her work execution and delivery have positively impacted other individuals in realising the importance of conserving the biodiversity. Her professionalism, combined with her bright, cheerful and cordial personality, has earned her a great respect within the country.

Her leadership in the biodiversity protection projects has led to tangible results within the community, such as the construction of new local university in the vicinity of environmentally sensitive area. Ms. Liaw’s initiatives also contributed to the relocation of fauna as part of the environmental management and monitoring plan, pitcher plan relocation for pulp paper recycling project, and seagrass relocation for an oil and gas project.

With her unwavering commitment towards understanding the precarious and multi-faceted nature of biodiversity and related disciplines, Ms. Liaw is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Biodiversity Wildlife and Ecosystem Health Management with the University of Edinburgh.