Fest to show rare Mt Kinabalu footage

Film shot in 1961 offers historical peek into Borneo’s rich biodiversity

KOTA KINABALU: Historical footage of the Royal Society’s first scientific expedition to Mount Kinabalu will make its digital premiere at the Borneo Eco Film Festival today.

The rarely seen Mount KinabaluNorth Borneo archive footage of British and local scientists led by botanist Prof E.J.H. Corner explor- ing the untouched forests on the foothills of Mount Kinabalu also shows the presence of the now-extinct Bornean or Sumatran rhinoceros.

The Royal Society recently digitised the 35-minute Mount KinabaluNorth Borneo 1961, shot in 1961 using 16mm handheld cameras. The film and audio were on separate reels originally, the festival organisers said.

Prof Corner and his team – which included experts in botany, zoology and soil science, among others – from Britain, Singapore, Malaya and Sarawak, participated in the expedition with help from local villagers and discovered a host of new species that provided the impetus to designate Mount Kinabalu as a national park in 1964.

The team started on the eastern side of the mountain in Ranau’s Poring area to Pinosuk Plateau, where there was proof of existence of the elusive rhinoceros at the Mount Kinabalu range and new species of oaks and figs.

The flora- and fauna-rich plateau, described in Prof Corner’s various reports, was part of the national park’s original boundary but is no longer in existence as it was de-gazetted in the 1980s to make way for agriculture.

“This extraordinary film is a feast for the eyes and soul.

“We get a deeper sense of appreciation of the wealth of biodiversity and Mount Kinabalu’s cultural significance that enthralled Corner and his team.

“Now more than ever, we see the significance of good protection and management of our natural heritage,” said festival director Melissa Leong.