| Universiti Putra Malaysia

Vivarium Festival showcases flora and fauna conservation efforts

By: Faiz Hamzah
Photo by: Noor Azreen Awang

 

SERDANG, Dec 19 - The Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) organised the Vivarium Festival 2018-6 Series to expose students to conservation of flora and fauna through vivarium.

Programme Advisor, Dr. Mohd Firdaus Ismail said that the programme was aimed at providing awareness and understanding not only to students but also to the community on the importance of preserving the flora and fauna for future generations.

"Vivarium is an ex-situ conservation method to conserve organisms such as flora and fauna outside of their natural habitat, usually in a closed area to care for the animals and plants for the purpose of observation or research," he said.

One hundred Agriculture Botanical Course (AGR 3101) students from semester 2018/2019 Session in group one and four participated in the festival.

 

A student from the Bachelor of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, UPM, Siti Norhanisah Lokman, said that through the programme, she could observe and learn how to plant and care for the decorative plants in beautiful containers.

"I learn new knowledge in making a terrarium and improve my understanding of vivarium before giving explanations about them to visitors," she said.

Her friend, Nurul Anis Athirah Abdul Talib, said the programme provided students with the opportunity to gain new knowledge and to show the public the beauty of agriculture.

"Farming is not merely about planting. The vivarium programme is a medium or a creative technique to attract the interest of the public, particularly the youth to venture into agriculture,” she said.

 

Vivarium is created specifically for the purpose of conserving flora and fauna, and it has a high value as a décor for home, landscape and environment that is often built by fans and nature lovers as a hobby.

There are various types of vivaria among which are aquariums which usually involve the construction of aquatic ecosystems such as fish, algae and water plants. - UPM

 

 

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