Kuala Lumpur, Aug 29: Award-winning actor and director Mel Gibson has thrown his support behind the Petra group's funding for research and conservation work at the Danum Valley Field Centre in the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo.
Gibson, a staunch advocate of rainforest protection and on a brief holiday here, attended the sponsorship signing ceremony of Petra Foundation, the charitable arm of Petra Group, where it pledged over RM8 million for the Royal Society's South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP) in Danum Valley.
"I am proud of this partnership which shows Petra Group's commitment in environmental causes.
"This is a good cause, not only to promote rainforest protection, but also the endangered species and millions of other species which have not been discovered in the rainforest," he said at the news conference.
Petra Foundation was represented by its chairman Datuk Vinod Sekhar and the Royal Society, by research coordinator Prof Rory Walsh.
The fund will be used for international research, training and educational programmes in rainforest ecology at the Danum Valley for eight years beginning next year.
Vinod said the sponsorship would encourage more research programmes to be carried out on the tropical rainforest, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of the natural heritage.
"In addition, it will help promote training of young Malaysian researchers and technical staff as they assist and learn from an international group of scientists and researchers," he added.
Bureau Report
