Tropical field course for Ecology: Angie's story
Students have the chance to attend a two-week tropical ecology field course, run jointly between the Departments of Plant Sciences and Zoology. Read Angie's story to find out about her experience on the Borneo field course.
If you would like to support a student to attend the course, you can donate online now. Alternatively, please contact Holly Singlehurst (hjs70@cam.ac.uk) who will be pleased to talk to you confidentially about how you might contribute.
Name: Angie Campbell
Graduating year: 2026
Degree: Natural Sciences (Plant Sciences)
College: Clare
Tell us about yourself: what motivates you about plant sciences?
I’m a final year undergraduate specialising in plant sciences. I think people often underestimate how fundamental plants are to the functioning of a healthy planet. Given the prevalence of issues such as climate change and food insecurity, understanding plant biology from their molecular processes to their ecological interactions is more important than ever – it’s a really exciting time to be involved in this field.
Why did you want to go on the field course?
I’ve been interested in sustainable development and nature-based solutions for a long time. Tropical forests are central to many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, vital not only for climate regulation and biodiversity, but also human health, industry and rural livelihoods. Living in the UK, it’s easy to feel disconnected from these issues and we rarely see how our own consumption impacts such ecosystems.
The trip provided the opportunity to visit not only Danum Valley, such a globally significant conservation area, but also nearby oil palm plantations - I wanted to see the contrast between the two for myself. I was also keen to visit INFAPRO, a forest rehabilitation programme near Danum which is registered under the Verified Carbon Standard and has been running for around 30 years.
How did it contribute to your understanding of plant sciences and ecology?
The field course gave me a much more nuanced understanding of the threats which tropical forests face. I don’t think I had fully grasped the complexity of rainforest dynamics, nor the range of ecological consequences that can result from forest degradation, including edge effects, soil degradation and habitat fragmentation. We learned a great deal from the professors and research assistants, who were all well acquainted with the tropical environment, and it was really uplifting to see how many people were working to conserve such an ecologically valuable area.
It also gave us the chance to conduct our own research, so it was an amazing introduction to fieldwork in a tropical setting. My project investigated the impact of forest rehabilitation on carbon stocks and biodiversity, examining whether a trade-off exists between the two, so it aligned well with my interests.
What five amazing things did you learn?
- Borneo is home to an array of bioluminescent fungal species - if you’re brave enough to turn off your torch at night, you might spot a few glow-in-the-dark mushrooms.
- Epiphytes are plants which grow on other plants for support but absorb moisture and nutrients from the air. They’re able to intercept falling leaf litter which is decomposed into nutrient-rich organic matter by communities of microorganisms, creating remarkable suspended soils high up in the forest canopy.
- The dipterocarps which dominate the Bornean rainforest have evolved an incredible response to intense seed predation. Rather than undergoing regular reproductive cycles, these trees wait for several years before synchronising community-wide mast fruiting events. The seeds they produce in these mast years germinate instantly, leaving thousands of seedlings which survive in the understory until they can capitalise on any gaps in the canopy.
- Logged and degraded forests are often assumed to have low conservation value, affording them poor protection against conversion to agriculture. However, the structure of these forests makes them ideal habitats for Bornean elephants, with a greater abundance of palatable vegetation and fewer old-growth trees blocking their path.
- Forest rehabilitation isn’t a panacea for climate change and biodiversity loss. Restoring one area risks simply displacing pressures to another. Sustainable solutions need to account for the socio-economic drivers of forest degradation, particularly when local livelihoods depend on forest resources.
What would you say to someone considering giving to the fund to support future students?
Without funding from the department, there would have been no way for me to go to Borneo. External funding is what makes this incredible trip accessible to every student regardless of their financial situation, eliminating any potential barriers and ensuring that those who want to experience fieldwork in a tropical environment first-hand are able to do so. To those who have previously donated to the fund and to those who are considering it, please know how far it goes.
Image: Angie Campbell and other field course students collecting data in selectively logged forest for their final project. Photo by Deddy Nurdin, local Research Assistant at the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP).