For the coming 10th International Meeting of the Asian Society of Conservation Medicine (ASCM), we are moving the meeting into the Bornean rainforest! The venue for the meeting will be Kuching, Sarawak, in Malaysia. Sarawak is the biggest state of Malaysia, located on world’s third largest island, Borneo. The location itself is an adventure and it is definitely the place that a vet or a nature lover would love to visit. Kuching is also known as the cat city, the capital of Sarawak. However, it is quite different from the usual busy and crowded city, it is rather calm. The pre-congress workshops are going to be held around the cat city, and then for the two-day main conference we will move to a venue very close to the rainforest and beach. You are free to experience a stay close to the nature such as tree houses, a homestay to experience the real Sarawakians’ culture or if you prefer a hotel or resort there are several close by too. We want you to meet your friends or colleagues during the conference and at the same time experience the nature and culture in Sarawak. The post-congress workshops will include the Bornean biodiversity real experience, so do not miss it. This is going to be not just another conference, but we hope to make this experience in Sarawak memorable.

I am looking forward to meeting you all in Kuching!

TOKUMA YANAI 

Senior Board, ASCM

It gives me great pleasure in welcoming you to the 10^th International Meeting of the Asian Society of Conservation Medicine (ASCM) which will be held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Over the years this conference has built great momentum and has attracted many participants from a diverse number of countries. This is because the conference aims to bridge gaps and build sustainable partnerships by bring together scientists, practitioners and industry partners in the various fields of conservation medicine including wildlife health and disease ecology, epidemiology and zoonosis. We are indeed very privileged to have prominent veterinarians and conservationist participating in this conference, who will be delivering keynote, plenary and symposia presentations. It is hoped that this conference will be an avenue for the exchange of ideas, networking, and creating awareness on the challenges faced in the diagnosis, control and treatment of wildlife and zoonotic diseases globally, and in the Asian region in particular. A number of pre and post conference workshops will be organized to provide a platform for the advancement of the science of conservation medicine and wildlife health.

Sarawak is a hub for ecotourism and is blessed with one of the world’s oldest tropical rainforest, high in diversity and abundance of fauna and flora. This lush natural heritage is fortified by the rich cultural diversity deeply rooted in ethnic tradition. Kuching is a cosmopolitan city which still maintains its ethnic and cultural charm. You will be pleasantly surprised by the local hospitality, cuisine and environment this beautiful city has to offer. Kuching is also within close reach of world famous national parks and forest reserves which house many unique, endemic and endangered wildlife species.

On behalf of the local organizing committee, I wish to invite you to join us in this conference and thank you for your support and participation in making the 10^th International Meeting of the Asian Society of Conservation Medicine (ASCM) a success. We welcome you to Sarawak, Malaysia and hope you have a pleasant and memorable stay in our country.

Best regards,

Reuben Sharma

Chairman

Local Organizing Committee