Hominids inhabit the Southeast Asian archipelago since more than 1.5 million years. The fossil remains they left behind are among the earliest discoveries in the history of palaeoanthropology. However, there is only limited knowledge about their habitat and lifestyle. Current research on the earliest inhabitants of Southeast Asian islands is hampered by their present distribution, the remains being stored in collections in Europe and Asia and only available to those researches who put up with extensive travel. The HOPSea network provides the basis for a trendsetting and sustainable international collaboration in the area of scientific approach of hominid evolution in Southeast Asia, equally available to all participating partners. The HOPSea network intends to improve scientific exchanges between European and Southeast Asian partners in order to train young scientists and teaching staff, to consolidate science and the public as well.
During its initial phase the HOPSea network comprises joint individual projects, for designing and installing an internet portal, set up scientific databases, collaborating in education and training of students and arranging for public presentations and exhibitions. Meetings are planned in order to support direct exchange between the project partners and ensure continuous project evaluation. The kick-off meeting was held in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, in April 2005. Further meetings in the Philippines and in Indonesia are scheduled annually. Following the intial set up phase with a duration of three years, participation will be opened up for further international partners during the last meeting scheduled in Paris, France, in 2007. By then, the HOPSea network will provide an attractive framework. Participation will be promising for universites, museums and other institutions.
a cultural heritage perspective:
The regional development in Southeast Asia will be supported and advanced by providing materials and arranging for exhibitions. As an expert network HOPSea represents a promising contact for local and regional authorities and institutions, e.g. in Sangiran (Jawa, Indonesia), a site inscribed in the World Heritage List of UNESCO by 1996. By providing materials with public appeal as well as organising an exhibition on human evolution with regional focus conceptualized primarily for Southeast Asian visitors, the development and touristic management may be decisively supported and enhanced. Classical forms of presentation beyond the internet are indispensable as long as modern forms of communcation are rarely available in rural regions in Southeast Asia.
It is an important aim of the HOPSea project to train and qualify future scientists in the particpating Southeast Asian countries and in Europe alike. Coordinated and harmonised steps in up-to-date scientific training are not only desired, but required in an international frame. The training unit is intended to improve decisively qualification and expertise of the attending students.
Three different integrative approaches are developed:
- Master module "Hominid evolution in Southeast Asia" - methodic skills will be shared in summer schools and academic modules, which are held in Europe
- by attending field schools in Indonesia and the Philippines, students may gather practical experience with the special requirements in conducting interdisciplinary fieldwork
- An e-learning module will be progressively launched during the project, in a first step by circulating e-documents between the partners.
Virtual collections supporting research on hominids and hominid sites, and their public presentation as well, will provide the core of a database, allowing scientists and student members of the network to have immediate access to research studies and results of their colleagues. The HELSea portal will provide a platform simplifying exchange and transmission of digital data in a controlled environment and under mutually agreed terms. The consolidation of data in the hands of renowned scientists will enhance knowledge and insight in habitat and life of hominids in Southeast Asia. The portal thus fulfills yet another purpose, namely the presentation of habitat and life of Southeast Asian homnids in form of a virtual museum, open to the public and devoted to hominid evolution in the Southeast Asian archipelago during the last 1.5 million years. It will provide permanent exhibitions as well as temporarily changing ones on current issues in the field. Everyone looking for information on hominid evolution in Southeast Asia will find a competent contact.