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Join the Conversation
Do you have a speaker that you would like to hear from?
Is there a pressing topic that needs to be urgently addressed?
We want to know!
A series of informal gatherings where guests working in the field of nature and sustainability are invited to chat about their topic of specialty. These sessions are casual yet informative, and provide a space for like-minded individuals to deliberate and discuss ideas on how to be better stewards of our natural world.
Shorelines of the future
Dr Peter Todd
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
Coastal urbanisation and climate change are driving the global proliferation of artificial coastal defences. These structures have significant effects on the ecology of marine habitats, leading to the loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Ecological engineering—the integration of ecological principles and engineering for the benefit of both humans and nature—is a form of Nature Based Solution that is being increasingly adopted to alleviate the negative impacts associated with coastal defences by improving their ecological functioning. One of the more successful eco-engineering strategies is to add tiles with complex topographies, microhabitats, and water-retaining features. These can increase the richness and abundance of species reminiscent of native communities.
Moving forward, how can we incorporate habitat complexity and green elements into new sustainable coastal defence designs, and what additional benefits may they be able to provide?
Unpacking nature-based carbon projects
Elliott Ong
Project Partnership Lead, NatureCo
Foo Tun Shien
Carbon Project Development Associate, Arkadiah Technology
What are carbon projects? How does AI technology transform the way carbon projects are designed?
NatureCo is a global for-purpose business with a mission to rapidly scale-up global action on climate change and biodiversity loss, while creating enduring benefits for local communities. He focuses on the development of nature-based carbon projects in SE Asia that benefit people, climate and nature.
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Arkadiah Technology uses AI-driven technology to transform the way carbon is harnessed beyond planetary restoration, beyond carbon removal. Mobilizing technology and finance, they aim to generate a triple win for nature, people and their investors.
What's so special about coral reefs in Singapore?
Huang Danwei
What is a coral? What makes a coral reef? Where can we find them in Singapore?
The coral reefs in Singapore hold a unique significance. They are beautiful ecosystems and thriving hubs of biodiversity. However, these ecosystems face unprecedented threats in today’s world.
Hear from Danwei, the Deputy Head and Associate Professor of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore. Driven by his fascination for these diverse ecosystems, he utilizes coral reefs as a model system to explore questions of biodiversity. Studying these reefs, he aims to uncover insights that can help with their conservation and management.
When Snakes Fly
Kannan
What is HSS? What is a herp? Singapore got snake?
Come find out the answers to these and other popular questions about all things HSS and herps from none other than Kannan, the President of the Herpetological Society of Singapore (HSS) himself! Rumour has it that if you bring photos of some mysterious unidentifiable herp from Singapore, it could also be identified at the event!
Living Seawalls with Oyster Reefs
Yukie Yokoyama
Can food waste be the solution to solving coastal erosion and pollution? The ecologists from Witteveen+Bos, Yukie Yokoyama and Erika Ng, might just have the answer to that. Using discarded oyster shells from restaurants, they’ve created Singapore’s first artificial oyster reef. Besides coastal protection, the artificial reef will help to improve water quality over time, and provide suitable habitat for marine biodiversity.
Sea Turtle Conservation
Rushan bin Abdul Rahman
Rushan started his career as a sea turtle biologist, but it soon became clear to him that saving sea turtles required more than just an understanding of their biology and ecology. He is now an advocate for causes that are just, equitable, and which carefully considers the complexities of communities and cultures. He believes that in order to protect sea turtles in rural areas of the world, a gentle hand, a listening ear, and an empathetic heart are much more important than currently emphasised.
Giant Clam Scientist Mom Advocates for Eco-Mindfulness
Dr Neo Mei Lin
Mei Lin grew up in Singapore curious about nature and how ecosystems work. Her fascination with giant clams began in her undergraduate days, and prevailed throughout her research career. To date, she continues to work closely on the conservation and management of giant clams in the Southeast Asian region. She is also the author of a recently published book entitled “A Field Guide to Giant Clams of the Indo-Pacific.”
Mei Lin considers herself a multi-hyphenate and dives into issues close to her heart, including marine conservation, science communication, environmental advocacy, and motherhood in science. She believes in using her voice to amplify important messages that people need to hear about.
Getting to Know Our Wild Neighbours
Jasvic Lye
Have you ever chanced upon a troop of macaques in your estate or heard the iconic "uwu!" calls of the koel? Get yourself acquainted with Our Wild Neighbours and learn the dos and don'ts during an encounter. Get practical tips on how you can coexist with the animals that share our island home and what role each animal plays in keeping our city in nature green and healthy.
Tackling the Asian Bird Trade Crisis: Saving Sundaland’s Songbirds
Dr Jessica Lee
Dr Jessica Lee considers herself a conservation ornithologist with a para-veterinary background. She heads the Avian Species Programmes and Partnerships at Mandai Nature. She facilitates local and regional conservation research projects supported by Mandai Nature, as well as Mandai Wildlife Group, which includes building the network and capacity of conservation partners in ways that maximise impact on the ground. She is interested in the in situ and ex situ conservation management of threatened birds, as well as addressing key threats such as habitat loss and the illegal and unsustainable bird trade.
Alternative Livelihoods for Shark Conservation
Kathy Xu
Kathy Xu is the founder of The Dorsal Effect, an eco-enterprise providing alternative livelihoods to former shark fishermen through ecotourism. With an aim to stop shark fishing on the supply side, The Dorsal Effect gets ex-shark fishermen in Lombok, Indonesia, to lead snorkeling boat trips for tourists. Because who would know the oceans and their boats better than the ex-shark fishermen themselves?
Through her journey setting up The Dorsal Effect, she experienced first-hand the complexities that come with shark conservation. To that end, she will share her learnings about the best way forward for shark and marine protection.
The Global Refugee Crisis
Ann Moey
Ann has over 17 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sector in Singapore, Lao PDR, and Thailand. She is currently the Philanthropy and Private Partnerships Lead in Singapore for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, where her primary focus is to mobilise resources from companies, foundations and individuals, in support of displaced communities worldwide.
Eco-Friendly Campsite
Dileep & Remya
Dileep Anthikad is a senior conservationist and an ace wildlife photographer. He spent nearly a decade exploring and documenting the flora and fauna of the Middle East, India, Africa & Papua New Guinea and supporting conservation measures therein. Eventually, Dileep settled down in Masai Mara in Oct 2020, where he leads conservation and wildlife photography mentoring programmes. He is also the co-founder of Rhino Lovers, an NGO established to support local community and conservation initiatives.
Remya Warrier is a passionate wildlife photographer, naturalist and conservationist hailing from Kerala. With a few friends, she set up a farm in Dharmapuri, India where afforestation works have brought back the rains and birds to the region. In 2021, she moved to Masai Mara, Kenya to pursue her passion for wildlife photography and conservation work. Remya is co-founder of Rhino Lovers NGO & Osero Sopia River Camp, and the winner of the Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year 2023.
Wildlife Conservation in Malawi
Carmen Pang, Tim Foote & Emmanuel Kandiero
Tim and Carmen went to Majete Wildlife Reserve in Malawi to track the elusive African Wild Dog, but they ended up observing (and helping!) the wildlife team collar a young male lion. They were granted access to the wildlife monitoring, canine security, and veterinarian teams, whose members work tirelessly to safeguard the biodiversity within the park and support the communities that live just outside.
Tim and Carmen will tell stories from their trip and share with us the amazing conservation success story of Majete. Joining them on Zoom will be Emmanuel Kandiero, Tourism Manager of Majete Wildlife Reserve, which is managed by African Parks, a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities in various African countries.
Logistics of Humanitatian Aid
Claire Leow
Airlink is a global humanitarian organization delivering critical aid to communities in crisis by providing airlift and logistical solutions to nonprofit partners, changing the way the humanitarian community responds to disasters around the world.
Claire is the regional representative for Asia and the Pacific. She is based in Singapore, supporting her colleagues at the headquarters when it comes to programs with NGOs, building relationships with airline and logistics partners, and working alongside donors for the benefit of communities in crisis. These crises may be in-region, or NGOs in the region assisting in humanitarian responses globally.
Recycling & Upcycling
Teo Rui Xiang & Cai Bingyu
Rui Xiang graduated from the NUS Bachelor of Environmental Studies programme in 2017. He co-founded Soda Lemon with his then-coursemate, Sean Teoh, to tackle the problem of glass waste in Singapore. They believe that the business should be rooted on the pillars of sustainability, striking a balance between our economy, society and the environment we live in.
Ground-Up Initiative (GUI) is a non-profit organisation that runs a 2.6ha space called the Kampung Kampus in Khatib. GUI's work focuses on community-building and environmental sustainability, and they do this by connecting people with one another, with the environment and with the self. Starting off as a volunteer in 2011, Bingyu now takes charge of GUI. Bingyu is an architect and played a big part in building the Kampung Kampus and the Heartquarters at GUI.
Regenerative Travel
Shuen & Fang
Regenerative tourism is built on unique cultural identities and environmental practices associated with indigenous traditions. It is a model of tourism where the social and environmental well-being of local communities are improved. Terraformers is an impact startup promoting regenerative tourism offered by indigenous communities to make tourism a force for good. They build a subscription-based platform offering unique travel destinations designed for cultural and environmental regeneration.
Living Alongside Our Wild Neighbours
Anbarasi Boopal
Anbarasi (Anbu) Boopal started volunteering with ACRES in 2006 while studying at NUS, and then joined as a full-time staff member in 2007. With over 15 years of experience in wildlife rescues and animal protection issues, she is now ACRES’s Co-CEO overseeing the education, fundraising, animal crime investigation and the wildlife management departments at ACRES. With an educational background in Life Sciences and Environmental Management, her interests include empowering individuals on ways to help animals directly, and addressing the root causes of issues through advocacy and education.
Malayan Tiger
Dr Vilma D'Rozario
Vilma has been involved in conserving the Malayan tiger since 2014. Her first major contribution to tiger conservation was as a member of the organising committee of a tiger charity dinner with Cicada Tree Eco-Place (CTEP). From 2015 to 2019, besides being actively involved in Citizen Action for Tigers (CAT Walk Plus), she also monitored wildlife at the Sungai Yu Ecological Corridor in Pahang as a volunteer with the Nature Society’s Vertebrate Study Group (VSG). In 2019, she became co-director of the Singapore Wildcat Action Group (SWAG), a registered non-profit based in Singapore run entirely by volunteers. SWAG’s mission is to build a network of supporters for wildcat conservation, and raise funds to protect the critically endangered Malayan Tiger.
Freshwater Ecology
Dr Maxine Mowe
Dr Maxine Mowe has more than 10 years of research experience in phytoplankton and zooplankton ecology research and has been a lecturer since 2019. She has worked on the ecology of several cyanobacterial taxa (Microcystis, Cylindrospermopsis), phytoplankton and zooplankton interactions, microplastic impacts and eutrophication and algal bloom mitigation in Singapore’s reservoirs and coastal environment.
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