L–R: Meryl Theng (OtterWatch), Li Tianjiao; Evelyn Chong (NParks), Jonathan Ngiam (AVA), Adrian Loo (NParks), N. Sivasothi (OtterWatch/NUS), Desmond Lee (MND), Cheng Wen-Haur (WRS), Max Khoo (OtterWAtch), Anbarasi Boopal (ACRES)
Desmond Lee, Second Minister for National Development posted this on his Facebook account:
A partnership driven by a community volunteer group – Otter Watch – with NParks, NUS, AVA, ACRES, PUB and Wildlife Reserves Singapore, formed in April, was formalized at the 13th International Otter Congress, held for the first time in Singapore, today.
This joins other conservation working groups in Singapore comprising partnerships between community, nature groups, and government agencies, to study, monitor, and engage in species recovery and habitat enhancement work for endangered native wildlife such as the Banded Leaf Monkey, Sunda Pangolin, Singapore Freshwater Crab, Common Palm Civet and Marine Turtles.
In biophilic cities, including small, dense and highly urban city-states like Singapore, human-nature interactions increase because nature is ever so close by and brought even closer to city dwellers as a result of greening programmes. We need active and wide community participation in citizen science and broad public education and awareness, in order to steward and protect such native wildlife and mitigate potential human-animal conflict.
Glad to have been able to meet scientists and conservationists from Singapore and around the world this week at the International Otter Congress and the recently concluded Conservation Asia conference held over the weekend.
Mr N. Sivasothi (NUS), Dr Cheng Wen-Haur (WRS), Dr Nicole Duplaix (IUCN-SSC Otter Specialist Group) , Minister Desmond Lee, Mr Kenneth Er (CEO, NParks), Dr Sonja Luz (WRS), Dr Adrian Loo (NParks), Dr Lena Chan (NParks)
Otterman speaks... 