30
June
2008
The Hantu Blog spent the weekend at Envirofest 2008, amidst a wholesome selection of all sorts of environmental groups like the Naked Hermit Crabs, Nature Society of Singapore, and Raffles Museum Toddycats. Holding an event such as this in the heartlands of Toa Payoh was very refreshing! We met all sorts of interesting individuals along with some very promising young people who hopefully will remember the wonderful things they learnt about Singapore waters when the grow up!
Volunteers Hui Bing and Chay Hoon gave their precious time to our humble booth at Envirofest’08. It was tough competing with the throngs of people that flocked to the Toddycat booth to view and learn about about the amazing specimens on display!
Chay Hoon also gave a talk at the event on Sunday and educated some kids about the variety of creatures that can be spotted in Singapore.
Amongst the animal exhibits, the Toddycats had a host of interesting displays that where so chock full of knowledge that even I learned something new! Some of Singapore’s most experience nature people like Oi Yee were also present at the booth to literally blow people’s minds away with loads and loads of information on local fauna, flora and ecology!
And Siva played the role model by showing everyone you can help make a difference to the environment in your own little way such as riding your bike instead of relying on fuel dependent vehicles!
You can read more about event at Habitatnews . Wildfilms also blogged about the event and took heaps of pictures! We also managed to organise a dive at Hantu over the same weekend so we’ve been really busy! Stay tuned to read the trip report from our dive and view more awesome pictures!
Posted: Talks, Blogs, News
25
June
2008
Where: Toa Payoh Amphitheatre (In front of Toa Payoh Community Library)
When: 11:00AM - 8:00PM Saturday, June 28th & 29th
What: The Hantu Blog will have a booth at Envirofest’08. Come down to meet our volunteers and get first hand accounts of what it is like to dive in Singapore waters! We’ll be there to answer all your questions about what you can expect to encounter in local waters, and give you tips about what you can do in your everyday life, in your school, or at work, to help protect our very unique Singaporean environment Bring your friends along too!
The event is expected to draw a crowd of some 5,000 - 6,000 visitors.
The other nature and environment groups will be there as well, including the Naked Hermit Crabs, Toddycats, NParks and Waterways Watch as well as the Animal Welfare groups. So you can catch up and get to know some similarly passionate friends from the community!
When: 2:30PM - 3:00PM Sunday, June 29th
What: Hantu Blog diver, reef volunteer, and nudibranch enthusiast, Chay Hoon, will be giving a talk to share her experiences and knowledge of the local seas with the audience at Toa Payoh HUB on Sunday!
She will showcase her photos gathered from her tireless hours and days spent on reef walks and diving! Chay Hoon has amongst her collection species that have only recently been recorded in local archives so come down and be one of the first few Singaporeans to see some of the amazing creatures that share our waters with us!
Chay Hoon is among the most dedicated and regular guides at Chek Jawa, a volunteer with Beach Fleas, as well as a volunteer crew member with WildFilms.
Posted: Talks, Notices
16
May
2008
Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and author. Starting at age 20, he dedicated his life to sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. His practice has included starting and running ecological businesses, writing and teaching about the impact of commerce on living systems, and consulting with governments and corporations on economic development, industrial ecology, and environmental policy.
In this speech at the Bioneers Conference, Hawken delivers an inspiring presentation about the worlds largest movement - the hundreds of thousands of grassroots organizations that address social and environmental justice. The movement that you and I are a part of.
Posted: Talks, Notices, News, Videos
6
May
2008
Tuesday, 6th May 2008
Seagrasses: Not just for Dugongs!
Siti Maryam Yaakub
11am, Function Hall, Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens
Mention ‘Seagrass’ and most people think: Food for dugongs! Seagrasses have long lived in the shadow of other more charismatic marine habitats like coral reefs and mangroves. But did you know that Singapore is home to extensive seagrass meadows and more than half the species of seagrasses found in the Indo-Pacific? Learn more about the role seagrasses play beyond that of ‘dugong food’. Join Siti for an insight into what seagrasses are really about and the wacky people who have embraced these green wonders of the ocean.
About the speaker: Siti Maryam is a Senior Biodiversity Officer with the Biodiversity Centre of NParks. She is a marine biologist by training and was one of the co-founders of TeamSeagrass, a volunteer group that monitors the health and status of Singapore’s seagrasses. When she is not counting seagrass, Siti enjoys reading, tennis, experimental cooking and swimming with fish.
Saturday, 10th May 2008
The status and biology the Singapore Freshwater Crab, Johora singaporensis
Sivasothi N
2pm, Function Hall, Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens
True freshwater crabs have evolved to be completely independent of the marine environment and possess unique characteristics as a result. Many large freshwater streams are home to endemic species and Singapore Island is no exception. The freshwater crab diversity here has been well reported as a result of Peter Ng’s studies in the 1980’s. One crab in particular, was especially celebrated – the endemic Singapore Freshwater Crab, Johora singaporensis. Since that taxonomic examination, little else has been revealed about the crab, partly due to concerns about impacting the small but endangered population. In a recent study, aspects of the population biology, distribution and status of J. singaporensis were studied. This talk discusses the historical discovery, reports highlights of the recent study and discusses conservation implications for the future.
N. Sivasothi is an instructor at the Department of Biological Science more interested in otters and mangroves but inadvertently spent a lot of time in freshwater and peat swamp habitats in the early 90’s on zoological expeditions with Peter Ng. This recent examination of the freshwater crabs in Singapore by both was due to the supervision demands of honours student Daniel Ng.
Tuesday, 13th May 2008
Life - To Give or Not To Give
Karen Teo
11am, Function Hall, Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens
Acts of compassion turns sour. Come May every year, domesticated animals are illegally released into the nature reserves and reservoirs in the hope of giving them life. But little do many realised that 90% of these domesticated animals end up tragically dead. In an urbanised society like Singapore, the existence of our native flora and fauna hang on a very thin thread. What can we do, as inhabitants of this planet, to save the extensive biodiversity that Mother Earth has so lovingly nurtured over millions of years?
Karen Teo works as a Senior Outreach Officer in Central Nature Reserve, National Parks Board. As an ex-teacher, she is passionate in nature conservation and marrying her teaching skills to share with all the importance of protecting what little natural heritage we have left, through talks, exhibitions, workshops etc.
Saturday, 17th May 2008
Mad About Moths for Kids
Cicada Tree Eco-Place
2pm, Tanglin Core Information Counter, Singapore Botanic Gardens
*This interactive session is limited to 30 children. Please RSVP to lim_wei_ling@nparks.gov.sg by 9th May 2008.
Cicada Tree Eco-Place will conduct Mad About Moths for Kids to share its fascination with our less-known friends, moths. We will offer two concurrent 1.5 hour sessions on moths called Mad about Moths—one for adults and one for kids.
Mad about Moths for Kids will teach kids aged between 5 and 9 how to recognize moths, the differences between moths and butterflies, the life cycle of a moth, why moths are important members of our living planet, and what we can do to make a difference to moths! Children will also get a chance to take quick walk in the Gardens to see some butterflies so as to learn the major differences between moths and butterflies. This session will be fun and engage a young learner.
Cicada Tree Eco-place is a new non-profit, non-governmental organization that promotes nature, culture and eco-living through environmental education. Founded in Singapore in 2007, and managed by volunteer educators and environmentalists, it is named after a native freshwater swamp plant whose habitat is locally endangered, Ploiarium alternifolium (Cicada Tree or Riang Riang).
Saturday, 17th May 2008
Mad about Moths: Emperor Moths & Friends from SE Asia & the Amazon
Dr Preston Murphy
2pm, Classroom 3, Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens
Dr Preston Murphy will talk about “Mad about Moths: Emperor Moths & Friends from SE Asia & the Amazon” to highlight the beauty of moths in Asia as well as in South America. This talk, targeted at adult nature lovers, will focus on the diversity of large moths and dispel the myth that all moths are dull in colour and unattractive.
Dr Preston Murphy is former President of Lectret Precision Pte Ltd., Singapore, and continues to consult with the company on communications products. He and his wife Mireille are avid eco-travellers and have been to places as wild as Papua New Guinea to look for the birds of paradise. He is a passionate nature photographer, specialising in moths and butterflies.
Posted: Talks, Notices
21
April
2008
DATE & TIME : Saturday 26 April 2pm – 1pm
VENUE : Function Hall Botany Centre, Singapore Botanical Gardens.
Synopsis: Pulau Hantu is one of Singapore’s most renowned Southern Islands. Despite its prominence, it is constantly left to cope with a relentlessly changing coastline and marine environment. For a long time, the threats to Pulau Hantu have avoided the scrutiny of the public and the brilliance of its marine habitat gone unheralded. Debby Ng will bring clarity to the usually murky waters of Pulau Hantu with her underwater photos and videos.
About the speaker: Debby Ng is a full-time environmental journalist. She began her work in film and moved on to television, but eventually realised that she gained the most satisfaction from communicating her concerns on the environment through her photography and writing. Her work has been published in several regional and international magazines, including the award-winning Lebanese magazine, Environment & Development. She has also worked with numerous Asian and international non-government organisations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). In 2005 she assisted the Indonesian government in their assessment of fisheries, a project funded by The World Conservation Union (IUCN), the only conservation organisation with official observer status at the United Nations. Debby Ng is founder of the Hantu Blog, an education and awareness project powered entirely by volunteers and utilising free electronic media. She is also a volunteer dive guide and a freelance nature guide with Creative Kids.
Posted: Talks, Notices
20
April
2008
DATE & TIME : Tuesday 22 April 11am – 12pm
VENUE : Function Hall Botany Centre
Join Mr Jeffrey Low as he shares with us the splendor of our local coral reefs.
Synopsis: To start off the Biodiversity Talk series is our very own Mr Jeffrey Low from the National Biodiversity Centre Branch. He will share with us the splendor of Singapore’s coral reefs through an array of beautiful photos. Come join him in the exploration of our local coral reefs in the comfort of your chair.
About the Speaker: Jeffrey graduated from NUS in with a Bachelors of Science degree in 1988, and obtaining his Masters degree in 1999. He has worked on coral reef-related projects as a Research Assistant with NUS, first at the Reef Ecology Laboratory and then at the Tropical Marine Science Institute. He joined NParks in 2003 as a Senior Biodiversity Officer, overseeing development and marine conservation issues in the southern islands of Singapore.
Posted: Talks, Notices
15
February
2008
The Hantu Blog kicks off the International Year of the Reef at Maris Stella High School with a talk by Chay Hoon and myself! Titled “Southern Haunt” my talk emphasized the beauty that is Pulau Hantu, it’s natural history and it’s threats. Told from a diver’s perspective, students were introduced to life that exists in an underwater realm, a realm that is far less accessible than we’d like it to be! What is to be discovered during the talk is also mostly unexpected as the myth persists that there is little life left in Singapore murky waters, or that diving is even possible!
For two hours, students from across all levels were treated to videos, pictures and most importantly, stories from our reefs, forests and shores! It’s a great thing we had Chay Hoon give the talk! With her wealth of experience and quirky stories from diverse habitats in Singapore, students were led to discover a truly unique and dynamic environment that exists right at our doorsteps! She had stories to tell about everything beneath the sky - from spiders and lizards to slugs and bugs! From their reactions and bizarre questions, it was apparent they were intrigued and astonished.
But the exciting part has only just begun. Our little two-hour talk is going to form a base for the student’s podcasting project, which their teachers have themed Environment & Conservation! What a great theme! If their projects prove to be of an appropriate caliber, we may have the opportunity to present their little projects about Singapore’s wild environment right here on the Hantu Blog! We’ll check back with them a few months down the road and hopefully we’ll have them present local flora and fauna from their own, unique perspective!
Surprise yourself! Learn more about this talk and other talks that are available to your school or office by visiting the IYOR website.
Posted: Talks, News
