Marine Conservation!

• What drew you to this event?
• What are 3 things you learned from this event?
  • Was there anything which surprised you?
• Having heard from the speaker, what is 1 new insight or question you have about marine conservation?
• How do you think people can contribute to marine conservation?

I would have to say that in general, many Singaporeans take our amazing biodiversity for granted – most of us are hardly aware of the many creatures living in the park connectors near our homes! That appears to be even more the case with our marine life to me.

The opportunity to hear from a marine biologist and conservationist is truly something quite unique, and it’s not one I would want to miss. It is quite a specialised field after all, and it is a chance to learn about an ecosystem which doesn’t get quite as much spotlight as our other terrestrial habitats do.

There were plenty of interesting topics brought up, but I do find that my question which was addressed (the one pertaining to seagrass meadows) was quite cool! Pei Rong mentioned a study which showed how seagrass meadows, coupled with coral reefs and mangrove forests can work together to reduce damage caused by storms and tsunamis, providing an essential service to us completely for free.

Hearing about her experiences in research with Ghost Crabs, and other landmarks in her career like her encounter with the Hawksbill Turtle hatchling or how she worked to set up the Intertidal Watch citizen science programme was pretty interesting as well.

While I was aware that Singapore had a thriving marine ecosystem going in, that was about all I really knew about it. I had no idea about dugongs along our shores, how much coral diversity we actually had here and that so many people were committed to helping these ecosystems thrive.

Definitely considering signing up for the Intertidal Watch after I end my National Service. Would totally do it after the whole COVID situation blows over, but the odd unpredictable hours necessary to conduct the walk kinda clash with that XD

I do agree with Pei Rong’s sentiment that anyone can do science given the right materials and training. If anyone really is interested in marine life, wants to learn more about animals or simply wants to contribute in some way to local wildlife research and conservation, definitely do consider Intertidal Watch.