Singapore helps conserve Asia’s biodiversity
From Philippine pigeons with “bleeding hearts” to majestic Malayan tigers, Singapore has saved from extinction some Southeast Asian species through its breeding programs.
On April 3, it was reported that the Mandai Wildlife Group (MWG) will be sending one of three Malayan tigers at Rainforest Wild Asia to Taipei Zoo to be paired with a young female tiger there. Earlier, MWG sent 10 bleeding-heart pigeons bred at Bird Paradise Singapore back to the Philippines. Only 70 to 400 of them remain in the provinces of Panay and Negros.
But while such breeding efforts are key in ensuring that threatened species do not disappear off the face of the earth, experts said more should be done to ensure the longevity of animal species in the wild.
Conservation efforts include protecting and safeguarding the region’s natural environments, as well as educating various communities, organizations, and even the authorities on how best to care for these delicate animals in their native habitats, said a spokeswoman for MWG. Getting the public to appreciate and coexist with wildlife is also critical to reduce human-wildlife conflicts, she added.
Associate professor Darren Yeo, head of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, said conserving wildlife species in Southeast Asia is vital in preserving the region’s natural heritage. In fact, many wildlife species, such as the southern river terrapin, Sumatran rhino, and orangutan, are only found in Southeast Asia.
Wildlife plays many other important roles that benefit humanity. “Some species play important ecological roles like in seed dispersal, pollination, or controlling prey populations—maintaining the health of the natural ecosystems,” said assistant professor Zeng Yiwen, who conducts research on conservation, climate change, and communities at the Asian School of the Environment.
Despite its small size, Singapore is a biodiversity hot spot with a wide range of ecosystems, from forests to wetlands and coastal ecosystems, said Uma Sachidhanandam, director of conservation and science at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore.
“As a key member of international agreements on the environment, Singapore has the potential to influence large-scale conservation through well-established practices. Our legislation and on-the-ground efforts—such as nature-based coastal protection solutions and initiatives to address environmental fragmentation—can serve as strong models for the region to follow,” she added.
Globally, wildlife species are on the decline and experts have said the world is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction.
In 2024, the WWF Living Planet Report said the average size of monitored wildlife populations globally had shrunk by 73 per cent, and continues to decline today.
The report also found that the Asia-Pacific region ranks third globally in species decline, with a 60-percent drop in combined terrestrial and freshwater populations between 1970 and 2020. Wildlife in Asia has also experienced the steepest and most extensive decline over the past century.
Zeng said, “Biodiversity conservation efforts tend to have a bias toward charismatic animals like tigers, lions, and cute ones like koalas … this means that some species and groups of species may get overlooked and may receive less conservation attention and funding.”
Zeng said the threats that fauna in the region primarily face include habitat loss brought about by deforestation and land-use change, as well as overexploitation through resource extraction and the wildlife trade.
NUS conservation scientist Roman Carrasco said that Singapore can, through partnerships with other Asean nations, make a large difference for species that are on the brink of extinction. Through Mandai Nature, the conservation arm of MWG, support and funding of about $4.5 million annually have been invested in more than 40 projects in Southeast Asia, including Singapore.
These projects may involve direct efforts through breeding, or indirect means like assisting with habitat protection and restoration, and working with local communities and indigenous groups to benefit economically from nature conservation.
A key consideration is the establishment of sustainable populations under human care. This means maintaining healthy, genetically diverse populations of threatened species in zoos and aquariums worldwide.
Closer to home, Singapore has also undertaken efforts to make the country more hospitable for wildlife. Besides preserving its nature reserves, Singapore is adopting a multifunctional approach to make urbanized environments suitable for biodiversity through the rewilding of roadsides and greening of residential areas, Carrasco said.
WWF Singapore has also been actively tackling the issue of illegal wildlife trade—a major driver of pangolin and straw-headed bulbul population decline across their native range—through its Cyber Spotter Programme. This program trains volunteers to identify and report suspicious online listings of various threatened species. The Straits Times/Asia News Network
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The Philippine Daily Inquirer is a member of the Asia News Network, an alliance of 22 media titles in the region.
