So honoured to have been invited to a sharing session, organised by Temenggong Artists-In-Residence and WWF-Singapore, in conjunction with WWF Singapore Earth Hour Summit 2024 last weekend, where we introduced our work and experience in empowering youth to champion for environmental causes.
We also had the opportunity to hear from Mr Rohit Singh, Director of Protected and Conserved Area Governance and Management at WWF, about the threats of poaching of animals for profit that is harming dwindling wildlife populations and the health of our ecosystems.
A key conservation strategy involves the capacity building of local rangers to help in the policing, monitoring and surveillance of illegal activities. However, it is sad to hear that often basic living and safety needs are lacking for these protectors of nature who are risking their lives to ensure nature lives on.
In a trailer of just a few minutes, the issue of poaching and the struggles of forest governance is vividly captured in POACHER, a TV drama by filmmaker Mr Richie Mehta.
The conversations prompted us with many thoughts about humans and nature and as succinctly summarised by Mr Hsieh Fu Hua, Chair of WWF-SG and GreenSG COLLAB, “It’s not just about caring for nature, it’s the reverse. It’s nature caring for us.”