are we a biodiversity-smart nation?. 1. how biodiversity-smart are we? 2. why should we be...
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Are we a Biodiversity-Smart nation?
1. How Biodiversity-Smart are we?2. Why should we be Biodiversity-Smart?3. What keeps us from being Biodiversity-Smart(er)...
1. How Biodiversity-Smart are we?
Taxon Number of species, fauna/flora known?
Fauna/Flora identifiable?
Natural History?
Research needs
Vascular Plants 4180 spp. (ca. 50% native); yes fairly well varies varies widely
1. How Biodiversity-Smart are we?
Taxon Number of species, fauna/flora known?
Fauna/Flora identifiable?
Natural History?
Research needs
Vascular Plants 4180 spp. (ca. 50% native); yes fairly well varies varies widely
Vertebrates < 1000 spp.; yes yes Mostly fairly well
Ecology, species interactions
1. How Biodiversity-Smart are we?
Taxon Number of species, fauna/flora known?
Fauna/Flora identifiable?
Natural History?
Research needs
Vascular Plants 4180 spp. (ca. 50% native); yes fairly well varies varies widely
Vertebrates < 1000 spp.; yes yes Mostly fairly well
Ecology, species interactions
Butterflies 300++ spp; yes yes Fairly well Ecology, species interactions
Dragon- and Damselflies ca. 120 spp. yes yes Medium Ecology of nymphs
1. How Biodiversity-Smart are we?
Taxon Number of species, fauna/flora known?
Fauna/Flora identifiable?
Natural History?
Research needs
Vascular Plants 4180 spp. (ca. 50% native); yes fairly well varies varies widely
Vertebrates < 1000 spp.; yes yes Mostly fairly well
Ecology, species interactions
Odonates < 120 spp. yes yes Medium Ecology of nymphs
Butterflies 300++ spp; yes yes Fairly well Ecology, species interactions
Misc. invertebrates: Spiders, stick insects, crabs, mosquitoes, snails, etc.
< 2000 spp.; fairly well fairly well Medium Ecology, identification tools for non-experts
1. How Biodiversity-Smart are we?
Taxon Number of species, fauna/flora known?
Fauna/Flora identifiable?
Natural History?
Research needs
Vascular Plants 4180 spp. (ca. 50% native); yes fairly well varies varies widely
Vertebrates < 1000 spp.; yes yes Mostly fairly well
Ecology, species interactions
Odonates < 120 spp. yes yes Medium Ecology of nymphs
Butterflies 300++ spp; yes yes Fairly well Ecology, species interactions
Misc. invertebrates: Spiders, stick insects, crabs, mosquitoes, snails, etc.
< 2000 spp.; fairly well fairly well Medium Ecology, identification tools for non-experts
Most invertebrates: “The other 90%”
50,000-100,000 spp?; most species unknown and many new to science
No Unknown Everything
50,000 spp.100,000 spp.
Estimated proportion of unknown species in Singapore!
1. How Biodiversity-Smart are we?
1. How Biodiversity-Smart are we? Not particularly...2. Why should we be Biodiversity-Smart?3. What keeps us from being Biodiversity-Smart(er)...
2. Why should we be Biodiversity-Smart?Singapore’s Rich Natural Heritage: The sustainability
challenge It doesn’t matter whether man, animal, or plant...
Homo singaporiensis:- 2.5 mio- widely distributed (red area)
The other 50-100K species:- most are squeezed into the green spacesOur ranking: more than just vulnerable- we need to be Biodiversity-Smart to halt extinction
SG Government: vulnerable
Populations are only stable ifeach female produces on average two fertile offspring over her lifetime
Female produces fewer than 2 offspring:Population decline => eventually leads to extinction
Lack of biodiversity smartness: lots of problems with - overlooked population declines- hidden extinctions- pseudo-extinctions
Female produces more than 2 offspring: Population expansion => human-biodiversity conflicts => unhappiness and real economic damage
Lack of biodiversity smartness: Whenever population expansions happen:- we scramble to find (expensive) solutions - usually have to rely on foreign help
If we were Biodiversity-Smart we would be more self-sufficient and anticipate/resolve problems
- not enough trees => hot- all the trees look the same => probably clonal from same supplier => insects and fungi are getting ready...
Why should we be Biodiversity-Smart?
It makes economic sense
NParks pays contractor to remove/trim treesContractor employs 5 foreign workers => money wasted and nation’s productivity takes a hit
- too much grass!
lots of grass cutting needed => more foreign workers needed => nation’s productivity takes another hit
Why should we be Biodiversity-Smart?
It makes economic sense
Smart Singapore:- not enough trees => hot- too much grass!
Javan mynas saying “thank you”
Why should we be Biodiversity-Smart?
It makes economic sense
Smart Singapore:- not enough trees => hot- too much grass!
Stomp and ST Forum heat up
AVA starts getting phone calls...
Why should we be Biodiversity-Smart?
It makes economic sense
Good for another low-productivity industry...
Why should we be Biodiversity-Smart?
(1) Conserve Rich Natural Heritage
(2) It makes economic sense
(3) Good for Singapore’s reputation
Must try!Must try!
1. How Biodiversity-Smart are we? Not particularly...2. Why should we be Biodiversity-Smart? It makes perfect sense!3. What keeps us from being Biodiversity-Smart(er)...
3. What keeps us from being Biodiversity-Smart(er)...
In order to become Biodiversity-Smart, we need:• passionate people• tools• money
Passionate people? no problem: 250 participants of BOSS got up before 7am on a Saturday to attend a symposium and paid for it!
Tools? we have wonderful new tools to complement field work: camera traps, audio traps, drones, DNA sequences
Money? money no enough: - no dedicated research fund=> much of the research presented today will be lost/never published
Biomedical expenditure in Singapore
Total R&D Expenditure for Biomedical & Related Sciences: $1.3677 billion (see sub-bullets for breakdown)
o Public Research Institutes: $404.7 million o Government Sector: $198.3 million o Higher Education Sector: $333.6 million o Private Sector: $431.1 million
Let’s dream for a moment
10% of the budget => 136 million/year => cannot! Don’t know what to do with so much money!
1% of the budget => 13.6 million => can be pretty biodiversity-smart within 10 years
Knowledge generated would retain its relevance for decades
Action: Let’s get out of the self-exploitation mode and start asking for the funding that is needed to get the job done
Summary
1. How Biodiversity-Smart are we? Not particularly...2. Why should we be Biodiversity-Smart? It makes perfect sense!3. What keeps us from being Biodiversity-Smart(er): Funding