Our role in conservation - Wildlife Reserves Singapore

Our role in conservation
Projects supported
Apply for conservation support
Our partners

Our role in conservation

As a world-leading zoological institution, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) contributes to the conservation of biodiversity through a number of initiatives, including local and regional conservation support, wildlife research, and awareness campaigns to combat major threats such as the illegal wildlife trade.

Projects supported

Singapore

Conservation of Singapore's own Raffles' banded langur

Discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles himself, the Raffles’ banded langur (also known as banded leaf monkey) was once commonly found throughout Singapore. Today, it’s on the Endangered list, but research has revealed that it may be an even more threatened species than is currently recognised.

Singapore

Assessing the population status and ecological niche of the Yellow-Crested Cockatoo in Singapore

Wildlife trade erodes biodiversity and alters the balance between native and introduced species in many parts of Asia. The critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoo has suffered serious decline in eastern Indonesia and Timor Leste because of the demand for caged birds. But there is a small introduced population in Singapore. Researchers are looking at how these birds impact on native species, and how the cockatoo population has grown here, so that more can be done to grow its numbers in its native habitat of Indonesia and Timor Leste.

Singapore

Automated acoustic monitoring of amphibians

Acoustic techniques have been used across the world for a long time to collect the vocalisations of animals like birds, amphibians and insects. These soundscapes tell us about the presence and absence of wildlife in the environment and whether some species are disappearing. We know very little about amphibians in Southeast Asia. Acoustic monitoring is one way to find out where they are, and whether they are disappearing because of development and degradation.

Cambodia

Recovering a Siamese Crocodile Population in Sre Ambel River, Cambodia

The Siamese Crocodile formerly occurred in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, parts of Indonesian Borneo, and Peninsular Malaysia. But populations have drastically in the last 50 years, as a result of widespread habitat destruction, over-collecting to stock crocodile farms, and illegal hunting for skins and meat. Sre Ambel river system in Cambodia and its surrounding habitats hold one of the last remaining global breeding sites for the species. Conservationists are fighting to save it before it goes extinct.

Cambodia

Conserving Cambodia’s Royal Turtle

Once presumed extinct, Cambodia’s national turtle, the Southern River Terrapin, is also one of the rarest species of its kind in the world. Rediscovered in 2001 and protected by a royal decree, conservationists are on a mission to increase wild populations and ensure that the terrapin will not become extinct again.

Indonesia

Addressing human-orangutan conflict in agricultural landscapes

Agricultural expansion and infrastructural development have resulted in the loss of large areas of orangutan habitat. Pushed out of their natural environment into areas where forest and farmlands meet, Sumatran orangutans come into conflict with humans, ending up injured or worse, captured to be kept as illegal pets.

Indonesia

Collaborative Governance and Monitoring of Biodiversity Impact: Working Together to Protect Tangkoko Nature Reserve, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Sulawesi is a vital biodiversity hotspot in Southeast Asia with numerous bird and mammal species that are unique to the island. One of its most charismatic species is the Celebes crested macaque. In Sulawesi, where religious restrictions over the consumption of wildlife do not exist, these enigmatic primates are hunted and eaten because their meat is considered a delicacy. More than other environmental factors, this alone threatens the long-term survival of the species.

Indonesia

Conservation of the Nantu Forest in North Sulawesi

Covering an area of 520km2, the Nantu rainforest is one of Sulawesi’s few remaining pristine lowland rainforest ecosystems and one of the five most important sites for biodiversity in Southeast Asia. But the forest and its endemic species like the Babirusa and the Anoa are being threatened by wildlife poaching, illegal mining and slash and burn practices, as well as illegal logging. Conservationists are battling to protect it by establishing round the clock Forest & Species Protection Patrols.

Laos

Biodiversity conservation in Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area

Sadly notorious for being the region with both remarkable biodiversity and the highest biodiversity extinction risk in the world, Southeast Asia’s conservationists are battling illegal hunting and poaching, which largely services the illegal wildlife trade and consumption of animal parts in traditional medicine. Laos PDR is no exception. Its threatened wildlife may be locally extinct in the near future with poachers from Vietnam crossing poorly patrolled borders to hunt species in its remaining protect areas. On site conservation efforts are critical to ensure this will not happen.

Laos

Ending the practice of bear bile farming in Laos PDR

Since the 20th century, Asiatic black bears and Sun bears have been kept in captivity in countries like North Korea, China and Vietnam to extract bile from the gallbladders in the belief that it is a potent ingredient in traditional medicine. The trend has taken off in Laos, but conservationists are determined to work with the government and international partners to end bear bile farming in the country by 2020.

Malaysia

Tigers on the brink

From a thriving population of 3,000 in the 1950s, only 250 Malayan tigers remain today. The Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MyCAT) conducts Citizen Action for Tigers (CAT) walks to closely monitor the activity of poachers and remove traps in the area. Their intervention has already curbed tiger poaching with minimal disturbance to wildlife.

Philippines

Measures to improve captive husbandry and translocation of the Palawan forest turtle

The Palawan forest turtle is a critically endangered endemic species from the Philippines island of Palawan. Threatened by the global pet trade and habitat destruction, conservationists holding the assurance colony for the species are striving to meet the challenge of successfully breeding the species in captivity through intensive research into its diet, nesting sites, incubation time and a better understanding of habitat conditions in release sites.

Thailand

King cobra conservation - Education and capacity building in rural northeast Thailand

Situated in Thailand’s northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve (SBR) is home to the king cobra and numerous endemic and threatened animals. The king cobra is the largest venomous snake in the world and as an apex predator, it plays a critical role in the ecosystem. Both under-studied and misunderstood, work is ongoing with communities to protect the species instead of fearing it.

Vietnam

Conservation of the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey in Khau Ca Forest, Northeast Vietnam

One of the most endangered primates in the world, the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is endemic to northeast Vietnam, where it can be found in tropical evergreen forests of karst limestone hills. Threatened by intensive hunting and deforestation, a team of conservationists are protecting the largest viable population of the species in the country.

SE Asia

Asian Species Action Partnership

The Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP) is an interagency coalition to address the extinction risk among the most threatened non-marine vertebrates of Southeast Asia. Initiated by the IUCN Special Survival Commission, it endeavours to mobilize support, draw on the expertise of conservationists and minimise losing key species, which could be imminent in the next few decades.

SE Asia

Tacking Wildlife Trade in Southeast Asia

More than 160 species of terrestrial vertebrates in the Southeast Asia have been assessed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. With support from WRS, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia is monitoring the trade on threatened species in the region, to bring attention to conservation issues, increase media coverage and produce scientific papers to raise awareness and mitigate the effects of the illegal wildlife trade on regional biodiversity.

Apply for conservation support

WRS is proud to contribute to the protection of threatened species in their native habitats by funding local and regional conservation and research projects. We are keen to support: (a) Projects that have a direct and positive impact on the survival of a threatened species in the wild; (b) Research that can help develop better tools and strategies for the management of captive wild animal populations; (c) Studies that will benefit conservation strategy planning for species in their native habitats; and (d) Efforts that encourage and foster sustainable and ethical behaviours towards animals and nature through engaging and innovative conservation out-reach programs.

Conservation support for projects within Singapore

Conservation support for projects within Singapore

Established in 2009, WRSCF supports research initiatives that focus on Singapore’s biodiversity. The fund has supported the protection of many species including the endangered banded leaf monkey, the elusive leopard cat and coral reefs.

Regional conservation support for projects outside Singapore

Regional conservation support for projects outside Singapore

Southeast Asia is an important biodiversity hotspot in need of sustainable conservation efforts. We have supported numerous projects in the region through funding on-ground projects, as well as capacity building workshops.

Our strategic conservation partners

To achieve the best possible conservation outcomes, we collaborate with like-minded organisations such as other zoos, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government agencies, academic institutions and nature interest groups. Some of our partners are: