Regional eco-tours, more full-time staff: S'pore's Nature Society restructures to boost conservation
Participants of the Singapore Bird Race 2023 organised by Nature Society (Singapore) spot and take photos of a bird.
SINGAPORE - One of Singapore's oldest non-government groups, the Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS), is undergoing restructuring to improve itself and boost nature conservation in the region, The Straits Times has learnt.
A key part of the restructuring will see the 1,000-member NSS evolving from being mainly a volunteer-run organisation to one that is led by a secretariat comprising full-time staff.
The society's executive director Huang Ningxin, 37, who took on the newly created post in January, said the number of staff will increase from six in 2024 to nine by August.
With the restructuring, NSS plans to develop new programmes to generate revenue in an increasingly crowded conservation space.
The society also hopes to do more for nature in the South-east Asian region, even though it will continue to have a focus on conservation issues here.
One programme in the pipeline, for example, involves eco-journeys designed by NSS to teach participants about nature conservation.
This will start in September with the launch of the society's first eco-trip in Bintan for Singapore's teachers, which it hopes will support the local community and train educators in charge of sustainability efforts. These trips will become a source of revenue for the society.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Water supply issues during Toa Payoh blaze affected firefighting operations; SCDF investigating
Singapore 3 taken to hospital after fire in Marsiling flat
Singapore School, parents on alert after vape peddlers approach primary school pupil
Singapore Tampines, Toa Payoh BTO flats most popular among first-time home buyers in July HDB launch
Sport Leon Marchand sets first world record at World Aquatics C'ships in Singapore
Singapore Jail, fine for man linked to case involving 3 bank accounts that received over $680m in total
Singapore Provision shop owner who raped 11-year-old gets more than 14 years' jail
Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made
Founded as the Singapore branch of the Malayan Nature Society in 1954, NSS has over the years been a voice for nature in Singapore, successfully lobbying against the destruction of key nature areas like the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Kranji Marshes.
But the charity now faces a competitive environmental non-profit space in Singapore amid mounting climate and biodiversity crises afflicting the Earth. More than 60 per cent of its funding in 2024 came from donations. Other funding sources include grants and membership fees.
Giving to environmental causes accounted for
1.78 per cent of grants disbursed by the Community Foundation of Singapore – which pools and facilitates donations here – between April 2024 and March 2025.
Ms Huang said raising funds is a priority for the NSS management team this year.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Tote Board had rolled out a scheme that matched charitable donations made to charities.
But such schemes will not continue indefinitely, with the Government slated to cut its matching support from a dollar to 50 cents in 2026, said Ms Huang.
Nature Society (Singapore) executive director Huang Ningxin, 37, left her job as a biology teacher to join the society full time.
PHOTO: NATURE SOCIETY (SINGAPORE)
Among the first fruits of the new secretariat was NSS' first fund-raising gala dinner in 2024, which raised $338,135.
With the restructuring, NSS also hopes to improve coordination among its various interest groups, where members interested in specific issues – like birds, marine biodiversity or conservation issues – organise their own events.
This includes activities like a bird-watching race, or engagements for environmental studies.
The executive director will oversee the society's efforts to ensure that these work effectively and can be executed at a greater scale, while taking direction from a volunteer-run executive committee (exco).
Part of the secretariat's job will be to function as a centralised repository of knowledge, which is currently scattered among individual volunteers, said Ms Huang.
Employing staff to coordinate the society's efforts means that good causes do not end with their champions, said volunteer Albert Liu, who joined the society's exco in 2018.
The 41-year-old said: 'Members sign up for activities because they like bird watching and clean-ups, not fund raising or logistics. The staff can complement their passions by taking over these functions.'
Past and present leaders said shifting from a volunteer-led group to a more professional management team will address longstanding issues for the organisation.
For Mr Leong Kwok Peng, who heads the NSS exco as president, the transformation that began in 2023 will help the group keep up with the scale of conservation issues and activities that have grown too much for volunteers to stay on top of on an ad-hoc basis.
'Volunteers can only afford time when they're not working, so we decided we should have full-time staff, who can give their full attention to handling these matters consistently,' said the 68-year-old retired outdoor educator.
Mr Leong has been a volunteer with the society since the mid-1980s. As part of the society, the avid scuba diver once spent nearly every Sunday between 1993 and 1995 relocating corals from Jurong to Sentosa to save marine life there from being smothered by reclamation plans for Jurong Island.
Between 1993 and 1995, Nature Society (Singapore) relocated corals to prevent them from being smothered by the Jurong Island reclamation.
PHOTO: LEONG KWOK PENG/FACEBOOK
Dr Shawn Lum, a former president of NSS for 15 years from 2008 to 2023, said creating professional roles in NSS will help retain promising young conservationists, who often find it difficult to remain active volunteers with civil society groups after taking up full-time jobs.
The botanist, now a member of the society's exco, told ST that having a secretariat manage the society full time paves the way for the realisation of a dream he had for NSS to contribute more to regional conservation.
Referring to the eco-trips being planned, Dr Lum, 62, said: 'If even a small fraction of Singapore-based travellers were to direct their time and funds to nature-positive activities, Singapore could bring many benefits to the local communities at the front lines of nature conservation efforts in the region and beyond.'
Said Mr Liu: 'Putting a glass dome over Singapore is not enough to protect wildlife, which are not constrained by national borders.
'As a partner of the global nature community, we can help boost conservation in the region.'
Between 1993 and 1995, Nature Society (Singapore) re-located corals to prevent them from being smothered by the Jurong Island reclamation.
PHOTO: LEONG KWOK PENG/FACEBOOK
Ms Huang said she also hopes to tackle the issue of the society's declining membership.
Its roughly 1,000-strong membership is about half the strength of the society during its peak in the late 1980s.
'We are trying to engage young people to learn more about Nature Society (Singapore) and have them come on board with us,' she said. 'We are definitely very open to working with (young people who have started their own groups)... because competing against each other does not benefit nature conservation.'
A former biology teacher of 10 years, Ms Huang said joining the society full time has been rewarding for her.
She had learnt about NSS in 2017 from Dr Lum, who was her lecturer when she was pursuing a master's in zoology at Nanyang Technological University.
She added: 'I see Nature Society (Singapore) as a treasure trove of knowledge, wisdom and perspectives that cannot be found in textbooks.
'So there is a lot of value in this human part of conservation that ought to be passed down.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Independent Singapore
4 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
CAD probes Tokenize Xchange operator, director faces fraudulent trading charge as users say their assets remain 'in transit'
SINGAPORE: The operator of cryptocurrency trading platform Tokenize Xchange, AmazingTech Pte Ltd (ATPL), and its related companies are under investigation by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) for potential offences including fraudulent trading, according to a joint statement from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Friday (Aug 1). Thirty-five-year-old ATPL director Hong Qi Yu was also charged on Thursday (July 31) with fraudulent trading, which carries a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both. The announcement of the investigation followed ATPL's announcement on July 20 that it is in the process of acquiring a digital financial services (DFS) licence from Malaysia's Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA), after failing to obtain a major payment institution (MPI) licence in Singapore. On the same day, the company informed users they had until Sep 30 to complete any withdrawals or transfers of assets, as it announced support for its Singapore staff in pursuing new career opportunities by then. Authorities said that Tokenize Xchange had been operating under an exemption from the Payment Services Act 2019 (PS Act) while MAS reviewed its application for an MPI licence. The exemption, which applied to entities already conducting activities that came under the Act when it came into force, ended on Jul 4 after MAS rejected its application. Authorities added that the operator is not licensed by MAS, and its activities were not supervised or regulated by MAS. 'Thereafter, ATPL was required to cease providing payment services, wind down its business in an orderly manner, and ensure that all monies and digital payment tokens received from its customers were returned,' MAS and SPF added. In mid-July, MAS received several complaints against ATPL over delays in processing customer withdrawals of funds and digital payment tokens. MAS told the firm to address these concerns and return all funds and digital payment tokens to customer accounts in an orderly manner, including covering any shortfall in their accounts. Through its engagements with the company, MAS subsequently found signs that the company did not have enough assets to meet customer claims and that it might have failed to keep customer assets separate from its own. MAS also found indications that the company might have made false representations regarding the segregation of its customers' assets when it applied for an MPI licence. The company was then referred to CAD for investigation. As of two days ago, some users online said on r/singaporefi that their assets remained 'in transit,' with one asking, 'Has anybody managed to successfully withdraw anything since July 4 till now?' /TISG Read also: Chocolate Finance secures US$15M in fresh funding after 'unusually high' withdrawals wipe out nearly 40% of its assets Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
Independent Singapore
5 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
SMRT issues notice of offence to teen suspected of vaping KPods on board MRT train
SISINGAPORE: SMRT has confirmed that it has issued a notice of offence to a 17-year-old passenger after he was spotted behaving erratically, in an incident believed to be linked to the use of Kpods. A video going viral online shows the teenager, wearing white, sitting before getting up to alight at the next stop. The youth stood up using a handrail, visibly twitching and moving in a stiff, unnatural manner. As he approached the carriage door, he suddenly collapsed backward, hitting the floor with a thud. Passengers can be heard shouting in concern, with some attempting to assist him. The teenager appeared unresponsive to their attempts to help and sat dazed and twitching on the floor, before leaving the train. SMRT staff at the station, having been alerted to the incident, identified the teen and handed him over to the authorities. SMRT has since issued a notice of offence to the youth for breaching subway regulations. In a statement, SMRT said it takes such cases seriously and urged the public to report any suspicious behaviour immediately. See also Humping Trans Cab video goes viral The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) later confirmed that e-cigarettes and cartridges were found in the teenager's possession. He is currently assisting in ongoing investigations. Netizens reacting to the viral video online speculate that the boy may have been vaping 'Kpods' or the etomidate substance, which is reportedly linked to hallucinations, disorientation, and involuntary body movements. Authorities reiterated that possession, use, or sale of e-cigarettes is illegal in Singapore, and warned that violators face serious penalties. HSA has stepped up its enforcement activities against vaping. The public is encouraged to report suspected e-cigarette offences via an extended hotline—6684 2036 or 6684 2037—which now operates daily from 9am to 9pm, including on public holidays. Reports can also be submitted online. Investigations are ongoing. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Independent Singapore
5 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Two Singaporeans arrested for trying to leave Malaysia illegally after entering the country without passport stamps
Wikipedia screengrab MALAYSIA: Two Singaporean men have been arrested at a Malaysian checkpoint after allegedly attempting to leave the country without valid immigration clearance, in separate incidents. According to Malaysian publication The Star, the first man was detained when he tried to exit Malaysia and claimed he had simply taken the wrong road. However, investigations revealed that he had entered Malaysia through an unmanned motorcycle lane at the Sultan Iskandar Building in Johor Bahru, bypassing immigration checks entirely. The second man was stopped while attempting to leave the country on a motorcycle, only to be found with no entry record in the immigration system. Both cases are now under investigation by Malaysian authorities under Section 6(1)(C) of the Immigration Act, which deals with entry without valid documents. If convicted, the men could each face a fine of up to RM10,000 (about S$3,033), up to five years in prison, and up to six strokes of the cane. See also Najib paid himself RM120k as 1MDB board chairman A Malaysian immigration official stressed that it is a criminal offence to enter or leave the country without presenting a passport. He revealed that during peak traffic hours, some local motorcyclists had even been caught forcing open the guardrails of motorcycle lanes to skip clearance checks. In response to the growing number of such incidents, the Malaysian Immigration Department has launched a targeted operation at the Sultan Iskandar Building and the Second Link to clamp down on Malaysians and Singaporeans attempting to bypass passport checks. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
