Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund (WRSCF)

wrscf-logo
Photo retrieved from http://www.wrscf.org.sg/

With Singapore’s rapid urban development, the need to preserve and protect our natural heritage becomes increasingly important. Thus, the Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund (WRSCF), a charity foundation was registered in 2009. Its main purpose is to conserve Singapore’s endangered native wildlife such as the Pangolin, Malayan Tigers and Asian Elephants. It also provides support in educational and awareness programmes in the Southeast Asia region. Funds raised by the WRSFC will be channeled to education, public outreach, breeding of endangered animals and research and field conservation projects.

The WRSFC provides grants for conservation efforts on local wildlife that will be conducted in Singapore. Some examples of the funded projects are:

  • Biodiversity of Vertebrate Scavengers in Singapore: Implications on Conservation and Nutrient Cycling
  • The Ecology and Conservation of Leopard Cats, Prionailurus bengalensis, in Singapore
  • Population Monitoring and Feeding Analysis of the Banded Leaf Monkey in Singapore
  • Reintroduction of Rhinoceros Hornbill in Singapore

Regional/International Collaborations

The Wildlife Reserves Singapore and Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Funds signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) based in New York and in Singapore on 29 January 2010. This partnership aims to initiate a stronger commitment in protecting the biodiversity at a global level. Representatives from all four parties will cooperate and embark on field conservation projects and also share their technological knowledge and expertise that contribute in wildlife conservation. Together, they will also help to promote public awareness on conservation issues

Regional Asian Pangolin Conservation workshop

In 2008, WRS and TRAFFIC Southeast Asia organized a 3-day pangolin conservation workshop that was help in Singapore Zoo. This workshop focuses on protecting the population of pangolins in Asia as their survival comes under increasing threat. Pangolins are poached for their meat for food and for medicines and this results in the population of pangolins in Asia to decline rapidly. This workshops involves many key decision makers from various country in the world around the region to work on measures to protect the future of wild pangolins. The workshop also touched on topics such as illegal pangolin trade and wildlife management of pangolins in zoos.

Workshop participants are able to actively engage in discussion and develop action plans for enforcements. These recommendations will be sent to various wildlife organization for a more coherent approach to information sharing on pangolin trade.