Ms Fanny Lai, Group CEO, Wildlife Reserves Singapore
Mr Chris Shepherd, Senior Programme Officer, TRAFFIC
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. It is my pleasure to be here for the opening of this workshop on conservation of pangolins in this region.

Balancing conservation with urban developments

2. Singapore places high emphasis on sustaining our biodiversity even as we grow and develop the city and the economy. Our concerted efforts in balancing biodiversity conservation with urban development over the past few decades have paid off. Today, we are a well-recognised liveable and vibrant city, that is well endowed with lush greenery and a rich biodiversity.

3. To enhance biodiversity, we need to improve our knowledge on conservation, through the conduct of research and data collection on our native wildlife, and through the collaborative efforts of the public, private and people sectors. Take for example the Oriental Pied Hornbill, which was lost to Singapore for many decades. Through joint studies carried out by the National Parks Board (NParks), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Jurong Birdpark (which is part of the WRS), we have successfully encouraged the breeding of the birds which have now doubled their population to 50 birds in 2008.

4. Another success story is the collaborative research and efforts by NParks, National University of Singapore (NUS) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) to rehabilitate our coral reefs through the setting up of a Coral Nursery. This has helped conserve our coral species which amounted to a quarter of all known hard coral species worldwide.

Efforts to Conserve Native Pangolins

5. Similarly, the 2007 study on our native pangolin, the Sunda pangolin, which was carried out by Mr Norman Lim and Prof Peter Ng from the NUS, has provided insights into the home range, activity cycle and natal den usage of a female pangolin on Pulau Tekong. This information is useful for the management of our pangolin population.

6. NParks will continue to help with efforts to conserve our native wildlife. With regard to pangolins, some of these activities include safeguarding their current habitats in nature reserves, and restricting the level of night activities in the nature reserves, as pangolins are shy, nocturnal animals.

7. In addition, NParks and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), also cooperate with the public for return of stray pangolins back to the reserves. There are two or three such occurrences a year in Singapore.

8. I would also like to thank the Zoo for chipping in to help microchip pangolins which are found before their release back into the forest. This is important for tracing an individual pangolin's history for future management. The Zoo has also been supportive with treating and rehabilitating sick and injured pangolins before their release back to the wild.

Enforcement of Wildlife Trade

9. Besides making efforts to conserve our local flora and fauna, Singapore also plays its part to ensure that illegal trade in wildlife does not threaten the survival of biodiversity. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) came into force in 1975 to protect endangered species of animals and plants by regulating and monitoring their international trade to prevent it reaching unsustainable levels. Singapore has been a Party to CITES since 1986.

10. Singapore is a transshipment hub handling large volumes of trade in goods, as well as a busy transportation hub for travellers. While it is impossible to check every single consignment and traveller, AVA works closely with other governmental agencies, such as the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Police, to ensure Singapore is not used as a conduit for illegal trade in wildlife.

11. In addition to policing the traffic passing through the borders, AVA also acts on tip-offs from many sources relating to illegal wildlife trade. Our "eyes and ears" include our foreign counterpart agencies, NGOs such as Traffic, as well as local NGOs or persons keen in wildlife conservation. Each year, AVA investigates about 50-100 enforcement cases, many of which involved members of the public keeping wildlife illegally. In addition, AVA carries out risk profiling of suspected cases and conducts surprise checks at targeted premises to ensure compliance with CITES regulations.

12. To ensure that our Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, which gives effect to the enforcement of CITES regulations, remains robust and relevant, we had reviewed this legislation in 2006. Among other things, the review has enhanced AVA's powers to investigate and deal with smuggling offences in CITES-listed wildlife, and increased the penalty for such an offence to a fine of $50,000 per scheduled species (up to an aggregate of $500,000) and/or a jail term of up to 2 years.

13. At the regional level, Singapore is a member of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) which comprises wildlife law enforcement agencies in the 10 ASEAN countries. ASEAN-WEN facilitates cross-border collaboration between ASEAN member countries in the combat of the illegal wildlife trade through intelligence sharing and capacity-building.

14. We believe we are making good and improved efforts in combating illegal wildlife trade.

Public education

15. Going forward, we will need the strong, continued support of the public in our biodiversity conservation efforts. Public education is key, and AVA has embarked on programmes to highlight the rationale for conservation and issued advisories on illegal wildlife trade for travellers. Workshops such as this, also provide another setting for agencies from the region to exchange ideas and formulate strategies on conservation, which can then be communicated effectively to the public.

Conclusion

16. I wish all participants a fruitful workshop. Thank you.

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