Festival of Biodiversity 2013!

It's time for the Festival of Biodiversity!



I'll be busy volunteering at the Marine Exhibition, but if you really can't make it to VivoCity this weekend, or are not in Singapore, do look out for tweets from myself (@Varanussalvator) and others, via the hashtag #FestBiodSG.

Tweets about "#FestBiodSG"

Singapore Blog Awards 2013: Thanks everyone for your support!

I'm overjoyed and excited to announce that I won the Panasonic Best Eco-Challenge Blog category in the Singapore Blog Awards!

Singapore got wildlife, meh?

It's a question that anyone involved in nature outreach in Singapore is bound to encounter someday. Yes, despite this country being a small island that has undergone lots of development, lots of wildlife still survives or even thrives in Singapore! If you've ever pondered this question yourself, here's a video that was first screened at last year's Festival of Biodiversity.

Festival of Biodiversity 2013: 13th & 14th July @ VivoCity!

Mark your calendars, for the Festival of Biodiversity is back!

After the success of last year's inaugural Festival, we're hoping to reach out to even more people, highlight the wonderful wildlife and important green spaces that we still have here in Singapore, and encourage people to play a more active role in protecting and conserving our natural heritage.

When: 13th-14th July 2013 (Saturday and Sunday), 10am-10pm
Where: VivoCity, Level 1 - Central Court B and West Boulevard

Do you know that Singapore is home to more than 400 species of marine fishes? Do you know that Singapore is also home to 250 species of hard corals, which is almost one third of the diversity found in the world? Do you know that species such as the horseshoe crab and the banded leaf monkey can be found in Singapore? Join us at the festival to explore and learn more about Singapore's rich biodiversity!

Join us in the many exciting activities we have in store for you at the festival, and find out how you can play a part in conserving our biodiversity. By participating in the festival, you can gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Singapore's rich biodiversity, its benefits, and relevance to us in Singapore.

If you missed last year's Festival, here are some highlights:

Seagrasses of Singapore (Part 3)

(Click to enlarge)

In my previous post on seagrasses, we explored some of the reasons why seagrass meadows are important habitats, and also looked at some of the threats that seagrasses face. In this final part of the series, I'll show you some local efforts to better understand seagrasses so that we can protect them.

I'm a finalist in the Singapore Blog Awards 2013!

Knobbly sea stars on Cyrene Reef;

The Lazy Lizard's Tales is a finalist in this year's Singapore Blog Awards!

I'm one of ten bloggers competing in the Panasonic Best Eco-Challenge Blog category.


My profile picture is that of one of the resident wild pigs of Chek Jawa.

Catching up with the Festival of Biodiversity

If you missed the Festival of Biodiversity, you can get a glimpse of the fun and festivities through the many blog posts and photo albums that have been uploaded so far. Jocelyne has helpfully compiled them all over here on the Festival of Biodiversity blog.

Storify is turning out to be an excellent tool to collate information from many different online platforms, and Gladys and I worked together to create this Storify of the entire Festival of Biodiversity:

Vote Monday Morgue!

Me in my element: Guiding as a volunteer with the Raffles Museum Toddycats!.
(Photo by Boh Zuze)

It's been such a fun and fulfilling weekend at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, sharing interesting stories about Singapore's wildlife and wild places with members of the public. And I'm really pleased that my talk about the importance of documenting dead animals was very well-received. I'll write about my weekend soon enough, but now that the fun and festivities from the Festival of Biodiversity are over, it's time for Monday Morgue to focus on another significant event: the Singapore Blog Awards. If you recall, I'm currently a finalist in the Sold.sg Best What-the-Hell Blog category.

Voting opened on Monday, and everyone can cast one vote per category every day until 30th June. I hope that I'll be able get more support, not just from friends who are familiar with this blog, but also with new readers. A big thanks to Crystal and Jerome, who are finalists in other categories, and who have shown their support for Monday Morgue!

In the meantime, while I prepare a nice blog post to show you all about what happened at the Festival of Biodiversity, here's a short interview for the Singapore Blog Awards:

It's Showtime!

The Festival of Biodiversity begins tomorrow!



Many of us are busy making preparations for the weekend, with a wide range of activities for the whole family to enjoy. Besides doing booth duty as a volunteer guide with the Marine Exhibtion and the Raffles Museum Toddycats!, I also plan to participate in some of the film screenings, symposiums, and of course, not to forget my talk on Sunday.

Yet more shameless self-promotion

Monday Morgue is a finalist in the Singapore Blog Awards 2012!

Yes, my spin-off from this blog is currently a contender in the Sold.SG Best What-the-Hell Blog category:


(No offence intended to fellow finalists in the same category)

Shameless Self-promotion

If you're free this coming weekend, do take part in the Festival of Biodiversity, happening at the Botany Centre in the Singapore Botanic Gardens!