November of the Leafmonkey Workshop kicks off the session, which was very well attended once again!Jeffrey Low leads the workshop with lots of background about our reefs. Jeff is with NParks Biodiversity Centre and also volunteers as the science officer of the Blue Water Volunteers, leading ReefFriends which has been surveying our reefs for many years. Among his many contributions, he is also the author of the Singapore National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, and co-author of the BP Guide to Marine Fishes of Singapore.
So we are indeed lucky to have him introduce the reefs and reef flats at the workshop!After an introduction to reefs in general on a global level, Jeff spends much time highlighting our reefs, the threats to them and some of the action taken to conserve them.
Among some of the awesome things that happen on our reefs is coral spawning! Jeff also shares more about coral bleaching, you can find out more on Bleach Watch Singapore.
Jeff also shares about some of the common marine life that we might encounter on our reefs. There is certainly a huge interest in our reefs as there were many good questions raised during the Q&A session.At the back on the room, here are some of the supporters that make the workshops possible!
Then it was time for the workshops! I always enjoy and learn much from these sessions! One of the groups shows how enthusiastic action can help overcome language barriers when leading visitors who are not English-speaking.
While another group shared some possible ways to deal with visitors who want to collect marine life.
I didn't get a chance to see the other groups as I was helping to facilitate. But I'm sure everyone had a great time learning, sharing and doing!Next Thursday, Abby and I will share about rocky shores and coastal forests. More about the Guides of Singapore shores workshop on the Leafmonkey Workshop.
The "Guides of Singapore Shores (GSS) Workshop" is a collaboration among the Blue Water Volunteers (BWV), The Leafmonkey Workshop and wildsingapore with Supporting Partner, The Singapore Scout Association.
See also Sijie's post about the event on his blog.
