PREPARING OUR YOUTHS
FOR A CITY IN NATURE
PREPARING OUR YOUTHS
FOR A CITY IN NATURE
Priscilla Tan [Curriculum Resource Development Officer (CRDO), CPDD Geography Unit]
Embedded Files
FOR A CITY IN NATURE
Priscilla is a CRDO with the Geography Unit who also volunteers with wildlife rescue both locally and internationally. Priscilla shares her personal reflections on our role as educators in protecting our urban wildlife.
As a believer of human-wildlife co-existing, I was delighted when Singapore announced its vision to become a City in Nature within the next decade. The City in Nature plan aims to “restore nature” back into Singapore’s “urban fabric”, increase human-nature interactions and foster harmonious human-wildlife coexistence (NParks, 2020a). As such, a range of policies such as infrastructural reforms, has been gradually implemented to fulfil the vision. The state also emphasised the importance of concerted community efforts – as citizens are called to assume roles as active “stewards of nature”. This is maintained through the implementation of conservation-related educational outreach programs, mainly targeting young Singaporeans, such as the newly launched Youth@SGnature initiative (NParks, 2020b). These initiatives seek to increase public awareness, enhance appreciation, and foster positive attitudes towards Singapore’s natural environments and its wildlife.
However, how ready are our youths to assume their roles as “stewards of nature” and how ready are us as educators in preparing them for these roles? As a litmus test of your readiness to handle human-wildlife interactions, how would you react if you see the juvenile snake (yes, it is a juvenile!) shown on the right in your bedroom or in a drain near your home?
This juvenile reticulated python was relocated from someone’s home. If a snake wanders into your home, stay calm, do not attack it and call the ACRES hotline for assistance. If you find it in a drain, leave it alone because drains are part of its natural habitat in Singapore.
(Source: Priscilla Tan)
ACRES Sanctuary
(Source: Priscilla Tan)
As a wildlife rescue volunteer with ACRES (Animal Concerns Research & Education Society) since 2018, I handle calls to the 24-hour wildlife rescue hotline to provide tele-assistance, and when necessary, a partner and I will travel around Singapore helping native wildlife that is injured, distressed, or displaced. Part of my job scope and I believe, an important one, is to educate the public on what they can or should do when they encounter wild animals. This understanding on how to coexist with wildlife in our neighbourhoods is crucial and should not be limited to only those who reach out to ACRES.
Are youths in Singapore ready to live in a City in Nature?
Are youths in Singapore ready to live in a City in Nature?
A recent study revealed youths’ conflicting attitudes towards human-wildlife coexistence in Singapore (Tan, 2020). The research unearthed how young Singaporeans have mentally carved out distinct spaces (Philo and Wilbert, 2000) for ‘good’ (i.e. otters) and ‘bad’ (i.e. wild boars) urban wildlife (Tan, 2020). However, what is considered ‘good’ is temporal and subjected to youths’ shifting constructions of the wildlife species. To that end, the research proposed the need to envision possible futures of how a City in Nature could look like, when school spaces are mobilised, and formal education takes an active role in shaping young Singaporean’s social constructions of urban wildlife.
How can we better engage our students to think critically about their relationship with nature and wildlife?
How can we better engage our students to think critically about their relationship with nature and wildlife?
Education (be it formal, informal, or non-formal) plays a critical role in shaping nature/society relationships. Gough (2016:4) argued that education, nature, and society are “inseparable” entities as the ways humans construct and act upon non-humans and the natural world, “comes about through education”. As succinctly articulated by Seow (2021), in order for our students to be “engaged with the wider world”, we need to rethink “how we teach and the way we craft our curriculum.”
A green iguana perching at the top of the atrium of a community centre - they are not native to Singapore, but originate from Central and South America. They have been increasingly found in Singapore due to international wildlife trade, as escaped or abandoned exotic pets.
(Source: Priscilla Tan)
(Re)Defining the overarching theme of ‘Sustainability’ in the Geography syllabuses
My volunteering experiences with ACRES have reshaped the way I perceive Singapore’s urban-nature landscapes, and I believe that striking this balance is part of ‘sustainability’. As a CRDO, I see the overarching theme of ‘sustainability’ in the 2021 Lower Secondary Geography syllabus and the upcoming 2023 Upper Secondary and Pre-University Geography syllabuses as a golden opportunity for educators to provide opportunities for students to engage with various aspects of sustainability beyond that of climate change. During my rescue efforts, a common phase I hear is “the animal does not belong here”. During such situations, I will be reminded on the importance to educate and be educated about the wild animals that live with us. Students should understand that the Earth is a system that is interconnected with all forms of lives. When we provide these opportunities for students to consider how they can best interact and preserve Singapore’s natural landscape and its wildlife, then we are one step closer to helping our students become future stewards of nature.
Using of personal geographies to enhance students’ learning of various concepts and topics
An educator’s personal geography serves as a great tool in stitching together concepts and enhancing understanding of topics. As someone who feel deeply for issues related to biodiversity, specifically about human-wildlife conflicts and illegal wildlife trade, I drew heavily on my volunteering experience locally and overseas when I was teaching in the classroom and now, designing the learning materials for the Geography syllabus as a CRDO.
While volunteering at the Bali Wildlife Rescue Centre which provides care, rehabilitation, and release of native endangered wildlife, I was introduced to the backstory and plight of each animal found there. These animals were mostly victims of deforestation, illegal poaching, pet trade, or tourism activities. When I returned to my classrooms, I was able to intentionally and seamlessly weave these stories in while teaching the topic of Tropical Rainforest and Tourism, and highlighting aspects of biodiversity and deforestation. The concept of scale and interconnectedness could also be discussed as we analysed how as individuals, we can take actions to reduce unlawful wildlife practices e.g. illegal trade, or ensure the sustainability of our ecosystems e.g. being a responsible tourist.
Priscilla with the staff and other volunteers at the Bali Wildlife Rescue Centre.
(Source: Priscilla Tan)
A Javan slow loris – they are listed as critically endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Their main threats are extensive habitat destruction and fragmentations as well as live capture to be used in pet trade.
(Source: Priscilla Tan)
A juvenile Sunda pangolin rescued from an illegal trade – also listed as critically endangered, the pangolins are one of the most illegally traded animals due to a belief that their scales contain medicinal properties. A small population of pangolins can also be found in Singapore, and they are common victims of roadkill.
(Source: Priscilla Tan)
Take advantage of the newly refined Stage 5 of Geographical Investigation which calls for students to ‘Take Action’
Part of the aims of the new Geography syllabuses is for students to use their geographical knowledge and skills to show care and concern for the world they live in and actively contribute towards a sustainable future. To support students’ effort to contribute, Stage 5 of Geographical Investigation now calls for students to ‘Take Action’ by coming up with recommendations on improving situations in their neigbourhoods and environments. Teachers can chose to submit these recommendations to agencies such as Public Utilities Board or NParks. As educators, we could tap on this opportunity to engage our students in a discussion on their roles as stewards of nature (Click here to access the template for submitting your students' ideas to partner agencies).
In my typical shift volunteering with ACRES, I have found myself relocating a spitting cobra from a person’s living room, retrieving injured pigeons secured by concerned members of the public, creating makeshift nests for baby plantain squirrels or baby birds, or educating people on how to care for a common fruit bat stuck in a person’s home. Thus, I would not be surprised if our youths find themselves in a situation with a wild animal in our highly urbanised small island-state especially with the increasing pressure of space constraint.
I believe that we should empower our youths to discuss human-wildlife interactions in their neighbourhoods and environments, and how it should be done. Examples would be submitting a digital map which highlights roads prone to roadkill to the Land Transport Authority and a suggestion to Housing Development Board on how to manage the bird population in some estates.
A nest with baby birds fell from a tree due to pruning activities – we used a cardboard box to secure the nest and placed it on an elevated trunk/bush nearby and wait for their parents to return.
(Source: Priscilla Tan)
A displaced baby common palm civet cat rescued from the basement of a condominium – The rescue team brought it back for a check-up and rehabilitation before attempting to reunite it with its parents. Baby animals have the best survival rates when they are with their parents. Do not bring a baby wild animal home!
(Source: Priscilla Tan)
Conclusion
Conclusion
Human-wildlife interactions in urban settings are becoming everyday occurrences (albeit to varying frequencies and degrees in different spaces) due to higher population density and shrinking natural habitats. These human-wildlife interactions may manifest as positive, negative, or neutral experiences depending on the species encountered, across space and time (Soulsbury and White, 2019:107). As an educator, I believe that our role is crucial in helping our youths appreciate the complexities of these interactions to promote a shift from conflict to acceptance and willingness to coexist with urban wildlife.
References
References
Gough, S. (2016) ‘Education, Nature, and Society’, Routledge.
National Parks Board. (2020a) ‘City in Nature’, 15 June. Available at: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/about-us/city-in-nature, (Accessed: 10 June 2021).
National Parks Board. (2020b) ‘Youth@SGNature’, 18 September. Available at: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/learning/youthsgnature, (Accessed: 10 June 2021).
Philo, C. and Wilbert, C. (2000) ‘Animal Spaces, Beastly Places: New Geographies of Human-animal Relations’, Psychology Press.
Seow, T. (2021) ‘Commentary: Sustainability cannot just be taught in geography lessons’, 16 May. Available at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/climate-change-sustainability-curriculum-schools-geography-14792808, (Accessed: 14 June 2021).
Soulsbury, C. D. and White, P. C. L. (2019) ‘A framework for assessing and quantifying human-wildlife interactions in urban areas’ in Frank, B., Glikman, J. A. and Marchini, S. (eds) Human–Wildlife Interactions: Turning Conflict into Coexistence. Cambridge University Press.
Tan, P. (2020) ‘Wild Frenemies – Exploring Human-Wildlife Relationships and Singapore’s National Curriculum for a ‘City in Nature’ Unpublished masters dissertation, Oxford University
Report abuse