Honouring A Green
Helping Hand

Dr Shawn Lum, Senior Lecturer at the Natural Sciences & Science Education Academic Group and President of Nature Society (Singapore), was recently conferred the President’s Award for the Environment.

As the nation’s top environmental accolade, this annual award recognises and supports individuals, educational institutions, and organisations that have made outstanding contributions towards environmental and water resource sustainability in Singapore.

A self-proclaimed science geek and accidental advocate of nature, Dr Shawn Lum has been overseeing a long-term study of the dynamics of the Bukit Timah forest since 1992. His invaluable contributions to Singapore’s biodiversity include his successful efforts to help save the Hopea Sangal tree species from extinction in 2002. Sharing his thoughts on environmental conservation in the future, the tropical rainforest ecologist would like to see the younger generation learn about nature by directly experiencing it, and not just in schools and through the internet. This, Dr Lum hopes, would make conservation groups redundant in the future because now, the whole of society treasures and takes care of nature.