Invisible Engineers: Insects Role in Singapore's 'City in Nature'

Invisible Engineers: Insects Role in Singapore's 'City in Nature'

Rising temperatures induced by climate change as well as land-use development are two of the biggest threats to insect populations globally in what has been referred to as the “insect apocalypse.” Here in Singapore, a decline in insect populations could threaten the ecological diversity of our parks and reserves and diminish critical food sources for the migratory land birds that annually visit Singapore in places such as the Botanic Gardens and Pasir Ris Park. Insects also provide vital ecosystem services such as pollination provided by bees, pest regulation by wasps and nutrient cycling aided by dung beetles, which are indispensable to the ecological balance of our forests such as those in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. In this lecture, moderated by Laura Miotto (Associate Professor, School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University), ecologist Eleanor Slade (Associate Professor, Forest Invertebrate Ecology, Asian School of Environment, Nanyang Technological University and Principal Investigator, Tropical Ecology & Entomology Lab) and artist Wendy Zhang (artist and insect conservation educator) will highlight the critical role insects play in the ecosystems that support our natural spaces in Singapore. Drawing on their expertise in ecology, entomology, insect conservation and art, they will discuss current strategies for biodiversity conservation and the actions needed to protect insect populations in the future.

Tuesday, 11 March 2025
6:30pm – 8:30pm
The Hall, NTU CCA Singapore

About the Climate Transformation: Sustainable Societies Lecture Series   

This series brings together artists and academics from the Climate Transformations Programme to discuss various climatic themes such as biodiversity heritage, addressing sea level rise and preparing for a climate-changed future. Through these science-arts pairings, we hope to foster dialogue that deepens our understanding of climate challenges and engages a multi-faceted lens to inspire meaningful action. 

About the team 

The Climate Transformation: Sustainable Societies Series is organised by members of the Climate Transformation Programme (CTP) Cross-Cutting Theme 1: Sustainable Societies research team, Principal Investigator Professor Ute Meta Bauer, research associate Ng Mei Jia and research assistant Angela Ricasio Hoten. 

Sustainable Societies 
Principal Investigator, Professor Ute Meta Bauer (NTU ADM) 
Principal Investigator, Associate Professor Laura Miotto (NTU ADM) 
Principal Investigator, Professor Dr Thomas Schroepfer (SUTD)  

This Lecture Series is supported by the Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 3 grant [MOE-MOET32022-0006] for the Climate Transformation Programme.   

11 March 2025

English

In this lecture, moderated by Laura Miotto, ecologist Eleanor Slade and artist Wendy Zhang will highlight the critical role insects play in the ecosystems that support our natural spaces in Singapore.

General

Onsite (CCA)

Yes

No

Yes