26-27 May: Festival of Biodiversity

Come for this massive Festival of Biodiversity! The passionate nature community comes together to share the mind-boggling biodiversity from our forests to seashores, even our backyards and parks!

Be bedazzled by butterflies and birds, awed by trees and seagrasses, tickle your curiousity with crabs and colugos. Singapore is wilder that you might imagine. Find out more about our biodiversity and what you can do to make a difference!

Here's some of fun that is planned for the Festival!

Mini Biodiversity Symposium ”Conserving Our Biodiversity”
On 26 May 2012 (Sat) 9am-12noon, several speakers will share about community efforts on biodiversity for lively discussion. More details

Have fun learning our biodiversity!

One of the highlights is a massive Marine Exhibition, featuring all our major marine ecosystems from mangroves to seagrasses, sandy shores to reefs and everything in between. With hands on stations to feel and find out more about our marine life, as well as marine games and fun for children and the young-at-heart.

The long awaited “Caterpillars of Singapore’s Butterflies” book will be launched!

Free film screening!
26 May (Sat): "Hardy Driftwood in A Wetlands Adventure" an animated movie for kids.
27 May (Sun): "The Return of the King" about the return of the Oriental Pied Hornbill to Singapore.

Talks!
26 May (Sat)

• 1pm: "Freshwater Swamp Forest Conservation"
• 2pm  "Dragonflies of Singapore"
• 2pm: "Biodiversity Apps for iPhone users" 

27 May (Sun)

• 1pm: "Macro world of Singapore" 
• 2pm: "Development History of the past 200 years and its effect on Habitat Loss"
• 2pm: "Bodies of evidence: A morbid celebration of biodiversity" 
• 3pm: "Going home!"
• 4pm: "Conserving South-east Asia's biodiversity: Mission impossible?" 

Walks! Join the Rainforest Tour and discover the enchantment of our tropical rainforest with our volunteer guides! Meet at the Visitor Centre 15 minutes before the start of the tour. Walks are limited to 20 persons per tour.

• 26 May (Sat): 10am to 11am, 11am to noon
• 27 May (sun): 9am to 10am, 4pm to 5pm

Story-telling sessions!
Be enchanted by the stories of "The Giving Tree", "The Lorax" and more! Brought to you by the Bukit Merah Regional Library, these sessions will encourage your child to start appreciating nature that is all around us! At Ridley Hall, limited to 20 persons per session.
26 May (Sat): 11am to 11.45am, 3pm to 3.45pm

There will also be a display of the winning photos of the BiodiverCity photo competition,  latest research done by Honours students at NUS and sales of nature books.

The Festival is an effort by the Biodiversity Roundtable to celebrate Singapore's biodiversity and highlight how each of us CAN make a difference! Visit the Festival of Biodiversity blog for the latest updates!

Dates: 26 May (Sat) and 27 May (Sun)
Time: 9am-6pm
Venue: Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens location map
Website and contact: http://festivalofbiodiversitysingapore.wordpress.com/