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JUN 14, 2001 |
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Origins of the species The vast Raffles Collection goes before the public today, as the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research opens. LEA WEE reports AFTER a gap of 30 years, the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research will throw open its doors and beat the dust from its welcome mat.
A Public Gallery, to be opened by Education Minister Teo Chee Hean today, will unveil some of its historic zoological collection dating from the 1800s. Among other things, the visitor will see stuffed animals such as the only Leathery Turtle ever found in Singapore and the Cream-coloured Giant Squirrel, one of the rarest mammals in the world. The museum, which was set up in 1849 at the suggestion of Sir Stamford Raffles, has one of the largest collections of South-east Asian fauna in the world - some 500,000 specimens amassed over 150 years. Scores of scientists have passed through its doors, including Emperor Akihito of Japan, who is an expert in gobies (a family of marine fish) and visited when he was crown prince. The museum was housed first in Stamford Road and in 1969 at the University of Singapore (see story below). Its new home is a three-storey building at the Faculty of Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Scientists came to pore over the preserved bodies of mammals, birds, insects, shells and molluscs, some long extinct, others endangered. Or they came simply to compare old specimens against new ones collected. The collection has been largely hidden from the public eye for the past 30 years. Now, the museum's director, Associate Professor Peter Ng, 41, says it must be more accessible because there is growing interest in environmental issues such as biodiversity crisis, species extinction and conservation. The Public Gallery on the museum's third level will feature the flora and fauna - or biodiversity - of South-east Asia. Prof Ng explains: 'The region has received considerably less attention than places like the Amazon, even though we have a much greater diversity of habitats and far more species of plants and animals.' Singapore is no exception to this, as a section of the gallery will show (see facing page). Says Prof Ng: 'Singaporeans often underestimate what they have. They feel that since there are so few forests, mangroves and reefs left here, it makes no difference whether we lose or them. But the truth is, in the tropical climate, even a small habitat can hold a spectacular range of life.'' An expert on crabs, Prof Ng is known for his discovery of three species of freshwater crabs unique to Singapore. The professor says biodiversity becomes more urgent as habitats are swallowed up by development. ''As the world gets more high-tech, we often forget we are still extremely dependent on wildlife for the raw materials for biotechnology research, and that we need the strategies they have derived from four billion years of evolution for our long-term survival,'' he says. The Raffles Museum can take the lead in averting a biodiversity crisis in the region. Says Prof Ng: ''We have easy access to the necessary IT and other technologies and we are well linked up with the international community. There is also a strong research environment here in the NUS.'' Most importantly, the museum has the prestigious Raffles Collection. ''This legacy has given us a headstart. We must not lose it,'' he says. Those interested in the natural world of South-east Asia can also turn to the museum's website and newsletter, both of which will be launched today. Says Prof Ng: ''We hope to make the website a one-stop shopping centre on South-east Asian biodiversity for both the layman and the scientist. ''These are changing times,'' he says. ''Academics cannot afford to sit in their ivory towers and just do research for research's sake. ''Their knowledge and discoveries have to be communicated to a wider
audience, not only for their education but also to make them aware of
the importance of biodiversity in their lives.''
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