Review of marine civil society organisations in Singapore

Tham Hui Hui, a CAPTain majoring in Environmental Studies, undertook an Individual Study Module (ISM) to review the marine civil society organisations in Singapore and the role they play in conservation. This ISM is supervised by Dr Toh Tai Chong.

Through literature review, she first collated a list of marine civil society organisations to provide a basic understanding of the activities conducted. Using the Model of Responsible Environmental Behaviour, an environmental psychology framework, she subsequently conducted 11 in-depth interviews with the founders of the local marine groups and applied qualitative thematic analysis to identify their contribution to conservation in Singapore. Her work was published as a news commentary in the Straits Times on 15 March 2018 and was also featured in the opening speech given by the Chief Executive of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore during the launch of a community event on 17 March 2018.

Hui Hui shared her positive experience working on this project, “My ISM journey has been incredibly fulfilling thus far. ISM gave me the opportunity to explore a topic that I am interested in, and a safe space to step out of my comfort zone into a territory I am unfamiliar with – doing my very first social science research despite being a science student, speaking to many individuals about the work that they are involved in: marine conservation. Interacting with professionals in the field, they have inspired me with their passion for marine conservation and the desire to safeguard marine habitats of Singapore. They choose to act upon the seemingly daunting challenge, in hope that more people will come to see the importance of marine conservation in Singapore. The mentorship by Dr Toh played an important role in the learning as he facilitates the thinking process and guides me through the journey. Moreover, the learning goes beyond the module as we try to share and apply our findings.

Read more on the news commentary on Straits Times.