Heal the World
Through its Perpetual Planet campaign, Rolex hopes to inspire more environmental champions such as Generation T honourees Neo Mei Lin and Andie Ang to delve deeper into their work to effect positive change on our environment
When legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle and famed marine photographer David Doubilet visited Singapore in August for the Rolex Perpetual Planet Symposium, they shared their thoughts on and experience with environmental conservation at the rousing event held at the National Gallery Singapore. They even met with academics and undergraduates to discuss research‑related issues and joined a diving enthusiasts’ forum to talk about the oceans. Earle also took time off to meet with various government bodies to iron out the details of the possibility of identifying Sisters’ Island Marine Park as a “Hope Spot” under the Mission Blue initiative. (Mission Blue is a non‑profit organisation founded by Earle in 2009 to raise awareness of marine areas that require protection and conservation.)
Despite their busy schedules, the two Rolex Testimonees spent time with five Generation T honourees from the region, who are also champions of environmental sustainability. Together with Singaporean primatologist Andie Ang and marine biologist Neo Mei Lin, Malaysian social entrepreneur Rashvin Pal Singh, Thai social entrepreneur Peetachai Dejkraisak, and Indonesian environmental activist Farwiza Farhan attended the symposium and exchanged ideas about climate change with the two luminaries.
Through the symposium and conversations with Earle and Doubilet, the Gen.t honourees understood the significance of this year’s Rolex Perpetual Planet campaign. It is made up of three pillars: the Rolex Awards for Enterprise to foster entrepreneurship, advance human knowledge and protect our cultural heritage and the environment; Rolex’s enhanced partnership with the National Geographic Society; and Earle’s Mission Blue initiative. The watchmaker will provide the network for these like-minded individuals to connect and cross‑pollinate ideas and offer various forms of support to these three initiatives.
Inspired by what the campaign seeks to achieve—drawing public attention to how fragile the planet is, and supporting scientists, explorers and brave individuals to seek answers to the issues facing Planet Earth— along with the thought-provoking exchanges with Earle and Doubilet, Singapore’s Gen.t representatives Ang and Neo are motivated to further their research endeavours.
Ang holds a doctorate degree in biological anthropology and specifically researches the ecology, behaviour, and population genetics of Asian colobines such as langurs and odd‑nosed monkeys, while Neo studies the giant clam at the St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory. Both pen heartfelt notes about their respective journeys as scientists and thoughts on the Rolex Perpetual Planet campaign in the following pages.
When I was growing up in this mostly urban city that is Singapore, the small pockets of pristine nature were few but precious. Some of these open grass fields that I used to frequent have now been replaced by flats, apartments and office buildings. I also recall that when I was 15 years old, I read an article about factories with tall chimneys spewing smoke and causing air pollution—a daily action that has contributed to climate change. Today, the environment is worse off than it was 15 years ago. The environmental challenges have remained the same—air and water pollution, as well as climate change. What has drastically changed over the years is the rate of extraction, depletion and destruction of natural resources by the human race.
My personal journey to becoming a marine scientist was sparked by my great sense of curiosity about the natural world. The more I asked, the more I knew, and the more I cared about the environment, it made me want to protect it through the best possible means.
I am proud of what I have achieved in my journey, as I’ve showed myself and others that individual effort can make a difference despite the naysayers.
Thinking back, when I first started studying the giant clams in 2006, I wouldn’t have imagined myself spearheading Singapore’s first giant clam restocking and conservation programme in 2011. Prior to my work, we knew almost nothing about the giant clams in Singapore. My research served to facilitate population restoration efforts on Singapore’s coral reefs. Together with my then‑supervisor, associate professor Peter Todd, we started this programme to increase the giant clam numbers in Singapore. With funding support from the National Parks Board, we
transplanted beds of cultured baby giant clams to coral reefs across the Southern Islands, where they have shown good growth rates and play host to a variety of marine biodiversity.
I only recently found out about the Rolex Perpetual Planet campaign, which features the watchmaker’s efforts in supporting environmental initiatives, when I was invited to attend the symposium featuring Sylvia Earle and David Doubilet. A campaign such as this is very significant as it supports ambitious individuals to do audacious projects. We need more backers to help such individuals achieve their goals and generate the positive environmental and societal impacts necessary for today’s world. It is a great first step towards pushing for a difference because, without Rolex’s support, the ideas won’t be able to reach their fullest potential.
The campaign shows that dreams can come true and its essence resonates with my personal goals to work steadily towards my bold dream of setting up a marine conservation centre for Singapore and the region. Having worked with giant clams for more than a decade has also made me more determined to highlight the plight of less “charismatic” but equally important marine invertebrate species such as sea cucumbers. In fact, because of the lack of attention, they are rapidly disappearing from our reefs. The worst part? No one cares!
At the symposium, I met young people, who were very concerned about the environment. My advice to them on doing their part for the environment is, to quote a famous slogan, “just do it”. Being an environmentalist is not going to become mainstream; it’ll make you stick out like a sore thumb. But all this shouldn’t stop you from doing what you believe in. Know that you’re responsible for the kind of environment that you want to live in, and that choice lies with you.
As I write this, forest fires are raging across Sumatra, Borneo, Africa, and the Amazon. These fires have claimed lives in Indonesia, destroyed homes in the Amazon, closed schools in Borneo due to the associated haze, and killed countless plants and wildlife. We are in the midst of a global environmental crisis, and these fires are just the tip of the iceberg.
According to the United Nations, nearly 83 million human beings are added to the world’s population every year. With better healthcare and nutrition, our life expectancy has increased too. Human overpopulation is, in fact, an environmental concern. Exponential population growth exerts pressure on our planet’s limited natural resources such as water, food and fuel, resulting in the loss of biodiversity through the need to clear forests to make space for homes, and also contributing to a higher carbon footprint.
It’s clear that we need to find solutions to the pressing environmental issues that we’re facing and I’m glad that the Rolex Perpetual Planet campaign has embraced exploration as a key mechanism to preserve our natural world, something that deeply resonates with what I truly believe in. Renowned primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, once said: “Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, will we help.” In order for us to make the planet perpetual, we have to first understand our planet, through exploration and data collection. Only after we understand our planet can we begin to appreciate it and recognise what it takes to preserve it.
The launch of the Rolex Perpetual Planet campaign has driven home a strong message that the watch brand cares deeply for our planet and is committed to long-term efforts to learn about and protect our planet. It encourages and supports young people to pursue the protection of our natural world and eventually they will be empowered by knowledge gained to make a positive difference to the current environmental crisis. The campaign has also inspired me to continue to pursue my work in primate research and biodiversity conservation as our individual actions can bring about positive change to our planet, which is valuable and irreplaceable.
The Perpetual Planet campaign also includes the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, which I had the opportunity to be part of in 2014. Then, I had proposed to use aerial bridges to reconnect populations of endangered Indo‑chinese silvered langurs, whose habitats were destroyed by limestone mining in Vietnam, and quantifying the success using field and genetic data.
The selection process was meticulous. It started from the application stage to the selection phase, and from the interviews via Skype to the final face-to-face round. I flew to New York City to join the final round, and that was the first time I got to meet with the finalists. It was an exhilarating couple of days interacting with young experts from various fields such as science, environment, exploration and cultural heritage.
The experience was fulfilling but my most valuable takeaway was that when
it comes to environmental conservation, we can’t work alone, and we shouldn’t. Everyone’s environmental conservation work, though it might seem disparate and unrelated at first, is ultimately interconnected, whether it concerns science, culture or even technology. As Tommy Koh, ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, once shared with me, biodiversity is best protected when partnerships between individuals, agencies and institutions can be forged, and especially between countries and across borders, as nature has no borders. When we work together and collaborate, we can all achieve so much more.
My advice to everyone, who is keen on doing their bit to protect this fragile planet of ours, is simple: it can get depressing to see how bad the state of our natural world is when we witness the unsustainable exploitation of the environment and the atrocious acts done to wildlife; it can become difficult to keep doing what we do; when that happens—and it will happen—talk to a friend, go for a holiday and come back to this line of work refreshed. Stay positive and hopeful.
For more information on the Rolex Perpetual Planet campaign, visit rolex.org