NUS Launches New Book on Singapore’s Rainforests and New Free Digital Nature Archive

04 July 2012 National University of Singapore

Publication title: Private Lives: An Exposé of Singapore's Rainforests
Author: The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR) at the National University of Singapore (NUS)
Publication type: Book (Paperback)
Number of pages: 298

The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Science today launched a new book titled “Private Lives: An Exposé of Singapore’s Rainforests” that reveals the precious biodiversity found in Singapore's rainforests and the efforts that have been carried out to conserve them. RMBR also introduced the “Digital Nature Archive of Singapore” (DNA), the first portal that connects all historical and current records on the nation’s flora, fauna and natural habitats in a free, searchable online database.

Both the book and the online archive database were launched by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts in the presence of about 120 key stakeholders of environment conservation in Singapore.

“Private Lives: An Exposé of Singapore’s Rainforests”, comprising 19 chapters and 298 pages in total, is written by 19 scientists and naturalists and carries a foreword by Professor Tommy Koh, Rector of the Tembusu College at NUS and Ambassador-At-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The book is a collection of short stories and anecdotes about the life and times of the various organisms in Singapore’s tropical rainforests. This is the fourth book in the “Private Lives” series that is sponsored by ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.

The DNA website, which consolidates more than 100 years of research in natural history by past and present NUS faculty members and naturalists, complements national efforts by the National Parks Board and the National Library Board to build up national inventories on biodiversity related publications.

The book will be available at NUS libraries. It will also be on sale at RMBR, NUS Co-op, Nature’s Niches, Select Bookstore and the Library Shop at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, at a recommended retail price of S$22 for the paperback version and S$35 for the hardcover version (prices inclusive of prevailing Goods and Service Tax). All proceeds from the sale of the books go towards more nature publications and biodiversity projects. More information about the book can be found in the attached Annex.