We all know Singapore as a Garden City, but what about seeing Singapore as an island country? We dive into the lesser-known marine elements of Singapore's tropical environments with Dr. Siti Maryam Yaakub, Senior Director of the International Blue Carbon Institute. We talk about her passion for unsung underwater heroes like seagrass, her journey to becoming a marine ecologist, and what makes mangroves and coastal habitats so important in the fight against climate change.

Episode Highlights

• The surprising fact that Singapore has more seagrass species than the entire United States
• How blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves and seagrass are secret superheroes in the fight against climate change
• The fascinating world of seagrass - not to be confused with seaweed or seagrapes!
• Why corals bleach, and how seagrass produces its own natural “sunscreen”
• The crucial link between dugongs and seagrass, and why protecting one means saving the other
• How everyone, from chefs to economists, can contribute to marine conservation using their unique skills

Timestamps

00:00 Preview

00:36 Intro

01:52 What is blue carbon, and what are mangroves?

05:31 Seagrass vs. seaweed vs. seagrapes

07:14 Interesting fieldwork and overseas experiences

10:17 Misconceptions about marine ecologists

11:40 Does Singapore have a lot of native seagrass?

12:41 Dr. Siti’s career path

17:20 International Blue Carbon Institute’s contributions and COP29

20:37 Advice on taking climate action

23:39 Mid-roll ad: Climate Changed exhibition at Science Centre Singapore

24:07 Paiseh question: how bad is the state of our marine environments, really?

25:28 Effects of heat stress on marine life, e.g. coral bleaching

29:55 Word association game

33:07 Outro

Guest Bio

Dr. Siti Maryam Yaakub, Senior Director of the International Blue Carbon Institute at Conservation International, leads the institute's global efforts in translating blue carbon science into tools and methodologies for climate mitigation and adaptation. Based in Singapore, she spearheads initiatives aimed at fostering multidisciplinary expertise and cultivating a resource hub for knowledge exchange. Siti is a marine ecologist and works across tropical marine and coastal habitats. Her work and research interests broadly lie in the areas of ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions for adaptation and mitigation in marine environments. Within this, she is specifically interested in using seagrass habitats as a model system for understanding ecological thresholds to stress, ecosystem resilience, and the effects of human activities and climate change on the marine environment.

Read the full transcript & show notes at https://voiddeck.science.edu.sg/marineecology