Students step up for wildlife as Mandai Wildlife Group launches Mandai Action for Wildlife Programme for schools
Primary school students running a booth on Singapore’s native wildlife, raising awareness of species such as the straw-headed bulbul, Raffles’ banded langur, and freshwater crab to visitors at Singapore Zoo.
Photo credit: Mandai Wildlife Group
The 2025 pilot involved eight schools and 154 students. For its official launch in 2026, the programme has more than doubled in scale, with 19 schools and 272 students participating. This reflects strong interest among schools in equipping students with the knowledge and skills to understand and protect Singapore’s urban biodiversity.
May Lok, Vice President, Education, Mandai Wildlife Group, said, “We need to nurture a generation of eco-stewards - students and youth who are informed advocates for nature and wildlife. In the pilot phase, what stood out was how thoughtfully the students approached the issues. They were thinking deeply about how wildlife fits into our urban environment and how they could inspire others to care. That sense of ownership is incredibly powerful. We are also grateful to our partner schools for their strong support and for recognising the importance of making nature and conservation part of students’ learning journeys.”
In Singapore, people and wildlife are increasingly sharing the same spaces, creating both opportunities and challenges for coexistence. Students in the programme explore issues such as bird collisions and wildlife-related traffic incidents, while creating campaigns and activities that introduce the public to lesser-known species like pangolins and colugos, inspiring awareness and care for Singapore’s biodiversity.
Through workshops, mentorship sessions, and hands-on guidance from Mandai Wildlife Group’s wildlife experts and educators, students acquire practical skills in research, communication, and planning. Over six months, they turn their ideas into potential real-world initiatives, culminating in a public showcase at Singapore Zoo in August, where they share their work and engage visitors.
During the pilot phase, students developed a range of projects addressing different conservation themes. Among them, a group from North Vista Secondary School focused on raising awareness of the Raffles’ banded langur, a species native to Singapore. Working with their English teacher, they incorporated native wildlife learning into classroom lessons for their cohort, organised guided nature walks for their peers, and created games and educational resources to encourage learning about the species. They also set up booths at school events and at Singapore Zoo during the project showcase event last August to share the conservation message with fellow students and members of public.
Meanwhile, students from Kong Hwa School explored ways to reduce negative human-wildlife interactions by discouraging the feeding of wild animals. After conducting surveys to gauge community awareness, they designed posters, online games and WhatsApp stickers to communicate their message about safe wildlife interactions to different audiences.
The programme also complements the Ministry of Education’s Eco Stewardship Programme, helping students build Emerging 21st Century Competencies (E21CC) such as problem-solving, collaboration, and communication. It also cultivates awareness, responsibility and action-mindedness – laying the foundation for the next generation of conservation advocates in Singapore.
Jacob Tan, a biology teacher from Commonwealth Secondary School, said, “This partnership gave our students direct access to these experts and their first-hand stories, which made the learning especially meaningful. The programme gave our students the opportunity to work on projects aligned to their interests and strongly supports my school’s commitment to the MOE Eco-Stewardship Programme.”
Participating schools this year include Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), CHIJ Kellock Primary School, Kong Hwa School, Keming Primary, Kheng Cheng School, New Town Primary School, Punggol Cove Primary School, Tao Nan School, Waterway Primary School, Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School, Cedar Girls Secondary School, Chua Chu Kang Secondary School, Commonwealth Secondary School, Methodists Girls’ School (Secondary), North Vista Secondary School, Raffles’ Institution, St Nicholas Girls’ School (Secondary), Temasek Secondary School, Yuying Secondary School.
The Mandai Action for Wildlife Programme is made possible with the support of Amazon Web Services (AWS), enabling the continued growth and impact of this flagship education initiative.
Mr Simon Tan, Regional Infrastructure Operations Director, South ASEA and ANZ, “At Amazon, we believe the next generation of innovators should not only understand technology, but also how it can be applied to solve meaningful challenges in the world around them. Our partnership with Mandai Wildlife Group reflects our shared commitment to supporting environmental stewardship and learning opportunities for young people in Singapore. Through this programme, we are excited to bring AWS volunteers and expertise to support students as they explore how technologies like AI can contribute to conservation research and solutions. We’re proud to support initiatives that inspire curiosity, learning, and confidence to take action in their communities.”
Secondary school students from the pilot phase sharing their roadkill reporting project at Singapore Zoo during the closing of the six-month programme.
Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group
Through the Mandai Action for Wildlife programme, students have the opportunity to speak with wildlife experts like Luke Harding, a curator of Herpetology and Invertebrates from Animal Care at Mandai Wildlife Group and Andie Ang, Head of Primate Conservation and Singapore Programmes at Mandai Nature, gaining first-hand insights into wildlife conservation.
Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group
