Category Archives: Opinion

What is a forest?

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Jocelyne Sze

It’s such a simple question, everyone knows what a forest is. Or do they? I thought I knew, until I started my masters project. It is on deforestation hotspots, using a global satellite-derived dataset available from Google Earth. Unsurprisingly, I came across … Continue reading →

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World Environment Day 2016

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Jocelyne Sze

I’m almost late for the UK, but not quite for the rest of world westwards. It’s been a fairly hectic weekend for me, being on an outdoors/field work first aid course. Anyway, it’s World Environment Day today, celebrated every year on 5 June, and … Continue reading →

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Celebrating forests

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Jocelyne Sze

It’s the #InternationalDayofForests today, 21 March! Given that my research project is on deforestation, I thought I should perhaps commemorate this day with a quick and somewhat random post. The word forest holds different meanings, brings to mind different things. … Continue reading →

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Keeping hopes high -valuing Singapore’s nature reserves over more infrastructure

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Jocelyne Sze

It’s been 4 years since I left home to further my studies in the UK, and if I’m honest, I can feel the emotional connection to the place I call home getting weaker every year. In spite of advances in … Continue reading →

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Participating in the London climate march – science vs. advocacy

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Jocelyne Sze

I participated in my first ever public demonstration last Sunday, 29 Nov. Part of the global climate march, about 70,000 people gathered in London and marched from Hyde Park Corner to Westminister – including about 9 of us from Silwood … Continue reading →

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Serengeti Shall Not Die

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Jocelyne Sze

I first came across the title when I was in Tanzania in July 2013, and we drove past a memorial, and our guide cum driver remarked on it. Chancing on the book in a second-hand bookshop in Sedburgh, Lake District … Continue reading →

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Silwood Park – Doing a Masters in ecology at Imperial College London

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Jocelyne Sze

I’ve started an MRes in Ecosystem and Environmental Change at Imperial College London about 1.5 weeks ago now, and along with about 100 other masters students doing various other ecology-related courses, am based at Silwood Park, Ascot. It’s about an … Continue reading →

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The ubiquitous oil palms

Posted on September 26, 2015 by Jocelyne Sze

I’ve just got back from a road trip up to Malaysia with my family, and the one thing that struck me throughout the whole drive up and down was the oil palm plantations. Almost everywhere. Oil palm plantations are brought … Continue reading →

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How effective are conservation policies?

Posted on July 26, 2015 by Jocelyne Sze

Policies are usually seen as the highest level of conservation action, kind of like a goal to aim towards (for a species/habitat/area of conservation interest to be ‘covered’ by a policy). In developed countries like Singapore and maybe the UK as well, … Continue reading →

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Moving into new realms

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Jocelyne Sze

It’s been a long time since I last posted here, and since then, I’ve finished my last undergraduate exams, had a nice academic-free month, graduated, and am now on my ‘summer’ attachment (cos it’s actually winter here). I’m currently in … Continue reading →

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