TL;DR, Serene loves animals, birds in particular, and is part of organisations that help in the conservation of endangered birds and in the prevention of illegal trading of birds. She considers herself a wildlife trade researcher and we were able to speak with her regarding her latest paper regarding this issue.
In 2019, Serene received a grant from National Geographic to investigate the bird trade on the Malaysia-Thailand border. The project ended in 2021 and she's since concluded her findings and the results are being compiled.
These are 5 things we learned about animal conservation from Serene:
1. How do you become a wildlife conservationist?
Serene admits that she's always held a dream to become a conservationist and watched plenty of documentaries since she was young (yes, including Nat Geo documentaries).In pursuit of this passion she studied biology for her university degree and a Masters in Conservation Leadership. In the course, she learned about how conservation is carried out across the world in different situations.
After her studies she looked for jobs in this field and found a job as a wildlife trade researcher at TRAFFIC, an NGO that specialises in wildlife trade.
2. What does a wildlife trade researcher do?
She conducts research on the volume of wildlife being traded, the species involved, and what legal or illegal trade is taking place—and how this is taking place (trade routes, or the modus operandi).On top of that, they also find solutions to regulate the trade and ultimately the goal is to make sure that it doesn't negatively impact the survival of wildlife. This may mean contacting the authorities or advocating for better laws that will help prevent illegal trading.
3. Wildlife trading happens digitally
What's scary about our conversation was the amount of animals being traded online from e-commerce sites to even social media sites.The amount of animals being traded online is increasing, but it's important to note that not all of these trades are illegal. While conservationists might stumble onto an illegal trade here and there, regular netizens can report illegal sale of animals on their own to the right authorities.
If you do see illegal trading, Perhilitan's free hotline is 1 800 88 5151 and you can also call the 24h Wildlife Crime line at 0193564194.
4. Wildlife trade research also happens digitally
While we had a romanticised view of wildlife conservationists hiding in camo suits in the jungle waiting to track illegal poachers, Serene shared that her work happens mostly digitally.As part of her research the team regularly combs news articles or government releases about seizures and over time they look at the data to identify trends or patterns. This research also includes legal imports and exports whose data are also publicly available.
If one species in particular receives an unsual rise in trade, Serene will look into the data to see if the species is in trouble.
Additionally, there are also physical market surveys where the team will document the volume and species for sale.
5. The Straw-headed bulbul (burung barau-barau in Malay) is critically endagered due to poaching
Serene shared that this is her favourite songbird and due to its singing ability it was greatly desired by bird enthusiasts. The demand for the bird has caused massive poaching and sale which caused the species to be classified as critically endangered.Many of us may not even be aware that there were endangered birds, which is very much part of the problem that Serene is trying to fix. Sadly, birds are not as sexy a topic as tigers or turtles, so conservation efforts have not always been put on endangered birds.
There are strides being made: more illegal bird trading activities are stopped by the authorities and seizures are conducted more regularly for endangered bird species and it's all thanks to Serene's work as she specifically zoned in on the bird trade.
Bonus thing we learned: There are bird singing competitions with professional judges with prizes. Serene shared that some of these competitions come with big prizes like a motorcycle or a TV. You truly learn something new every day.
To learn even more things everyday, listen to Expedition: Earth a Nat Geo podcast featuring Nat Geo Explorers like Serene who talk about the wonders of earth and how we can protect them.
Listen to all episodes of Expedition: Earth on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts