Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) invites applications for  Research/Conservation Grants in Primatology

The Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) (JGIS) is accepting applications on a rolling basis for the JGIS Primate Research & Conservation Grant. The programme will fund S$500 - S$5,000 towards projects related to primate behaviour and ecology, as well as management and conservation of their habitat.

Funding will be provided to Singapore-based students/researchers working on primate behaviour or conservation in Southeast Asia. Applicants are preferred to have a background in the behavioural sciences, biology, conservation, forestry, ecology or wildlife research and/or be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to primate and rainforest research and conservation.  Applications will be accepted throughout the year. Click here to find out about more about the 2010 grant.

The Primate Research Initiative was launched by Dr. Goodall during her visit to Singapore in 2009 and it puts JGIS firmly in touch with the original roots of her work in Tanzania. Its goal is to increase our understanding of how primates live in the wild, so that we can help them better in our conservation efforts. We're working at several levels, from basic community education, all the way up to supporting scientists and tertiary-level researchers so they can go into the wild, like Dr. Goodall, and study primates in their natural environment. We take this approach because we believe that only when people understand, will they care enough to help. And apart from loving animals and the environment, we recognise that we are all linked within a global ecosystem, so conservation of the environment and wild animals isn't just about 'them': conservation is directly linked to our own long-term welfare. We're all living on the same planet, after all.

As part of the Primate Research & Conservation Programme, JGIS offers the Primate Research Grant on a rolling basis throughout the year. The grant aims to help students, scientists and researchers who are based in Singapore, to conduct regional in-field research into the behaviour, habitat and on-going risk status of primates in their natural environment. JGIS has a unique advantage. We are right next door to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Borneo, so we have a wonderful opportunity to help Singapore-based students and researchers study primates in their natural habitat. Click here to find out about the Primate Research Grant and our application process.

Helping primates also means protecting their habitat, the rainforest – and that's a climate change issue too. Asia is home to 37% of the world’s rainforest (second only to South America) and accounts for a whopping 34% of its deforestation. Unfortunately, there are big gaps in what we know about how forest, deforestation and reforestation affects the climate – both locally and on a global scale. But it was agreed at Copenhagen that forest is extremely important when it comes to climate change and that we have to work together to stop it being cut down. JGIS’ Primate Research Grant provides a platform for Singapore-based researchers and conservationists to conduct research in these critical areas, opening the door for Singapore to become a future leader both in primate conservation and in climate change mitigation.