About The Biodiversity Collective

TBC stands for The Biodiversity Collective series. TBC plays on "To Be Continued" as we believe that biodiversity must be continued for generations, and that it's also not just something for experts/researchers to understand. But the learnings must continue for everyone because biodiversity is the bedrock of society!

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☕The Biodiversity Kopitiam: Sip & Learn

Kopitiam Edition: The Biodiversity Kopitiam allows attendees to Lim Kopi (Drink Coffee), and learn about various topics of biodiversity through 3 main segments.

The Biodiversity Kopitiam is hosted at a local cafe, to sip & learn about our local biodiversity, over small group coffee chats with a leading Biodiversity expert.

Topics can range from specific wildlife, research papers, nature experiences, advocacy and much more! Each TBC Kopitiam has its own unique theme.

24th June: Crawlies and Insects @ Foreword Coffee

Tiny Creatures, Big Impact

For this edition of TBC Kopitiam, we zoom in on the incredible world of insects, from the buzzing pollinators in our parks to the beetles hiding in plain sight across our city.

We do a round-table kopitiam style where attendees can choose up to 2 tables to rotate around and hear a speaker share their Biodiversity Insights & Knowledge for 20 minutes at a time, and rotate to your next table.

Whether you're a nature lover, art enthusiast, or just bug-curious — this is your chance to sit, sip, and rediscover the small lives that make our world work.


☕ Buy a coffee!
This event is free to attend, but participants will order a drink or snack at Foreword Coffee to support our host café. :)

About Foreword Coffee:
Not your average café — Foreword Coffee is where coffee meets cause.

Foreword Coffee is more than just a place to get your caffeine fix. It's a social enterprise that brews purpose into every cup. Here, you’re not just drinking ethically sourced Asian coffee but you’re supporting inclusive hiring, sustainable practices, and a radically kind business model that puts people first.

They specialize in specialty coffee sourced directly from smallholder farmers in countries like Laos, China, and Indonesia, highlighting unique Asian flavor profiles in every sip. Their drinks come with stories: of resilience, dignity, and the journey of beans from farm to cup. The space itself is cozy, minimalist, and designed for conversations that matter. It’s the perfect spot to pause, learn, and connect, just like this TBC Kopitiam session.

So come for the insects, stay for the coffee, and experience how a cup can spark change.

💡 PS: Try their Yunnan pourover or cold brew oolong — sustainably delicious!

Kopi Stall #1:

Wendy Zhang, as both a researcher and nature illustrator, Wendy blends science with creativity to spark curiosity and conservation. Her work aims to educate and advocate for insect conservation, inspiring people to look beyond their fear or indifference and recognize the beauty, complexity, and ecological value of these often-misunderstood creatures. In her downtime, you’ll find Wendy immersed in painting entomological illustrations, delicate, detailed, and filled with reverence, all while binging on hours of horror podcasts.

Through her session, Wendy will share how art can reconnect us with insects, not just intellectually but emotionally. Also, how drawing what we usually swat away can be a first step toward protecting the ecosystems they hold together.

Kopi Stall #2

Angelica See, a full-time PhD student at the National University of Singapore, currently in her third year of research. Angelica is a PhD student interested in land use ecology and insect biodiversity. Her interest in insects started during her undergraduate research project where plasticine caterpillars were used to study the effects of forest fragmentation on predation rates. By choosing insects as her subject of study, she hopes to contribute to local ecological knowledge that may inform future land use and conservation decisions in Singapore.

Kopi Stall #3

Foo Maosheng | Entomology and Entomophag, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

Kopi Stall #4

Ong Xin Rui | Dung Beetles (SEA) , Tropical Ecology & Entomology Lab, NTU

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