In celebration of Earth and the environment, Classical Pacific host Sharene Taba shares classical conservation conversations on Mondays at 4 p.m.
Dr. Shawn Lum, the former President of the Nature Society (Singapore) and Senior Lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University Asian School of the Environment, teaches plant diversity, forest ecology and conservation. He joins Classical Pacific to share the state of nature and nature conservation in a global context with a focus on the Pacific.
In this edition, Dr. Lum examines the conservation of plants carried by explorers across the Pacific. Many of these canoe plants, such as the sea hibiscus and beach morning glory, have retained their indigenous names across different island chains. For example, the sea hibiscus is called “hau” in Hawaiʻi, where in ancient Tahiti, it was called “fao.” Morning Glory, or Ipomoea pes-caprae, is called “pōhuehue” in Hawaiʻi, and “pohue tahatai” in Tahiti.
He highlights that 40 percent of native plants in Hawaiʻi originated from Indo-Malaya. Familiarity with these plants helps foster a continued conservation that has persevered through the ages.
Dr. Lum’s conversation concludes with “Spring Sketches” by Veljo Tormis.
Follow Dr. Shawn Lum on Instagram at @skylum.nature.
