Conservation: Our responsibility

Why the need to conserve:

--Deforestation from 1819 picture of Singapore with 82% land mass in primary forest and 13% in mangroves to a990 numbers of 0.5% mangroves and 0.2 % primary forest.

--74% of SE Asia is expected to be deforested by 2010.


--60% of Singapore's coral reefs are lost and 30% are degraded


--Mangroves in 1990 totaled 2700 hectares/ now 500 ha


--Bukit Timah (forest) is falling apart in front of our eyes—victim of acid rain and loss of species that help re-seed native flora (Bukit Timah has more species of palms than all of Africa) and rare fauna within the area have disappeared






My previous blog posts have covered my experiences at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Pasir Ris mangroves. The blog posts have covered the numerous benefits that these ecosystems provide to us and why we should conserve them.



Singaporeans may have heard of the natural heritage treasures, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Sungai Buloh Wetland Reserve. But ask Singaporeans about coral reefs, it would be unlikely that they would be familiar.


Now this video would show you of the beauties of the coral reefs and their benefit to men.



Protect the living reef: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XZwslWYJPU


And to add on to that, here are some interesting news articles that show that coral reefs are cheaper to protect than neglect.

http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20060102/060124-4.htm


Here are some points from the articles:

The value of coral reefs is estimated at between US$100,000 to US$600,000 per square kilometer a year.


The estimated costs of protecting them, through the management costs of a marine protected area, is just US$775 square kilometers per annum.






Here are some organisations that strive to conserve Singapore's natural biodiversity and heritage.

Blue Water Volunteers (BWV) is a volunteer-based, marine conservation NGO that seeks to complement research activities and increase awareness of local marine habitats, such as coral reefs. They strive to achieve the aims for conservation, awareness and education through fourmain programmes: ReefFriends, ReefWalk, ReefTalk and ReefExhibits.


http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/



You can go check up the website if you're interested in getting up close and learning more about Singapore's coral reefs. Hurry before all the coral reefs are gone!



You can also help to save the environment by simply just simply offering your service to help clean up the places. Here are some websites to check out for clean up activities:



Coastal cleanuphttp://coastalcleanup.nus.edu.sg/organiserspage.html



Mangrove cleanup: http://mangrove.nus.edu.sg/


If you have time to spare, bored of staying at home or if you are a nature lover or looking for forms of enriching recreational activities, be sure to check out this website:





Updates for environmental activities: http://www.wildsingapore.com/





Remember, Singapore is blessed with a rich biodiversity and natural heritage. It falls on us whether we want it to stay to be enjoyed by all. These organisations and websites are there for us to turn to when we want to do our part for nature and nonetheless to appreciate it.








The simplest thing we can all do is to help spread the message.

And dont litter. =D

Pasir Ris Mangroves

A 5 hectare patch of mature mangrove forest located at the North-eastern part of Singapore at Pasir Ris Park. The work of the 70.52 hectare park began in 1998 on land reclaimed between 1978 to 1979 and the mangroves were preserved by maintaining tidal inudations by digging a connection to Sungei Tampines.

Mangroves can be divided to three distict horizontal zones, the proximal(coastal) zone, the middle zone and the inland zone. These zones each have their own characteristic species of plants and animals, although there will always be an overlap of the zones, especially in disturbed mangroves. The Avicennia and Sonneratia species of mangrove trees are found at the proximal zone, the Rhizophora (shown below) can be found at the middle zone while the Bruguiera can be found at the inland zone.

Rhizophora can be identified by their prop roots. The Avicennia and Sonneratia have pencil-like roots while the Bruguiera has knee-like roots.

Here are some other plants we saw:

The pong pong tree.

Here, we have the sea holly. This plant grows on mounds of mud made by the mud lobsters. The leaves of this plant are quite unique. You can see that some of it are spiky and the others and rounded leaves.

The sea hibiscus plant which have heart shaped leaves.

We saw a number of animals though some like the water moniter lizard were well hidden. Mainly, we saw crabs, mudskippers and some fishes since it was the low tide at that time.

2 crabs on a muddy mound.

A number of molluscs on mangrove trees.

A giant mudskipper resting against a fallen branch.

Along the way, we came across a nursery of plants.

Unfortunately, there were sights of pollution and litter in the mangroves.

Mangroves provide significant value in the coastal zones as a buffer against erosion, storms and tsunamis. They also help to impede water flow; thereby enhancing the depostion of sediments in the area.

It is clear that efforts are being made to preserve the mangroves in Singapore. However, there are still selfish individuals who pollute the forest by littering and also it is evident that there are forms of more serious pollution in the forest. Mangrove forests are considered natural treatment "plants" for their ability to process waste materials carried by the water from rivers and streams. This includes human waste too. The bacteria in the soil can break down biodegradable wastes and convert them into nutrients for mangroves. Even so, there is still a limit the forest can take before any harm comes to it.

The mangroves, like the tropical rainforests of Singapore, have their own uinque diversity of flora and fauna that will not be found in any other forms of ecosystem. It is important that we realise the roles and importance of having mangroves at our coasts. For they deserve to be treated and preserved no less than the rainforests in Singapore or anywhere else. Let us appreciate the gifts the mangroves have to offer and do our part to preserve it.

Field Trip to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve :D

A sanctuary to more than 840 flowering plants and over 500 species of animals. With an official height of 164 metres and known as the highest point in Singapore. Holding on the last vestiges of a primary rainforest, it is none other than the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

The areas located near the base of the hill are covered with secondary forests. This means that the vegetation there has regrown after the destruction of the original vegetation that once covered the area. This can be seen by the little variation of the age of the trees by the size of their trunks and height, which we observed on our trip there.

After some time, as we ventured higher up the hill, Mr Shi pointed out we were currently in the primary forests of the Bukit Timah Hill. One of the tell-tale signs are the rattan (left) and the seraya (below). Also, primary forests have plants which have a huge age differences, from a young sapling to an ancient tree of a few hundreds or even thousand of years old!

You can tell a seraya easily as they are tall trees over 30m high and they have straight, cylinderical trunks with fissured bark.

The areas here have an abundance of leaf litters that continuously add nutrients to the soil.

Decomposing logs or tree trunks that provides shelter and food for many insects fungi and other organisms.

This is some interesting creatures that seem to elude us on our trip. (Such a pity we didnt get to see them)

Here, we have an interesting plant called the Mahang (shown below) that has a close symbiotic relationship with heart- gaster ants. the ants resides in the plant and protects it from parasites or any organism that poses a threat to the plant. In return, the plant offers food and shelter for they ants. They grow special structures known as "Beccarian bodies", which the ants feed on.

Unexpectedly, we came across bunkers which were built by the British to store items like ammunition during the second world war.

Here, it shows one of the many arduous climbs of steps up to the summit of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. (Phew!)

Finally at the summit!!!

Lastly, the many interesting uses of the plants.

All these are a part of the many sights and gifts that the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve has to offer. It was comforting to see that during our hike, there were no signs of pollution or any damage caused by recent human activities. It would have been better if the nature reserve covers a larger area with primary forests that are spared from human destruction so that it becomes a home for more animals (as we didn't get to see many animals on our hike) and plants to thrive in. This will provide more space for larger animals to live in which they need to roam about, adding to the biodiversity of the nature reserve.

Most importantly, we have come to better recognise the treasures of the last few remaining primary forests in an urbanised country like Singapore. Currently, the area is protected from harm. However, as our need for land increases with Singapore's progression. We must remain steadfast in our determination to conserve the last few remnants of nature that is hardly touched by the detrimental effects of human actions. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve only covers an area of 192 hectares and it cant afford to get any lesser without compromising its precious biodiversity. Once it is lost, it can never be recovered.

Here, I would like to end off with a quote by Louis Agassiz.

"Study nature, not books"