Finally part of my final year honours research project has been published in The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology! :-)
Finally, the sea cucumber paper for the Pink spotted sea cucumber is published in Nature in Singapore.
This is the pink spotted sea cucumber that was not previously recorded in Singapore before until some of us shore explorers started seeing this unknown sea cucumber.
From my blog's name "God's wonderful creation", you would have probably known that I believe that there is a creator, who is God, that made all the marvellous living creatures on earth.
Today I attended a seminar by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati on Design, Darwin & Dilemma. It was an eye-opener for me!
Blogs are great ways to spread the word about our splendid seashores and coral reefs in Singapore. And of course, it will attract the curiosity of people. Of course, some will be interested to see the beauty of our nature places with their own experience.
So the big question is "How to visit our seashores?". Here's how!
July invited me earlier on to give a talk about our shores in Singapore for NIE Learning Festival 2009. I readily agreed since I thought it's a good opportunity to share about our lovely as well as secret-filled shores to friends in NIE.
The title is "Secret shores of Singapore", as adapted from Ria's original talk. I also made use of many of her slides for the talk as well as I can't resist not using her colourful slides.
Remember my first time guiding at St John's Island in May this year?
I had the pleasure to get to know Melissa (second from left) who is former marine biologist. She is very friendly and enthusiastic during the session, making the trip very enjoyable.
My friend, Shuyi, has written an article on "The Lost Islands of Singapore" and I thought it is a great writeup not to be missed. He recalled wading thigh-deep in the clear waters of the coral reefs and observing all manner of interesting marine life at his feet. A day at P. Damar was like a visit to the countryside. Little inlets, along a palm-fringed coastline led to Malay kampungs, half-hidden amongst trees. One could stay the night in a seaside bungalow fully accompanied by the therapeutic sounds of gently crashing waves and the scent of salty seaweeds. The more I read, the more intrigued I became. Where is this island in Singapore? Why haven’t I heard of it before? Can I still visit it today?" Read more about Shuyi's finds of some of our lost islands here:
"When I was reading One For The Road by local writer Julian Davison, an island called “Pulau (Malay for island) Damar” was mentioned. Davison used to visit this island with his family.
There has been a raising awareness about nature and much of that will not be possible with the role of nature blogs spreading awareness through photos, videos and words in different ways from different authors. Almost anyone who is computer literate can blog and blogging is just like expressing yourselves, sharing about things that you do not just enjoy for yourself.
Recently, there has been a great proliferation of new nature blogs being started up and I cannot resist not talking and sharing about these great blogs here! There are 10 of them for you to take a look, and each of them has high potentials to become a great blog. Most of them has a slight focus on marine life in Singapore.
As always heard, the numbering of blogs here does not indicate ranking.
The first blog to highlight is Mei Lin's Pyschedelic Nature blog. Mei Lin is a great addition of shore explorers team and she does science too, even with her first scientific publication already out. She is conscientious in updating her blog posts within one or two days after the trip.
Visit her Pyschedelic Nature: http://psychedelic-nature.blogspot.com/
The next blog will be yet another friend I've known from the Marine Lab and She's Kaiying aka Janette. Her Nature Calls blog is always well updated with lots of photos taken from the trip. Janette dives quite frequently and she recently started exploring our shores during low tide. I hope she continues to do it for the long term and shares with us more about our wonderful natural heritage!
Visit her Nature Calls: http://janette-to-nature.blogspot.com/
This blog was first made known to us just today! And it is James Koh's new blog called Singapore Nature. James is also another new shore explorer whom we think has fell in love with our shores. He is very diehard and comes most if not almost all of the trips despite having to wake up everyday at unearthly hours. Most importantly, he is a photographer in profession and takes wonderful photographs. Nice and friendly in personality, and in addition he is good at spotting rare stuffs, James's new growing interest will definitely make his blog a good read about his great finds.
Visit his Singapore Nature: http://sgn090608.blogspot.com/
Thanks to Luan Keng who constantly encourages her RMBR volunteers to blog, we have 7 new blogs up too as below! Some of the blogs may have existed for some time already, but to me they are new because I wasn't aware of some blog's existence until recently :P
The first one of the seven will be Henrietta's Running with the Wind blog. Henrietta is very active and responsible volunteer and what I admire from her is that she gives no qualms about speaking up for what she sees is wrong. She also blogs very detailed too!
Visit her Running with the Wind: http://tubefeetlocomotion.blogspot.com/
Another active volunteer will be Mindy and her Spotlight's on Nature blog. Mindy, to me, is an intelligent lady. Not only does she blog about some of her trips, she also writes about other issues about conservation, science and nature. Her photos are also very nicely presented as well!
Visit here Spotlight's on Nature: http://sunflecksurfer.wordpress.com/
The next RMBR volunteer with a new blog will be Meiyi's Explore the Other Side! blog. Meiyi has been blogging consistently since last year and I do hope she maintains it that way. Simple blogs with photos that speaks a thousand words. I only found out this blog today :P Sorry Meiyi, hope it's not too late.
Visit her Explore the Other Side!: http://appreciateandlove.blogspot.com/
Next up will be Agnes's Journey of all Sorts blog which she pens it as her personal blog. Good thing is that she did label nature trips as Guided walks so here's her url with the correct label below. Anyway, Agnes to me is a person whom is very excited about the marine life of our shores and doing much exploration recently including guiding as well.
Visit her Journey of all Sorts: http://jumpingnomad.wordpress.com/category/guided-walks/
This greenish blog belongs to Wen Qing! It is named as Hand in hand with the Big M. Wen Qing takes spectacular photos and writes so very detailed about each creature in her blog. Such quality stuffs usually suffers from a backlog of posts waiting to be written since it takes lots of time. Hope WQ you can catch up and I look forward to read more of your accounts.
Visit her Hand in hand with the Big M: http://midori-no-michi.blogspot.com/
This blog that I also only found out this week belongs to Eunice and it is entitled NaturallYours. Eunice also takes very nice photos and she has took lots of pride into putting up such a beautiful blog design. Wow. I'm impressed.
Visit her NaturallYours: http://naturallyours.blogspot.com/
Last but not least, will be Ying Wei's new nature blog called Illuminate. She has recently done a debut post on her visit to the reclaimed land of Tanah Merah and hopefully more new posts will flood this blog, which I will also look forward to read.
Visit her Illuminate: http://tetraodon.blogspot.com/
Wow, that's a lot of new and not-so-new blogs! Sadly, there also some older nature blogs that stopped updating with new posts for a long long time, some have been axed or killed by their authors. My number one wish for blogs will be that it will persist for a long time. Posts doesn't have to be that regularly, so long as once in a while the blog is still alive with new posts.
The Love-in-a-mist (Passiflora foetida) is a vine that originates from tropical America and now has spread to the tropics. It is also known as the stinking passion flower and also ill-odoured passionflower because its leaves have an unpleasant odor when crushed. The Love-in-a-mist is an invader on disturbed sites which explains why I saw this on our reclaimed land.
But my question is... why is it called Love-in-a-mist??? Any takers? Pls leave some comments :-)
Pamela shared with me her horror-story fiction-like experience while she was walking home last night alone... where branches of trees were breaking and dropping, pile of sand blown like a sand storm, eerie ghostly-like howling strong wind, trampoline sheets flapping vigorously, twigs flying towards her... etc etc. When she finally stepped into her house, the rain then started. Thank God for protection.
Well yesterday was Earth Day. Maybe you might be thinking, so what about Earth Day? The Earth is nothing that spectacular after all, we humans are then the ones that are mighty. We can build roads, high-rise apartments, machines, cut down forests, remove a mountain, reclaim lots of land... The planet is just a resource for humans to exploit.
And how adequate was last night, moments before the end of Earth Day that a strong gale of wind hit Singapore, destroying lots of things like trees falling apart etc. These gave a sign of the forces of nature that we have no control over. And mind you, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Nothing compared to the typhoon or hurricane other countries experience.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ST.COM READER PROKINETIC
One of the Straits Times online reader shared this photo of the lightning without thunder when the strong wind came. It look very magnificent to me at least. It's like the Earth, or maybe God, telling us that hey! remember that the powers of nature is still very strong. We should respect nature and the creation of God in whatever ways, big or small. That is what Earth Day is for: to acknowledge that the Earth is our only home and we should not destroy it just for our short term gain.
OK, here's the article to share :-)
By Felicia Wong and Derrick Ho; The Straits Times; April 23, 2009
(Photo: from STOMP)
A FREAKISH storm with strong winds uprooted trees, damaged cars and left a trail of destruction on Wednesday night, all within about 15 minutes.
There were numerous reports of fallen trees island-wide, with at least one car damaged by the falling branches in an open carpark. At a housing estate in Dover Road, a large tree almost snapped in half and lay fallen on its side, with other branches strewn across the grassy area.
Eyewitnesses also reported that large plastic barricades used in roadworks were blown across a road by the strong winds, causing traffic obstruction. Pham Tan Hung found a large tree fallen outside Hong Leong Gardens in Clementi while on his way to work on Thursday morning. 'It's a shocking scene to me. It covered the whole walking path to the bus stop, around 6 to 8 metres,' he wrote to straitstimes.com
Weather maps from the National Environmental Agency (NEA)'s website showed that a rain storm blew over Singapore shortly after 11pm on Wednesday.
Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter were also abuzz with postings about the freak storm. Bloggers in Singapore also recounted personal stories, with many saying they were awoken by the violent rattling and slamming of doors caused by the winds. Others reported car alarms going off.
'We had to duck from the many things that were blowing out of control. There was a road block signage that blew across a major road. heavy duty dustbins dropped like bowling pins. We had to take refuge on the outside of a building' wrote mistipurple on her blog.
'I don't know how widely the winds could have travelled, but tonight for about five minutes, I experienced one of the strongest winds since returning to Singapore,' wrote blogger mis-erialc.
'In fact, I don't remember a time that we've ever experienced winds so strong. As the wind repeatedly assaulted my blinds, I couldn't help but look outside at the environmental commotion it was causing - the bending of trees, the picking up and tossing around of random objects outside.'
----------
UPDATE:
A spokesperson for the NEA had the following comments:
"A 'Sumatra' squall is a line of eastward moving intense thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds that usually occurs between April and September.
"An average of 2-3 'Sumatra' squalls occur in a month during this period. It normally develops overnight in Sumatra and the Straits of Malacca, and affects Singapore between midnight and 9am.
"Maximum wind gusts of up to 90 km per hour from a 'Sumatra' squall have been recorded in the past.
"The strong winds that affected Singapore last night between 11 pm (22 Apr 09) and 12:30 am (23 Apr 09) were caused by an intense fast-moving 'Sumatra' squall.
"Mean wind speeds ranging from 33 to 54 km per hour were recorded across the island. The highest recorded wind gust was 83 km per hour in the western areas.
"A wind gust is a sudden brief increase in the speed of the wind.
"Short duration showers fell over most parts of the island but were heavy in only a few areas. The highest rainfall of 7.0 mm was recorded around Sembawang.
"A wind gust of similar strength was last recorded on Jun 20 2000.
"For the rest of the month, we can expect another one or two 'Sumatra' squalls but they are unlikely to be as severe as the one last night."
____________
More photos compiled from STOMP at Ivan's blog: http://lazy-lizard-tales.blogspot.com/2009/04/storm-winds-whip-spore-just-look-at.html
I have been invited to write a post for The reeftank.com and decided to share a bit more about the fascinating variation of cake sea stars (Anthenea aspera) that one can find in Singapore. I wrote on the wonders of God's creation, some facts on these stars and that I would prefer to visit them in their natural home instead of keeping in a tank.
Despite that this is for a reef tank blog, they are open to other ideas as well. Thus they welcomed my post though I do not keep marine creatures in captivity as a hobby.
Here's the link to the blog article that I have contributed. Happy reading! :-)
http://www.thereeftank.com/blog/assorted-cakes-of-singapores-shores/
So I was not alone! My previous post on the mysterious patch reefs of Singapore proved to be well received and that shows that many others are also very interested in these hardly or never visited before reefs.
This post serves as a follow-up to give a slightly closer look at these mysterious reefs.
First let us focus on three of the reefs off the waters surrounding Sentosa, St John's Island and Sister's Island. They are namely Terumbu Buran, Pulau Palawan and Terumbu Selegi.
Just in front of the reclaimed Seringat and Kias is a patch reef that is rather conspicious if you do take ferry rides around that area. It is also visible from the Sentosa Cove.
I took the opportunity during a ferry ride to take a photograph of this reef and it shows to have some rocky and perhaps sandy bottom. Nobody knows what surprises it holds until we set our feet on this reef.
You must be wondering why Pulau Palawan is also counted. Strictly speaking, it should not be counted as a submerged reef because it is now an island. But since the Geo Names website listed it as one of the Terumbus, I thought I should feature it and its history.
Indeed, Pulau Palawan used to be a submerged reef that is now reclaimed to be an island off Palawan Beach, Sentosa. According to InfopediaTalk by National Library Singapore, Pulau Palawan is originally called Serembu Palawan where the word 'serembu' is perhaps derived from the Malay word 'terumbu', which means a reef, rock or stump that is visible only at low tide.
'Palawan' is likely a variant of the Malay word 'pahlawan', which means warrior, leader in war or hero, and alludes to an earlier era of warfare and piracy in the islands.
Pulau Palwan is usually mistaken as the 'Southernmost Point of Continental Asia'. It is in fact not physically connected to Sentosa, and should not to be mistaken for the artificial sandy islet which is annexed to Palawan Beach on Sentosa. Talking about the 'Southernmost Point of Continental Asia', it is probably also as controversial. A look at Google Earth clearly shows the southermost point of Continental Asia is now at the tip of Tuas where reclamation is still ongoing. Is it time for Sentosa to take away the signboard?
Just almost at the middle of nowhere off Sister's Island is this submerged reef called Terumbu Selegi. It has sandy and rocky bottoms and is probably more elusive that the other submerged reefs.
I would also like to take this opportunity to share a closer look of some submerged reefs around Semakau. They are Terumbu Semakau, Terumbu Raya, Terumbu Pemalang Besar and Terumbu Bukom.
This is Terumbu Semakau viewed from the jetty of Semakau landfill. Yet again, it might look lifeless as you think it's another piece of land with only soil and rocks from the brown coloration.
You are wrong because an intrepid team just made a maiden trip to Terumbu Raya which also looks lifeless from far. The place proved to have plenty of life! Here is a colourful and stunning post by Ria on the coral reef there.
November shared on her blog on her virgin experiences and this photograph taken by her shows the diversity and abundance of corals.
A strange anemone was spotted by Stephen and Andy and Stephen took this photograph. A later check with Dr Daphne Fautin reveals that this is a new record for Singapore! Wow.
This first trip to take a look at these mysterious reefs is indeed exciting.
Before I end the post, I would like to share with you all two more reefs.
This is the Terumbu Pemalang Besar that unfortunately is now bound in the phase two lagoon by the Semakau Landfill.
Last but not the least for now, here is a reef that emerged off Pulau Bukom during low spring tide.
A quick check reveals that this reef is Terumbu Bukom that I have never taken time to notice or sight before.
Though this is not a submerged reef, I was pleasantly surprised to see wild mangroves at Pulau Bukom where the oil refineries stand.
"The haze is back" is what many of my friends and also other Singaporeans will lament. Before we probably will start pointing our fingers at Indonesia again, reports have already stated that yes the haze is back, but blame it on fires on Singapore and that Singapore bush fires hit record high.
The sunrise yesterday was more orangey with the haze. This photo was taken with Tanjong Rimau, Sentosa.
Why is the sun more orangey or reddish when there is a haze?
This is because during a haze, the sunlight must travel further through the atmosphere before it gets to you as more of the light is reflected and scattered off by the particulate matter that causes the haze.
Shorter wavelengths like blue are more efficiently scattered by Rayleigh scattering. Only the longer wavelengths (orange and red) are left in the direct beam that reaches your eyes. Therefore, the sun looks more red and orangey when there are more particles in the air. But as the sun rises to a higher position in the sky, the distance for the sunlight to reach the earth's surface decreases. This decreases scattering and therefore during noon, the sun is not orange or red anymore.
The strong winds had made our past week of low spring tide trips much colder than before, with my biggest impression at Pulau Semakau.
Even photographing animals like this carpet anemone with nemos was quite a challenge as the wind causes lots of ripples in the tidal pool, stirring up sediments as well.
Here's an article to explain the phenomenon by Sufian Suderman, Today published on 16 Jan 09;
Uncommon strong winds in Singapore
SINGAPORE: One person said it has become so difficult to play tennis, while another is putting off plans to go on a picnic. Singapore Polytechnic has even decided, for safety reasons, to take down two banners after one was blown away.
Some feathers have certainly been ruffled by the winds in Singapore this week. In a country where the average wind speed is around 15 to 20 kilometres per hour, it has reached the time of the year when that figure goes up to 30 to 40 kmh.
Yesterday and on Wednesday, when this newspaper checked the National Environment Agency's website, which lists a range of forecasts such as fair, cloudy and rain, there was only one outlook for all five districts and 45 town areas - windy.
And while strong winds are not uncommon when there are thunderstorms, it has been "generally fair" with rainfall "below average across the whole island", noted the NEA on its website.
That has been good news for event coordinator Michelle Ting, 19, who told TODAY: "I think it's awesome. I don't mind going out more even though it's sunny, as it's not so hot." Others, though, who prefer the sunnier side of Singapore have lamented that it's as cold outdoors as it is in their offices.
Temperatures have dropped to lows of 24 degrees Celsius and will stay that way, according to the NEA's latest three-day outlook.
In its fortnightly outlook, which it posted yesterday, the NEA said: "Moderate North-east Monsoon conditions should continue to prevail with Singapore experiencing occasionally windy conditions."
During this period, showers with thunder in the afternoon can be expected on four to five days, while stronger north-east winds may bring moderate to occasionally heavy rain on two to three days.
The agency told TODAY that between December to March, stronger winds over the South China Sea and parts of the region are caused when "occasional surges of cold air" head this way from northern China.
"The impact of the high pressure system is windy conditions across the island as we have been having the past couple of days," said the NEA.
In Thailand, the cold snap has been severe and news reports on Wednesday said temperatures have fallen to 2 degrees Celsius in the north, killing five people and prompting the authorities to declare an emergency zone across half the country.
In Singapore, some say they are falling ill. "As it is sometimes hot and sometimes cold, I had a sore throat and my daughter had high fever," said housewife Maimunah A Hamid, 56.
But for the most part, the weather has been a light-hearted topic of discussion. Operations assistant Haslinda Md Yasin, 33, said she is pleased that the wind is drying her laundry faster than usual.
Marketing executive Jasmine Yuan, meanwhile, told TODAY: "The winds are crazy. We were walking for a bit outdoors and our hair is being messed up... Until the winds improve, I'll not do my hair." - TODAY/fa
Dear folks, I've uploaded many of my nature-related photos onto my new Flickr page. Am very excited to be able to share all these wonders with all of you through still photography. Please pardon me if any photos are not nice as I don't have spectacular cameras.
Did you know that…
Not all STARFISH have five arms? Some only have three, others six or seven, some twenty, and a few up to fifty arms!
STARFISH have thousands of tiny, sharp spines covering them from the tip of one arm to the tip of the others? That is why starfish belong to a group of sea creatures called echinoderms. Echino means “spiny,” and derm means “skin.” These spines protect starfish from tiny sea creatures that try to attach themselves to them and feed off their strength.
A STARFISH’S mouth is on the bottom of its body, right in the center?
STARFISH have very small feet called tube feet? Each tube foot has a tiny suction cup at its tip. Starfish use these suction cups to walk and also to pump in oxygen—so starfish actually breathe through their feet!
STARFISH do not have eyes? Instead, at the end of each starfish arm are many cells that are very sensitive to light. As a starfish travels slowly through the water, these special cells and the sensitive tube feet help the starfish find food.
STARFISH eat oysters? When an oyster senses that a starfish is near, it will quickly close its shell with a snap! But the starfish wraps its arms around the shell and uses the suction cups on its tube feet to pry the oyster’s shell open just a crack.
A STARFISH actually pulls its stomach out through its mouth to eat? Because the oyster’s shell only opens as wide as a piece of cardboard, the starfish must slip its stomach into the shell and eat the oyster while it is still in its closed shell.
When a STARFISH loses its arms in an accident, it will grow new ones? One kind of starfish can grow an entire body from a piece of its arm one-half inch long!
WOW!
Starfish are pretty amazing creatures! They were designed to see, walk, breathe, eat, protect themselves, and heal themselves when they are hurt, all in a special way that fits their specific underwater environment. God is the Master Designer behind starfish, all sea creatures, land creatures, and yes, humans! God is your Designer and Creator. He made you with the ability to know him and love him. Starfish can do lots of cool things, but they can’t learn about God and love him like you can.
You are an amazing creature. Just think of all the cool things God has designed you to do: think, jump, learn, sing, love, run, play, laugh, help others… and there are probably many more things you can do and special talents that you have. But nobody is perfect; all humans do things that are wrong. Can you think of some things that you have done that were wrong? Maybe you were mean to someone at school or told a lie to your parents. God calls those wrong things sin.
Everyone who sins must be punished. But God loves us and does not want us to sin. He wants us to be like him—loving, kind, and good. And he designed a way to save us from our sins and to help us become more like him. God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to be a human, just like us, except Jesus never sinned. Even so, he chose to die so that he could pay the death penalty for our sins. Three days after he died, God raised him back to life again! Isn’t God amazing?
Do you want to have a clean, new life? Then just believe in what Jesus did for you. Tell God that you are sorry for your sins and thank him for sending Jesus to save you. When you trust in Jesus and believe that he died for you, God will begin working in you every day, helping you to become more like him and to avoid doing wrong things. If you want to begin this new life with God, talk to him and say something like this:
Dear God, I am sorry for the bad things I do. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to pay the penalty for my sins. I believe that he died for me and rose again so that I could go to heaven. Please change my heart and make me more like Jesus. Amen.
From: http://www.hopeway.org/gospel/TheAmazingStarfish.asp?ct=1
I was on my computer desk working and heard chirpings. A quick look reveals a Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) perching near my window.
According to Wikipedia,
"The Javan Myna, also known as the white-vented myna and the buffalo myna, is a myna, a member of the Starling family. It is a successful species in much of South East Asia and has penetrated into India and neighbouring regions.
The Javan Myna is considered a pest, especially in urban areas which they prefer. They deposit droppings over buildings and even on unsuspecting human beings. Their roost also contaminate the ground below by the droppings. Apart from that, they are also a source of noise pollution and are capable of spreading zoonoses. In Singapore, the Javan Myna is one of the species of birds which can be killed by citizens without breaching of law.
They are also available at most Singapore bird shops at a very cheap cost, thus, many of them are bought and release into the wild and damaging the ecosystem of Singapore even further."
I'm not too sure what does the feather-raising action means which I always observe with these mynas. Haha. Any clue?
I would like to share my project with two of my coursemates (Adeline Lee and Ng Pui San), which is an assignment done for our module "Changing landscapes of Singapore".
The "green" agenda has gained prominence in recent times.
A case study of Chek Jawa and Labrador Park in Singapore
Introduction
Since the late 1950s, Singapore has been undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization and these developments require the expansion of the built environment (Ooi, 2002). All these were done at the expense of our biodiverse areas. Tan et. al. (1995) stated that Singapore lies in a region considered as one of the richest concentrations of biodiversity in the world. However, Singapore is faced with land scarcity and development was crucial for the young nation back then. Nevertheless, Singapore has established a relatively strong reputation in the region for its successful environmental management program (Ooi, 2002), but its efforts were often said be following a 'brown' agenda rather than a 'green' agenda (Teo et. al., 2004). Moreover, environmental management suggests to only extending to areas that contribute to the economic development of the state (Savage, 2004). It is therefore no surprise that the developmental state prefers orderly cities in a manicured garden rather than conservation of disorderly wilderness (Sodhi et. al., 2008).
According to Teo et. al. (2004), a 'brown' agenda refers to human interventions where priority is given to developmental goals where 'end of the pipe' pollution control is usually enforced. However, a 'green' agenda refers to considering the original state of nature which is more important than development or intervention. It is also where money is parted and land is set aside in order to give priority to nature. Singapore, with its highly centralized approach, embraces a 'brown' agenda so as to ensure a controlled and sanitized environment (Teo et. al., 2004). On the other hand, the state has been largely ambivalent towards a 'green' agenda (Ooi, 2002).
A case study on Chek Jawa and Labrador Park in terms of marine intertidal habitats will be used to discuss if 'green' agendas are gaining prominence recently in Singapore. Chek Jawa was deferred from reclamation on 14 January 2002 while Labrador Park was re-gazetted as nature reserve on 1 January 2002. The proximity of these dates makes both areas appropriate for comparison. Firstly, 'green' agenda with relations to the state and citizens will be discussed. Secondly, analysis will be conducted on Chek Jawa and Labrador Park in terms of their history and attention given. Finally, this study will end off discussing on the future of these two nature places with a conclusion of the 'green' agenda in Singapore.
The State and the citizens of Singapore
Since 1960s, various plans and planning visions have been undertaken by the state to avoid the prospect of turning into a concrete jungle (Teo et. al., 2004). Other than engineering green landscapes, some efforts were also looked upon to conserve certain biodiverse areas in Singapore. The state’s interest to protect the natural heritage was evident in 1993 through the Green Plan. In this plan, a total of 19 areas were designated as "Nature Areas" based on their ecological merits (NBRC, 2006). However, these areas are not under legal protection, meaning they can be developed any time (Lim, 2000). To what extent does the state enforce policies and dedicate attention to protect our natural environment? According to Lee (2003), Sungei Khatib Bongsu, one of the designated “Nature Areas” in Green Plan 1993, would be dammed to form a reservoir for social needs. Another example is the development of private housings beside Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (Wild Singapore, 2005). These anthropogenic impacts add stress and reduce the ecological buffer zones of our nature areas.
As Singaporeans become more affluent in the recent years, there is a greater sense of environmental consciousness and increasing need of higher quality of life (Urban Redevelopment Authority Singapore, 2001). Greater demands are placed on policy makers to incorporate conservation considerations into policy making decisions, and to emphasize the importance of protecting the little that is left of Singapore’s current natural heritage (Urban Redevelopment Authority Singapore, 2001). The positive correlation between increasing affluence and increasing realizations of nature conservation can be explained using the “Environmental Kuznets Curve”. Collective efforts of Singaporeans to save Chek Jawa from reclamation are good representations of our greater environmental consciousness (Lim, 2001).
Chek Jawa was deferred from reclamation at the eleventh hour
According to Ministry of National Development Press Release (2001), the government deferred reclamation at Chek Jawa at the eleventh hour in order to protect the rich marine biodiversity. After which, the government has been repeatedly citing the deferment (Tan, 2007) as proof of a "listening government" (Channel NewsAsia, 18th August 2002). As such, Chek Jawa is now considered the poster child of nature conservation in Singapore (The Straits Times, 9 August 2005b). Taking into account the economic loss incurred when the $1.4 billion reclamation plan (Tan, 2007) was deferred, it does suggest that the 'green' agenda has gained more prominence in Singapore. Dr Geh Min, President of Nature Society in Singapore, also noted that the government is now more open to public consultation (Tan, 2007). Is the deferment really Singapore's turning point in nature conservation (Tan, 2007)? Will the contestation of a nature landscape be resolved?
Tan (2007) suggested that there might be more to the story of how Chek Jawa was saved – It might just be a well-timed event where the politicians responded to the best of the situations at that time. This could be supported by the Minister for National Development Press Release (2002) that stated "the decision not to reclaim Pulau Ubin at the moment has been made only after we have weighed the trade-offs". Firstly, Sodhi et. al. (2008) noted that Chek Jawa was saved not because of a compromise between the state and conservationists but because of the people involved. With more than a thousand people visiting it on a single day before deferment, Chek Jawa earned a first time in Singapore on how a nature area can receive so much attention (Chua, 2002). According to Sodhi et. al. (2008), the state requires the consent of Singaporeans for political legitimacy and the right to rule. The voice from a larger body of people definitely has more impact than the petition from a handful of conservationists. However, Tan (2007) stated the deferment decision was more complex than mere public outcry. Other possible reasons proposed by Tan (2007) include the shortage of sand due to the ban by Indonesian sea-sand exporters, and also the reclamation dispute with Malaysia. Sodhi et. al. (2008) concluded that the reclamation at Chek Jawa was deferred not because of a compromise between the developmental state and conservationists, and that the government could not subscribe to the ecological rationality..jpg)
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Figure 1. Many Singaporeans visiting Chek Jawa prior to deferment. Photos were taken on 19th October 2001. Credit to S. Marshall.
Nevertheless, conserving nature areas can give Singapore a greater edge in competition to attract foreign talent and also improve ecotourism. Of course, the ten year deferment itself demonstrates to a certain extent the rising prominence of 'green' agendas in Singapore. However, it appears that this could be the result of a strategic political move, rather than just for the protection of Chek Jawa's biodiversity. This is evident when the Biological Impact Assessment commissioned to study the impact of the reclamation only assessed impacts on dugongs (The Straits Times, 27th July 2001) instead of the biodiversity in general. In Tan (2007), a forum reply by URA stated that there are no reef communities and that the seagrass population is patchy, which holds little truth. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan replied “no” when questioned if Chek Jawa marked a change in State ideology (Lim, 2002). This proves that the government’s ideology towards reclamation remains the same ideology of necessity (Tan, 2007)..JPG)
Figure 2. Chek Jawa is now saved from reclamation till 2011 when the ten year deferment terminates. Photo was taken on 7th July 2007.
Labrador Park re-gazetted as Nature Reserve after its downgrade in 1973
Labrador Park was first gazetted as a nature reserve under the old Nature Reserves Ordinance in 16 February 1951 (Singapore, 1951). Under the Ordinance act, the lands were set aside and reserved for the purposes of the propagation, protection and preservation of the indigenous fauna and flora of the Colony and for the preservation of objects and places of aesthetic, historical or scientific interest (Singapore, 1951). The area also served the purpose for the study and research into matters relating to the fauna and flora of the Colony and the physical conditions in which they live (Singapore, 1951). However, Labrador Park was downgraded to a nature park in 1973. Reasons for de-gazetting of Labrador Park were not stated but there was speculation that it might be due to port development in Pasir Panjang (Chou et. al, 2006). Another possible reason was due to the decreasing population of the fern, bua cek (Dipteris conjugata) which was still plentiful in the 1960s (Lim et. al, 1994).
On 1 January 2002, ten hactares of coastal secondary vegetation and the rocky shore of Labrador Park was re-gazetted as a nature reserve (National Parks Board, 2008). The reasons for such a move, as reported by National Parks Board (2008), were because Labrador Park is the only rocky sea-cliff on mainland Singapore which can be used for recreation, education and research purposes. Also, Labrador Park holds a rich variety of flora and fauna. It can also be seen as an effort to create a city in a garden which enhances Singapore's attractiveness as a land of opportunities (PS21, 2005). If not for the persuasion from the public and advices from experts, Labrador Park would have been cleared for port developments, much less being re-gazetted as Nature Reserve. Together with his colleagues, Professor Leo Tan persuaded the authorities from clearing the beach for development. A possible reason that supported the success might be due to the location of a nearby disused power station and a former naval base beside the park that might have prevented port developments from encroaching onto the intertidal shores (The Straits Times, 9th August 2005a)..JPG)
Figure 3. Labrador Park, the last remaining rocky shore on mainland Singapore, undisturbed by works during 2006. Photo was taken on 26th August 2006.
Compare and contrast Labrador Park with Chek Jawa after 2002
On July 2006, as part of the Pasir Panjang container terminal project, a cofferdam was built to minimize the impact on the intertidal area of Labrador Park (Wild Singapore, 2006). Being a nature reserve, the land should be protected from misuse and damages. However, a huge amount of rubbish was accumulated next to the cofferdam, including large piles of concrete pillars (Wildfilms, 2007). There seems no understanding why little immediate actions were done to rectify these issues. In recent years, restaurants, hotel and spa have been built at Labrador Park. Although it was stated in the Government Gazette that such constructions were allowed, no doubt they can affect the ecosystem through fragmentation..JPG)
Figure 4. Labrador Park intertidal zone being affected by thrash and concrete pillars. Photo was taken on 27th December 2007.
A team from Singapore Polytechnic conducted a funded project to build artificial coral reefs and improve marine life (The Straits Times, 26th November 2007b). However, more harm was caused instead when PVC pipes and concrete left by the team were found lying on the shore, believed to have affected marine life (The Straits Times, 26th November 2007). Dredging was also done very close to Labrador Park by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) to lay cable lines (The Straits Times, 29th October 2007a). Recently, a temporary holding area in the vicinity has been identified for rock-filling operations (Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, 2008). All these add to the stress on the marine environment. Despite being a nature reserve, Labrador Park suffers from various impacts. This reflects that the 'green' agenda is not as important as the 'brown' agenda..JPG)
Figure 5. Concrete slabs and PVC pipes belonging to the Singapore Polytechnic project were left lying on the Labrador Park intertidal zone. Photo was taken on 27th December 2007.
After the deferment from reclamation, the fate of Chek Jawa appears to change for the better. Chek Jawa gained more public attention and the government has put in more effort into protecting the shore from careless trampling through crowd management. Facilities were built for the public to explore Chek Jawa safely and conveniently (Wild Singapore, 2003). With Chek Jawa now being designated as a protected area, boats and people are not allowed to enter Chek Jawa and its surrounding waters (The New Paper, 2008)..JPG)
Figure 6. The official launch of Chek Jawa by Mr. Mah Bow Tan. Photo was taken on 7th July 2007
Although Labrador Park is a nature reserve, of a higher status compared to Chek Jawa, it is suffering from much stress and lesser attention. On the other hand, Chek Jawa receives more public and government attention. Therefore, this case study suggests that it is not really about the entitlement given that matters. To a certain extent, it is the attention of citizens which will in turn give more attention and citation to these areas. All these however are not in line with the objectives of a 'green' agenda for the latter does not consider human interventions or plans. It only protects the area for what it is.
What is the future for Chek Jawa and Labrador Park?
It is stated that the government "has decided to put off the land reclamation works at Pulau Ubin for as long as the island is not required for development" (Ministry of National Development Press Release 2002). This suggests that nature areas are just land banks that will eventually give priority to developments whenever necessary. Also, the ten year period of deferment, instead of being permanently gazetted as a nature reserve, shows that development is possible at Chek Jawa once the deferment period is over in 2011. The Minister for National Development Press Release (2002) reinforces, “Land in Singapore is scarce. There will always be competing needs for land for development and national security needs".
Even if Chek Jawa is going to be left in its natural state, will Labrador Park be de-gazetted again just like in 1973? This is because Tan (2007) stated that "within the State ideology of conservation and necessity, the approach as acknowledged by NParks officers is to ensure one representation of each ecosystem, preferably a nature site could have multiple ecosystems as at Chek Jawa". It is therefore with uncertainty if this approach will undermine the reserve status of Labrador Park since Chek Jawa also has a coastal forest and rocky shore. Even if its nature reserve status remains unaffected, it is possible that lesser regard will be focused on Labrador Park as compared to Chek Jawa. In addition, the marine ecosystem of Labrador Park has been undergoing stress recently due to various works as discussed earlier, due to its proximity to the port.
Conclusion
Singapore has always been pragmatic toward environmental management. It is suggested that some actions taken to protect the nature heritage contradict the term 'green' agenda. An example is Labrador Park. Although it was re-gazetted as a nature reserve, due care for it was not as well practiced as in Chek Jawa, resulting in damages to the marine ecosystem. From our case study on the two nature habitats, it can be seen that the local citizens do have some power to influence the attention given to the nature areas. For Chek Jawa, partly due to the large number of people turning up to bid farewell, the state has decided to defer the reclamation plan and is willing to incur the losses. Chek Jawa is now made accessible to the public. However, the fate for Labrador Park is different. Lesser attention was given to it and that indirectly resulted in the damages and stress. If the 'green' agenda is more prominent recently, why did both sites not receive similar treatment?
On the other hand, global agendas have been adding pressure to the state to keep up with the norm. The ecotourism growth also motivated the state to work on its 'green' agenda. In addition, the state needs to maintain its “Garden in the city status” to avoid city-state homogenization, thus creating its unique identity. Furthermore, attracting foreign talents has been crucial for Singapore's economic prosperity (Peh, 2008). Therefore, there is a need to create an environment that the foreigners can feel comfortable with. These can be realized by protecting our natural heritage.
Can Singapore afford nature conservation given its limited land space and dense population? It is suggested that the public's need for nature might have been met with engineered greenery landscapes (Ooi, 2002). It is also true that achieving a balance between economic developments and maintaining nature heritage will remain a big challenge. If the state has the desire to focus more on its 'green' agenda, it could have given nature areas more legal protection. Merely setting them aside is not enough. To conclude, though 'green' agendas seemed to have gain prominence in recent years, 'brown' agenda will still out-shadow the former, given the developmental and pragmatic approach of the state.
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Final-comment from lecturer:
Well done! I enjoyed reading your paper. Shows very good research effort. You have also used the research data/info effectively in substantiating your points.
Grade: A
