Mangroves, mangroves, mangroves. Why are they so important? And why are they under threat? This fieldtrip to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve with my NUS GE3255 class answered my curious questions about these coastal superheroes!

Sungei Buloh is Singapore’s first ASEAN Heritage Park, filled with rich diversity of flora and fauna, as well as an extensive mangrove forest! In fact, it has the largest mangrove forest in mainland Singapore!!  It houses a large variety of migratory birds every year making the reserve one of international importance. The  Pacific Golden Plover is one such bird species.

Role of mangroves as coastal ecosystems

Mangroves are forested wetland ecosystems that are found in saltwater or brackish water along tropical coastlines. What is so unique about mangroves? Mangroves are vegetation that are adapted to the high salinity of the ocean water and the highly variable soil conditions due to the changes in tides. As coastal ecosystems they protect the coast from erosion by stabilizing the soils with their dense root network and provide habitat for many animals.

Fig 1. Section of Mangrove at Sungei Buloh

Photo credit: Poomigah

Wildlife in the mangroves

Wildlife is something that I really connected with during the fieldtrip as I study ecology. I spotted the fauna present in the mangroves immediately, and I sure did find a lot of captivating species I have never seen before!!

As we were walking down the boardwalk, we birded and learned how to identify birds from our guide Alan. Common red shanks, and grey herons were some of the birds we saw. We also came across water monitors, mudskippers and a Chrysopelea paradisi, the green flying snake.  We were hoping it would fly over to another branch to catch it in action (but unfortunately it did not). Fishes like the halfbeak were also very prevalent.

 

Fig 2-4. Left to Right: green flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi), Water Monitor, Grey Heron

Photo credit: Poomigah

Mangrove restoration in Singapore

Restoration of mangroves is important to protect the wildlife that depend on this ecosystem. The immense amounts of urbanization in Singapore and around Southeast Asia threaten mangroves ecosystems. During the fieldtrip, I noticed many young mangrove saplings amongst the mature ones showing signs of restoration. Mangroves take a long time to mature and develop a fully dense network, that could be suitable habitat for wildlife. So, go restore your mangroves and protect the biodiversity living there now!