Rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions, fluctuating and unpredictable temperatures – just as the world seems like it is on the verge of destruction, here come mangroves to save the day! Right here in Singapore, in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR), our mangroves are the unsung heroes protecting us from the rising sea levels. Sungei Buloh covers more than 100 hectares, and is one the only mangrove ecosystems left in mainland Singapore.


Figure 1. SBWR Overview (Source: Jun Kiat)

 

The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is the largest remaining mangrove forest left in Singapore. The mangroves we see today have undergone multiple restoration projects, reviving some of the vibrant ecosystems that exists in Singapore. With local birds such as kingfishers and herons to a huge variety of plant species, there is something for every Singaporean in SBWR!

Mangroves provide us with way more benefits than we can think called ecosystem services! The biggest benefit of having mangroves around especially in a small island country like Singapore is coastal protection! With the rising sea levels, it is more important to have good coastal protection and mangroves the most natural form. Besides being our shields, mangroves hold a large amount of biodiversity, from that of aquatic to plants!

Figure 2. Mangrove at low tide (Source: Jun Kiat)

 

Our NUS GE3255 Aquatic, Riparian and Coastal Systems field trip allowed me to use what I learnt in the classroom and apply it in the real world! Using technologies that Prof Gretchen showed such as iNaturalist to identify plant and bird species! I was also able to identify previous restoration efforts that were put in placed at SBWR. Such efforts that are assisted planting of mangrove tree saplings as seen by the non-random growth of trees!

Figure 3. Mangrove Seedling found on the pathway (Source: Jun Kiat)

This made me think of how can I preserve such natural beauties of the world and thus from personal experience and what I have learnt in class, raising awareness is the most feasible way. By educating more people, especially the younger generation, we can change their mindsets and let them see the importance of mangroves and its role in Singapore. One such way we can approach this is to incorporate field trips to the remaining mangroves left in Singapore, let the children see the mangroves with their own eye, in hopes that it will spark the passion of masses to preserve whatever mangroves we have left.