Hi guys and welcome back! In the previous blog posts, we have been mainly looking at the issues surrounding mangrove protection and conservation in Singapore, issues of a concrete, tangible nature. However, holistic efforts towards environmental conservation simply cannot ignore one fundamental aspect, which is how the surrounding community perceives the value of the green space being conserved.
In a country like land-scarce Singapore, conservation certainly cannot work out without the mass support of the public. Hence, it is imperative that we better understand the public perception of our mangroves, in order to know what needs to be done to promote our cause. I recently conducted an online survey on the perceptions that Singaporeans have of our mangroves, and I’ll be discussing the responses and insights gathered over the next 2 posts, as I think there is too much to be compressed into a single post.
Source: Google Forms
Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to all who participated in the survey. A total of 32 responses were gathered, with the vast majority being respondents from the 18-22 age range. The survey was mainly sent to my BES coursemates and my university hall friends of non-environment related courses, hence the overall responses are likely to comprise a larger proportion of environmentally-conscious and passionate individuals than the general population.
Generally, our mangroves do not seem to be popular destinations that Singaporeans visit regularly. 68.8% of the respondents visit the mangroves less than annually, of which 18.8% have never been to any of them before. Considering that the respondents comprise a significant portion of BES students, this is a pretty surprising statistic in itself. Evidently, our mangroves are under-explored by the general population.
According to the respondents, the 2 most visited mangroves are Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves (65.6%) and Pulau Ubin/Chek Jawa (53.1%). These places are classic destinations which Singaporeans typically visit on school-led field trips, or on a family outing. On the other hand, relatively lesser-known yet highly accessible mangroves such as Pasir Ris Park Mangroves and Berlayer Creek were only visited by 21.9% and 15.6% of respondents respectively. It can hence be inferred that most Singaporeans probably do not actively visit mangroves on their own, except on special occasions.
Source: Google Forms
Yet, when asked about their attitudes towards mangroves, none of the respondents expressed distaste. This came as a pleasant surprise to me, as I expected at least a number to be averse to the idea of mangroves. The majority (62.5%) said that they feel “curious”, an encouraging indication that people generally have an open-mind towards mangroves. Perhaps with more quality exposure, they may begin to develop a deeper love for our mangroves!
Furthermore, when asked if they would be interested to attend a guided walk at one of the mangrove forests in Singapore, 24 out of the 32 respondents indicated their interest, with most of them stating that they would like to “learn more” about mangroves, especially with regards to their “biodiversity”, “importance” and “ecosystems”. This highlights that Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, have this innate desire and curiosity to find out more and better appreciate our mangroves! What an exciting prospect!
Source: worditout.com
So what comes to mind immediately when people think about mangroves? What are their first impressions? I asked the respondents to name the first 3 words that come to mind when they think about mangroves, and here is the word cloud compiled from their responses. The word “roots” emerged as the top response, followed by “mud”, “nature”, “trees”, “important”, “water”, “muddy” and “swampy”. Evidently, the unique physical characteristics of mangrove ecosystems stand out most starkly in their mental images of mangroves. Meanwhile, words with negative connotations such as “smelly”, “rubbish”, “trash”, “polluted” and “difficult” were only mentioned once each, showing that the vast majority have at least a neutral if not positive attitude towards mangroves. What do these mean for us? There is obvious potential for Singaporeans to gain a deeper appreciation for mangroves, if only we deepen their existing knowledge of the ecosystem, such that they begin to understand the “whys” rather than just the “whats”.
We’ll continue to explore the implications of the survey in the next post. Cheers and see you guys!
Hello Marcus! Thank you for the interesting read :0
A rather large percentage of your respondents have not or have only visited mangroves a few times before. I clearly remember only going to Sungei Buloh once during a school trip :”) Why do you think mangroves are not a go-to destination for locals? Is it due to lack of exposure, advertisement, leisure activities to do there or just lack of interest? Mangroves are definitely not as popular as parks or beaches, but why so?
Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!
Hi Amira,
Thank you so much for dropping by! In my survey findings which you’ll see in the next post, I only asked about the pros and cons of mangroves, without comparing them to other recreational areas, so your last question really got me thinking. I think the reason why mangroves are not as popular as parks or beaches is simply because mangroves are not conducive places for typical forms of relaxation such as sitting around, having a picnic or talking to friends. Mangroves are typically humid with plenty of mosquitoes and other insects, have the pungent smell of rotten eggs and talking loudly is discouraged as well. These factors probably make mangroves an unsuitable place for mindless leisure, for which parks and beaches are certainly better options. I feel that for regular visitors to mangroves, their visits are more deliberate and purposeful in nature, with the intention of observing the ecosystem or engaging in activities such as birdwatching or photography. Essentially, these people already have a keen interest in the biodiversity and aesthetics of the mangroves. Hence, I think it is right to say that mangroves are not really a go-to destination for most Singaporeans because of their lack of exposure and knowledge of the richness of biodiversity in the mangroves, leading to their lack of a good reason to visit. I hope this answers your question Amira, thank you so much once again! Do look out for my next post, I’ll be answering some of your questions in more detail, among other questions.
Cheers!
Marcus
Hi Marcus,
Fantastic post. Would love to know how these responses stack up against what we know from the literature about Singaporeans’ or other populations’ appreciation for mangroves – I guess that’s the only place I see room for improvement.
I also felt, like you, that accessibility might be an issue (you mentioned it in relation to Pasir Ris, for instance).
Srsly, the main reason why I hardly ever go to SBNR (which I think is a spectacular park) is it’s such a pain to get to. Taking transit there is difficult (compared to going other places) and many Grab / taxi drivers won’t go out there at all. I wouldn’t describe Mandai mangroves or Ubin as easy to get to either.
And this issue of green-space accessibility (especially for the highest quality spaces) is a significant barrier for many urbanites around the world. Now imagine you’re living on the edge, unsure whether your next paycheque will cover your rent and 3 healthy meals a day – will you willingly spend your $$ on a transit ride to a coastal green space ?
And what’s the solution ? I mean, do we actually want more infrastructure if infrastructure harms the environment ? What a dilemma, no ?
jc
Hi Dr Coleman,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I fully agree with you on the issue of green-space accessibility to urban dwellers. I think here in Singapore, this problem is not as pronounced in terms of the monetary costs, given the availability of relatively affordable public transport and the small land area of our country. But like you said, some places such as SBNR can be extremely difficult to get to without splurging on a cab fare, which is why many Singaporeans only visit the nature reserve on special occasions, myself included.
I believe a possible solution to this could be for schools to organise more regular excursions to our mangroves and other quality green spaces, perhaps at least 2-3 times a year for every student. Schools charter buses to these hard-to-reach places and bring students there by the busloads, thereby circumventing this accessibility issue. This however can only happen if those at the top recognise the tremendous educational value that mangroves offer, especially to young Singaporeans.
Another possible solution would be the designation of more accessible spaces into parks which mimic the ecological makeup of higher-quality but less-accessible green spaces such as our coastal mangroves. In this way, people would be able to visit these neighbourhood parks to develop their appreciation for nature, which would hopefully inspire them to make the effort to see the real thing for themselves when they have the time or money to. I think the authorities have been doing a pretty great job in this regard here in Singapore. Off the top of my head, some positive examples I can think of are Sengkang Floating Wetland, Lorong Halus Wetlands and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. These 3 parks come under the PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme, which converts old, concrete waterways into beautiful, clean rivers well-integrated with nature, with elements of various ecosystems to serve both aesthetic and hydrological functions. For instance, the artificial Sengkang Floating Wetland incorporates planted mangroves into its design, while the Lorong Halus wetlands contains many wetland plants which do not just have educational value but also serve vital water-treatment functions for the PUB. The redevelopment of Bishan Park has also seen it attract a host of biodiversity, ranging from migratory birds to our famous Bishan Park otter family. These parks are located right beside housing estates (ok maybe except for Lorong Halus), and they experience high foot traffic from Singaporeans. I myself have visited all 3 parks many times and I am always in awe of the rich natural vibe of the place, bearing in mind that they are entirely man-made ecosystems. While they certainly don’t match up to natural, untouched ecosystems and nature reserves, I feel that the provision of these parks by the authorities are a huge step in the right direction and a launchpad towards a greater appreciation for nature among Singaporeans.
Thanks for your super thorough reply, Marcus !
You’re right that the ABC programme has created some beautiful spaces. And hopefully the emphasis on naturalisation of our green spaces will deliver meaningful results as far as making quality Nature experiences more accessible for all of us.
That said, I respectfully challenge your statement about affordable transit not being a real concern in SG. Yes, I agree that compared to many other places, e.g., Japan, we have cheap, efficient transport and it doesn’t take too long to go anywhere.
But even though we may not think of them often, there are many locals for whom a bus or MRT ride to a park might be a splurge. There are homeless Singaporeans, migrant workers whose families in their home countries rely on remittance payments and all kinds of ppl living on the edge.
Doing social-sci research & teaching for BES, I’ve learned a lot about the perils of generalising – we don’t know what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes, including how accessible something to them unless we ask.
You know ?
jc
Hi Dr Coleman,
Thank you for your feedback! I’m really sorry if I sounded as though I was generalising about the affordability of public transport to Singaporeans, that was not my intention. I just want to clarify that what I meant in my reply was that the issue of green-space accessibility here is not as significant as in other countries because public transport is affordable to most Singaporeans (but not all). But I fully agree with you that this does not mean the problem is non-existent, as there indeed are many Singaporeans who cannot visit these green spaces due to financial difficulties. This is something I failed to address in my reply and I truly apologise for that. I’m well aware of the immense constraints that some people face here that would deter them from something as seemingly trivial as a bus or train ride, for instance some local teenagers have never even seen our city skyline before as they never leave their neighbourhoods. Personally I have friends who have been in similar situations before, and I have worked with a number of such people through my past volunteering experiences. Having said that, I strongly believe that green spaces are for everybody, and nobody should be denied the opportunity to experience nature for whatever reason, especially not financial reasons. Hence it is extremely important that we take each and every individual’s experience into consideration when making such statements, or when suggesting solutions to existing problems. This was an oversight on my part. Once again, I’m sorry for my somewhat sweeping statement, and thank you so much for pointing it out Dr Coleman!
Hi Marcus,
Thanks for your reply… to be clear, I don’t think you have to be quite so apologetic. I mean, you didn’t mean any harm and simply wrote something that could be misinterpreted.
I certainly wasn’t judging you, so don’t beat yourself up over an innocent mistake.
jc