Citizen Action for Tigers (CAT) Walk Plus is a unique citizen conservation program that empowers the public to get directly involved in protecting the Malayan Tiger and many other threatened wildlife that share the same habitat. By participating in a CAT walk, you make a positive impact on the continued survival of the Malayan Tiger.
Walk the Sungai Yu Ecological Corridor to deter potential illegal activities like poaching and illegal mining just by your presence. Look for wildlife signs like Malayan sun bear tracks and listen out for white-handed gibbon calls from the forest canopy. Help check and maintain trail cameras installed by MYCAT to monitor abundance of wildlife!
Celebrate our natural heritage this 57th national day! Did you know that Singapore has 5 species of endemic plants (native plants that can only be found here)? Four of them exist only in our nature reserves and several were discovered only in recent years.
1) Splachnobryum temasekensis (moss species discovered in 2004, new to science)
Zingiber singapurense. PHOTO: NParks
2) Singapore Ginger (Zingiber singapurense) (new to science, discovered in 2012 at Central Catchment Nature Reserve, with a spindle-shaped inflorescence, formed by orange-red, bracts and pale yellow flower.)
3) Hanguana triangulata (new to science, discovered in 2015, flowering herb confined to the understorey of primary forests.)
4) Hanguana rubinea (new to science, discovered in 2015, critically endangered flowering herb growing to about 1.5m. Name is derived from the ruby-red color of the ripe fruit.)
5) Nervilia singaporensis (critically endangered orchid, newly discovered in 2019 at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. The genus Nervilia was thought to be locally extinct, with the last sighting in 1889. It has a unique oblong flower shape and flowers that never open, which means it must self-pollinate to reproduce!
“The discovery of Nervilia singaporensis shows that there is still unknown biodiversity to find and study, even in heavily urbanised Singapore. As such, continued efforts in documenting and learning about the richness of our habitats is crucial to protect them and their biodiversity.” – Mr David Middleton, Coordinating Director of Research and Conservation at the Singapore Botanic Gardens
Last Sunday (19 Dec), Cicada Tree Eco-Place volunteers led three separate coastal clean up events at East Coast Park, Pulau Ubin and Changi Beach Park respectively.
The beach clean-ups were in collaboration with Sport Singapore, in support of Coastal Cleanup Campaign (Sep 2021 to Mar 2022). We were joined by friends, family, and members of the public who all wanted to do something for our marine habitat.
Litter picking in action!
Armed with tongs and gloves, our participants scoured the shore for pieces of litter. At Changi Beach Park, the cleanup took place around the low tide timing in the evening, allowing participants to not only uncover more litter but admire the interesting wildlife that call the intertidal space their home. Some of the creatures spotted include the sea cucumber, anemone, hermit crab, and a washed-up jellyfish!
Common litter found include cigarette butts, plastic bags, food wrappers, straws and fishing lines. These marine litter are a threat to the wildlife residing in the ocean and shore. You can find out more about the impacts of marine litter here: http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/concepts/litter.htm
At the end of the session, our participants were tired, but very happy with the positive impact they had made. Each group had collected at least 10kg worth of trash. Well done everyone!
A highlight find was probably this foam mattress, which our participants tried to squeeze water out of.
Our proud participants with their outcome of one hour of hard work:
In commemoration of Earth Day 2021, on 25th of April, Cicada Tree Eco-Place brought participants on a guided walk along the Rail Corridor. It was a first time for some of our participants to witness a significant remnant of Singapore’s history while others were curious what biodiversity could be uncovered there.
We were thankful for lovely weather after days of rain before. Traversing the stretch between Hindhede bridge and Hillview bridge, we were accompanied by the flutey calls of the critically endangered Straw-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus zeylanicus) and fruit trees such as the pea eggplant and starfruit. As the sun came out, so did the butterflies and dragonflies. It was joy seeing the Common Bluebottle butterfly (Graphium sarpedon) licking salts off the ground to supplement its diet. We also got to witness numerous male Common Parasol dragonflies (Neurothemis fluctuans) fighting for territory along a stream.
Along the way we made a short detour to witness the scenic view of the Singapore Quarry. There, we were welcomed by the presence of the Banded Woodpecker (Chrysophlegma miniaceum), an uncommon resident bird, as well as the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus), a smart bird known for mimicking other bird calls.
It was an enjoyable walk that brought Singapore’s biodiversity and history closer to us. We encourage you to start exploring the nature spaces around you too!
