Category: News Page 5 of 14

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)

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

Participants listened to stories of various wildlife found at Ubin and did a nature craft based on one of the characters in a story.

Thereafter, they went for a nature walk with our resident guide, Andrew and saw hornbills, starlings, durians and much more.

We had a lovely time and we thank the participants who came for our event at Ubin.

Cicada Tree Eco-Place has a booth at the Festival of Biodiversity on 21 and 22 May. People from all walks of life have visited our booth to learn about local wildlife through games, colouring and our video.

Did you know Singapore belongs to the largest bird migration highway in the world?

The East Asian-Australasian Flyway consists of 23 countries, including Singapore, stretching over 3 continents from Australia and New Zealand at the southern-most end all the way up to Russia and Alaska in the north. Over half of the world’s population – about 4.5 billion people – live in these countries.

Large populations of people in the Flyway mean shorebirds face lots of challenges on the way. Many of their wetland habitats have been reclaimed for development. They also face pressures from hunting, agriculture and aquaculture, and climate change.

The wetlands in the Migratory shorebirds are a living example of how we are all connected through a vast ecological network. Looking after our wetlands here in Singapore is of global importance.

Looking after our wetlands is not just for the birds. Wetland ecosystem services support all life and are essential for our health and well being too.