World Wildlife Day is the most important global annual event dedicated to wildlife.
On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 3 March – the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973 – as UN World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants.
World Wildlife Day 2021 is themed “Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet”. It highlights the central role of forests, forest species and ecosystem services in sustaining the livelihoods of hundreds of millions globally.
Between 200 and 350 million people live within or adjacent to forested areas around the world, relying on the various ecosystem services provided by forest and forest species for their livelihoods and to cover their most basic needs, including food, shelter, energy and medicines.
Forests, forests species and the livelihoods that depend on them currently find themselves at the crossroads of the multiple planetary crises we currently face, from climate change, to biodiversity loss and the health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Volunteers and friends from Cicada Tree Eco-Place continue to plant trees for nature!
Teresa Teo Guttensohn representing Cicada Tree Eco-Place planted 3 trees at Jurong Lake Gardens last Saturday on 26 September 2020.
Some of the trees planted included native and endangered species: Sterculia rubiginosa, Sterculia cordata, Sterculia parviflora, Calophyllum soulattri, Pometia pinnata.
Jurong Lake Gardens
MacRitchie Reservoir
Volunteers planted 15 trees, including the critically endangered Gaharu Tree at MacRitchie Reservoir.
Neeta and very sweet kids Jaime and Andrew with Teresa at a tree planting event at MacRitchie. Together with Janice from SUSS, 15 trees were planted.
The total count of trees planted thus far in support of Nparks’ One Million Trees Movement is 110+3+15=128 trees.
Participants and volunteers at Island Tales and Forest Fables @ Pesta Ubin 2020, a first of its kind storytelling and culture event organised by Cicada Tree Eco-Place and supported by NParks, on Saturday, 12 September 2020.
A million thanks to all our wonderful family participants, storytellers, tree planting volunteers from ActiveSG Pasir Ris Sport Centre, volunteer crew from Cicada Tree Eco-Place and NParks team who planted 110 trees as part of Pesta Ubin 2020 and One Million Trees movement.
Tree Planting
Jalan Jelutong tree planting site.
Jln Jelutong was a piece of quarry wasteland reclaimed from the sea during granite quarry operations in the past.
The tree planting initiative is part of One Million Trees movement which aims to restore nature back into our City through the planting of more than a million trees across Singapore over the next decade.
Click to view photos:
Guttensohn Family & Friends
Lee Hui Lee & Family: Children Noah, Pasquale and Johannes
Chong Hai Yen & River Chong
87-year-old Mdm Lau, our oldest participant
Tia & Jabe
Dr Denise Dillon
Balakrishnan Matchap & Lisha Raghani
Over 16,000 trees from over 70 native species will eventually be planted at Balai Quarry South, Sungei Teris and Jalan Jelutong on Pulau Ubin.
Despite the sun and torrential rain, our volunteers persisted and successfully planted 110 trees!
Interactive Storytelling
As part of Pesta Ubin 2020, our interactive, socially-distanced storytellers also shared about the history and legend of Pulau Ubin.
Ubin is known as “Granite Island” in Malay. Today, it is one of Singapore’s last traditional kampongs with less than 50 residents.
Ubin is also home to Chek Jawa, an unprotected wetland ecosystem that was saved from land reclamation in the early 2000s.
As the story goes, the island was formed when three animals from Singapore – a frog, a pig and an elephant – challenged each other to a race to reach the shores of Johor.
The animals that failed would turn to stone.
All three failed to swim across. Therefore, the elephant and pig turned into Pulau Ubin whilst the frog became Pulau Sekudu or Frog Island.
Tia sharing about the story of the frog
Bala in the bamboo grove
Jelaine tells a story about the crabs
Teresa briefing participants before tree planting
Thanks to our fun storytellers: Tia Guttensohn, Balakrishnan Matchap, Jelaine Ng and Teresa Guttensohn.
Thanks to all our family participants and tree planting volunteers from ActiveSG, Pasir Ris Sport Centre – Urban Farming Interest Group as well as our volunteer event crew from Cicada Tree Eco-Place:
Teresa Guttensohn, Tia Guttensohn, Sean Guttensohn, Jabriel, Amanda Ang, Balakrishnan Matchap, Lisha Raghani, Jelaine Ng Sha-Men, Angela Pinto, Lim Li Fang, Kripa Dubey, Dr George Jacobs, Dr Denise Dillon, Joleen Chan, Jeffrey Roslan, Fatin Syahirah, Farhan, Richard Tan, Rosemary Chan, Susan Kueh.
More photos of our volunteers hard at work:
Rosemary Chan
Vegan cupcakes sponsored by Seetha
Sean ushering our participants
Amanda
Kripa & Li Fang
Kripa & Nic
Dr George Jacobs assists with tree planting
Richard Tan, Noel Thomas, Teresa Guttensohn
With staff from Nparks
Our youngest participants
Photos: Nicholas Yeo, Teresa Teo GuttensohnGrey Heron (Ardea cinerea) at the nearby Pekan Quarry, where NParks piloted a floating wetlands system in 2015. 10 heron-nesting structures have been deployed there.
Ubin: A Refuge for Wildlife
In other news, a comprehensive biodiversity survey of Pulau Ubin since 2018 has found over 20 new species of fauna, said Mr Desmond Lee, minister for National Development on the occasion of Ubin Day.
This includes the new spider species Piranthus sp. – characterised by bright reddish-orange pairs of front legs in the females.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat was taken on a tour of the island and planted a tree there on Ubin Day:
环境课题近几年来备受关注，尤其在年轻群体中。16岁的瑞典环保主义者格蕾塔·通贝里（Greta Thunberg）是最典型的例子。本地也有不少年轻人参与环境组织，为大自然发声。杨志豪（26岁，摄影师）去年为了做一个关于人类和环境之间的冲突的毕业专题作业，发现自然环境教育组织Cicada Tree Eco-Place。
Cicada Tree Eco-Place将心系环境课题的新加坡人，不分种族或宗教，都聚在一起。（受访者提供）
Cicada Tree Eco-Place成立于2006年，旨在介绍本地生物的多样化，教育公众保护环境的重要性。该组织每年举办多项适合一家大小参与的活动，包括露营、大自然徒步等。受众年龄介于5至85岁。组织也会在官方网页发表和环境相关的文章。
修读传媒专业的杨志豪认为，新闻报道往往会平衡各方面的观点，“但大自然不能为自己发声，声音往往被忽略。相比保护环境，人类对大自然的伤害更是不成比例的。”杨志豪因为想继续为大自然发声，他完成毕业专题作业后，继续待在Cicada Tree Eco-Place。他目前负责拍照、设计组织网页，以及管理社交平台。
赵琴音（左）和杨志豪认为，环境课题能够将背景各异的国人聚在一起。
Cicada Tree Eco-Place目前有十多名活跃成员，包括创办人赵琴音（57岁）在内都不是全职员工。赵琴音认为，Cicada Tree Eco-Place将关注环境课题的人聚在一起。她说：“想和另四名朋友一起创立Cicada Tree Eco-Place是因为人类对环境已经造成非常严重的破坏。人们不能停留在知道地球已病危，必须通过实际行动，减少对环境的伤害。”
家庭主妇李慧丽（42岁）就于2019年带着儿子黄纬喆（12岁，学生）参与由Cicada Tree Eco-Place举办的一项到乌敏岛观鸟和种树的活动。李慧丽受访时说：“让孩子有机会接触大自然非常重要。过程中，孩子会意识到保护环境的重要性。”她举例说，儿子有次提醒她带塑料盒去打包食物，“他对环保的意识让我非常欣慰。”
