World Water Day was designated in 1993 by the United Nations. It is an international event which celebrates water and raises awareness about over 2.2 billion people who live without access to clean water.
The theme for 2021 was “Valuing Water”. It aimed to start a conversation about what water means to people worldwide. Amid the pandemic, people were invited to go online to tell stories and share their thoughts and feelings about water.
Heritage guide Andrew Lin leads families and children on a walk to learn about the importance of water at Pang Sua Canal after a torrential downpour.
A poignant video from PUB shows some of the shocking effects of climate change. In the era of the Anthropocene, it is our actions alone that will deteremine whether humanity will sustain alongside this wellspring of life, or drown in it.
In Singapore, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) has been championing the message that every drop counts with the #GoBlue4SG campaign.
Since the independence and founding of our nation in 1965, water has been an existential resource. Although our country has made great strides since, climate change threatens our water security.
Now more than ever, we must make every drop count.
Tropical forests are known for their extreme diversity of living things, both above and below ground.
In Singapore, researchers have found more than 350 species of trees within a 2 hectare area of primary forest. In comparison, a 16 hectare forest on the eastern coast of the US has 76 tree species.
Even within such a small and highly-urbanised country like Singapore, there is still a lot of biodiversity remaining, and more to be discovered.
Secondary forests are forests that developed over land that was previously cleared of forests.
Although secondary forests usually have lower diversity than primary forests, they have great importance in providing ecosystem services and serving as buffers and refuge for the remaining primary forests.
They provide habitat for numerous plants and animals, filter polluted air, clean out rain water, reduce floods, and contribute to our well-being (forest bathing, walking / running through a forest).
School’s out! Join us this March 2021 hols for a series of nature-culture activities for families and kids by Cicada Tree Eco-Place in celebration of:
UN International Day of Forests (21 Mar);
Singapore World Water Day (22 Mar); and
Book Launch of “Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor” published by Cicada Tree Eco-Place and Nature Society (Singapore) (Launched on 13 March 2021)
Tired of visiting the same old places? Discover Sungei Pang Sua (Canal) and Pang Sua Woodland @ Rail Corridor (North). Have fun whilst learning about eco-biodiversity, and our natural and cultural heritage.
Registration: Very limited capacity.
Please email Cicada Tree Eco-Place - Admin at:
contactCTEP@gmail.com
* Indicate the activity (name/date/time) you are interested, name of participants and ages.
Important note: Please note all activities are rain or shine events. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, for the health and safety of all, do note that prevailing Safe Management Measures and Safe Distancing Measures and group sizes strictly apply.
Events
Balakrishnan Matchap, certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher at Pesta Ubin 2020. PHOTO: Nicholas Yeo
1. Yoga & Story-telling for Kids with Uncle Bala Matchap [FULL]
What: Sit under a tree and follow the movements. Find out the secret stories of trees and why forests are so important for people, wildlife and planetary biodiversity. Where: Pang Sua Woodland @ Rail Corridor When: Sat 20 March 2021 Time: 5pm to 6pm Age: Suitable for 6yrs to 10yrs, child must be accompanied by an adult. Group size: 8 participants Charge:
$20 per participant (Free for children 10yrs and below)
Each paying participant will receive a complimentary book – “Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor” (valued at $20).
2. Bathing in the Benefits: Rise and Reflect with Dr Denise Dillon [FULL]
What: This forest bathing session offers a ‘taste’ of Forest Therapy with a certified guide. Open your senses to a Pang Sua Woodland morning. Bring your inner child and sense of play to welcome the sunrise and connect with our beautiful woodland retreat hidden in plain view. Where: Rail Corridor and Pang Sua Woodland When: Sun 21 Mar 2021 Time: 7am to 8.30am Age: Suitable for families with children aged 6yrs and above, child must be accompanied by an adult. Group size: 8 participants Charge:
$20 per participant (Free for children 10yrs and below)
Each paying participant will receive a complimentary book – “Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor” (valued at $20).
3. Bukit Panjang and Rail Corridor Heritage Walk with Uncle Andrew Lin [FULL]
What: Did you know there was once a little Railway Station at Bukit Panjang over a century ago? Learn about the history of the Malayan Railway, the train level crossings, Bukit Panjang rural village of yore, and the agricultural and natural heritage of the area. Where: Rail Corridor and Pang Sua Woodland When: Sun 21 Mar 2021 Time: 5pm to 6.15pm Age: Suitable for 6yrs and above, child must be accompanied by an adult Charge:
$20 per participant (Free for children 10yrs and below)
Each paying participant will receive a complimentary book – “Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor” (valued at $20).
Andrew Tay, licensed nature guide and Executive Committee Member, Cicada Tree Eco-Place. PHOTO: Nicholas Yeo
4. Strolling Along a Sungei for Families with Uncle Andrew Tay[FULL]
What: Where do rivers begin and end? Take a guided nature stroll along Sungei Pang Sua (canal) and learn about importance of water and forests for people and wildlife. Along the way, look out for birdlife, butterflies and possibly otters! More details of these activities will be given to confirmed participants. Where: Sungei Pang Sua (Canal) When: Sat 20 March 2021 Timing of 1st walk: 8.30 to 10.00am. Timing of 2nd walk: 10.00 to 11.30am. Age: Suitable for age 5yrs onwards. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Charge: This walk is to raise funds for ACRES, a local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary. Donations of any amount are welcomed into the ACRES donation tin on the day of walk.
Registration
Registration: Very limited capacity. Please email Cicada Tree Eco-Place - Admin at: contactCTEP@gmail.com
* Indicate the activity (name/date/time) you are interested, name of participants and ages.
Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor (2021) Cicada Tree Eco-Place & Nature Society Singapore. COVER PHOTO: Nicholas Yeo
Book Launch: “Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor”
Cicada Tree Eco-Place (CTEP) and Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS) are pleased to announce the launch of the book “Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor”.
“Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor” is a labour of love by volunteers of Cicada Tree Eco-Place and Nature Society (Singapore). Both organisations are ‘Friends of Rail Corridor’.
The book was inspired by NSS’ publication “The Green Rail Corridor” (2019) and is a collaboration between the two non-profit, non-governmental organisations dedicated to nature appreciation, education and natural heritage conservation.
Nestled between housing estates in Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang, Pang Sua Woodland is unassuming at first glance. Yet, this green oasis is a critical lifeline for both people and wildlife and should be preserved.
The woodland is a microcosm of Singapore and the world at large. Conserving small pockets of precious biodiversity and wild greenery is critical to solving the existential crisis facing all of humanity.
The book proposes for the conservation and protection of the woodland from urban development. By rewilding the woodland and naturalising Sungei Pang Sua, the forest would be reimagined as a permanent public park with a natural winding stream, marshy ponds and community orchards.
An important conduit for wildlife dispersal, the park would form an eco-link between Kranji Woodland and Bukit Mandai Forest in the north, Pang Sua Pond wetland in the east, as well as Bukit Gombak Forest and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. This park would also preserve the rural heritage of Bukit Panjang.
“COVID-19 has revealed the profound impact of a pandemic in an intensely concentrated and connected world. In Singapore and elsewhere, people find themselves realising how deeply interconnected humans are with each other and with nature,” said book editor Teresa Teo Guttensohn, Co-founder and Ex-President of Cicada Tree Eco-Place.
Guttensohn added: “Even as we rush to plant native tree saplings, what is critically needed in tandem is to halt the relentless whittling away of our last remaining precious forest fragments for urbanisation. Once lost, Pang Sua Woodland cannot be replaced. Regretfully, the area is slated for residential development when, instead, it should be protected and preserved.”
Editorial team members Teresa Teo Guttensohn (centre), Leong Kwok Peng (right) and Nicholas Yeo.
Nature – our life support system – is itself on life support. We must therefore protect every last remaining unprotected forest and wild greenery. Stemming ecosystem loss is a nature-based solution which will strengthen climate, ecological and social resilience in a post-pandemic world.
BOOK EDITORIAL TEAM
Pang Sua Woodland is highly accessible and therefore ideal to educate kids and students in the neighbouring estates about our native fauna. Community surveys of the woodland show how it is an important habitat and conduit for animals which include Otters, Civets, Spotted Wood Owls and Changeable Hawk-eagles, among others.
“The railway land is a ready-made nature corridor, recreational space and eco-friendly transport route all rolled into one. It is a valuable piece of ecological and historical heritage that should be kept for future generations of Singaporeans,” said Leong Kwok Peng, a co-editor and Conservation Committee Chair at Nature Society (Singapore).
Leong added: “Many members of the public enjoy the rustic nature of the Rail Corridor, There, one is transported back in time and gets the feeling that you are not in Singapore. Further urbanisation there would diminish its ecological function and scenic value — without which the Rail Corridor would lose much of its charm and magic.”
The book unveils a sanctuary hidden in plain sight along the northern stretch of the Rail Corridor, documented in beautiful prose and vibrant photography by volunteers.
Connecting past and present, the book also documents the rich heritage and communities of Bukit Panjang, articulating a biophilic vision for its development as a space for recreation and green connectivity.
Purchase
The book is presently stocked at Books Kinokuniya, Book Bar at 57 Duxton Road, Grassroots Book Room, Nature Society Singapore & Bollywood Farms. To buy online, you may order a copy from Books Kinokuniya using the button below:
A 4-kilometre stretch of the Rail Corridor (Central) was re-opened at an event on Monday, 22 March 2021 by Minister Desmond Lee and Friends of the Rail Corridor.
The stretch was closed for refurbishment works, including the addition of extra access points, improved trails and natural landscape re-wilding.
“When fully re-opened in end-2022, it will be a seamless green corridor from Woodlands Road in the north, to Tanjong Pagar in the south,” said Minister Lee.
The groups which attended included Cicada Tree Eco-Place, NSS, SHS, BES Drongos, and the occasion was marked by a tree planting.
Teresa Teo Guttensohn of Cicada Tree Eco-Place and Leong Kwok Peng of Nature Society (Singapore) presented signed copies of the book “Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor” to Minister Desmond Lee after the event.
