Come listen to stories of wildlife at Ubin. Thereafter, go on a nature-guided walk along Jalan Ubin to look at what the villagers are growing in their gardens, and to look for the wildlife that visit these gardens. Families will get to create a simple nature craft to remember their time at Ubin.
Date: 4 June 2022 (Saturday)
Time: 3pm – 5pm (Participants to arrive at the Volunteer Hub at 2.50 p.m.)
Meeting Venue: Volunteer Hub, Seminar Room at Pulau Ubin
The Housing Development Board (HDB) is seeking public feedback following the release of an environmental study for a proposed HDB residential development at Choa Chu Kang N1, also known as Pang Sua Woodland.
Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor (2021) Cicada Tree Eco-Place & Nature Society Singapore. COVER PHOTO: Nicholas Yeo
Cicada Tree Eco-Place (CTEP) and Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS) launched the book “Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary Unveiled Along the Rail Corridor” in 2021 to document the rich biodiversity of the area.
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.
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.
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.
Pang Sua Woodland at sunset. PHOTO: Nicholas YeoThe woodland provides a respite for both people and wildlife, and should be preserved. PHOTO: Nicholas Yeo
“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.”
Teresa Teo Guttensohn, Co-founder and Ex-President of Cicada Tree Eco-Place, EDITOR OF PANGSUA WOODLAND: SANCTUARY UNVEILED ALONG THE RAIL CORRIDOR
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.”
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.
Please use this form to send feedback to HDB about the planned development:
Pang Sua Woodland to be developed for housing, nature groups want it kept as park – Straits Times, 16 April 2022
SINGAPORE – A green corridor should be established beside a housing development when an existing woodland in Choa Chu Kang is developed, to preserve the site’s links to other nature areas.
This is a key recommendation from an environmental study commissioned by the Housing Board and published for public feedback on April 5.
Under scrutiny by a team from infrastructure consulting firm Aecom was a site of about 21.7ha, bounded by Kranji Expressway to its north, Woodlands Road to the east, and Pang Sua Canal to its west and south.
About 15ha of the study area is known as Pang Sua Woodland, comprising managed vegetation of planted trees and grass. The remainder of the studied site includes a stretch of the canal, as well as a heavy vehicle park and a defunct bus terminal, which has been demolished and is now covered in grass.
Nature groups are advocating for the woodland, which is part of the 24km-long Rail Corridor, to be safeguarded as a green space for recreational and ecological purposes instead of being developed.
The woodland, however, is zoned “Residential (Subject to Detailed Planning)” in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) master plan. URA’s website says its proposed use will see “high-density housing integrated with the lush greenery of the Rail Corridor and a revitalised Pang Sua Canal”.
Last year, two nature groups – Nature Society (Singapore) and Cicada Tree Eco-Place – jointly published a book on Pang Sua Woodland, in which they proposed for it to be retained as a public park.
Among their ideas was rewilding the woodland, including undergrowth – previously found on the woodland but cleared in recent years – to provide habitats for wildlife. They also proposed that the stretch of Pang Sua Canal adjacent to the woodland be naturalised to create riverine habitats.
Nature Society (Singapore) vice-president Leong Kwok Peng, who co-edited the book, told The Straits Times on Wednesday (April 13) that the woodland, despite its small size, is important for wildlife connectivity and a green refuge for these animals.
As it lies amid an extended stretch of the green corridor that has few trees, the woodland also provides valuable shade from the sun for the corridor’s users, said Mr Leong.
The next forested area to the north is about 3.8km away in Kranji, while to its south, vegetation gets more dense only about 1.8km away in Hillview.
The HDB-commissioned study found 87 large trees, with girths of 3m to 5.4m, in Pang Sua Woodland. These included raintrees and angsanas.
Citing the 2021 book by the nature groups, the study said that the woodland could facilitate fauna dispersal between various green spaces – forested areas in nearby Mandai and Bukit Gombak, as well as Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat farther away.
Establishing an ecological corridor next to the proposed residential development would allow wildlife to continue to use the area as a stepping stone between green spaces, said the study.
Ms Teresa Teo Guttensohn, co-founder of Cicada Tree Eco-Place and co-editor of the book, said developing the woodland would entail cutting down trees and a likely realignment of the Rail Corridor, which lies on a grassy patch of the woodland.
But that would defeat the purpose of retaining the entire corridor as an intact and continuous piece of ecological and historical heritage, she said, adding that residents in the area presently use the woodland as a recreational space.
Ms Guttensohn also said that building homes right next to a green corridor may increase human-wildlife conflicts. She said that the woodland’s size does not allow for effective buffer zones – which help to minimise such conflicts – to be retained around the green areas.
Mr Leong, who was among the earliest advocates for the Rail Corridor, added that its users enjoy that it offers a different experience from much of urbanised Singapore.
He said: “Imagine walking the Pang Sua Woodland stretch of the corridor, straight into a high-rise housing estate… the magic of the corridor will be interrupted.”
The public can access the environmental study’s report on HDB’s website and have until May 3 to submit their feedback.
COST: $10 per participant, free for kids ages 6 and below (all kids must be accompanied by at least one adult guardian)
REGISTRATION: Please register by emailing the name of the contact person and contact number, number of adult and kid participants, ages of kids, to Andrew at: andrewtay.sg@gmail.com.
Night Critter Watch at the Rainforest Boardwalk of Singapore Botanic Gardens (MONDAY, 14 MARCH 2022 FROM 19:00-20:30)
SBG is a lovely old garden created about 200 years ago. It still retains its original Primary Rainforest remnant patch and this is where we will be exploring to look for the nocturnal critters living here. Although now totally surrounded by housing, busy roads and more development, the gardens is still home to some wildlife. Four species of lovely owls have been recorded in this patch—the Spotted Wood-owl, Collared Scops-owl, Brown Hawk-owl, and the Buffy Fish-owl who breeds here. We’ll also be listening out for the calls of several species of frogs, and of the Red-legged Crake, an enigmatic night bird. Both insect and fruit eating bats roost in the gardens’ palm trees. Kids get to try out our bat detector. As dusk falls, we venture onto the boardwalk to look for nocturnal creepy-crawlies, and hopefully a snoozing Whip Snake too. This easy walk is on level pathways and wooden boardwalks but there are some steps.
Colugo Watch at Bukit Batok Nature Park (TUESDAY, 15 MARCH 2022 FROM 19:00-20:30)
The Colugo is one of the strangest animals in our world. It is a gliding mammal, with a skin membrane stretching from its neck to its webbed fingers, to its webbed toes, and to the tip of its long tail. As you can imagine, when gliding it looks like an opened umbrella whooshing by in the air! It also has an adorable face, with a pink nose and ears, and huge eyes to help it see and expertly navigate in the dark. Singapore may be the only place in the world that you could easily see a colugo on any night that you go out looking for it. A population lives in this mature park and we should be able to encounter some. While awaiting their emergence, we’ll look for other critters of the night, such as owls, nightjars, bats and lovely creepy-crawlies. This easy walk is on level pathways with no steps.
Night Critter Watch 1 at Old Upper Thomson Road PCN Path (WEDNESDAY, 16 MARCH 2022 FROM 19:00-20:30)
This PCN path goes between the rainforests of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Thomson Nature Park. Rainforest wildlife which can be encountered at the forest edge vegetation here include the gorgeous Wagler’s Pit-viper, Oriental Whip Snake, Lesser Mousedeer, Colugo, Palm Civet and Flying Squirrels. If we don’t see the Brown Hawk-owl and Collared Scops-owl, we should surely hear them communicating with each other. While hoping to glimpse these mega-fauna, we’ll look out for a diversity of moths, stick insects, Giant Forest Ants and other lovely creepy-crawlies. This easy walk is on a level pathway with no steps.
Nite Critter Watch at Pasir Ris Mangrove Boardwalk (THURSDAY, 17 MARCH 2022 FROM 19:00-20:30)
This location is very good for a night wild critter walk and that’s why we always go there. As dusk falls, we look out for emerging bats and observe their acrobatic feeding flight. Kids will use our bat detector to catch their calls. We explore deep into the mangrove forest via the extensive boardwalks to look for other nocturnal critters who live here, such as water snakes and owls. Tree-climbing crabs may be seen perched high above on tree branches, as if they’re birds. Fireflies may still be found in this lovely mangrove forest patch. Other exciting nocturnal critters met here include the Reticulated Python, Palm Civet, Giant Centipede and Mangrove Flatworm. For those who wish to see a Giant Mudskipper, we should be able to spot some asleep in this swamp. This easy walk is on level pathways and wooden boardwalks with no steps.
Night Critter Watch 2 at Old Upper Thomson Road PCN Path (FRIDAY, 18 MARCH 2022 FROM 19:00-20:30)
This PCN path goes between the rainforests of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Thomson Nature Park. Rainforest wildlife which can be encountered at the forest edge vegetation here include the gorgeous Wagler’s Pit-viper, Oriental Whip Snake, Lesser Mousedeer, Colugo, Palm Civet and Flying Squirrels. If we don’t see the Brown Hawk-owl and Collared Scops-owl, we should surely hear them communicating with each other. While hoping to glimpse these mega-fauna, we’ll look out for a diversity of moths, stick insects, Giant Forest Ants and other lovely creepy-crawlies. This easy walk is on a level pathway with no steps.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
• To participate, all adults and kids aged 12 years and above must be fully vaccinated. We will abide by the latest covid regulations. • Seats are limited due to current permitted Covid group size. More details and instructions will be given upon registration. • Please do inform if after registering you cannot come for the walk, so that your seat can be offered to another person on the wait list. • Payment in cash will be collected in person at the activity. • Small kids get info-sheets and native wildlife stickers at our walks. • Your nature guide will be Andrew Tay. He is fully vaccinated and will be doing ART self-testing on alternate days from 12 to 20 March 2022.
World Wildlife Day (WWD) will be celebrated on March 3, 2022 under the theme “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration”.
The celebrations will seek to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species of wild fauna and flora, and to drive discussions towards imagining and implementing solutions to conserve them.
According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, over 8,400 species of wild fauna and flora are critically endangered, while close to 30,000 more are understood to be endangered or vulnerable.
Based on these estimates, it is suggested that over a million species are threatened with extinction.The 2010 IUCN Red List includes 2,380 animal species in Asia threatened to vanish forever, from Asian elephants to primates to wild cattle to frogs.
Continued loss of species, habitats and ecosystems also threatens all life on Earth, including us. People everywhere rely on wildlife and biodiversity-based resources to meet all our needs, from food, to fuel, medicines, housing, and clothing.
Millions of people also rely on nature as the source of their livelihoods and economic opportunities.In 2022, World Wildlife Day will therefore drive the debate towards the imperative need to reverse the fate of the most critically endangered species, to support the restoration of their habitats and ecosystems and to promote their sustainable use by humanity.
On March 3 2022 at 14:00 (CET), the World Wildlife Day celebration will be live streaming 0n Youtube. Check it out here:
Here are some photos of native wildlife in Singapore by Cicada Tree Eco-Place volunteer Kripa Dubey:
The Blue Necked Keelback is a native species found in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.The endangered Straw Headed Bulbul is the largest of the Southeast Asian bulbuls. 50% of the local population Pulau Ubin, but the island is vulnerable to future development plans.The Sunda Pangolin is diminishing in numbers due to habitat loss and poaching. Due to their wandering nature, many pangolins in Singapore lose their lives on highways.The critically endangered Sunda Slow Loris is the only venomous primate in Singapore. It produces a yellow secretion, which combines with saliva to form venom. It is threatened by habitat loss and the pet trade.
