29 Oct 2018
This month, wetlands containing
one of Singapore’s last remaining mangroves have secured protection after years
of concerted advocacy. This move will benefit globally threatened birds such as
the Chinese Egret and Straw-headed Bulbul.
By Shannon Anstee
Often, when we think of
Singapore, we think of urban sprawl with sky-high buildings standing tall
in a concrete jungle. However, what we often forget to recognise is how
important this city is for migratory birds in the East Asian-Australasian
Flyway. Migratory birds can travel from as far North as the Arctic
Circle to as far South as Australia and New Zealand. Along the way, these birds
rely on stopover sites in China, Vietnam and Singapore in order to rest and
feed. These sites are becoming increasingly scarce amidst development and increasing
population pressures. As a result, the protection of these natural environments
are vital for securing the future and wellbeing of migratory birds.
The Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS
- BirdLife Partner) recognises the importance of coastal mudflats within
Singapore and has been advocating for their conservation for over three
decades. Since the 1980s, they have been regularly monitoring biodiversity and
birds in the Kranji - Mandai wetlands and mangroves. They have been working
with local conservation groups and researchers at the National University of
Singapore to push for its inclusion as a nationally protected area, and
recognition as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA).
This month, through the hard work
and advocacy of NSS and other stakeholders, the Singapore government has
announced their intention to gazette an area of over 70 hectares of coastal
mudflats and mangroves in the Kranji- Mandai IBA as a new protected area. The
announcement was made at the World Migratory
Bird Day activities at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in
October 2018. "Although belated, the conservation of Mandai Mangrove and
Mudflat is highly laudable on the part of the Singapore government, in
consonant with the positive move for nature conservation through the last three
decades from Buloh to Ubin to Kranji Marshes - and now Mandai.", expressed
Dr. Hua Chew Ho, vice president of the Nature Society (Singapore).
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