Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve celebrates 30 years with activities and guided walks to previously inaccessible areas
NParks is offering special programmes such as workshops, exhibitions, nature photography and guided walks that the public can sign up for.
A member of volunteer group Friends of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve conducts a guided walk. (Photo: NParks)
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SINGAPORE: As the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve celebrates its 30th year of conservation, it is offering specially curated programmes in areas that the public has never seen before.
Visitors can sign up for initiatives to explore the park's biodiversity, and be a part of its history that is steeped in volunteering.
Nature lovers will also be able to observe wildlife in their natural habitat from a prime vantage point on a new viewing platform which was converted from the former main bridge.
The original bridge was built about 30 years ago to provide safe passage across the Sungei Buloh Besar, and has been preserved following community suggestions to retain the popular bird-watching spot.Â
SINGAPORE’S ONLY WETLAND RESERVE
Home to mainland Singapore's largest mangrove forest, the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a critical stop for migrating birds.
The nation’s only wetland reserve is also home to more than half of the bird species that can be found in Singapore.
The 131-hectare site – about the size of nearly four national stadiums – officially opened on Dec 6, 1993, and was later gazetted as a nature reserve in 2002.
But its history goes back even further, said Minister for National Development Desmond Lee on Saturday (Nov 25) during celebrations for the wetland’s anniversary.
In the 1980s, avid birdwatchers discovered that the area's tranquil ponds and mudflats served as a key resting and feeding site for migratory shorebirds.
They initiated efforts for the conservation of the area, resulting in the sprawling ecological network today.
“The initial efforts of the birdwatchers served as a catalyst for community stewardship, inspiring many individuals to contribute to the conservation of this natural oasis,” said Mr Lee, who is also the Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration.
ANNIVERSARY PROGRAMMES
To mark the reserve's 30th year, the National Parks Board (NParks) and its volunteers kicked off special programmes such as workshops, exhibitions, nature photography and guided walks that the public can sign up for.
Some of the activities will also take place in Lim Chu Kang Nature Park, which is the western extension to the wetland reserve.
It is part of the over 400ha Sungei Buloh Nature Park Network announced in 2020 to safeguard a variety of complementary wetland habitats buffering the wetland reserve.
On the coast of the Lim Chu Kang Nature Park is Cashin House, a colonial-era bungalow originally constructed in 1921.
Named after the Irish rubber tycoon and his family who ran a plantation there, the 160 sqm building dates back to a time when the coast was still the main mode of commerce.
It survived World War II, and outlived its last owner. However, over 100 years took their toll on the house, and NParks reconstructed it while staying true to its original roots.
Both Cashin House and Lim Chu Kang Nature Park have never been open to the public until now. However, access will only be through sign-ups for programmes.
They include guided heritage walks, tree planting and helping to conduct scientific surveys at the nature park, which is currently undergoing habitat restoration.
COMMUNITY EFFORT
“When you want to restore or enhance a habitat, the most important thing is to do baseline surveys,” said NParks’ group director of conservation Lim Liang Jim.
“(We) need people to be on the ground, to monitor and note down what are the plants, and what are the animals there.”
Mr Lim said volunteering has been at the heart of the area's conservation in the past three decades, and hopes that this sense of community stewardship will endure.
Mr Bernard Seah, chairman of volunteer group Friends of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, said it is important for visitors to know how to behave in nature so as to protect the ecosystem.
“I hope that (we) can bring the experience of visiting our nature park network to a new level of understanding, coexisting, and most importantly, knowing what to do, what not to do, when you are in the reserve,” he said.
