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NATURE SOCIETY (SINGAPORE)
ANNUAL REPORT 2012
(Jan – Dec)
Nature Society (Singapore) is a registered Society in Singapore under the Societies Act, Chapter 311 on 30 March 1961.
The Society is an approved charity under the Charities Act, Cap.37 since 19th February 2008 and has been accorded the status of an Institution of Public Character (IPC) for the period from 1st September 2008 to 31st August 2011 and renewed from 1st September 2011 to 31st August 2013. The Unique Entity No. (UEN) is S61SS0142H. The registered address of the Society is at 510 Geylang Road #02-05, The Sunflower Building, Singapore 389466. The premises are held in trust for the Charity by the following trustees by the trust instrument of 29th March 2000:
Prof. Lye Lin Heng Dr. Geh Min Prof. Ng Soon Chye
THE 2011-2012 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
Patron and Council Members Patron Prof Tommy Koh Immediate Past President Dr Geh Min Finance Advisory Group Members Dr Robert Casteels Dr Lee Lay Tin Mr Lim Chin Kheng Co-opted Council Member P rof P N Avadhani Advisory Council Members
Mr Iain Ewing Mr Richard Hale Mr Warren Khoo Prof Koh Kheng Lian Mr Kwek Leng Joo
Mr Lim Jim Khoon Mr Liu Thai Ker Prof Ng Soon Chye Mr Sim Wong Hoo Mr Mason Tan
Birdlife International Coordinator Mr Lim Kim Keang Environmental Law & Policy Coordinator Mr Vinayagan Dharmarajah Committee and Special Interest Groups Chairpersons Conservation Committee Acting Chairperson: Mr Leong Kwok Peng Education Committee Chairperson: Ms Gloria Seow Bird Group Chairperson: Mr Wing Chong Butterfly Interest Group Chairperson: Mr Anuj Jain Marine Conservation Group Chairperson: Dr Hsu Chia Chi Plant Group Chairperson: Dr. Shawn Kaihekulani Lum The Nature Ramblers Chairperson: Mr Benjamin Ho Vertebrate Study Group Chairperson: Mr Tony O’Dempsey Jalan Hijau Group Chairperson: Mr Tan Hang Chong
Executive Committee President Dr Shawn Kaihekulani Lum Vice President Mr Leong Kwok Peng Honorary Treasurer Mr Ong Eng Hin Honorary Secretary Ms Margaret E Hall Honorary Assistant Treasurer Ms Marian Tay (May to October 2012) Mr Choon Soo Kiat (November 2012 to present) Honorary Assistant Secretary Mr Tan Hang Chong Committee Members: Mr Goh Si Guim Dr Ho Hua Chew Dr Hsu Chia Chi
President’s Report
by Dr Shawn Lum
Introduction
As has become customary for these President’s Reports, I’d like to revisit the Nature Society (Singapore)’s Mission, against which our achievements must be compared:
• To promote nature awareness and nature appreciation • To advocate conservation of the natural environment in Singapore • To forge participation and collaboration in local, regional and international efforts
in preserving Earth's biodiversity
How did we measure up to our goals in 2012?
Activities
Nature Society members are never idle, but 2012 proved an exceptionally event-‐filled year on the conservation front. NSS members were involved in a number of conservation issues, including (1) long-‐term plans for the future of Bukit Brown, (2) allocation of park land to encompass the woodland at Bidadari, a habitat that is a staging point for many migratory forest birds, and (3) commenting on NParks’ plans to manage the wild boar population. These issues are not straightforward, as they involve the interests of various stakeholders, but NSS members, in particular Dr Ho Hua Chew (Bukit Brown and Bidadari) and Tony O’Dempsey (wild boar management) presented rational, measured arguments in support of the Nature Society positions on these issues. The Horshoe Crab Rescue and Research team continued to distinguish themselves with the publication of a third peer-‐reviewed scientific paper. Moreover, Vina Dharmarajah organised an IUCN motion to address the threats facting three species of Asian horseshoe crabs. This is the first time the Nature Society has sponsored an IUCN motion and, thanks to Vina’s efforts, brought the NSS into the realm of international conservation policy.
Partnerships
The Nature Society’s outreach objectives can take the form of both its own efforts as well as those done in partnership with statutory boards and fellow NGOs. Some notable partnerships in 2012 included World Water Day 2012, where the NSS helped lead
activities at Lorong Halus Wetland and Kranji Marsh in collaboration with organising body PUB. Thanks to Goh Ter Yang and the Bird Group (Lorong Halus) and to Dr Ho Hua Chew and Alan Owyong (Kranji Marsh). Alan Owyong and Lim Kim Keang represented the NSS as part of a partnership overseen by NParks to promote community participation in nature monitoring in the Kheam Hock Road area. The NSS Bird App will be an important (and fun) tool for students and residents to keep tabs on bird diversity in the neighbourhood. Tony O’Dempsey and Shawn Lum represented the Nature Society in the National Parks Board’s Nature Reserves Advisory Committee. Last but certainly not least, Leong Kwok Peng has been a stalwart in the Rail Corridor Partnership organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Ho Hua Chew, Leong Kwok Peng, and Shawn Lum were NSS members invited to serve as judges for the Rail Corridor Ideas Competition.
The Nature Society also collaborated with international and local conservation NGOs. The Little Green Dot research grants programme completed its first year and commenced its second under the aegis of IKEA and WWF Singapore, with Nature Society members serving as mentors to student researchers awarded the Little Green Dot grants. Goh Ter Yang and Chenny Li’s efforts were key to the Nature Society’s participation in the programme, as was the time and energy of NSS mentors. BirdLife International moved a large part of its Asia Office to Singapore in 2012. Vina Dharmarajah and Dr Geh Min helped with many aspects of the preparatory phase of the move. In May 2012 the Nature Society co-‐hosted the BirdLife Asian partners meeting. Many thanks go to Margie Hall, Agnes Sng and Chenny Li for their sterling effort in making the event possible.
In recent years an encouraging trend in conservation stakeholdership has emerged, with local residents increasingly speaking up for the protection of green areas. In 2012 residents in Dairy Farm, Braddell, and Pasir Ris came out in support of local green areas. In the past the Nature Society might have been asked to speak out on behalf of concerned residents, but new developments suggest that the Nature Society will primarily play a supporting role in neighbourhood concerns.
Outreach
Outreach remains a priority for the Nature Society, and my hope is that this will be an area where we will make large strides in the future. In 2012 the Nature Society worked through a renewal of its Fun With Nature Programme, with the help of Lena Chow. Lena Chow was also the driving force behind a new guide on Dragonflies, whilst the close of 2012 saw the readying of a new Bees & Wasps pocket guide, written by John Lee. The NSS participated in a number of environment-‐related festivals, where it set up outreach booths. One notable example was the Society’s booth at the NParks organised Biodiversity Festival, which saw, amongst other things, the official launch of the NSS
Bird App and Butterfly App for iPhone. Leong Kwok Peng worked with organisers of the Green Corridor Run as plans for its 2013 staging were being readied.
Two very positive outreach trends emerged in 2012, in my opinion. In years past, the media might have approached the NSS President for his/her views on various issues, but I am happy to say that in 2012 there were a number of members who have been featured in the media as spokespersons for the Society. They included Leong Kwok Peng, Tony O’Dempsey, Ho Hua Chew, and Goh Ter Yang. Dr Geh Min has been a key member of Singapore’s nature conservation and environment community, whilst Ms Faizah Jamal has emerged as an influential voice in environmental issues. Thanks to the efforts of Leong Kwok Peng, the NSS Facebook page has become an effective outreach avenue. It has been particularly successful in reaching beyond the confines of the traditional nature conservation community.
Milestones
Ms Faizah Jamal did many proud, not least of all friends in the Nature Society, by being appointed as a Nominated Member of Parliament in February 2012. Since her maiden speech in Parliament, Ms Faizah has been looked up to as someone who speaks to a broad cross-‐section of Singaporeans on the importance of wild areas for far more than biodiversity conservation. Nature helps in character building, creating a sense of home and nationhood, instilling values, family bonding, and much more. Many thanks for being a reasoned and inspiring voice for Nature, Faizah.
In May, the Nature Society organised an evening in honour of NSS Patron Prof Tommy Koh and his contributions to the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Rio Earth Summit). The Rio+20 event, held in collaboration with the National Parks Board, was a lovely, informative, and insightful evening held in the beautiful Burkill House. The evening underscored to me (and, no doubt to many others) what a treasure Prof Tommy Koh is, not just to Singapore, but to the world. Many thanks to Dr Cherian George for serving as an excellent discussion moderator. Dr Lucy Davis kindly donated original artwork as a memento for Prof Koh.
The Year Ahead
Many opportunities and challenges lie ahead in 2013 and 2014. The Nature Society (Singapore) will celebrate its 60th Anniversary in 2014. Look out for a series of events to mark this happy occasion.
A different opportunity presents itself in the form of the planned Cross-‐Island Line. The Ministry of Transport recently announced the new MRT line with a map showing the train line crossing the Central Catchment Nature Reserve through the heart of the
MacRitchie forest. Surface works for the train line will likely cause major, possibly permanent, impacts to sensitive species-‐rich habitats in what is a legally protected Nature Reserve. If there was ever a conservation cause behind which to rally, this is it.
The same challenges and opportunities raised a year ago apply: Systematic fundraising efforts, making a difference to every Singaporean, changing perceptions toward nature, gauging public opinion better, and articulating long-‐term goals for NSS are still priorities. I hope that this year’s Exco and Council will be able to make substantial progress in these areas.
Goodbye
Lady Yuen Peng McNeice passed away in June 2012. She was for decades an ardent supporter of horticulture, botany, and conservation in Singapore. She believed in the empowerment of people in all walks of life and quietly supported the education of many young women and men without asking anything other than that they give of their best to help society. Lady Yuen Peng McNeice was grace and generosity personified. She is greatly missed.
Thank Yous
This Nature Society (Singapore) President’s Report is already my fifth, and the privilege of serving the Society for so long could not have been possible without so many wonderful and generous colleagues, staff, sponsors, and volunteers. I cannot name even a fraction of the people whose dedication to the Nature Society allows it to function and to contribute to making Singapore a better place, but here are a few. NSS Exco: Leong Kwok Peng, Margie Hall, Tan Hang Chong, Ong Eng Hin, Eldwin Wong, Marilyn Tay, Hsu Chia Chi, Goh Si Guim, and Ho Hua Chew; many generous sponsors including City Developments Ltd and Bloomberg International, and important individual contributors such as Mr Richard Hale. The NSS Secretariat, as always, have been fantastic – Agnes Sng, Goh Ter Yang, Chenny Li, and of course Joe Lim. Thanks also to many member-‐volunteers and supporters from throughout the community – without you we could never do what we do.
Treasurer’s Report
by Mr Ong Eng Hin
(In preparation)
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
Conservation Committee by Ho Hua Chew 1) Kranji Marshes Adoption Programme (June 2012 – Dec 2012)
This part of the report will cover activities from May 2012 to December 2012 as those activities prior to May have been reported in the last AGM (2011).
The Adoption Programme continued to carry on with its regular activities.
a) Kranji Nature Walks For the on-‐going programme of nature walks, 7 nature walks were conducted for members and the public, with a total of 154 participants. A big thank you to Lee Ee Ling, Jimmy Lee, Ju Lin, Yong Ding Li and Gerard Francis for helping out as guides for the Kranji Nature Walk. And also a special thank you to Ee Ling of the Bird Group for helping to co-‐ordinate the walks.
b) Kranji Pond Voluntary Maintenance 5 sessions of Kranji Pond maintenance were carried out by students and staffs of corporate bodies, with a total 57 participants. A big thank you to the volunteers from Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley, Barclays Bank and Singapore Poly -‐-‐-‐ for helping out with the maintenance work.
c) Kranji Pond Heavy-work Maintenance 3 sessions of Kranji Pond heavy-‐work maintenance were carried out by the regular hired contractor (Yong Landscape).
2) Rail Corridor
a) The ‘Journey of Possibilities’ ideas competition (31 Mar)
The competition was organised by URA and drew more than 200 submissions from Singapore & overseas.
Shawn Lum, Hua Chew & Kwok Peng were part of the jury for this competition.
b) Rail Corridor Partnership (5 May)
URA announces the expansion of the existing Rail Corridor consultation group into a broader partnership with public sector agencies. The Rail Corridor Partnership (RCP) will look into the programming and promotion of community activities along the corridor.
Shawn Lum & Leong Kwok Peng represented NSS in this group
c) Rail Corridor 1st Anniversary (1 July)
The event was organised together with Eugene Tay (We Support the Green Corridor facebook).
Morning events included walks and birdwatching starting from Bukit Timah Railway Station.
Afternoon events included talks and exhibition at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.
d) Ecology Report (16 August)
The Ecology section of the planned Railway Corridor book was completed and submitted to the editorial team on 16 August. The title of the book is tentatively ‘Pathways Forward: Envisioning Singapore’s Railway Land as a Continuous Green Corridor.’ The ecology section covers both the main north-‐south line as well as the Jurong line, highlighting the forests/woodlands and other habitats contiguous to the two corridors worth conserving, such as the Clementi Forest, Maju (Camp) Forest, Alexandra Woodland, Mandai Mangrove, Gombak Scrubland, Sungei Ulu Pandan Hedge, etc. The whole book is underway for publication this year.
e) Mandai Mangrove Kayak (29 August)
A kayak trip was organised to view the mangrove at high tide as part of the Rail Corridor partnership engagement.
This stretch of mangrove lies alongside the Rail Corridor on the northern sector.
SMS Tan Chuan Jin participated in this trip together with representative from MND, Nparks and MOE.
3) Bidadari Conservation Proposal (7 December )
A Bidadari Conservation Proposal was submitted to HDB and other relevant authorities (URA & Nparks) on 7 Dec 2012. The proposal is under consideration by HDB. If accepted, it will contribute to the conservation of a nature area that is very rich and important for migratory birdlife. Like Sungei Buloh, this will be an important contribution to trans-‐national biodiversity conservation, but here it is for the dryland forest migrants (cuckoos, drongos, flycatchers, warblers, raptor, etc.) rather than the migratory shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers, etc. ) . A total of 141 species is recorded of which 59 are migratory species, including two species in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.
Education Committee by Ms Gloria Seow Fun with Nature Sessions for NSS Kids & the Public
In the past year, the Education Group has sought fresh angles to look at nature. In our Fun with Nature (FWN) trips, we have explored newly-‐opened nature offerings (eg. Tampines Eco-‐Green and the Breeding and Research Centre of Jurong Bird Park); initiated the appreciation of seemingly insignificant wildlife (eg. tiny wildflowers that some call weeds); and even capitalised on the ‘Year of the Snake’ with a water snake safari at Pasir Ris mangroves. These have engaged the kids and caregivers hailing from our membership base and from the public.
In the year under review, we held the following sessions: 1. Fun at Tampines Eco-‐Green with Gloria Seow, Timothy Pwee and Lena Chow on 3 June 2012; 2. Fun with Baby Birds at Jurong Bird Park on 21 July 2012; 3. Fun with the Wildflowers, Birds and Animals of Bidadari with Yap Von Bing and Angie Chua on 15 September 2012; 4. Fun with Forest Butterflies at Dairy Farm Nature Park with Tan Teong Seng and Lena Chow on 24 November 2012; 5. Fun with Water Birds at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve with Gloria Seow and Lena Chow on 3 February 2013; 6. Fun with Snakes at Pasir Ris Park with Yong Ding Li, Gloria Seow and Tan Hang Chong on 6 April 2013. Our sincere thanks to all guides named above, as well as to our regular helpers: Timothy Pwee, Lena Chow and Tan Hang Chong.
Fun with Nature Blog The Fun with Nature blog at http://funwithnature.blogspot.com/ now ranks number one on Google (moved up from 3rd place), Yahoo and Bing under the search terms ‘Fun with Nature’, attesting to its reach and popularity. This five-‐year old blog captures all FWN outings, where trip reports are substantiated with intriguing facts and photos of Singapore’s wondrous wildlife. It has become a valuable information repository of experiences that can be had in local wildlife areas. It gives readers a good
idea of the sights and sounds that one could expect from a visit. Entries are written by Gloria Seow and guest bloggers who could be trip leaders or participants. However, there are plans to migrate and centralise the contents of the blog under the NSS website.
NSS Kids’ Guide Initiative
The NSS Kids’ Guide initiative started in January 2012. At some of the regular Bird, Plant, Butterfly and Conservation (Horseshoe Crab) trips, there is a dedicated kids’ guide present. For bird walks, the guide will even carry a scope set to a child’s height. Heartfelt thanks to these four SIGs for their participation and support. To date, a small number of families with young children have benefited from this scheme. We hope that more families will join in the outings so that there is greater integration and a natural transition from kids’ centred activities to regular SIG trips. The format and intent of the main Fun with Nature sessions is to expose kids (and their parents) to the breadth of nature offerings, whereas this initiative takes care of the depth. The larger goal is to help cultivate the next generation of nature lovers and conservationists.
Fun with Nature (Schools)
Due to a lack of guides and marketing manpower, Fun with Nature (Schools), partially sponsored by HSBC, took a backseat in the past year. However, a new set of guides have since committed themselves to this programme, and we will be restarting it in June 2013. The HSBC funds will continue to be used to subsidise assembly talks, nature exhibitions and nature workshops at primary schools in Singapore.
REPORTS OF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Bird Group Report
by Mr Alan Owyong/Wing Chong
The Bird Group had another eventful year with more than 60 activities for the members. The Bird Application for iPhones was finally released and officially launched at the Biodiversity Festival on the 26th of May 2012. For the first time, bird watchers can use their iPhones in the field to identify all the 375 species of birds in our 2011 Checklist. An Android version is planned for the rest of smart phone users later. We thank the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore for the grant and Carl Zeiss Pte Ltd for their sponsorship. Trips and Walks: # The monthly trips to Kranji Marsh and Semakau Landfill for our members and public continued to be very popular. We added quarterly outings to the Lorong Halus Wetlands under the PUB’s ABC program. Special trips were also arranged to these sites in conjunction with the “World Water Week” in Jun 2012.
# The usual monthly birding trips for our members were organised to Bukit Brown and the Green Corridor (Clementi, Maju Camp and Bukit Timah) to highlight the biodiversity there. In addition, regular trips were made to familiar sites like Bidadari, Bukit Batok Nature Park, Diary Farm, Rifle Range, Pulau Ubin, Sungai Buloh Wetland Reserve, Springleaf Park and Tampines Woods. # A night Owling outing was also organised. Talks and Workshops: # Ding Li gave a public talk on ‘Parrots of Singapore’ on 18th Feb 2012, at the National Geographic Store at Vivocity, as a prelude to the annual Parrot Count. Many thanks to National Geographic for the use of their Store. # On 9/March/2012: Colin & Lynette Urquhart gave us an insight of Africa birding in their talk “Birding in the Eastern Cape on the Southern Tip of Africa’.
# The 1st Raptor ID Workshop was held on 3 Nov 2012, conducted by Tan Gim Cheong to prepare participants of the Raptor’s Watch. It was a good session to get tips on the finer features of raptors.
# Other talks included “Bird of Singapore App” by Alan Owyong, and Raptor Talk by Tan Gim Cheong. # Following a Wader Workshop by Dave Bakewell a wader watch trip to Kapar, Malaysia was organized in March 2012. Lim Kim Keang shared some photograps and videos of the trip with members on 2/Sep/2012. # On 1 Dec 2012 Yong Ding Li coordinated a mini seminar on “Wildlife Trade in Singapore”. Anbarasi Bhoopal from ACRES provided the overview on the Wildlife Trade in Singapore and ACRES’s involvement in it. Johanna Chin of NUS talked about internet’s role in bird trade. Janice Lee of ETH Zurich shared some findings of her work surveying bird shops in Singapore and the trends in local bird trade. Hanimam Boniran, a former AVA executive, shared his experience in monitoring the wildlife trade in Singapore and challenges faced by conservationist and policy makers. These talks drew many members, sometimes overfilling the office capacity. Bird Race: # The 2012 Big Day Bird Race, the 29th, was held on 20 Oct 2012 and 21 Oct 2012. Six novice team of 18 participants and eight Advance teams of 23 participants took part in the race that flagged off at Sungai Buloh Wetland Reserve and ended at Dairy Farm Adventure Centre. # 20 of our members also participated in the 25th Fraser Hill International Bird Race on 23 Jun 2012 and 24 Jun 2012. Six teams were formed and raced in the 24 hours’ race. We took home the 2nd, 3rd and a Consolation prize in the Advance Category. Bird Surveys: # In addition to the 4 annual bird surveys i.e. Asian Annual Waterfowl Census, Annual Bird Census, Mid Year Bird Census and the Fall Migration Bird Census, we conducted the 5th Raptors Watch (4th Nov 2012) for ARRCN and the 2nd Parrot Count (25th Feb 2012) for IUCN. 15 sites were surveyed. A total of 329 parrots belonging to 9 species were recorded.
# We completed the 1st Phase of the Ecolink Survey in August 2011and started on the 2nd Phase (Construction) in November 2011. This will take another 2 years to complete. # Continued with Pelagic Seabirds Surveys at the Straits of Singapore. 6 surveys between April 2012 and Nov 2012 were conducted. A new Gull and a Shearwater were recorded and photographed and if confirmed and accepted by the Records Committee they will be our first record for Singapore. # Rapid surveys along the Rail Corridor and Bukit Brown were undertaken to provide updated data for the conservation proposals to keep these two nature areas intact and free from development. # With permission from relevant authorities a survey for the birds of Tekong Island was conducted in Dec 2012. # The Bird Group and staff of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves embarked on a survey of waders movement between the Mandai mudflats and the reserves during the migratory season. Four teams at different locations monitor the passage of the shorebirds when the tides are rising and ebbing and ascertained that the shorebirds that feeds at the Mandai Mudflats use the Reserves as their high tide roost Overseas Symposium, Bird Fairs and Trips: # We organised a trip to Kapar, Malaysia (23-‐25 March) with Dave Bakewell to watch waders going back to their breeding grounds in the north. This is the premier site for thousands of returning Godwits, Eurasian Curlews and Gull-‐billed terns and a chance to see Red Knots, Greater Sand Plovers in their breeding plumage and the globally endangered Nordmann�s Greenshank.
# Gim Cheong represented the Bird Group at the 7th ARRCN Symposium in Bangkok. # Willie Foo represented us in the 3rd Asian / 11th Thailand Bird Fair 23 Jun to 24 Jun 2012, in Bangkok # Alan OwYong, represented the BG at Birdlife's workshop on "Important Bird Area" (IBA) monitoring held in Bangkok from 24th-‐28th Sept. # Willie Foo and Wong Chung Cheong participated in the 8th Philippine Bird Festival (7-‐8 Dec 2012) on behalf of the Bird Group.
All these overseas engagements give us the opportunity to network, build and strengthen our relationships with regional bird groups, share our conservation programs and promote regional co-‐operation. Bird Research Grants: # The Bird Group awarded a small Bird Research Grant to a NUS student Ng Wen Qing for to study the “Ecology Interaction of Bird and Figs in Singapore”. This is the second grant to be given out for bird research in Singapore. The first was for the study of the Changeable Hawk-‐Eagle in Singapore. # A third grant was awarded to Mr. Felix Wong for studying escapees Lineated Barbet and White-‐crested Laughingtrush’s distribution and their impact on local avian lives. Acknowledgement: We would like to thank the members of the Bird Group Committee for their collective effort to organise and lead many of the trips, walks and talks. Some have spent their time travelling to regional meetings to strengthen the relationship among birding communities. Many others have also led trips, both locally and abroad, took part in the surveys and counts. We would like to record the Bird Group’s thanks to all of them. Butterfly Interest Group (BIG) by Anuj Jain, Gan Cheong Weei BIG made significant progress in the year 2012 starting with playing an important role in the NSS website upgrade, the launch of NSS iPhone app, Butterfly Trail @ Orchard project winning an award at an international conference in China, launch of dragonfly pocket field guide and conducting numerous surveys both local and overseas, walks and talks. This was only possible because of significant contributions by several people especially Simon Chan, Lena Chow, KC Tsang, Amy Tsang, Tea Yi Kai and Steven Chong. BIG also had a change of Chairpersons with Gan CW stepping down in May 2012 and Anuj taking over in June 2012. Gan is now the group’s Vice-‐Chair where he continues to mentor and contribute to the group actively. Below are some of the major activities that BIG was involved in during 2012. NSS Website Upgrade project (Jan 2012) In Jan 2012, upgrade of NSS website, integration of NSS Forum login and migration of old website content was completed. Gan CW spent many hours spearheading and
monitoring the progress of this major project. The new website has been in use since and has simplified announcements and news articles, streamlined event planning and publishing, online event registration, payment, donation, membership signup and renewal and ensure consistent look and feel for all SIG pages. Launch of NSS Butterfly iPhone app (May 2012) BIG along with Bird Group (BG) launched the NSS iPhone app at the NParks Biodiversity festival in May 2012 held at the Singapore Botanic Gardens 25-‐27th May 2012. A bird and butterfly race was conducted at the Gardens. Following this event, Anuj gave a talk introducing the apps titled ‘Citizen science with NSS mobile butterfly app’.
Collaboration with NParks on Nature Ways (Apr-July 2012)
Anuj and Simon conducted several butterfly surveys for NParks along the Mandai Nature Way and Pasir Ris-‐Tampines Nature Ways during Q1 2012. BIG submitted our findings to NParks on Apr 18, 2012 and July 4th, 2012. NParks has acknowledged our contribution and will be using this baseline data to create a long term monitoring plan to study the effect of nature way plantings on bird and butterfly richness.
Best Conservation Project at Asian Lepidoptera Conservation Symposium (ALCS, June 2012)
Anuj and Gan presented the Butterfly Trail @ Orchard (BTO) project at ALCS4 in Tianjin, China titled ‘Conserving butterfly populations where people shop and work’. The theme of the conference was ‘Lepidoptera in changing environments’. BTO was awarded the Best Conservation project award for its unique tripartite model and its ability to create novel butterfly habitats.
Launch of Pocket Dragonfly Guide (Oct 2012)
BIG members Lena Chow, KC Tsang and Gan CW produced the first NSS publication on dragonflies and damselflies. This guide features 69 of the 131 dragonfly and damselfy species found in Singapore.
Butterfly survey at Langkawi Nature Festival (Nov 2012)
BIG members KC Tsang, Amy Tsang, Gan CW and Anuj attended Langkawi Nature Festival (LNF) upon invitation from JungleWalla Tours, organizers of the event. We
conducted a butterfly census 53 species were recorded during a day census. Gan CW also recorded a Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing in flight which is believed to be a very rare sighting in Langkawi.
New butterfly record from Pulau Ubin (Nov 2012)
BIG member Lena Chow recorded an Indian Nawab (Polyura jalysus) from Pulau Ubin during her regular visits to the island on 15th Nov 2012. This species has not been recorded from Singapore before hence a new record! The article was featured in Nature News Jan-‐ Feb 2013 issue.
Yearly butterfly sighting checklist (Dec 2012)
BIG has started publishing a yearly checklist of sightings observed by members on the NSS website. In 2012, 262 butterfly species out of around 300 extant butterfly species were recorded in Singapore. This list is not exhaustive but is a compilation of sighting records by BIG members or sent to BIG by members of public and verified by experts. This is the beginning of our effort to start longterm monitoring of butterfly populations in Singapore.
National Butterfly Campaign (Dec 2012 – ongoing)
In Dec 2012, Straits Times covered the story on Singapore’s national butterfly campaign. Anuj has since liased with designers from La Salle School of the Arts and produced a design brief which designers will use to produce a themed campaign. Once ready, the campaign will be put on social media, NSS website etc. We hope to involve several stakeholders such as NParks, and other relevant organizations in the process. Creating flagship species from the insect world will hopefully spur conservation interest and public awareness about the diverse insect fauna of Singapore.
Butterfly Trail @ Orchard project (ongoing)
BTO team has consulted Royal Thai Embassy over planting recommendations in Feb 2012 for their compound which is undergoing renovation works. Phase 3 plantings for BTO Nassim butterfly garden were conducted in Nov –Dec 2012. A progress report to UPS -‐ our sponsor for the butterfly garden was submitted in Oct 2012, following which a final report was submitted in Jan 2013.
Students from SOTA (School of the Arts) @ Dhoby Ghaut with advise from the BTO team have conceptualized a butterfly shaped sculpture to be installed at Istana Park. The sculpture, which will be made from recycled materials in late 2013 aims to increase awareness about the trail in Dhoby Ghaut area.
BTO team continues to monitor the trail with 62 butterfly species recorded till date.
Advising Seletar Country Club with creating a butterfly habitat (Nov 2012 – ongoing)
BIG has advised Environmental club @ Seletar Country Club (SCC) with host and nectar plantings to increase the butterfly diversity at the forest fragments in and around the club. Several of us have visited SCC and helped document the diversity in the area.
Butterfly Surveys, Talks and Walks
-‐ BIG members conducted 9 member/public walks in 2012 at the following locations -‐ 1 x BTO, 1 x Hort Park, 3 x KTM railway, 1 x Upper Seletar forest, 1x Mount Faber, 1 x Rifle Range Road, 1 x Dairy Farm Trail.
-‐ 1 public talk titled Current trends in Lepidoptera conservation in Asia by Anuj and Gan (July 2012)
-‐ Young BIG member Tan Teong Seng (age: 11 years) and Lena Chow conducted a kids’ butterfly walk at Dairy Farm Trail with Education group.
-‐ Anuj gave an invited talk titled ‘Understanding biodiversity with butterflies’ at Sengkang CC on 1st Dec 2012. The event, organized by Mr. Howming Tian (teacher, BIG member) was atteneded by teachers from 5 schools, 3 CCs, Green Culture Forum and Seletar Contry Club representatives.
-‐ BIG conducted several surveys at Bukit Brown Cemetery in 2011-‐2012 and prepared a butterfly species checklist for NSS campaign to protect the cemetery from the construction of expressway.
-‐ BIG also conducted several surveys along KTM Railway Corridor in 2011-‐2012 to contribute to NSS proposal to conserve the railway corridor. Revised corridor ecology report was submitted to NParks in July 2012.
Future Initiatives
-‐ BIG has begun work with the NSS History book team to document the history of the group since it was founded in mid-‐1990s
-‐ We plan to put together a dynamic butterfly checklist on the NSS website which is relatively easy to update and in future linked with NSS mobile apps. This is in
lieu of significant work needed to update the current butterfly checklist on NSS website.
-‐ We plan to create a mobile app framework that will be relatively independent across mobile platforms and can be used as a template to create new biodiversity apps for Singapore.
-‐ BTO team plans to create butterfly gardens along Orchard especially along Boulevard Green and Somerset areas in 2013 pending sponsorships.
Plant Group
by Ms. Angie Ng
Activities: for Plant Appreciation, Public Education and Conservation
Through our sharing and field activities we hope to encourage members ( as well as the public) to get to care, love and appreciate the flora and fauna, particularly the native plants and trees, in our island home and be inspired to play a part in their protection and conservation.
1. Berlayar Boardwalk mangroves walk by Dr Shawn Lum on 18 March 2012 in which he surprised us with many rare species of mangrove and back mangrove plants lining the boardwalk.
2. Bukit Batok Nature Park walk also by Tony O’Dempsey on 8 April 2012 showed up a vibrant forest full of surprises and thrilled both young and old.
3. Kranji Nature Trail walk by Ron Yeo on 4 Feb 2012, (but we diverted to SBWR as the KNT was closed for repairs) .
4. “How do Plants Get their Names?” a two session lecture of the scientific naming of plants following the International Code of Nomenclature, conducted by Dr Benito C Tan on 22 and 29 March 2012 at the NSS office.
5. Survey of the coastal forest plants at RWS Sentosa on 4 Sunday mornings in June, led by Dr Shawn Lum.
6. Singapore Garden Festival at Suntec City July 7 – 15. Plant Group members were the biggest group of NSS volunteers during the 9 days.
7. “The rich and diverse pteridophyte flora in Singapore” workshop conducted at NSS office by Dr Benito Tan on August 22, 25 followed by a fieldtrip on Sept 1.
8. The Fern participants led By Dr Benito Tan made an eventful morning trip to Pulau Ubin on Nov 3 2012.
9. Bird-‐watching and Plant Appreciation at Kranji Marshes, led by Gerard Francis on Dec 2 2012.
10. Plant group set up and maintained the X’mas tree at the Botanic Gardens Christmas
Light-‐up.
11. “A field guide to the Bees and Wasps of Singapore” authored by Mr John X.Q. Lee
(non-‐member) was produced and 2000 copies printed.
12. Plant Group lent support to Mr Jon Boon in the publication of his inspiring
wildflowers book “ Little Flower” and contributed the foreward in the book. Read Anne Chong’s review of the book in Jan 2013 issue of NN.
13. Plant group members were present at most Bukit Brown walks organized by nature
and heritage groups.
THANKS to all members who have attended our walks and courses and who have given us much support and encouragement. Special thanks to Shawn, Von Bing and Anne, Gerard, Benito, Tony, Ron, Cuifen, Moira, Hang Chong, Kwok Peng, Hua Chew, Margie, Si Guim and council members.
Vertebrate Study Group (VSG) by Mr Tony O’Dempsey
The VSG activities for the past 12 months include Wild Pig activity surveys at Lower Pierce and MRT Cross Island line surveys around the Bukit Kalang area. The wild pig activity surveys involve grid based data collection for the purpose of determining the extent of wild pig activity as well as identifying correlations with potential food sources. These surveys are almost complete and a report will be completed by the end of this year. The group is also involved in surveys over areas affected by the proposed new MRT alignment. The surveys are paying close attention to the rainforest streams that cross the alignment as these are deemed to be at most risk from any soil investigation
or construction activity in the nature reserve.
Looking ahead the VSG has made plans to develop an iPhone application based on the same framework as that of the Bird and Butterfly applications already published. A small sub-‐committee has been assembled for this purpose and they are currently in the process of collating images, recordings and text in preparation for the software consultant who will be engaged to produce the final product.
The VSG is also anticipating the resumption of EcoLink surveys later this year once the construction phase has been completed.
Marine Conservation Group (MCG) by Dr Hsu Chia Chia 1. An initiative to relaunch Singapore Blue Plan 2009 to Ministers and Members of Parliament and relevant heads of governmental organisations was explored and presented to and accepted by NSS Exco/Council.
2. A discussion was held with Mr. Francis Lee, President of Raffles Marina and one of the three initiators of the ASEANarean Expedition project, for transfer of collateral (books, DVD home video copyrights, etc) of the project to NSS MCG in the near future; also discussed was how MCG will then take on the ASEANarean Expedition's legacy.
3. MCG was involved, together with various other marine conservation and marine related stake holders, in a dialogue sessions with Marine Port Authority's (MPA) New Port Development. MPA shared with stakeholders, including NSS, the EIA carried out by DHI on the possible environmental impact on Sultan Shoal due to the on-‐going reclamation of Tuas and Jurong Island. MPA is committed to coral relocation and protection of coral receiving areas. A site visit was organised to Sultan Shoal by MPA on Tues 28 Aug 2012. NSS has agreed, together with others, to contribute volunteers to coral relocation efforts in 2Q to 3Q 2014 and regular monitoring of status of corals at receiving areas from 3Q 2014 to 4Q 2015.
4. MCG met with Commander Hsu Sin Yun, Police Coast Guard, and his team on Wed 26 Sept '12 to present NSS's concern of the effect a security fence across the North Western coastal sector would have on the mangrove ecosystem and the biodiversity of the area. We offered to contribute our knowledge of this much studied area by NSS to the EIA that Cdr. Hsu confirmed would be done prior to its implementation. A brief discussion on the deployment of buoys in the Mandai mudflats area elicited a positive
response that, should they be deployed, NSS may request collaboration with PCG on their use in our research activities.
5. We attended NParks Mega Marine Survey briefing at SBG and expressed NSS's interest to be involved with this, esp. regarding HSC survey on off-‐shore islands and underwater biodiversity survey.
6. We attended Marine Stewardship Council Dinner hosted by Raffles Marina on Wed 31 Oct 2012 and met, among others, Kelvin Ng Wei Yong, Regional Director, Asia, based at MSC Office at Tanglin International Centre and various overseas MSC Council members who were in S'pore for a Council meeting and the opening of their S'pore office.
1) Horseshoe Crab Rescue and Research 2012 by Kerry Pereira Date of HSC R & R and related outreach sessions No of Volunteers Saturday 14 Jan 2012 38 Sunday 5 Feb 2012 57 Sunday 19 Feb 2012 82 Saturday 17 Mar 2012 (island-wide population and distribution survey)
160
Saturday 28 Apr 2012 73 Saturday 12 May 2012 109 Saturday 9 Jun 2012 58 Sunday, 8 Jul 2012 38 Friday, 20 Jul 2012 (DENSO Environment Education Programme)
8
Sunday, 5 Aug 2012 48 Total Volunteers 2012 671 Collaborating Groups Temasek Polytechnic Ngee Ann Polytechnic Serangoon Secondary School Xingnan Primary School Tampines Secondary School Nanyang Girls’ High School ITE College East Singapore Environment Council Fengshan Primary School
Hendersons Secondary Republic Polytechnic National University of Singapore Kranji Secondary School National Institute of Education ERM Foundation The Ritz Carlton Residences Bukit View Secondary School River Valley High School
The Island-wide Population & Distribution Survey 2012 On 17 March 2012 this was carried out at the following 10 sites: Sarimbun, Lim Chu Kang jetty, Mandai mudflats at Kranij, Lower Seletar Reservoir dam, Pasir Ris Park, Chanji beach, East Coast Park, West Coast Park and Kranji Reservoir Park/Dam (both banks of dam). Based on a limited random transect search to exhaustion of two approximately 50 m2 site, the Mandai mudflats has a population density of 1.1 horseshoe crabs (C. rotundicauda) per m2. This ranks as the highest density of horseshoe crabs ever documented in the world and gives a preliminary estimate of 200,000 horseshoe crabs at the North-‐West mudflats of Singapore. Conferences 1) Scientific publication (our 3rd) (Aug 2012) Follow-‐up study on population structure and breeding pattern of the mangrove horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda in Singapore. Aquat Biol 14:217-‐222, Cartwright-‐Taylor L, Hsu CC (2012). NSS sponsored conservation initiative at IUCN World Congress The motion for the conservation of Asian horseshoe crabs (Tachypleus tridentatus, Tachypleus gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) was successfully adopted at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju, Republic of Korea, 6–15 September 2012. NSS’ IUCN Coordinator, Mr Vinayagan Dharmarajah, who had actively spearheaded the motion on behalf of NSS, represented NSS at the Congress and continues to lead the initiative.
The resolution was sponsored by NSS and co-‐sponsored by the following: 1) Asia Pacific Centre for Environmental Law, Singapore 2) Centre for Environmental Legal Studies, PACE, USA 3) Bombay Natural History Society, India 4) Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, Philippines 5) Malaysian Nature Society, Malaysia We are also very grateful to our friends at the National Conservation Society of Japan for their support of the motion.
Thank You Lesley Cartwright-‐Taylor, Vina Dharmarajah, Tan Hang Chong, Yap Von Bing, Ng Harn Hua, J Vanitha, Louise Burns, Colman Rupp, Soh Lay Bee, Isabelle Lee Sok Hui, Lester Tan Jin Xiang, Goh Qiu Ting, Felicia Rebecca Wee, Benardine de Britto, Moira Khaw, Clara Wong Wan Qi, Heng Chong Yong and Sim Hui Shan, Hwa Shi-‐Hsia, Marian Tay, Agnes Sng, Chenny Li, and Goh Ter Yang. Jalan Hijau Group by Tan Hang Chong NSS International Coastal Cleanup The annual event conducted in 70 to 100 countries on 29 September 2012 saw volunteers collecting 878kg of rubbish from Mandai Mudflats. These included car parts, computer keyboards, toilet bowl, bathroom sink, armchair frame, rubber tubes and other PVC items, plastic bags and plastic items, bottles, food wrappers and nets. Thank You To all the staff of Holcim, Umoe Schat-‐Harding, Yap Von Bing, Hsu Chia Chi, Kerry Pereira, Allan Teo, Leong Kwok Peng, and Chenny Li. Nature Ramblers Group by Mr. Benjamin Ho
Nature Ramblers Activities for Year 2012
Date Activity Leader Est Attendance Feb 19 Nature Ramble from Bt
Timah to MacRitchie Rehan 15
Mar 18 Pulau Ubin Ramble Ali Not available Jun 23 Green Corridor Ramble Benjamin 20 Sep 22 Twilight Ramble from
Dempsey Road to Bukit Brown
Pandian & Sutari 35
Dec 29 and 30 Ramblers’ Year End Get-‐Together
Sutari 20
Photos courtesy of Ali Jaafar and Mr. Foo
