NATURAL HERITAGE of singapore(:

Singapore, an island city state and the smallest country in Southeast Asia, is located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, south of the Malaysian state of Johor, and north of the Indonesian Riau Islands. Although small, nature is still alive in concretized Singapore. There are a number of places where a variety of flora and fauna and beautiful landscapes can be found, for example, Pulau Ubin, Sungei Buloh Wetland reserve and Bukit Timah nature reserve.

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Landscape

Bukit timah Nature reserve

The Bukit Timah and Central Catchment nature reserves are home to more than 840 flowering plants and over 500 species of animals.

Chek Jawa

For environmentalists and conservationists, Chek Jawa is a gem of marine wildlife. Located at the eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, Chek Jawa is a collection of six distinct habitats.

Mount Faber

Mount Faber offers landscaped gardens and vantage points at its peak provide panoramic views of the harbour, Sentosa island and the other Southern islands.

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is Singapore's first and only protected wetland reserve. Home to over 500 species of tropical flora and fauna, the 130-hectare conserved wetland habitat is also a "refuelling point" for birds on the East Asian Australasian Flyway.

Flora and Fauna

SUNGEI BULOH WETLAND RESERVE

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a place where mangroves and wetland wildlife thrive. It is home to over 500 species of tropical flora and fauna.

Mangrove flowers are intricately designed and some are colourful. Pollinators of these flowers include birds, moths, bats and wind.

Some seeds germinate on the parent plant before they detach and fall to the mudflats to begin life on their own. Through this adaptation, the seedlings are able to take root immediately in favourable conditions, thus increasing their chances of survival.

The Avicennia alba is the most common Avicennia species found in the reserve. All Avicennia species have the ability to excrete excess salt from their leaves through special salt glands found in the leaf surface. The term alba and the common name in Malay Api Api Puteh refers to whitish under leaf surface. The pencil-like roots of the Avicennia species or pneumatophores branched upwards from the main horizontal roots that grow below the soil. These roots allow the absorption of atmospheric oxygen through specialized root cells known as lenticels.

Hibiscus tiliaceus is commonly known as Sea Hibiscus and can grow up to 13 meters tall. It have heart-shaped leaf. The bright yellow flower with maroon eye opens in the morning and fades dull pink soon after falling in the same evening. The seeds are enclosed within a star-shaped calyx cup. The tree has many uses and that includes stem cuttings as fences, wood for boat building and firewood, fibers from the bark as strings and roots, leaves and shoots are medicinal.

An aquatic herb of shallow water, Nymphaea cultivar is also know as the Water Lily. These plants have creeping underground stem and long leaf stalk, allowing the leaves to float on the surface of the water.

Monochoria hastate or Pondweed is an aquatic herb with broad spearhead-shaped leaves and long-stalked, reaching 60 cm tall. The flowers are light violet and the fruits are enclosed in capsule with many tiny seeds within. Leaves and flowers can be eaten as vegetable either raw or steamed.

Water Hyacinth is a floating plant with swollen leaf stalks that contain air to help the plant float. Can reproduce very quickly and take over an entire pond. Bear light purple flowers that grow in a cluster.

The Water Banana bears two types of roots; those that look like bananas and those that anchor the plant to the soil.

A resident bird of Singapore, the White-collared Kingfisher can often be found flying amidst the mangrove trees. Watch this bird dive for fish from its favourite perch on mangrove branches along Sungei Buloh Besar.

During high tide, these crabs climb out of the water to escape predation. They form an important component of the ecosystem by feeding on fallen mangrove leaves that do not decompose easily. This helps in the breakdown of the mangrove leaves into nutrients for the mangrove plants.

Growing up to 2 metres, the Monitor Lizard is the largest lizard found in Singapore. This creature can often be seen sun-bathing on the walking routes! Fear not, as when disturbed, it will clumsily escape into the undergrowth or water. It is an excellent swimmer, living near water where it scavenges.

The Mudskipper is an amazing fish of the swamp. Unlike most fishes, its protruding eyes stick out of the water and enable it to observe it’s surrounding. It has modified fins that help propel it out of water and across the mudflats.

The Mud Lobster makes this mini volcano-like mound of mud. They are very important member of the mangrove ecosystem. It excavates below the surface of the mud, pushing mud to the surface and making its home higher as it digs. In this way it helps to bring nutrients from deep underground to the surface, helping in the recycling of nutrients in the ecosystem.

The Grey and Purple Heron can be seen at the reserve throughout the year. During the nesting season, they breed in colonies on top of mangrove trees. Typically, the male will search for sticks to present to the female for the construction of their nest. The Grey and Purple Heron are among the largest birds in Singapore, commonly found feeding at the ponds in the reserve. They adopt a stalk and stab technique to hunt for fish and crustaceans.

A family of 4 Smooth Otters can be spotted frolicking and fishing in Sungei Buloh Besar.

The Olive-backed Sunbird is often observed flying from branch to branch or feeding on the nectar of flowers.

The Changeable Lizard blends well into the surrounding flora. It is the favourite diet of birds and snakes.

The Cotton Stainer is brightly coloured insect in red and black to warn potential predators that it is not very palatable. Feeds on plant sap. It is considered a pest to the cotton farmers.

The Baya Weaver's craft of nest-making is one of the many wonders of nature. Blades from leaves are removed and threaded into symmetrical homes hanging from trees.

The Yellow Bittern is commonly found at the freshwater pond. This solitary bird is difficult to spot as it is well-camouflaged against the vegetation; but can be seen fluttering off suddenly when disturbed.

PULAU UBIN

Pulau Ubin is a small island situated in the north east of Singapore, to the west of Pulau Tekong. The name Pulau Ubin literally means "Granite Island" in Malay, which explains the many abandoned granite quarries there. Pulau Ubin's wooden house villages and wooden jetties, relaxed inhabitants, rich and preserved wildlife, abandoned quarries and plantations, and untouched nature in general make it the last witness of the old "kampong" Singapore that existed before modern industrial times and large scale urban development.

Prawn Farming

Just a few minutes walk from Ubin Village lies an extensive area of Prawn Ponds, and these are still in use to this day. The prawn ponds are alive with small fish, the most obvious of which are the mudskippers. These fish are able to spend considerable periods of time out of water; at low tide they may be seen resting half-submerged in round water-filled depressions which they have constructed, or else they might be squabbling over their territorial patch of mud. Keep an eye out for the different species which include the Blue-spotted Mudskipper Boleophthalmus boddarti and the Giant Mudskipper Periophthalmodon schlosseri, the latter being reputed to reach a maximum size of nearly 30 centimetres.

Locally, Pulau Ubin is well known for its rich diversity of resident and migratory birds. The prawn ponds and mangrove inlets are alive with kingfishers; the largest resident species is the Stork-billed Kingfisher (37 cm) which tends to inhabit the deeper tidal mangrove inlets, and the smallest the Common Kingfisher (17 cm) which can be found in the prawn ponds.

A pair of Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata feed on grass seeds in the bright morning sun.Inhabiting the grasslands is a group of birds known as munias. These charming, diminutive members of the sparrow family will be seen early in the morning in excited, chattering flocks feeding on grass seeds.

Brightly coloured woodpeckers are harder to catch sight of, but look carefully on the trunks of dead trees and you may find them busily tapping away searching for insects.

Common along the north coast visiting Grey Herons - this species nests in large colonies elsewhere in Singapore however in Pulau Ubin they are usually to be found roosting alone. Less commonly seen is the Purple Heron Ardea purpurea. During the wader migration season, from September to March, numerous waders can be seen on exposed mudflats and sandbanks in the east of the island.

At twilight the nightjars appear. In the fading light these birds may be seen swooping low to snatch winged insects for their supper.

Anemone, starfish are some of the sea animals that can be found in pulau ubin.

BUKIT TIMAH NATURE RESERVE

A walk through the reserve takes the visitor along forest trails covered in dense tropical foliage. Along the way, visitors may see an astonishing variety of plant, animal and insect life, typical of a humid equatorial climate.

Be awed by giant trees like the Dyera costulata (Jelutong) and the Shorea curtisii (Seraya), which is the characteristic tree of the lowland forest here.

Woody lianas, ferns and palms are also commonly seen in the tropical rain forest. The edge of the clearings is a good place to view rattans and other climbers.

The nature reserve well-known residents, the Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis), are bold creatures and a trip to the reserve would not be complete without spotting these playful primates! Along the way, look out for forest denizens like the cute Plantain Squirrel (Callosciurus notatus), Common Sun Skink (Mabuya multifasciata), the mildly venomous Oriental Whip Snake (Ahaetulla prasina), and forest birds like the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus), Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga sipahaja) and kingfishers by the water’s edge.