Singapore, Johor study cross-border eco-tourist attraction on Sungei Buloh and three Johor sites

Joanne Chan Channel NewsAsia 19 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE: Singapore is conducting a joint study with Johor to develop a cross-border tourist attraction.

It involves linking up Singapore's Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and three sites in Johor to promote eco-tourism.

The joint study aims to provide a seamless travel experience for eco-tourists.

This means nature lovers can hop from Sungei Buloh to the nature parks and mangrove forests of Sungai Pulai, Pulau Kukup and Tanjong Piai in Iskandar Malaysia.

Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu said visitors can enjoy the unique characteristics of each site.

"If we have tourists coming to Singapore, and you come to Sungei Buloh, and you find that it's interesting and you want to explore more, a bigger area, a different type of environment, then perhaps from here, you could think about moving on to other areas in Johor, and vice-versa," she said.

Ms Fu said discussions are still underway, including talks about how to link up the 4 sites.

As for Sungei Buloh, work will start later this year to redevelop its facilities to cope with a higher number of visitors, which averages some 140,000 a year.

The 130-hectare wetland is a familiar stomping ground for nature lovers and bird watchers. It's home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including over 220 species of birds.

Once completed, it will feature a new 38-hectare park for the casual visitor.

The park will have facilities such as observation hides and coastal boardwalks to allow visitors to get closer to nature.

Another focus of the redevelopment is preserving the biodiversity of the wetland reserve. It will be set aside for conservation work and research.

It will boast of a new mangrove arboretum or living gallery of trees, showcasing all 67 species of mangrove plants and trees found in Singapore.

The existing visitor centre here at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve will be upgraded to become a research and education hub. New facilities such as dormitories for researchers could be added, as well as meeting rooms to host conferences and workshops.

The wetland reserve will become a restricted access area to protect its biodiversity. This is a similar arrangement for Chek Jawa and Semakau eco-park, where special permits to visits the sites have to be obtained.

"We want to conserve and protect the rich biodiversity within Sungei Buloh. Anyone can still enter, but you will need a guide, or do some preparation before you come," said James Gan, assistant director of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, NParks.

Development works on Sungei Buloh will start by the end of this year, and will be completed by mid-2013.

The public can get a sneak peek of the S$50 million redevelopment at an exhibition at its visitor centre until August 1.

NParks said the construction will be carried out in phases so that visitors can still visit the reserve. - CNA/jy/ls

Wetland reserve gets $50m makeover
New 38ha park to help Sungei Buloh cope with growing number of casual visitors
Kimberly Spykerman Straits Times 20 Jun 10;

Conservation will get a boost in the $50 million makeover for the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

The wetland will get a 38ha park - named the Sungei Buloh Wetland Park - to help it cope with the rising number of visitors.

It is hoped that the park will attract more casual visitors, leaving the main reserve area for researchers, serious nature lovers and bird watchers. The authorities fear that rising and unregulated visitor numbers may have a negative impact on the reserve's rich biodiversity.

The site of the new 38ha park is an extension of the reserve now known as the Kranji Nature Trail.

Funding for the park will come from the Singapore Tote Board.

The park, which has no visitor cap, will house facilities such as observation pods, coastal boardwalks, educational play facilities and wireless learning trails.

To further ensure that the area's biodiversity remains largely unspoilt, access to the 138ha reserve, on the other hand, is likely to be controlled. Visitors may have to apply for permission in advance.

These plans were unveiled yesterday by Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education Grace Fu.

Said Ms Fu: 'While we treasure Sungei Buloh's rich biodiversity, we want to bring the public to nature as well. And the challenge is how do we balance the need to keep nature as it is, and allowing public access?'

The Sungei Buloh wetland was gazetted as a nature reserve in 2002, with its wide variety of flora and fauna, including more than 220 species of birds. It has been identified as a zone for core conservation.

Currently, the reserve sees about 140,000 visitors a year, and the authorities hope to bring the number down to 100,000.

This is so that they can better manage visitor impact on the wildlife, an arrangement that visitors to sites like Chek Jawa and the Semakau eco-park are already familiar with, said Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve assistant director James Gan.

'We are taking the proactive approach. We don't want to wait for signs of deterioration due to visitor impact before we take action,' he added.

Mr Wong Tuan Wah, director of conservation at the National Parks Board, said nature enthusiasts often lament a lack of animal sightings at the reserve, and this could largely be due to congestion and noise from crowds within the reserve.

'It's like having a party in there, and that scares away the animals. So by having the segregation, the serious bird watchers and nature lovers have the opportunity to observe... It's no point for you to be able to go everywhere unrestricted, but you don't get to see or experience.'

Conservation efforts within the reserve will also be beefed up. For example, a Mangrove Arboretum - a living gallery of trees - will be set up. A first in the region, it will be a collection of all 67 species of mangrove plants and trees found in Singapore. It will allow students and researchers to view all species easily within a single location.

In addition, more will be done to protect the reserve's biodiversity and habitats, such as the creation of a freshwater pond to enhance the dragonfly population, and erection of a breakwater to mitigate the impact of waves.

Work on the reserve will be done in phases, starting from the end of the year, and is expected to be completed by mid-2013.

Ms Fu also highlighted a joint study that Singapore is conducting with Johor to develop a cross-border tourist attraction involving the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and the three Ramsar sites of Sungai Pulai, Pulau Kukup and Tanjong Piai.

A Ramsar site is a title granted by the Geneva-based Ramsar Convention Bureau to identify wetlands of international importance.

She added that the study has the potential to move beyond eco-tourism to include collaboration on environmental and biodiversity conservation.

NParks to enhance outdoor learning and education facilities at Sungei Buloh Mast er Plan Public Exhibition on display from 19 June to 1 August
NParks media release 19 Jun 10;

The National Parks Board (NParks) unveiled the detailed plans for Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve today. Under the Master Plan, conservation of the wetland's rich biodiversity will be strengthened, while its outdoor learning and education facilities will be enhanced. In time to come, visitors can look forward to new facilities, programmes and activities to cater to all groups, from students, families, nature lovers to researchers.

A public exhibition showcasing the future plans for Sungei Buloh was launched today by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education.

Speaking at the launch, she said, "We are now writing the new pages of history for Sungei Buloh with the new Sungei Buloh Master Plan. This Master Plan is developed with the twin objectives of strengthening biodiversity conservation, and enhancing Sungei Buloh's status as a premier outdoor education, learning and research centre. NParks and the Ministry of Education (MOE) recognise the richness in learning opportunity that nature provides. Both agencies are exploring ways for our students to step out of their classrooms and learn from the environment that we live in. This year, we embarked on a pilot project to raise students' awareness of Singapore's rich flora and fauna under MOE's Programme for Active Learning, or PAL in short.

The Draft Master Plan for Sungei Buloh was first announced by Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong at Sungei Buloh's 15th anniversary in December 2008. Since then, a working group, comprising representatives from Nature Society Singapore (NSS), the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), National University of Singapore (NUS), National Institute of Education (NIE), National Technological University (NTU), PUB, Ministry of Education (MOE) and volunteers, had worked on the detailed plan for Sungei Buloh.

Enhancing Sungei Buloh's role as an outdoor learning classroom

An extension of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, currently known as Kranji Nature Trail, will be redeveloped as a buffer to the wetland reserve, with a focus on nature learning and recreation. Renamed as Sungei Buloh Wetland Park, this 38 hectare park aims to diversify the visitor experience, and also take on the additional visitorship to the wetland reserve.

New facilities in the pipeline for students and family groups include observation hides, coastal boardwalks as well as educational play facilities to support the programmes and activities which will be implemented. Wireless learning trails will also enhance the learning experience.

Educational trails with themes such as 'Life in Mangroves' and 'Conserving Mangroves' will be developed so that visitors can gain a deeper understanding about this rich ecosystem. This helps to promote family bonding out in the field and allows them to get closer to the natural mangrove environment.

Students can also look forward to an additional Visitor Centre at Sungei Buloh Wetland Park. It serves as a second gateway to Sungei Buloh, with experiential trails leading out into the park. This Visitor Centre will have interactive exhibits and interpretative displays to educate the public on mangroves and conservation.

Strengthening conservation of Sungei Buloh

As a site along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory shorebirds and an ASEAN Heritage Park, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a unique asset for conservation, education and recreation in a land-scarce city state like Singapore. It is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including over 220 species of birds.

To enhance Sungei Buloh's biodiversity, a new Mangrove Arboretum, the first in the region, will be set up. It will be a national collection of all 67 species of mangrove plants and trees found in Singapore, featuring common types of mangroves such as the Nipah Palm as well as the critically threatened Api-api jambu (Avicennia marina). This is about 80% of the world's total mangrove flora. When established, this arboretum enables students and researchers on mangroves to view all species easily at one location.

Measures will also be taken to regularly maintain the mudflats as shorebirds use these non-vegetated plots to roost and feed. A series of improvement works will also be implemented to further protect Sungei Buloh's biodiversity and habitats, such as erecting a new breakwater to mitigate the impact of waves. Nature areas within the wetland reserve will also be linked up through tree planting to form corridors of complementary habitats. In addition, a new freshwater pond will be created, which helps in enhancing the population of dragonflies.

Existing Visitor Centre to become a Research Hub

Over at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the existing Visitor Centre will be upgraded to become a research and education hub, with amenities such as multi-purpose rooms and workshops to facilitate research into the biodiversity of mangroves. Facilities for meetings and corporate events are also envisioned which can cater to local and regional workshops on biodiversity conservation and corporate retreats.

Sungei Buloh Master Plan recognised at ASLA 2010

The Sungei Buloh Master Plan received an Honour Award in the Analysis and Planning Category at the 2010 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Professional Awards, which was recently concluded in April 2010.

Development works will commence by the end of this year, and are targeted to be completed by mid 2013.

New Coffee table Book on Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

A new coffee table book called 'Wetlands in the City' was also launched at the event. It is a joint collaboration between NParks and Dr Chua Ee Kiam, a prolific nature photographer cum writer, and a long time volunteer with NParks.

Featuring 360 vivid and stunning photos of the wetland reserve, the 176-page publication aims to showcase the wonders of mangroves, captured from various locations in the reserve such as boardwalks, trails, the observatory tower and the Main Bridge. Dr Chua has also documented the key milestones of Sungei Buloh, from its early days as an area of prawn farms and fruit orchards, to today's wetland reserve of rich biodiversity.

'Wetlands in the City' can be purchased at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the Garden Shop and Library Shop at the Singapore Botanic Gardens from today onwards at $48 each. It is also available at major bookstores from mid July onwards.