Joanna Seow Straits Times 20 Aug 11;
A new study of the effects of washed-up rubbish on the mangroves at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve was launched on Saturday by the National Parks Board (NParks) and Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
The year-long monitoring programme will look at the effects of flotsam on coastal mangrove regeneration and ecology, and the results will help NParks manage the reserve better. It is the first time NParks is conducting such a study.
NParks' director of conservation Wong Tuan Wah said: 'The Sungei Buloh coastline is often littered by refuse brought in by the tides.
This monitoring project goes beyond our regular coastal clean-ups and will document the impact of rubbish on our mangroves.'
Staff researchers from both organisations will monitor the growth of saplings, with the assistance of volunteers from Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Anderson Junior College, and the Institute of Technical Education.
The volunteers will also help to clean the study site twice a month. Every quarter, a tree census will be conducted by the researchers to study the species that grow in the reserve.
Mr Biswajit Guha, general manager of Singapore Zoo - which comes under Wildlife Reserves Singapore - said that mangroves are important habitats for unique species and are ecologically important to nutrient cycling and coastal protection.
'Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is the only gazetted mangrove wetlands in Singapore and we should try our best to conserve it,' he added.
Study launched on impact of rubbish on Sungei Buloh mangroves
Today Online 21 Aug 11;
The National Parks Board (NParks) and Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) have embarked on a study to document the impact of rubbish on mangrove ecology in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. The year-long project, the first of its kind for NParks, will help the board better manage Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
Researchers from NParks and WRS, with the aid of volunteers, will monitor the growth of saplings and their survival rate in relation to the effects of rubbish. The volunteers from Anderson Junior College, Institute of Technical Education and WRS will also be involved in clean-ups of the study site twice a month.
