NG JING YNG Today Online 16 Apr 15;
SINGAPORE — To encourage stewardship of biodiversity amongst Singaporeans, the National Parks Board (NParks) will be introducing bird and butterfly counting under its national citizen science programmes.
A new SGBioAtlas app was also launched by the Minister of State for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee, today (April 16) to encourage citizens to contribute to biodiversity sightings and help experts collect data.
Around 400 participants, including students and workers, have signed up for the bird counting initiative to collect data on birds over the next 10 days. It will be held at 60 locations like neighbourhood parks and nature reserves.
Under the citizen science programme currently, there are existing programmes such as the heron watch to monitor 18 species of these birds at their feeding sites.
New programme to monitor Singapore's bird population
Chan Luo Er Channel NewsAsia 16 Apr 15;
SINGAPORE: More than 50 people came together for National Parks Board's (NParks) inaugural Garden Bird Count on Thursday (Apr 16). Over two hours, the volunteers recorded 210 birds from 26 species at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park.
In total, more than 400 participants will be spread out across 60 locations over the next 10 days to record bird sightings. Prior to this, they attended a two-hour training session by NParks, where they learnt to identify 30 common birds in Singapore.
"I can definitely identify the birds a lot faster. Before this, I only (knew about) mynas. My favourite one is the pink-necked green pigeon," said participant Song Yi Jia from Raffles Junior College.
"Many people think that Singapore has no biodiversity, has no wildlife. But I think the birds that we all saw today can put a rest to this misconception," said another participant, Lim Xue Xian, from Raffles Institution.
Sarah Phua Hern Teng from the Singapore School of Science and Technology said: "I saw quite a number of birds that were in the list that was provided and what we learnt from training. The birds were very fast so we had to be really observant to see them."
A new SGBioAtlas app was also launched by the Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee, on Thursday.
The app comes under NParks' Citizen Science programme and aims to get citizens to contribute to biodiversity sightings. This pool of data will enable NParks to monitor biodiversity populations and habitats, and to better develop site management strategies.
"When you have more people partaking in it, then we have better information," said Dr Lena Chan, director at the National Biodiversity Centre. "And those in the process of collecting the data also learn more about it.
"So then, what we need to know is how are our birds doing. We then manage and help some of the birds that are not doing so well."
NParks has also launched several programmes where the community can join a team of experts to document animal species that they see in a park. Speaking at the event, Mr Lee said that community stewardship and participation in such programmes are crucial for Singapore to sustain the vision of a City in a Garden.
“These citizen science programmes are important bridges to reach out to our community and engage more people in NParks' efforts to manage, conserve and strengthen biodiversity in Singapore," said Mr Lee.
The NParks Garden Bird Count will take place twice a year, with the next one planned in November 2015.
- CNA/av/ek
NParks to introduce bird, butterfly counting under citizen science programme
NG JING YNG Today Online 16 Apr 15;
SINGAPORE — To encourage stewardship of biodiversity amongst Singaporeans, the National Parks Board (NParks) will be introducing bird and butterfly counting under its national citizen science programmes.
A new SGBioAtlas app was also launched by the Minister of State for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee, today (April 16) to encourage citizens to contribute to biodiversity sightings and help experts collect data.
Around 400 participants, including students and workers, have signed up for the bird counting initiative to collect data on birds over the next 10 days. It will be held at 60 locations like neighbourhood parks and nature reserves.
Under the citizen science programme currently, there are existing programmes such as the heron watch to monitor 18 species of these birds at their feeding sites.
New initiatives to document S’pore’s birds
NG JING YNG Today Online 17 Apr 15;
SINGAPORE — Over the next nine days, 400 people will head to specific areas across the island to count the number of scaly-breasted munia or yellow-vented bulbul they see, as well as other species of common garden birds here.
In the coming months, similar expeditions will be conducted for butterflies and other animals.
These new Citizen Science Programmes were announced yesterday by Minister of State (National Development) Desmond Lee, who also launched a mobile app, called SGBioAtlas, that allows users to upload photographs of wildlife in parks and nature reserves here. This, in turn, helps researchers collect data on biodiversity trends, and allows users to access information on biodiversity in Singapore.
In a speech at the first garden-bird counting exercise in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Mr Lee said: “Armed with the app, anyone can now contribute proactively as biodiversity’s eyes and ears by reporting an encounter with wildlife.”
Participants in the Citizen Science Programmes, which aim to raise public awareness and preserve biodiversity, will undergo basic training on how to spot and record wildlife. For example, in preparation for the garden-bird counting exercise, the participants, who include students, green groups and members of the public, underwent three hours of training on how to identify 30 different species.
This first round of counting will provide baseline data on the distribution of these species in Singapore. Subsequent rounds will help establish population trends in the long run. The next round is planned for November.
Existing Citizen Science Programmes include the observation of 18 heron species at their breeding sites and the monitoring of levels of ecotoxicity in coastal areas in Singapore.
Nature groups said greater public participation will spur people to be more passionate and inclined to protect their natural surroundings.
Mr Tan Hang Chong, assistant honorary secretary of Nature Society (Singapore), said the new initiatives allow for “greater access to information on Singapore’s rich biodiversity ... and allow people to feel more supported in a like-minded community and learn from experts at the same time”.
Founder of Butterfly Circle, Mr Khew Sin Khoon, added that the use of technology helps reduce barriers to specialised knowledge. “Humans are inherently curious and, aided with technology to provide information, people will be drawn to find out more about nature,” he said.
A participant in yesterday’s bird-counting exercise, Robin Vinod, who is a Secondary 1 student at the School of Science and Technology, said: “Now, I can more easily differentiate between two (species of) birds ... I find going out into nature relaxing, as school can be quite stressful.”
Help NParks keep tabs on wildlife in S'pore
Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 17 Apr 15;
HAVE a keen eye for birds, butterflies, water monitor lizards and other wildlife here? The National Parks Board (NParks) wants you to help document them. The agency has started several national citizen science programmes that aim to help Singaporeans learn about the country's biodiversity. As part of the programmes, people can help to monitor the wildlife's distribution and population.
The new initiatives include the NParks Garden Bird Count, where people can learn how to identify 30 common garden birds, such as the colourful pink-necked green pigeon and the spotted dove, and help to record them during the twice-a-year counts.
Launching the programmes at the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park yesterday, Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said: "Citizens like you and me, who are not researchers but have an interest in plants and animals, can contribute data that could be useful to researchers."
Mr Lee also unveiled an app, the SGBioAtlas, where people can upload sightings of animals and plants. This will strengthen an existing online database that documents Singapore's biodiversity, and help NParks to improve its conservation strategies.
More than 400 people have signed up for the first Garden Bird Count, which will last until April 26. The islandwide count spans 60 locations, and the next one is expected to be in November.
Secondary 1 student Hannah Kho, 12, of the School of Science and Technology, took part in the count yesterday.
She was disappointed not to spot her favourite birds - the olive-backed sunbird and the brown-throated sunbird - but said she was keen to participate again. "We saw a lot of other birds and it was fun."
NParks had previously started several citizen science programmes, such as the Comprehensive Marine Biodiversity Survey and the Heron Watch.
The marine survey began five years ago and is expected to be completed next month. So far, more than 400 volunteers have helped researchers from NParks and the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
At least 14 species new to science were discovered under the marine study, including an orange-tinged sea sponge found during a reef survey, a warty-looking sea anemone burrowing in mudflats in northern Singapore and a conical hermit crab from the seabeds near the Southern Islands.
In 2013, the Heron Watch, the first in a decade, found that the numbers of a common species, the black-crowned night heron, had fallen sharply, partly due to the loss of its nesting sites.
VOLUNTEERS
Citizens like you and me, who are not researchers but have an interest in plants and animals, can contribute data that could be useful to researchers. - Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee
