Despite the wet and wild weather, I had a great time at the free monthly Ubin mangrove walk with the
Restore Ubin Mangroves (R.U.M.) Initiative!
Thanks to the hardcore volunteers and the most enthusiastic visitors we have had! The walk was to celebrate
World Wildlife Day and thanks to many sharp eyes and ears, we spotted many of the iconic mangrove and Ubin wildlife on our walk!
As usual, thanks to Uncle Lim for allowing us to gather at his shop at
no. 42 Pulau Ubin for the walk. It was lovely to meet on the walk, Thomas from Edible Gardens, the
Little Green Men and many others passionate about mangroves and Pulau Ubin. Thank you for coming!
During this walk, RUMblers (as R.U.M. volunteers are called) shared about why mangroves are important and how R.U.M. is working to restore them. Cheryl shared about why mangroves are especially important for those of us who love durians.
Sumita shared about NParks restoration of abandoned aquaculture ponds into freshwater ponds which has attracted wild birds. Vanessa shared about a large heron that we saw at the pond!
3 Mar is declared as
World Wildlife Day by the UN, so we made a special effort to spot wildlife on our walk. Despite the wet weather, thanks to sharp eyes and ears, we saw hornbills, kingfishers, herons, macaques, oriental whip snake, Golden Orb web spider, cotton stainer bug and more!
Juhari not only took great photos but also shared them on the spot so visitors could have a better view of the amazing wildlife on Ubin.
Before we could go on, the heavens opened up and we hurried to the Assembly Area to wait for the weather to pass. To avoid lightning, falling branches and other dangers. About half an hour later, the visitors bravely headed out as the rain eased. The huge puddles all over the trail didn't stop us!
Fangning took this great opportunity to share how mangroves help to filter out muddy water that runs off the land whenever it rains. The tangle of roots slows down the flow, allowing the sediments to settle, so that clear water flows out to the nearby ecosystems like seagrass meadows and coral reefs.
Fangning also shared about mangrove propagules. They are tough, they are abundant and they will grow rapidly if the ground conditions are suitable: correct elevation, tidal conditions. R.U.M. hopes to let Mother Nature do the planting by creating such ground conditions at Ubin's abandoned aquaculture ponds.
We stopped for a while at the beach at Sungei Ubin. Where Phillip shared about fish farming and how farmers depend on mangroves to provide good water quality for their fish.
We are so fortunate to have Heire, who lives on Ubin, to share about life on Ubin and the social and cultural role of mangroves among the Ubin villagers.
Wow, we found this humungous pod that fell below a very tall tree.
It has amazing winged seeds. Phillip says the seeds look like a phoenix!
Just before we end the walk, Phillip highlighted an old oven (said to be used to bake french bread) that has since been overgrown by a strangling fig.
After the walk, Rachel and Lenney filmed Xiao Ting and me, for
Ubin, Sayang a National Geographic film about R.U.M. Se Em was also at the walk to take photos.
It started to drizzle quite persistently after we started shooting, and poor Xiao Ting was all wet by the end of the session. I take my hat off to the intrepid film team for this great work they are doing!
As I arrived, from Ubin Jetty, I saw a fisherman laying a fishing net.
The Changi Creek jetty used by fish farmers and Ubin villagers was very busy.
More photos of the walk by Mohammad Juhari,
Part 1 and
Part 2. And
Liz Lim.
Check up the
R.U.M. facebook page for updates on the R.U.M. free monthly mangrove walks.
R.U.M. volunteers also help out with mangrove cleanups, mangrove surveys, mangrove outreach and lots more!
Here's more details on volunteer opportunities with RUM, requirements and how to register.
