Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Educating the general public on the importance of

biodiversity in Sungei Buloh

OrientationWhat our project is about: Our project fundamentally encapsulates the discovery of

wildlife that can be seen at Sungei Buloh by a layman. Thus, our study has seen our group conduct sufficient research on the variety of animals, flora and fauna on display.

Why we are doing this report: Foremost amongst our many concerns is the systematic

educating of the general public, who have at best, surface knowledge of Sungei Buloh. We seek to spur them into action and take decisive personal steps in combating the very real threat of extinction and climate change, no longer figments of one’s imagination.

OrientationA brief introduction to biodiversity• Biodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem,

biome, or on the entire Earth. Biodiversity is often used as a measure of the health of biological systems. The biodiversity found on Earth today consists of many millions of distinct biological species. Biodiversity is not distributed evenly on Earth, but is consistently richer in the tropics and in specific localized regions such as the Cape Floristic Province; it is less rich in Polar Regions where fewer species are found.

• Thus, our project aims to find out how diverse are the life forms, which are residents of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. We believe that our results will go a long way in showcasing the biodiversity within Sungei Buloh and whether it is suitable for sustaining life.

It is defined as “areas of marsh, fern, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh or brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed 6 meters.

They are the key parts of healthy rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries and near-shore coastal and marine environment.

Support significant fish and crustacean nurseries.

Help stabilise the shoreline and control erosion.

Assist groundwater recharge and discharge.

Provide long-term storage of carbon

Help stabilise the local climate conditions, particularly rainfall and temperature.

Why the need to educate others on biodiversity?

• To survive as a species– The whole eco-food web is very delicate and each species survival depends on another species (e.g. The Dodo Bird)

• One way to enlighten others about this important message is through education.

• We can then come together to help prevent our extinction.

It is challenge for nature due to the appearance of the strongest: Humans. The increase in human population resulted in major threats to the natural environment. The threats then lead to the deaths of many species, leading to extinction eventually. We should take this into concern as this is also to “survive as a species ourselves”. The only chance of survival is through a careful and sustainable use of the Earth’s resources. 3 main reasons will be Ethical and moral reasons, Aesthetic and cultural reasons and material and economic reasons.

1.Ethical and moral reasons – It is our duty to preserve as much of this diversity as possible and be responsible for our future generations.

2.Aesthetic and cultural reasons – The nature has many beautiful sights. It’ll be a pity if all these wonderful memorable experiences is taken away.

3.material and economic reasons -The animals are unable to survive in a badly polluted environment, thus they act as a gauge for us to tell how polluted our environment is. They also provide food for us. Even the important drugs and medications come from nature, making it important for us to take note of the importance of biodiversity.

The process of finding out…

• Went to Sungei Buloh to take down notes and also to find out what we are able to see as a visitor.

• Carried out research at Raffles Biodiversity Museum.

• Finally we amassed extensive research and compiled them in a neat and organised manner.

The biodiversity of Sungei Buloh compromises of species within these categories, Fauna and Flora.

Fauna•Zooplankton

•Invertebrate Epifauna•Epibentos•Infaunas

•Meiofaunas•Insects•Spiders

•Amphibians•Reptiles

•Birds•Mammals

•Fish•Crutaceans•Molluscs

Flora•Algae•Fungi•Tree

•Shrub•Fern

What the common visitors can see.

Water Monitor

Mangrove SkinkChangeable Lizard

Tree-climbing Crab

What the common visitor can see.

Striped Archerfish

Common GrasshopperCommon water strider

Plantain squirrel Spot-tail needle fish

Specimen of a Cicada(s)

Mammals· Flying Lemur (Cynocephalus variegatus) · Pangolin (Manis javanica) · Lesser Mousedeer (Tragulus javanicus) · Dugong (Dugong dugon) · Malayan Flying Fox (Pteropus vampyrus)

Birds· Lesser Treeduck (Dendrocygna Javanica) · Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) · White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) · Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Reptiles· Forest Soft-shell Turtle (Dogania subplana) · Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) · Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) · Large Forest Gecko (Gekko smithi) · Twin-barred Tree Snake (Chrysopelea pelias) · Amphibious Sea Snake (Laticauda colubrina)

Amphibians· Malayan Horned Frog (Megophrys nasuta) · Black-spotted Sticky Frog (Kalophrynus pleurostigma) · Yellow-banded Caecilian (Ichthyophis cf. paucisulcus)

Fishes· Pygmy Rasbora (Rasbora maculata) · Malayan Grey-banded Loach (Nemacheilus selangoricus) · Malayan Leaf-fish (Nandus nebulosus) · Dwarf Snakehead (Channa gachua) · Archerfish (Toxotes jaculatrix) · Clown Anemonefish (Amphiprion ocelldris)

Crested Serpent Eagle

Estuarine Crocodile Black-crowned Night Heron

From the kinds of animals that can be seen, we can tell that there is a limited array of wildlife which is on display.

Inclusive of the kinds of endangered animals, we can conclude that the biological health in the wetlands are quite stable, but is also vulnerable to any kind of pollution or a disturbance by humans.

Thus we can tell that concrete action must be taken and everyone should do their part in preserving wildlife.

Team Members : •Joshua Khoo (Leader)

•Ian Mak Wei•Tan Wei Jie•Jeremy Foo

Thank You for your kind attenttion!