Sungei Buloh Wetlands reserveEducating the general public on the

importance of biodiversity in Sungei Buloh

Where Sungei Buloh is located

Taken from: www.google.com.sg

OrientationWhat our project is about:

• What kind of wildlife a layman can see at Sungei Buloh

Why we are doing this report:

• To educate the general public, who have at best, surface knowledge of Sungei Buloh.

• To spur the public into action and take decisive personal steps in combating the very real threat of extinction and climate change.

Definition of Biodiversity

A 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.

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, peat land 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 stabilize the shoreline and control erosion.

Assist groundwater recharge and discharge.

Provide long-term storage of carbon

Help stabilize 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.

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 -They also provide food for us. Countries depend on these scenic spots to earn some income. (e.g. the Niagara falls, the Amazon etc) Important drugs and medicine 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 collated the research and compiled them in a neat and organized manner.

We are currently in the process of making a brochure.

The biodiversity of Sungei Buloh compromises of species within these 2 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; Reptile

Mangrove Skink; ReptileChangeable Lizard; Reptile

Tree-climbing Crab; Crustacean Atlas moth; insect

What the common visitor can see.

Striped Archerfish; Fish

Common Grasshopper; InsectCommon water strider; insect

Plantain squirrel; Mammal Spot-tail needle fish; Fish

Specimen of a Cicada(s);Insect

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)

List of endangered animals

Estuarine Crocodile source: www.google.com.sg

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)

Black-crowned Night Heron

Crested Serpent Eagle

source: www.google.com.sg

Conclusion

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, concrete action must be taken and everyone should do their part in preserving wildlife.

Credits

Teacher in charge: Mr Tay G.K.

Group members: Tan Wei Jie

Ian Mak

Joshua Khoo

Jeremy Foo