 a publication of Sungei Buloh Nature Park |
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4 No 3 Apr 97 Welcome to our new Volunteer Committee 1998 Trail Guide to the Mangrove Boardwalk Common Redshank and the guide "Endless Summer: The Story of a Seasoned Traveller" Mangrove: A Home to the Birds New features at the Park: Dining Table for the Birds, New Freshwater Aquarium Exhibit and the new coin-operated bino at the main hide |
To many, the mangrove forest has always been thought of as the dirty breeding ground of unattractive creatures. And it does not help that many of these mangrove areas are often covered with floating debris or have become dumping grounds for bulk goods.  However,
there are many other things that you may not know about the forests. For
example, they provide us with one of our favourite desserts—the attap
seed (from the Nypa palm, left). The mangroves are also a valuable source
of timber for boat-building and firewood, and they are a prime breeding
ground for prawns. Its usefulness aside, the mangrove forest has always been an integral part of the natural heritage of Singapore. In pre-settlement period, it covered 13% of the forested area of Singapore. Due to modern development, this has been reduced to a mere 488 hectares by 1993. This dramatic reduction has caused many plant species to go extinct (e.g., the epiphytic orchids) while others are still at risk (e.g., some Sonneratia sp). Of the 71 bird species that are known to occur in the mangrove forest, 11 are extinct while a further 12 are at risk. Given the present state of affairs for the mangrove forest, Sungei Buloh Nature Park (SBNP) presents an excellent opportunity for conservation. Out of the 87 hectares in SBNP, approximately 29 hectares are mangrove forests. 26 true mangrove plants species can be found in the forest fragments in SBNP and 126 species of birds had been recorded at the time when the proposal for its conservation came out. With such a unique opportunity at hand, it is important to maximise the forest potential as a sanctuary of birds.  To a
community of birds, its habitat is invariably one of the important factor
that determines its nature. A habitat can be described in terms of landscape
(size, shape, etc), vegetative structure (description of the life form,
height and density of plants found) and floristics (plant species composition).
All three factors can have significant influence on what type of bird community
you can find in a habitat. For example, a large patch of forest where there is a diversity of plants is more likely to have a healthy and diverse bird community. The large area ensures that even if birds in some areas have suffered due to bad weather or breeding failure, the remaining birds or the birds from other parts can easily re-colonise the forest. The diversity in plants means that there is a diversity in resources that birds need, such as space, food and nest sites. A large forest also means that there is more space for bird species that prefer the interior environment (e.g., the Greater Flameback and the Oriental White-eye) and species that require a large area (e.g., some owls). It is with this in mind that we are currently conducting research studies to identify the habitat and landscape factors that will contribute most to bird diversity in the mangrove fragments found in the Park. In addition, we are also looking into differentiating groups of birds based on what they eat and what taxonomy groups they belong to. The information collected can then be turned into management guidelines. |
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