Chained to Our Roots (22nd-23rd June 2013): an appeal to protect Singapore's own rainforest

Teresa Teo-Guttensohn, a Singaporean eco-artist and Dr. Vilma D'Rozario, Celine Low, and Andrew Tay, together with their group of nature-loving friends, will be part of an eco-performance where they will be chained to a tree for 24 hours, to appeal for the Cross Island Mass Rapid Transit Line to be re-routed such that it will not run through our precious rainforest at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

When: 3 pm Saturday, 22nd June to 3 pm Sunday, 23rd June 2013
Where: Speakers' Corner, Hong Lim Park

The Cross-Island Line: why does it have to go through a Nature Reserve?

(Photo by coolinsights)

Over the years, Singapore has lost more than 99.5% of its original forest cover. Whatever little that remains is now concentrated in a few key areas, and preserves much of our surviving native rainforest biodiversity. The Central Nature Reserves, encompassing the forests of Bukit Timah and those surrounding the reservoirs in the Central Catchment Area, form the final refuge of many plant and animal species that have since vanished elsewhere on the island. As Nature Reserves, they receive the highest level of protection that any green space in Singapore can have.

And yet, as many of us in the nature community found out earlier this year, even being gazetted as a Nature Reserve does not grant immunity from urbanisation and development.

Bungalow owner wants to barbeque civet cat for dinner after it destroyed his phone wires

Year of the Dragon: Singaporean Dragons

(Photo by sayhitoant)

As mentioned in yesterday's post, Singapore is home to a number of agamid lizards (F. Agamidae). This post will discuss the several species of agamids that are found here.

Ribbons: Terrestrial Nemerteans of Singapore

People with a fascination for marine life would probably have heard of nemerteans, commonly known as ribbon worms.


Black and white ribbon worm (Baseodiscus delineatus), Terumbu Pempang Darat;


Red ribbon worm, Kusu Island;
(Photos by Ria)

Most ribbon worms live in marine environments, with a small proportion adapted to freshwater habitats. Just earlier today, I learnt that a small handful of nemertean species have actually managed to colonise the land, and that they can be found in Singapore!

Monkey see, monkey do: Monkeys open lids of recycling bins at MacRitchie Park

The King and I: King Cobras in Singapore

(Photo by gerry morgan)

Singapore is home to many species of snake, from tiny burrowing blind snakes less than 20 centimetres long, feeding on soft-bodied invertebrates in the soil, to gigantic pythons more than 5 metres in length, lurking in our drains and sewers in pursuit of rats and even stray cats. While most of our snakes are quite harmless, our forests have their fair share of kraits, coral snakes and pit vipers, with venomous bites that are a genuine cause for concern. The equatorial spitting cobra (Naja sumatrana) is perhaps the most dangerous of our venomous snakes, since it is commonly encountered living near people. Yet these serpents, for all their deadly beauty, pale in comparison to a snake so feared and so iconic that it has become a symbol of the Asian rainforests, a true superstar among the snakes - the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah).

If you spot wild boars at Lower Peirce Reservoir, do not disturb them as they may attack

Snake spotted on Upper Thomson Rd

Raffles Museum Treasures: Giant millipede

Giant millipede(Thyropygus sp.)
Collected from Bukit Timah, 1970
Native to Singapore

www.myriapoda.org
International Society of Myriapodology and Onychophorology
BugGuide.Net
CSIRO Insects and their Allies
Animal Diversity Web
The Earth Life Web


(Photo by Jacqueline)

Raffles Museum Treasures: Spotted tortoise beetle

Spotted tortoise beetle (Aspidomorpha miliaris)
Collected from Nee Soon swamp-forest, April 1992
Native to Singapore

Southeast Asian beetles
Sweet Potato Diagnotes
Preliminary life table of the spotted tortoise beetle, Aspidomorpha miliaris Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Sumatra


(Photo by James)

Raffles Museum Treasures: Short-legged harvestman

Short-legged harvestman (Sandokan truncatus)
Collected from Nee Soon swamp-forest
Native to Singapore

The annotated budak: Penes for your thought
Replacement names for Oncopus and Oncopodidae (Arachnida, Opiliones)
Oncopus Thorell, 1876 and ONCOPODIDAE Thorell, 1876 (Arachnida, Opiliones): proposed conservation
Comments on the proposed conservation of Oncopus Thorell, 1876 and ONCOPODIDAE Thorell, 1876 (Arachnida, Opiliones) (Case 3350)
OPINION 2189 (Case 3350) Oncopus Thorell, 1876 and ONCOPODIDAE Thorell, 1876 (Arachnida, Opiliones): proposed conservation of the names not approved


(Photo by Tiomanese)

Raffles Museum Treasures: Dried leaf cockroach

Dried leaf cockroach (Pseudophoraspis nebulosa)
Collected from MacRitchie Reservoir, April 1993
Native to Singapore

Blattodea Species File Online
Blattodea Culture Group
Studies On Malayan Blattidae


(Photo by Kafeiwu)

Raffles Museum Treasures: Money plant stick insect

Money plant stick insect (Pylaemenes mitratus)
Collected from Nee Soon swamp-forest, November 1990
Native to Singapore

The Annotated Budak
Phasmida Species File Online


(Photo by Tiomanese)

Raffles Museum Treasures: Banded leaf monkey

Banded leaf monkey (Presbytis femoralis)
Collected from Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, October 1987
Native to Singapore: Critically Endangered

This elderly female was the last survivor of the troop which once inhabited the forests of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. One day in October 1987, she left the safety of the trees and descended to the ground, where she was set upon and fatally mauled by a pack of dogs.

In the 1920s, this monkey was reported to be present in various parts of Singapore, including Changi, Tampines, Bukit Timah, Pandan and Tuas. Today, the species still barely clings on in the forests of the Central Catchment Area, where at least 40 are known to roam the MacRitchie and Lower Peirce Reservoir areas.

Rare Singapore monkey species in better shape than thought
Wildlife Singapore
Singapore Red Data Book
NParks FaunaWeb
Ecology Asia
The Primata
IUCN Red List
ARKive


(Photo by hiker1974)

Safe or not? Neglected tunnel is covered with overgrown vegetation

This tunnel along a cycling track has become covered with dense vegetation. STOMPer Mountain Biker is concerned that it could harbour snakes and spiders as well.

Said the STOMPer in an email today (June 11):

"Last week I went cycling on my mountain bike from Hindhede Loop to Asas Loop and had to pass through this tunnel, which is now overgrown with grass, branches and bushes.

"I have an innate fear of snakes and spiders and cycling through the tunnel made me very nervous.

"It was just after the rain and the biking trail path was very slippery and muddy

"I hope NParks can remove the overgrown vegetation and make the trail safe for mountain bikers like my buddies and me."

Related posts: Overgrown plants around this overhead bridge creeps me out (24th April 2010)
Palm tree flowers attract bees and pose danger to passers-by (12th April 2010)
Overgrown mango tree makes me tremble whenever I cross overhead bridge (20th March 2010)
I say my prayers whenever I cross this messy and ugly bridge (3rd January 2010)
"Overgrown creepers at Penjuru bus stop gives me sense that living things lurk behind" (3rd November 2009)
Creepers growing up Harbourfront floodlights could be the heart of darkness (22nd September 2009)

Not again.

Climbing Bukit Timah

Despite my passion and interest in exploring our wild places, I have to say that I have neglected the forests of the Central Nature Reserves. Including today's trip, I have visited Bukit Timah Nature Reserve only a miserable 5 times in my entire life.

Today wasn't supposed to be a relaxing hike up and down the hill; this was meant to be a training session in preparation for my trip to climb Mount Kinabalu in December. Still, I did stop to take photos whenever possible.


I started up the Main Road, then took the Rock Path, which was a path I had never used before.


There's something about walking down narrow forest trails that never fails to remind me of the time I spent in the Maliau Basin in 2007. Especially when the trail soon forces you to grab onto tree trunks, or even get down on all fours as you scramble over obstacles. One big difference though is the absence of bloodthirsty leeches.


Despite it being a weekend, there were not many people using these trails, possibly because of the somewhat rainy weather. At least it didn't rain while I was there, and it did make for a relatively pleasant and cooling hike through the forest.


It's always nice to stop for a break at one of these small forest streams.


After scaling the Rock Path, I went up the Summit Path, and finally reached the highest point in Singapore.


The reason behind such a blatant showcase of stupidity still eludes me.

I continued down the Rengas Path.


Signs of treefall are everywhere, but this is probably a very recent case. While trees die and fall all the time, it does raise a lot of questions about the continued health of our rainforests.


Are our trees dying at an especially high rate? And if so, what could be the reason? Accelerated erosion from trampling? Changes in the microclimate of the forest due to opening up of trails, leading to increase in penetration of sunlight, decrease in humidity, loss of moisture and stability of the soil?


And even if trees are dying at apparently normal rates comparable to more pristine habitats, one wonders about recruitment of seedlings. Are enough seedlings germinating and surviving to replace their fallen predecessors? How has the loss of many of our large frugivores affected the dispersal of seeds? The tangled and intricate tapestry that links a multitude of species is especially apparent in rainforest ecosystems.


The Dairy Farm Loop branches off the Rengas Path. This was another trail I had yet to visit.


Even within these forests, it is not difficult to discover signs of past human activity.


There are small clearings with dense patches of ferns and other secondary vegetation more typical of forest edges. The young fronds always make for interesting photo subjects.


I continued down Seraya Loop.


There are regular reminders to stick to the trail. Still, one wonders if there are people brave or stupid enough to ignore the warning signs, and get themselves killed or seriously injured.


I cross another stream. This one seems more heavily silted up and clogged with forest debris though.


Reaching Jungle Fall Path was somewhat of a relief, as I was quite exhausted by now, and was ready to head back down towards the Visitor Centre.


There is something very disappointing when you realise that the waterfall here flows out of a drain.


Upon returning to the Main Road, it was a brisk walk downhill back to the Visitor Centre.


As I headed out of the nature reserve and returned to civilisation, I could not help but notice the construction works going on right at the edge of the forest. The impacts of urban development, as well as the inevitable human-animal conflict that results, raise a lot of questions about the long-term survival of this last substantial patch of primary rainforest.

Hopefully, the planned ecological corridor that intends to reconnect Bukit Timah to the Central Catchment Area will help revitalise these forests, giving them a new lease of life as reunited fragments of a larger whole.

Bukit Timah is priceless, not just in terms of its biological treasures, but also in its iconic status as part of our natural heritage. While its continued existence as a Nature Reserve appears secure for now, the forests are in a state of upheaval, slowly changing in the face of degradation and loss of the vital links that once sustained certain elements of this habitat. Hopefully, the forest will weather these changes, and continue to flourish. It may not be the same forest that once captivated Wallace, but it is still a very important forest in our collective psyche, and any further loss and degradation would be an unspeakable tragedy for all.

Missing

Singapore's last remnants of rainforest harbour few remaining hazards for careless hikers; having lost virtually all of our large mammals, wannabe explorers, blind and deaf to everything around them, have no fear of being ambushed and eaten by jungle denizens. By our hand, the forests have been tamed, sanitised, and made almost entirely safe for everyone to explore and enjoy. What remains is but a shadow of a forest primeval, a shell that at first glance still seems wild and untamed, but which actually disguises a biome thrown off kilter.



If only the forest could share the stories from its past, of the rumbling growls of tigers, of the clash of antlers as stags fought, of the thundering of hooves as wild boar charged through the undergrowth. In a forest devoid of its megafauna, and subsequently thrown into a state of disarray, do the trees clamour for the return of the tiger?



The tiger is long gone, and will never return. And yet, if you just close your eyes, allow your mind to wander, and listen, you may just catch the slightest ghost of a roar of a long-dead big cat. And for a moment, you forget everything else, and you feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins, as dulled senses are heightened once again, awakening memories once thought lost and buried.