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  The Straits Times 1 Mar 05
Mangrove appeal
by Radha Basu

One hectare can absorb the carbon dioxide spewed by a vehicle in a year, so scientists urge Govt to plant mangroves along coastline

A TEAM of scientists from the National Institute of Education (NIE) is asking the Government to plant mangroves along Singapore's coastline, a move that could yield significant environmental benefits.

Over the past half-century, rapid urbanisation has pushed mangroves to the forgotten fringes of Singapore. The country's total mangrove area has shrunk from about 6,400ha in 1953 to about 500ha at present, an area around 10 times the size of the Botanic Gardens.

Now they are largely concentrated on offshore islands such as Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Pulau Semakau and on the mainland around Kranji and Sungei Buloh.

Yet in their tiny terrain, where only intrepid nature lovers care to venture, these hardy coastal plants are flourishing.

A team of scientists from NIE has even unearthed a species never documented here before, the Bruguiera hainesii. A second species believed to have been extinct, the Bruguiera sexangula, was also spotted recently for the first time in more than 50 years.

The discovery has special significance, as mangroves are now believed to play an important role in absorbing carbon dioxide emissions widely pinpointed as the root cause of global warming.

The NIE team, led by Assistant Professor Jean W.H. Yong, is now asking the Government to consider replanting mangroves on coastal land not earmarked for development.

"It's thrilling to see these plants flourishing even in the tiny patches they now inhabit," said Prof Yong. "With the benefits mangroves provide growing every day, it will be great if the authorities considered replanting them whenever they can".

His excitement stems from his recent discovery that a single hectare of mangrove forest can absorb up to 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide in a year -- about the same amount spewed by a motor vehicle in the same time.

Together with the University of Science Malaysia in Penang, a team of NIE researchers led by Prof Yong studied a 10ha mangrove plot in Perak.

Mangroves do not just act as a carbon sink. They prevent shoreline erosion and their roots can also absorb excess pollutants, cleaning the water in which they grow. Mangroves are also fertile spawning grounds for a variety of fish and other marine creatures.

The NIE discovery has come as welcome news to Singapore's nature lovers.

Nature Society president and Nominated Member of Parliament Geh Min, for one, is delighted, especially since mangroves provide a 'vast menu of ecosystem services'. "This is great news," Dr Geh told the Straits Times. "Singapore has been known for its biodiversity."

One of Dr Geh's foremost concerns is to preserve this natural heritage. She plans to highlight in Parliament the need for biodiversity protection laws here. Many of Singapore's neighbouring countries that are rich in flora and fauna, including the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, already have such laws. "Our nature reserves are protected, but we need such lawas to protect what grows in the wild", she said.

She also lent her support to the NIE team's call for mangrove planting. The National Parks Board (NParks) says it is already doing that. "Wherever possible, NParks has been planting out coastal lands with mangroves," said NParks director for conservation Wong Tuan Wah. These include the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Pulau Ubin and along canals such as Sungei Tampines and Sungei Sembawang.

Singapore wins praise from UN on anti-pollution meansures

Recent research, including one by the National Institute of Education here, has shown that mangroves can act as effective carbon 'sinks'.

The National Parks Board is trying to increase the extent of land covered by mangroves where possible, but given that it requires one hectare of mangrove to absorb one car's worth of carbon dioxide emissions each year, Singapore needs other measures as well.

The country also has switched its power plants from oil to natural gas, enforced strict emission standards for cars and promoted various energy labelling schemes.

Each of these measures was praised by the United Nations in a recent report. In a chapter on the success of countries in reigning in carbon emissions, the Millennium Development Goals report described Singapore's achievements in this field as "impressive".

"Although it still has relatively high emmissions, Singapore has been successfully reducing them by, among other things, switching from fuel oil to natural gas," the report said.
links
Learn more about our mangroves
Mangroves of Singapore: A full on-line version of the complete BP-Science Centre guide by Peter K L Ng and N. Sivasothi (eds.). Includes fact sheets on the flora and fauna of Singapore mangroves, an introduction to mangroves in general and mangroves in Singapore, history and biodiversity, mangroves in Singapore to visit (Pasir Ris and Sungei Buloh), mangrove conservation in Singapore, general introduction to the mangrove ecosystem (abiotic and biotic components), economic value of mangroves.

Visit our mangroves
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve: with free guided walks on weekends
Pulau Ubin: guided cycling trips with Pedal Ubin
Pasir Ris Park

Act for our mangroves
Be a Buloh guide
Join International Coastal Cleanup

Related articles on Singapore's biodiversity and Global warming
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