Ms Toh Chay Hoon, who has volunteered with the National Parks Boards for over 13 years, has discovered a new species of coral mimic crab and about 10 new records of sea slugs during her volunteering journey.
Whenever she spots a species that looks unfamiliar, Ms Toh verifies it against a reference book. If they have never been seen here before, she would contribute her sightings to the Singapore Biodiversity Records.
Volunteers like Ms Toh have been doing important work that adds to the rich biodiversity and contributes to conservation efforts in Singapore, such as discovery and sightings of flora and fauna, guiding at nature reserves and parks, bird-watching and surveying of Singapore’s shores.
Last month, NParks announced that over 500 species of marine and terrestrial animals, plants and insects have been newly discovered or rediscovered by their staff, researchers and volunteers in the past five years.
Volunteers have contributed to NParks’ work since 1993. Today, more than 25,000 have participated in a wide range of activities, such as the citizen science programmes, which allow the public to participate and collaborate in scientific research.
KEEPING TABS ON SPECIES AND HABITATS
But contributing to Singapore’s biodiversity is not always about discovering new species or recording first sightings in Singapore. It is also about keeping the existing species alive.
As part of the NParks’ Garden Bird Watch, Mr George Cheah spend two weekends during the breeding and migratory seasons at places such as East Coast Park and HortPark to identify, count and record the number of different bird species he sees.
The data collected can shed light on bird populations and where they are found around Singapore, which is useful information for better park management and conservation measures as well.
Ms Ria Tan is another volunteer who chips in by keeping watch over Singapore’s shores. She has been spending about 100 days a year combing through various shores during the spring low tides, at times looking out for coral bleaching or mass fish deaths.
When Singapore experienced the longest mass coral bleaching incident last year, Ms Tan was one of the first to document it on her website (www.wildsingapore.com). She continues to share updates on the bleaching episode as well as how the north-eastern coast is coping after they were affected by an oil spill in Johor.
Unlike some others who splurge on long-distance holidays, Ms Tan spends her savings on visiting Singapore’s shores, paying S$10,000 to S$20,000 a year, mostly for hiring boats.
Despite her long volunteering experience, Ms Tan said she continues to struggle with raising problems or issues with the relevant stakeholders.
For instance, if someone is seen fishing illegally, she grapples with how she can raise the issue without turning the public against the individual who may not have done it with ill-intentions.
EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS
Volunteering amid Singapore’s nature does not always require an individual to invest a lot of time or money.
Healthcare professional Michelle Neo, 29, who volunteers as a guide at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, said a common misconception people have is that it is a very time-consuming endeavour.
People also have the wrong impression that volunteer work means helping out with registration or administrative tasks, said Ms Neo.
Nature guide Jenny Lim, 52, who has a degree in science, said she barely recalls what she learned in school because “she studied only to pass the exams”. She picks up new plant knowledge from fellow volunteers and NParks officers at their monthly sharing sessions or on WhatsApp chat group with them. She also applied what she has learnt by setting up a butterfly garden at her school last year.
What gets her goat when she is volunteering is meeting individuals who insist on releasing non-native species, such as terrapins, into the wild and do not understand why this could damage the environment. “There are those who might not understand the idea of why it’s important to protect our own native species and not just bring in insects or plants (that are not preyed on in that area),” she said.
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Source: TODAY, 17 June 2017