About RE:Forestation

Description

RE:Forestation aims to build a rocker bogie like vehicle that can disperse seeds to assist in reforestation in Singapore. Out of all the possible terrestrial and aerial medium, we have decided that the Mar’s Rover is the most optimal type to meet our needs, including functionality and budget.

The Challenge & Vision

Forest fragmentation have a detrimental impact on the ecosystem and the wildlife’s ability to disperse seed as the regenerate is unable to keep up with the damage from land use change. Existing effort to restore these secondary forests in Singapore is time consuming, resource intensive and requires manual labor. This brings us to the question; how can we increase the efficiency of forest restoration efforts?

A rocker bogie with attached seed dispense seeds of shrubs & trees can restore greenery between fragmented forests

Deforestation In Singapore

  • Singapore have lost 90% of their primary forest and mangroves between 1954 and 2018 due to urbanization and industrialization (Turrel, 2020)

  • Currently, Bukit Batok Nature Reserve (BTNR) and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) is fragmented from one another by the Bukit Timah Express Way. Structures, road & features broken up the continued forests into patches, aka forest fragmentation. The CCNR is now fragmented into 24 parts (Chopefornature, n.d.)

  • Occurs when large intact & continuous forests are divided into smaller pieces, by roads cutting through, clearing for agriculture, housing and other urban development (Chopefornature, n.d.)

  • Forest fragmentation affects biodiversity through damaging and altering their habitat by reducing it to smaller patches and decreasing the diversity in habitat types (Chopefornature, n.d.)

  • Affect genetic variation as smaller habitats support smaller population and fewer species. Some species may not be provided the environment they need to breed, hide from predators, find food or shelter. This decreases species richness of those that depends on forest.

  • Increased of forest edges or edge habitat exposed: Forest edges have a different environment such as decreased humidity and increased temperature as it is drier in the edges. They are also more vulnerable to invasive species and diseases which will harm the interior habitat and species.

Singapore’s action plan

Since then, Singapore has looked for ways to retain it’s natural forest and aid in its forest regeneration by establishing nature parks and reserves that serves as refueling site for migratory birds and home to wildlife.

  • Forest Restoration Action Plan (By Community): Goal is to regenerate the secondary forests in Nature Parks buffering the two Nature Reserves, as well as disturbed patches within the Reserves. To assist the forests to regenerate and approximate a mature forest landscape in time.

  • Action Plan seeks to strengthen the resilience of native rainforests by restoring ecological processes, and enhancing the biodiversity and ecological connectivity in these areas. This will strengthen the resilience of our forest landscapes to climate change, achieved through science-based approach that will involve the sustained planting of native rainforest species.

  • Forest regeneration assisted further by removal of invasive weed species

  • In addition to adding wildlife habitat, reforestation helps sequester carbon, lower the temperature of the city, and provide buffers against erosion and a rising sea level

Why RE:Forestation?

  • NPark’s action plan, although effective, is time consuming, requires manual labour and man power to grow, transport and plant the trees.

  • We hope that our innovation will be able to increase the efficiency of reforestation efforts in Singapore