Once again, NTU BioBlitz 2023 commences as part of a continued efforts to expose the masses to a multitude of diversity hidden in our midst. This event was highly successful in 2022 and was awarded the Mr & Mrs Kwok Chin Yan Award in recognition of the students’ initiative at a community level. The primary objective of this event is to promote awareness and appreciation for the diverse range of flora and fauna found on the Nanyang Technological University campus. Since NTU is located at the edge of the Western Catchment, there exists an abundance of wildlife that can be observed on the busy campus, leading to a potential conflict between humans and wildlife. Hence, Earthlink makes a concerted effort to educate the community about wildlife while working towards demonstrating how we can better coexist with wildlife.
Fig 1. One of the groups walking along NIE forest edge, home to a diverse array of animals in NTU.
NTU BioBlitz 2023 is a one-week biodiversity survey conducted on NTU campus grounds. A total of 129 unique species were sighted across the event week, including 12 transects, including 59 bird species, 27 butterfly and moth species and 15 dragonfly and damselfly species. Notable sightings include migratory bird species such as the Ashy Minivet and Asian Brown Flycatcher, as well as nesting birds such as the Sunbird and White-bellied Sea-Eagle, were spotted on our campus.
Fig 2. The CRIMSON DROPWING was one of the dragonflies that were spotted drifting around many transects. The water bodies around NTU make it an ideal habitat for these creatures!
Photo by Zachary Chong
Fig 3. The SUNDA PYGMY WOODPECKER is the smallest and most common woodpecker in Singapore. This cavity-nesting bird is a common sight (or sound) across campus, as it vocalises with its distinct high-pitched call while in flight.
Photo by Zachary Chong
Compared to the 125 unique species found in Bioblitz 2022, there is a rise in the number of sighted species this year as we utilised similar methodologies with shorter transects, no afternoon surveys, and only 1 week of surveying. Through this exciting and highly anticipated event, our organisers aim to impart participants with its rich local biodiversity. Singapore is surprisingly home to a plethora of species, and NTU is a centre of high activity due to its geographical location at the border of the Western Water Catchment area (forest to the north of NTU).
Furthermore, interested participants were cordially invited to partake in survey sessions and training programmes, which included the identification of common species such as common birds, butterflies, and other fauna species existing in our midst. The event ended with key takeaways which the organisers hope to impart, and that is the significance of proper education on the appropriate methods used to coexist with wildlife.