Making Mangrove - Seameo-SPAFA

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Water Culture and the Community –Raising Environmental AwarenessKoh Lee Chew,Lim Han She and Shawn Lum• Landscaping of river banks• Lookout areas that extend into the river• Creation of streams and pools by drawing waterfrom canals• Water stage for outdoor performance.There are ABC plans for a number of differentareas including Sungei Tampines, Sungei Punggol, andPang Sua Canal.As mentioned in the presentation, new reservoirsare expected to be constructed by 2009. At SungeiSerangoon, there will be a floating wetland, links tothe mainland by a suspension bridge and a floatingboardwalk; while at Sungei Punggol, a wetland will beconstructed at the edge of the reservoir covering anarea of 11 hectares.A useful comparison of the vegetation of Singaporein 1819 was made with that of the 1990’s. The comparisonwas based upon the case study of Sungei BulohWetland Reserve. Covering an area of 87 hectares,the site, which was gazetted in 1989, is of importancefor migratory birds.To enhance the passion to preserve the environment,numerous school activities have been initiated. Theseinclude:• Coastal cleanup• Paintings at shelters along the boardwalk• Students trained to work at stations to giveinformation or as guides• Adoption by schools of a particular environment• Preparation by schools of educational materials• Reforestation.One direct scheme implemented at secondary schoolsis the “Reforestation and Reach Out Project”. Underthisproject, schools in Singapore are directly involved inthe conservation of nature. The purpose is for them todo their part in this vital environmental task, which alsoincludes a revamp of outdoor classroom and surroundingareas through reforestation and development ofeducational materials and websites. Funding could beacquired from HSBC, Toyota, Shell, and National Parks.At Ngee Ann Polytechnic, for example, students,in pursuing their educational programmes, are providedwith an opportunity to appreciate the scarce naturalhabitat in Singapore, which is an urban society. Oneexample was the study of a “Rocky Seashore Biodiversity”at Labrador Park located southwest of Singapore. Part ofthe students’ work here consisted in compiling “Examplesof Classification and Taxonomy of Seashore Creatures”.The paper commented that there are promisingsigns that a concern for aquatic environments isgrowing in Singapore. Is this a possible outcome of awater culture? Young, dynamic environment-consciousgroups, such as the Blue Water Volunteers, have beenactive in enhancing concern for water and marineconservation and awareness. An outpouring of publicconcern for Pulau Ubin, Tanjong Chek Jawa, led topostponement of reclamation. Instead, visitor facilitiesare now under construction.As part of water culture and environment, schoolchildren learn about the environment and its conservation.They are taught the importance of water (and the need toconserve it). For example, students learn about pollution,the need to recycle, and the importance of conservingwater. A learning programme of this type can be seenfrom Singapore primary science syllabus:“At the social level, the interaction of Man withthe environment drives the development of Scienceand Technology. At the same time, Science andTechnology influences the way Man interacts with hisenvironment. By studying the interaction betweenMan and his environment, pupils can better appreciatethe consequences of their actions”.The primary six science syllabus asks students toidentify factors that affect the survival of an organism,100 Making Mangrove Eco-MuseumsMaking Mangrove Eco-Museums 101
Water Culture and the Community –Raising Environmental AwarenessKoh Lee Chew,Lim Han She and Shawn Lumincluding the physical characteristics of the environment,availability of food, types of other organisms present. Inthis way, it is hoped that pupils should appreciate andhave a respect for living things and the environment.Also, examples have to be given of man’s impact (bothpositive and negative) on the environment.In determining to what extent does Singapore have a“water culture”, can an analogue be found in Singaporeanattitudes to Nature Reserves and recreation?Bikit Timah Nature Reserve is the largest remnantpatch of primary forest remaining in Singapore. TheKayu Gelam (melaleuca cajuputi), a native of swamps,lends its name to a historic part of the town – KampongGelam. Telok Kurau, an area in great demand for housingcomes from “Ikan Kurau”, or “Threadfin” which promptsthe questions: How many students knew the origin ofthe place name?Tanjong Katong has seen a dramatic change inlandscape over the past century. This has resulted in adisconnection with our past – and hence a disconnectionwith water? How strong is the linkage between lifestyle,sustainable development, and nature and waterconservation – indeed, how great is the gap betweenawareness and action?In conclusion, the presenters stressed that “WaterCulture” was expressed with these views:• Better to have one than not to have one• Having a water culture is no guarantee of wisestewardship of water resources and habitats• It should lead to a desire to learn more aboutwater• In today’s world, this should lead to more holisticthinking about water (e.g., our impacts on waterelsewhere)• It should lead to positive outcomes• It should constitute more than knowledge – theremust be an emotional/spiritual/cultural link aswell102 Making Mangrove Eco-Museums• It should connect people to a place and one’s past(and future?)• It should connect generations to each other.Making Mangrove Eco-Museums 103
Page 1: MakingMangroveEco-MuseumsWorkshop P
Page 4 and 5: IntroductionRegional WorkshopChacho
Page 6 and 7: IntroductionIntroductionT he worksh
Page 8 and 9: IntroductionThe BangpakongMangroveE
Page 10 and 11: The Bangpakong MangroveEco-Museum P
Page 12 and 13: Noor Azlin YahyaSetting Up NatureEd
Page 14 and 15: Setting Up Nature Education Centres
Page 22 and 23: Ha Long Bay - A World HeritageHoang
Page 32 and 33: The Site Development of the Mangrov
Page 40 and 41: Education Programming inMuzium Nega
Page 46 and 47: Coastal Community in the Kingdomof
Page 54 and 55: Water Culture and the Community -Ra
Page 62 and 63: Nature Centres for WetlandConservat
Page 68 and 69: RecommendationsParticipants’Post-
Page 70 and 71: RecommendationsRecommendations136 M
Page 78: List of ParticipantsMs. Nguyen Thu

Making Mangrove - Seameo-SPAFA

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?