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It Its just a few hectares of waterlogged ground, but the Nee Soon swamp forest ground is home to some of the most interesting is living creature in Singapore. living creatures res
TEX TEXT BY ELISAB XT ELISABETH LEE ABETH

ropical rainforest expert Dr Shawn Lums love affair with Upper Seletar dates back more than a decade. In 2000, together with five teachers, he started what is known today as the Nature Learning Camp (NLC), a school science programme organised in partnership with NParks and the national water agency, PUB. At the NLC, secondary school students get hands-on experience at Upper Seletar Reservoir to learn more about ecology and the environment. More than 10 years on, Dr Lums affection for the unique forests and waterways within the 15 hectares of Upper Seletar Reservoir Park is still very much evident. The National Institute of Education (NIE) lecturer in botany and environmental science says he visits the area every couple of weeks, for work and fun. He knows the terrain like the back of his hand.

Ma p tu Main picture and plan images courte y o Main picture and plant images cou tesy of www.florasingapura.com. Photos of leaf beetle plant images courtesy a e orasingapura.com. Photos o asingapura.com ho singap ra co p a co ho be eetle and dragonfly courtesy of ww NatureLov www.NatureLoveYou.sg. monkey nd dr onfl courtesy of www. tu LoveYou.sg. Photos of ban d leaf m nke and dwarf dragon tes e sg tos b os bande s banded af monkey d dwarf a snakehead fish courtesy of www.ecologyasia.com. Other photos by Elisabeth Lee. Elisabeth snakehead h courtesy w nakeh akeh e eh o rtesy www.ecologyasia.com. e og y Elis isa

The 48 year-old Hawaii-born ecologist takes PURE on a hike around the reservoir on an unmarked trail, stopping to point out interesting trees and dispense useful nuggets of information as we head towards the Nee Soon swamp forest. The patch that were plunging through is one of the few patches of primary rainforest left in Singapore. It is home to trees such as wild nutmeg, shorea and tembusu. Primary rainforest can take more than 100 years to regenerate, says Dr Lum. Theyre not fragile, but when you clear them, they wont come back not for a long, long time. We find a fallen branch of bat laurel, which is related to the cherry and plum tree, and Dr Lum shows us how its crushed leaves give off the scent of almonds a heady perfume amid the wet decay of the forest on that rainy day.

Soon, were crossing a paved track and heading down yet another unmarked trail. This ones narrow and dark, and hemmed in on both sides with dripping stands of wild salak and palms welcome to the swamp forest! Nee Soon swamp forest is one of the rarest forests left in Singapore, explains Dr Lum, who t a hme t did his post-doctoral attachment at attachment at of Botany at the then Department Bo n a Botany y of Singapore. ing the National University of Singapore. t is the th the All thats left of it p per area from here to Upper Pierce Reservoir just a few hectares of waterlogged ground, covered with some of ving in n the most interesting living . creatures in Singapore. no regular or o egu r Neither mangrove nor regular forest is filled re t led rainforest, the swamp forest s lled ms and pools an p ol and pools with freshwater streams

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Tem busu, Iron woo d

Dwarf snakehead fish

Banded leaf monkey

that are home to myriad array of unique species that can only be found in such forests, such as the dwarf snakehead fish and the banded leaf monkey. Its a specialised habitat, you get plants and animals you dont find elsewhere, he says. Butterfly enthusiasts love this place, because its
Below: Fishing at Upper Seletar

ON THE WATERMARK AWARD

In October 2011, five outstanding water champions were given the PUB Watermark Award, which recognises individuals and organisations for their outstanding contributions and commitment to protect and raise awareness of Singapores precious water resources. The Nature Society Singapore was one of the five awardees, thanks to its strong commitment to protect and preserve the natural habitat of Kranji Reservoir, which it has adopted since 2008. Its an award thats filled with meaning for Dr Shawn Lum, who is president of the Nature Society. Weve had a very fruitful and happy collaboration with the PUB at Kranji Reservoir. For me, the true meaning of the award is how it showcases how PUB is working with civil society groups and how were part of a larger effort to green up Singapore. Dr Lum is a big fan of PUB, especially its ABC Waters Programme, which aims to transform our water bodies and bring people closer to water. If people can experience nature and water, then you can really change the way that they think about it, and help them feel a sense of responsibility, he says. And its a small step from Singapore to the rest of the world. If we can change mindsets in Singapore, that could point the way towards impacting the s other communities unities elsewhere in n the world, he emphasises. If Singapore cant do ant it, then who can? If you want to deal with larger issues of ssues sustainability you y need to get regular, ordinary people ople involved to feel for the environment. t.
Dr Shawn Lum m pur pur 1 pure 17 pure u

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got old, natural springs and you get a lot of dragonflies and damselflies attracted to its tranquil and undisturbed habitat. Its cool and quiet in the swamp forest, and it feels like were a million miles from the expressways, malls and dense blocks of flats that make up Singapore. This is quite a special place where you can see the interface between the water and the forest, says Dr Lum. I wish more people would come and see it. It changes through the year, you can see different kinds of birds as they migrate, new things that you previously overlooked. Theres never a bad time to visit.

Clusters of fruit on a mature Knema conferta tree

WHATS THAT TREE?

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Heres how you can identify some of the trees around Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

SHOREA SHOREA O A

This tree is famous for its distinctive seeds that feature tr ree famous u s a pair of wings, making the fruit resemble some sort making p pair a n of jungle shuttlecock The shorea is a good indicator that jungle shuttlecock. The shuttlecock. h hutt co t good indicator o o youre in a primary rainforest; if you see a mature shorea, y youre primary rain r a nforest; s e shorea, s a you know youre in an area that has not been disturbed for you know o k i disturbed u e at least 100 years least years. ears. a Shorea tree leaf

WI WIL NUTMEG WILD NUTMEG ILD UT U G

The seed of the wild nutmeg

The w The wild nutmeg is a really easy tree species to identify. Look h wild really easy a y y species identify. e d n for a leaf tha doesnt quite seem symmetrical. The wild leaf ha o n symmetrical. le that doesnt quite hat t r ca nutmeg leaf blades dont meet at the same point on the mid b same point midrib nutmeg leaf meg e e dont meet a n idrib of the leaf, giving the le a lopsided appearance. leaf, the leaf lopsided eaf, af h eaf op e p

P PAYA PALM PAYA PALM L

Also known as kelumi or asam paya, thi palm is often found as i o asam s a this e nd d forests, as one Nee dense in swamp forests, such as the one at Nee Soon. It forms dense es est o ee t sd s colonies thrive n the o colonies that thrive in the cool shade and the wet conditions o ie hriv h e h wet of of the swamp forest. Look for its sca y red fruits t p forest. Look ore oo s scaly r fruits that attract aly red fruits s monkeys a other anim m monkeys and other animals, but wa eys and the animals, but watch out for the fruits' long, u atch t for he fruits' o e i prickly spines! prickly spines! ck i e

Paya Palm

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