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the great utdoors

Its just a ew hectares o waterloggedground, but the Nee Soon swamp orestis home to some o the most interestingliving creatures in Singapore.

TEXT BY ELISABETH LEE

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The 48 year-old Hawaii-born

ecologist takes PUREon a hike

around the reservoir on an unmarked

trail, stopping to point out interesting

trees and dispense useul nuggets o

inormation as we head towards the

Nee Soon swamp orest.

The patch that were plunging

through is one o the ew patches oprimary rainorest let in Singapore.

It is home to trees such as wild

nutmeg, shorea and tembusu.

Primary rainorest can take

more than 100 years to regenerate,

says Dr Lum. Theyre not ragile, but

when you clear them, they wont come

back not or a long, long time.

We fnd a allen branch o bat

laurel, which is related to the cherryand plum tree, and Dr Lum shows us

how its crushed leaves give o the

scent o almonds a heady perume

amid the wet decay o the orest on

that rainy day.

Tropical rainorest expert

Dr Shawn Lums love aair

with Upper Seletar dates

back more than a decade.

In 2000, together with fve teachers,

he started what is known today as

the Nature Learning Camp (NLC), a

school science programme organised

in partnership with NParks and thenational 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

aection or the unique orests and

waterways within the 15 hectares

o Upper Seletar Reservoir Park is

still very much evident. The NationalInstitute o Education (NIE) lecturer

in botany and environmental science

says he visits the area every couple o

weeks, or work and un. He knows

the terrain like the back o his hand.

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 o wild

salak and palms welcome to the

swamp orest!

Nee Soon swamp orest is

one o the rarest orests let inSingapore, explains Dr Lum, who

did his post-doctoral attachment at

the then Department o Botany at

the National University o Singapore.

All thats let o it is the

area rom here to Upper

Pierce Reservoir just

a ew hectares o

waterlogged ground,

covered with some othe most interesting living

creatures in Singapore.

Neither mangrove nor regular

rainorest, the swamp orest is flled

with reshwater streams and pools

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that are home to myriad array o unique

species that can only be ound in such

orests, such as the dwar snakehead

fsh and the banded lea monkey.

Its a specialised habitat, you get

plants and animals you dont fnd

elsewhere, he says. Buttery

enthusiasts love this place, because its

Dwar

snakehead fsh

Tembusu,Ironwood

In October 2011, fve outstandingwater champions were giventhe PUB Watermark Award,which recognises individuals andorganisations or their outstandingcontributions and commitmentto protect and raise awareness

o Singapores precious waterresources. The Nature SocietySingapore was one o the fveawardees, thanks to its strongcommitment to protect andpreserve the natural habitat oKranji Reservoir, which it hasadopted since 2008.

Its an award thats flled withmeaning or Dr Shawn Lum, whois president o the Nature Society.Weve had a very ruitul andhappy collaboration with the PUBat Kranji Reservoir. For me, the

true meaning o the award is howit showcases how PUB is workingwith civil society groups and howwere part o a larger eort togreen up Singapore.

Dr Lum is a big an oPUB, especially its ABC Waters

Programme, which aims totransorm our water bodies andbring people closer to water. Ipeople can experience nature andwater, then you can really changethe way that they think aboutit, and help them eel a sense o

responsibility, he says.And its a small step romSingapore to the rest o the world.I we can change mindsets inSingapore, that could point theway towards impacting theother communitieselsewhere inthe world, heemphasises. ISingapore cant doit, then who can?I you want to dealwith larger issues o

sustainability youneed to get regular,ordinary peopleinvolved toeel or theenvironment.

ON THE WATERMARK AWARD

Banded leaf monkey

Below: Fishing at

Upper Seletar

Dr Shawn Lum

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SHOREAThis tree is amous or its distinctive seeds that eaturea pair o wings, making the ruit resemble some sorto jungle shuttlecock. The shorea is a good indicator thatyoure in a primary rainorest; i you see a mature shorea,you know youre in an area that has not been disturbed orat least 100 years.

WILD NUTMEGThe wild nutmeg is a really easy tree species to identiy. Lookor a lea that doesnt quite seem symmetrical. The wildnutmeg lea blades dont meet at the same point on the midribo the lea, giving the lea a lopsided appearance.

PAYA PALMAlso known as kelumiorasam paya, this palm is oten oundin swamp orests, such as the one at Nee Soon. It orms densecolonies that thrive in the cool shade and the wet conditionso the swamp orest. Look or its scaly red ruits that attractmonkeys and other animals, but watch out or the ruits' long,prickly spines!

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the great utdoors

lly easy tree species to identiy. Lookui e seem symmetric l. The wildt eet at the ame poi t on the midriba a lopsi ed appearance.

ras m paya isi pa m is o t n ous the one at ee Soon. It orms ensee cool shade and the t conditionsk or its scals, ut w

Aee is amous or its distinctive seeds that eatureo wings, ma ing the ruit resemble some sort

e s orea is a goo in ica or t atorest; i you see a matur shorea,area that has not been dist rb d or

.oure in a primary rain

ow youre n anat east 100 ye rs.

N MET e wild nutmeg is a reor a th t doesn tnut lea blad s dono the a , giving t e le

YAAlso known elumioin swamp or s s, suchc lonies that t ve in the swamp est.

monke nd o r anpric y sp nes!

SHOThis ta pair

t e gr at d ors

WHATS THAT TREE?Heres how you can identiy some o the treesaround Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Clusters o ruit on

a mature Knema

conerta tree

Shorea tree lea

aly ed ru t that attracttch out or th ru ts' long,

The seed o the

wild nutmeg

got old, natural springs and you get a lot

o dragonies and damselies attracted

to its tranquil and undisturbed habitat.

Its cool and quiet in the swamp

orest, and it eels like were a million

miles rom the expressways, malls

and dense blocks o ats that make

up Singapore. This is quite a special

place where you can see the interace

between the water and the orest, says

Dr Lum. I wish more people would

come and see it. It changes through

the year, you can see dierent kinds

o birds as they migrate, new thingsthat you previously overlooked. Theres

never a bad time to visit.

Check out http://www.facebook.com/pure.magazine.sgor more great pictureso Nee Soon swamp orest.

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Paya Palm