Nature Society (Singapore)
Encyclopedia
The Nature Society (abbreviated NSS) is a non-government, non-profit organisation centered towards the preservation and appreciation of Singapore
's natural heritage, as well as that of the surrounding region. Run by volunteers, the NSS depends financially on its members' contributions as well as companies, institutions and individuals.
as most office holders were from the then Departments of Botany and Zoology, now merged into the Department of Biological Sciences. As such, there were always close collaborations with academics, who had the necessary scientific background. In 1991 the society split from MNS and re-registered itself as NSS. Following the re-registration, NSS moved its base from NUS leading to a decline in the number of academic members of the society. The society has recently reinforced its links with academics.
The Patron of the Nature Society is Prof. Tommy Koh
. The current President is Dr. Shawn Lum.
protesting its demise.
The society only got seriously involved in conservation soon after when its Conservation Committee led by Richard Hale
successfully persuaded government to develop a piece of degraded mangrove in Sungei Buloh into a bird sanctuary. Flushed with success, the Conservation Committee began documenting various nature areas to eventually publish "A Master Plan for the Conservation of Nature in Singapore" that was enthusiastically received by government. Subsequently led by locals who had enthusiasm but no behind-the-scene contacts, the exercise to get these areas protected turned into a series of media confrontations. Eventually, every one of the newly documented areas were rejected.
In 1991 the society was presented with the Green Leaf Award by government when the former was still the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch). This complemented the previous year's award when Richard Hale won the individual category. These awards were given to organisations and individuals for outstanding contributions to environmental protection and preservation.
To date, the NSS can boast of only two conservation successes: Sungei Buloh, in persuading government to conserve an area, and Lower Peirce, in persuading government not to destroy a piece of mature forest for a golf course.
This was the first conservation proposal by the newly formed Conservation Committee headed by Hale. Key government officials like the late President, Mr Wee Kim Wee
, then Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong
and then Minister of National Development, Mr S. Dhanabalan were personally escorted to the site. This convinced government and so in 1989 the Sungei Buloh Nature Park came into being, now Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
.
surfaced in 2001 when the discovery of its rich marine biodiversity coincided with the planned reclamation of this intertidal area. The NSS was by then working closely with government and as the reclamation was already decided, it kept a low profile. However, individuals like Joseph Lai, Ria Tan and N. Sivasothi organised a team of volunteers to help document the biodiversity of the area. Among the volunteers were many NSS members, but they came as individuals. And the NSS's Conservation Committee declined to participate - after all, its strong point is birds, not marine organisms and the NSS had already decided not to officially get involved in the controversy.
The resulting media and internet publicity attracted thousands of visitors, many unaware that such rich marine life could still be seen in a highly urbanised Singapore. The Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan
visited the area and was surprised at the number of Singaporeans visiting it. The groundswell of public opinion was obviously too strong for government to proceed with the reclamation and at the last moment it agreed to give the area a reprieve. The decision took everyone by surprise. It was only then that the NSS was roped in, together with other NGOs, to assist in developing the area for public visits.
In 1988, when a Javan Myna
Acridotheres javanicus was observed picking up ants and placing them on its feathers, no one knew what was going on. But the use of ants to rid the feathers of ectoparasites, known as anting, was well known among western birdwatchers. It was only 17 years later, when the phenomenon was posted on the website that local birdwatchers understood the significance of this behaviour. Similarly, birdwatchers were made aware through the website that species other than raptors and owls
regularly cast pellets. These were only two of the many aspects of behaviour that the website made birdwatchers aware of.
Citizen science
, then in its doldrums after more than a decade of recreational birding, saw a revival as a result of the many interesting postings. Citizen scientists began contributing snippets of bird behaviour they encountered in the field. But contributions were not always casual observations. There were instances of quality observations that resulted in papers published in peer reviewed journals.
The website is currently a valuable database on regional bird behaviour, consulted by birdwatchers, ornithologists and naturalists throughout the world.
The society's early success, especially in its attempts at getting Sungei Buloh conserved, led to locals aspiring for leadership roles. Clive graciously stepped down as Chairman in 1991, giving way to Lim Kim Keang. Unfortunately, in the absence Clive's leadership, the group gradually became more and more recreational centered.
In 1992 the group published a book on locally extinct birds, a field guide in 1997, and a pocket checklist in 2007. In 2009 it self-published The Avifauna of Singapore, based on the same set of data already published in the peer reviewed Annotated Checklist of Birds of Singapore. This latter publication was written by ornithologists Wang Luan Keng and Chris Hails and featured all records and sightings of all species ever found in Singapore.
In 2004 the group participated in BirdLife International
’s Important Bird Areas project for Asia, contributing a piece on Singapore. By then the society had become an affiliate of BirdLife.
Currently, the Bird Group is trying hard to infuse scientific birdwatching into its many recreational activities under the new leadership of Alan Owyong.
Members offered their expertise to set up butterfly gardens, especially in schools. In 2002 a garden was set up in Alexandra Hospital
, followed by one in the Singapore Changi Airport
(Terminal 3) in 2007. The airport’s open-air enclosure garden houses about 2,000 butterflies of 47 species at any one time. This garden is accessible to transit passengers. A 40-km butterfly trail was also developed in the heart of Singapore’s tourist belt in 2010 in collaboration with National Parks Board and Singapore Environmental Council. Starting from the Singapore Botanical Gardens, it moves along Orchard Road to end in Fort Canning. Along the way are 15 butterfly spots where, hopefully, the various host plants can attract some 50 species. In 2010 the group collaborated with Singapore Post
in late 2008 to produce a series of butterfly stamps.
In 2008 the Kranji marsh was adopted, followed by the Jalan Halus wetland. Here, the society undertook habitat enhancement, conducted biodiversity surveys and guided nature walks. At the same time the group worked with the National Parks Board and the National University of Singapore to revise The Singapore Red Data Book: Threatened Plants & Animals of Singapore, to bring out an updated edition.
A major project was the island-wide survey of horseshoe crabs in 2009. Under the leadership of Dr. Hsu Chia Chi, it was to establish the population of the two local species, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus gigas. A year later the researchers started using electronic tagging equipment to study their movements, homing instinct and hopefully locate their spawning sites.
Currently the group is involved in an initiative to get government to develop the narrow corridor bordering the disused Malayan Railway lines as a Green Corridor.
Brought up in a totally urban environment and housed in high-rise apartment buildings, most children were then totally divorced from nature. And most reacted negatively to insects, even to butterflies. Through a series of workshops with catchy titles like Fun with Frogs, Mad about Monkeys and Stuck with Sticks (insects), children were given a chance to interact closely with various animals, sometimes actually handling them, to remove their fear of the unfamiliar.
A roving nature exhibition entitled Singapore’s Amazing Wildlife, was set up in 2004 that toured primary schools in order to reach out to students and receive their feedback. A Circle of Life exhibition of digital art paintings depicting the native flora and fauna was launched in 2004 to celebrate the society’s 50th anniversary. This was followed by a celebration of the country’s biodiversity where each participant, mostly children from various schools, held a Life Card, each depicting a native plant or animal. This was follower by activities showcasing the nation’s biodiversity.
In 2008 Vilma passed on the leadership to Gloria Seow so that she could spend more time with the educational based Cicada Tree Eco-place, a non-governmental organization that she set up earlier.
In 1999 the group was revived as a youth group, working closely with other NGOs and becoming involved in various outreach initiatives like save the dolphins project.
Earlier the group published a coffee table book, Singapore Waters – Unveiling Our Seas, highlighting the state of the marine biodiversity. It contributed feedback on the remaining marine habitats to the Singapore Green Plan 2002, Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Parks and Waterbodies Plan 2002 and URA Masterplan.
In 2006 the group got the society involved in Project Noah (Nurturing Our Aquatic Heritage), initiated by the Singapore Underwater Federation. The plan was to provide a so-called clear underwater paradise at the offshore island of Pulau Hantu. The subsequent uproar by marine biologists, claiming that the project would actually destroy the thriving marine biodiversity forced the society to withdraw its involvement from the project. The society threw in its support based on advise from the group, all of whom were recreational divers as well as from the Conservation Committee, whose expertise has always been on birds rather than marine biology. This is one example of the danger of the society not collaborating with academics from the local universities.
When digital photography came onto the scene around the early 2000, a group of enthusiastic nature photographers approached the society to reactivate the Photo Group which was then in dormancy. Unfortunately, suspicion and lack of foresight led to the society rejecting the initiative and as a result, the Nature Photographic Society (Singapore) was formed. This was followed by a number of e-forums that catered to nature photographers. The society lost a golden opportunity to work closely with this group of extremely dedicated and focused bird photographers and as fate would have it, the birdwatchers are currently courting bird photographers for their excellent images and sightings. The Photo Group is currently still in dormancy.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's natural heritage, as well as that of the surrounding region. Run by volunteers, the NSS depends financially on its members' contributions as well as companies, institutions and individuals.
History
NSS has its origin in 1940 when a handful of colonial civil servants got together to form the Malayan Nature Society (MNS). Its activities were mainly educational - organising talks by visiting scientists, conducting nature walks, etc. Headquartered in today's Malaysia, the Singapore group became known as the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch). It had its headquarters in the National University of SingaporeNational University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
as most office holders were from the then Departments of Botany and Zoology, now merged into the Department of Biological Sciences. As such, there were always close collaborations with academics, who had the necessary scientific background. In 1991 the society split from MNS and re-registered itself as NSS. Following the re-registration, NSS moved its base from NUS leading to a decline in the number of academic members of the society. The society has recently reinforced its links with academics.
The Patron of the Nature Society is Prof. Tommy Koh
Tommy Koh
Tommy Koh was born in Singapore on 12 November 1937. He is an international lawyer, professor and Ambassador-At-Large for the Government of Singapore...
. The current President is Dr. Shawn Lum.
Major Conservation Issues
Activities had always been education-related until about the 1980s when members found themselves thrust into the role of environmental activists. The Serangoon estuary, home to tens of thousands of migratory birds, had just been reclaimed for development. Members were yet to be sensitised to conservation and only journalist Ilsa Sharp wrote a piece in The Straits TimesThe Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
protesting its demise.
The society only got seriously involved in conservation soon after when its Conservation Committee led by Richard Hale
Richard Hale
Richard Hale was an American character actor of film, stage and television. Hale was known for his unusual appearance which usually landed him in the roles of either Middle Eastern or Native American characters....
successfully persuaded government to develop a piece of degraded mangrove in Sungei Buloh into a bird sanctuary. Flushed with success, the Conservation Committee began documenting various nature areas to eventually publish "A Master Plan for the Conservation of Nature in Singapore" that was enthusiastically received by government. Subsequently led by locals who had enthusiasm but no behind-the-scene contacts, the exercise to get these areas protected turned into a series of media confrontations. Eventually, every one of the newly documented areas were rejected.
In 1991 the society was presented with the Green Leaf Award by government when the former was still the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch). This complemented the previous year's award when Richard Hale won the individual category. These awards were given to organisations and individuals for outstanding contributions to environmental protection and preservation.
To date, the NSS can boast of only two conservation successes: Sungei Buloh, in persuading government to conserve an area, and Lower Peirce, in persuading government not to destroy a piece of mature forest for a golf course.
Sungei Buloh
In 1986, Richard Hale, a banker-birder, stumbled on a degraded mangrove area rich in migratory birds when out birdwatching. Unfortunately the area was also scheduled for development. Undeterred, Hale led a group of members documenting the richness of the birdlife and setting out suggestions for its conservation.This was the first conservation proposal by the newly formed Conservation Committee headed by Hale. Key government officials like the late President, Mr Wee Kim Wee
Wee Kim Wee
Wee Kim Wee GCB was the fourth President of Singapore from 2 September 1985 to 1 September 1993.-Early life:Born into a humble family, Wee Kim Wee was the son of a clerk, Wee Choong Lay and his wife Chua Lay Hua. His father died when he was eight...
, then Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
and then Minister of National Development, Mr S. Dhanabalan were personally escorted to the site. This convinced government and so in 1989 the Sungei Buloh Nature Park came into being, now Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a nature reserve located in the Northwest area of Singapore. It is the first wetlands reserve to be gazetted in Singapore in the year 2002, and its global importance as a stop-over point for migratory birds was also recognised by the Wetlands International's...
.
Lower Peirce
NSS's other success was in persuading government not to destroy a patch of mature forest in the Lower Peirce water catchment for a golf course. Unlike the Sungei Buloh affair which Francesch-Huidobro refers to as "the power of persuasion", the Lower Peirce was "the power of protestation". This catchment has always been a legally protected nature reserve and the announcement to clear a 142-ha area of forest for a golf course saw members up in arms. A report was hastily put together in 1992 detailing the biodiversity and the damage a golf course could do to the water quality in particular and the environment in general. When this 80-page "environmental impact assessment" failed to get any response from government, a signature campaign was organised that resulted in thousands of signatures. The almost daily media confrontations led to increasing public support against the construction of the golf course. Eventually government shelved the proposal.Chek Jawa
The controversy of Chek JawaChek Jawa
Tanjong Chek Jawa is a cape and the name of its 100-hectare wetlands located on the south-eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, an island off the north-eastern coast of the main island of Singapore...
surfaced in 2001 when the discovery of its rich marine biodiversity coincided with the planned reclamation of this intertidal area. The NSS was by then working closely with government and as the reclamation was already decided, it kept a low profile. However, individuals like Joseph Lai, Ria Tan and N. Sivasothi organised a team of volunteers to help document the biodiversity of the area. Among the volunteers were many NSS members, but they came as individuals. And the NSS's Conservation Committee declined to participate - after all, its strong point is birds, not marine organisms and the NSS had already decided not to officially get involved in the controversy.
The resulting media and internet publicity attracted thousands of visitors, many unaware that such rich marine life could still be seen in a highly urbanised Singapore. The Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan
Mah Bow Tan
Mah Bow Tan is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently a Member of Parliament representing the Tampines Group Representation Constituency...
visited the area and was surprised at the number of Singaporeans visiting it. The groundswell of public opinion was obviously too strong for government to proceed with the reclamation and at the last moment it agreed to give the area a reprieve. The decision took everyone by surprise. It was only then that the NSS was roped in, together with other NGOs, to assist in developing the area for public visits.
Special Interest Groups
Activities of the society have always been generated by Special Interest Groups. Such groups arise spontaneously as and when enthusiastic members come forward to lead and organise activities for other members to participate. Through the years these groups may form and disband, depending on the enthusiasm and willingness of leaders to continue leading.Bird Ecology Study Group (BESG)
The BESG was formed in 2005 to encourage the study of birds and their links with all aspects of the natural environment. Under the leadership of Dr. Wee Yeow Chin, R. Subaraj and Richard Hale, the group was to complement the existing Bird Group, whose activities had by then become totally recreational. Local birdwatchers had already acquired the necessary skills to identify birds in the field but knowledge of bird ecology and behaviour was sadly lacking.Wee, Y. C., 2006. Forty years of birding and ornithological research in Singapore. Birding Asia 5:12-15. Through close collaboration with the many photographers that were then seeking out birds as their subjects, new insights into bird behaviour, from food birds take to nesting habits and interspecific relations, were showcased through crisp digital images and scientific interpretation in the group’s website.In 1988, when a Javan Myna
Javan Myna
The Javan Myna , also known as the White-vented Myna and the Buffalo Myna, is a myna, a member of the Starling family....
Acridotheres javanicus was observed picking up ants and placing them on its feathers, no one knew what was going on. But the use of ants to rid the feathers of ectoparasites, known as anting, was well known among western birdwatchers. It was only 17 years later, when the phenomenon was posted on the website that local birdwatchers understood the significance of this behaviour. Similarly, birdwatchers were made aware through the website that species other than raptors and owls
OWLS
OWLS is a mnemonic used by general aviation airplane pilots to assess an unprepared surface for a precautionary landing.Like all mnemonics this check has become part of aviation culture and folklore.OWLS:* Obstacles* Wind direction...
regularly cast pellets. These were only two of the many aspects of behaviour that the website made birdwatchers aware of.
Citizen science
Citizen science
Citizen science is a term used for the systematic collection and analysis of data; development of technology; testing of natural phenomena; and the dissemination of these activities by researchers on a primarily avocational basis...
, then in its doldrums after more than a decade of recreational birding, saw a revival as a result of the many interesting postings. Citizen scientists began contributing snippets of bird behaviour they encountered in the field. But contributions were not always casual observations. There were instances of quality observations that resulted in papers published in peer reviewed journals.
The website is currently a valuable database on regional bird behaviour, consulted by birdwatchers, ornithologists and naturalists throughout the world.
Bird Group
The Bird Group was formed in 1984 by the late Clive Briffett. Under his leadership, guided walks, bird race, bird surveys, water bird census and bird counts were introduced. A monthly in-house newsletter, Singapore Avifauna, was started to record bird sightings and an updated checklist of birds was published.The society's early success, especially in its attempts at getting Sungei Buloh conserved, led to locals aspiring for leadership roles. Clive graciously stepped down as Chairman in 1991, giving way to Lim Kim Keang. Unfortunately, in the absence Clive's leadership, the group gradually became more and more recreational centered.
In 1992 the group published a book on locally extinct birds, a field guide in 1997, and a pocket checklist in 2007. In 2009 it self-published The Avifauna of Singapore, based on the same set of data already published in the peer reviewed Annotated Checklist of Birds of Singapore. This latter publication was written by ornithologists Wang Luan Keng and Chris Hails and featured all records and sightings of all species ever found in Singapore.
In 2004 the group participated in BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
’s Important Bird Areas project for Asia, contributing a piece on Singapore. By then the society had become an affiliate of BirdLife.
Currently, the Bird Group is trying hard to infuse scientific birdwatching into its many recreational activities under the new leadership of Alan Owyong.
Butterfly Interest Group
The Butterfly Interest Group got its start when Project Painted Wings was launched in 1996. Talks and guided walks were conducted and field guides planned. The group was soon formalised under the leadership of Steven Neo who brought forth the first guide book on local butterflies. Subsequently posters, brochures and field guides on butterflies were produced.Members offered their expertise to set up butterfly gardens, especially in schools. In 2002 a garden was set up in Alexandra Hospital
Alexandra Hospital
Alexandra Hospital is a 400-bed hospital located in the south-western part of Singapore. Nestled in a 110,000 square metre land, the hospital is a picture of tranquil setting, lined with mostly colonial style buildings built since the late 1930s...
, followed by one in the Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site....
(Terminal 3) in 2007. The airport’s open-air enclosure garden houses about 2,000 butterflies of 47 species at any one time. This garden is accessible to transit passengers. A 40-km butterfly trail was also developed in the heart of Singapore’s tourist belt in 2010 in collaboration with National Parks Board and Singapore Environmental Council. Starting from the Singapore Botanical Gardens, it moves along Orchard Road to end in Fort Canning. Along the way are 15 butterfly spots where, hopefully, the various host plants can attract some 50 species. In 2010 the group collaborated with Singapore Post
Singapore Post
Singapore Post Limited or commonly known as is Singapore's designated Public Postal Licensee which provides domestic and international postal services. It also provides logistics services in the domestic market and global delivery services...
in late 2008 to produce a series of butterfly stamps.
Conservation Committee
This committee was initiated by the Bird Group in the late 1980s with Richard Hale as Chairman and R. Subaraj, Dr. Rexon Ngim and Dr Ho Hua Chew as members. It successfully lobbied for the conservation of Sungei Buloh (see Sungei Buloh above) before the Chairmanship was passed on to Dr Ho. Subsequently the areas listed in the society’s masterplan were systematically surveyed and reports prepared. Government was lobbied for their conservation through media confrontations but the fight for Marina South ended with the group possibly losing credibility. This was not a natural area but a piece of reclaimed land. It turned into a wetland as a result of poor drainage with waterfowls taking up residence soon after. For the next few years the group laid low, providing feedbacks to government agencies, assisting in the review of the Singapore Green Plan, etc.In 2008 the Kranji marsh was adopted, followed by the Jalan Halus wetland. Here, the society undertook habitat enhancement, conducted biodiversity surveys and guided nature walks. At the same time the group worked with the National Parks Board and the National University of Singapore to revise The Singapore Red Data Book: Threatened Plants & Animals of Singapore, to bring out an updated edition.
A major project was the island-wide survey of horseshoe crabs in 2009. Under the leadership of Dr. Hsu Chia Chi, it was to establish the population of the two local species, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus gigas. A year later the researchers started using electronic tagging equipment to study their movements, homing instinct and hopefully locate their spawning sites.
Currently the group is involved in an initiative to get government to develop the narrow corridor bordering the disused Malayan Railway lines as a Green Corridor.
Education Group
In existence since the 1990s, the Education Group was low-keyed in its outreach activities until 2000 when Dr. Vilma Ann D’Rozario took over the leadership. Working closely with schools, she encouraged teachers to make use of the outdoors as a living classroom. She initiated the setting up of eco-ponds and butterfly gardens in schools for hands on interaction with nature. Students were encouraged to chart out nature trails in neighbouring parks, produce their own nature brochures and be proficient nature guides so as to instill the love of nature to others.Brought up in a totally urban environment and housed in high-rise apartment buildings, most children were then totally divorced from nature. And most reacted negatively to insects, even to butterflies. Through a series of workshops with catchy titles like Fun with Frogs, Mad about Monkeys and Stuck with Sticks (insects), children were given a chance to interact closely with various animals, sometimes actually handling them, to remove their fear of the unfamiliar.
A roving nature exhibition entitled Singapore’s Amazing Wildlife, was set up in 2004 that toured primary schools in order to reach out to students and receive their feedback. A Circle of Life exhibition of digital art paintings depicting the native flora and fauna was launched in 2004 to celebrate the society’s 50th anniversary. This was followed by a celebration of the country’s biodiversity where each participant, mostly children from various schools, held a Life Card, each depicting a native plant or animal. This was follower by activities showcasing the nation’s biodiversity.
In 2008 Vilma passed on the leadership to Gloria Seow so that she could spend more time with the educational based Cicada Tree Eco-place, a non-governmental organization that she set up earlier.
Jalan Hijau
Jalan Hijau (Green Path) started as an independent group of individuals of diverse background united in their concern for the environment. It became affiliated to the society in 1992 as an environmental group, complementing the society’s traditional focus on nature appreciation and conservation. Under the leadership of Cynthia-Wee Hoefer, activities centered around brown issues like recycling, waste minimisation and green consumerism. The group also published Singapore’s first Green Directory. This was at a time when such issues were not in vogue and the Singapore Environment Council, labeled as “government NGO” or GONGO, had yet to be formed.In 1999 the group was revived as a youth group, working closely with other NGOs and becoming involved in various outreach initiatives like save the dolphins project.
Marine Conservation Group
In 1991 the marine group, under the leadership of Helen Newman, initiated a coral rescue project that relocated hard corals from areas destined for reclamation. The first project involved 140 volunteers that worked on the fringing reef around Buran Darat, off Sentosa island. The corals were transferred to the southern coast of Sentosa. The second project was more ambitious, lasting from mid-1993 to early 1995 and involving over 450 divers from six diving clubs. Corals were moved from reefs off the southern coast of Pulau Ayer Chawan, now part of the Jurong Island landmass. Again, they were relocated to southern Sentosa. Survival rate was a low 10 percent, due to the absence of proper securing of the translocated corals at the new site. Only in 2006 did marine enthusiasts become seriously concerned about the lack of protection for the marine habitats. This led to the formation of the Marine Roundtable forum and the eventual drafting of the Singapore Blue Plan during the International Year of the Reef in 2008. Besides being involved in this roundtable, the group also provided feedback to the various government agencies as and when requited.Earlier the group published a coffee table book, Singapore Waters – Unveiling Our Seas, highlighting the state of the marine biodiversity. It contributed feedback on the remaining marine habitats to the Singapore Green Plan 2002, Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Parks and Waterbodies Plan 2002 and URA Masterplan.
In 2006 the group got the society involved in Project Noah (Nurturing Our Aquatic Heritage), initiated by the Singapore Underwater Federation. The plan was to provide a so-called clear underwater paradise at the offshore island of Pulau Hantu. The subsequent uproar by marine biologists, claiming that the project would actually destroy the thriving marine biodiversity forced the society to withdraw its involvement from the project. The society threw in its support based on advise from the group, all of whom were recreational divers as well as from the Conservation Committee, whose expertise has always been on birds rather than marine biology. This is one example of the danger of the society not collaborating with academics from the local universities.
Photo Group
As far back as the early 1980s there was a small group of enthusiastic nature photographers who were documenting all aspects of the local nature. The public was then more familiar with foreign flora and fauna than their local counterparts. This was a time when textbooks had few local examples and popular nature books were on foreign plants and animals. History was made when the first colour coffee-table book on regional insects was published. This was followed a decade later by one on local natural history. Locals were then slowly becoming aware of the thriving nature within the concrete jungle they were living in. Dr Chua Ee Kiam generously donated the proceeds from his book to the society for its conservation work. The author subsequently left the society and went on to published three other nature books.When digital photography came onto the scene around the early 2000, a group of enthusiastic nature photographers approached the society to reactivate the Photo Group which was then in dormancy. Unfortunately, suspicion and lack of foresight led to the society rejecting the initiative and as a result, the Nature Photographic Society (Singapore) was formed. This was followed by a number of e-forums that catered to nature photographers. The society lost a golden opportunity to work closely with this group of extremely dedicated and focused bird photographers and as fate would have it, the birdwatchers are currently courting bird photographers for their excellent images and sightings. The Photo Group is currently still in dormancy.