Mangroves of Admiralty Park

There's no low tide so it's perhaps time to visit Admiralty Park, as I've been meaning to do for a long time.Officially opened in Oct 07, with a second phase launched in Oct 08, the Park has meandering paths through grassland habitats next to streams, some narrow forested areas and a tiny patch of mangroves.

There is a 2-km nature trail next to, with two bridges across, a little stream called Sungei Cina. The stream edges are thick with lush grasslands full of wildflowers and bugs and butterflies.I'm really bad with photographing anything that flies. I'm more used to shooting things in water. So it was nice to get a chance at these little insects. I have no idea what they are. There were quite a few of the yellow butterflies. They are really annoying to shoot as they have a seemingly random way of flying about. I'm in awe at how the Butterfly Circle folks can shoot these animals.
The path meanders through several large clumps of Nipah palms (Nypa fruticans) and some were blooming! I've done a separate post on the fascinating insects attracted to these blossoms.

Right along this open path, I came across the biggest Putat sungei (Barringtonia racemosa) that I've ever seen! It's huge and appears old and well grown. Perhaps it was there since before the Park? It's good to know it was incorporated into the Park.This tree is listed as 'Critically Endangered' on the Red List of threatened plants of Singapore. It has pretty pink puff-ball flowers that appear on a long trailing stalk. I only noticed today, that the leaves have a toothed edge. Wow! What a great, unexpected find.

Among the other interesting plants I saw along the way was a Wax plant (Hoya sp.) but it wasn't flowering, and a very tall Noni (Morinda citrifolia) tree.
At the top of a little rise, in the open areas, I notice lots of little saplings. They are probably propagated special trees. I recognise the Sea teak (Podocarpus polystachyus) among them. This is quite exciting!The trail then loops into a narrow forested area, under tall Rhu trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) and secondary forest plants.Finally, the trail leads to a short bridge over a canal that leads into the mangroves! Although touted as a boardwalk through the mangrove, it's really just a bridge and doesn't bring visitors to walk amongst the trees. Not like the boardwalks at Chek Jawa or Sungei Buloh.But the mangroves do look interesting. With at least two Bruguiera gymnorrhiza with their bright red flowers near the bridge. As well as tall Avicennia and other trees.
It was nice to come across a rather well grown Yellow-eyed pong pong tree (Cerbera odollam).
What was interesting for me to see was the rattans looping around the trees near the mangroves and over the streams. This is my first time seeing such large fat rattans near a mangrove.

Rattans are actually palms, like the more familiar Coconut palm and Nipah palm. But unlike these palms, rattans don't invest in a sturdy trunk. Instead, they are climbers and clamber over other trees, using them as support to reach the sun.To climb, they have spines all over the place. On the leaves, on the stems, and the tips of the leaves are lined with grappling hooks (top little photo insert). A rattan is not a pleasant plant to have a quarrel with.

According to Tomlinson and Giesen, Calamus erinaceus is a rattan that is associated with mangroves. The Malay name is 'Rotan bakau'. I'm not sure if this is the one I saw at the Park today.

I also saw some replanting going on in the forested area. I recognised some as Putat laut (Barringtonia asiatica) and Penaga laut (Calophyllum inophyllum) trees.

It seems that the mangrove area is still connected to the sea, as the map of the Park shows.
This is great to know. And with the replanting going on, the Park may eventually be home to some of our rare and endangered shore plants.
Unfortunately, there was someone deep in the mangroves with a bucket and a back pack. The bicycle chained to the bridge probably belongs to him. I'm not sure what he was up to, he disappeared shortly among the trees.The forested area was full of birds and other creatures. Like this Plantain squirrel (Callosciurus notatus). There were also lots of signs telling people not to feed the monkeys, so perhaps there are monkeys in the area. But I didn't see any today.And this little Ashy Tailorbird (Orthotomus ruficeps) took off just as I tried to take a picture of him.

The Park is interesting, and I might try to take a closer look at the mangroves another time.

Status and threats to Admiralty Park

Admiralty Park includes a 20-hectare nature area, "the biggest nature area within a park in Singapore" according to the NParks website.
And here's the Nature Area (marked NA in green) within the Park, from the Master Plan 2008 page on the URA website.

Being located in the middle of an industrial area, the mangroves are vulnerable to industrial accidents. A factory fire in Jun 08 resulted in pollution of the waters in the area.

The coastline that leads to Sungei Cina and the mangroves in the Park are also going to be developed into a 'waterfront oasis'. This is probably the area with the green cross-hatched lines in the map above.

More about Admiralty Park

The park has also WiFi Hotspots at strategic locations. The Sakura restaurant is located at the West Entrance of the park (it was offering a buffet when I was there).

Republic Polytechnic is right next to the Park and they have collaborated with NParks to produce an Admiralty Park e-guide.

There is a guided nature walk at this Park every second Saturday of the month. From the NParks website: "Experience the nature area filled with rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. Appreciate the beauty of the river at different water levels. Venture through both the secondary Rain-forest and the mangrove forest, and seize the opportunity to observe the various plants and animals. Registration ends 3 days before the event. To register, please email Dorothy at dorothy_lim@nparks.gov.sg"

Time: 8.30-10.30am
Venue: Admiralty Park, amphitheatre
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/
Contact: Dorothy at dorothy_lim@nparks.gov.sg

You can also volunteer at the Park on the last Friday of the month on a bi-monthly basis. The next event is on 24 April (Fri) at 08.30-9.30am. To register, email dorothy_lim@nparks.gov.sg .

More links

• Admiralty Park on the NParks website.
• Admiralty Park e-guide by Republic Polytechnic and NParks.
  
• Official opening of Admiralty Park media reports on the wildsingapore website.
• Surprises aplenty at Admiralty Park's new trail Dhany Osman, Straits Times 12 Oct 08
• Phase 2 of Admiralty Park opens to public Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia 4 Oct 08
• Woodlands factory on fire again; public advised to avoid beach, canal Channel NewsAsia 13 Jun 08
  
• Drains and canals at Sungei Sembawang polluted following factory fire Channel NewsAsia 7 Jun 08
• $19m waterfront oasis to be built in Woodlands Channel NewsAsia 26 Jan 08

Blooming Nipah at Admiralty Park

The Nipah palm is among the best recognised mangrove plant as it produces 'attap chee', a favourite ingredient of our much loved local desserts such as ice kachang.And at Admiralty Park today, there were lots of large clumps of Nipah palm (Nypa fruticans) all along the trails. A few were flowering and I took a closer look at the insects that were attracted to these strange blossoms.

The palm produces two kinds of flowers.
The female flowers form a globe made up of little segments that eventually become the fruits. While the male flowers appear on a thick long sausage-shaped inflorescence.

Blooming male flowers are golden yellow with sticky pollen and attract a lot of insects.There were honey bees. And swarms of tiny little insects.Are they flies or bees? I have no idea. But there sure were LOTS of them.

According to Tomlinson, two kinds of insects visit the flowers "in significant numbers": small bees of the genus Trigona and small flies of the Family Drosophilidae. He says the bees may not be important pollinators as they only visit the male flowers and not the female flowers. The small flies, however, visit both kinds of flowers and appear to complete their lifecycle in the branches of the male inflorescences.

If this is true, then it's important NOT to 'clean' away the withered male flowers as they may be the source of the pollinators that the palm depends upon!
The honey bees pack the pollen on their back legs.And I noticed (after I got home and processed the photo), one of the little insects eating the pollen on the bee's leg!!

Besides the honey bees and little insects, there were also beetles. There were many of them, but not as many as the little insects. And the beetles seem to be mating as well as eating!
And there were even tinier insects too! Wow, it was a real frenzy!

I didn't see any insects at the female flowers. But perhaps these only become receptive after the male flowers surrounding them wither away? There's still so much more to find out about our mangrove plants.Eventually, the male flowers wither away, and the female flowers turn to dark brown fruits.

The Nipah palm often forms large colonies. It is generally found in tidal rivers, calm estuaries and shallow lagoons with permanent and high inflows of freshwater. It does not occur on shores exposed to waves or in areas with high salinity, and is also not found far beyond the intertidal influence.

The Nipah palm is among the more commercially valuable plants of the mangroves. The leaves are used for 'attap' huts. According to Burkill, "a more skilful use of the leaves" is to produce attap: drying the leaves, folding them over a rod and stitching them in place to form shingles called attap. These shingles are used for roofing as well as the sides of houses and can last for 5 years or more. The leaves are also used to make umbrellas, sunhats, raincoats, baskets, mats and bags. Young leaves are made into cigarette-wrappers.

Another famous product of the Nipah palm is the production of 'toddy', an local alcholic drink. Burkill describes the process of tapping sap from the palm to produce 'toddy': A palm is fit to tap at 5 years of age or after its second flowering. When the fruit is forming, the stalk carrying it is beaten with a wooden mallet. After being bruised daily for a week, the stalk is tapped for its sap and the flow maintained by daily shaving off from the stump of the inflorescence. It is accepted that tapping over 50 years is possible.

The sap ferments into alcoholic 'toddy', almost immediately as "bacteria of fermentation is in abundance" in the containers used to collect the sap. Nipah suger is not much made in Malaya because it contains "too much of a treacly substance that is difficult to eliminate". Toddy left to stand becomes vinegar in a fortnight, which is used to bleach Nipah leaves for the hat and mat industry.

An animal that is fond of stealing 'toddy' is the Common Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). It is also called the Toddycat. The Toddycat and Palm leaf is part of the logo of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR) at the National University of Singapore.
From the write up about the Toddycat and Palm leaf in the logo ...

"Commonly residing in roofs of houses, gardens and parks, they travel between houses via telephone wires, poles and trees. Often mistaken for cats or rats in the roof, Toddy eats flesh and fruit with equal gusto.

Seven of the eight species of world's palm civets are found in Southeast Asia. They are secretive and elegant animals residing in the threatened forests of Asia, and even now, we know very little about them!"

The Toddycats is also the name of the volunteers at RMBR! Here is the really delightful mascot of the volunteers...
There sure are a lot of fascinating fauna and facts surrounding the Nipah palm!

Barnacle penis: longer isn't always better

Often mistaken for clams, barnacles are fascinating crustaceans (yes, like crabs and shrimps). A barnacle has a 'shell' and is immobile as an adult. When submerged, it sticks out its feathery feet to filter out edible bits from the water.

Barnacles are usually hermaphrodites, each barnacle having both male and female reproductive organs. However, they don't self-fertilise. They also don't release eggs and sperm into the water like many other marine creatures. Instead, they practice internal fertilisation. As these animals cannot move, this is achieved by having a tremendously long penis! It is said, some can reach and fertilise a barnacle up to seven shells away.

A recent study, however, found that a long penis isn't always advantageous.

Penis length isn't everything ... for barnacle males
Ewen Callaway, New Scientist 17 Apr 09;

On exposed shores, it's better for barnacles to grow shorter, thicker penises (Image: J. Matt Hoch)
In calm waters, barnacles grow longer, flexible penises with greater reach (Image: J. Matt Hoch)

Longer isn't always better, according to some men, and it seems the same is true for barnacles, too. The hermaphroditic filter-feeders can grow penises up to eight times their body length – they have the longest penis length relative to body size in the animal kingdom – but new research suggests that stouter members are sometimes more effective for mating.

Glued to a rock year-round and unable to self mate, a lengthy penis increases a barnacle's odds of spreading its seed.

The animals regrow their penises each year, just before their brief mating season, and previous research has shown that water conditions play an important role in shaping the budding penis.

In calm waters, acorn barnacles grow long, flexible members in order to reach as many mates as possible. However, in choppier waters, the barnacles develop more muscular penises with far less reach.

"It's kind of like toughness versus flexibility," says J. Matt Hoch, a marine biologist at Stony Brook University in New York, who tested whether barnacle penis plasticity actually affects reproduction.
Fertile waters

To do this, he set up two experimental barnacle beds – one on the wave-exposed Atlantic shore and the other in a protected harbour near his university. A few months before breeding season and before penis growth started, Hoch collected barnacles from a site exposed to moderate waves and moved them into his two experimental love nests.

After their penises sprouted and mating began, Hoch quickly took half of the barnacles from the moderate site and transplanted them into the exposed site, and vice versa. At the end of the mating season, he counted up the number of fertilised eggs.

Predictably, barnacles raised in calm waters that grew thin, flexible penises struggled when forced to mate in choppier waters. They fertilised significantly fewer eggs compared with their lengthy counterparts that stayed in calm waters.

Barnacles with thicker penises, on the other hand, fertilised just as many eggs in the harbour as they did in the open ocean. However, barnacles with thin penises mating in calm waters fertilised the most eggs out of all the groups.

Interestingly, Hoch noticed that in rough waters, barnacles with thin penises suffered fewer injuries and breaks than barnacles with more muscular members.

He reasons that the waves were so rough at times that the barnacles with thin penises didn't dare come out to look for a mate.

Journal reference: Evolution (DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00668.x)

Works continue near Cyrene Reef: buoyancy tank removal operations

More works are being done near Cyrene Reefs, a living shore with seagrasses, coral reefs and amazing marine life.
This is probably part of the dredging operations from Jurong Island to Pulau Ular and bedding layer and wire lay operations from Jurong Island to Pulau Ular that began in Mar 09.

What's at Cyrene Reef?
More on the wildsingapore website with lots of blog posts about Cyrene Reef.

Buoyancy tank removal operations from Jurong Island to Pulau Ular
from Port Marine Notice No. 45 of 2009 dated 16 Apr 09

With effect from 17 Apr 09 to 30 Apr 09. 24 hours daily, including Sundays and Public Holidays. At Selat Pandan, Sinki Fairway and West Keppel Fairway (see attached chartlet):

Buoyancy tank removal entails diving operation and releasing tanks within sectors as indicated in the chartlet. The safety working zones are circular areas of 200-metre radius centred at the diving boat “EM 7”. A safety boat will be deployed in the immediate vicinity of the working area to warn other craft of the project work. Further enquiries relating to the project can be directed to Mr P Bogers, the project manager, (Tel No: 9139 6094 or email bog@vanoord.com).

Mystery shore plant solved: Buas-buas!

Thanks to Bian Tan, I finally know that this bushy plant with pretty bunches of tiny flowers is Premna corymbosa.
One of its Malay names is Buas-buas. 'Buas' in Malay can mean fierce or wild. The plant seems harmless enough, so I'm not sure how its name came about. I've seen this plant on many of our wild shores, and last saw it at Pulau Hantu.

According to Corners, the species is "so variable that it is still undecided whether it does not consist of several species". The typical form is of those that grow on rocky and sandy coasts. The plant first starts as a climber or 'straggling shrub' eventually developing a 'stout stocky trunk' and a bushy crown to become a tree up to 5m tall.

It is also apparently known as Premna angustior, Premna integrifolia as well as Premna obtusifolia. Plants of the genus Premna have a 'rather foetid tissue' according to Corners. And indeed, the crushed plant does have an odd, rather unpleasant smell.
The leaves are leathery, light green and comes in various shapes. From spoon-shaped with rounded tips to almost heart-shaped with pointed tips.
The tiny white flowers appear on a many branched cluster that resembles a little white tree. 'Corymbus' means cluster or bunch of flowers. The tiny fruits are oval and black.
At Sungei Buloh, as I was photographing the flower, this insect jammed its colourful head into the blossom!

According to Burkill, the leaves are eaten as a vegetable and sometimes cooked with fish of "an objectionable flavour to mask their taste". The timber is not considered of high value, although small household items are sometimes made of it. Various parts of the plant are used in traditional medicine and one of the common names for this plant is 'Headache tree'. I'm not sure whether this means the plant gives us a headache or cures the headache.

Thanks for the id Bian!

Bian is conducting a workshop on our Pioneer Plants with the Leafmonkey Workshop on 8 May. So come for the workshop if you'd like to learn more about our plants from Bian!

References

• Hsuan Keng, S.C. Chin and H. T. W. Tan. 1990, The Concise Flora of Singapore: Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons. Singapore University Press. 222 pp.
• Corners, E. J. H., 1997. Wayside Trees of Malaya: in two volumes. Fourth edition, Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur. Volume 1: 1-476 pp, plates 1-38; volume 2: 477-861 pp., plates 139-236.
  
• Burkill, I. H., 1993. A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. 3rd printing. Publication Unit, Ministry of Agriculture, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Volume 1: 1-1240; volume 2: 1241-2444.

Reclamation at Pulau Tekong: marine soil investigation

Marine soil investigation will be carried on the northern coast of Pulau Tekong from now until Jun 09.

Meanwhile, reclamation on the western coast of Pulau Tekong opposite Chek Jawa has been on going.

Marine Soil Investigation and Hydrographic Survey at Pulau Tekong
from Port Marine Notice No. 44 of 2009 dated 15 Apr 09

With effect from 17 Apr 09 to 06 June 09. 24 hours daily, including Sundays and Public Holidays. Off Pulau Tekong (see attached plan):

Soil investigation work will be carried out by means of sinking boreholes (BH). Drilling will be carried out from the jack-up barge “DP1”, held in position by 4 jack up legs. The jack-up barge, with work boat and tug boats in attendance, will have a circular safety working zone of 200 meters radius centered at the barge. Tugboats will be used for shifting the barge from one borehole location to another and will move into site during high tide to ensure the depth of water is enough for movement. A safety boat will be deployed to warn other vessels to keep clear of the barge for the whole duration of the works. Further enquiries relating to the project can be directed to Mr Moe Ko Ko, the project co-ordinator, at Tel: 8102 3024 (email: moeko@sf.com.sg).

Animals Unrestrained: Sungei Buloh photo competition

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve’s first photography competition launches with the theme of "Animals Unrestrained".This competition "seeks to encourage photographers of all ages to capture the splendour of the unique animals living in the mangrove habitat of SBWR."

It includes a separate category for participants under the age of 16.

More details at www.nparks.gov.sg/photocompetition with entry rules, regulations and instructions, and for online submissions of your photos.

More about Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on wildsingapore and the Reserve website.

How is charcoal made from mangroves?

Dr. John Yong generously shares about the process of making charcoal from mangroves. Dr. Yong is highly sought after for his vast experience and knowledge of mangroves, so I am very grateful that he has allowed me to post this information and his photos on this blog.Only Bakau minyak (Rhizophora apiculata) is used for making charcoal. Dr Yong explains the other common mangrove species are not as good for this purpose.

He shares that charcoal experts will normally use only the stem of the tree, and not the prop roots. This is what the area looks like after harvesting. The prop roots will be collected later for firewood to heat up the kiln.

The bark is removed from the stem.
The de-barked logs are then carried to the boat. Dr Yong reminds "Remember mangrove wood will sink!!!".Here are logs stacked up and ready for transport to the factory.A charcoal making factory.At the factory, staff will select the greenwood and organise them according to the stem diameter.
Inside the factory, the logs are placed in a kiln (usually shaped like an igloo). Here, the logs are smoked to remove the water from them. To create the smoke, other mangrove wood is burnt, such as non-Rhizophora species like Bruguiera, Xylocarpus and also the unwanted prop roots from Rhizophora apiculata.A comparison of charcoal (the single black log) and green wood.

Back at the plantation, natural regeneration is taking place. Active replanting may be needed if natural regeneration is insufficient.

All the above photos and information are provided by kind courtesy of Dr. John Yong. Dr. Yong has tirelessly and quietly inspired so many volunteers and other nature lovers. He shares his knowledge in wonderful 'stories' that captivate, and encouraged us to learn more and appreciate our mangroves better.

Thank you Dr. Yong!

Here's MORE photos by Dr. Yong of mangrove charcoal on facebook.


Here's more about mangrove charcoal ...

How long does it take to produce the charcoal?

Usually it takes 38 to 50 days to dry the wood, and another 22 days to cool down the kiln before workers are allowed to take out the charcoal. Each kiln can take about 20 tonnes of mangrove wood. By the end of the drying process, the weight will drop by 60 per cent.

What is the charcoal used for?

Mangrove charcoal is considered superior for cooking to regular coal because it burns longer and produces less smoke. Locally, it is used to cook favourites such as satay and seafood. There was recently a sharp increase in Japanese demand for mangrove charcoal. Mangrove charcoal is also used as a detoxifying agent in some traditional medicines.

Here's some interesting articles about mangrove charcoal

Japanese fire up Malaysia's mangrove coal industry
Varsha Tickoo, Reuters 4 Mar 09;

KUALA SEPETANG, Malaysia (Reuters Life!) - A world away from Tokyo, Malaysians are toiling in baking heat to produce quality mangrove charcoal for Japanese customers who have helped revive this industry despite environmental concerns.

The coastal town of Kuala Sepetang, in the northwestern Perak state around 300 km from the capital Kuala Lumpur, houses factories that turn mangrove trunks into charcoal, with uses ranging from barbecues and making tea to purifying air.

The mangrove charcoal is considered superior to regular coal because it burns longer and produces less smoke. It is also used as a detoxifying agent in some traditional medicines.

Trade waned in the 1960s due to a switch from charcoal to cooking gas, but recent Japanese interest has helped drive sales to about $800,000 a month.

"It was at one time known as the sunset industry. Now, the Japanese are here, so it's back on its feet," said Chuah Chow Aun, owner of a factory where workers make $100-$200 a month in jobs ranging from transporting logs to harvesting charcoal.

Bark-stripped trunks of mangrove trees are baked in igloo-shaped kilns to remove water from the logs, leaving behind smoking charcoal collected mostly by local women, who work in the factories while their husbands fish in the nearby river.

Charcoal factory owners obtain mangrove wood from swamps where they are allocated logging areas by the government on a yearly basis, and boats lug the wood to the shore.

There are 336 kilns in Perak, said Chuah, with a total production of around 3,500 tonnes of charcoal a month.

The price of charcoal has risen by nearly half from about four years ago, he said, after a spike in Japanese demand that mops up around 60 percent of total charcoal produced.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Nearly half of Perak is covered with mangrove forest called Matang, the largest in the Malaysian peninsula, spread over more than 40,000 hectares covering nearly half of the state.

The government has a replanting exercise in place but there are environmental concerns about the dwindling forest that guards wildlife, protects against climate change and events such as the tsunami, by acting like a barrier against the Indian Ocean.

"I understand these mangrove trees are very dense and make good charcoal but this would be like burning the Mona Lisa to keep you warm," said Glen Barry, President of Ecological Internet Inc, a U.S.-based non-governmental organisation.

He said the mangrove harvest exceeded the number of mangroves regenerated, due in part to the fact that the trees take 30 years to mature.

But this may be a hard sell to the local people, who depend on the swamps to eke out a living in a state that is the second biggest on the peninsula by area but contributes less than 4 percent to the country's economy.

"I'm not young anymore, what other job can I do?" says Mahteh Mah, a 43 year-old mother of three, wiping the sweat from her face on a dusty afternoon at the charcoal factory.

Sweet taste of coal-cooked food
Undated Johor Buzz, New Straits Times

MOST homemakers and chefs know there is no match in terms of fragrance for food cooked over a charcoal fire.

Just imagine how Malaysian favourites like satay, barbecued meat, grilled seafood, claypot chicken rice, among others, would taste without charcoal.

But aside from the weekend barbecue in the garden, it is no longer used in the kitchen because it is messy and not environmentally-friendly.

The smoke staining the walls and ceilings of their lovely, modern kitchens was enough to want housewives to switch to the cleaner gas or electricity-based cookers.

But many older people living in villages still prefer using charcoal to boil water and cook food.

They know that rice tastes better if cooked over charcoal.

According to the Chinese, soup boiled over a charcoal fire and char kuay teow fried over wood taste better.

Although charcoal-making is a sunset industry, there is still a demand for it from satay, sliced barbecued meat, claypot chicken rice and bak kut teh sellers, among others.

In Johor, the largest concentration of charcoal makers is probably in Gelang Patah, or more specifically, along the river banks of Sungai Gelang Patah.

For over 50 years, the river and tributaries of Sungai Pulai have been a rich source of mangrove wood, locally known as kayu bakau.

It is sawn into lengths of about a metre before being stacked in a huge semi oval-shaped kiln for drying.

After the kiln is filled with mangrove wood, the door is closed, but there are several small openings about two metres above the ground for the smoke and moisture to drain away.

Firewood is ignited in another opening which resembles the entrance of an igloo. The heat soon spreads into the kiln and the drying process begins.

Usually it takes 38 to 50 days to dry the wood, and another 22 days to cool down the kiln before workers are allowed to take out the charcoal.

Each kiln can take about 20 tonnes of mangrove wood. By the end of the drying process, the weight will drop by 60 per cent.

If the charcoal is not fully dried, as revealed by its slightly brownish black colour, it will release more smoke when burned.

"This type of charcoal is not recommended to be used for grilling, but may be used to cook large pots of food like nasi briyani," said Lim Chong Yang.

The 55-year-old has been involved in charcoal-making since he was a teenager. He inherited the business from his father about 20 years ago.

There were more than 10 charcoal-makers 40 years ago but the number has dropped to only five now.

"Many people are not interested in inheriting the business. And it is becoming increasingly difficult to get mangrove wood," he said.

Lim supplies charcoal only to the Johor Baru market as his stock is limited.

The retail price of charcoal has gone up from 50 sen a kilogramme to RM1.60.

More links

• Mangrove products on the "Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore" by Peter Ng and N. Sivasothi, Singapore Science Centre.

Coral transplanting in Japan's Sekisei Lagoon

Sekisei Lagoon is a test bed for new techniques that biologists hope will one day make transplanting coral in the sea as routine as raising tree saplings on land.

Since 2005, the government-led project has planted around 13,000 pieces of coral, at a cost of some $2 million. But this is far short of the tens of millions of pieces that need to be transplanted in this reef alone, which stretches over an area of about 100 square miles. Worse, survival rates have been low. Only a third of the coral sprigs transplanted in 2005 have survived.

While the project’s main goal is environmental, there are also geopolitical motivations. Tokyo plans a much larger and more expensive coral transplantation to try to strengthen the reef protecting Okinotori, a tiny, remote islet that Japan uses to claim economic control of a vast swath of the Pacific Ocean. The government wants to prevent a strong typhoon from wiping away the tiny outcropping, and with it the basis for Japan’s territorial claims, which have already been challenged by China.

There is also a friendly race among global scientists trying to develop the best coral transplantation method.

Critics say the project might be wasted effort. They say transplanting is futile without addressing the problems that caused the reefs to deteriorate in the first place, like coastal redevelopment and chemical runoff from terrestrial agriculture. There is also the bigger problem of rising ocean water temperatures, for which there may be no easy fix.

Coral Transplant Surgery Prescribed for Japan
Martin Fackler, The New York Times 14 Apr 09;

SEKISEI LAGOON, Japan — Beneath the waves of this sapphire-blue corner of the East China Sea, a team of divers was busily at work.

Hovering along the steep, bony face of a dying coral reef, some divers bored holes into the hard surface with compressed-air drills that released plumes of glittering bubbles. Others followed, gently inserting small ceramic discs into the fresh openings.

Each disc carried a tiny sliver of hope for the reef, in the shape of fingertip-size sprigs of brightly colored, fledgling coral.

This undersea work site may look like a scene from a Jules Verne novel, but it is part of a government-led effort to save Japan’s largest coral reef, near the southern end of the Okinawa chain of islands. True to form in Japan, the project involves new technology, painstaking attention to detail and a generous dose of taxpayer money.

The project has drawn national attention, coming after alarming reports in the last decade that up to 90 percent of the coral that surrounds many of Okinawa’s islands has died off. This raised a rare preservationist outcry in a heavily industrialized nation whose coastal vistas tend toward concrete sea walls and oil refineries.

The result has been what marine biologists call one of the largest coral restoration projects in the world, begun four years ago. The goal, say biologists, is to perfect methods that could be used around the world to rescue reefs endangered by overfishing, pollution and global warming.

They say they are using the Sekisei Lagoon Reef, which is named after the broad, shallow lagoon that it created, as a test bed for new techniques that they hope will one day make transplanting coral in the sea as routine as raising tree saplings on land.

“We have been replanting forests for 4,000 years, but we are only just now learning how to revive a coral reef,” said Mineo Okamoto, a marine biologist at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, who has led development of the palm-size ceramic discs. “We finally have the technology.”

Critics, however, say the project might be wasted effort. They say transplanting is futile without addressing the problems that caused the reefs to deteriorate in the first place, like coastal redevelopment and chemical runoff from terrestrial agriculture. There is also the bigger problem of rising ocean water temperatures, for which there may be no easy fix.

Here in the Sekisei Lagoon, which sits between the tropical islands of Ishigaki and Iriomote, another problem also becomes apparent: the puny size of the efforts to save a reef that stretches as far as the eye can see in almost every direction.

Since 2005, the project has planted around 13,000 pieces of coral, at a cost of some $2 million, said Hajime Hirosawa, a preservation officer at the Environment Ministry who helps oversee the transplanting. This is a far cry, he admits, from the tens of millions of pieces that need to be transplanted in this reef alone, which stretches over an area of about 100 square miles.

Worse, survival rates have been low, Mr. Hirosawa said. Only a third of the coral sprigs transplanted in 2005 have survived threats ranging from predators like the Crown-of-Thorns starfish to “bleaching,” an ultimately fatal condition caused when rising water temperatures turn coral a sickly white.

“Saving the reef is not something that we can do in three to four years,” Mr. Hirosawa said, “but more like 30 to 40 years.”

Still, say Mr. Hirosawa and others, the techniques have steadily improved, lifting survival rates. One change was to shift from placing new coral on flat sea bottoms, which proved vulnerable to typhoon-driven surface waves that broke off coral, to more protected vertical reef faces.

Another advance was the ceramic discs, which are baked at 2,700 degrees until hardened, but whose surface contains tiny pores that allow coral larvae to take root. Every spring, a team of a dozen divers has spent up to two weeks drilling holes and gluing in the discs.

While labor intensive, this method offers a more secure footing for the young coral than previous methods, like attaching coral pieces with wire and nails, Dr. Okamoto said.

The improved transplanting methods have become promising enough that the Environment Ministry says it plans to double the number of coral pieces planted next year, to 10,000.

While the project’s main goal is environmental, there are also geopolitical motivations. Tokyo plans a much larger and more expensive coral transplantation to try to strengthen the reef protecting Okinotori, a tiny, remote islet that Japan uses to claim economic control of a vast swath of the Pacific Ocean. The government wants to prevent a strong typhoon from wiping away the tiny outcropping, and with it the basis for Japan’s territorial claims, which have already been challenged by China.

There is also a friendly race among global scientists trying to develop the best coral transplantation method. Competing ideas vary from creating coral habitat with large concrete “reef balls” to the use of mild electric current to speed coral growth.

For now, the most common transplanting technique involves breaking off pieces of adult coral and affixing them elsewhere on the reef. Besides damaging the host coral, this method, while quick and easy, also means that most of the transplanted pieces share the host’s DNA, giving the reef a smaller and less healthy gene pool.

In the Japanese method, the discs are stacked underwater for 18 months near a healthy stretch of reef, allowing coral larvae released during spawning to naturally attach and grow on the ceramic surface. This ensures that each disc carries genetically distinct coral organisms, more closely replicating the results of natural reproduction.

“Japan’s methods are expensive and labor intensive, but they also bring more genetic diversity and thus healthy reefs,” said Baruch Rinkevich, a specialist in coral transplantation at Israel’s National Institute of Oceanography in Haifa.

In Sekisei Lagoon, healthy reefs are increasingly found only along the lagoon’s north side, where most coral still flourishes. This has led scientists to speculate that the north side may have evolved coral species adapted to surviving in warmer oceans. Starting next year, the divers will transplant northern coral to the lagoon’s more decimated southern side, said Shuichi Fujiwara, the diving team leader.

“This is absolutely worth doing,” said one of the team’s divers, Ryo Isobe, 26, who works as a diving instructor during the summer tourist season. “When I think of how colorful these reefs used to be, I know we need to do all we can.”

See also Artificial Reef Restoration in Japan.

Wildfacts updates: snails, gobies and more

Snails with spurs, assorted fishies got sorted and more marine marvels got figured out during the low tide trips of March.
The most exciting was my first time encounter with the Spurred turban snail (Astraea calcar)!

'Calcar' means 'spur'. And indeed, the shell of this snail has a spiral of blunt spikes. It is a member of the Family Turbinidae, which becomes obvious when we look at its 'door' (operculum) which looks very much like that of the more common Dwarf turban snail (Trochus brunneus).

I also had first time encounters with these mangrove nerites, with all that traipsing into mangroves recently at Pulau Semakau and Berlayar Creek.This one is probably Neritina cornucopia which I thought to call the Black-mouth nerite.
While this one is probably Neritina violacea. Usually referred to as the Violet nerite, but I do think the name Red-mouth nerite is probably easier to remember. I'm still not sure whether these nerite IDs are correct.

Another mangrove-only mollusc that I encountered for the first time at close quarters were these Mangrove helmet snails. These are probably Cassidula aurisfelis. Since 'Auris' means 'ear' while 'felis' means 'cat', I thought it appropriate to call it the Cat's ear mangrove helmet snail.

I suppose the underside of the snail does look a bit like a cat's ear. Let's compare with a real cat's ear...I guess there's some resemblence, though it takes a bit of imagination.

And then there were lots of these beautiful banded ones with pink undersides. These are probably Cassidula mustelina. 'Mustelina' means 'weasel' but I think Banded mangrove helmet snail is more descriptive, since many Singaporeans may not know what a weasel is.

I have found it difficult as a nature guide to explain common names to people who don't know what the common name refers to. For example, fiddler crabs are horribly difficult to explain to people who have no idea what a fiddle is. Would be so much easier to call the crabs say, One-Big-Claw crab, or something like that.

Boon Peiya also shared more insights into the colourful the Face-banded sesarmine crabs that I've been seeing on Pulau Semakau and Sungei Buloh recently. First of all, they are Perisesarma eumolpe and Perisesarma indiarum! The old name was Chiromantes eumolpe.
She also shared photos of how to differentiate the two species, and lots more fascinating information. These have been updated on the page for the Face-banded sesarmine crab.

My adventures with Subaraj and Serin on Pulau Semakau have led me to take a closer look at my photos of the many small mudskippers that lack identifying marks. The Dusky-gilled mudskipper (Periophthalmus novemradiatus) is only positively identified by looking at the underside, to see the blackish area near the gills. For ease of display, I've grouped the larger mudskippers with broad heads on the page for this mudskipper. The IDs of course, remain tentative.While I've grouped the skinnier, smaller mudskippers on the page about the Slender mudskipper (Periophthalmus gracilis). I also realised, after scrutinising photos, that this might be the Common frill-fin goby (Bathygobius fuscus). It has bulging cheeks and a pattern of small white spots regularly spaced on its face and in rows down its body. As well as dark blotches and saddles. It's quite a handsome goby!This dull, sometimes 'spiky', sea cucumber that is commonly seen on Pulau Semakau is probably Stichopus horrens or the Warty Selenka's sea cucumber. I realised this when finding out more about the 'gamat' sea cucumbers of Malaysia that are threatened by over-collection. This is one of the sea cucumbers affected by harvesting of fluids for the traditional tonic called 'Air gamat'.

I've also just uploaded a page of the Hairy spoon seagrass (Halophila decipiens), after Len McKenzie of Seagrass-Watch suggested those I saw at Pulau Sekudu were not just ordinary Halophila ovalis!This seagrass was first reported for Singapore in 2008.

There's lots more sightings to update following the field trips, and many new fact sheets to do and upload. It's amazing how I see something new on every trip to the shore!