28 April 2012

12 May (Sat): Mangrove talk by Dr Dan Friess at Sungei Buloh

Can Singapore's fragmented mangroves exchange enough seedlings to remain sustainable in the long term? Dr Dan Freiss from the Department of Geography, the National University of Singapore will share more with us.
Dan Friess (right) with Rick Leong at Mandai mangroves.
Dan is embarking on a study on the dispersal of mangrove propagules in Singapore, and his talk will cover the state of our local mangroves, the premise for this study, as well as opportunities for involvement in this effort.


This talk is part of the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve's celebration of World Migratory Bird Day on 12 May (Sat).

Synopsis of talk: Southeast Asia is a global hotspot for mangrove biodiversity, an ecosystem which provides crucial environmental and socio-economic services. However, the mangroves of Singapore have experienced severe decline in extent over the last century. Land reclamation and reservoir construction have fragmented Singapore’s original mangrove cover and greatly increased the distance between habitat patches. Habitat fragmentation is an important issue for all ecosystems, as it can significantly reduce habitat connectivity and the flow of pollinators, seeds and genetic material that cannot cross the increasing divide. This may eventually influence the long-term sustainability of Singapore’s mangrove systems. A new and novel study with NUS and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is integrating traditional field biology methods with cutting-edge hydrodynamic current modelling and genetic techniques to answer the question: are Singapore’s fragmented mangroves able to exchange enough propagules to remain ecologically-sustainable over the long-term?

Date: 12 May (Sat)
Time: 10.30-11.15am
Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Theatrette
Entry charges: While the talk is free, admission fees to the Reserve apply: $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

Thanks to Andy Dinesh, here's a clip of Dan Friess' talk

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