Magical lantern walk in Ubin mangroves

I had an awesome time with families at a special edition of the FREE monthly mangrove walk for the Restore Ubin Mangroves (R.U.M.) Initiative.

As we wandered through the kampung of Ubin, we saw awesome wildlife, learned about how abandoned aquaculture ponds can be restored and ended with a lovely lantern walk and delicious home-cooked dinner.

As usual, we started at Uncle Lim who kindly allows us to use his shop to gather before the walk.

Photo by Mohammad Juhari.

We were joined by some very sporting participants who enjoyed the kampung atmosphere as we learned about how abandoned aquaculture ponds on Ubin have been and can be restored.

Among the highlights of the wildlife sightings was a lovely green Oriental whip snake that zoomed down and got into strike position over something that we could see. We also saw a heron hunting at the pond, hornbills and eagles. Check out Ian Siah's album and Cheok Bao Le's album for more.

In celebration of traditional life, this month we had an evening walk with lanterns!

Thanks to Phillip Lim for the idea and for having Ubin villagers share stories and help the kids learn about traditional lanterns.

Here's a lovely video of our magical walk with lanterns on Pulau Ubin after sunset. Thanks to Mohammad Juhari.

We ended by sharing moon cakes, and a delicious home-cooked meal at an Ubin restaurant. Thanks to Ah Yong for organsing it!

Thanks to those who took great photos of us and what we saw, especially Mohammad Juhari! Thanks to Cheok Zi Yu and friends for helping out during the walk. As usual, this walk would not have been possible without the Ubin community: Thanks Uncle Lim for his shop space, to Ah Yong for a great dinner, and special thanks to Phillip Lim for taking care of us making sure we got home safely.

MORE photos thanks to Mohammad Juhari


More photos by participants

Thanks to Ian Siah


Thanks to Cheok Bao Le


Earlier in the week, there were also lots of RUM happenings as scientific mapping work begins in earnest!

Dan and his students at an RUM site
learning about Ecological Mangrove Restoration.
Photo by Stephen Beng.

Last week, RUM Research Assistants Zheng Zhangxin and Ong Wei Bin led by Prof Dan Friess begin work to map out the mangroves in earnest. Here they are making sure all the gear and methods are in good order before heading out to Pulau Ubin. They will soon need volunteers to help. More details will be posted on this blog soon!

Photo by Dan Friess.

Dan also brought another batch of students to Pulau Ubin over the weekend. They visited Chek Jawa, RUM sites and had a chance to learn more about how the community came together for the Restore Ubin Mangroves (R.U.M.) Initiative. One of the key community stakeholders, Stephen Beng of the Marine Conservation Group, Nature Society shared more about the Society's work.

Stephen Beng shares about mangroves.
Photo by Dan Friess.

Another key community stakeholder, Phillip Lim shared his deep experience in aquaculture and ecology in Pulau Ubin and beyond. Thanks also to Phillip Lim, the students had a chance to have a closer look at a kampung house on Pulau Ubin.

Phillip Lim, a fish farmer from Pulau Ubin shares.
Photo by Dan Friess.

What is the Restore Ubin Mangroves (R.U.M.) Initiative?

Find out more on the RUM blog.

Want updates on RUM happenings?

For alerts on volunteer opportunities and the next FREE monthly mangrove walk, join the RUM facebook group for the latest updates.