Mangrove Forests

Framings, Activities and Resources

Check out PD's MANGROVE Learning Quest here

Read up on information about Mangrove Forests in Ubin

QPT Group Discussion presentations

From Peifen's group (QPT May 2024)

Mangroves are nature's unsung heroes, quietly protecting our coastlines and supporting a rich ecosystem of diverse plant and animal life. These unique trees are not only beautiful to behold with their tangled roots and vibrant green leaves, but they also play a crucial role in maintaining the health of our planet. Mangroves act as a buffer against storms and erosion, provide a habitat for countless species, and store carbon at a rate much higher than other forests. It is imperative for us to first appreciate the importance of mangroves to start playing an active role towards the environment.

These are 2 simple activities which you can try out with your participants

WHO?

Participants who are uncomfortable in nature as it is a foreign environment to them ( tons of creepy crawlies, yucky mud, unknown creatures)

WHAT?

Nature-based grounding techniques to relieve the stress and anxiety that they have about nature

ACTIVITY 1 - DRAWING

Activity time: 10 mins
Debrief time: 10-15mins
Props needed: Paper & markers
Location: C1 Gate Campsite

Instructions

This is a mangrove right at our OBS campus doorstep.

Now is your turn to explore - For the next 10 mins, draw something that captures your eye and relates to your life

Debrief questions

What did you draw?
Why does it relates to you?
Interesting facts to share:
Did you know that mangroves can store 3-5 times more carbon than the average rainforest can?
Which body part (Pointing to the knee roots) do you think they look like?)
Why do you think the roots are so high above ground?

ACTIVITY 2 - SOUNDSCAPING

Activity time: 10 mins

Debrief time: 10-15mins
Props needed: Paper & markers
Location: Hill 31 beach or if you have the time, you can walk further 5 mins down the AHET trail to the bay between C1 & C2

Instructions

What creatures do you see in the mangrove here?

Your turn to explore - For the next 10mins, use your sense of hearing and draw out what you hear.

Debrief questions

What sounds did you hear? Could you identify any of them?
Which noise stands out to you the most?
Who in this group is akin to the background noise that you’ve described?
Who in this group stands out the most like the one that you’ve described?

Interesting facts to share

Do you know what is making the popping sound? They are actually Mud-burrowing bivalves!

The Life of the Mangrove

Mangrove Adaptations

Salt Management

Special Roots

Vivipary / Cryptovivipary

Various Fauna & Flora

The Durian and the Mangrove

Adapted from WWF Mangrove Site

Importance of Mangrove

Threat to Mangrove

Mangrove Adaptations

Salt Management

Salt Secretion: Salt is partially excluded by the roots and the excess salt is excreted by the salt glands by the plant expending energy or through plant sap. (e.g. Api-api species)

Api-api Ludat

Api-api Jambu

Salt Exclusion: Some mangrove plants like Bruguiera, Lumnitzera, Rhizophora or Sonneratia species selectively absorb only certain ions from salt solution by a process called ultrafiltration.

Teruntum Merah (Lumnitzera littorea)

Special Roots

Pneumatophores

Pneumatophores are erect roots that are some form of upward appendage or extension of the underground root system. Because these roots are exposed at least part of the day and not submerged underwater, the root system can obtain oxygen in an otherwise anaerobic substrate.

Api api Ludat

Prop and Stilt Roots

Stilt roots improve the stability of the tree by providing a broader base and support in the soft and unstable mud. They also help in aeration as they are exposed for at least most of the day between tides.

Bakau Minyak

Kneed Roots

Horizontal roots growing just below the soil surface periodically grow vertically upwards then immediately loop downwards to resemble a bent knee. The aerial portions (knees) of these roots help in aeration of the whole root and because it spreads widely, it improves anchorage in the unstable mud.

Bakau Putih

Buttress Roots The horizontal roots grow vertically upwards on the upper side for the entire length. They also curve in a snake like fashion in a wavy, plank-like structure that radiates outwards from the trunk base. The exposed vertical portions help in aeration and the widely spread roots help improve anchorage in the unstable mud.

Nyireh Bunga

Vivipary / Cryptovivipary

Vivipary is the condition whereby the embryo (the young plant within the seed) grows first to break through the seed coat then out of the fruit wall while still attached to the parent plant. This condition is found in Bruguiera, Ceriops,Kandelia and Rhizophora species.

Cryptovivipary (Greek kryptos, hidden) refers to the condition whereby the embryo grows to break through the seed coat but not the fruit wall before it splits open. This condition is exhibited by Aegiceras, Avicennia and Nypa species.

Bakau Minyak (Bruguiera)

Bakau Putih (Bruguiera)

Tengar (Ceriop)

Various Fauna & Flora

The Durian and the Mangrove

According to Tomlinson, a study in west Malaysia found that Durian flowers are pollinated almost entirely by a single species of bat Eonycterus spelaea. This bat roosts primarily in limestone caves and are fast flyers that range up to 50km each night in search of pollen and nectar from a wide variety of plants. Their range include mangroves and Sonneratia species especially S. alba are important sources of food for these bats.

In Singapore, this bat is known in the mangroves of Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong and also at Sungei Buloh where it feeds on the nectar of Berembang (Sonneratia caseolaris) and Perepat (Sonneratia alba) trees, as well as durian, jambu and banana trees. The bat feeds on the nectar with its brush-like tongue, in the processing getting dusted by pollen which it transfers to the next flower that it feeds on.

Bats on Durian flower

The Nipah Palm

The only mangrove palm tree in the world and has many uses such as:

- Industrial ethanol from distillation of the fermented plant sap

- Vinegar or fermented beverages,

- Sugar (gula melaka) by boiling the plant sap,

- Attap or thatch for roofing huts,

- Cigarette papers from the stripped surface layers of the leaf lets

- A form of salt from the ashed leaflets.

The Mudskippers

The Mudskippers are perhaps, the most conspicuous fish in our mangroves mainly because they spend most of their time out of water. Uniquely adapted among fishes for terrestrial activity, they breathe by holding water in their mouth and gill chamber, replacing with fresh water when it becomes deoxygenated. By staying damp, the fish can also breathe through its skin. Mudskippers have their eyes on the top of their heads and their excellent eyesight allows them to spot prey and predators from afar. Their pair of dextrous and muscular leg-like pectoral fins enable them to crawl over the mud, and to even climb trees. In some places (Taiwan, for example), they are even cultured for food.

Giant Mudskipper

The Mud Lobster

Up to 30cm long. The mud lobster is actually not a lobster but more of a giant shrimp.The mud lobster lives deep under the mound in a U-shaped tunnel and rarely emerges above ground.

The mud lobster plays a key role in sustaining life in a mangrove. It is believed to eat mud. As it eats-and-digs, it recycles nutrients from deep underground, bringing these within reach of other plants and animals. Its digging also loosens the mud and allows air and oxygenated water to penetrate the otherwise oxygen-poor ground. All this digging also eventually results in a distinctive volcano-shaped mound that can reach impressive proportions.

Mud Lobster

A mud lobster mound can be as tall as 2m above the ground! The mud lobster mound is drier than its surroundings so it makes a perfect home for other animals. Many animals can be found in living in these 'high-rise' mounds, creating their own burrows in the mound, sometimes complete with chimneys. 'Condo' dwellers include snakes, crabs, ants, spiders, worms, clams and shrimps. Some plants also appear to grow better on these mounds. The condominium comes complete with swimming pool! Water is trapped in the mound system forming pools. At low tide, these shelter aquatic animals such as mudskippers.

Mud Lobster Mound

Importance & Threat

Adapted from WWF Mangrove Site

Importance of Mangrove

Like coral reefs, mangrove forests are extremely productive ecosystems that provide numerous good and services both to the marine environment and people.

Fisheries: Mangrove forests are home to a large variety of fish, crab, shrimp, and mollusk species. These fisheries form an essential source of food for thousands of coastal communities around the world.
Timber and plant products: Mangrove wood is resistant to rot and insects, making it extremely valuable. Many coastal and indigenous communities rely on this wood for construction material as well as for fuel. These communities also collect medicinal plants from mangrove ecosystems and use mangrove leaves as animal fodder. Recently, the forests have also been commercially harvested for pulp, wood chip, and charcoal production.
Coastal protection: The dense root systems of mangrove forests trap sediments flowing down rivers and off the land. This helps stabilizes the coastline and prevents erosion from waves and storms.

Crab hunting in P Ubin

Carbon Sink: Mangroves are found to be one of the best ecosystem to trap carbon, reducing the impact of global warming and climate change.
Tourism: Given the diversity of life inhabiting mangrove systems and their proximity in many cases to other tourist attractions such as coral reefs and sandy beaches, it is perhaps surprising that only a few countries have started to tap into the tourism potential of their mangrove forests.

Learn more at NLB's Bibloasia site and WWF Mangrove site

Kayaking tour in Ubin Mangrove

Threat to Mangrove

In Singapore, Mangrove has gone from 14% of land area to less than 1%. Internationally, the threats to mangrove forests and their habitats include:

Clearing: Mangrove forests have often been seen as unproductive and smelly, and thus cleared to make room for human use
Overharvesting: Mangrove trees are used for firewood, construction wood, wood chip and pulp production, charcoal production, and animal fodder. While harvesting has taken place for centuries, in some parts of the world it is no longer sustainable, threatening the future of the forests.
River changes: Dams and irrigation reduces the amount of water reaching mangrove forests, changing the salinity level of water in the forest. If salinity becomes too high, the mangroves cannot survive.
Overfishing: The global overfishing crisis facing the world’s oceans has effects far beyond the directly overfished population. The ecological balance of food chains and mangrove fish communities can also be altered.
Destruction of coral reefs: Coral reefs provide the first barrier against currents and strong waves. When they are destroyed, the stronger-than-normal waves and currents reaching the coast can undermine the fine sediment in which the mangroves grow.
Pollution: Fertilizers, pesticides, and other toxic man-made chemicals carried by river systems from sources upstream can kill animals living in mangrove forests, while oil pollution can smother mangrove roots and suffocate the trees.
Climate change: Mangrove forests require stable sea levels for long-term survival. They are therefore extremely sensitive to current rising sea levels caused by global warming and climate change.