| Mandai
Mangroves |
|
| Location: |
1°28'N, 103°46'E; on the north coast of Singapore Island, adjacent to the causeway to Malaysia. |
| Area:
|
10 ha. |
| Altitude |
Sea level. |
| Biogeographical
Province: |
4.7.1. |
| Wetland
type: |
02, 06, 07 & 11. |
|
Description
of site: |
A narrow coastal strip between a railway line and the sea, with mangroves, intertidal mudflats, and the estuarine systems of two small rivers. The site has been disturbed in parts by the construction of a stilted village, but parts are relatively undisturbed, although all the timber has been cut over at least once. The site contains the last significant stand of mixed mangrove forest in Singapore. The maximum tidal range is 3.2m. |
| Climatic
conditions: |
Humid tropical climate with an average annual rainfall of 2,373 mm, an average relative humidity of 85%, and temperatures ranging from 23.7 to 30.7°C. |
|
Principal
vegetation: |
Mangrove forest with species of Rhizophora, Avicennia, Bruguiera and Sonneratia. Urban ornamental plantings in adjacent areas. |
| Land
tenure: |
Formerly occupied by a small village (kampong) which has now been rehoused; tenure has probably reverted to the State. Adjacent areas are partly owned by the Malayan Railways and are partly private. |
| Conservation
measures taken: |
None. |
| Conservation
measures proposed: |
The Nature Reserves Board has recently proposed designating this as a nature reserve; the outcome is yet to be decided. |
|
Land
use: |
Some subsistence shell fishing. There is an abandoned village at the site, and a railway line, a main road and several factories nearby. |
| Possible
changes in land use: |
Possible further industrial development in the water catchment area. |
| Disturbances and threats: | Possible landfill. |
| Economic and social values: | Some subsistence shell fishing occurs at the site. The main potential lies in the amenity value for recreation and environmental education. |
| Fauna: | A large number of organisms are on record from this site as a result of several years of study by biologists from the National University of Singapore. The invertebrates include 20 Protozoa, 10 Platyhelminthes, three Nemertina, 12 Aschelminthes, 109 Mollusca, 13 Annelida, nine Myriapoda, 486 Insecta, 120 Crustacea, 37 Arachnida and two Merastomata. Vertebrates include 178 species of fish, two amphibians, 15 reptiles, 130 birds and nine mammals. |
| Special floral values: | The last reasonably rich stand of mangroves in Singapore, with a number of species of plants which are not found in any other location in the country, e.g. Avicennia lanata, Brownlowia tersa and Finlaysonia obovata. Twenty-five species of fungi, 49 algae, five mosses (Bryophyta), 24 ferns (Pteridophyta), 88 dicotyledons, one gymnosperm and 33 monocotyledons have been recorded. |
| Research and facilities: | There are no facilities for conducting research at the site but it has featured prominently in the research work of staff and students at the National University of Singapore. Projects and unpublished theses emanating from this work are listed in the Introduction. |
| References: | |
| Criteria for inclusion: | 1b. 2b. |
| Source: |
Christopher J. Hails. |