Love Our MacRitchie Forest – raising public awareness about our forest heritage

Ever since the Land Transport Authority announced the proposed construction of the Cross Inland Line tunnel under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in 2013, Toddycats have been working hard to raise awareness about our forest heritage and their plant and animal communities, under the umbrella of the Love Our MacRitchie project.

Alongside the ecosystem introduction, participants are engaged about the conservation issues. There are two phases of the EIA for the project and we are awaiting the results of the Phase 2 EIA which we hope to examine and provide feedback about. 

Meanwhile, every month, our volunteer guides take members of the public on a Love MacRitchie Walk at Windsor Nature Park at the north-eastern corner of MaxRitchie to share with them the amazing wildlife which has survived in this forest, which are threatened by developments such as the Cross Inland Line. So far this year, we have conducted eight walks, reaching out to 121 participants.

We also partnered other youth groups in Singapore – the Herpetological Society of Singapore (HSS) conducted a Herp Walk for us in March and the Entomological Network of Singapore (ENSING) did the honours with an Insect Walk in April. And we were happy to offer the Biodiversity Friends Forum (BFF) a field trip in May. We were glad to see these youth go on to share their knowledge with their friends and families.

Taking shelter under a giant mahang leaf on a Love MacRitchie Walk.

We also bring the wonders of the forest to urban Singapore – on 1^st and 2^nd June, we engaged the public with a booth at the Central Public Library as part of a Biodiversity Carnival, where we showcased specimens of forest creatures from NUS’ Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

Showcasing museum specimens at Central Public Library’s Biodiversity Carnival

In August, published an infographic highlighting most of the key events since the start of the movement in 2013. To date, the decision on the CRL alignment has not yet been made. This will be a decision by the government at the highest levels.  The Toddycats will continue to conduct monthly guided walks and encourage the public to voice their feedback about the CRL to the authorities.

A pair of colugos observed in May 2015.

 

While we await announcement of the second phase EIA, there are more walks to attend in 2019. Join NUS Toddycats! at Venus Loop – to do so, visit Eventbrite at this link (http://toddycats-lmwalks.eventbrite.com) to register for the walk:

1. Sun 08 Sep 2019
2. Sat 12 Oct 2019
3. Sun 10 Nov 2019
4. Sat 7 Dec 2019

Friends of the Forest library booths – we did it!

This gallery contains 5 photos.

Originally posted on Love Our MacRitchie Forest:
What an exciting two weekends it was! As part of the Love Our MacRitchie Forest movement, NUS Toddycats held a series of “Friends of the Forest” conservation booths at various public libraries around Singapore…

Friends of the Forest library booths – a mid-week update!

This gallery contains 5 photos.

Originally posted on Love Our MacRitchie Forest:
Over the past weekend (2nd and 3rd September 2017), the children’s sections of Jurong Regional Library and Central Public Library went abuzz with the sights and sounds of our forests, as the NUS…

Highlights of the July Love MacRitchie Walk

Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus). Photo by Benjamin Lim.

On 8 Jul 2017, 16 participants joined three Toddycats on a Love MacRitchie Walk along Venus Loop. While discussing the conservation issues surrounding the proposed Cross Island MRT Line, the keen-eyed participants kept a lookout for creatures along the forest trail. Even the most well-camouflaged animals revealed themselves! What seemed like a woody stump turned out to be a Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus) trying to take a snooze! There was also a really hairy caterpillar that seemed to blend into the tree trunk if you looked at it from the top. In the tree canopy, we would not have spotted the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot (Psittinus cyanurus) if it had not been dropping starfruit bits as it feasted. It looked so much like a leaf!

Caterpillar. Photo by Amanda Lek.

Blue-rumped Parrot (Psittunus cyanurus). Photo by Benjamin Lim.

There were also some brilliantly coloured creatures that never fail to catch our eyes. Before we even hit the trail, a Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum) was gorging on a breakfast of Senduduk (Melastoma malabathricum) fruits. It must have been so hungry because it didn’t mind all the people standing barely a metre or two away, snapping away with their smartphones! Nearby, a beautiful turquoise coloured Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon) was sipping nectar from the Red Leea (Leea rubra).

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum). Photo by Amanda Lek.

Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon). Photo by Joyce Wong.

Recently, an unfortunate incident occured in the vicinity of Windsor Nauture Park, where a wild boar (Sus scrofa) injured a woman who was walking her dog. NParks has erected advisory signs around the park, and everyone should read them as earnestly as this young participant did! The signs read: “Wild boars have been seen in the area. If you encounter a wild boar, move calmly away from it. Do not use flash photography as it may upset the animal. Do not feed it as it is illegal to feed wild animals.”

Wild boar advisory by NParks. Photo by Chloe Tan.

The little ones who joined the walk had lots of fun trudging along the dirt trail and letting their imagination run wild!

Waiting to be teleported to another realm. Photo by Chloe Tan.

Everybody learned new things on this fun-filled walk. We shared our passion for nature in different ways, be it through photography, nature education or simply loving the great outdoors. Let us do what we can to help conserve Singapore’s Nature Reserves for the generations to come!

Group 1 with their guide, Amanda Lek (front row, first from left). Photo by Amanda Lek.

Group 2 with their guide, Claire Jonquieres (second from left). Photo by Joyce Wong.

Group 3 with their guide, Chloe Tan (back row, right). Photo by Chloe Tan.

Find out more about the Love MacRitchie movement here. See more photos of the walk on Facebook.

Highlights of the June Love MacRitchie Walk

A pleasant walk through the shady forest. Photo by Jensen Seah.

It had been a week of scorching hot weather so a walk through the shady forest was a much welcomed respite from the urban heat. Three Toddycats and 18 participants turned up at Venus Loop on 11 Jun 2017 to observe the wildlife in MacRitchie Forest and discuss the conservation issues surrounding the proposed Cross Island MRT Line.

The animals in the forest were going about their usual activities and we got to observe them really up close! There was a jumping spider was hopping around a plant, probably hunting for its breakfast. We got to see its huge pair of forward-facing eyes that helps it judge distance better so it can accurately pounce on its prey. A Common Flashwing damselfly (Vestalis amethystina) was basking on a sunny spot at our eye level, its purple wings shimmering beautifully. One group also spotted a headless Golden-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela aurulenta)! We wonder who the gruesome predator was.

Jumping spider. Photo by Jensen Seah.

 

Common Flashwing (V. amethystina). Photo by Jensen Seah.

Golden-spotted Tiger Beetle (C. aurulenta). Photo by Joleen Chan.

The birds also came out to play. A Dark-necked Tailorbird (Orthotomus atrogularis) came unusually close to the trail, prancing about the foliage. There was a Greater-racket Tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus) that was singing at the top of its funky metallic voice too!

Dark-necked Tailorbird (O. atrogularis). Photo by Jensen Seah.

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (D. paradiseus). Photo by Chloe Tan.

Some of us saw a leaf-like object glide across the trail and perch on a dead tree trunk. Upon a closer look, it turned out to be a Black-bearded Gliding Lizard (Draco melanopogon)! A handsome male was showing off its black throat flap, possibly in an attempt to get the attention of a female that was on the same trunk. Nearby, a Plantain Squirrel (Callosciurus notatus) was very busy collecting nesting materials.

Black-bearded Gliding Lizard (D. melanopogon). Photo by Chloe Tan.

Plantain Squirrel (C. notatus). Photo by Chloe Tan.

Tak Wei from BES Drongos does some sharing. Photo by Joleen Chan.

On this walk, we felt with our own skin the profound importance of forests in climate regulation. Our biggest lesson of the day was that we depend on the forests of our Nature Reserves as much as the animals do! A big thank you to the guides and participants for the lovely morning adventure!

Group 1 with their guide, Joleen (on right). Photo by Joleen Chan.

Group 2 with their guide, Claire (on right). Photo by Claire Jonquieres.

Group 3 with their guide, Chloe (third from right). Photo by Chloe Tan.

Find out more about the Love MacRitchie movement here. See more photos of the walk on Facebook or Flickr.