My research question was to understand and become acquainted with Singaporean history and culture in order to build my identity as a Singaporean. Over the course of 2 years, I have become well-versed with the parks and nature reserves in Singapore, as well as the steady and sound efforts the government has taken in order to make preservation of our natural ecosystems a reality and a place for residents to relax.  The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is home to the largest primary forest in Singapore, and has the largest range of biodiversity. It used to be one of the first eight forest reserves in the late 1800s. This means the flora and fauna that was present in the 1800s is still allowed to flourish today. BTNR contains at least 40% of the country’s native flora and land fauna even though it occupies only 0.2% of the total country area. We saw many monkeys in their natural habitat because of the conservation of this area. It was fascinating to me that the Singaporean legislation is placed in such a way to allow for the conservation of nature in such a stringent way. The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is protected under the Parks and Trees Act, and was officially declared an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2011. In a world where climate change and biodiversity loss is not only the reality, but the terrifying potential for ecosystems collapsing, seeing the Singaporean government place importance on nature builds hope for the possibility of conservation, and the simultaneous existence of urbanization and nature. I saw this yet again at Gardens by the Bay, where I saw that despite being surrounded by urban structures, the whole park honours the natural flora and fauna around by showcasing and preserving it. I tried to also become an active member in preserving the beautiful nature that we have in Singapore by participating at a beach clean up in Singapore. We went down to East Coast Park in the morning, and started picking up whatever trash we found. We organised and recorded it so that we understood the trends and what type of trash was being most thrown away and littered. I found that plastic bottles, not just water bottles, but drink bottles, shampoo, any liquid container, were the most common. Cans, and styrofoam were not as likely to be found. Whilst we were cleaning up, we met another old uncle who said he comes here to clean up every week. This made me realise that I do not need to plan a whole day of work to come and clean a beach. I can do it whenever I want to. Sometimes, we get too caught up in the logistics that we fail to see the practical ways in which we can make a difference! We collected 32kg of trash in one morning, which made me realise just how much lack of awareness there is surrounding littering, and throwing away materials that can harm the environment.

I also understood more about Singaporean culture by going to Fort Siloso, where I became acquainted with the WW2 history of Singapore. I learned how the British colonised Singapore, but the Singaporeans did not necessarily mind. There are a lack of any violence or horrific acts committed during this act of colonisation, although I am skeptical to believe this was the real situation. However, what appalled me was the sheer amount of conflict going on in the world during World War 2. The time during WW2 had various conflicts going on simultaneously, in Europe, Asia and in North America. I related this back to my documentaries of WW2 I have been watching this holiday with my family to once again, deepen my understanding of the historic events that shaped the present day.

I truly feel I have deepened my understanding of the ways in which Singapore preserves its nature, and how this intersects with other areas, such as culture and history, in order to create a thriving, enriched society.

I find Gardens by The Bay to be the best exemplar of the thing Singapore does the best: the amalgamation of urbanisation and natural beauty. Despite being surrounded by structures, the whole of the gardens by the bay honours the natural flora and fauna seen around, by showcasing it, and by preserving it. Not only that, all of the features here are built around nature, for example, the tree-top sky walk, showed me a brand new perspective of Singapore, and just how lush in greenery it really is. I have truly appreciated the ways in which Singaporean government takes concrete measures in order to preserve the natural environment, whilst still growing the economy and promoting urbanisation. It furthers my belief that this nation has the ability to become even more sustainable as climate change becomes more of a pressing and prominent issue for everyone, including governments.

27/12/21:

We decided to go to Windsor Nature park, also located in the Central Catchment. Prior to this NYAA experience, I had never known about the central catchment, and did not realise that all of the major reserves were linked via trails and pathways. This was incredibly fascinating to me. We took the Drongo Trail, which features a sub-canopy walk, where we saw many different types of native fauna under the canopy level, in addition to the understorey of the regenerating secondary forest.

We also hiked up to the tree-top walk, which we hoped would provide us the stunning views it promised of Singapore nature landscape. However, it was closed, and we were not able to go past it. Nonetheless, I realised that I enjoyed the hike and observing the ways in which the different flora and fauna interact. Using my HL biology knowledge, I can also see the ways in which plants are adapted to best suit their survival needs, and found this very interesting.

22/12/20 – Marang Trail, Hort Park, Kent Ridge Park

I decided to go for a hike with my friends during the holidays. I was in awe of the beauty that is present in Singapore. I had never realised there were so many well-conserved areas free of industrialisation that were open to hiking, trekking and becoming closer with nature. As we walked along the paths of the Marang trail, starting from Mount Faber and taking us all the way to Kent Ridge Park, I also became familiar with places in Singapore I had never been to. Hort Park was one of the prettiest parks I have been to, and I saw how Singaporean heritage played a large role in it’s identity through it’s meditation gardens and tranquility flowers. As we hiked along, we discovered new roads and paths, which made me realise that there is so much more to learn about Singapore, despite it’s small size. Amongst the stress of school, finally being able to decompress with my friends amongst nature was the best thing I could have asked for. Along the way, we became acquainted with new cafes, new MRTs and added this to our knowledge of Singapore!

My goal has been to explore and connect with Singaporean culture and history. I have walked by the beach multiple times, and always thought that organising a beach cleanup would be an effective way to spend a morning, trying to make a difference in a small way. I am part of a group called Bye Bye Plastic Bags in Singapore, which focuses on raising awareness about eco-conscious decisions that can be made in order to improve our interactions with the environment, and turn them from destructive, to constructive. We organised a beach cleanup, though with the COVID regulations it was always difficult to do. However, we went down to East Coast Park in the morning, and started picking up whatever trash we found. We organised and recorded it so that we understood the trends and what type of trash was being most thrown away and littered. I found that plastic bottles, not just water bottles, but drink bottles, shampoo, any liquid container, were the most common. Cans, and styrofoam were not as likely to be found. Whilst we were cleaning up, we met another old uncle who said he comes here to clean up every week. This made me realise that I do not need to plan a whole day of work to come and clean a beach. I can do it whenever I want to. Sometimes, we get too caught up in the logistics that we fail to see the practical ways in which we can make a difference! We collected 32kg of trash in one morning, which made me realise just how much lack of awareness there is surrounding littering, and throwing away materials that can harm the environment. Thinking about how to get the message and awareness out there is the true challenge, and one that this activity taught me to reflect on.

My research question was to understand and become acquainted with Singaporean history and culture in order to build my identity as a Singaporean. In this post, I will be exploring the natural habitats of Singapore and how these have been preserved even today. During my holidays, I went on a hike to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve with my friend to explore the preserved parts of the Singaporean landscape. We hiked the BTNR, and ended up exploring (and getting lost!) in the Dairy Farm Nature Reserve trail as well. Living here for 18 years, I have never seen this much of raw nature in Singapore, nor has my family ever taken me. I was incredibly excited to be surrounded by nature and away from the bustling life of the city for a little bit, as I have always loved being in touch with the elements. I think the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing us to stay within our countries, made me look for new ways to explore this place I called home so confidently. Now, I see there was so much it was willing to offer me that I never knew about. 

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is home to the largest primary forest in Singapore, and has the largest range of biodiversity. It used to be one of the first eight forest reserves in the late 1800s. This means the flora and fauna that was present in the 1800s is still allowed to flourish today. BTNR contains at least 40% of the country’s native flora and land fauna even though it occupies only 0.2% of the total country area. We saw many monkeys in their natural habitat because of the conservation of this area. It was fascinating to me that the Singaporean legislation is placed in such a way to allow for the conservation of nature in such a stringent way. The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is protected under the Parks and Trees Act, and was officially declared an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2011. In a world where climate change and biodiversity loss is not only the reality, but the terrifying potential for ecosystems collapsing, seeing the Singaporean government place importance on nature builds hope for the possibility of conservation, and the simultaneous existence of urbanization and nature. 

sources: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/nparksbuzz/issue-41-vol-2-2019/conservation/bukit-timah-nature-reserve

source: https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/20111026002/factsheet-_bukit_timah_nature_reserve.pdf

I was born and brought up in Singapore. However, being brought up in an international school, I feel I have not had as much exposure to Singaporean history and culture as I should have. The aim of my holidays this time was to understand Singaporean history a little more, and this was achieved by visiting Fort Siloso in Sentosa, the last standing Fort that lives to tell the tale of the invasions by the British, the Japanese, and finally the fight for freedom. I think it’s important to understand the true history of the place we live in, so that we are not ignorant about the privilege we have. I find myself guilty of taking my place in Singapore for granted, but I think it has to come with an understanding of what brutal sacrifices were made in order to live in the peace and happiness we have today. Fort Siloso allowed me to have a glimpse of Singaporean history, though I am aware I have much more to learn about. 

Fort siloso is in sentosa, an island off of Singapore which is typically associated with fun and vacation, strongly juxtaposing the initial nature of events that took place on the island.  

I have always found history difficult to comprehend, and therefore I always tended to ignore it. This is because I cannot wrap my head around the fact that humans, just like you and me, had to go to war, had their lives taken away from them as other countries invaded into their place they call home. I think I am scared to acknowledge history, and I know this is problematic. This is why I took a conscious effort to go to fort siloso, and rid myself of a bit of ignorance. I did not take photos of the exhibits inside as no photography was allowed. However, I learned many things from the exhibit. I learned how the British colonised Singapore, but the Singaporeans did not necessarily mind. There are a lack of any violence or horrific acts committed during this act of colonisation, although I am skeptical to believe this was the real situation. However, what appalled me was the sheer amount of conflict going on in the world during World War 2. The time during WW2 had various conflicts going on simultaneously, in Europe, Asia and in North America. I related this back to my documentaries of WW2 I have been watching this holiday with my family to once again, deepen my understanding of the historic events that shaped the present day.

I am keen to learn more about Singaporean culture, and history, that we often do not hear about today. I wish to become acquainted with more Singaportesn history and culture, in its nature, and truth.