Nature park for Southern Islands

Turning it into an eco-tourism spot will be tourism board's priority while resort development takes a backseat

By Lea Wee

SINGAPOREANS thirsting for eco-tourism can look forward to making day trips to the Southern Islands, which could become a national park in the next few years.

Eco-tourism development will get priority there, says the Singapore Tourism Board, and other developments like hotels, resorts, service apartments and homes will follow when the economy improves.

The board made public its plan last year to develop Lazarus and St John's islands and Pulau Seringat into an idyllic resort. It has promised to leave 80 per cent of the forests in their natural state.

Last year, the board had a team of National University of Singapore (NUS) scientists, led by Associate Professor Hugh Tan, assess the natural state of the islands.

The team is due to finish its study by the end of next month. It found the beach greenery along the western coasts of Lazarus and St John's islands to be the best in Singapore.

Pockets of mangrove in the lagoons to the east of St John's Island are small, but surprisingly rich in species. To the west of the island lie some of the best coral reefs left in Singapore.

Given the right conditions and actions, said Prof Tan, the disturbed secondary forest and cultivated areas in both islands have the potential to be 'rehabilitated' to their original vegetation, that is, bigger expanses of beach and mangrove forest.

'It may even be possible to re-establish a coastal hill dipterocarp forest, the same forest type that is found at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve,' he said.

An inventory of the islands' plants and animals is nearly complete. So far, the team has found a total of 248 species of plants on St John's and Lazarus.

Almost 80 per cent are native species but half are under threat. Many are rare or can no longer be found on mainland Singapore.

They include Tongkat Ali, whose root extract is reputed to be an aphrodisiac; pelir musang, whose attractive yellow flowers can span 30 cm wide and 30 cm long; and Raffles' pitcher plant, the largest pitcher plant in Singapore.

Also found are a number of trees that previous inhabitants had planted. Some are believed to be several decades old.

The two islands, especially Lazarus, were found to be sanctuaries for birdlife. More than 60 bird species have been recorded on each island. Of these, at least eight are threatened. They include the Pied Imperial Pigeon, the Great-billed Heron and the White-bellied Sea Eagle. From October to March, these islands are important refuelling stopovers for transmigratory birds flying from the north to Indonesia and Australia.

To enhance the islands' ecological variety and boost their value as educational attractions, the NUS team suggested rescuing some of the plants, especially threatened species.

Prof Tan brought back about 10 species of threatened plants to be propagated in the NUS nursery for re-planting in the wild.

This rescue job was done in the nick of time for the silver bush.

Another suggestion is to highlight the fauna and flora with additional information. Signs with tape- recorded bird calls can be positioned in areas where such birds are likely to be found.

MORE LAND

RECLAMATION work on the Southern Islands started early last year, and involves mainly the eastern sides of St John's Island and Pulau Seringat. It is expected to be completed by mid-2002.

Most of the development will be carried out on Pulau Seringat.