Tay Kiat Long

Pulau Hantu

General background

• Located 8km south of mainland Singapore

• Off the Straits of Singapore

• Made up of two islets– Pulau Hantu Besar (Big Ghost Island)– Pulau Hantu Kechil (Little Ghost Island)

• Legend tells of a legendary battle of ghosts (not important)

Human Activities

• Favourite spot for recreational activities:– Fishing– Scuba Diving– Snorkeling– Camping– Jogging / Kite-flying / Picnic etc.

• Man-made features:– Sheltered Beaches– Swimming lagoons– Jetty– First-aid buildings, offices etc.

Marine Life

• Wide variety of corals– Mushroom corals

• Wide variety of fishes– Clown fish– Angel fish– Damselfish– Wrass

Marine Life

• Rare sights– Giant clam

– Seahorse

– Sea slugs

– Starfish

– Flatworms

• Extremely rare sights:– Dolphins

– Nurse sharks

– Turtles

– Barracuda

Marine Life

• Small patch of mangrove

• More creatures of marine or mangrove communities can be found http://www.simplygreen.com.sg/misc/hantu.html

Articles on Pulau Hantu

• Straits Times 4 Aug 07

• Bumper harvest for anemone hunters

• Research mission uncovers many new species in S'pore waters

• By Shobana Kesava

Articles on Pulau Hantu

• Dr Daphne Fautin discovered new species of sea anemones in Pulau Hantu waters

• About 1000 known species of anemones, the biggest and smallest can be found in Singapore

• 40 of these species of anemones are discovered in Singapore, 27 are discovered by Dr Fautin

Articles on Pulau Hantu

• Some species discovered in Chek Jawa and Pulau Hantu found and proven to secrete anti-cancerous drugs

• Mangroves and habitats destroyed result in more cures and remedies left uncovered

• Fishing industry affected as well

Articles on Pulau Hantu

• Channel NewsAsia 19 Jul 07

• MerLion website 19 Jul 07

• Singapore's biodiversity may provide potential cures for diseases

Articles on Pulau Hantu

• MerLion Pharmaceuticals Pte Ltd (MerLion) and the National Parks Board of Singapore (Nparks)

• Signed agreements to work together in R&D of drugs from Singapore’s biodiversity

Land Reclamation

Land Reclamation

• Massive land reclamation project in Singapore in 1990s

• Before:– Besar 2 ha, Kechil 0.4 ha– Surrounded by fringing reefs– Commong reef flat in between

• After:– 12.2 ha of land, 400 000m3 of sand– Narrow strip of reef (20-30m)

Illegal Fishing

• Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Indonesia

• Without official permit

• Fishing boats intrude Pulau Hantu territory

• Affecting fish population in Pulau Hantu

• Insufficient funding invested in prevention

• Poor communication and coordination

Project Noah

• Install mechanical filters in lagoon separating Kechil and Besar

• Clears water of excess silt

• Allow coral growth within the lagoon

• Rejected by conservationalists

• (The Straits Times, June 3, 2006)

Envirofest 2009

• Great success, May 24, 2009

• Toa Payoh HDB Hub

• Education to public

• Introduced Hantu Bloggers

Hantu Bloggers

• Group of frequent divers in Pulau Hantu

• Blog about their trips

• Initiating a conservationalist group for Pulau Hantu marine life

Sustainable Island Program

• Approved by Sime Darby Plantation• January 19, 2009• promote sustainable destinations and

responsible island development • awareness about the fragile marine

ecosystem• highlighting the negative impact on the reefs • Calling Wild Asia and Reef Check Malaysia

to conserve and protect reefs in Singapore

References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulau_Hantu

• http://www.pulauhantu.org/

• http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/hantu.htm

• http://library.thinkquest.org/04apr/00793/Islandtext/diveisland.htm#divehantu

References

• http://coralreef.nus.edu.sg/publications/pub03.pdf

• http://colorclouds.blogspot.com/2006/11/marvellous-pulau-salu-dive.html

• http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/news/pulauhantu/

References

• http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20070708/070804-2.htm

• http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20070708/070719-6.htm

THE

END