How can we make Ubin's mangroves more appealing?

Everyone’s opinion matters to the R.U.M. team as we want to make mangroves more accessible for all after the restoration work is done. Thus, to find out what people’s current perceptions of mangroves are and how we can help to introduce mangroves to everyone, R.U.M. also conducted a short online survey to aid in designing the restoration work.

Participants of a recent R.U.M. workshop
filling up the online survey. Thank YOU!

As of the time of writing, there were 103 responses, however the survey is still open to all. So please do share your feedback and views https://tinyurl.com/restoremangroves

Here’s what we’ve found out so far:

Most of our respondents are of ages 18-25. We are glad people from a wide range of ages contributed to the survey since the restoration design aims to be inclusive.

Most of the respondents have been to Ubin at least once, if not more. Of course, there are some who have yet to go, and hopefully with the restoration more people will feel encouraged to visit Ubin in the future!

This question allowed for respondents to pick more than one answer and it is nice to note that most respondents went with friends and family as well as school trips which highlights the educational aspect of Pulau Ubin.

This was another question which allowed more than one answer; and this chart nicely sums up a list of activities that are popular amongst the respondents on Ubin! And also suggests that R.U.M. can take these activities into account during the restoration.

All our respondents have different perceptions of Ubin, and this word cloud highlights the key thoughts shared. Here are some views which we felt was particularly interesting:

“An exemplar of Singapore's rich cultural and ecological heritage”

“One of the last strongholds of what Singapore used to be in the pre-HDB era; a piece of cultural heritage that is worth preserving for the sake of our history and for the livelihoods of the people on the island.”

“To me, Pulau Ubin is an escape from the city, the hectic lifestyle of the city. the rhythm here is significantly different and I like it."

This chart sums up the number of times respondents have visited the mangroves on Ubin. Most respondents have only been a few times or they haven’t been at all. Therefore we acknowledge that more can definitely be done to encourage people to visit the restored mangroves!

This word cloud sums up what respondents suggested would attract them to visit the mangroves!

We also want to know if respondents could share what other people would want to see in the mangroves, and this word cloud sums that up. Other interesting suggestions include:

"To fit a theme of Pulau Ubin being what Singapore used to be like way back when, I think the attraction would be to showcase what a mangrove environment would have looked like back in the old days as well. Maybe show the social and cultural significance of mangroves to the people that lived in and around it."

And

“If it’s more trendy just like how SBWR (Sungei Buloh Wetland  Reserve) is becoming"

We also asked for  respondent’s current opinions on the mangrove, and it is nice to note that most respondents  think that mangroves are important. Of course, there are some respondents  who don’t think much of the mangroves now, and we hope to change that in the future through the restoration!

In restoring Ubin’s mangroves we hope to come to be inclusive and have a wide range of features for everyone to enjoy the mangroves and so we asked what people would like to SEE and DO in the mangroves; and these two word clouds sum that up.

So far we’ve been receiving positive feedback from  respondents who have taken part in the survey, and rest assured, these feedback will all be taken into account during our 1-2 Feb workshop in which we strive to design an inclusive restoration project for Ubin’s mangroves!

Meanwhile if you haven’t already done the survey, do take 5 minutes to do so as it will greatly help us in the design process of the restoration!

You can find the survey here: https://tinyurl.com/restoremangroves