Associate Professor Dan Friess and his Work on Mangroves in “Tipping Point”
April 27, 2019
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Heavily built areas like Singapore are particularly susceptible to the Urban Heat Island effect. Besides generating its own heat, the island also traps disproportionately more heat from the sun in its urban areas as compared to nature reserves. Solutions to rising temperatures include planting trees to store carbon. Mangroves, especially, can store five times as much carbon as other habitats. In Episode 3 of “Tipping Point”, Associate Professor Dan Friess (NUS Department of Geography) shares his work on mangroves and habitat restoration in Pulau Ubin.
Studying the utility of mangroves has been A/P Friess’ focus for more than a decade, and Singapore was a perfect location; 35 out of the 60 or so surviving mangrove species can be found in Singapore. From a study started 5 years ago, he and his team estimate that Singapore’s mangroves store 450,000 tonnes of carbon, which is equivalent to the amount generated by 620,000 people in a year. Besides being efficient carbon storages, when the leaves and branches of mangroves fall to the soil and undergo bacteria and fungal breakdown, large amounts of carbon are effectively locked in waterlogged soil and do not enter the atmosphere.
Today, A/P Friess is devoted to Pulau Ubin, one of Singapore’s last remaining mangrove habitats, and his team is working with volunteers, Pulau Ubin villagers, and the government to restore mangroves removed for aquaculture. As principal investigator for Natural Capital Singapore – an interdisciplinary research project to understand the benefits of nature in Singapore, A/P Friess sees nature as a precious asset. Besides helping to cope with temperature increases, natural habitats such as mangroves provide economic and social value. He hopes that decision makers can look at opportunities to generate more natural capital and capitalise on the potential benefits.
Watch Episode 3 of “Tipping Point” here.