Properly called the "Comprehensive Marine Biodiversity Survey of Singapore", this three-year Survey will take stock of Singapore’s marine ecosystem and species diversity, species distribution and abundance. Led by NParks, it brings together the larger community of experts from tertiary institutions, NGOs, and individual enthusiasts, with the support of the corporate sector.
What are some of the Survey activities?
The Southern Expedition took place in 2013 to thoroughly survey the Southern Islands through dredge surveys, dive surveys and intertidal surveys. Similar to the Northern Expedition in 2012.
In between Expeditions and throughout the year, there will be smaller scale field surveys, dredge surveys as well as laboratory work such as sorting, preservation and database work. More about these typical activities. All are welcomed to support any of these activities.
How can I find out what activities are happening and how do I sign up for them?
Upcoming activities and registration processes will be emailed to registered volunteers via the Mega Marine Survey yahoo groups mailing list. To get these updates and to sign up, please register your interest in this form and you'll be invited to join the mailing list to receive updates on the Survey.
Who can join the Mega Marine Survey?
Members of the public are welcomed to join the Survey. Register your interest in this form and you'll be invited to join the mailing list to receive updates on the Survey.
I am not a scientist, can I join? Will there be any training?
Yes! Briefings will be provided and the scientific methods explained. Ordinary people should be able to pick up the methods. With practice, everyone should be able to help out effectively. It's also alright if you joined half way, and missed the briefing. Just tag along with the team and learn. Kind of like on-the-job training.
How can ordinary volunteers help?
Volunteers are needed for these tasks
- Field work: Outdoor field sampling and collection, and field photography/videography: diving and non-diving (intertidal).
- Indoor laboratory photography.
- Indoor specimen processing: cleaning, sorting, cataloguing.
- Indoor database and data entry support.
- And do let us know of any other ways that you might want to help.
How do the tides affect Survey field work?
Some surveys are only conducted when the shores are exposed at suitably low tides. More about tides in Singapore.
Will the Survey field work be done only on weekends?
The Survey will be done when tides are suitable. Unfortunately, the tide waits for no man (or woman). So sometimes, Survey dates will be on weekdays. So just sign up for those dates that you can come.
What time of the day will Survey field work be done?
Again, the tides decide these for us. In Singapore, suitably low tides are in the morning from around Apr-Aug and in the evening from Oct-Mar.
How often must I help out?
We hope you can commit to help out regularly. Practice makes things easier. It can be disruptive to you and your team-mates if you come very irregularly. You might then get out of practice which may affect the efficiency of the team and your enjoyment of the event. Since we plan to cover many sites, going often also means you get to explore more places. So do consider your own availability before you register as a volunteer.
Where are the Survey field work locations?
The Survey hopes to cover all Singapore marine habitats, from the mangrove mudflats to the zone between the high- and low-tide marks, the offshore coral reefs and even the sea floor, 20m down!
Where can I find out more about what goes on during a Survey field work session?
This blog has lots of stories of our past adventures. The "about" section on this blog has a brief description of some typical activities with links to more.
More about how to prepare for a Survey trip.
How do I register for the Survey?
Register your interest in this form and you'll be invited to join the mailing list to receive updates on the Survey.
What happens after I register?
You will receive an invitation to join the Mega Marine yahoo mailing list. You have to be on this mailing list. Updates about Survey activities will ONLY be sent through this list. The yahoo group also has lists of past messages about activities, and a database of activities that you can sign up for.
How can I join the activities?
Announcements of activities will be sent to those registered on the Mega Marine Survey yahoo groups mailing list. With more details including dates and how to sign up. So do be sure to accept the invitation to join the yahoo groups mailing list after you register in this form .
What do I have to prepare for a Survey field work session?
Here's all the details!
Can I bring my family, my kids and friends along for a Survey field work session?
Besides work targets, safety is also a key priority in a Survey field session. Some survey sites may be hazardous for young children and even adults who are not well versed with safety protocols.
In addition, we are deeply concerned about impact to the very habitats that we are trying to study. As someone who is concerned about the habitat, I am sure that you will agree the number of people coming on each trip should be controlled. This is achieved by managing the sign up for field sessions via the yahoo groups mailing list.
If you know of someone interested in participating in the survey, please ask him or her to register in this form. They will then be invited to join the yahoo groups mailing list where they can sign up for the field sessions.
For a more enjoyable trip to our shores, bring your family and friends on the guided shore walks below.
Kusu ReefWalk with the Blue Water Volunteers
Chek Jawa walks with the Pulau Ubin NParks volunteers.
St. John's Island with the Tropical Marine Science Institute.
Pulau Semakau via the National Environment Agency.
The Naked Hermit Crabs also conduct ad hoc walks on various shores including Sentosa, and a tour of the Chek Jawa boardwalk.
I have more questions!
Contact us and we will try our best to answer them.
