Excerpts from the book "PULAU UBIN - OURS TO TREASURE"

 

Pulau Ubin was also a menagerie... But like parks and zoos the world over, it left me with an indelible impression - for many people, the only way to appreciate nature is to imprison nature.

..For once the island is developed, it is difficult to imagine how much can be saved when so much would have been lost.

 

Some may argue that a few plants, birds and mammals should not dictate how we live our lives. But how we live our lives has a direct effect on how the environment is sustained. And the more the environment is sustained, the more enriched our lives will be...

Take away the wilderness and the special denizens of Ubin, you take away the tenuous link between people and nature.

 

Standing guard to the entrance of the island is a granite rock that has an uncanny resemblance to a rhinoceros. Shaped by natural elements, it will continue to weather the storms of nature, but I am not sure if Pulau Ubin can weather the storms of progress. The rhinoceros is endangered, but our obvious indifference to its dwindling numbers is alarming. In many ways, this rhinoceros rock symbolises Ubin's plight. Which way will we go? For me, there is only one answer. Pulau Ubin is ours to treasure.

Produced by Simplygreen

Ubin Home

All images - copyright reserved