focus ubin survey highlights
Oct-Dec 04 | Jan-Mar 05 | Apr-Jun 05 | Jul-Nov 05

About 8 people dropped by per month to share their thoughts about ubin. Thank you! Every comment can make a difference.

Here's highlights of what they shared:

[Pulau Ubin] to remain as it is.. so that young people will get to experience first hand the "old" lifestyle and a great place for parents - children bonding...

it is the last frontier for wildlife. it has such rich biodiversity and diverse ecosystems and is increasing the last refuge for wildlife in the region. we can benefit so much from allowing this refuge to grow! furthermore, the island has such rich history and heritage and a culture unique to our past that if this last living fossil of our heritage is gone, future generations will lose a chance to learn beyond history books.

to develop sustainable and environmentally sound projects to ensure that the island can support itself financially yet at the same time providing for the unique biodiversity and culture on the island. not only should it be left as an "unspoilt" island but there should be work done to enhance it. development is not a bad thing as long as it is done sensitively - ecology and historical heritage and culture first before economic profits which will follow as long as the island is allowed to thrive! WITHOUT the island and its natural appeal, there will be NO profits! So please ALLOW the island to be what it is best at - being an island with an unbelivably rare island kampung culture that we have already lost on the mainland! My only hopes is that the island will be less fragmented into use by different agencies but instead managed and managed well by one agency or a council to oversee everything in a big picture. Good management is what I hope for the island.

That I can escape from our concrete jungle - it's one of our very few real island getaways. And every time I go (at least once in every 3 months) I discover new things - Ubin never fails to surprise me and it's perfect the way it is. (It's also a welcome & pleasant surprise for tourists who only know about our concrete shopping paradise).

That it will not change, that it will NOT become Sentosa or Tioman or Langkawi. That it will remain our escape from city stress. That the residents and wildlife will be allowed to continue their lives the way they have been for so long. Development does not always mean success. We need to leave Ubin alone.

STB is pitching "unique Singapore", Ubin is a part of the heritage that makes Singapore unique and is a major attraction for people visiting Singapore. Sanitizing it like Night Safari or Sentosa merely ruins the uniqueness and destroys the environment that keeps it special.

Do NO further development. The visitor centre is great, but no more jetties, no new roads, no street lamps, etc. Leave it Ulu, and allow the Kampongs to be resettled by those who want to live there in that style. This will preserve Ubin as it was, as it is meant to be.

It shows the old way of life in Singapore, and is a great place to take your family that is very different from the "modern, manicured" parks in the rest of Singapore. My hope for Ubin is that it does not become another Sentosa, resort or theme park, but remains true to its traditions and roots, showing all a beautiful glimpse of the past.

There is a sense of nature, history, culture and belonging there, that shouldn't be touched and developed, if for no other reason that every nation needs its own natural spaces and cultural places. If we are to develop it and thus deprive it of its natural environment, how would the future generations look upon us?

Let us preserve it as a nature reserve, allow only very limited development, and encourage island life as it might have flourished without the intervention of corporations and industries. Once lost, cultural and natural treasures cannot be remade, and Singaporeans become detached, with no sense of belonging. Let us keep it the way it is!

It will be so cool to make Ubin a nature reserve! We can turn it into a Singapore nature conservation showcase. The time is right to do this. Ubin has all the right ingredients - forests, mangroves, wetlands, inter-tidal eco-systems and lots of people enthusiastic about nature!

Please, please, please keep it as it is. Books can never give us the same experiences as a day on Pulau Ubin can. Keep development to the minimum. No high rises, major residential, nor commercial plans. Maintain the ecology and wildlife for our children, and their children. Make Singapore a less sterile place to leave in.

Singapore has too few natural reserve and this is the home of many animals and birds. Pulau Ubin is my favorite rural place which I can enjoy the nature and see many fluna and flora. I have my poly days in Pulau Ubin, have stayed in the bicycle shops, bath by the well and sleep in the kampong houses, canoe around the island and fishing. I have also cycle around the island many times just to enjoy the fresh air and greenry. These have bring me sweet memories of my past and I still have this special feelings for this island till now.

Chek Jawa, the kampongs,the quaries are just some of the nature which we should pass on to our future generations. I love this island and hope I got chance to bring my childrens and grand childrensto this island one day too.

I remember with fond memories my JC days spent on Ubin. We organised Ubin nature hikes for the juniors, spent countless days recceing the island, learning to read maps, stars, cooking using camping equipment. We also learnt to respect nature, and realised with awe that we (humans) are not the only inhabitants of this earth. We spotted animals like the wildboar, hornbills (yes!), mud lobsters, mudskippers, jungle mynahs, eagles. Well, my JC friends with whom I share these memories are now life-long friends. I am sure it was the shared experiences in a natural environment that made these possible.

I love the natural habitat there. It should be kept that way. If not, Singaporeans of the next generation really won't have a chance to experience such things anymore. Please keep it that way! If not, Pulau Ubin will not be unique. We should keep it the way it is now. If not, it will just be a smaller version of Singapore mainland -- no meaning to its own at all. Plus, I love the OBS camp there!!! =D

do the the survey? here with more details of the results so far