Pulau Buloh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pulau Buloh | |
|---|---|
| Name transcription(s) | |
| • Malay | Pulau Buloh |
| • Chinese | 布洛岛[1] |
| • Pinyin | bùluò dǎo |
| • English | Buloh Island |
 | |
| Coordinates: 1°27′0″N 103°43′30″E / 1.45000°N 103.72500°E | |
| Country | Singapore |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.3 km2 (0.5 sq mi) |
Pulau Buloh is an uninhabited island located at the northern end of the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve with a total size of 1.3 square kilometres (0.5 square miles). The island is uninhabited and is entirely covered in mangrove forests. It also acts as a conservation site for wild animals that inhabit the nature reserve.
History
Mangroves first appeared in the area c. 5000BC (6820 BP), as the flooding of Sundaland caused sea levels to rise due to the retreat of ice during the last glacial maximum.[3]
Despite the intensive development of fish and prawn farms beside the island throughout its history on mainland Singapore, the island has mostly been uninhabited to the present day, with no accessible routes to easily travel to Pulau Buloh.[4] Sluice gates have been installed on the island to manage water levels in the reserve to prevent flooding. However, flooding at high tides have occurred due to aging equipment affecting the efficiency of the gates.[5]
Geology
The soil of the island and the nature reserve encompassing it is similar to adjacent areas in the Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve which are also similar to other coastal areas in Singapore. Thin layers of alluvium are present near the surface, while soft clay and decomposed vegetation can be found at depths of 25 metres. Further down, hard clay silts interspersed with sand occupy the layer below. Water ponds found on the island are mostly brackish in nature and water levels at the coastline of the island fluctuate with tide levels recorded in the Straits of Johor.[6] Migratory birds flock to the island during high tide when feeding areas are flooded. [7] The surface layer soil found on the island date back to the Holocene era and are at least more than 3.8 metres deep.[3]
