{"id":80649,"date":"2026-08-30T05:46:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T21:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=80649"},"modified":"2026-08-30T05:46:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T21:46:01","slug":"foraging-in-singapore-unethical-practices-threaten-biodiversity-and-cultural-heritage-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=80649","title":{"rendered":"Foraging in Singapore: Unethical practices threaten biodiversity and cultural heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SINGAPORE \u2013 Nor Syazwan Abdul Majid remembers, as a child, scraping through the sands of Changi Beach with his mother to look for seafood like mussels and clams.<\/p>\n
For Syazwan, now 29, foraging along Singapore’s shores is more than just a hobby. It is a tradition that tethers him to the Ubin Orang Pulau (Malay for people of Pulau Ubin) community.<\/p>\n
His mother grew up as part of the island’s community and lived on Ubin for 20 years until 1979, when she moved to the mainland after getting married.<\/p>\n
Today the community does not forage for sustenance, but to keep its tradition alive, he said.<\/p>\n
However, crocodile sightings in local waters have deterred Syazwan and his mother from foraging for the past year.<\/p>\n
Their hesitation only grew after a group caught flak in July for collecting a large haul of marine life \u2013 including crabs and shellfish \u2013 from Changi Beach and taking it to a restaurant to be cooked and consumed.<\/p>\n
While the restaurant, Havelock Palace, apologised, some people online and members of nature groups called for stronger legislation against unethical foraging in local intertidal areas.<\/p>\n
There is currently no broad law against the practice, though the National Parks Board (NParks) has restricted it in select zones like Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Chek Jawa.<\/p>\n
Others noted its cultural significance and asked if a more “ethical” way of foraging could be sustainable.<\/p>\n
The Straits Times spoke to different groups who have walked the shores to understand their practices.<\/p>\n
Adib Adrisson, 33, said he had been “beachcombing” since he was seven.<\/p>\n
It used to be a family activity as they lived near the beach, but Adib said he does it on a smaller scale.<\/p>\n
The freelance writer said he takes what is “enough for my own consumption” which amounts to less than half a bucket. He also looks for shrimp, clams and crabs to feed his pet fish.<\/p>\n
“I’m careful not to collect species that may be locally endangered, such as the ramose murex or noble volute snails,” he added.<\/p>\n
Firdaus Sani, founder of non-governmental organisation Orang Laut SG, said he learnt to forage from his family.<\/p>\n
He currently does so every few months with his family on Singapore’s offshore islands.<\/p>\n
“In the Malay tradition, meramu refers broadly to gathering, collecting or harvesting a wide variety of materials and ingredients from the wild,” he said. This may include plants, fruits, medicinal materials and other natural resources.<\/p>\n
Families would go out together, and children learnt from parents, grandparents and other elders how to read tides, recognise plants and take only what they need, he added.<\/p>\n
“This knowledge is not always written down. It is carried through practice, stories, observation and repeated time spent on the shore.”<\/p>\n\n