Mangrove Surviving Skills - Kuala Selangor Nature Park

红树林的生存技能 - 瓜拉雪兰莪自然公园           

 My first visit to a mangrove forest... 

Forest ranger gave us some briefing on Mangrove ecosystem, it benefit, and what what is our mission for that day. Then we equiped ourself with the famous yellow Wellington Boots ,turned ourself into "Pua Chu Kang" style.
我第一次到红树林...

护林员给了我们为我们讲解红树林的生态系统和我们将要责行的任务。我们穿上黄色靴子，摇身一变上演“Pua Chu Kang"的经典look。

We had a walk for about 1-1.5 km to go to the deeper side of the forest. It was not easy to walk with the boot, it is so stuffy and hot eventhough we just next to the seaside, why is it so stuffy compare to the other tropical forest? Ranger explained that the mangrove forest playing a protection role to the mainland, it uphold the strong wind, act as a protection wall to prevent strong wind or big waves to hit the nearby villages, the wind was trapped at the front area (seaside) thus it is stuffy as we are at the other side. 

我们须要步行约1-1.5公里到森林的深处。穿着那长靴子，走的不大习惯，我们明明在海滨附近，可是怎么这么闷热？以前在其他的热带森林都是凉爽的啊。护林员解释说，红树林像一个防护墙在保护着大陆，有挡风浪的作用，能防止强风或大浪击中附近的村庄，而我们在树林靠大陆的地段所以特别闷热。

Along the way we saw weird trunk and brances growing from the land, with different shape and size. While we were amazed with the size and shape of the branches, the forest ranger again cut our conversation and told us that were not branches, its roots! Hmm, roots, i thought the roots of trees are usually grow underground. Ranger explained futher, mangrove prop themselves above the water level with stilt roots and can then absorb air through pores in their bark, the root underneath the ground grow very deep underground too and those above are for breathing. Some of the species, their root could grow very big until it look like tree trunk, some could look like tiny branches that extended out from the main root, so the roots structure help to hold it tight and allow it to stand still during tide, strong wind and strong waves, some small root also extended from the underground root and pop up from the ground, those are hollow as its allow the tree to breath. The ranger also shared that, during 2nd world war, some villager hide themselves under water by using those small roots as their breathing tools.
一路上，我们看到一些从土地冒出来的奇行怪状的树杆和树枝，有着不同的形状和大小。当我们正在热烈的讨论着的时候i，护林员再次切断了我们的谈话，并告知那些不时树杆或树枝，而是树根！嗯，根？还以为树根都长在地下。护林员进一步解释，红树林是以支柱根把自己撑在水位上，然后通过树皮的毛孔吸收空气，根在地下长到很深处，并以在地上根呼吸，有些品种的根可以长得非常大，使它看起来像树杆​​，有一些看起来像从树杆延伸出来的小树枝，根的结构有助于握紧地底，并允许红树立在海潮上，能够坚强的迎接强风和大浪，有些根还是从地底的根延伸在地面上，这些根是空心的，也是用来呼吸的。护林员分享道二战时期，有人为了逃避日本兵藏身在水里以红树根的枝当呼吸器。

Another participate shouted "why there are so many long bean around here?" Another facts, it is the seed for the mangrove not long bean. Opps... seem we are really too city boy or city girl, how shame and naive. The seeds are in a shape that look like a long bean, when it mature, it will drop from the tree and interpolated into the mud, and avoid being wash away. The Ranger then show us the leaf of the mangrov and say "in order to survive in low oxygen and salt water, mangrove have an ability to remove the salt from it body through the leaf, you will found some white crystal like subtances on the leaf surface."

突然，其中个义工喊：“为什么有这么多的长豆在这里？” 护林员再一次说教了，原来是红树林的种子不是长豆。哎呀...似乎我们太过城市和科技化了，对我们周围的森林一概不知呢，真是耻辱。 当种子成熟时，它将会从母树掉下，长形使其更有效地插进泥巴里，以便它可以成长而不容易被海水冲走。护林员指着树叶说红树为了能在低氧水和盐风高的环境生存，会把多余的盐份排出。难怪树叶上有些洁白晶莹的物质，原来是盐。

After 30 mintues, we finally reached the deeper side of the forest and fun started!!!

30分钟后，我们终于达到了森林深处，趣活开始了！

Ranger shouted "Ready for the Work?". "YES". There we go, slowly moved out from the normal

walkway, and dip ourself onto the mud. Yaiks, owh.. aAh, so many sounds effect from the group, some using too much strength and get their leg or half body squeeze inside the mud. Few rounds of pulling each other and we finally reached the spot where we can start the mangrove planting. Time to get our hand dirty, digging, interpolating, cover it up, and repeat the step with another sapling unitl all the tree saplings plated.
护林员喊道：“准备干活了吗？” “是的”。我们慢慢从步道小心的往泥巴去。 Yaiks OWH.. AAH，呼叫声此起彼落，有些义工的腿或半身塞在烂泥巴里。几回的合互相拉扯，我们终于到达了开工的地点，可以开始种植红树幼苗。你挖，我插，他盖上....我们一遍又一遍重复着，手都沾上了泥巴，直到所有的树苗都种好。

Then we move to the next spot with some small mangrove trees, the mud here is not as wet as or as
soft as the planting spot. The saplings were planted 1 years ago, the watery level had reduced, much easier to walk. With our muddy face, dirty hand, we pick up the measuring tape, recording sheet and started to measure the trees, the leaves size, the height to collect some data for the scientist to analyse the healthy and population of those mangrove.
过后，我们到下一个地点，有一些小小的红树，这里的泥土没那么潮湿比较易步行因为有红树在，都是1年前种下的树苗。我们满是泥泞的脸，肮脏的手，拿起皮尺，开始记录。测量树木大小，树叶的大小和密度，科学家待会以收集的数据来分析这些红树林的健康和密度。

It was about 3 hours, the wonderful trip had came to an end. Despite of all the physical exercise, fighting with the mud and expose to the heat, no one complain about tired, dirty, stuffy or hot, we enjoy the whole process where we could get close to the mangrove, step on the ground where they grow and touch it, some of us having their natural facial mask or hand mask, walking out from the forest happily with appreciation.
3小时左右完成了任务。尽管耗了体力，与泥巴战斗，和暴露在闷热的环境下，没有人抱怨累，脏，闷或热，我们很享受整个过程，在这里我们可以近距离得接触红树林，踏在它们生长的土地上，触摸它们，一些义工们还蛮喜欢面上和手上的面膜和手膜，愉快地从红树林走出着。

Learned a lot from Mangrove, no matter how unfavourable the condition, it will adjust itself to survive, eventhough with limited oxygen, salty land and dip in the water most of the time it can still grow big and become a forest and a habitat to others living creatures. A tree able to show us it persistance and flexibility, we human also can! Never give up in unfavourable condition, just adjust ourselves, change our mindset, there is always a way to clear thing up and keep us moving forward. Agreed?
在红树的身上学到了很多许多，在不不利的环境条件下，它会调整自己继续成长和正常的生存着，在有限的氧气，和超咸的土地和海水中，仍然长成一大片的森林供其他生物栖息。一棵树能向我们展示了它的持久性和灵活性，我们人类当然也可以哦！永不放弃，在不利的条件下，只要调整自己，改变我们的思维方式，总有方法搞清情况，让我们向前迈进，同意吗？

After this first meaningful visit, a few more trips has been organised toghether with my friend to bring some of our colleagues, our friends and their families for a short volunteer trip on mangrove planting and mangrove data collection. During the subsequent visits, we found a lot of rubbish trap in the forest, then we added one more activity - mangrove cleaning. The first cleaning we had collected more than 10 full bags of rubbish. Its never too late to start caring our nature, let we all work together to create a cleaner and healthier nature ecosystem. 

在这有意义的探访后，我与朋友组织可好几次的半天义工团，带来我们的同事，朋友和他们的家人进行种植红树林和红树林的数据收集的活动。在一次的探访中，我们发现大量垃圾，护林员告知人们丢弃的垃圾时常通过河
流和大海穿越到红树林里，之后我们添加了红树林清洗活动，第一次清里时，还收集到超过10大袋的垃圾呢。关心地球不分先后，让我们大家一起努力，创造一个更清洁，更健康的自然生态系统吧。

More information about mangrove forest, visit http://www.mns.my/article.php?aid=2365
更多关于红树林的信息，请查访http://www.mns.my/article.php?aid=2365