The word Paludarium consists of the word “Palus” which means swamp and the word “Arium” which means enclosed container. A paludarium is a habitat that combines the elements of water, land and air in an enclosed, transparent glass container. The water portion of the paludarium should be half or less than half of the container in order to contain air and the land portion of the habitat. It is important to ensure that there is sufficient air supply, suitable level of humidity and that the water is changed from time to time. The water should be filtered, circulating and integrated properly into the design of the paludarium. Generally, a paludarium is designed for aesthetic purposes such as to serve as a decorative feature at home or at the office.

A paludarium is usually filled with air and soil biota which are plants and animals that are suited to live in a complete and enclosed ecosystem. The plants selected for a paludarium typically consists of a combination of land and water based plants, while the animals selected are amphibians, reptilians and fish. The land portion of a paludarium is made of rock and soil layers that resemble the earth’s soil layers.

However, in designing a paludarium, the design should be based on a certain theme such as a mini ecosystem of a tropical rain forest, a riverbank, a swamp or even the beach. A poster on the Paludarium Paradise concept and theme was prepared in order to provide an explanation to visitors and juries.

The Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science took part in the Urban Agriculture Competition between Centres in UPM where the concept of the competition was paludarium. The competition took place from 15 November until 20 November 2019 in conjunction with UPM’s 43^rd Agriculture Expo and Convocation located at the Expo Hill, UPM.

The evaluation was based on a set paludarium concept that is complete with a variation of suitable plants and animals according to one’s creativity.

The paludarium team from the Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science headed by Dr. Marina Mohd. Top @Mohd. Tah presented a paludarium based on the Paludarium Paradise theme that projects an ecosystem that is complete, harmonious and filled with a variety of flora and fauna (complete details can be obtained from the Paludarium Paradise poster).

The Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science was the First Runner-up of the competition and took home RM500.00, a certificate, a plaque and a hamper.

Date of Input: 25/11/2019 | Updated: 29/11/2019 | hasniah