Speech by 2M Desmond Lee at Unveiling of Plans for the OCBC Arboretum

Jul 20, 2019

I am delighted to join you again at the Singapore Botanic Gardens today. It has indeed been a busy year for the Gardens as we celebrate its 160th anniversary. We kicked off the celebrations in January with a two-week long exhibition featuring our Gardens’ history and are now at the close of the Gardens’ annual Heritage Festival.

Last week, we opened Singapore’s first seed bank here at our Gardens. This morning, we will unveil plans for the OCBC Arboretum. This is a living library of trees, which are grown for scientific and educational purposes, and it will be a major part of the Gallop extension, which will be opened later this year.

This arboretum will collect and study Dipterocarps, which are a family of hardwood trees found in Southeast Asia, including right here in Singapore. These forest giants, as they are affectionately known, are key to the health of our forest ecosystems. For instance, they serve as habitats for wildlife and other plants.

Unfortunately, Dipterocarps are increasingly under threat. Changing weather conditions are disrupting the growth of the trees, which are found only in tropical regions. They have also become critically endangered due to deforestation as well as logging.

That is why the work at the OCBC Arboretum is vitally important. We need to learn more about these trees so we can conserve them for generations to come. In this regard, I would like to thank OCBC for your generous contribution of $4 million for this important project.

Let me share more about the facility. The arboretum will monitor and manage over 2,000 specimens of over 200 Dipterocarp species. It will use a variety of sensors to collect data regarding the trees as well as their surrounding environment.  These include weather stations to monitor environmental conditions, 3D modelling tools to help us track tree growth, and multispectral imaging to measure the internal health of the trees.

In addition, the arboretum will tap on Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. We will link the sensors and consolidate their data onto a single platform, which we call Ecological Network of Tree Sensors, or ENTS. This is a new application of such technologies, making the OCBC Arboretum the first of its kind in this region to use data on this scale. It brings together science and nature to benefit biodiversity and conservation.

There are several benefits of this extensive data collection and analysis. First, it will guide our efforts to conserve Dipterocarp trees. Researchers will analyse the data to produce a set of ideal growth conditions for the trees, so as to establish conservation guidelines for suitable habitats. 

We will also use the data to optimise our reintroduction of native Dipterocarps in our nature parks as part of our Forest Restoration Action Plan. NParks also plans to make its research findings available to other botanical institutions, to support regional conservation efforts. 

Second, we will also be able to better manage these trees. For instance, knowing how wind speeds affect tree stability will go a long way in mitigating tree failure. 

These lessons are not specific to Dipterocarps alone, and are mostly transferrable to other species. This will therefore improve our overall management of trees planted in parks and along our streetscapes in urban areas.

Building on that point, we will be able to further enhance our surrounding greenery. By studying the conditions that cause trees to develop lusher crowns, we can replicate these conditions in certain areas so that our trees can provide more shade, especially along our streetscape. Trees with lush crowns will also provide greater visual impact in our living environment.

These efforts will greatly help to enhance the liveability of our City in a Garden, which we should justly be proud – a legacy passed down through early generations; one which we should not squander.

In tandem with NParks’ research initiatives, we also want the arboretum to be a place for public education and outreach. 

NParks has conserved a colonial bungalow within the site and we will re-purpose this bungalow as a Forest Discovery Centre. At this centre, visitors can learn more about the ecology of Singapore’s forests and how they can be involved in NParks’ conservation efforts. Visitors can also discover how technology is applied in environmental science and forestry.

To conclude, let me once again thank OCBC for its generous contribution to the arboretum. The efforts of our partners, like OCBC, have helped the Gardens achieve its standing as a world-class botanical garden and a premier regional institution for research, conservation, and botany. 

It is also well-loved by all Singaporeans young and old, and is a place for a repository of memories for generations to come. We hope that more organisations will join us as partners and support the Gardens.

Thank you all, and please enjoy the rest of the morning.