Speech by MOS Desmond Lee at the Launch of the Festival of Biodiversity 2015
Jun 27, 2015
Good morning, and thank you for joining us at the opening of the Festival of Biodiversity.
Into its fourth year, our Festival is proud to partner 32 organisations.
Without our partners and our many volunteers, this Festival would not have been possible. So please let me kick-start my remarks by saying a very big thank you to all of you for your passion and commitment, and for making this happen.
Marine Conservation Action Plan
The seas around Singapore are rich in marine biodiversity: for example, hard coral species recorded in Singapore waters make up about 30% of hard coral species found worldwide.
This is remarkable, considering that we take up less than one percent of the world’s surface area.
To better protect our marine biodiversity, we had announced the establishment of Singapore’s first marine park - the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park - at last year’s Festival of Biodiversity.
This Marine Park is at the heart of NParks’ Marine Conservation Action Plan.
What are some of the other things that we will be doing under this Action Plan?
a. First, we are reintroducing Giant Clams back into our waters.
b. Second, we will set up a coral nursery to collect all 255 species of coral in Singapore. This will further our conservation efforts.
c. Third, NParks will conserve the Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles. A turtle hatchery, sponsored by HSBC, will be set up at the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park to provide a safe refuge for rescued turtle eggs.
d. Fourth, we will restore and enhance marine habitats like shallow water reefs and intertidal areas. This work will not only take place at Sister’s Islands Marine Park, but also Changi Beach Park and Labrador Nature Reserve.
e. And finally, we want to make it easier for Singaporeans to appreciate our marine habitats, learn more about them and hopefully, help us to better conserve them. To do this, we will be launching a leisure dive trail off Sister’s Islands by end of September this year. This is a specially developed and interactive dive trail that will allow scuba divers to experience and learn more about the sub-tidal coral reef environment. You can visit the model on display today to get a sense of what the dive trail is like.
Nature Conservation Masterplan
Besides marine habitats, NParks has done a lot over the years to conserve our biodiversity on our island.
Today, I will also share about NParks’ Nature Conservation Masterplan.
This consolidates what NParks has been doing, and integrates its various programmes and projects into a holistic masterplan.
It will chart the direction of our conservation efforts for the next five years, and help to bring us closer to our vision of being a City in a Garden.
There are four key thrusts to the Nature Conservation Masterplan —
a. Physical planning,
b. Programmes,
c. Research, and
d. Community stewardship.
Some of these have already been rolled out. Let me highlight some key initiatives under each of these:
a. First, NParks supports the conservation of species in biodiversity-rich areas through careful physical planning. For example, we have safeguarded habitats in nature reserves and enhanced ecological connections through our pervasive network of greenery including our streetscape, nature ways, parks and park connectors across the island.
b. Second, NParks’ physical planning is reinforced by its conservation programmes. One key programme is the species recovery programme, and we are currently focusing efforts on critically endangered species such as the Singapore Freshwater Crab, which has so far been found only in Singapore and nowhere else in the world. We will conduct a long term population enhancement, monitoring and breeding programme for the Singapore Freshwater Crab. The conservation strategy is the first in the world endorsed by IUCN, or the International Union for the Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources, for an invertebrate species. Besides the Singapore Freshwater Crab, NParks’ programme also covers the two Hanguana plant species which have been recently discovered in Singapore, the Singapore Ginger, as well as the Eye of the Crocodile, one of the most endangered mangrove tree species in the world.
c. Third, NParks conducts meticulous research to strengthen its understanding of how our biodiversity can thrive better. One example is the two-year comprehensive biodiversity survey of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, which NParks commenced earlier this year to help us better understand the numbers and distribution of plants and animals in the reserve. Information gathered from this latest survey will help NParks continue to manage the Nature Reserve with care.
d. Fourth, we recognise that our conservation efforts are greatly strengthened and enhanced by the active participation of our community. We are therefore encouraging community stewardship through a series of Citizen Science Programmes under the Community in Nature initiative, such as the recently-launched Garden Bird Count. Two months ago, I participated in NParks’ first Garden Bird Count which involved some 400 volunteers. The findings were encouraging and the information collected will help us develop long term conservation management strategies. NParks is adding to its series of Citizen Science Programmes with the new Garden Butterfly Count. Registration for the first Garden Butterfly Count opens today, and I encourage everyone to join in.
“Biodiversity – Nature Conservation in the Greening of Singapore” booklet and new educational resources
Appreciation for nature and biodiversity is best cultivated from a young age.
NParks has developed a set of educational material to help our pre-schools teachers engage and inspire our young children to appreciate our biodiversity and natural heritage. I’m sure our children will enjoy these material.
I am also happy to launch the Urban Systems Study booklet titled “Biodiversity – Nature Conservation in the Greening of Singapore”, which is a collaboration between NParks and the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC).
The booklet provides a narrative of biodiversity conservation efforts and captures how we approach and resolve the challenges in conserving Singapore’s natural heritage amid the rapid pace of development and industrialisation.
These lessons will be used as CLC’s training resource for government officials.
Conclusion
Once again, I would like to thank our community partners, who have contributed your time, effort and ideas to the Festival and played an invaluable role in conserving and protecting our natural heritage.
I would also like to thank our generous sponsors for your support.
Through your efforts, I believe that even more Singaporeans of all ages and all walks of life will enjoy and value Singapore’s rich biodiversity.
I wish you an enjoyable and enriching time at our Festival.