Opening Remarks by Minister Desmond Lee at Nature Society (Singapore) Bird Group’s End of Race Virtual Singapore Bird Race 2020

Dec 6, 2020

A very good evening to everyone. I am very happy to join all of you here today at the closing of the 36th Singapore Bird Race. I hope everyone has enjoyed yourself over the last two days. I know some of you started as early as yesterday, and I’m sure you are feeling sleep-deprived, but still full of adrenaline. This is because this race caps the whole calendar year of nature activities, which to some large extent, had been disrupted by the COVID-19 situation.

As a novice bird watcher, I have enjoyed my time at the race. This is in fact my third time participating in the past seven years, and each experience has been memorable. As the bird race that took place in the midst of the pandemic, I think this year’s edition is one that I will never ever forget.

I like the way NSS has made great effort and put in a lot of innovation and ingenuity in enabling so many people to participate in the Bird Race. Despite the constraints, they have given people the opportunity to go out and enjoy the great outdoors, and nature.

It was extremely fun and exciting as my team and I explored Singapore this morning to look out for birds, both rare and common. I would like to specially thank my team mates: Alfred Chia from NSS, Dr Yeo Seng Beng from NSS, and Sandra Chia from NParks, for our adventures this morning! 

Our group name is ‘Three Men and A Baby’ – because Sandra is the baby in the group, our youngest participant; she just joined NParks a year ago, but is no doubt a great professional and expert in nature. It is very encouraging to see the next generation join the ranks of the nature community with such enthusiasm and deep knowledge.

I would also like to thank Kim Chuah for inviting me to participate. Kim Chuah, together with a few other leads in the Bird Group in NSS, are my teachers and have taught me all I know about birding.

Over the years, the Bird Race has steadily brought together more and more members of the community to appreciate birds and nature. This is extremely important for a city-state like Singapore, because it is only when we can co-exist together with our native biodiversity – both flora and fauna – in this City in Nature, that we can leave behind something better for our next generation.

I would like to congratulate the NSS organising team for putting together the biggest Bird Race to-date, despite the ongoing pandemic.

The new race categories of Novice, Youth, and Family have made the event even more accessible and inclusive this year. At Sungei Buloh and other places during the race today, we bumped into other groups, and were encouraged to see families going out together to do bird watching.

It is encouraging to see that the team has reached out to a greater variety of participants, including Singaporeans both young and young-at-heart, whole families, as well as individuals who are new to birdwatching with this year’s Race. A big applause to NSS for your very effective outreach. 

Events like the Bird Race enable Singaporeans to better understand and appreciate nature, as well as see its value in conservation.

This is exactly the approach we need to take to transform Singapore into a City in Nature. We need to continue finding innovative ways to reach out to more people, make them stewards alongside us, and grow our community of stewards who are deeply passionate about nature.

One example is the collaborative partnerships between the Government, the community, nature groups, and other key stakeholders that have enabled Singapore to remain as a stronghold for the endangered Straw-headed Bulbul. Many of us hear them a lot. It is an elusive bird; it still eludes me even today. This species has been hunted to near extinction elsewhere, as its melodious calls have made it a popular songbird in the songbird trade. 

But here in Singapore, the Straw-headed Bulbul is thriving. Our partnerships have allowed us to protect and enhance their habitats, such as Pulau Ubin, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Kranji Marshes, as well as Dairy Farm Nature Park. Today, over a quarter to half of the world’s Straw-headed Bulbul population can be found here in Singapore. It is a remarkable achievement for us as a small city-state.

We will continue to take steps to strengthen our conservation efforts for the Straw-headed Bulbul and other wildlife. It is our responsibility as stewards and custodians to ensure that these rare native species remain around for many generations, especially for generations yet born.

We will grow our network of nature parks, and establish another 200 hectares of nature parks by 2030. For instance, many of you in today’s Bird Race would have gone around the Sungei Buloh Nature Park Network. We established this network in August. The habitats within this network will help ensure food and shelter for migratory birds that stop over in Singapore during their long journey along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Small, tight and compact though we may be as a small city-state, we play our part in the international ecosystem for nature to continue to thrive.

Let me conclude by thanking our friends from NSS for organising this year’s Singapore Bird Race. I am sure the event has helped to create greater awareness and interest in our biodiversity and natural heritage amongst all participants.

In fact, recently, I was at the Lornie Nature Corridor, and we were planting trees under the One Million Trees movement. I met some young people there who were studying in junior college, and I was very excited to see them and their friends and family out in different teams today at the Bird Race. This heralds the next generation of Singaporeans stepping forward to take their place amongst the ranks of nature stewards in Singapore.

I would also like to thank all our event partners and fellow Singaporeans for joining us today, as well as Mapletree for being such strong partners for nature and for supporting NSS and its very important work.

For those who have joined the Race for the first time, I hope like me, you have had an enriching experience exploring our beautiful nature areas together with your friends and family.

In fact, because no one can travel this year-end, the silver lining is that Singaporeans are exploring our green areas, our nature areas. But even though these spaces may be a little crowded, Singaporeans can take this as an opportunity to learn more about our ecosystems and natural habitats. If you see something that isn’t quite right, take the opportunity to lend a gentle word to guide fellow Singaporeans in how they should interact with the flora and fauna in these precious natural habitats. 

We hope that you will continue to nurture your enthusiasm for nature by supporting our parks, and participating in NParks’ conservation and citizen science programmes. It is only by working together that we will transform Singapore into a City in Nature for many many generations to come.

I wish you all a pleasant evening ahead, and look forward to the sharing by various participants today. Thank you.