Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at the Festival of Biodiversity 2023
May 27, 2023
Good morning, and welcome to the 12th edition of the Festival of Biodiversity. I would first like to say a very big Thank you to DPM Heng for agreeing to be our Guest-of-Honour for the Festival!
We started the Festival of Biodiversity in 2012 to raise awareness about Singapore’s rich flora and fauna. The Festival also celebrates the community’s efforts to conserve our natural heritage. I would like to thank our partners from the Biodiversity Roundtable, and our dedicated volunteers, for organising the Festival and contributing to nature conservation over the years.
This year, we commemorate 60 years of greening Singapore – Our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew launched the first nationwide tree-planting campaign in 1963. Today, we are recognised as one of the world’s greenest cities. Our next bound is to transform Singapore into a City in Nature, where we weave nature more intensely throughout our city.
Enhancing Ecological Connectivity Across our Green Spaces
First, to help our native species flourish, we are actively: Restoring and enhancing our core biodiversity areas. These comprise primary and secondary rainforests, which are key habitats for flora and fauna; We are also strengthening ecological connectivity between our green spaces.
Last year, we completed an island-wide Ecological Profiling Exercise to better understand the ecological profile of our green spaces and their role in strengthening nature connectivity. The findings are helping us to establish new ecological corridors between these spaces, which in turn provide additional stepping-stones for nature to traverse our island. This complements our existing efforts. For example, we have established Nature Ways to facilitate movement of birds and butterflies between our green spaces. We have also implemented aerial rope bridges and underground culverts linking core habitats around Thomson Nature Park and Rifle Range Nature Park. Perhaps some of you might have seen the heartwarming video of a Raffles Banded Langur using an aerial rope bridge across Old Upper Thomson Road and interacting playfully with the camera lens!
Sometimes, major interventions are needed. For many years, the Bukit Timah Expressway or BKE made it difficult for wildlife to move between two ecologically important areas – the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. This is why ten years ago, we opened the Eco-Link@BKE – a purpose-built ecological bridge for wildlife to cross the BKE.
Over the years, the Eco-Link has provided safe passage to around 100 species of fauna, including threatened butterfly species and the critically endangered Sunda Pangolin. It has also become a habitat in itself for many species, due to the thick forest that covers it. We have learnt from this experience.
I am glad to announce that we will be building a new dual-use eco-pedestrian bridge to enhance nature connectivity between the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Western Water Catchment Area, via Bukit Batok Nature Park. These green spaces are home to more than 1,250 plant species and over 1,800 animal species. This will be an elevated Nature Way, for nature to cross Upper Bukit Timah Road. At the same time, Singaporeans will be able to enjoy nature and learn more about ecological connectivity through this seamless recreational connection between Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Bukit Batok Nature Park. Where it is not possible to facilitate wildlife crossing, NParks has put in place measures to divert wildlife away from our busy roads. This includes exclusion fencing and hedge planting, to prevent wildlife from venturing onto our roads, as well as habitat modification to remove nearby food sources.
Thanks to the efforts of our partners such as ACRES, Conservational International, the Herpetological Society of Singapore, Jane Goodall Institute, Mandai Wildlife Group, NUS, and Nature Society (Singapore), we have been able to identify hotspots, such as at the Mandai Road exit along the BKE, where such measures are needed. NParks is also working closely with LTA, to install signs reminding motorists to slow down and keep a lookout for animals. These measures help to ensure the safety of both motorists and our wildlife.
Fostering Community Stewardship of our City in Nature Vision
Second, we are fostering community stewardship of our natural environment. For example, NParks works closely with over 64,000 passionate volunteers from all walks of life, who contribute their time, energy, and expertise to support various environmental programmes. The Festival of Biodiversity is a testament to the strength of our community.
Nature Kakis
At the last Festival of Biodiversity, I shared about the Nature Kakis, a group of nature stewards that was first established in Boon Lay. The volunteers who set it up, named it as such. The group organises City in Nature programmes, such as nature walks and bird watching, for local residents. They have even painted nature-themed murals at HDB void decks to raise awareness of our local biodiversity.
I am happy to share that their passion has spurred other volunteers to establish seven more Nature Kakis Chapters in Bukit Gombak, Marymount, Moulmein-Cairnhill, Nee Soon South, Pasir Ris, Punggol and Taman Jurong. Together with the Boon Lay Nature Kakis, these eight Nature Kakis Chapters form the Nature Kakis Network.
The Network encourages stewardship of our green spaces, by making it more accessible for members of the public to volunteer and participate in nature-related initiatives, like nature walks, coastal clean-ups, and tree-planting. NParks is also in touch with community groups, such as the Pulai Eco Club in Telok Blangah and the East Coast Green Ambassadors, and will continue to encourage other constituencies to join the Network through their grassroots nature groups. Each Nature Kakis Chapter receives seed funding from the Garden City Fund to kickstart their own City in Nature initiatives. NParks also provides support to the Nature Kakis Network by sharing knowledge and providing training on topics such as nature conservation, therapeutic horticulture, and animal and wildlife management.
Do look out for our Nature Kakis at their booth. Strike up a conversation, find out more, and if you are keen, join them! In time to come, I hope that we will see a Nature Kakis Chapter in every part of Singapore.
New Publication on Macrofungi
Today, we are also launching Singapore’s first guidebook on our native macrofungi and slime moulds, titled “Guide to Macrofungi of Singapore”. The guidebook is produced by NParks, in collaboration with the National University of Singapore. I would like to thank Ms Serena Lee of the Singapore Botanic Gardens Herbarium and Dr Amy Choong of NUS for their hard work and dedication. They spent seven years doing field work in our forests and green spaces, to learn more about Singapore’s macrofungi. The book describes the many roles macrofungi play in our ecosystems, and will help to guide our conservation strategies. Do consider picking one up at their booth!
XPRIZE Rainforest Competition
I also wish to warmly welcome our distinguished guests from the XPRIZE Foundation to this year’s Festival. I had the pleasure of attending the opening ceremony of the XPRIZE Rainforest semi-finals competition earlier this week. This competition drives innovation and the development of new technologies for nature conservation. Today marks the first day of the competition, with 13 teams from around the world testing their autonomous biodiversity assessment technologies over at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. For example, ground robotics and remotely operated drones will be deployed with sensors to survey biodiversity in our forests. They reduce the need for researchers to physically enter forests to conduct surveys, lowering the impact on surrounding habitats.
Conclusion
Let me conclude by expressing my deep appreciation to all of you for your efforts in championing conservation initiatives and programmes. I encourage you to talk to as many people as possible. Who knows, you might learn something new, be inspired to volunteer, or find interesting ways to collaborate with others!
I hope that all of us can contribute towards our vision of a City in Nature. Join us as a Nature Kaki, or simply bring your friends and families along to the next tree-planting event or nature walk. You can visit the NParks website to find out more about upcoming events and programmes. Thank you, and I wish you all a wonderful Festival of Biodiversity!