Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at the Nature Society Singapore's 70th Anniversary Gala Lunch
Oct 12, 2024
Introduction
Good afternoon. I am absolutely delighted to be here with all of you today to celebrate Nature Society Singapore’s (NSS) 70th anniversary.
NSS has come a long way since its establishment in 1954 – this was even before Singapore had gained independence. NSS started off as the Singapore branch of the Malayan Nature Society with just 29 members, and has grown greatly in strength to over 1,000 members today.
Through these decades, you have advocated passionately for nature conservation in Singapore, working not just with the public and private sectors, but also reaching out to Singaporeans of all ages and backgrounds.
NSS Shaping Singapore’s Conservation Approach
As a small island city-state, it is our fortune that despite the intense land-use pressures on us, we are home to rich biodiversity.
We face intense land-use pressures from a range of needs, such as housing, defence, transportation and industry. At the same time, we aspire to transform Singapore into a City in Nature, by enhancing and extending our natural capital and weaving greenery into our city.
This means that we must plan very carefully to intensify our land-use in order to meet not just the needs but also the aspirations of our people, while keeping environmental and ecological considerations at the forefront of our thinking when developing our plans.
At NSS, you have been our active and trusted partner in this effort, working with us to balance conservation and development goals, while remaining an independent voice that represents important environmental concerns.
NSS’ Partnership with Government in Conservation
NSS has exemplified the value of constructive partnerships between the Government and our nature community in stewarding our natural heritage well in several ways.
Firstly, you have been a close partner to the Government in protecting sites of ecological importance.
One early example would be Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. In the 1980s, members of the NSS, including Mr. Richard Hale, Dr. Ho Hua Chew, Dr. Rexon Ngim and the late Mr. Subaraj Rajathurai observed that the area was a rich sanctuary for flora and fauna. They then put forward a convincing proposal to the Government to protect the rich natural heritage of the area by establishing it as a nature reserve instead of using for development.
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve was thus opened as a Nature Park in 1993, and gazetted as a Nature Reserve in 2002. And then we had the extension, and the Kranji Marshes, and now have the Nature Park Network, and the story goes on.
Another notable example is Chek Jawa Wetlands. Under the leadership of Dr. Geh Min, who was then NSS’ president, the nature community was galvanised to conduct surveys on the area’s biodiversity. This helped to demonstrate the ecological richness of the area, and led to the Government’s decision to defer reclamation works off Chek Jawa and preserve this ecological gem in the early 2000s. Back then when the issue reached national prominence, I was a student in law school – and my classmates and I made a trip down to Chek Jawa to make our voice heard as well.
NSS also contributed to the decision to designate Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat as a Nature Park in 2018. NSS members Dr. Ho Hua Chew, Mr. Lim Kim Keang, Mr. Alan Owyong and Mr. Jimmy Chew, alongside other volunteers and my NParks colleagues, conducted extensive surveys, research and monitoring efforts that supported this decision. Now you would know that Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat would be used for many other valuable economic and security uses, but this data – driven by passion – was extremely valuable.
Data from NSS’ long-term ‘Horseshoe Crab Rescue and Research Programme’ also helped to identify the area as being possibly the last known breeding site of mangrove horseshoe crabs in Singapore. Mr. Kua Kay Yaw and Mr. Lester Tan have worked closely with NParks to increase public awareness of horseshoe crabs and its conservation.
Mr. Leong Kwok Peng also brought me and my colleagues on a kayaking trip through Mandai Mangrove in 2014. It was an eye-opening opportunity for us, to marvel at the beautiful mangroves and rich biodiversity of the area. We saw grey herons flying overhead, and redshanks, greenshanks in total harmony, flying across human made borders. Nature, in spite of all this. I think all of this convinced us that this was a very special place.
Secondly, you have contributed significantly to the early stages of design and planning for our green and blue spaces, as well as development projects. This was the case for Bidadari Park, which we opened just last month.
Bidadari is known to be a haven for birds. In designing the housing estate and park, we adopted strategies to conserve Bidadari as an attractive stopover site for migratory birds.
This included working with NSS members such as Mr. Leong Kwok Peng and Dr. Ho Hua Chew to retain an approximately 1-hectare hillock as a stopover site for birds. We also partnered NSS to design a land bridge to connect the hillock to the main park across Bidadari Park Drive, which provides a conducive route for birds and butterflies to travel between both green spaces.
NSS’s Marine Conservation Group, currently chaired by Mr. Lester Tan, is also actively involved in the Friends of Marine Park. NSS has been a strong advocate for safeguarding more blue spaces, including Sisters’ Islands Marine Park and our ongoing plans for a second marine park at South Lazarus Island and Kusu reefs. We hope to designate and confirm the exact location and coordinates of the second marine park by next year.
Thirdly, you have been working closely with NParks to strengthen the scientific foundation for conservation decisions across several initiatives.
For example, NParks’ Ecological Profiling Exercise (EPE), which integrates ecological considerations into land use planning, has been richly enhanced by NSS’ involvement. Dr. Shawn Lum and Mr. Lim Kim Chuah sit on the EPE Scientific Advisory Panel, and provide critical expertise to NParks’ efforts to map ecological corridors used by wildlife as they move between green spaces. So it’s not just about identifying and protecting biodiverse areas, but ensuring that we do more to ensure ecological connectivity between these sites.
NSS and NParks also co-chair the Straw-headed Bulbul Working Group, and developed a species action plan for the protection of the critically endangered Straw-headed Bulbul. NSS members like Mr. Alfred Chia, Mr. Yong Ding Li and Mr. Kerry Pereira are heavily involved in the workgroup.
Finally, you have also been partnering NParks in our public education efforts.
These include conducting programmes with NParks, such as the long-term bird monitoring programme at Sungei Buloh Nature Park Network, supported by NSS members Ms. Veronica Foo, Ms. Lee Ee Ling, Mr. Lim Kim Keang, Mr. Alan Owyong and Mr. Alfred Chia.
These efforts are important in deepening Singaporeans’ connection with nature and encouraging active participation in conservation efforts.
I would also like to acknowledge Professor Tommy Koh, Dr Wee Yeow Chin and Professor Lye Lin-Heng’s very significant contributions to NSS. Prof Koh has been a longstanding patron to NSS for thirty years, and a strong advocate of NSS’ mission to be the voice of nature and biodiversity in Singapore. Dr Wee served as NSS’s founding president and led the society for many years, from 1978 to 1995.
While Prof Lye served as NSS’s legal advisor for many years (apart from being my lecturer), and now serves as a member of the Advisory Committee. Their guidance and commitment have not only shaped NSS’ initiatives, but have also inspired countless individuals to appreciate and protect our precious natural assets.
Looking ahead, there are several initiatives that NSS will continue partnering us on.
One key initiative is the rewilding programme along the Rail Corridor, overseen by Ms. Sylvia Tan. With this programme, native trees are being replanted to restore primary vegetation. This will result in an ecological corridor for native fauna species.
We look forward to working with NSS on these programmes, under Dr. Yeo Seng Beng’s stewardship and leadership.
Now I’ve mentioned many names in my speech – I actually have a list of many others, including Mr. Tony O’Dempsey, who is not only a nature advocate and a close partner with government agencies, a good tutor to many of the colleagues from departments, but also an advocate for the conservation of heritage. Mr. Wing Chong as well – my teacher from NSS, who taught me many bird species on my first Bird Race; and many, many others. We are indebted and better off in Singapore because of all your efforts in protecting nature.
Closing Remarks
In closing, I would like to commend NSS’ commitment to advancing nature conservation efforts in Singapore, and for playing a key role in raising awareness and knowledge of biodiversity issues.
NSS’s 70th anniversary marks a significant milestone in your history. You have achieved a lot in the past seven decades, and I’m excited to see what more NSS will do, especially as NSS’ role in nature conservation becomes ever more important in Singapore – for two reasons.
First, for the continued conservation of nature, as we aspire to be a City in Nature. Now the challenge is twofold – one is to ensure that we can meet aspirations and not just needs, which means our land use pressures will get greater in the years to come; and second, because with City in Nature efforts, it means human-wildlife interaction and conflict may grow, and we need your partnership to help us reach out to Singaporeans to embrace the practical aspects of being a City in Nature.
The second challenge that we need your support on, is our Green Plan – biodiversity and its important role in climate change. A lot has been said about the importance of mitigating carbon, which is absolutely existential, but equally important is the role of conserving biodiversity, in the grand plan of fighting climate change.
I look forward to the continued close partnership with NSS on these aspirations, and to inspire our future generations to cherish and protect our precious natural heritage.
I wish NSS all the best in your future endeavours. Thank you, and congratulations once again on your 70th anniversary.