Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at Ubin Day 2023
Jun 24, 2023
Good morning everyone, and a warm welcome to Ubin Day!
Ubin Day was first held in 2002, thanks to Grant Pereira, a passionate environmentalist who headed the Green Volunteers Network of the Singapore Environment Council.
When a group of conservationists, educators, outdoor adventure enthusiasts, village residents, and heritage enthusiasts came together with MND to form the Friends of Ubin Network, or FUN, we also revived Ubin Day in 2014.So today marks the tenth anniversary since its revival.
In 2016, the Friends of Ubin Network extended the festivities into the weeks leading up to Ubin Day, and this came to be known as Pesta Ubin.
We welcomed more than 750 participants to this year’s Pesta Ubin. They have enjoyed over 20 activities on the island, including guided walks, kayaking, and bird-watching, among others.
I would like to thank this year’s Pesta Ubin organisers – Ms Sumita Thiagarajan, Dr Vilma D’Rozario, and Ms Cheo Pei Rong. They join many passionate volunteers who have organised Pesta Ubin over the years: Ms Ria Tan, Mr Ethan Chung, Mr Koh Yung Kang, Ms Liu Yifan, and Ms Rosemary Chan, and many others.
The Ubin Project
Pulau Ubin, with its rustic charm, rich heritage and lush greenery, holds a special place in many hearts.
Along with the revival of Ubin Day in 2014, we launched The Ubin Project, a collaborative project driven by the Friends of Ubin Network to preserve the island’s rustic charm and heritage, through community initiatives. This highly participatory model of community stewardship has inspired the setup of 11 other active Friends of the Parks communities around our green spaces, such as the Friends of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Friends of Marine Park, Friends of East Coast Park, and so on.
The Ubin Project is organised around five key pillars identified by the community, which ensures that we consider the needs of different stakeholders when creating programmes.
For example, under the pillars of nature-based recreation, and community, heritage and history, we have enhanced infrastructure and services for the Ubin community and visitors. We have been restoring kampung houses as part of efforts to improve Ubin’s facilities. For example, repair works have been carried out at House No. 14, which now houses a bicycle rental shop.
In addition, Accessible Ubin, a ground-up initiative by FUN, is working to make Ubin’s access points more wheelchair-friendly and inclusive.
FUN also developed the “Ubin Way”, a code of conduct to promote environmental sustainability and socially responsible behaviour on Ubin.
In line with this, we are test-bedding solar green roofs as part of Ubin’s power grid, to provide residents and businesses with a cleaner and more reliable electricity supply. By next year, we hope to extend Ubin’s power grid to 13 more households, some of whom currently rely on diesel generators.
Biodiversity Conservation Efforts on Ubin; Third Edition of Singapore Red List
We are grateful for the community’s active participation in conserving our biodiversity. Through the Restore Ubin Mangroves (R.U.M.) initiative, volunteers have been helping to restore mangroves at the Sungei Durian ponds.
On this note, I would like to share some exciting updates on our biodiversity conservation efforts.
The third edition of the Singapore Red List has been completed, with more than double the number of species compared to the second edition. The Singapore Red List provides the national conservation status of the rich biodiversity in Singapore.
Over the past few years, NParks has worked with the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum of NUS and Nature Society (Singapore), to assess and update the conservation status of over 7,300 species.
Seven new taxa were also assessed and included in the List for the first time. Some of these newly listed species can be found on Ubin, including the critically endangered Greater Mouse-deer and Barred Eagle Owl.
The Red List has been an invaluable resource in guiding our nature conservation strategies across Singapore. NParks takes reference from the Red List in planning, prioritising and implementing conservation efforts for species that are native, rare or critically endangered.
For example, the Lesser Asian False-Vampire Bat found here on Ubin, was classified as Critically Endangered in the second edition. I am glad to share that the conservation status of the Bat has been downlisted to Endangered in the third edition. In consultation with FUN, NParks constructed bat houses around the island to supplement existing roosting sites, contributing to the gradual recovery of the Bat population.
Ubin Connects: A Learning Symposium
Education and research are essential to help us better appreciate Ubin’s rich natural and cultural heritage, and pass on this knowledge to future generations. The Ubin Living Lab supports field studies, environmental education, community outreach and citizen science initiatives.
Today, I am pleased to host “Ubin Connects: A Learning Symposium”. The Symposium was first mooted by the FUN education workgroup in 2018, to encourage local educators to use Ubin as an immersive learning classroom.
I welcome principals and teachers from schools across Singapore, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Education to Ubin today. As I speak, they are participating in guided walks around the island to discover the abundant learning opportunities here on Ubin.
Ubin has tremendous potential as a classroom set in nature, and we hope to see more schools incorporating Ubin and its heritage into their curricula.
Community Engagement Remains Key
As we plan for the future of Ubin, we will continue to engage FUN and the community. FUN has already kickstarted discussions on future enhancement projects on Ubin, following URA’s Long-Term Plan Review exhibition last year.
NParks will continue working closely with FUN to engage stakeholders and the public on how we can enhance Ubin’s rustic charm for generations to come.
Conclusion
We have the strong support of our partners and the community to thank for the progress under The Ubin Project. By knowing, caring and loving Ubin, which is the theme for this year’s Ubin Day, we are transforming our vision for this emerald island into reality.
Let us press on in our efforts to conserve and enhance Ubin’s heritage for our future generations.
Thank you, and have a wonderful Ubin Day!