Speech by SMS Desmond Lee at the Opening of Zhenghua Nature Park Extension
Nov 28, 2015
A very good morning to everyone. I am delighted to be here with all of you at the opening of Zhenghua Nature Park Extension.
With the 3.8 hectares extension, it will bring the total area of Zhenghua Nature Park to 17.3 hectares. This allows us to create more facilities for recreational activities for park users and for biodiversity to thrive in the green spaces.
In my brief remarks this morning, I will cover 3 areas:
First, the role of Nature Parks, such as Zhenghua.
Second, the work that NParks has been doing in Nature Parks and across Singapore, to conserve and enhance our biodiversity for Singaporeans.
And third, the role that education and community outreach plays in protecting Singapore’s biodiversity.
Role of Nature Parks
As you can see, our nature parks are great places for families and for people wanting to get some exercise; it is a green lung for people to enjoy and relax. It is also part and parcel of our aim to propel our City in a Garden vision forwards. As part of our efforts to conserve and grow our biodiversity in an urban environment, some areas that are adjacent to nature reserves have been safeguarded by NParks as ‘Nature Parks’. Nature Parks act as green buffers, to reduce pressure off the trails in our nature reserves by providing nature enthusiasts an alternative venue to enjoy their activities. Together with Springleaf Nature Park, Zhenghua Nature Park serves as a green buffer for the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and form part of an islandwide ecological network for biodiversity.
Habitat Enhancement efforts to conserve our biodiversity
Under our Nature Conservation Masterplan, NParks has also been carrying out habitat enhancement efforts in parks across the island to support biodiversity conservation efforts. These include the strategic planting of native species to restore the forest habitat, as well as planting a diverse species of plants. These efforts have paid off as we are seeing greater variety of birds, insects, and butterflies in our parks, right in the middle of our bustling city.
For instance, here in the Zhenghua Nature Park Extension, NParks has planted more than 30 species of plants, including those that produce fleshy fruits in order to attract various types of birds. In fact all around us, you can see native orchids. It’s wonderful to see them around me.
You may be surprised to learn that this Nature Park is home to 37 species of birds, such as the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, which is a black bird with a glossy shine and beautiful long rackets on its tail.
The Extension is also becoming a sanctuary for birds. To date, NParks told me that up to 16 species of birds have been sighted at this new Extension, including forest-edge birds like the Oriental Dollarbird and the Blue-throated Bee-eater. The Oriental Dollarbird was named because of the white spots under both wings, resembling dollar coins, while the Blue-throated Bee-eater is the only bird to breed in Singapore and migrate to Indonesia during the monsoon.
Over the years, NParks has been carrying out such habitat enhancement efforts in parks across the island, especially those located close to our nature reserves. One example is Springleaf Nature Park that skirts around the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, which has already undergone habitat enhancement.
Other green spaces like Coney Island Park have also had their habitats enhanced. Nest-boxes for birds like bee-eaters and woodpeckers were placed around the island to increase the availability of suitable nesting sites. I am heartened to note that our efforts paid off as we managed to rescue critically endangered and locally extinct plants and have since been planted at Coney Island Park.
Going forward, other habitat enhancement works will also be carried out progressively at 18 other parks around Singapore including Woodlands Town Garden, Changi Beach Park, East Coast Park, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, and Pasir Ris Town Park, just to name a few. Concerted efforts are being undertaken to enhance the health of the natural ecosystems within the parks, including our secondary forests, streams, coastal and beach vegetation, as well as mangroves.
Taken together, these habitat enhancement efforts carried out at our parks, along with our ongoing efforts to safeguard nature reserves, are part of our holistic approach to protect our precious biodiversity.
Outdoor learning classrooms to learn about our biodiversity
But we can still do more. Our future generations of Singaporeans need to understand the value of conserving nature’s biodiversity. I hope that with our habitat enhancement efforts, these green spaces will be outdoor classrooms for our students to observe the various plant and animal species and gain deeper knowledge of them.
This park itself is located close to a number of homes and schools. The arboretum of mature trees and collections of ferns, palms and bamboos is one of the areas which will be conducive for learning. I am glad that we have some teachers and students from Beacon Primary School here with us today. I am sure our children will be excited to see the description of flora and fauna in their textbooks come alive with their vibrant sounds and colours.
Conclusion
We look forward to your continued support in the ongoing conservation of our natural heritage and our efforts to transform Singapore into a City in the Garden for generations to come.
This is a park for us to enjoy, and because of that, it is also our responsibility to take care of it. And beyond being a park for people, it is also a park for us to have many plants, animals, and insect species that are native to Singapore to flourish, so that we can cherish, study, and enjoy them.