Government’s Approach Towards Nature Conservation

Like other nations, Singapore has to ensure that its limited land resources are put to good use, balancing development needs and sustaining economic competitiveness, while safeguarding the rich natural heritage. This balancing act is especially challenging in our case because Singapore is a small island-state.

2 Hence, our approach to conservation has been a pragmatic one. We will conserve as many areas as possible in their natural state, for as long as they are not required for development.

3 We have, in the recent years, made several concrete decisions to protect our natural heritage. These include putting on hold reclamation plans at Chek Jawa in 2001 and gazetting Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Labrador Nature Reserve in 2002. In addition, 18 nature areas identified as rich in biodiversity have been placed under the Special and Detailed Controls Plan that accompanies the Master Plan 2003. This means that NParks would need to be consulted on any development proposals in or near these nature areas.

4 Despite these efforts, our nature reserves are still below the international benchmark of 10% of total land area. Unfortunately, and I think not many people realize this, we only had 5% of natural forest left by the time the British left Singapore. The good news is that, despite our rapid urbanization, this 5% of natural forest has largely been conserved.

Turning Constraints Into Challenges

5 But our greater challenge is really to develop Singapore into a City in the Garden. To achieve this vision, we have to go beyond our efforts in conservation by expanding our greenery capital. And in doing so, we need to turn our land constraints into challenges.

6 Parks and nature reserves will continue to form the base of our greenery infrastructure. Hence we will develop new parks and enhance existing ones, as our population increases. In this regard, I announced recently that one major project in the pipeline is the second national gardens to be located at the Marina Bay area.

7 NParks sent several delegations to visit some of the finest gardens overseas, to gather ideas and establish contacts with professionals. I led one of these delegations. Having seen what well-established gardens and parks can do for their cities and their people, I am personally very excited about this project. Besides providing a green lung in the new downtown, the proposed gardens will be a major new attraction for both locals and visitors. It will showcase our horticultural excellence and provide a scenic setting for gardening events and programmes. When ready in 2010, it will certainly enhance the work-live-play environment in the New Downtown and add vibrancy and distinction to our city.

8 Besides developing parks, we will expand our existing greenery so that it will permeate throughout the island.

- We will speed up development of the Park Connector Network to link up major parks and nature sites to create a garden of gardens;

- We will intensify the greenery along our streets through a Streetscape Greenery Master Plan;

- We also intend to enhance the Garden City through vertical extension of road-level greenery through the Skyrise Greenery initiative.

These initiatives, coupled with our conservation efforts, will better position us to build our “City in a Garden”.

Pulau Ubin Management & Conservation Plans

9 Pulau Ubin is both a part of our natural heritage and of our larger vision. In recent years, Pulau Ubin has grown in popularity as a destination of choice for nature appreciation and outdoor recreation.

10 NParks has, in the past few years, provided various visitor amenities on the island so that the public can enjoy Ubin better. The public can look forward to a new range of upcoming amenities on the island. These include the visitor centre, viewing tower and boardwalks at Chek Jawa that will take visitors closer to Nature, with minimal impact to the ecosystem. Other new amenities on the island include a new campsite at Jalan Jelutong and a new bike park at Ketam Quarry for mountain biking. To be completed by 2006, these new amenities will be integrated with existing infrastructure and outreach programmes. The Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub will be ready in the later part of this year.

Community & Private Sector Partnership

11 I am very heartened by HSBC’s sponsorship and partnership in establishing the Pulau Ubin Conservation Fund. This Fund will go towards the setting up the Volunteer Hub and supporting a host of programmes for conservation, education and outreach. I would like to commend HSBC on its enduring support.

12 I would also like to commend all volunteers and nature groups who have contributed their time and energy towards Pulau Ubin’s outreach activities. The number of guided walks and events that NParks organized with the help of volunteers has increased from 60 in Year 2000 to over 400 in 2004.

13 The collaborative effort of NParks, HSBC and the volunteers in Pulau Ubin is a good example of the kind of synergistic partnership of the public, private and people sectors that we will need to realize our vision of developing Singapore into a “City in the Garden”.

14 Finally, I wish to thank everyone here for taking time to join us for today’s event. Your continual support and passion for Pulau Ubin will bear fruits that our future generations can enjoy.

Thank you.

>>back to top