President S.R. Nathan and Mrs Nathan;
Mrs Christina Ong, Chairman, NParks;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;

        Good evening, and a very warm welcome to the Singapore Garden Festival 2008. I am delighted to see so many of you here tonight, to join us in celebrating the beautiful garden and floral displays put together by talented designers from around the world.

A Green Quality Living Environment

2        We embarked on our greening journey some 40 years ago, with a vision to make Singapore a “Garden City”. Over the years, we have been developing parks and gardens around the island, planting trees and shrubs along our roads, and expanding our green cover even as our city grew. Today, Singapore has earned international recognition as a premier Garden City. In its May issue this year, The Time Magazine accorded the Singapore Botanic Gardens the accolade of “best urban jungle in Asia”.

Towards A City in A Garden, A Liveable Singapore

3        Going forward, Singapore remains committed to maintaining a good quality of life for its people, even as we continue to grow our economy and population. We aim to transform Singapore into a City in A Garden, where our urban infrastructure would be nestled in an island-wide network of parks, gardens and nature reserves. To further enhance our greenery, we are increasing the amount of land set aside for parks in Singapore by another 25% in the next 15 years.

4        We will also be paying greater attention to the quality of our green spaces. The next phase of our journey in greening Singapore will see greater focus on three areas.

5        First, recreation and leisure. To meet the diverse recreational needs of an increasingly sophisticated population, NParks has set for itself the aim that whatever your interests, you will be able to find a favourite green spot to spend your leisure time within our parks. We will develop new parks and rejuvenate existing ones to offer Singaporeans a variety of recreational and leisure options. Through the provision of a wide range of amenities such as dining outlets, spas, adventure and sports activity centres, we hope to be able to make our parks choice recreational venues. Fort Canning has become a popular park for lovers of history, the arts and culture. The recently opened HortPark is developed around a gardening theme to cater to the growing community of gardening hobbyists in Singapore. Skateboarding enthusiasts can look forward to the opening of a world-class extreme skate park at East Coast Park next year. Our parks will cater to a diverse range of lifestyle aspirations.

6        Second, innovation and creativity. We will be more innovative in our approach to greening Singapore. To add a vertical dimension of greenery to our highly built-up urban environment in Singapore, NParks is undertaking research to identify plants and planting media suitable for skyrise greenery. NParks will also be working with the industry to help guide developers in implementing sky gardens and green roofs to enhance the ambience of our Garden City.

7        Third, enhancing urban biodiversity and environmental sustainability. We will work towards enhancing our urban biodiversity and conserving as much of our natural heritage as possible. With the support of Banyan Tree Holdings, NParks recently planted a Dipterocarp Arboretum in Yishun Park for education and research. The arboretum comprises over 800 trees of 70 species – about 14% of known Dipterocarp species in the world. This project is one example of NParks’ initiatives to enhance biodiversity within urban areas. The project will help NParks study these rainforest species in an urban setting, and eventually add them to the diverse range of plants and trees across Singapore’s cityscape.

8        We are also incorporating environmental sustainability into the development of our parks. The Gardens by the Bay, our signature waterfront park coming up at the Marina Bay, will adopt the latest environmentally sustainable technologies and set new standards for park design and development. The Marina South Gardens are designed to optimise energy efficiency, and recycle water and heat as much as possible.

9        These three principles will guide us in developing and managing our green spaces. However, the efforts of the government alone are not enough to make Singapore a City in A Garden. We need to count on the support of a professional landscape and horticulture industry, as well as the passionate involvement of the community. In this regard, the Singapore Garden Festival plays an important role in mobilising the industry and the community to support our greening efforts.

SGF As a Key Platform for Our City in A Garden Vision

10        This is the second time we are holding the Singapore Garden Festival. The inaugural show in 2006 was a success on many fronts. Attracting some 200,000 visitors, the show earned positive reviews from local visitors, tourists, the international judges and experts. Mr Michael Balston, a Trustee of the Royal Horticultural Society and our head judge in the Landscape Gardens category had this to say about our inaugural Festival, “I thought it was truly remarkable how you all managed to put on such a good show first time round...I am all too aware of the difficulties surrounding good shows. You have every reason to be very pleased with yourselves.”

11        Building on the success of the first show, this year’s Festival aims to raise the bar even higher. This time, we have with us a slate of really exciting designers from a wider range of countries, from north to south, east to west, from France to South Africa, from Belgium to Macau.

12        The Singapore Garden Festival plays a key role in realising our City in A Garden vision. It helps to promote industry development and horticultural excellence. Standards will be raised as the best designers from around the world gather and work together with local landscaping firms to create their displays. The Festival’s new Expo event will facilitate knowledge exchange and sharing amongst leading practitioners in the field. The packed conference programme will offer insights into industry trends, as well as valuable networking opportunities. All this will better position our landscaping and horticulture industry to support Singapore’s greening initiatives.

13        The Singapore Garden Festival is instrumental in nurturing community ownership for our Garden City. It is heartening to see the Festival inspire more people to develop a passion for gardening and a stronger appreciation for greenery. The active participation of the community in caring for our parks and nature areas will sustain the continued blossoming of Singapore into a lively and liveable city.

Conclusion

14        Let me end by extending my heartfelt congratulations to all the winners of the Singapore Garden Festival 2008. Our appreciation also goes out to all our corporate sponsors, participants from the local and international horticultural community, partner agencies, supporting associations, and many dedicated volunteers. Together, all of you have made this year’s Festival a truly enchanting experience.

15        Last but not least, I would like to thank President Nathan, and Mrs Nathan for gracing this occasion. I wish everyone a fruitful, enjoyable and memorable time at the Singapore Garden Festival 2008. Thank you.

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