The National Parks Administration strives to restore 80 hectares of habitat by 2030 by the latest. More than 70% of this work has been completed so far, and the area of restoration is equivalent to 80 Olympic football fields.
The Parks Bureau sets a goal in 2020 to restore 80 hectares of forests, oceans and coastal habitats by 2030 at the latest, and move towards the vision of building a “city in nature”; the goal is to ensure that while our country faces urban development and climate change, people can still enjoy a high-quality living environment.
Lin Liangren, Senior Director of the Nature Conservation Department of the Parks Bureau, said in response to the Lianhe Zaobao inquiry that the authorities have promoted habitat restoration work in nature reserves, nature parks and recently opened parks over the years, and the area has been completed so far reaching 57 hectares.
He said that the Parks Bureau launched a forest restoration program aimed at regenerating subforests in nature parks and restoring disturbed forest patches in nature reserves. Authorities worked with the public to complete habitat restoration last year at Windsor Nature Park and Lin Chu Kang Nature Park.
Generally, methods of restoring habitats include planting native plants with nitrogen fixation functions that can naturally improve soil conditions. It is also important to plant plants that attract seed transmission and pollen delivery media, which can improve overall biodiversity and resilience. Weed removal is another key to promoting forest regeneration.
Further reading
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The comprehensive survey of natural ecology in the central water catchment area has been conducted for more than half of the park bureau to complete it within two years
Promote restoration work when planning a new park
Lin Liangren said that when the Parks Bureau plans and designs new parks, it will also appropriately combine habitat improvement and restoration procedures, including the protection or creation of new habitats.
For example, Bidadali Park opened in September last year. Authorities have planted more than 300 trees in the core habitat of the park, including Tembusu (scientific name)Cyrtophyllum fragrans) and Weeping Fig (Scientific nameFicus Benjamina), turning the originally empty grassland into lush forest land, making the environment more conducive to animal life.
The park also adds tree stumps, wooden stakes and boulders to make the habitat more complete and create environmental conditions for resident birds and migratory birds that are conducive to shelter, nesting and foraging.
“Restoring existing habitats is also an increase in the protection of endangered and rare species, so that this generation and the next generation of Singaporeans can better experience and enjoy the rich local biodiversity,” said Lin Liangren.
Environmental Organization: Repairing habitats is also a safeguard for human welfare
In an interview, Ng Kangmin, vice president of the Singapore Nature Association, said habitat loss is not just a problem facing locally. For hundreds of years, habitat degradation or loss has been generally caused by various land uses around the world.
“We only now understand that these habitats provide important ecosystem services for humans, so repairing them is not only for wildlife, but also for the well-being and survival of human beings.”
Ecosystem services refer to benefits that people can obtain directly or indirectly from the ecosystem, such as forests that can fix carbon and release oxygen, purify air, etc.
Wu Kangmin pointed out that since there is no more detailed information on habitat restoration to refer to, it is relatively difficult to evaluate the benefits of restoration. The authorities’ definition of “repair” and “improve” habitat is also key. If it is just planting trees, it may not necessarily play a repair role. In addition, attention should be paid to whether plants within the repaired range accelerate natural growth.
“To get answers to these questions, it is necessary to continuously monitor the habitat that has been restored.”
The environmental protection organization “Biodiversity Voice of Singapore Youth” believes that completing the restoration of 70% of the habitat seems to be a brilliant progress at first glance, but it should be examined whether the goal of 80 hectares is enough.
“I believe the Parks Bureau has done everything possible to promote conservation with limited resources, but I think there can be more to do,” said Nasri, the organization’s executive director, in an interview.
He pointed out that in addition to restoring habitats, the concept of “nature-friendly” should also be promoted and the public should be encouraged to learn to live with nature. “When there is news that monkeys break into their homes, there will be suggestions for monkeys to be humanely destroyed. We are committed to building cities in nature, but are people ready to become citizens in nature?”