We thank the Forum writer for his letter “A rethink of ‘City in Nature’ concept needed” (March 30).
At just 735 sq km and being one of the most densely populated countries in the world, Singapore faces intense land-use pressures from a range of needs, such as housing, healthcare, transportation, industry and recreation.
Unlike other countries, we do not have a large hinterland outside of our city that can be set aside for nature or conservation. In the face of continued urbanisation and climate change, we need innovative ways to meet our many land use needs while ensuring our city remains liveable and sustainable.
Weaving greenery and nature into our city, through careful stewardship of our land and environment, are core and long-held principles adopted in our long-term planning approach.
Our City in Nature vision places emphasis not only on integrating nature into our urban environment but also on safeguarding our key ecosystems, where our population can reap the benefits of a healthy and biodiverse urban ecosystem.
The aim of a City in Nature is to build a harmonious relationship between the built environment, people and natural ecosystems, just as the writer suggested.
The National Parks Board (NParks) adopts a science-based approach towards biodiversity conservation, guided by our Nature Conservation Masterplan (NCMP), which sets out strategies to safeguard key terrestrial and marine habitats in Singapore.
Under the NCMP and guided by the ecological profiling exercise which studied the ecological profile and ecological connectivity of green spaces across Singapore, NParks is extending our natural capital beyond our nature reserves by establishing nature corridors and nature park networks around our nature reserves to safeguard Singapore’s core biodiversity areas.
We have safeguarded and set aside 7,800ha of green spaces and will set aside another 1,000ha of green spaces over the next 10 to 15 years.
Nature is valued for its ecosystem services, and also for its intrinsic and biophilic value. As the writer said, we must cultivate an ecological identity which encompasses people as well as our natural ecosystems.
This is a core aspect of City in Nature, which encourages community stewardship, such as through the OneMillionTrees movement, the Friends of the Parks initiative, and the Nature Kakis Network. We welcome the writer and the community to join us in these efforts.
Lim Liang Jim
Group Director, Conservation
National Parks Board
