Join Hands for a Real Greener Deal

This article is contributed by Trina Tan.

The word “green” probably has many meanings in different nations with different culture and religions. Green could mean envy, money, nature, health and life. Green is also the official religious colour in Islam. Recently, there seem to be a unifying meaning for green. The word green is now seen to convey the message of saving the environment.

In Singapore, the word “green” would imply energy saving light bulbs, biodegradable products, solar powered houses, green buildings and of course, not forgetting the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle. But why is the word “green” not directly linked to protecting and conserving biodiversity? Is it because we humans are selfish?

We forget that we take actions to reduce our energy consumption not just to save our precious fossil fuels and reduce gas prices, or to reduce global warming and the resultant erratic weather patterns. We take actions ultimately to save the environment and its highly inter-linked and complex ecosystems and biodiversity.

Singaporeans has learnt about how to recycle, or take the public transport instead of driving but many are unequipped with the knowledge on the importance of ecosystems and biodiversity conservation. Once we understand these concepts, we will realize how our daily actions have such big impacts on the millions of species on Earth whom we share with.

Plants, animals and the natural world are fascinating, and we have spent centuries learning about them and from them. Many of our problems are solved by solutions from nature – using bacteria as medicine and discovering gravity from apples falling. While we try to change and adjust our bad human habits that lead to the destruction of Earth and the extinction of species, we ought to also put in more “greener” efforts to help the environment directly.

As a small nation with little natural resources, let us not forget that even the flora and fauna in Singapore are also defined as resources. These plants and animals are part of the ecosystem, which humans depend on. Singapore has already given up a large portion of its original tropical rainforest to build Singaporeans a better home, causing the extinction of many species that once used to live alongside with us. Now that you feel a tinge of guilt, you ought to do a part in protecting whatever nature spots we have left in the form of fragmented forestland, mangroves and swamps.

This remaining precious land is home to many species, some of which are unique only to Singapore. Going green is on one hand, like what we have been told, saving water, switching to fans instead of air conditioners, reducing the use of paper and plastic bags, and changing our light bulbs to energy saving ones, etc. On the other hand, it is also to do our part to protect and conserve the biodiversity that we have as a nation, because these plants and animals are born and bred here. They too, are “Singaporeans”.

There are many ways to care for our flora and fauna directly, like actively participating in mangrove and beach clean ups which are organized by environmental groups such as Toddycats, Nature Society, and the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore. Not littering in parks and rivers will also help. As the future lies in the hands of the children today, education and sparking interest among the young in areas of biology and biodiversity will shape Singapore towards a future of being a nature loving society.

Last but definitely not the least, one can also provide resources and support to the organizations that help to preserve and conserve our environment. Singapore is very lucky to have agencies like the National Environment Agency and the National Parks Board that do their part in protecting the environment and conserving nature in Singapore.

Even with the current nature enthusiasts, there are still many more “positions” that are open to help protect Singapore and the Earth. These positions have almost no criteria except to be passionate in preserving Nature’s creation. I hope you would send your resume in for this position soon.

Thoughts on the D’Kranji Farm Resort

The D’Kranji Farm Resort held its grand opening last Saturday. The farm resort is touted as Singapore’s first Agri-tainment Centre, located at the Kranji Countryside with a land size of 5 hectares. Visitors can stay in the villas, have food at the seafood restaurant and beer garden, visit the agri-retail kiosks, spa centre and herb garden, and explore the corn and rice plantation.

After visiting the D’Kranji Farm Resort, we think they blew the opportunity to be a green destination for Singaporeans and visitors. Being situated in the Kranji countryside and near to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, there could be great scope to position itself as a green haven for Singaporeans and ecotourists. Instead, one would find the usual Singapore-style entertainment – artificial, meaningless and devoid of natural diversity. Read more

Encyclopedia of Life

The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is finally launched and the first 30,000 pages of this online resource for the biodiversity of life is available to the public. The EOL is the brainchild of renowned biologist, E. O. Wilson, and is the beginning of a 10-year effort between scientists and the public to document, identify and understand the world’s biodiversity. Professor Wilson says:

“The launch of the Encyclopedia of Life will have a profound and creative effect in science… It aims not only to summarize all that we know of Earth’s life forms, but also to accelerate the discovery of the vast array that remain unknown. This great effort promises to lay out new directions for research in every branch of biology.”

The EOL “will create ‘one-stop shopping’ for authoritative information, offering the world at large a better understanding of the planet and all its inhabitants. It is being assembled by a growing partnership of individual scientists, international organizations, technology leaders, and prestigious research institutions. But soon anyone will be able to provide information for consideration, too.” In the later part of this year, the public will also be able to contribute text, videos and images about a species.

Check out details and learn more about biodiversity at the EOL website.

Source: Encyclopedia of Life. Image attribution: Encyclopedia of Life press release; Encyclopedia of Life – Singapore parrotfish.

Once Upon a Tree – Tides and Coastlines

Once Upon a Tree was an eight-part television series shown by Arts Central about two years ago. The show was hosted by Dr Shawn Lum and he takes us on a journey to explore the trees in Singapore and how we interact with them. We loved the show for its well-crafted stories, insightful tips and the experienced Dr Shawn Lum (we think he has the voice and knowledge to be the local David Attenborough).

Season Two of Once Upon a Tree is back and this time the theme is on Tides and Coastlines. Dr Shawn Lum is back as the wonderful host who explores and shares with us the waters and marine life in Singapore. The show debuts today at Arts Central, 9:30pm. Remember to watch it tonight.

Image credit: Arts Central.

Singapore Nature Map

We tried looking for a Google map showing the different nature areas in Singapore but could not find one, so we decided to do one ourselves. Since wildsingapore is the best source of information on nature areas and also to save time, we shamelessly copied description of 18 nature areas from wildsingapore into the map (Thanks Ria for the permission). Images of the nature areas are also shown in the map (Thanks to wildsingapore and various people who shared their photos on Flickr). We hope that more people can learn about the biodiversity in Singapore and explore the nature areas. 

A larger view of the map is shown here.

View Larger Map

Stephen M. Meyer said in The End of the Wild, “Of course, the end of the wild does not mean a barren world. There will continue to be plenty of life covering the globe. … Life will just be different; much less diverse, much less exotic, much more predictable, and much less able to capture the awe and wonder of the human spirit.” So, treasure and be amazed by the wild nature that is around you or they may give way to development and urbanisation soon. Unless you stop it.

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