City in a Garden – Singapore's Urban Biodiversity Conservation Efforts

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City in a Garden – Singapore’s Urban Biodiversity Conservation Efforts

Green and Resilient Urban Development Workshop 29th October 2019

Lena Chan Senior Director International Biodiversity Conservation Division, National Parks Board Before 1819, Singapore was a tapestry of Primary Lowland DipterocarpForests, Secondary Forests, Freshwater Swamps, Mangroves, Rivers, Grasslands, etc. Major land-use transformation occurred in Singapore between 1819 and 1930 (Excluding offshore islands and reclaimed land)

Primary – Primary forest Cultivated – Cultivated land, including cropland Secondary – Secondary grassland, scrub and forest Urban – Urban areas, including parks and gardens Adapted from Corlett , 1992 Is there Biodiversity in Singapore? Biodiversity of Singapore • • • • • • • • • • • 200 255 12 35 more than 122 334 85 109 403 2145 seagrass true mangrove treespecies freshwaterfishspecies butterfly species reptilespecies bird species sponge species hard coral species dragonfly species nativevascular plant species 800 species spider species spider Terrestrial Ecosystems Coastal and Marine Ecosystems

Nature Conservation Masterplan

3. Applied 4. Community 1. Conservation 2. Habitat Research in Stewardship and of Key Habitats Enhancement, Conservation Outreach in Restoration and Biology and Nature Species Recovery Planning The Nature Conservation Masterplan

1. Conservation of Key Habitats

1a Safeguard and Strengthen Core Areas • 4 core areas of Singapore have been identified

1b Secure and Enhance Buffer Areas • Wrapping our Core Areas in a protective blanket

1c Enrich and Manage Additional Nodes of Greenery Throughout the Nation • We have over 350 parks, 3500 km of streetscape and many green patches that support nature throughout the city

1d Develop Ecological Connections • Links, in the form of Nature Ways, Park Connector Network, Eco-Link 1a Safeguard and strengthen core areas

Areas with high conservation value 1a Safeguard and strengthen core areas

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Labrador Nature Reserve 1a Safeguard and strengthen core areas

Sisters’ Islands Marine Park 1b Secure and Enhance Buffer Areas 1b Secure and Enhance Buffer Areas

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and buffer areas 1c Enrich and Manage Additional Nodes of Greenery • Skyrise greenery

BBTB 1c Enrich and Manage Additional Nodes of Greenery • Vertical greenery

BBTB 1c Enrich and Manage Additional Nodes of Greenery • one-north Park: Fusionopolis

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Before Present 1c Enrich additional nodes of greenery

ParkRoyal@Pickering 1d Develop Ecological Connections 1d Develop Ecological Connections

East Coast Parkway 1d Develop Ecological Connections

• Nature Ways • Routes planted with specific trees and shrubs to facilitate movement of animals like birds and butterflies • Connect areas of high biodiversity to urban communities • Designed to replicate the natural structure of forests 1d Develop Ecological Connections

• Nature Ways

Emergent

Canopy

Understory

Shrub Yishun Central Greenery in an urban environment

• Urban greenery • can ameliorate heat island effect • serves as buffers from high wind speeds • Filter pollutants and particulate matter

• Rooftop and vertical greenery cools down buildings • Reflect/absorb 40-80% of radiation • Reduce cooling energy requirements by up to 8% • other positive effects like serving as air filters, noise barriers The order of the top15 cities on the Treepedia is as follows: 1. Tampa 36.1% 1,283/km2 2. Singapore 29.3% 7,797/km2 3. Oslo 28.8% 4,421/km2 4. Sydney 25.9% 400/km2 5. Vancouver 25.9% 5,249/km2 6. Montreal 25.5% 3,889/km2 7. Cambridge 25.3% 6,586/km2 8. Durban 23.7% 2,600/km2 9. Johannesburg 23.6% 2,900/km2 10. Sacramento 23.6% 1,800/km2 11. Frankfurt 21.5% 3,000/km2 12. Geneva 21.4% 12,000/km2 13. Amsterdam 20.6% 4,908/km2 14. Seattle 20.0% 3,151/km2 15. Toronto 19.5% 4,150/km2 Study by MIT Senseable City Lab – info as 2 Habitat Enhancement, Restoration and Species Recovery

• Habitat Enhancement: Pulau Tekong Mangrove Project 2 Habitat Enhancement, Restoration and Species Recovery

• Habitat Restoration: Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park

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Photo Credit: sg.asia-city.com, National Parks Board 2 Habitat Enhancement, Restoration and Species Recovery

• Habitat Restoration: Singapore Botanic Gardens

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Learning Forest Photo Credit: sg.asia-city.com, National Parks Board 2 Habitat Enhancement, Restoration and Species Recovery

• Habitat Restoration: Jurong Lake Gardens

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PhotoPhoto Credit:credit: Kathleen sg.asia Yap-city.com, National Parks Board 2 Habitat Enhancement, Restoration and Species Recovery

• Habitat Restoration: Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park

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Photo Credit: sg.asia-city.com, National Parks Board 2 Habitat Enhancement, Restoration and Species Recovery

• Species Recovery: Priority on endemic species (e.g. the Singapore Ginger, the Singapore Freshwater Crab) ©Kenny Chua BBTB

• Followed by those that are critically endangered and recently rediscovered

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Zingiber singapurense Hanguana triangulata Lophopetalum pallidum Hanguana rubinea ©Derek Chan© Jayasri 3a Applied Research in Conservation Biology & Planning 3 Applied Research in Conservation Biology and Planning

• Comprehensive surveys, long term monitoring, e.g. Bukit Timah and other Nature Reserve surveys • Bird ringing (e.g., Sg Buloh, P. Ubin), Heron Watch • Surveys of taxonomic groups, including gingers, climbing plants, corals, sponges etc. • Using up-to-date technology such as GIS, agent-based

modelling BBTB • BIOME, a biodiversity database

Freshwater surveys Vegetation surveys Fauna surveys 3 Applied Research in Conservation Biology and Planning

Wafangdian, Dalian, Taeryong River 12 shorebirds of 5 Liaoning province mouth in North Korea species are now

Poyang heading to their Lake in breeding ground China

Sittang River mouth, also known as Gulf of Mottama Laem Sing District, Chanthaburi province 3 Applied Research in Conservation Biology and Planning • Sisters Islands are a major source of larvae to seed other reefs • Safe-guarded as part of Singapore’s first marine park

BBTB Satellite-level Research - Ecological Modeling for Conservation

Individual least-cost corridors of selected birds

Sungei Buloh, Pulau Ubin White-rumped Shama

Tengeh Reservoir Changi

Crimson Sunbird

Labrador Park

Magpie Robin

Olive-winged Bulbul

Straw-headed Bulbul Ground-level research – Flora and Fauna Surveys

Camera Trap

38 3 Applied Research in Conservation Biology and Planning Species Recovery Research

Coral Nurseries/Gene Bank Giant Clam Neptune’s Cup Mariculture & Sponge Reintroduction Propagation

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Seahorse Breeding & Coral Transplantation Reintroduction Micro-level research – Micropropagation and genomics 4 Community Stewardship and Outreach in Nature

• Build public interest and involvement in biodiversity conservation • Incorporate biodiversity into the school curricula • Community in Nature (CIN) o Citizen science projects (Bird watch, Butterfly watch) o Habitat enhancement (Greening of schools for biodiversity, native planting) o Nature outreach (FestivalBBTB of Biodiversity, Nature based activities for youths in NR & NA , CIN Corporations – gardening) o SGBioAtlas • Community in Bloom 4 Community Stewardship and Outreach in Nature

• Outreach: Festival of Biodiversity

BBTB 4 Community Stewardship and Outreach in Nature

• Commonwealth Secondary School

BBTB Monitoring our efforts: the Singapore Index

THE SINGAPORE INDEX ON CITIES’ BIODIVERSITY

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES GOVERNANCE AND NATIVE BIODIVERSITY PROVIDEDBBTB BY MANAGEMENT OF IN THE CITY BIODIVERSITY BIODIVERSITY IN IN THE CITY THE CITY

10 INDICATORS 4 INDICATORS 9 INDICATORS Uniqueness of the SI and diverse applications

– Comprehensive urban biodiversity index – Quantitative – Self assessment tool that is: i. Easy to apply; ii. Scientifically credible iii. Objective and fair – Published user’s manual to facilitate the application of the SI – Aspirational – Engages a network of diverse stakeholders – Myriad of applications (master planning of cities, decision making/resource allocation, component of other indices, guidelines for development of local biodiversity strategies) 45 The Singapore Index - Biodiversity (10 Indicators)

1. Proportion of natural areas in the city 2. Connectivity measures or ecological networks to counter fragmentation 3. Native biodiversity in Built-up Areas (Bird species) 4 – 8. Change in number of Native Species – Plants, Birds, Butterflies and 2 other species 9. Proportion of protected natural areas 10. Proportion of invasive alien species

Montreal Singapore Nagoya The Singapore Index - Ecosystem Services (4 Indicators)

11. Regulation of Quantity of Water 12. Climate regulation: Carbon storage and cooling effect of vegetation 13. Area of parks with natural areas and protected natural areas per 1000 population in city 14. Number of educational visits to parks or protected areas per year

47 The Singapore Index - Governance (9 Indicators)

15. Budget allocated to biodiversity projects 16. No. of biodiversity projects implemented by the city annually 17. Rules, regulations and policy (LBSAP) 18. No. of essential biodiversity-related functions 19. No. of city or local government agencies involved in inter-agencies cooperation pertaining to biodiversity matters 20. Existence of a public consultation process 21. Existence of partnerships 22. Incorporation of biodiversity into the school curriculum 23. No. of outreach programmes and public awareness events 48 Singapore Index – Application World-wide

28 city governments have applied the SI: Auckland/Waitakere La Antigua Guatemala Bandung/West Java Lisbon Bangkok London Brussels Los Angeles Chiang Mai Mira-Bhayandar Curitiba Montreal Durban Nagoya Edinburgh Paris Edmonton Phuket Hamilton Porto Heidelberg Singapore Helsinki Tallinn Hyderabad Toluca Krabi Vitoria-Gasteiz

49 Singapore Index – Application World-wide 12 cities in the process of applying: Calgary lloilo Costa Rica Ourense Cuenca Paris Galle City Stockholm Hong Kong Thane Kaoshiung Wellington SI applied by academics to 14 cities: Chiba Kyoto Frankfurt Neubrandenburg Fukuoka Osaka Hiroshima Sapporo Kawasaki Sendai Kitakyusyu Tokyo Kobe Yokohama

50 Singapore a truly green and blue biophilic city! THANK YOU

Oriental Pied Photo credit: Alvin Hornbill Seng