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Welcome Address by Mr Kenneth Er, CEO, NParks, at the launch of the habitat enhancement programme at Coney Island Park on 29

June, 5.00pm

Mr Ooi Sang Kuang,

Board Chairman, OCBC Group

Mr Samuel Tsien,

CEO, OCBC Group

Professor Leo Tan

Chairman, Garden City Fund

Ladies and gentlemen,

A very good evening to you.

2. Thank you for being here with us today. NParks is very pleased to

partner the management and staff of the Oversea-Chinese Banking

Corporation Bank to enhance the habitats of Coney Island Park.

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3. is today a City in a Garden. We are blessed by having nature

within our cityscape and in close proximity to our living environment.

Our efforts in greening and conservation in the last 50 years have

ensured that we have a wealth of biodiversity. We have almost 400 bird

species, more than 250 orthopteran insect species (which includes

grasshoppers, crickets, locusts), and more than 2,000 species of native

plants. In the past 5 years, we have discovered and re-discovered

some 500 species in Singapore. These include both marine and

terrestrial animals, plants and insects. While we marvel at our rich

biodiversity, we cannot take it for granted. Conservation requires long-

term effort, and such initiatives to enhance habitats are integral to

NParks’ Nature Conservation Masterplan.

4. When we first opened Coney Island Park in 2015, we were mindful to

retain its rustic nature and charm, and designed the park to bring

visitors close to nature. We have retained and restored the coastal

forest and grassland, as well as mangrove habitats on the island. About

80 species of birds have been sighted since the park opened, including

the uncommon Rufous Woodpecker and Changeable Hawk-Eagle.

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5. Having conserved these habitats, the conditions are right for further

enhancement and the introduction of native plants representative of

these habitats. Today, the coastal forest on Coney Island is dominated

mainly by Casuarina trees, as you can observe around us. The

mangroves comprise mainly of pioneer species. With the support of the

Management and staff of OCBC, we will be able to introduce many

more native plant species and increase the floral diversity in these

habitats within the park. This not only provides more sources of food

and shelter for animals such as resident and migratory birds, but also

establishes seed sources that will kick off the regeneration of a thriving

natural ecosystem.

6. When Sam asked me if we would be introducing many interesting and

attractive plants as part of this habitat enhancement programme, I told

him that he can be assured of this. So, I am happy to say that we will

be introducing more than 50 plants species. They are not only

interesting and attractive, but also rare in the wild today. For example,

one of the over 50 species to be introduced is the Scolopia macrophylla,

a tree that was actually rediscovered from extinction right here on this

island. We found a single specimen during a site visit in 2014.

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It was a wonderful surprise, as it was previously last seen in 1953, more

than 60 years ago. We subsequently found more individuals in its

vicinity and took great care to conserve this rare find. OCBC volunteers

helped to propagate more Scolopia saplings last month, so that we can

re-introduce more of the plants here.

7. We are kicking off the project by planting up the area behind you to

create a highly diverse coastal forest plot. It contains a selection of free-

flowering shrubs and trees found naturally along the sandy, coastal

beaches of Singapore. Some of the highlights include the Seashore

Bat Lily (Tacca leontopetaloides), which is found at the seashores of

Pulau Semakau. It produces a very unique, attractive looking flower

that looks like a bat. You can make out the large pointed petals that

resemble the ears of a bat. Another interesting plant is the Seashore

Purslane (Portulaca pilosa ssp. pilosa), a close relative of the

ornamental Japanese Rose. This attractive plant occurs in two forms

in Singapore – a pink flowered form from , and a yellow

flowered form from and the . There is

also the Twin Apple tree (Ochrosia oppositifolia), which is today extinct

in Singapore and now re-introduced here. This tree produces a fruit

that looks like two green apples fused together. We had propagated Embargoed until delivery

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the saplings from a mother tree that we had held in our nursery for

more than 10 years. This plot is thus special, as we are building up a

comprehensive collection of native coastal plants.

8. This collaboration between NParks and OCBC Bank will go a long way

in helping our native coastal plants, to recover and flourish. Your efforts

over the next five years will sustain our natural heritage, ensuring that

future generations will be able to enjoy the wonders of our native flora

and fauna. So thank you once again for partnering with us and we hope

more corporations and individuals will step forward to help transform

Singapore into a City in a Garden.