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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. Singapore 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 Pulau Ubin, and a yellow
flowered form from Pulau Tekong and the Southern Islands. 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.