Embargoed Till 4.00Pm on 17 April 2018 Media Release
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EMBARGOED TILL 4.00PM ON 17 APRIL 2018 MEDIA RELEASE NParks celebrates 25 Years of Community Stewardship in Nature Conservation Community can learn more about wetlands and participate in nature conservation efforts 17 April 2018 — The international community is commemorating 25 years of action for biodiversity this year, as part of the International Day of Biological Diversity (IDB). In Singapore, we have adapted the theme “25 Years of Community Stewardship in Nature Conservation” to celebrate active citizenry in nature conservation and the partnerships forged with our volunteers, nature advocacy groups, schools, and citizen scientists, and to encourage the community to join us as stewards of our natural heritage. The National Parks Board (NParks) will be celebrating with a series of activities and programmes. Visitors of all ages can look forward to biodiversity surveys, guided walks and tours at our parks and nature areas. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve will also be kicking off a year-long series of events and activities to celebrate the Reserve’s 25th anniversary. Celebrating 25 Years of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve This year marks the 25th anniversary of Sungei Buloh. The transformation of a nature park into one of the most recognised wetland reserves in the region was made possible due to the shared passion and support from a nationwide community of volunteers, corporations, schools and partners. Since its establishment, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve has been recognised as an ASEAN Heritage Park and is a founding partner of the East-Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership, which was launched in 2006. With the opening of the Reserve’s East Extension in 2014, new features and experiences within the Reserve have enabled visitors to continue enjoying the wetlands while strengthening the conservation of the core of the Reserve. The extension also allows greater connectivity for our wildlife. We have also restored the Kranji Marshes, one of the largest freshwater marshes in Singapore, and home to an array of unique biodiversity. Our local and international partnerships have also grown over the years. At home, we have established the Friends of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve community. In the international sphere, we are part of the ASEAN Network for Wetlands and Migratory Waterbirds Conservation, and the Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative. To enable us to reach these milestones, the conservation approaches undertaken by the Reserve have been guided by the advancement of scientific knowledge and technology. For example, we are among the first in the region to employ the latest tracking technology to follow the cross border movements of migratory shorebirds. To commemorate its establishment in 1993 and to strengthen awareness about the value of conserving our wetlands, the Reserve will be organising a range of volunteer-run activities and programmes for the community. The public can sign up for these exciting educational and Page 1 of 10 Information accurate as of 17 April 2018. For media enquiries, please contact Trisha Eng / Clarissa Sih at 8200 5259 or 9636 4385. EMBARGOED TILL 4.00PM ON 17 APRIL 2018 family programmes at http://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbwr/25anniversary. Activities include a specially curated walk to commemorate the Reserve’s 25th anniversary. For more information on Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and the list of activities, please refer to Annex A. International Day of Biological Diversity The United Nations has designated 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. This year’s local theme, “25 Years of Community Stewardship in Nature Conservation”, celebrates the involvement of our partners in nature conservation – volunteers, citizen scientists, Friends of the Parks, nature advocacy groups, academics, and many others. The theme also encourages the community to join us as stewards of our natural heritage and help conserve our rich biodiversity. NParks will commemorate the International Day of Biological Diversity (IDB) with Biodiversity Week, to be celebrated across a fortnight – from 18 May to 3 June – with activities like Nationwide BioBlitz, Butterfly Watch, habitat enhancement and guided nature walks happening across our nature areas, parks and gardens. Biodiversity Week will culminate in the annual Festival of Biodiversity, which NParks organises in collaboration with the Biodiversity Roundtable, on 2 and 3 June at the open field between Tampines MRT station and Tampines Mall. For more information on the activities for Biodiversity Week, please refer to Annex B. - End - Page 2 of 10 Information accurate as of 17 April 2018. For media enquiries, please contact Trisha Eng / Clarissa Sih at 8200 5259 or 9636 4385. EMBARGOED TILL 4.00PM ON 17 APRIL 2018 For more information, please contact: Trisha Eng (Ms) Clarissa Sih (Ms) Senior Manager, Communications Manager, Communications National Parks Board National Parks Board DID: 6471 7305 DID: 6471 7302 Mobile: 8200 5259 Mobile: 9636 4385 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] About National Parks Board (NParks) National Parks Board (NParks) is responsible for providing and enhancing the greenery of our City in a Garden. Beyond building green infrastructure, NParks is actively engaging the community to enhance the quality of our living environment. NParks manages 350 parks and 300 km of park connectors, 3,347 hectares of nature reserves and the Singapore Botanic Gardens. We also manage Pulau Ubin and the Sisters' Islands Marine Park. Adding to this is the extensive streetscape, or roadside greenery, that forms the backbone of our City in a Garden. The island-wide Park Connector Network is also being developed to link major parks, nature areas and residential estates. As the lead agency on biodiversity conservation, NParks has developed an urban biodiversity conservation model, which aims to conserve representative eco-systems in land-scarce Singapore. NParks also monitors and coordinates measures to enhance the presence of biodiversity in our urban landscape. NParks is working closely with partners in the landscape and horticulture industry to increase productivity, and provide training for all levels of the workforce. Enhancing competencies of the industry will support Singapore’s vision of being a City in a Garden. For more information, visit www.nparks.gov.sg and www.facebook.com/nparksbuzz Page 3 of 10 Information accurate as of 17 April 2018. For media enquiries, please contact Trisha Eng / Clarissa Sih at 8200 5259 or 9636 4385. EMBARGOED TILL 4.00PM ON 17 APRIL 2018 Annex A Celebrating 25 Years of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve For more information and the most updated list of programmes, please visit http://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbwr/25anniversary. Location, Date and Time Description Field day @ Wetlands: Dragonfly Did you know, there are currently 40 species of Watch dragonflies that have been spotted in Sungei Buloh? Join us in our survey to count the number Date: 16 and 17 April (Mon and Tue) of dragonfly and damselfly species at the Junior Time: Wetland, and pick up and practice skills in spotting 16 April: 9.30am to 11.30am and identifying them. 17 April: 3.30pm to 5.30pm Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Visitor Centre Guided Walk: What’s in My Mud? Join us for an interesting guided walk featuring our lesser known creatures of the mudflats in Sungei Date: 21 April (Sat) Buloh. Time: 9.30am – 11.00am Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Register via Reserve, Wetland Centre http://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbwr/25anniversary *Registration required Guided Walk: What’s in My Join us for a guided walk of this unique mangrove Mangroves? wetlands located at the border of freshwater (river) and salt water (sea) habitats. Singapore used to Date: 28 April, 5 May, 12 May (Sat) have large areas of mangroves, but lost most of Time: 9.30am – 11.00am them to coastal development. Few mangroves are Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland left in Singapore, one of which is at Sungei Buloh Reserve, Visitor Centre Wetland Reserve. *Registration required Register via http://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbwr/25anniversary DIY Craft Booths @ Sungei Buloh Get crafty at Sungei Buloh as we celebrate 25 years of Action for Biodiversity. Learn about the Date: 5 to 6 May, 12 to 13 May various flora and fauna that can be found in Time: 7.00 am – 7.00 pm Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and create your Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland very own pop-up craft. Reserve, Visitor Centre Registration details can be found on http://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbwr/25anniversary Page 4 of 10 Information accurate as of 17 April 2018. For media enquiries, please contact Trisha Eng / Clarissa Sih at 8200 5259 or 9636 4385. EMBARGOED TILL 4.00PM ON 17 APRIL 2018 Guided Walk: Evening Chorus @ Join us for an evening guided walk at Kranji Kranji Marshes Marshes, one of the largest freshwater marshes in Date: 12 May 2018 (Sat) Singapore, and listen to the chorus from the birds Time: 4.30 pm – 6.30 pm that thrive in this wetland habitat. Venue: Kranji Marshes For more information and registration, visit *Registration required http://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbwr/25anniversary. Guided Walk: What’s in my Mud? Join us for an interesting guided walk featuring our Date: 19 May 2018 (Sat) lesser known creatures in the mudflats of Sungei Time: 9.30 pm – 11.00 am Buloh. Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Wetland Centre Register via http://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbwr/25anniversary *Registration required Field Day @ Wetlands: Bioblitz in Interested participants can look forward to working Kranji Marshes alongside naturalists and researchers to document the flora and fauna that can be found in Sungei Bird Survey Buloh Wetland Reserve and Kranji Marshes. Date: 20 May 2018 (Sun) Time: 7.45am – 10.30am Register via Venue: Kranji Marshes http://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbwr/25anniversary Insect Survey (Bee and Butterfly) Date: 20 May 2018 (Sun) Time: 9.45am – 12.30pm Venue: Kranji Marshes Field Day @ Wetlands: Bioblitz in Interested participants can look forward to working Sungei Buloh alongside naturalists and researchers to document the flora and fauna that can be found in Bird Survey Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Kranji Date: 24 May 2018 (Thur) Marshes.