Have We “Green” Singapore Enough?

Hi everyone!

This week is undoubtedly a tough one to go through with mid-terms coming along. So, here is another quote to spark some motivation in the upcoming battle.

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” – John Lennon

Based on the previous post, I thought, maybe, I could do some scoping into the topic of green spaces around Singapore.

Singapore is aiming to be a “City in Nature” (Nparks, 2020)[1]. On the contrary, even though Nparks has been making an effort to spruce up these green areas, I find it contradicting. Why do I say that?

While parks are being built to emphasise the greenery in Singapore, we are already removing the forests that once dominated entire Singapore in the past. And I mean areas where there is no human intervention for construction and building of man-made structures (e.g. removing primary forests and secondary forests). Currently, it is either buildings that are covered with plants at different storeys or paving the way for the public to have access, making them non-organic as it was before.

I was reading from a website, Chope 4 Nature, and this article was based on evidence gathered from the different green organisations and ministries in Singapore. During the early 19th century, the cover for primary forest (forests that are untouched by humans) was at least 200 times larger than how much it is today. Now, only 2% of the total land area in Singapore is covered by primary forests, and they can be found in the central catchment nature reserve (CCNR). (Chope for Nature, 2016)[2]. Can you imagine the vast difference? This is at a very critical stage as currently, there are plans of having the Cross-island line cutting through the CCNR (Straits Times, 2019)[3]. This poses more risk in losing more of our precious biodiversity that some can be found in those forests.

Should we even have the Cross-Island line along CCNR? (Source:©Lee Wee Meng)

In a survey of 18 respondents, I have asked which green space is the best example of having untouched greenery. About a third shared that the Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve is the exemplary model towards untouched greenery. These respondents felt that compared to other green spaces, this nature reserve is notorious for its rich biodiversity. It is also an excellent example of how the paths and boardwalks made do not remove most of those natural areas, leaving them untouched.

Source: ©Lee Wee Meng (2020)

However, there were no responses in feeling that Jurong Lake Gardens is the best representation in untouched greenery. Was it because much human intervention was made to beautify this area?

In the next two posts, I will be sharing some case studies in showing what makes an area filled with untouched greenery by comparing the Jurong Lake Gardens and Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve.

In the next mind,

Wee Meng

2 comments

  1. Joanna Coleman · October 8, 2020 at 5:36 PM ·

    Hi Wee Meng,

    Admittedly, I’ve never been to Jurong Lake Gardens, but I am rather surprised anyone would say that GBTB or SBG epitomises untouched greenery. Especially GBTB, which I believe is a legit engineered green space – none of that was there before, was it ?

    Any thoughts on why people would ID those 2 spaces before, e.g., CCNR or SBNR ?

    Thanks,

    jc

    • leeweemeng05 · October 30, 2020 at 9:50 PM ·

      Hi Dr Coleman,

      Maybe one day, you should take a trip down to the west of Singapore to admire how beautiful Jurong Lake Gardens can be.

      Well, it could be an assumption that people think that any place that grows plants and trees is still considered a site with untouched greenery. Even though the Botanic Gardens has been expanding, people still regarding it as a space filled with trees and shrubs (that could be my opinion). And for the GBTB, the person who chose it may not understand exactly what untouched greenery means. In fact, GBTB is actually built on reclaimed land which didn’t exist years ago.

      I believe this gives rise to a new perception that as more green spaces are formed, regardless of being built artificially, people have their own choices into how they view Nature to be.

      Cheers,
      Wee Meng