Essay draft 2: Biodiversity loss

The loss of biodiversity in nature reserves is a significant issue resulting from Singapore's continuous urbanization; the Singapore government would have to do more than simply classifying an area as a nature reserve in order to safeguard Singapore’s biodiversity. By the end of the 19th century, Singapore became one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Asia (The World Bank, 2013), with 95 percent of it’s original forest being destroyed for urbanization. This is critical since Singapore lost up to 73 percent of its flora and fauna over the last two centuries and 77 percent of those remaining are being threatened (Pickrell, 2003). Even till today, the rapid development has never been at a standstill with the constant revelation of new commercial, residential, recreational and transport developments, which are propelled by the government’s vision, in turning Singapore into an international business hub (Economic Development Board of Singapore, 2012). This paper would be examining the consequences of the loss of biodiversity in the contemporary society, as well as highlighting and evaluating the solutions the government could adopt.    

The loss of biodiversity is a dire consequence because it affects every living organism in Singapore. Clean water is achieved through the forest’s protection of the water catchment area and plants regulate the fresh air. Fruits and flowers are available to humans due to insects’ pollination, while birds and animals disperse the seeds. Natural ecosystems found in Sungei Buloh, Bukit Timah, Pulau Ubin, etc., are also needed for Singaporean’s recreational and educational purposes (National Parks Board, 2009). Therefore the government has to do more, on top of creating nature reserves.

The first solution is to implement more species conservation and recovery programmes. Over the years, the National Environmental Agency (NEA) has carried out activities to conserve and recover several native species. An example is the Oriental Pied Hornbills, which is an international concern (National Parks Board, 2009). The key objective of the Singapore Hornbill Project was to increase the population and distribution of the locally endangered bird in Singapore. Artificial tree holes were created as nests; male birds were tracked with a global positioning system transmitter; infrared video cameras were installed within the nest to provide round-the-clock observations. The project provided insights such as the growth progression of nestlings, food requirements and sensitivity to external disturbances. Within two years, the Oriental Pied Hornbills’ population was increased by 20 successful births. The tropical rainforest is the richest in biodiversity; with Singapore having it as one of its resources, the government should extend such programmes to other species, to prevent further extinction (National Parks Board Singapore, 2010).

The second solution is to extend green corridors to counter fragmentation. The remaining forests in Singapore, labeled as nature reserves are highly fragmented and largely degraded, due to developments (The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, 2009). Transportation is one of the main reasons, with the Singapore government building highways across forested areas. An example is the BKE expressway being built across Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment area, causing the high occurrences of road kills when animals try to cross over (National Parks, 2011). The government has plans for an Eco-Link bridge to reconnect Bukit Timah to the Central Catchment and subsequently, more green corridors should be developed and eventually allow animals to transverse across various nature reserves. This would increase the safety of the animals and encourage population growth due to bigger habitats and a wider choice of mates.

The last solution is to reconsider development projects that threaten Singapore’s biodiversity. The government should conduct an environmental impact assessment in order to evaluate the environmental trade off made to construct the new cross-island line (Sim, 2013). They should also take into consideration the concerns environmentalists are raising regarding the project, since they have the expertise in that area. However, if the assessment shows that the development of the cross-island line would degrade the existing nature reserves, the government should abort the plan and search for other alternatives, in order to protect Singapore’s biodiversity.

However, these solutions require time, manpower and finance, in order to be implemented effectively. Since the government has limited resources to be distributed among other projects in various sectors such as healthcare, education and housing, the loss of biodiversity might not carry the same weight. Thus, Singaporeans should also step in by voicing their concerns over this issue, pushing the government to take further actions and raising public awareness, because the loss of biodiversity is not solely the government’s problem, but of every Singaporean’s.   

   

References

Economic Development Board of Singapore. (2012, September 15). Facts and

ranking. Retrieved October 1, 2013, from Economic Development Board: http://www.edb.gov.sg/content/edb/en/why-singapore/about-singapore/facts-and-rankings/rankings.html

National Parks Board. (2009). Conserving Our Biodiversity - Singapore’s National

Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan . Retrieved October 1, 2013, from National parks: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/nbc/NPark-booklet-final-4sep.pdf

National Parks Board. (2011, July 30). Construction Starts for Southeast Asia's First

Ecological Corridor. Eco-Link@BKE to Link Two Nature Reserves Across the Expressway. Retrieved October 3, 2013, from National Parks: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_news&task=view&id=264&Itemid=50

National Parks Board Singapore. (2010, September). 4th national report to the

convention on biological diversity. Retrieved October 2, 2013, from National Parks Board Singapore: http://www.cbd.int/doc/world/sg/sg-nr-04-en.pdf

Pickrell, J. (2003, July 23). Singapore Extinctions Spell Doom For Asia? Retrieved

October 2, 2013, from National Geographic News: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/07/0723_030723_singapore.html

Sim, R. (2013, June 14). Cross Island MRT Line: LTA delays environment study - See

more at: http://ride.asiaone.com/news/general/story/cross-island-mrt-line-lta-delays-environment-study#sthash.BEPs3vF2.dpuf. Retrieved October 2, 2013, from Asiaone: http://ride.asiaone.com/news/general/story/cross-island-mrt-line-lta-delays-environment-study

The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation. (2009). Forest Fragment

and Breeding Habitat Characteristics Explain Frog Diversity and Abundance in Singapore . Retrieved October 1, 2013, from BIOTROPICA : http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/lab/evol-ecol/documents/Bickford_etal_Biotropica_2010.pdf

The World Bank. (2013). Urban population (% of total). Retrieved October 2,

2013, from worldbank: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS

Revised biodiversity loss essay outline

Qns: What can the Singapore government do to prevent further diversity loss in its nature reserves?

Thesis: The loss of biodiversity in nature reserves is a significant issue resulting from Singapore's continuous urbanization; the Singapore government would have to do more than simply classifying an area as a nature reserve, in order to safeguard Singapore’s biodiversity.

Solutions:

•         Implement species conservation and recovery programmes
•         Extend green corridors to counter fragmentation
•         Reconsider development projects that threatens the biodiversity

Essay

The loss of biodiversity in nature reserves is a significant issue resulting from Singapore's continuous urbanization; the Singapore government would have to do more than simply classifying an area as a nature reserve, in order to safeguard Singapore’s biodiversity. By the end of the 19th century, Singapore, a country with an urban population of a hundred percent, had become one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Asia. Even till today, the rapid development has never been at a standstill with the constant revelation of new commercial, residential, recreational and transport developments, which are propelled by the government’s vision, in turning Singapore into an international business hub. With Singapore being a land-scarce country, urbanization comes at the price of either land reclamation or deforestation, with both being threats to Singapore’s biodiversity; however, the focus of this paper would be on the latter. This paper would be examining the consequences of the loss of biodiversity in the contemporary society, as well as highlighting and evaluating the solutions the government could adopt.    

The loss of biodiversity is a dire consequence because it affects every living organism in Singapore. Clean water is achieved through the forest’s protection of the water catchment area and plants regulate the fresh air. Fruits and flowers are available to humans due to insects’ pollination, while birds and animals disperse the seeds. Natural ecosystems found in Sungei Buloh, Bukit Timah, Pulau Ubin, etc., are also needed for Singaporean’s recreational and educational purposes. With 95 percent of Singapore’s original forest being exchanged for urbanization, habitat destruction threatens the extinction of vulnerable and endemic species. Therefore the government has to do more, on top of creating nature reserves. 

Implement more species conservation and recovery programmes

Over the years, the National Environmental Agency (NEA) has carried out activities to conserve and recover several native species. An example is the Oriental Pied Hornbills, which is a national and international concern. The tropical rainforest is the richest in biodiversity; with Singapore having it as one of its resources, the government should extend such programmes to other species. This is critical since Singapore has lost up to 73 percent of its flora and fauna over the last two centuries and 77 percent of those remaining, are being threatened. 

Extend green corridors to counter fragmentation

The remaining forests in Singapore, labeled as nature reserves are highly fragmented and largely degraded, due to developments. Transportation is one of the main reasons with the Singapore government building highways across fragments of nature reserves. An example is the BKE expressway being built across Bukit Timah nature reserve and the central catchment area, causing the high occurrences of road kills when animals try crossing over. The government has plans for an Eco-Link bridge to reconnect Bukit Timah and the central catchment and subsequently, more green corridors should be developed and eventually allow animals to transverse across various nature reserves. 

Reconsider development projects that threatens the biodiversity

The government should conduct an environmental impact assessment in order to evaluate the trade off made to construct the new cross-island line. (TBC)