UN to adopt Singapore nature 'report card' for cities

Grace Chua Straits Times 28 Oct 10;

THE United Nations is set to adopt a Singapore-proposed index that helps cities measure how well they are conserving wildlife.

The Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity is vital because protecting plants and animals can help cities stand out, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said yesterday in a speech at a high-level biodiversity conference in Nagoya, Japan.

He was addressing delegates to the UN conference to discuss the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD), an international treaty on the sustainable use and equal sharing of biodiversity.

The Singapore index, proposed by Mr Mah at a previous UN meeting in 2008, is the first such evaluation tool to assist cities in measuring their biodiversity conservation efforts over time. It serves as a kind of 'report card' with grades for indicators like environmental management and species diversity.

Experts from Singapore's National Parks Board, working with international experts, helped develop and test the index.

It is now part of a new UN plan aimed specifically to help local governments, including cities, conserve their biodiversity. Parties to the CBD will officially adopt the new plan tomorrow when the 12-day UN conference comes to a close.

The spotlight is on urban centres as they already house more than half the world's population. By 2050, that figure will be 70 per cent.

Addressing the perception that urbanisation is a drain on natural resources, Mr Mah said yesterday: 'Cities will be the key to the solution, not, as many have portrayed, part of the problem.'

For instance, he explained, Singapore has managed to increase its green corridors and connectors over time, and construct butterfly-attracting trails and havens for birds and insects in the city centre.

Doing so has its benefits, he added.

'Biodiversity can make cities stand out, and be a competitive advantage to attract talent and investments. It can drive economic growth, in areas such as pharmaceutical R&D, technology innovation and nature tourism.'

In a show of Singapore's commitment to efforts in protecting biodiversity, Mr Mah offered the biennial World Cities Summit, which will be held here next in June 2012, as a platform for city delegates to report on their conservation progress.

Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity to be endorsed on Friday
Channel NewsAsia 28 Oct 10;

SINGAPORE : The parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will formally adopt the Plan of Action on Sub-National Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity in Nagoya this Friday.

The Plan of Action includes the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity.

The parties to the convention, including Singapore, meet every two years to discuss global issues on biodiversity.

This year marks the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, who is in Nagoya, spoke at the High Level Segment.

Mr Mah said that biodiversity could be a competitive advantage for cities to attract talent and investments, and to drive economic growth in areas such as pharmaceutical research and development, technology innovation and nature tourism.

Currently, there are no well-established tools to measure biodiversity efforts in cities.

According to the United Nations, the proportion of the world's population living in urban areas is expected to increase from current levels of 50 per cent to 70 per cent in 2050.

With increasing urbanisation, the demands of economic activities will place greater pressure on the earth's natural resources and the environment.

The Singapore Index is the first such evaluation tool to assist cities in measuring their biodiversity conservation efforts over time.

- CNA/al


Biodiversity action plan to be adopted
Business Times 28 Oct 10;

THE Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will formally adopt the Plan of Action on Sub-National Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity - which includes the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity - in Nagoya, Japan tomorrow.

The Singapore Index is the first evaluation tool to help cities to measure their biodiversity conservation efforts over time as there are no well-established tools to measure biodiversity efforts in cities presently. The index was put together by Singapore National Parks Board (NParks), in partnership with the Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity, the Secretariat of the CBD and experts from various countries.

The Parties to the CBD, which includes Singapore, are attending the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP10) to discuss global issues on biodiversity.

Minister for National Development, Mah Bow Tan, is currently in Nagoya for the conference.

'Biodiversity can make cities stand out, and be a competitive advantage to attract talent and investments. It can drive economic growth, in areas such as pharmaceutical R&D, technology innovation and nature tourism,' Mr Mah highlighted in his speech at the High Level Segment yesterday.

According to the United Nations, the proportion of the world's population living in urban areas is expected to jump from 50 per cent to 70 per cent in 2050, which will place greater strain on the earth's natural resources and the environment.

Mr Mah first proposed the index in 2008 at the ninth meeting of the Conference of Parties to the CBD in Germany.

Over 30 cities around the world have tested, or are in various stages of testbedding, the Singapore Index.