Channel NewsAsia 18 Oct 11;
SINGAPORE: ASEAN Environment Ministers have approved the nomination of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore and Mount Malindang Range Natural Park in the Philippines as new ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP).
To date, 30 national protected areas have been designated as AHPs.
The AHP aims to generate greater awareness, appreciation, enjoyment and conservation of ASEAN's rich natural heritage, through the creation of a regional network of representative protected areas.
The ministers met in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where they reviewed on-going programmes on the environment and discussed new activities to further promote regional environmental cooperation on Tuesday.
The ministers reviewed national, sub-regional and regional activities to address land and forest fires in the region and its associated transboundary haze pollution.
They noted that in the northern ASEAN region, the prevailing rainy season is expected to keep hotspot activities subdued until the onset of the traditional dry season in November.
For the southern ASEAN region, hotspot activities are likely to be subdued due to the wet weather conditions during the Inter-Monsoon and Northeast Monsoon.
-CNA/ac
Conserving Singapore's 'natural assets'
Today Online 20 Oct 11;
SINGAPORE - President Tony Tan has reiterated the importance of natural heritage in Singapore's urban environment, as he joined members of the nature conservation community including school representatives during his tour of the TreeTop Walk yesterday.
His visit also marks the declaration of the 163-hectare Bukit Timah Nature Reserve as an ASEAN Heritage Park. With this formal endorsement, Singapore will be home to two ASEAN Heritage Parks, a regional network of a total of 30 protected areas of high nature conservation importance. The other is the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
Dr Tan says it is a privilege for Singapore to be recognised in the region for its nature conservation efforts. He said: "The forests and other natural assets in Singapore are important parts of our natural heritage. It is imperative for us, as stewards of these assets, to continue to balance our developmental needs with nature conservation.
"We must work together as a community to conserve these natural assets for future generations, as part of our vision to be a City in a Garden and an exceptional home for all Singaporeans."
The National Parks Board (NParks) said the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a unique example of a forest within an urban setting. One of the largest stands of primary lowland dipterocarp forest and pockets of hill dipterocarp forests are found in the nature reserve. NParks said the hill dipterocarp forest type is not found elsewhere in Singapore.
The Nature Reserve will further enhance its ecological robustness and outreach to better serve the needs of the community. Upcoming nature and conservation programmes will highlight the natural wonders, while the public can participate in nature appreciation walks and dedicated programmes for children.
In the pipeline are also plans to develop digital maps downloadable by 2G or 3G phones to enhance visitors' experience and educational materials targeted at students to promote a deeper appreciation for rainforests. Channel NewsAsia
Singapore home to two ASEAN Heritage Parks
Today Online 19 Oct 11;
SINGAPORE - President Tony Tan Keng Yam was joined by members of the nature conservation community including school representatives in his tour of the TreeTop Walk today.
His visit marks the declaration of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve as an ASEAN Heritage Park on Tuesday.
With this formal endorsement, Singapore will be home to two ASEAN Heritage Parks, a regional network of a total of 30 protected areas of high nature conservation importance.
The other is the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
President Tony Tan said it's a privilege for Singapore to be recognised in the region for its nature conservation efforts.
He said: "Singapore has done well economically, and is known for having prudently built up our financial reserves over the years. Fewer people are aware that we have also carefully protected our nature reserves even as the pressure on our scarce land resources increase.
"The forests and other natural assets in Singapore are important parts of our natural heritage. It is imperative for us, as stewards of these assets, to continue to balance our developmental needs with nature conservation.
"We must work together as a community to conserve these natural assets for future generations, as part of our vision to be a City in a Garden and an exceptional home for all Singaporeans."
The National Parks Board (NParks) said the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a unique example of a forest within an urban setting.
One of the largest stands of primary lowland dipterocarp forest and pockets of hill dipterocarp forests are found in nature reserve.
NParks said the hill dipterocarp forest type is not found elsewhere in Singapore. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
Heritage status for Bt Timah Nature Reserve
Stacey Chia Straits Times 20 Oct 11;
PRESIDENT Tony Tan Keng Yam visited the TreeTop Walk early yesterday to mark the declaration of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve as an Asean Heritage Park.
He was accompanied by members of the nature conservation community on his stroll across the suspension bridge which is 250m long and takes the visitor 25m above ground at its highest point, the level of the forest canopy.
The TreeTop Walk is the highlight among several walking trails through the nature reserve, which includes the MacRitchie Reservoir.
The nature reserve was awarded heritage park status on Tuesday, at the 13th Informal Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment held in Phnom Penh.
With this, Singapore is now home to two Asean Heritage Parks, the other being the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, which earned the accolade in 2003.
To make the cut, parks have to meet criteria such as ecological completeness, naturalness and high conservation importance. There are now 30 heritage parks across Asean, such as the Lorentz National Park in Indonesia and Gunung Mulu National Park in Malaysia.
President Tan said it was a privilege for Singapore to be recognised in the region for its nature conservation efforts.
'We have done well economically, and are known for having prudently built up our financial reserves over the years.
'Fewer people are aware that we have also protected our nature reserves, even as the pressure on our scarce land resources has increased,' he said.
The National Parks Board noted that the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, although small, hosts about 40 per cent of the nation's native flora and fauna.
Mr Subaraj Rajathurai, director of Strix Wildlife Consultancy, said: 'Not many countries have a rainforest only 20 minutes from the city, easily accessible to everyone.'
Last night, President Tan attended the Singapore Red Cross Charity Golf dinner at the Singapore Island Country Club, where he gave certificates of appreciation to Red Cross' corporate partners.
About 140 golfers raised more than $350,000 for local humanitarian causes, such as the Red Cross Home for the Disabled and the Red Cross Non-Emergency Ambulance Service.
President visits TreeTop Walk to reiterate importance of urban forests - Visit marks celebration of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve's announcement as an Asean Heritage Park
National Parks Board Press Release 19 Oct 11;
19 October 2011 - President Tony Tan Keng Yam was joined by members of the nature conservation community including school representatives in his tour of the TreeTop Walk this morning. His visit marks the declaration of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve as an Asean Heritage Park and reiterates the importance of our natural heritage in Singapore's urban environment.
The 163-hectare Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (BTNR) was formally declared as an Asean Heritage Park (AHP) during the 13th Informal Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 18 October 2011. Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, Ms Grace Fu was in attendance and accepted the honour on behalf of Singapore.
With this formal endorsement, Singapore will now be home to two Asean Heritage Parks, a prestigious regional network of a total of 30 protected areas of high nature conservation importance. AHPs represent educational and inspirational sites which form the complete spectrum of representative ecosystems of the Asean region. This includes renowned UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Lorentz National Park (Indonesia), Kinabalu National Park (Malaysia) and Gunung Mulu National Park (Malaysia).
President Tony Tan said, "It is a privilege for Singapore to be recognized in the region for our nature conservation efforts. We should be proud that a compact urban city like Singapore has two Asean Heritage Parks. Singapore has done well economically, and is known for having prudently built up our financial reserves over the years. Fewer people are aware that we have also carefully protected our nature reserves even as the pressure on our scarce land resources increase. The forests and other natural assets in Singapore are important parts of our natural heritage. It is imperative for us, as stewards of these assets, to continue to balance our developmental needs with nature conservation. We must work together as a community to conserve these natural assets for future generations, as part of our vision to be a City in a Garden and an exceptional home for all Singaporeans."
The inclusion of BTNR, together with Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve's inclusion in 2003 in the AHP scheme is a strong affirmation of Singapore's conservation efforts and commitment in preserving our natural heritage. It is also a significant milestone for BTNR which aspires to be a centre of excellence in tropical forest conservation management.
BTNR has successfully met several criteria encompassing ecological completeness, representativeness, naturalness, high conservation importance, identification as a legally gazetted nature area and having an approved management plan.
A National Site of Ecological Gems
Best known for its tallest hill at 163m, BTNR is indeed a unique exemplar of a forest within an urban setting. One of the largest stands of primary lowland dipterocarp forest and pockets of hill dipterocarp forests are found in BTNR. The hill dipterocarp forest type is not found elsewhere in Singapore.
For a reserve of small geographical size (0.2% of the country's total area), BTNR is disproportionately rich in biodiversity, with about 40% of the nation's native flora and fauna. The reserve teems with 900 species of vascular plants, 107 species of ferns, 200 species of butterflies, 124 species of birds, 70 species of dragonflies, 58 species of reptiles, 26 species of mammals, 17 species of amphibians and 15 species of native freshwater fishes.
These are recent rediscoveries of flora like the De Candolle's Magnolia (Magnolia candolii) and Memecylon (Memecylon pubescens). Rare fauna like the Forest Praying Mantis (Theopropus elegans), the Singapore Freshwater Crab (Johora singaporensis) and one of the largest dragonfly species in South-east Asia, the Giant Hawker (Tetracanthagyna plagiata) can be found. Here, one can experience the rich biodiversity within Singapore and may catch sight of the reserve's inhabitants including the pangolin (Manis javanica), Horsfield's Flying Squirrel (Iomys horsfieldii) and Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus).
Dynamic Roles of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
As a popular nature haven hosting about 330,000 visitors annually, BTNR supports diverse needs from conservation, education, research to recreation. To meet these multiple functions, it forges collaborations with research institutions, corporate bodies, schools, volunteers and the community.
It actively contributes to nature education with 15 schools participating in its programmes like heART for Nature workshops, Nature Keeper Programme, Kids for Nature Programme, Community Involvement and Service Learning Projects. Teachers have benefited from workshops and talks to better equip them with the know-how for conducting field trips.
In addition, corporate groups are also encouraged to play an active role in the protection and management of BTNR, with more than 20 corporate groups participating in the Habitat Restoration Programme.
Enhancing BTNR for the Community
Nature groups have also cheered the announcement. Dr Shawn Lum, President of Nature Society (Singapore) said, "This is a very important announcement in recognition of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve's immense biodiversity, ecological, and heritage value. I hope it inspires people to learn more about Singapore's beautiful rainforests, to help care for them to ensure that they will continue to enchant and excite."
As an AHP, BTNR will build on its programmes and infrastructure to strengthen its position as a premier tropical forest. This will further enhance its ecological robustness and outreach to better serve the needs of the community. Upcoming nature and conservation programmes will highlight the natural wonders of this newly minted AHP. The public can participate in nature appreciation walks and dedicated programmes for children. (See Annex for details)
In the pipeline are also plans to develop digital maps downloadable by 2G or 3G phones to enhance visitors' experience and educational materials targeted at students to promote a deeper appreciation for rainforests.
