Natural Heritage of Singapore
Being a land-scarce country of 714.3 square kilometres and having a population density of
7,257 per square kilometer (Singapore Department of Statistics, 2012), every hectare of land in Singapore is extremely important to us. Over the years, widespread urbanisation has led to about 90.2% of our land area being developed (Tan, 2006), exhausting much of our natural heritage in the process. Due to the limited amount of land, our natural heritage is insufficient to provide us with much economical goods; we are thus very dependent on imported food and material from other countries (Tan et al., 2007). Even though these goods and services can be easily enjoyed from nearby countries, our natural heritage is endowed with unique characteristics which provide us with a plethora of services that are irreplaceable by other countries. Hence, I disagree with the classmate’s comment; I feel that it is worth spending money and effort to protect and maintain the remaining biodiversity that we have.
The services that natural heritage can provide are the benefits that we people gain from them.
These include provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. In this paper, I will be elaborating on how these services can be provided by our natural heritage.
First of all, provisioning services supply the goods which include genetic resources and natural medicine. Our natural heritage consists of many species which include more than
2,000 native vascular plant species, about 57 mammalian species, 98 reptile species, 25 amphibian species, 355 bird species and many others (National Parks Board, 2009). This rich biodiversity that we possess should be conserved for long-term sustainability of all ecosystems. Some species, like the Singapore freshwater crab Johora singaporensis and aquatic aroid Cryptocoryne × timahensis (Kiew & Turner, 2003), are endemic to Singapore, as they can only be found in Singapore and no other countries (Tan et al., 2010). These
endemic
7,257 per square kilometer (Singapore Department of Statistics, 2012), every hectare of land in Singapore is extremely important to us. Over the years, widespread urbanisation has led to about 90.2% of our land area being developed (Tan, 2006), exhausting much of our natural heritage in the process. Due to the limited amount of land, our natural heritage is insufficient to provide us with much economical goods; we are thus very dependent on imported food and material from other countries (Tan et al., 2007). Even though these goods and services can be easily enjoyed from nearby countries, our natural heritage is endowed with unique characteristics which provide us with a plethora of services that are irreplaceable by other countries. Hence, I disagree with the classmate’s comment; I feel that it is worth spending money and effort to protect and maintain the remaining biodiversity that we have.
The services that natural heritage can provide are the benefits that we people gain from them.
These include provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. In this paper, I will be elaborating on how these services can be provided by our natural heritage.
First of all, provisioning services supply the goods which include genetic resources and natural medicine. Our natural heritage consists of many species which include more than
2,000 native vascular plant species, about 57 mammalian species, 98 reptile species, 25 amphibian species, 355 bird species and many others (National Parks Board, 2009). This rich biodiversity that we possess should be conserved for long-term sustainability of all ecosystems. Some species, like the Singapore freshwater crab Johora singaporensis and aquatic aroid Cryptocoryne × timahensis (Kiew & Turner, 2003), are endemic to Singapore, as they can only be found in Singapore and no other countries (Tan et al., 2010). These
endemic
References: Kiew, R. & I.M. Turner, 2003. Are any plants endemic to Singapore? The Gardens ' Bulletin, 55(2): 173-184. Koh, L.L., T.K. Tan, L.M. Chou & N.K.C. Goh, 2002. Antifungal properties of Singapore gorgonians: a preliminary study. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 273(2): 121-130. Lovejoy, T.E., H. Lee, 2006. Climate change and biodiversity. Yale University Press, United States Wetland Reserve -First of its kind in the region. http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_news&task=view&id=41&Itemid=50. (25 August 2007). (Accessed on 27 March 2012). National Parks Board, 2009. Conserving Our Biodiversity: Singapore’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan National Parks Board, 2012a. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. National Parks Board, Singapore. http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=naturereserves&id=46&Itemid=75. (Accessed on 25 March 2012). National Parks Board, 2012b. Heritage Tree Register. National Parks Board, Singapore. http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=197&Itemid=79. (Accessed on 27 March 2012). National Parks Board, N.D. A Guide to Pulau Ubin Tree Trail. National Parks Board, Singapore. http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/diy_guide/Ubin_trees.pdf. (Accessed on 26 March 2012). Sim, J.W.S., 1991. Some Studies on Adinandra Belukar, B.Sc. Hons. dissertation, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Singapore Department of Statistics. 2012. Key Annual Indicators. Singapore Department of Statistics, Singapore. http://www.singstat.gov.sg/stats/keyind.html. Last updated 16 March 2012. (Accessed on 23 March 2012). Tan, H.T.W. 2006. Nature Reserve Parks, Gardens and Streetscapes: Today Singapore, Tomorrow the World Tan, H., L.M. Chou, D. Yeo & P. Ng, 2007. Let’s make use of natural heritage to cut down huge ecological footprint. The Straits Times (26 May 2007). Tan, H.T.W., L.M. Chou, D.C.J. Yeo & P.K.L. Ng, 2010. The Natural Heritage of Singapore. 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall, Singapore. 29 pp.