Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity

The City Biodiversity Index (CBI) or the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity (SI) is a self-assessment tool for cities to evaluate and monitor the progress of their biodiversity conservation efforts against their own individual baselines.

It comprises:

a) The “Profile of the City”, which provides the city’s background information; and
b) The 28 indicators that measure native biodiversity, ecosystem services provided by biodiversity, and governance and management of biodiversity based on guidelines and methodology provided in the Handbook on the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity [PDF, 4.4MB].

The SI is a dynamic tool with a scoring system that is quantitative in nature. Each indicator is assigned a scoring range between zero and four points, with a total possible maximum score of 112 points. The year in which a city embarks on this scoring system is taken as the baseline year and will be measured against future applications of the SI to chart its progress in conserving biodiversity.

Cities that have applied the SI have found that:

a) The process facilitated capacity-building and networking in biodiversity conservation;
b) The indicators also functioned as guidelines for biodiversity conservation and in master-planning of cities; and
c) The quantitative scoring assisted in setting priorities for conservation actions and budget allocation.

Moving forward, it is imperative that the SI remains relevant, credible and flexible enough to be adapted into broader frameworks. The true measure of success is the regular and long-term application of the SI by cities to chart their progress in conserving biodiversity.

For more information on the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity, please access the links below.