The National Parks Board Commemorates 50 Years of Greening Singapore in 2013

Launch of 'Community in Action for Kheam Hock' - first of a series of activities to mark milestone

 Singapore, 2 Feb 2013 - This year marks 50 years of greening for Singapore, and the National Parks Board (NParks) is organising various activities for the community to be part of our City in a Garden vision and commemorate this milestone. The first event is the launch of Community in Action for Kheam Hock - an initiative involving NParks, Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS), community gardening volunteers and the Kheam Hock community.  For the first time, the community is coming together to grow bird- and butterfly-attracting plants at homes, along roads and within buildings.  In doing so, they help create a Nature Way for birds, butterflies and other small animals to travel between the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and bring biodiversity closer to their neighbourhood. Details of the initiative were unveiled today at the launch event graced by Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for National Development, at Singapore Chinese Girls' School (SCGS), one of the schools participating in this initiative.

Speaking at the event, Mr Poon Hong Yuen, NParks' Chief Executive Officer, said, "Fifty years ago, Singapore embarked on a greening journey to enhance the quality of living for the people, and make our island-state distinctive and attractive. What we see today is the hard work of many over the past five decades, and we must continue to involve the community in building a greener home for ourselves and future generations of Singaporeans. Community in Action for Kheam Hock showcases how we have been partnering with the community to make Singapore greener and richer in biodiversity. We welcome more people to join us in this collective effort to take ownership of our living environment, and make Singapore a City in a Garden." 

Community in Action for Kheam Hock

Community in Action for Kheam Hock is a long-term, community-led initiative to improve the living environment by growing bird- and butterfly-attracting plants.  Covering an area of approximately 100ha, Kheam Hock lies between two biodiversity-rich areas: Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Singapore Botanic Gardens.  Hence, NParks has earmarked Kheam Hock as a Nature Way - a route planted with specific trees and shrubs to facilitate the movement of animals between two green spaces. Three other Nature Ways have been identified, at Admiralty, Tampines and Yishun.  NParks is currently collaborating with NSS and schools along the Nature Ways to grow more plants and carry out biodiversity surveys. It is estimated that more than 60km of the Nature Ways will be planted up by 2015.

Though the initiative is still in its early stages of development, it has seen strong support from schools, residents, corporate organisations and community gardening volunteers. For example, SCGS has partnered NParks to develop a nursery within the school's premises. Plants in the nursery will be grown by the students and sold to residents living in the Kheam Hock area.  NParks and Community in Bloom ambassadors, Mr Tony Yau and Mdm Salbiah, assisted the students by conducting educational workshops and providing gardening advice.

Some 20 households in the area have also agreed to grow plants within their premises or on allocated plots as part of NParks' Community in Bloom programme. Through the effort of Community in Bloom ambassador Mr Allen Ang and his CDL team, the plants for The Glyndebourne, a CDL condominium currently under construction, have been specially selected to attract more biodiversity to the development.

Corporate organisations like UBS have also pledged support to the common cause of greening up the neighbourhood. UBS will collaborate with the residents to maintain the greenery in the area.

Minister Khaw joined the various community partners like UBS staff, community gardening volunteers and residents to mark the launch of the project by planting several trees and shrubs along Kheam Hock Road.

To further bolster the effort, NParks has enriched the greenery in the Kheam Hock area with flowering plants such as Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum) and Batoko Plum (Flacourtia inermis), which attract butterflies and support their breeding.

50 Years of Greening Singapore

On 16 June 1963, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew planted a Mempat tree at Farrer Circus, signifying the start of Singapore's greening campaign. Through the dedication and commitment of Singapore's pioneers, the city is now filled with majestic trees, colourful flowers and vibrant parks. Singapore has also moved on to its next phase of greening - to become a City in a Garden.

Together with support from our sponsors, partners and tenants, NParks has planned various activities for the community to be a part of our City in a Garden vision. Some of the key events include roving installations of nostalgic play sets, distribution of seed-planting kits to all Primary 3 students and the planting of 1,963 trees as part of the Garden City Fund's Plant-A-Tree programme.

For more information on these key events, please visit www.nparks.gov.sg/50years.