NParks' first study on birds using citizen science data will help guide planning and design of urban green spaces to increase its diversity in Singapore

- Data contributed by more than 1,100 citizen scientists over five years

- Upcoming 12^th edition of Festival of Biodiversity celebrates the community’s efforts to conserve Singapore’s natural heritage

A National Parks Board (NParks) study[1] conducted using citizen science data collected as part of NParks’ Garden Bird Watch, a Community in Nature initiative, has shown that bird diversity in urban green spaces in Singapore is positively related to regularly shaped urban green spaces, the presence of semi-natural vegetation, and water bodies. These findings will guide the planning and design of urban green spaces in Singapore and demonstrate the key role of the community in transforming Singapore into a City in Nature. Members of the public can learn more about native biodiversity and take part in various activities at the Festival of Biodiversity on 27 and 28 May at Heartbeat@Bedok, which celebrates the community’s efforts in conserving Singapore’s natural heritage.

Using citizen science to guide planning and design of urban green spaces

The study analysed Garden Bird Watch data collected between 2015 and 2019 by over 1,100 citizen scientists to investigate the factors influencing the diversity of birds in our urban green spaces. In total, close to 70,000 bird sightings consisting of 184 species were recorded from 384 points across 64 sites surveyed. These sites comprised urban green spaces, including managed urban parks and nature parks with secondary lowland tropical rainforests on mainland Singapore.

The findings showed that regularly shaped urban green spaces are important for supporting bird diversity. Urban green spaces that contained patches of semi-natural vegetation also supported a greater variety of birds. Additionally, the presence of water bodies such as ponds in urban green spaces was also associated with a greater variety of birds, in particular those from certain functional groups[2] such as carnivores and aerial-flyers.

These insights, derived with the help of citizen scientists, will aid urban planners and landscape architects in planning and designing our future green spaces to ensure that they are conducive not just to park users, but to avifauna as well.

For more information on Garden Bird Watch and the study, please refer to the Annex.

12^th edition of the Festival of Biodiversity

These findings demonstrate the key role of the community in contributing towards the conservation of Singapore’s natural heritage. At the upcoming Festival of Biodiversity, the public can learn more about how they can support conservation efforts through participation in nature-related activities. Organised by NParks in collaboration with the Biodiversity Roundtable, the Festival is an annual celebration of the community’s efforts to conserve Singapore’s natural heritage. It is a culmination of a month-long suite of activities and events to commemorate the International Day for Biological Diversity and aims to deepen appreciation and encourage greater stewardship of our rich biodiversity among Singaporeans. The United Nations designated 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. This year’s theme, “From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity” is aligned with NParks’ efforts to partner the community in safeguarding our biodiversity. 

Into its 12^th year, the Festival of Biodiversity will be held on 27 and 28 May at Heartbeat@Bedok. This year’s festival features booths by the nature community and schools, exhibitions, talks, guided nature walks, and biodiversity themed art and craft workshops.

Launch of new book – Guide to Macrofungi of Singapore

A new book, Guide to Macrofungi of Singapore, produced by NParks in collaboration with the National University of Singapore, will be launched at the Festival of Biodiversity on 27 May 2023. It provides an identification guide to over 160 species of macrofungi found in Singapore. It is the first guidebook on Singapore’s wide diversity of macrofungi and slime moulds and highlights the importance of these organisms’ role in our ecosystem. The new book will be available for purchase at the Festival, as well as at the Gardens Shop at various locations around Singapore Botanic Gardens or on https://botanicgardensshop.sg/ from 27 May onwards.

Commemorative stamps to celebrate native freshwater biodiversity

In conjunction with the Festival of Biodiversity, NParks has partnered Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) to launch a stamp series, ‘Critically Endangered Flora of Singapore – Flora of Singapore’s Freshwater Swamp Forests’. The series features four species in the Species Recovery Programme under NParks' Nature Conservation Masterplan. Of the four, the Lipstick Plant (Aeschynanthus pulcher), Fagraea splendens, and Red Salak (Salacca affinis) were thought to be extinct in Singapore until they were rediscovered at Nee Soon Swamp Forest in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, reflecting the richness and resilience of Singapore’s habitats. Members of the public can purchase the stamps at all post offices, philatelic stores and online at shop.singpost.com from 27 May onwards.

Commemorating 60 years of greening and conservation efforts with the community

This year marks 60 years since the launch of Singapore’s nationwide greening movement in 1963. The upcoming Festival of Biodiversity commemorates 60 years of greening and celebrates the community’s efforts in conserving our natural heritage. Members of the public can find out more about activities held in commemoration of 60 years of greening Singapore by visiting http://www.go.gov.sg/60yearsgreening, and continue to play an active role in transforming Singapore into a City in Nature.

- End -

[1] Joy S. Y. Wong et al., “Tropical bird communities benefit from regular-shaped and naturalised urban green spaces with water bodies,” Landscape and Urban Planning 231 (March 2023): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104644

[2] Bird species were classified into functional groups based on diet and foraging strata. Diet functional groups include omnivores, carnivores, frugivores, insectivores, nectarivores, and granivores. Foraging functional groups include ground-dwellers, canopy-dwellers, understorey-dwellers, aerial-flyers, and mixed-dwellers.