New Nature Way Tours and Commemorative Children's Book to celebrate Clean and Green Singapore 2014

22 Oct 2013 – In conjunction with the Clean and Green Singapore (CGS) 2014 campaign, the National Parks Board (NParks) will be organising free tours on 2 and 3 November 2013 for the public to learn more about Nature Ways at Yishun and Tampines. Today, NParks also announced that a children’s book produced to commemorate 50 Years of Greening Singapore, titled Secrets of the Swamp, will be available at bookstores from 1 November 2013.

These initiatives are in line with the CGS 2014 campaign theme of Every Action Counts. Mr Poon Hong Yuen, CEO of NParks,said, “Everyone plays a part in conserving our natural heritage. Through the Nature Way tours and launch of the commemorative children’s book, we want to develop a greater public appreciation of Singapore’s lush greenery and rich biodiversity, and encourage more Singaporeans to take ownership of our City in a Garden.”

Free public tours of Nature Ways at Yishun and Tampines

For the first time, NParks is organising tours to take participants on a guided walk of the Nature Ways in Yishun (2 Nov 2013) and Tampines (3 Nov 2013), where they can spot birds and butterflies and learn more about the plants grown along these green corridors.

Nature Ways are routes planted with specific trees and shrubs to facilitate the movement of animals like birds and butterflies between two green spaces. This will help bring biodiversity closer to Singapore residents and enhance the quality of our living environment. Currently, there are four Nature Ways in Singapore, located in Admiralty, Kheam Hock, Tampines and Yishun. NParks aims to create over 60km of Nature Ways by 2015.

As spaces are limited, members of the public need to sign up for the tours at nparks_nature_ways@nparks.gov.sg. NParks will consider organising more public tours of Singapore’s Nature Ways if there is strong interest.

Commemorative children’s book aims to grow greater appreciation for native biodiversity in young readers

Produced in commemoration of 50 Years of Greening Singapore, Secrets of the Swamp aims to develop in children a greater interest and appreciation for the flora and fauna found in our City in a Garden. This is the first time NParks has produced a children’s storybook that focuses on Singapore’s native biodiversity.

Written by Neil Humphreys, author of best-selling books about Singapore, Secrets of the Swamp is a tale of adventure about what Singapore would be like without its lush greenery and rich biodiversity. To encourage young readers to learn more about their natural environment, more than 40 native plant and animal species have been mentioned in the book or featured in its colourful illustrations. The book also includes a map which highlights parks and nature reserves where these local species can be found, including Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore Botanic Gardens and Admiralty Park.

Secrets of the Swampis available at $16 from major bookstores as well as the Library Shop at the Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1 November 2013. Its electronic version is also available at www.booktique.comfor $9.90 from 1 December 2013.