The Ministry of Environment has set up several committees to brainstorm the necessary action programmes to implement and fulfill the proposals that are accepted in the Singapore Green Plan 2012.

The Committee for Nature Conservation (CNC) co-ordinated by the National Park Board, is responsible for working on the action programmes for all the nature areas. Nature Society (Singapore) is represented in this committee. Among the various tasks projected by the committee are:

1. Biodiversity Surveys for Nature Areas

2. The Singapore Red Data Book

3. Identification and Compilation of Natural Areas

The biodiversity surveys are slated to be carried out over an extended period of time as and when funding becomes available.

The Red Data Book will involve a revision and updating of NSS’s book (published in 1994) and is targeted for publication in 2004.

Identification & Compilation of Natural Areas.

The Project for Natural Areas involves the identification and compilation of areas that are outside the current Green Plan or the public park system but which you think are also worthy of conservation for their biodiversity. As far as we can understand currently, the project is not an exercise in looking for new Nature Areas to be put into the Green Plan. The objective is to provide guidance to planners as to their biodiversity significance so that where possible, planning of land-use could be adjusted in such ways as not to inadvertently destroy or degrade them. In their current state, they could serve as areas for potential public parks or as stepping stones and green Corridors for wildlife.

YOUR HELP IS REQUIRED FOR THIS PROJECT. If you know of any such Natural Areas that you think is worthy of conservation, please let us know by sending us information under the following headings:

1. Name of Site (After a river, a road, a reservoir, town, etc.)

2. Location (Give the boundaries by roads, rivers, canals, lakes, etc.)

3. General Description (Describe briefly its topography, habitat type, current usage, future land-use plan, etc.)

4. Importance (Ecological or biodiversity highlights, e.g. sightings of interesting or rare species; you can attach a checklist of species).

5. Reported by (Name of group or person responsible for submission; vie contact telephone number and/or e-mail address)

6. Ranking (Optional; preferably give a five-star ranking)

7. Sketch-Map (Optional, if whereabouts can be precisely given under Location)

8. References (Any articles, references in existing literature or newspaper reports, video documentaries, etc.)

If you have any submissions, please send in by e-mail or post to NSS office by 30 July 2003. Please try your best to keep your submission to one A4 page per site, with single spacing. Include any sketch-map and checklist separately. If you need advice on the site, you can contact Kim Seng or myself. The NSS Conservation Committee will process all submissions and decide as to which will be selected for the compilation to be forwarded to the Committee for Nature Conservation.

Ho Hua Chew

1. The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resource (MEWR) is seeking public feedback on significant environmental issues in an extensive online environmental survey launched tomorrow (25 May 2005). This is part of the three-yearly review of the Singapore Green Plan 2012 (SGP2012), which started from 22 April this year.

2. This extensive survey touches on a range of key environmental issues like:

a. What more Singapore can do to address the issue of climate change;

b. What more measures we can adopt to increase our recycling rate and cute waste; and

c. What kind of activities we can further introduce for our reservoirs.

3. Public feedback from this survey will be channeled to the respective SGP2012 Review Focus Groups for their consideration, and will shape the strategies and directions to be taken in addressing many of these challenges.

Three-yearly review of the Singapore Green Plan 2012

4. MEWR started the three-year review of SGP2012 on 22 April to ensure that environmental strategies, targets and action programmes mapped out in the plan remain robust in the face of emerging environmental challenges. The review is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

5. To reach out to a wide spectrum of Singaporeans, views from our 3P (Public, Private, People) stakeholders are actively being sought. Three Focus Groups on Air and Climate Change, Water, and Clean Land, Nature and Public Health have since been formed and discussions will take place from April to July 2005. The Focus Groups will submit their recommendations in August to the SGP2012 Coordinating Committee, chaired by Permanent Secretary (Environment and Water Resources). The committee comprises representatives from the 3P (People, Private and Public) sectors.

Online environment survey

6. The public can take part in this environment survey available online from tomorrow (25 May 2005) on the SGP2012 website and can choose to give their feedback on any of the following issues or all of them:

a. Enhancing Singapore’s air quality

b. Conserving, valuing and enjoying our waters

c. Increasing recycling rate and reducing waste

d. Fighting against dengue and keeping our public areas and hawker centres clean

e. Conserving our natural heritage

7. The survey will be available online for the next three months.

Other feedback channels

8. Beyond the online environment survey, the public can also give their feedback towards the review by writing to the SGP2012 Secretariat at:

Email: mewr_sgp@mewr.gov.sg

Fax: (65) 6731 9456

Mail: Attn: SGP2012 Secretarial

Corporate Communications Department

Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources

Environment Building

40 Scotts Road #23-00

Singapore 228231

9. All public feedback received will be given to the relevant Focus Group for its consideration. For more information, please call 1800-738 4622.

Singapore Green Plan 2012

10. Launched in August 2002, the Singapore Green Plan 2012 (SGP2012) is Singapore’s 10-year blueprint towards environmental sustainability. With a highly focused and action-oriented approach, it sets out Singapore’s response to the challenges of sustaining a quality environment while pursuing economic progress.

11. Jointly formulated by partners in the 3P (People, Private, Public) sectors, the SGP2012 outlines a series of major targets in six functional areas – Waste Management, Conserving Nature, Clean Air, Water Supply, Public Health and International Collaboration. In addition, targets have been set in two cross-cutting areas – namely Community Partnership, and Innovation. Six Action Programme Committees comprising members from the 3P sectors were set up to implement Action Programmes und the SGP2012.