This book is a must-read for all who love nature and the environment. It contains 50 inspiring essays written by Singaporeans and friends who share their perspectives, expertise and experience — as scientists, lawyers, economists, engineers, bankers, government officers, and civil society — all linked by a love for nature, for the environment, and for Singapore. The essays focus on the protection and preservation of Singapore’s rich biodiversity (primates, colugos, otters, butterflies, dragonflies, stick-insects, birds, coral reefs, mangroves and sea grasses); efforts to save special areas (the Lower Peirce Reservoir, Chek Jawa, Sungei Buloh, the Rail Corridor and the first marine nature reserve); the contributions of NGOs (Nature Society, Herpetological Society, Waterways Watch Society); and the efforts of scholars, the government and the private sector to ensure a clean and green City in Nature, amidst the challenges of limited space and climate change.
Contents:
- President’s Foreword
- Introduction
- About the Contributors
- The Built Environment in Harmony with Nature (Esther An)
- Primates of Singapore (Andie Ang and Sabrina Jabbar)
- Cities and Biodiversity (Lena Chan)
- Business and Our Natural World (Jessica Cheam)
- From Plant-blind to Botanist (Chong Kwek Yan)
- Coral Reefs in the Urban Seascape (Chou Loke Ming)
- Working with the IPCC: A Singapore Boy’s View of Climate Change (Winston Chow)
- My Personal Journey with Nature (Chua Ee Kiam)
- Singapore and the Protection of the Marine Environment (Tara Davenport)
- The Importance of Birds to Humanity (Vinayagan Dharmarajah)
- Greening Singapore: From Garden City to City in Nature (Kenneth Er and Leong Chee Chiew)
- Speaking up for Nature (Geh Min)
- The Role of Financial Institutions and the Environment (Piyush Gupta with Helge Muenkel)
- Sungei Buloh (R E Hale)
- From Engineering to Diplomacy (Hazri Hassan)
- Our Water, Our Life, Our Future (Eugene Heng)
- The Battle to Conserve Nature in Singapore (Ho Hua Chew)
- Insects of Singapore: The Uncountable that Counts (Hwang Wei Song)
- History of Sustainable Energy in Singapore and Its Future Role (Edwin T F Khew)
- Butterflies of Singapore (Khew Sin Khoon)
- A Social Compact in Co-creating a City in Nature (Joseph K H Koh)
- The Importance of Environmental Law (Koh Kheng Lian)
- Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change (Koh Lian Pin)
- My Green Journey (Tommy Koh)
- The Herpetological Society and Youth Outreach (Law Ing Sind and Law Ingg Thong, with Sankar Ananthanarayanan and Serin Subaraj)
- From Railway Land to Rail Corridor (Leong Kwok Peng)
- Colugos in Singapore (Norman Lim)
- Cities and Climate Change (Jolene Lin)
- Nature Society (Singapore) (Shawn Lum)
- The Legal Protection of Nature in Singapore (Lye Lin Heng)
- When We Nurture Nature, Nature Nurtures Us (Kirtida Mekani)
- Here be Dragonflies: An Ode to Singapore’s Flying Dragons (Marcus Ng and Robin Ngiam)
- Hard Truths from a Flawed Naturalist (Peter K L Ng)
- The Re-introduction of the Oriental Pied Hornbill to Singapore (Ng Soon-Chye with Marc Cremades)
- How Much for the Environment? (Euston Quah)
- A Crazy Fondness for Stick-insects (Francis Seow-Choen)
- Managing Seagrass Meadows for Resilience in Highly Urbanised Coastal Cities: A Singapore Case Study (Siti Maryam Yaakub)
- The Smooth-coated Otters of Singapore (N Sivasothi aka ‘Otterman’)
- Birds of Singapore (Morten Strange and Bee Choo Strange)
- The Power of a Story (Audrey Tan)
- The Greening of NUS Campus: From Iconic Ambience of Bukit Timah Campus (BTC) to Global Sustainability Leader (Tan Eng Chye)
- Gardens by the Bay (Kiat W Tan)
- Resurrecting a National Heritage — The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (Leo Tan Wee Hin)
- Chek Jawa (Tan Yong Soon)
- International Climate Negotiations: Reflections from Singapore’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Change (Joseph Teo)
- Singapore’s Blue Heart: The Sisters’ Islands Marine Park (Karenne Tun)
- The Battle to Save the Lower Peirce Forest (Wee Yeow Chin)
- My Fascination with Mangroves (Yang Shufen)
- Singapore’s Freshwater Habitats: More Than Meets the Eye (Darren Yeo Chong Jinn)
- Protecting Migratory Birds in Singapore and the Flyway (Yong Ding Li)
- Index
Readership: General readers who are interested in Singapore’s nature, flora and fauna.
Key Features:
- Presents personal reflections from eminent Singaporeans including Prof Tommy Koh, Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large; Prof Leo Tan, former Chairman, National Parks Board; Prof Tan Eng Chye, President, National University of Singapore; Mr Tan Yong Soon, former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources; Dr Tan Wee Kiat, founding CEO, Gardens by the Bay; and Dr Geh Min, former Nominated Member of Parliament and former President, Nature Society (Singapore)