NParks to nurture more young S'poreans to be stewards of nature

Engaging more young Singaporeans to participate in biodiversity conservation is vital as they will be future stewards of the city, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee yesterday.

A new National Parks Board (NParks) initiative will create more opportunities for youth to get involved, he added, through various programmes such as landscape design, biodiversity surveys and mentorships.

The Youth@SGNature initiative will reach out to about 25,000 young people aged 15 to 25 each year, more than double the 11,000 NParks currently engages.

NParks also has separate programmes that cater to about 130,000 students of all levels.

Mr Lee, who is also Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration, was speaking in a video opening of the month-long e-Festival of Biodiversity.

On his Facebook page, Mr Lee also said that the aim of the Youth@SGNature initiative is to engage youth "at a deeper level to nurture them as volunteers and stewards in nature and greenery".

NParks will partner Outward Bound Singapore on Pulau Ubin to conduct coastal clean-ups, tree planting and biodiversity surveys, among other activities. This will be rolled out to Secondary 3 students starting next year, if the Covid-19 situation permits.

A new programme, Youth Nature Explorer, also offers activities such as invasive species management, biodiversity beach patrols, plant nursery work and landscape design. Participants will be tasked with creating digital content for NParks' social media platforms.

NParks said it is looking to fill some 300 slots for a pool of young people who can act as ambassadors for biodiversity and horticulture.

Selected participants aged 18 to 25 from these programmes may be invited to join the Youth Stewards for Nature, where they will take up three-to six-month projects offered by NParks, under the mentorship of NParks staff. These include leading species recovery efforts surveys, designing therapeutic gardens or even a "nature way", which refers to less manicured green corridors that are meant to mimic the structure of a forest.

The Festival of Biodiversity, which is in its ninth edition, will run till Sept 26. It is mostly being held online this year due to the pandemic, with a line-up of online activities and events.

One such activity is a special edition of Wader Watch held on videoconferencing platform Zoom. The public can visit Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve virtually and learn more about the migratory shorebirds that arrive in the nature reserve every year to escape the harsh winter in the north.

Yesterday, 25 educational institutions, educators and students were lauded for their contributions to local biodiversity conservation efforts with the new NParks Community in Nature Schools Award.

Two books - A Review Of Garden Bird Watch (2015-2019) and A Guide To The Bees Of Singapore - featuring contributions from the nature community were also launched.