New projects to help document Singapore's birds and butterflies

SINGAPORE - Have a keen eye for birds, butterflies and other creatures in Singapore's greenery? The National Parks Board (NParks) wants you to help document them.

The agency has developed several national citizen science programmes that aim to help Singaporeans learn about the country's biodiversity. In return, people can help to monitor the wildlife's distribution and population.

The new initiatives include NParks' Garden Bird Count, where participants will learn how to identify 30 common garden birds, such as the colourful pink-necked green pigeon and the spotted dove, and help to record them during the twice-a-year counts.

Launching the programmes at the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park on Thursday, Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said: "Citizens like you and me who are not researchers, but have an interest in plants and animals, can contribute data which could be useful for researchers."

Mr Lee also unveiled the SGBioAtlas, an app where people can report sightings of birds and other animals. This will help strengthen an existing online database that documents Singapore's biodiversity, and allow NParks to improve its conservation strategies.

NParks had previously started several citizen science programmes such as the Comprehensive Marine Biodiversity Survey and the Heron Watch.

To learn more about Garden Bird Count and other programmes, go to https://www.nparks.gov.sg/biodiversity/community-in-nature-initiative/n… and NParks' website.

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