The Dark Shadow Shrine

embrace the darkness; that you may see the light nestled within it......

Monday, April 29, 2013

Natural Greenery 'key to diverse wildlife'

For those who have done the 2011 Compre on Green Spaces and Parks, this article on Singapore is quite useful. One benefit of green spaces mentioned in the compre passage is that they can be the habitat for rich biodiversity of wildlife. But as for article below shows, even though 47% of Singapore is covered in greenery, only about half of this is 'natural' whereas the rest are 'cultivated'. The kind of wildlife present in the latter is also limited in variety.
Note that Gardens by the Bay is considered 'cultivated', but because it is deliberately fashioned as a showcase of the vegetation worldwide, the variety is not limited.

One other useful point to take away from the article is at the end where it is mentioned that the kind of nature we 'have contact with' actually 'determine[s] the level of public support for conservation'. Indeed, one of the main reasons why Singaporeans have limited environmental conscience is because we have limited exposure to nature since we are a city. Just as it is difficult to love/care/make sacrifices for someone if we do not have sufficient contact with him/her, likewise our relationship with Mother Nature. If we d not take steps to preserve greenery in Singapore, esp that of the 'natural' kind, our contact and exposure to Mother Nature will diminish, and consequently our environmental conscience. It is not possible to care for someone (and fight for his/her rights) if we do not have contact with him/her or know him/her well.....