Singapore to plant 1 million trees over the next 10 years

SINGAPORE — Over the next 10 years, the National Parks Board (NParks) plans to plant one million trees across Singapore, in its bid to build a “City in Nature”.

In a statement on Wednesday (March 4), NParks said that some 100 individuals and more than 100 groups have pledged their support to this movement, which will take place at streetscapes, gardens, parks and park connectors, nature reserves and nature parks.

One of them is Keppel Corporation, which has pledged to donate S$3 million for some 10,000 trees to be planted over the next five years. Others include the National University of Singapore, which has committed to plant over 80,000 trees on its campus over the next 10 years.

Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said around 50,000 trees are planted a year.

“We will double the pace and plant one million trees over the next 10 years… We may lose some streetscape greenery due to developmental needs, but we will plant back what is lost and more”.

He was speaking during the debate on the Ministry of National Development’s (MND) budget. NParks is a statutory board under MND.

Other initiatives by NParks include:

1. An additional 200 hectares of nature parks by 2030, which is about 2.5 times the size of Botanic Gardens

Nature parks surround nature reserves and serve as complementary habitats and buffers to protect the nature reserves against the impact of urbanisation and human activities.

One new nature park will be at Khatib Bongsu. The 40-hectare nature park will serve as a stopover for migratory shorebirds, and complement the Mandai mangrove and mudflat, as well as Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

2. An additional 140 hectares of gardens and parks over the next five years

NParks said it will incorporate natural designs and planting in these new and redeveloped parks to recreate the look and feel of Singapore’s natural forests.

3. An additional 26 therapeutic gardens across Singapore by 2030

There are currently four of these gardens designed for elderly Singaporeans.

4. Implementing species recovery plans for 70 more native and plant species, restore 30 hectares of forest, marine and coastal habitats and improve habitats in at least 50 per cent of Singapore’s gardens, parks and streetscapes over the next 10 years

Around 50 species have been recovered to date.

5. An additional 185km of nature ways by 2030, with the eventual goal of turning every road into a nature way

This amounts to 300km of nature ways, which refer to streets that have multi-tiered planting to create a forest-like feel. They make streets cooler and more resilient to the effects of urbanisation.

6. An additional 200km of skyrise greenery by 2030, up from the current 120 hectares

Skyrise greenery includes vertical green walls, green roofs and rooftop gardens.

7. Plant more than 100,000 trees in industrial estates, such as Tuas Industrial Estate and Seletar Aerospace Park, over the next 10 years

Industrial estates are among the hotter areas in Singapore, so more intensified greenery will help cool the areas.

NParks is currently working with JTC and Jurong Island stakeholders to plant more than 30,000 trees on the island.

8. An additional 160km of park connectors by 2030 so that all households will be within a 10-minute walk from a park