There can be no sustainability without conserving our biodiversity

Bukit Batok Hillside Park remains as a green buffer in a concrete jungle.

How do we balance nature conservation and urban development in order to ensure a sustainable future?

One way is to preserve our few remaining forest habitats and redevelop brownfield sites for housing and other uses.

Our forest habitats are homes for the diversity of flora and fauna, comprising our natural heritage.

They also serve as natural cooling agents to mitigate the increasing urban heat island effect exacerbated by global warming.

A sterling example is Bukit Batok Hillside Park, which is under threat of a proposed housing development.

It functions as the last remaining forest corridor for our resident wildlife between the disappearing Tengah forest and Bukit Batok nature park and Bukit Timah nature reserve.

Losing this hillside park will result in loss of biodiversity and increased heat.

This in turn may lead to a greater risk of proliferation of dengue-carrying mosquitoes and stress-related health issues respectively.

Instead of destroying our forests and replacing them with buildings and human-centric gardens which lack biodiversity, we should adopt an eco-centric approach in order to ensure a sustainable tomorrow for ourselves and our future generations.

P.S. Feel free to check out my podcast “Why I advocate nature conservation“.

P.P.S. Do support nature conservation and sustainable development by signing the petition here.

Advertisement

Learning to practise sustainable living from our primate friends in Singapore

Long-tailed macaques in Macritchie rainforest in Singapore

How can we ensure a “sustainable tomorrow”?

How do we live sustainably, without damaging the natural environment on one hand and without stunting our economic growth on the other hand?

Can we really achieve the elusive goal of sustainable development on this tiny Singapore island?

Well, it is said that the best conservationists are the indigenous tribes, who live off the land and take only what they need from the environment, without harming it.

Alas, we no longer have any indigenous peoples in our midst whose lifestyle we can emulate, no thanks to aggressive urbanisation and industrialisation, which has all but wiped out over 90% of the original rainforests.

Then again, we can probably learn from our primate friends, such as long-tailed macaques, who live mainly in the nature reserves and nature parks.

They can survive and thrive without damaging or polluting the forest.

Can we learn to live in harmony with Nature just like our animal friends?