Mr Ng Lang, CEO, Urban Redevelopment Authority
Mr Kenneth Er, CEO, National Parks Board
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It is a beautiful morning to be here taking in the fresh air and this wondrous view of nature. I was here in 2014 with Nature Society, NParks and URA before the enhancement work started. It was very vegetated, overgrown – we could not see the ponds, it was completely overgrown by water hyacinth and other water plants. Back then, it looked green but I was told that the birds could not make a good habitat out of it, especially water birds. And now, we are here two years later and it is a transformation of a different kind – still green, still pristine, but more accessible to people and to wildlife. I remember seeing the Lesser Whistling Ducks two years ago, and they are still around here today.
This is really one of the most distinctive aspects of this city state we call Singapore. In many other countries, they have the city - the iron, the steel, glass and concrete pavements. And outside the city, they have the green spaces. Here in Singapore, we are all city. But, we are a City in a Garden and Kranji Marshes continues in that tradition. We are never more than a stone’s throw away from the nature and biodiversity that remind us that we are part of a larger whole. Over the past few years, we have enhanced this distinctiveness by adding to our treasure trove of nature areas, with the opening of the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve extension, Zhenghua Nature Park extension, and Springleaf Nature Park.
Today, we add to our gems Kranji Marshes. It is particularly significant that we are opening Kranji Marshes a day ahead of the World Wetlands Day on 2 February, a day celebrated since 1997 to raise awareness about the importance and value of wetlands such as the one in front of us.
Kranji Marshes is our latest nature enhancement project to support greater biodiversity under the Nature Conservation Masterplan. Among others, the Nature Conservation Masterplan aims to safeguard core biodiversity areas and improve ecological connectivity through the Park Connector Network and Nature Ways. In this way, our biodiversity can thrive, connect and interact across the island, for the enjoyment and benefit of all Singaporeans, including future generations.
The story of Kranji Marshes is an interesting one. It is a child of chance and choice, born of coincidence and collaboration, whose parents are nature, and the partnership between the Government and the community.
Kranji Marshes was formed by accident in the 1970s, when Sungei Kranji was dammed up to create Kranji Reservoir. Water flowed into the reservoir and flooded the low-lying grounds, forming a freshwater marshland.
However, thick vegetation soon covered the open water surface and cut off food sources for the birds. Recognising the rich biodiversity potential of the area, Nature Society Singapore (NSS) adopted the Kranji Marshes in 2008 under PUB’s ABC Waters Programme. NSS cleared parts of the vegetation, created two small mud islands for birds, and implemented a maintenance plan to sustain the wildlife in the area.
URA and NParks joined in the efforts in 2014, planning and developing the area to enhance its natural biodiversity. We specially designed aquatic habitats and landscape elements to allow a wide range of wetland-dependent birds and other wildlife to thrive. We contoured the banks of ponds to create shallow-water feeding grounds for birds. We installed perches in open waters and nest boxes to provide nesting sites for hole-nesting birds. Volunteers from NSS, corporate organisations and students were also involved in regular maintenance of the marshes.
Today, Kranji Marshes is an important nature area, spanning around 57 hectares of marsh areas, woodland and grass habitats. It serves as a natural filter for water entering Kranji Reservoir.
At the same time, these freshwater marshlands serve as an ideal habitat for wildlife. Its rich biodiversity includes more than 170 species of birds, 54 species of butterflies and 33 species of dragonflies, among many other flora and fauna. It is a strategic stopover for migratory birds, on top of being home to rare and endangered resident bird species. Since the water surfaces have opened up, birdlife has flourished and we have seen more resident and migratory birds, including nationally threatened species like the Purple Swamphen and Red-wattled Lapwing.
The next step was to open up the Marshes so that more Singaporeans can experience the wonders of a wetland habitat. URA and NParks installed basic and sensitively designed amenities to enhance the experience of visitors. These include trails, boardwalks, shelters, viewing tower and hideouts, and nature-inspired sculptures and boxes for birds and bats.
To enrich the experience, interpretative signs have been put up to provide visitors with interesting information on the signature bird species as well as the flora and fauna found here. Later this month, NParks and NSS will organise guided walks so that visitors can learn about the diversity of the area in greater detail and develop a keener appreciation for nature. Visitorship will be sensitively managed so as to minimise disruption to the wildlife.
And so with sensitive human intervention, a wonderful balance has been struck between vegetation and birds, and between wildlife and humans, to form the flourishing yet accessible habitat that you see here today.
Throughout the process, we worked closely with various stakeholders including NSS, to ensure a balanced and sensitive approach to conserving and developing the area. For example, the structures installed were carefully considered and sensitively designed to blend into the existing landscape. To minimise any impact on wildlife and their habitats, we always worked 50 metres away from sensitive areas, and pre-fabricated most of the structures off-site before assembling them on-site.
In our dense urban landscape, nature conservation and greenery provision are key to the high quality physical environment that we are so proud of. An abundant and lush green landscape can uplift the human spirit and complement the urban landscape. We will continue to make the best use of the greenery we have, through projects like Kranji Marshes, and many others such as the ABC Waters Programme and the Park Connector Network.
To sustain our City in a Garden, the support of the community is very important. The Kranji Marshes project is a wonderful example of what we can achieve if the Government and the community work together towards a common goal.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partner, NSS, contractors, consultants and all the volunteers who have been involved in the enhancement of Kranji Marshes. We were fortunate to work with like-minded stakeholders such as Stephen Caffyn Landscape Design, Metaphor Design + Architecture Pte Ltd, JS Tan Consultants Pte Ltd, DHI Water & Environment (S) Pte Ltd, CSN Consultants Pte Ltd, Tham & Wong LLP, Landscape Engineering Pte Ltd and Strix Wildlife Consultancy. I would also like to thank Extra Excellence, IKEA Singapore, and Singtel, who were involved in tree planting at Kranji Marshes, as part of habitat enhancement efforts. The success of this project would not have been possible without your efforts and support.
I wish all of you an enjoyable morning ahead. Thank you.