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SINGAPORE : Singapore is in the final stages of developing the world's first City Biodiversity Index.
The self assessment tool aims to assist cities in benchmarking their biodiversity conservation efforts.
Stakeholders are hopeful that the index will be adopted internationally when it is discussed at the Convention on Biological Diversity's 10th Conference of Parties meeting in Nagoya, Japan next month.
Planting trees and building park connectors are some examples how a city like Singapore conserves its biodiversity.
Three hundred experts from Singapore and abroad, who are attending the Hitachi Eco Conference, are looking at ways on how to push the conservation message.
For land-scarce Singapore, it can be a tricky issue.
Singapore National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said: "While Singapore is blessed with a rich natural heritage, we face the dilemma in maintaining a careful balance between biodiversity conservation and other competing needs to meet our needs, social and recreational objectives.
"With a limited space of 710 square kilometres, we need to pay particular attention to land use planning to make sure that every piece of land is well -used.
So the proposed City Biodiversity Index aims to be a comprehensive measuring tool.
More than 30 cities like London and Paris have completed or are in various stages of test bedding the index that has over 20 assessment indicators.
But just how did Singapore fare?
Dr Leong Chee Chiew, deputy CEO, N Parks and Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, said: "I would say that we are okay. I think as Singapore goes, we know that there are certain areas that we are strong in, and areas that we need to improve in.
"Each of us can do our part to reduce the fragmentation, increase the natural linkages between habitats and eco-systems, so that the conservation strategy of Singapore will not be confined to nature reserves."
The index has since been fine-tuned to make it more applicable to cities with different characteristics.
Dr Leong said: "It gives a lot of scope for cities to pick up on areas on what they can improve on, and that gives us hope that it will be adopted. We hope that with the adoption in October, we can move to the next phase of training and working with the Convention to help cities use it."
If adopted, cities are likely to be assessed every three or four years. - CNA/ms
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