Nature reserves Xinyi & Nguwar

Singapore should not set aside land for nature reserves as it is not to Singapore's benefit to do so since  there is lack of land in Singapore. The increasing population of Singapore would require more land space for a living no matter if it's used for housing or recreation purposes. Nature reserves are to protact the natures from disappearing but Singapore already have 2 or 3 nature reserves which I personally feel is enough for a small country like Singapore. Singapore should use the land more wisely and decide for the future, prioritise lands for economy, housing.

Nature Reserves by Erika

I agree that we should still set aside land for nature reserves considering how land scarce Singapore is as these areas are home to animals. Singapore's nature reserves serve as a natural habitat to some rare and near extinct. For example, the sungei buloh wetland reserve serves as a refueling point for many migratory birds. It is not only for the migratory birds but sungei buloh wetland reserve is also home to five hundred species flora and fauna. If these nature reserves are not kept, these animals will lose their homes and birds that travel to these areas will disappear. The animals might not be able to adapt to the new changes and this will result in a decrease in the population. The animals have as much right as us to not have their homes destroyed. Therefore we should set aside land for nature reserves.

Nature Jeremy Zijun

Considering how land scarce Singapore is, should we set aside land for nature reserves? 

I agree that Singapore should set aside land for nature reserves as there is a global issue on animal and flora species extinctions. By doing so, we can help to preserve more wildlife and prevent more species from growing extinct. Singapore has one of the worst environmental issues as it produces greenhouse gases, which is very harmful for the environment. By setting aside land for nature reserves, we can do more to improve the environmental issues in Singapore.

  The main purpose of setting aside land for nature reserves is to improve the environmental situation in singapore. Singapore, being a metropolitan, would have many gas emissions from vehicles. The large amount of gas emission trap a lot of heat in the atmosphere, which increases the rate of global warming, which harms the whole world.

Therefore, Singapore should set aside land for nature reserves.

Nature Reserves by Kian Boon and Jize

Singapore should still set aside land for nature reserves, even though there is limited land space in Singapore. Singapore faces a number of environmental problems, including but not limited to scarce freshwater resources and loss of our unique biodiversity. Due to our lack of these resources, it is more needed than ever to preserve and protect these nature reserves for the future generations of Singapore and for our benefit. Losing such natural resources could lead to some serious consequences such as harming our economy due to our lack of natural resources, or loss of biomedical education and research due harming our biodiversity. One example is how Singapore has been named “A Garden City” for over 200 years due to our unique biodiversity and natural phenomena, but due to our rapid development in the past 30 years, we have faced the mass decline of natural reserves to make way for urban development. The extent of this decline in natural reserves is so great that Singapore went from having 13 nature reserves to only 4 in the span of less than a century. Another example is how we have lost much of our biodiversity in the previous years. We were once a mainly forested area, with many species living on our small island within our own unique biodiversity, but due to urban development, many species are now endangered or are already extinct, while less migratory birds fly to Singapore as the years go by, aware of the harm that we have done to their forests and habitats which is their home. Thus, due to all the environmental problems that we could face, Singapore should still set aside land for natural reserves, even though there is limited land space in Singapore.

Nature reserves by Hongyi and Shao Min

I feel that we should not set aside land in Singapore for nature reserves. Recreational areas, such as parks and gardens, have replaced the need of nature reserves since people rarely visit it and would rather go to parks than nature reserves. Singapore aims to be a city in a garden, which means there will be plenty of greenery for us to enjoy. Additionally, the land taken up by nature reserves could be use for housing and development, which will be more often used by Singaporeans, therefore maximizing the use of space. As Singapore plans to have 6.9 million people by the year 2030, I believe that the space can be used for more houses to cater them, or more facilities for recreational purposes of Singaporeans. Nature reserves are not necessary as there are few native species in Singapore and the environment would not be affected a lot if they are removed. For example, there has been a debate concerning whether the Cross Island Line should go through the Central Catchment Nature Reserve or loop around it to protect it. By looping around it, it will serve more people in other areas and would be more convenient for commuters. In the conclusion, the benefits of using the specific area on housing and development than compared to using it for a nature reserve.

Nature reserve by Adon

Nature reserves are home to countless species of flora and fauna. The bukit Timah nature reserve houses around 1000 species of flowering plants as well as more than 500 species of animals. Some of the common animals that can be found are monkeys, and Tempinis trees are also abundant in the nature reserve. This is why i feel that we should keep our nature reserve as it is home to so many life forms, and the destruction of the nature reserve would result in the loss of homes for all of them, which is undesirable. It is the same concept as eviction from our homes, and I believe none of us would like the feeling of that. We should learn to treasure Mother nature instead of harming it, or else our selfish acts will most likely cause the future generations to be unable to enjoy the natural environment anymore.

Nature Reserves by Xinyan and Meixuan

Stand: Agree

  I agree that we should still set aside land for nature reserves despite the land scarcity problem we have here in Singapore. This is mainly because of our global issues such as extinction of wild animals and flora, and the need to preserve as much wildlife as possible for the good of the world. Singapore is the top worst environmental performer according to a proportional environmental impact index. Thus, it is important that we try to reverse the damage done by building more nature reserves even though the amount of land that we have is little.
  Our primary consideration is to prevent the destruction of indigenous flora and fauna. If we take into consideration the land scarcity, there will be a threat towards the nature of our clean and green country. The relocation will benefit our country greatly by preserving wildlife, and compared to that, the little issues such as longer train rides and higher cost will be too little to consider a problem.
  Hence, we should set aside land for nature reserves.

Nature reserves by Rong Yan

I think that considering how land scarce Singapore is, we should still set aside land for nature reserves because nature reserves raise awareness of environmental values and it can serve as a tool to finance protection of natural areas and increase their economic importance. Tourism can contribute directly to the conservation of sensitive areas and habitat. For example, the tour operator Discovery Initiatives, which is a member of the Tour Operators Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development, makes an annual financial contribution to the Orangutan Foundation of some US$ 45,000. The money is earned from only 5 tour groups of 10 people each visiting the Tanjing Putting National Park in Central Kalimantan. The park is under huge pressures from deforestation and river pollution from unrestricted gold mining. This money directly funds park staff and rangers, rehabilitation efforts for young orangutans, and the care center. It provides almost the only economic support for saving this park, where the park fees are officially only the equivalent of 12 pence a day. 

Painting grass green by JOEL & Jinyi

Link to article   
Summary:
Workers from Chengdu's municipal landscaping department were caught painting the grassy roadsides with a fluorescent green spray called "Top Green Turf Greening Agent". The landscaping department dyed the grass in an attempt to make China look beautiful amongst the smog and pollution.  The "Greening Agent" is just a green dye and has been sold to the Chengdu government for the past five to six years. The dye lasts for 10 to 14 weeks and is not washed away by the rain.

Opinion:
I am amazed at the willingness of Chinese officials to go to such extreme lengths to beautify their country. I believe that the Chinese should stop resorting painting images of themselves as a great nation and to instead take actions to change their country for the better. Instead of spending money on upgrading facilities and improving the lifestyles of the Chinese, the government has instead spent money on projecting images of a beautiful nation to tourists. The Chinese should stop making their country artificial and make efforts to improve it naturally.