Engaging more young Singaporeans to participate in biodiversity conservation is vital as they will be future stewards of the city, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee yesterday.
A new National Parks Board (NParks) initiative will create opportunities for youth to get involved, he added, through various programmes such as landscape design, biodiversity surveys and mentorships.
The Youth@SGNature initiative will reach out to about 25,000 young people aged 15 to 25 each year, more than double the current 11,000.
NParks also has separate programmes that cater to about 130,000 students of all levels.
On his Facebook page, Mr Lee also said that the aim of the Youth@SGNature initiative is to engage youth “at a deeper level to nurture them as volunteers and stewards in nature and greenery”.
NParks will partner Outward Bound Singapore on Pulau Ubin to conduct coastal clean-ups and biodiversity surveys, among other activities. This will be rolled out to Secondary 3 students starting next year, if the COVID-19 situation permits.
A new programme, Youth Nature Explorer, also offers activities such as invasive species management, plant nursery work and landscape design. Participants will be tasked with creating digital content for NParks’ social media platforms.
Selected participants aged 18 to 25 from these programmes may be invited to join the Youth Stewards for Nature, where they will take up three-to six-month projects offered by NParks, under the mentorship of NParks staff. These include leading species recovery efforts surveys or designing therapeutic gardens.
The Festival of Biodiversity, which is in its ninth edition, will run till 26 September. It is mostly being held online this year due to the pandemic, with a line-up of online activities and events.
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Source: The Straits Times, 6 September 2020