Launched in September 2001, this initiative aspires to connect communities for the conservation of Singapore’s natural heritage. Through this program, NParks hopes to gather people from all walks of life and equip them with the knowledge about our islands rich biodiversity. The do so by encouraging people to interact with nature they seek to forge strong bonds within the Singaporean community and towards our natural world so that greater interest will be sparked towards conservation issues.

This program provides a wide variety of hands on opportunities in hopes that citizens will move from being a mere bystander to an active participant in conservation issues. For instance, volunteers embark on nature trips to observe natural species and learn more about their behaviour and habitat or assist with surveys and research projects.

One such project would be conducting intertidal surveys whereby participants follow researchers to conduct quantitative data analysis on marine species using the quadrant method. The data collected will help to facilitate future decisions made on the conservation of coastal areas. These volunteers can relay their experiences to the public during road shows and workshops.

Volunteers embarking on the intertidal watch quantitative survey  expedition Image source

Volunteers sharing their experiences during the Festival of Biodiversity (right)Image source