National Parks Board (NParks)

The historical roots of the Nation Parks board can be traced back to 1974 when the Recreation Division was established under the Ministry of National Development (MND). Its birth highlights our government’s commitment towards the integration of greenery into our local infrastructure. The Recreation Division was later promoted to become the Park and Recreation Department (PRD) in 1976. Mr Wong Yew Kwan, the first head of PRD and his team of 40 (consisting mostly of local graduates) were entrusted with the responsibility of long term maintenance of greenery in Singapore. Finally, in July 1996, the department was renamed as the National Parks board, the name which most of us would recognise!

The people at NParks are committed towards the improvement and servicing of greenery in Singapore. They do this by being on the ground to manage our landscape and also through outreach and educational programs developed to engage the general public. Till date, NParks manages over 300 parks and 4 nature reserves and is actively involved in issues related to landscaping, horticulture and biodiversity conservation.

Take a look at their company’s core beliefs!

Image created by author; image source: Picture 1 Picture 2

One such program started by NParks would be the Community in Nature (CIN) program. This initiative hopes to raise awareness about the importance of conservation issues within the public sphere.