The Value of Singapore Biodiversity is…

We can now quantify biodiversity! Singapore created City Biodiversity Index (or Singapore Index), a measurement tool to measure amount and level of biodiversity in cities.

The index measures three aspect of biodiversity: Biodiversity in City (the number of native species, percentage of natural land and etc), Ecosystem Services provided by the Nature Biodiversity in the City (pollution reduction, recreation and etc) and Governance and Management Biodiversity in the City (policies and etc). A draft of the Index (pdf) is now available on the CBD website.

This index indeed helps cities better manage their biodiversity. Related organizations can now better keep track of the effectiveness of their conservation efforts and make adjustment when necessary.

However, the index is only able to capture the instrumental value of biodiversity. With attention paid on the second aspect of the index, Ecosystem Services provided by the Nature Biodiversity in the City, which only measures biodiversity’s usefulness to human. Singaporeans may see conservation as a mean to achieve humans need from biodiversity.

Image from thegovmonitor

This index is unable to capture the intrinsic value of biodiversity. Humans should respect nature and recognize the role of every species in the eco-system. The worth of every animal should be independent of the value to humans or any other species. Therefore, conservation efforts should based on moral and ethical grounds instead of the functions and values of biodiversity.

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