Given the limited land available in Singapore, is it wise to

set aside some areas as nature reserves?

Nature is such a beautiful creation of god. This beauty can be felt everyday by taking a
closer look of nature. Listening to the birds singing early in the morning at sunrise,
squirrels moving hurriedly with short quick steps across the path, watching the
thousands of the birds flying away, the clouds telling their own story, the cheery
flowers, feel the waves of the sea and the divine gentle breeze, and seeing the stars
shine on a clear night is best experience nature give to us. It should be valued above
everything.
Nature reserve is a place where wildlife plants and animals are protected and
uninterrupted, and this can sometime mean continuing with or restoring the old-time
practices which originally helped to make them wildlife-rich.
To set aside land for nature reserves and parks in Singapore even while intensifying land
use somewhere else would be a conscious decision. It is not a simple decision
particularly when we think about the competing application for industry, housing,
defense and transport infrastructure. This conscious decision can be beneficial to the
city dwellers, because nature reserves bring greenery which ultimately brings prosperity
and harmony to the people. These areas could be used as places of recreation and are
also helpful in disaster prevention. It contributes in alleviating the global warming
effect and creating a beautiful urban landscape.
Rare species of plant and animals have been discovered in Singapore among the huge
population of nearly 5.5 million people. These natural reserves fascinate not only
biologists but also the inhabitants of city. Singapore can take biological advantage
because of its tropical location and by taking biodiversity sincerely better reserves can
be created. Till now, the city has done its best in creating greenery such as roadside
trees, urban parks, and plantings on residential properties. Half of Singapores 716
square kilometers (276 square miles) area is under some sort of green cover which is
commendable.
Except from some coastal areas rest of the area in Singapore has been influenced and
shaped by humans for years. As there is rise in the growth of population, number of
factors comes into play. There is focus on biodiversity, uncertain climate change, wildlife
species conservation and generation of fund. In fact, the factor called Money is the
main reason for everything. The activities which help in bringing money are looked
forward as main issues and others are kept aside.
For economic development, Singapore needs land for housing, livelihood, keeping
people secure and healthy. But the importance of nature cannot be ignored as all these
needs cannot be maintained without proper natural reserves.
Amidst of city it is not possible to grow trees in hundreds or thousands as there is no
space. These trees serve as one of the major raw materials in construction of buildings,

furniture, etc. Due to increase in population, buildings and vehicles are increasing and
proportionately people are cutting tree. This has lead to increase in pollution. There is
drastic climate change which is affecting vegetation and human health. Therefore, the
question arises that how Singapore can develop and Singaporeans can live a secure and
healthy life.
We are destroying lives by ourselves. In a pace to become rich and have luxurious life
we are cutting trees even after knowing the effects. We have to suffer the
consequences of natural disasters as it is we who are ruining the nature and due to
which natural disasters are occurring such as floods caused by deforestation, depletion
of ozone layer caused due to manmade machines ultimately leading to cyclone,
earthquake caused by over construction; when we blast something in mountains the
plates of the earth moves due to which earthquake occurs.
The creation of natures reserve will be a good effort towards saving human life. A lot of
species and ecosystems will become extinct over the next century if not given proper
attention. Eventually we hope to manage population and ecosystem sustainably, with
the intention that they may be used and enjoyed by our future generations. Reserve
helps in growing animal diversity and protects the perennial medical and seasonal
plants. It gives an appropriate environment for carrying out scientific research and
protecting the biological diversity. Besides this, tourism industry can also flourish well in
Singapore. Moreover, air pollutants and industrial gases can be reduced from air with
afforestation. As well as it also improves sanitation and conserves the natural sight and
the agricultural crops.
Thus, it is wise to set aside some areas as nature reserves in Singapore and avail
plethora of benefits by creating and maintaining the natural reserves.

References:
http://gardenwalkgardentalk.com/2014/05/07/why-are-nature-reserves-important/
http://hoy-te-amo.blogspot.in/2007/04/mood-buzzed-listening-to-fan-spinning.html
http://citiscope.org/story/2015/how-singapore-makes-biodiversity-important-part-urbanlife
http://www.worldpreservationfoundation.org/blog/news/nature-reserves-maintainbiodiversity-activate-ecotourism-in-tartous/#.VUCn3tKqqko