by Esther Teo
THE public and private sectors must join forces to tackle the
ongoing loss of biodiversity, a conference heard on Friday.
Rapid urbanisation has made the problem more urgent, said
Hitachi group chief environmental strategy officer Takashi
Hatchoji.
Countries face the perennial policy dilemma of pursuing economic
growth while ensuring environmental sustainability, said National
Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, who was guest of honour at the
Hitachi Eco Conference.
He said companies could incorporate biodiversity conservation as
part of their corporate social responsibility mandate and forge
partnerships with relevant government agencies to promote the
cause.
Mr Hatchoji said the conference would allow participants to
exchange information and discuss pragmatic, effective solutions.
'With rapid growth in Asia, biodiversity conservation and urban
development are key issues we have to face... Public and private
partnerships play an active role in achieving a responsible balance
with the environment,' he added.
Singapore is leading the way on the international front by
partnering the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity to develop an index that can track
biodiversity in cities, Mr Mah said.
This index will serve as a self-assessment tool for cities to
benchmark and evaluate their biodiversity conservation efforts. It
might be adopted at the Convention on Biological Diversity 10th
Conference of Parties in Japan next month.
National Parks Board deputy chief executive officer Dr Lawrence
Leong said the index - with its 23 different indicators - will give
cities the scope to pick areas they are comfortable with improving
on. For Singapore, this might include having more park connectors
and adding greenery to both the streetscape and skyline, he
added.
In fact, the 'green cover' here has jumped from just 36 per cent
in 1986 to almost half the Republic's land area today.
The conference, held at Capella Singapore, was attended by about
300 people including government officials, non-governmental
organisations and business leaders.
