The National Parks Board is a statutory board of the Government of Singapore. NParks is responsible for enhancing and managing the urban ecosystems of which the government calls a "City in Nature". NParks is the lead agency for greenery, biodiversity conservation, and wildlife and animal health, welfare and management. They are also working closely with the community to enhance the quality of their living environment. NParks manages more than over 350 parks and 3,347 hectares of nature reserves, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Jurong Lake Gardens, Pulau Ubin and the Sisters' Islands Marine Park. Adding to this is the extensive network of Nature Ways, and the over 300km Park Connector Network that links major parks, nature areas and residential estates island-wide. Every year, they run over 3,500 educational and outreach programmes across the various green spaces. NParks has developed an urban biodiversity conservation model, which aims to conserve representative ecosystems in land-scarce Singapore. NParks also monitors and coordinates measures to enhance the presence of biodiversity in Singapore’s urban landscape. NParks is working closely with partners in the landscape, horticulture, veterinary and animal sectors to increase productivity, and provide training for all levels of the workforce. Enhancing competencies of the industry will support Singapore’s vision of being a City in Nature.
History
The history of NParks is closely interlinked with the history of tree-planting in Singapore. In the 1960s, when the Singapore government embarked on nation building, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, then Prime Minister, was intent on transforming Singapore into a Garden City. Beginning with the first Tree Planting Campaign in 1963, the government embarked on an initiative to green up the island. This initiative was carried through into the 1970s and 1980s under the Parks and Recreation Department. On 1 July 1996, PRD was renamed the National Parks Board. Since then, NParks’ mission has gradually evolved from realising a vision for a Garden City to creating a City in a Garden. Since 1 April 2019, all non-food plant and animal-related functions originally under the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore were transferred to NParks under Animal and Veterinary Service as part of a reorganisation.
To introduce the City in a Garden vision and framework, NParks launched a public engagement exercise in August 2011 to encourage all Singaporeans to contribute their views. The agency identified six key areas, which form the framework for creating a City in a Garden, and Singaporeans were invited to build on these ideas or contribute new ones to co-create a greener, more endearing home. The six key areas include “establish world-class gardens”, “rejuvenate urban parks and enliven our streetscape”, “optimise urban spaces and infrastructure for greenery and recreation”, “enrich biodiversity in our urban environment”, “enhance competencies of our landscape and horticulture industry” and “engage and inspire communities to co-create a greener Singapore”.
