Review of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development following the Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at the UN biodiversity summit in Montreal in December 2022 (a) what steps does the Ministry intend to take to review our national biodiversity strategies and action plans; and (b) what is the timeline for Singapore's submission of its national action plan.

To strengthen international efforts to conserve biodiversity, the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework sets out 23 targets to be achieved by 2030. These are global rather than national targets, and countries are expected to contribute towards the targets according to their national circumstances, priorities and capabilities.

In Singapore, our National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan sets out a framework to guide biodiversity conservation efforts locally and is in line with our international commitments on biodiversity conservation.

Through this Plan and the Nature Conservation Masterplan, Singapore will contribute towards the global targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, taking into account our unique circumstances as a small, densely populated city-state. For example, as part of our City in Nature efforts, we are safeguarding more green spaces where possible, establishing additional nature parks, restoring core habitats, and conducting species recovery. These efforts improve access to nature and its benefits, while helping to conserve our native biodiversity. To mitigate the impact of climate change on biodiversity, we are also integrating greenery into our urban environment and planting an additional one million trees between 2020 and 2030.

Building on our existing efforts, the National Parks Board (NParks) will work closely with relevant agencies and stakeholders to update our National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and develop national targets to further contribute to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. We aim to submit our updated Plan prior to the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2024.