SINGAPORE — Distinguishing the different types of green spaces, putting a dollar value to old trees and forests, and getting the environment to be part of Singaporeans’ day-to-day concerns.

These were among the suggestions made by participants at an Our Singapore Conversation session organised by the Nature Society Singapore and Young NTUC yesterday (Nov 30). Moderated by Nominated Member of Parliament Faizah Jamal, it was attended by about 50 people including nature lovers, pre-school teachers and sports enthusiasts. The session aimed to delve into an Institute of Policy Studies survey on the OSC — conducted in January and reported in August this year — finding that 60 per cent of 4,000 respondents preferred the preservation of green spaces over infrastructural development.

Some participants felt that the different types of green spaces — such as nature reserves, urban parks and green roofs — should not be “lumped together”. Whether forested areas are fragmented should also be taken into account, one participant said.

According to a study by National University of Singapore researchers published in 2011, 56 per cent of the island is covered in vegetation, with 29 per cent consisting of spontaneous green areas and 27 per cent consisting of managed green areas like parks and golf courses. Secondary forest and scrubland make up the bulk of spontaneous vegetation, while primary forest, mangroves, freshwater swamp forests and freshwater marshland make up less than 2 per cent of Singapore’s vegetation.

Some participants preferred parks and manicured spaces, but others felt primary forest was most valuable. Noting that some quarters of society want less green space in order to monetise the land through housing or retail, the participants suggested putting a dollar value to forests here.

"In protecting and increasing biodiversity, it is important to conserve not only the nature reserves but also outlying forests," said Nature Society Council member Ho Hua Chew. They serve as extended foraging grounds or habitats for some forest species residing in the nature reserves and cater to wildlife like birds coming from the Malay Peninsula to visit or colonise Singapore that need "stepping stones”.

Also discussed was how to make information on the environment and wildlife more easily understandable for the general public. Noting the short attention spans today, final-year Singapore Institute of Technology student Christine Neo wondered what information would be “most essential” to communicate to the masses. Ms Neo, 24, who is majoring in illustration and planning a final-year project on how Singaporeans define nature, said she found out about Saturday’s OSC dialogue through Facebook.

Ms Faizah said a report from the session will be prepared and submitted to OSC committee chairman Heng Swee Keat and to relevant Government agencies. It could also be submitted as feedback to the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Draft Master Plan 2013.