Singapore Biodiversity

A magnificently illustrated and superbly written guide to the unique and simply astounding biodiversity of Singapore.

In a small city-state where land is considered a scarce resource, the tension between urban development and biodiversity conservation, which often involves protecting areas of forest from being cleared for development, has always been present. In the years immediately after independence, the Singapore government was more focused on bread-and-butter issues. Biodiversity conservation was generally not high on its list of priorities. More recently, however, the issue of biodiversity conservation has become more prominent in Singapore, both for the government and its citizens. This has predominantly been influenced by regional and international events and trends which have increasingly emphasised the need for countries to show that they are being responsible global citizens in the area of environmental protection. This study documents the evolution of Singapore's biodiversity conservation efforts and the on-going paradigm shifts in biodiversity conservation as Singapore moves from a Garden City to a City in a Garden.

This volume provides a reference textbook and comprehensive compilation of multifaceted perspectives on the legal issues arising from the conservation and exploitation of non-human biological resources. Contributors include leading academics, policy-makers and practitioners reviewing a range of socio-legal issues concerning the relationships between humankind and the natural world. The Routledge Handbook of Biodiversity and the Law includes chapters on fundamental and cutting-edge issues, including discussion of major legal instruments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol. The book is divided into six distinct parts based around the major objectives which have emerged from legal frameworks concerned with protecting biodiversity. Following introductory chapters, Part II examines issues relating to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, with Part III focusing on access and benefit-sharing. Part IV discusses legal issues associated with the protection of traditional knowledge, cultural heritage and indigenous human rights. Parts V and VI focus on a selection of intellectual property issues connected to the commercial exploitation of biological resources, and analyse ethical issues, including viewpoints from economic, ethnobotanical, pharmaceutical and other scientific industry perspectives.

Despite acknowledgment that loss of living diversity is an international biological crisis, the ecological causes and consequences of extinction have not yet been widely addressed. In honor of Edward O. Wilson, winner of the 1993 International Prize for Biology, an international group of distinguished biologists bring ecological, evolutionary, and management perspectives to the issue of biodiversity. The roles of ecosystem processes, community structure and population dynamics are considered in this book. The goal, as Wilson writes in his introduction, is "to assemble concepts that unite the disciplines of systematics and ecology, and in so doing to create a sound scientific basis for the future management of biodiversity."

' 50 Years of Urban Planning in Singapore is an accessible and comprehensive volume on Singapore''s planning approach to urbanization. Organized into three parts, the first section of the volume, ''Paradigms, Policies, and Processes'', provides an overview of the ideologies and strategies underpinning urban planning in Singapore; the second section, ''The Built Environment as a Sum of Parts'', delves into the key land use sectors of Singapore''s urban planning system; and the third section, ''Urban Complexities and Creative Solutions'', examines the challenges and considerations of planning for the Singapore of tomorrow. The volume brings together the diverse perspectives of practitioners and academics in the professional and research fields of planning, architecture, urbanism, and city-making. Contents:Paradigms, Policies & Processes:The Early Years of Nation-Building: Reflections on Singapore''s Urban History (Alan F C Choe)Planning & Urbanisation in Singapore: A 50-Year Journey (Liu Thai Ker)Economic Planning for Productivity, Growth, and Prosperity (Philip Yeo)Environmental Planning for Sustainable Development (Tan Yong Soon)The Built Environment as a Sum of Parts:Planning to Overcome the Constraints of Scarcity (Ng Lang)Making Singapore a Liveable and Sustainable City: Our Urban Systems Approach (Khoo Teng Chye and Remy Guo)The Evolution of HDB Towns (Cheong Koon Hean)Transportation: Mobility, Accessibility, and Connectivity (Mohinder Singh)Industry Planning in Singapore (Tang Hsiao Ling)Greening Singapore: Past Achievements, Emerging Challenges (Tan Puay Yok)50 Years of Urban Planning & Tourism (Pamelia Lee)Shaping Singapore''s Cityscape Through Urban Design (Goh Hup Chor & Heng Chye Kiang)Urban Complexities & Creative Solutions:Conserving Urban Heritage: Remembering the Past in a Developmental City-State (Lily Kong)Public Housing and Community Development: Planning for Urban Diversity in a City-State (Tan Ern Ser)Era of Globalisation: Singapore''s New Urban Economy and the Rise of a World Asian City (Ho Kong Chong)Towards Greater Sustainability and Liveability in an Urban Age (Heng Chye Kiang and Yeo Su-Jan)Perspectives on the Future of Urban Planning in SingaporeChallenges for a New Era (Peter Ho) Readership: Urban planning, architecture, and urban conservation and heritage practitioners; introductory-level urban studies, public policy, and urban administration students; and members of the general public interested in learning more about the history of urban planning in Singapore over the past 50 years. '