(Straits Times 23 April 1993)
Earth Day launch for local nature book
DENTIST Chua Ee Kiam picked today, Earth Day, to launch his message: Conservation costs little, but ignoring it may cost you the Earth. At a time when recycling and conservation have become buzzwords, he pushes for more than awareness and action in his book, Nature in Singapore - Ours To Protect. "The green message is getting through but the novelty
is slowly dying off and efforts like recycling don't have the impetus they should have," says Dr Chua. He pushes for conservation as a core value for every individual - a profound dedication to preserving, in the midst of rapid urban change and development in a land-scarce country, the incredibly rich historical legacy that Nature has left in Singapore's rainforests, marshes and reefs. He and members of the Nature Society of Singapore spent three years trekking the different habitats by day and night, seeking nocturnal and diurnal species and photographing them in their natural environments. The result is an astonishing 250 photographs in a 132 -page hardcover book.
The pictures are a visual statement of what is at stake. They document creatures from land-crabs and the rare pangolin to well-known snakes or birds, to unusual fish, a newly-discovered marsh spider, even a forest turtle which was thought to be extinct because it was last reported to be seen in 1920. "The book is about the complexity and the diversity of wildlife in Singapore. Even if people never go to the forest, they may know what is found there. "You can go to Bukit Timah Reserve or Peirce Reservoir, but you will never see them. takes a lot to learn and understand the habitats of different species," says Dr Chua.
As you discover the wealth of wildlife which shares this tiny island we call home, remember to read the message at the end of the book: "We must leave a legacy which highlights our reverence for the natural heritage so that future generations can do likewise. The Earth does not belong to us: We belong to this beautiful Earth, it is Ours To Protect."
Mary Rose Gasmier
[Book was launched at Fort Canning Park on 22 April 1993]