OCBC and NParks partner in mangrove restoration project
Vivien Ang
FIFTEEN staff volunteers from OCBC braved the mud and boat ride out to Pulau Ubin on a Saturday (Oct 29) morning to clean up the mangrove area.
The activity was part of the OCBC Mangrove Park’s launch, which is Singapore’s first large-scale ecological mangrove restoration (EMR) project at Pulau Ubin.
A collaborative effort between National Parks Board (NParks) and the bank, such a habitat would increase Singapore’s capacity for carbon storage, which helps to fight climate change by reducing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development, said at the event that the OCBC Mangrove Park will help to restore and safeguard more of the mangrove patches in Singapore as it complements other nature-based solutions implemented by NParks, such as a coastal protection and mangrove restoration project at Pulau Tekong.
Lee added that “these solutions are important in mitigating climate change and offer additional habitats for our native biodiversity”.
Helen Wong, group chief executive officer of OCBC Bank, said: “Dealing with carbon emissions is key in fighting climate change. That’s why OCBC has been supporting reforestation and restoration projects in the region, which help store carbon.”
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OCBC’s S$3 million donation towards this project is the latest in its continuing moves to expand carbon storage efforts to help fight climate change.
The initiative also contributes to NParks’ OneMillionTrees movement, Singapore’s national goal of planting one million more trees by 2030, and aims to produce a self-sustaining ecosystem where minimal human intervention will be needed to allow the mangroves to propagate.
The project, which includes improving accessibility to the site, is estimated to be completed by 2026 with around 8,000 mangrove plants that will naturally take root at the site.
Nishit Shah, manager at Group Operations & Technology, OCBC Bank, said: “We were shocked and saddened by the amount of waste that were carried into the mangrove site by the tide. With help and guidance from NParks and the Restore Ubin Mangroves initiative, we learned the proper way of disposing the trash ...
“We take heart in knowing that our actions, however small it might be, contribute to saving marine life and making seafood safer for consumption.”
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