The Nature Society (Singapore) and Parco Bugis Junction welcome all visitors to Nature Day 2002. There will be something for everyone to enjoy.

Saturday 25th to Monday 27th May 2002
10:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Venue: Parco Bugis Junction Atrium
Enquiries: 6741-2036

As is the case for many things in life, appreciating, cherishing, and looking after our natural heritage starts with something small. Nature Day 2002, organised by the Nature Society (Singapore) and hosted by Parco Bugis Junction, is the third successive Nature Day and the fourth overall. Highlights include exhibitions, merchandise sales, talks, and activities, all highlighting our diverse and priceless natural heritage. The theme? "It starts with something small."

Whether it be a fascination and a life-long love for nature, a holistic view of biodiversity, or an awareness that as global citizens we should be concerned with maintaining the health of natural habitats the world over, it all starts somewhere -- usually something rather modest. Sustained interest and effort can occasionally lead to big things such as the preservation of a nature site, the recovery of an endangered species from the brink of extinction, or the development of nature appreciation from a passing interest into an abiding and life-changing pastime that can yield decades of joy and immense satisfaction.

What can we expect to see?

Nature Day 2002 will feature a wide range of activities and exhibits. Some of these include:

• talks by local nature experts on topics ranging from stick insects to sea slugs to snakes, from figs to frogs
• exhibitions on Nature in Singapore -- the beauty and value of wetlands, the Singapore "Blue Plan", and the impact of Alien Species
• activities of all kinds -- getting to know our local flora and fauna, spotting wetland birds, all about butterflies, the beauty of bugs and slugs, and much more
• demonstrations by Nature Society members and school students -- making clay models of animals, tips on birdwatching, and others

Nature Day will also be graced by the presence of other green and nature-related organisations such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), the Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve, and the Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES). These friends of nature will showcase their activities and achievements, in addition to the sales of merchandise.

How about a "National Bird" or a "National Tree"?

The Nature Society (Singapore) will launch an informal campaign aimed at generating greater awareness of our rich and wonderful natural heritage. Singapore has a National Flower -- the orchid hybird Vanda "Miss Joaquim" -- but no official National Bird. The United States has their Bald Eagle, Panama the Harpy Eagle, Mexico the Crested Caracara, Estonia the Barn Swallow, Sri Lanka the Ceylon Junglefowl, or Swaziland the Violet-crested Turaco. Dozens of countries have a national bird, a talismanic fowl of some sort, something that all citizens can proudly look to as a symbol of their country. Perhaps it is not too late for Singapore and her citizens to do likewise? The Bird Group of the Nature Society has listed a few potential candidates for a "National Bird" -- Nature Day visitors can cast their votes or nominate write-in candidates for a bird Singaporeans can identify with and call their own.

In the same spirit, the Nature Society will also propose that we have a "National Tree". Trees have been used as metaphors for describing different eras of Singapore's history -- the Royal Palm, the Banyan tree, or the Tembusu. But we don't have a National Tree, whereas quite a number of countries do. Americans selected the oak as their National Tree only a year ago. Is it time for us to find a tree that represents the soul of Singapore and its citizens? Nature Day visitors will be the first in Singapore to have their say in nominating "Singapore's Tree."