Keppel Corporation has pledged to donate $1 million to the Garden City Fund to support the development of the Keppel Coastal Trail at Labrador Nature Reserve. This was announced today by Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration, Mr Desmond Lee, in conjunction with the unveiling of the Forest Restoration Action Plan for Labrador Nature Reserve. The donation will be made through the Group’s philanthropic arm, Keppel Care Foundation. To mark the occasion, Mr Danny Teoh, Chairman of Keppel Corporation, Mr Loh Chin Hua, CEO of Keppel Corporation, and Mr Louis Lim, CEO of Keppel Land, together with Keppel Volunteers, joined Minister Desmond Lee and members of the community to plant 50 trees at Labrador Nature Reserve this morning.
The Keppel Coastal Trail builds on Keppel’s earlier commitment to donate $3 million to the National Parks Board’s (NParks) registered charity, Garden City Fund, to support the planting of 10,000 trees over five years in Singapore’s parks and nature reserves, as part of NParks’ OneMillionTrees movement. About half of the 10,000 trees will be planted at Labrador Nature Reserve, which will help to restore the coastal beach forest. Restoration of the coastal beach forest habitat will provide an important physical and ecological buffer for the adjacent coastal hill forest. Together with the new Keppel Coastal Trail which will weave through the beach forest, they will strengthen the ecological and climate resilience of the nature reserve.
The Trail will be sensitively planned and designed for visitors to enjoy the coastal forest while ensuring the long-term conservation of the nature reserve. The area will be planted with native species that are suited to the coastal environment, where conditions are harsh with strong winds and salt exposure. These include the locally critically endangered Penaga Laut (
Calophyllum inophyllum) and Sea Teak (
Podocarpus polystachyus). The Trail will also provide visitors with views of the sea from vantage points, and information boards will allow visitors to learn more about the history of the coastline over the years, native flora and fauna that can be found at beach forests and rocky shores, how the environment might change with rising sea levels, and why conserving natural coastal habitats is important to build climate resilience. Design and development of the Trail will commence in 2022.
Speaking this morning, Minister Desmond Lee said, “I would like to thank Keppel for yet another generous pledge of $1 million, which will go towards creating a new trail for the community to explore and experience the restored coastal forest. This coastal trail will have information boards to allow visitors to learn more about coastal habitats and their resident biodiversity, while providing good views of the sea from various vantage points. This supports both our biodiversity conservation efforts, and efforts to foster greater appreciation and stewardship of our green spaces.”
Mr Danny Teoh said, “With sustainability at the core of Keppel’s strategy, we have been actively contributing to environmental conservation efforts in and around Keppel Bay, the birthplace of the Keppel Group. The development of the Keppel Coastal Trail and planting of about 5,000 trees at Labrador Nature Reserve reflect our commitment to environmental protection and will contribute further to the greening of Singapore’s Southern Waterfront. Through these projects, we hope to help preserve biodiversity at the reserve and contribute to nature-based solutions to combat climate change.”
To mark this occasion, Keppel Land also launched a booklet titled “Keppel Bay – A world above and below our waters”, which was presented to Minister Lee and other guests at the tree-planting event at Labrador Nature Reserve today. The booklet aims to help the public better understand how Keppel Bay has been transformed over the years from a ship repair yard to the iconic, green mixed-use waterfront development it is today, as well as the efforts by Keppel and other stakeholders to contribute to environmental conservation, both on land and in the sea. To minimise the impact on the environment, only limited copies of the booklet have been printed. It can be downloaded at Keppel Land’s website,
www.keppelland.com, or by scanning the QR code below.
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About Keppel Corporation
Keppel Corporation is one of Singapore’s flagship multinational companies with a global footprint in more than 20 countries. Keppel provides solutions for sustainable urbanisation, focusing on four key areas comprising energy & environment, urban development, connectivity and asset management. With sustainability at the core of its strategy, Keppel harnesses the strengths and expertise of its business units to develop, operate and maintain real assets, which provide diverse solutions that are good for the planet, for people and for the Company.
