To include local bees (Anthophila) in Wildlife (Protected Wildlife Species) Rules 2020.

As we vision to build Singapore into a City in Nature as part of the Green plan in 2030 to align with the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and Paris. We should put focus on protecting the keystone species that have a major impact on our ecosystem! Bees are the keystone species to our ecosystem, their existence has a great effect on all other living things that including mankind. Singapore Wildlife act was amended and with effect from 01 Jun 2020. The purpose of the wildlife act is for the protection, preservation, and management of wildlife for the purposes of maintaining a healthy ecosystem and safeguarding public safety and health, and for related matters. In the Protected Wildlife Species Rule 2020, many species were listed for protection such as Otters, fruits bats, eagles, crocodiles, King Cobra, Asian softshell turtles, seahorses, Giant Clams, common birdwing butterfly, and many more. However, the local bees (Anthophila) were not included in the list! As bees are so important to the ecosystem as compared to some other living things in the protection list. It only makes sense to include Anthophila as the top species to be protected. Many developed countries had already prohibited the killing of bees as the population of bees is declining in an alarming rate. In the Wildlife Act, it was stated in 5C.(1)  A person must not intentionally kill, trap, take or keep any wildlife in any place unless the person has the Director-General’s written approval to do so. This only refers to those species that is listed in the Protected Wildlife Species Rule 2020 but Anthophila is not included in the list. This means that anyone can intentionally exterminate a colony of bees and all the pest control can continue to exterminate bees.     In Singapore, the majority of the government agencies and the general public are still engaging pest control to exterminate wild bees found in the urban areas or even in the parks! NPark continues to communicate to the public that bees are very important to our ecosystem, on the other hand, pest control will be recommended to the public to resolve any bee issue! I have introduced the Nutrinest Humane Beehive removal solution to many NPark members include the CEO, Dr Yap Him Hoo, Director Adrian Loo, Director How Choon Beng, Director Thaddaeus Cheng, Director Nichola Chuan, Director Ling Han, Ms Liew Qi, and Mr Zestin Soh. I hope they will adopt a similar method to replace the current exterminating way which to totally in the opposite direction to the Green Plan.   As we are approaching the Green Plan, set aside 50% more land – around 200 hectares – for nature parks. Every household will live within a 10-minute walk of a park. By planting one million more trees across our island, we will expect to discover even more beehives within our re-natured urban environment. We really have to stop current exterminating practices! I would like to raise the petition to Desmond Lee, Louis Ng and Members of NPark to make the following changes.

1.     Include Anthophila as a protected species in the Protected Wildlife Species Rule 2020.

2.     Prohibit the current method of exterminating Anthophila and replace it with a humane beehive removal method.

3.     Clearly listing the criteria to exception case where bee colony has to be exterminated in the wildlife Act.

4.      Identify within the extra 200 hectares for beekeeping space.

Xavier Tan    Contact the author of the petition