From Singapore to the Amazon - Breakthroughs in Rainforest Conservation Through Xprize - Ms Grace Fu

Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, at the “From Singapore to the Amazon: Breakthroughs in Rainforest Conservation Through Xprize” Event at the COP29 Singapore Pavilion in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 21 Nov 2024

Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1 Good afternoon and a warm welcome to our Singapore Pavilion at COP29.

2 Today is Nature and Biodiversity Day, and we gather here to recognise rainforests as one of our planet’s most precious natural resources. Rainforests are home to over half of the world’s plant and animal species. They also serve as carbon sinks in our fight against climate change.

3 We are thus glad to celebrate the partnership between XPRIZE, Brazil and Singapore in bringing the XPRIZE Rainforest competition to completion. This is a small but important step in the global effort to steward our natural resources for future generations.

4 First, Iet me say a few words about Singapore, where the XPRIZE semi-finals were held last year.

5 Singapore’s City in Nature vision is grounded in our unique circumstances. We are a small city-state, only about one-third the size of Baku. Yet, we are blessed with remarkable biodiversity. We are one of the few cities with primary rainforest in the heart of the city. We are also home to 2,100 species of plants, 80 species of mammals and 400 species of birds.

6 As such, Singapore is consistently searching for innovative ways to balance biodiversity conservation with other competing land use needs. We have adopted a science-based approach to conservation, working together with the community. To ensure that biodiversity monitoring is conducted in a way that minimises disruption to surrounding ecosystems, we strive to reduce the need for researchers to physically enter forests when conducting surveys. During the XPRIZE semi-finals, teams tested the autonomous technologies they had developed, such as ground robotics and remote-operated drones, on forest floors and canopies. To encourage community stewardship of nature, we invite citizens to contribute actively to our species recovery and habitat enhancement programmes.

7 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the XPRIZE Foundation for hosting the semi-finals of this prestigious competition in Singapore. The semi-finals involved a whole-of-government effort led by the National Parks Board. We are honoured to be able to play a role in the global effort to advance conservation research.

8 Next, I would like to move on to Brazil, where the XPRIZE finals were held earlier this year.

9 Brazil is home to one of the world’s most important ecosystems – the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon is a biodiversity hotspot, containing a third of all known terrestrial plant, animal and insect species. The Amazon is also a huge carbon sink, storing the equivalent of almost two years of global carbon emissions.

10 I would like to congratulate XPRIZE and the Brazilian Government for hosting a successful finals in the Amazon, as well as the winning teams that were just announced last week at the G20 Social Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The finals helped to facilitate access into incredibly remote parts of the Amazon forest through autonomous technology. This enabled complex ecosystems to be studied and monitored over large areas. The finals also provided amazing insights into the biodiversity of rainforests, while involving local communities and indigenous people.

11 These groundbreaking advancements in conservation technology will be crucial in our efforts to conserve rainforests of global importance, like the Amazon. We will hear more about these new discoveries during the presentation series.

12 Even after the XPRIZE Rainforest finals, the good work does not end here.

13 Today, we are glad to launch the Biodiversity Impact Partnership between the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions and XPRIZE. This marks a commitment to harnessing technology for the good of global biodiversity, with a specific focus on Southeast Asia. I believe that this partnership will pave the way for more robust conservation research to enhance planetary health.

14 Thank you, and I wish you all a good COP29.