Conservation pioneer who led 'City in Nature' efforts dies

The nature community in Singapore on June 13 mourned the loss of one of its pioneers, former commissioner of parks and recreation Leong Chee Chiew, 72, who died the day before from cancer.

- Elise Wong

Appointed as the National Parks Board's (NParks) deputy executive director in 1990, Dr Leong became deputy chief executive officer after its merger with the Parks and Recreation Department in 1996.

He assumed the role of NParks' commissioner of parks and recreation in 2006, serving for 18 years until January 2024. He had stepped down as deputy chief executive officer in August 2020.

A conservationist at heart he graduated from the University of Malaya with a PhD in plant physiology in 1983 - he most notably led efforts that transformed Singapore from a "Garden City" to a "City in a Garden" to a "City in Nature".

His achievements, including helping to secure Unesco World Heritage status for the Singapore Botanic Gardens in 2015 and leading the OneMillion Trees movement that was launched in 2020, earned him several National Day Awards.