How a walk in the park brought a buzz back into my life

These days when we talk of nature, we often count its benefits. Why do we forget the awe it can inspire?

- Angelica Ang

Growing up in the fast-paced metropolis that is Singapore, I have always yearned for moments of quiet and tranquillity.

Throwing open the windows to my parents' bedroom when I was a teenager offered occasional respite.

Our flat overlooked a coastal park, fringed by luscious forest; its age-old trees resembling heads of broccoli when I peered down at them from above.

Closing my eyes, I would feel the stress of the day melt away. In mere seconds, my knotted nerves would relax, no longer taut like the gut strings of a guitar.

But some years ago, the plot of greenery was earmarked for development, and the soothing sounds of nature were replaced by a low hum of construction machinery. Somehow, I knew this day was to come. Singapore, just 736 sq km in size, is one of the most densely populated nations in the world.

Our population is set to grow even further, to between 6.5 million and 6.9 million people by 2030. And with this trend, comes a burgeoning need for land.

SO WHAT CAN NATURE DO FOR ME?

In policy discussions on land use, the value of our natural spaces is often measured in terms of their utility to us and whether they can be put to other uses. Ask yourself: What is missing from this picture?

We know that arguments in favour of nature outline its most salient benefits: cooling effects, carbon sequestration and the like.

There are also more nuanced arguments — such as how nature offers us a glimpse into our history.

Echoing this, Mr Firdaus Sani, the founder of ground-up initiative Orang Laut SG, says nature is what keeps him rooted to his islander past.

The 36-year-old's grandparents were some of the last inhabitants of Pulau Semakau, an island located off Singapore's southern coast. Once a fishing village and home to the Malay Peninsula's seafaring people, it today houses the Republic's first and only landfill.