This year, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited and Singapore Philatelic Bureau celebrate their 10th year of partnership since launching the Care-for-Nature stamp series to promote and develop greater awareness and interest in the natural environment of Singapore.

The 2000 Care-for-Nature stamp series feature the Archer Fish, Smooth Otter, Collared Kingfisher and the Orange Fiddler in their natural habitat. These species can also be found at the Sungei Buloh Nature Park.

As with past issues, both the Care-for-Nature Collector's Cover and Limited Edition Stamp Print Collection will be available. The cover is exclusively pre-cancelled with the official first day of issue date-stamp and a specially designed Care-for-Nature cachet. All proceeds from the sale of the Cover and Stamp Print will be donated to the Care-for-Nature Trust Fund which in turn funds a wide range of environment conservation and education projects in Singapore.

In addition, a stamp booklet and a special 10-in-1 Collector's Sheet will be produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Care-for-Nature stamp series. The Collector's Sheet will feature the entire collection of the 1991-Garden Birds, 1992-Crabs, 1993-Butterflies, 1994-Herons, 1995-Marine Fish, 1996-Native Trees, 1997-Protect the Environment, 1998-Flowers, 1999-Amphibian & Reptile and this year's Wetland Wildlife series. The Wetland stamps on the sheet will be in perforated and imperforated format.

The Care-for-Nature stamp series is just one of the many environmental-related projects, HSBC Singapore does under its Care-for-Nature Programme. Since launching Care-for-Nature in 1989, HSBC Singapore is committed to conserving and protecting the living resources in our natural environment and at the same time to generate awareness among the public to do likewise.

Other projects include an on-going programme of conservation and educational activities at Sungei Buloh Nature Park to promote greater awareness of the importance of wetland to our natural landscape, as well as the Seashore Life Programme which is jointly run with the Ministry of the Environment to provide our students with a basic education on the marine environment and seashore ecology, and our responsibility in caring for them.