Although highly urbanized and densely populated, Singapore has the reputation of being a garden city. Besides the various parks and roadside planting, many natural habitats can be found on the island.
To ensure that the natural environment does not get destroyed, local authorities have prepared the Parks and Waterbodies Plan, giving the nature reserves protection under the law. With a size of 3,000 hectares, these nature reserves occupy 4% of the country’s total land area.
Despite the lack in size, the nature reserves have very rich biodiversity. A large number of species of flora and fauna can be found there, making a visit worthwhile and interesting not only for scientific researchers, but also for all nature lovers.
Central Catchment Nature Reserve:
The country’s main reservoirs - MacRitchie, Upper Pierce and Lower Pierce – are located in the central catchment area. Surrounding the reservoirs are more than 100 hectares of virgin primary forest. There are various walking and hiking trails through the forest, ranging from 3 to 11 kilometres.
Several of the longer hiking routes starting from MacRitchie Reservoir bring you through the different stages of a mature secondary forest and incorporate a treetop walk. The free-standing suspension bridge is 250 metres long and hangs 25 metres above the forest floor at the highest point. Walking along the bridge, you can have a bird’s eye view of the community of plants and animals living in the forest canopy.
Besides being an avenue for recreation and for education and outreach efforts on nature conservation, the bridge plays an important role in forest canopy research. It provides scientists access to the forest canopy and facilitates surveys and plant identification work. Through the research findings, a better understanding of the forest ecosystems can be attained.
After the hike, do take a stroll along the boardwalks skirting the edge of the MacRitchie Reservoir to enjoy the scenery and take a breather.
Located at the north-western part of the island, this 130-hectare nature reserve has various walking routes that allow you to observe the different species of mangrove plants at close distance. Elevated boardwalks have been carefully built so that the natural ecosystems are not disturbed. Walking along these, you will be able to observe mangrove wildlife such as mudskippers, crabs, shellfish, water snakes and monitor lizards.
In addition to resident birds such as herons, bitterns, sunbirds and kingfishers, this wetland reserve hosts thousands of migratory birds traveling the East Asian Australasian Flyway during the annual migratory season from September to March. There are observation towers where you can observe shorebirds like egrets, sandpipers and plovers.
Chek Jawa on Pulau Ubin:
Chek Jawa is an inter-tidal area located at the eastern tip of the island of Pulau Ubin. The tidal flats hold one of Singapore’s richest marine ecosystems, which are unveiled only during low tides of 0.5 metres and below.
The area was originally scheduled for land reclamation, but appeal from nature conservationists and the general public led to a review of those plans. In the end, the authorities decided to defer reclamation works until Pulau Ubin is needed for development.
Now, Chek Jawa is one of Singapore's remaining pockets of pristine nature where six major habitats meet and mix. You will be able to find a vibrant variety of marine life here, including peacock and carpet anemones, button shells (snails named as ‘jewels of Chek Jawa’), sand dollars, biscuit and cake sea stars, flower and horseshoe crabs, sea cucumbers, sponges, soft corals, jellyfishes and mussel beds.
Kris Lee Wai Loon - Kris Lee has made a mid-career switch to freelance writing, and does not have any published/printed works to-date. Prior to this, in ...
