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Learn more about our thriving green spaces in Singapore and the networks of ecological corridors that link them to bring plants, wildlife and people together.
Singapore is one of the greenest cities in the world. After 6 decades of greening efforts, we now have a thriving network of green spaces where nature is entwined into our everyday lives.
Nature areas are places that have been identified as having rich biodiversity that are representative of key indigenous systems. They are protected and subjected to administrative safeguards under the URA Parks and Waterbodies Plan.
There are 24 nature areas in Singapore, 4 of which are nature reserves.
Our 4 nature reserves safeguard Singapore's ecosystems and are conserved under the Parks and Trees Act. They are primary providers of ecosystem services, helping to clean the air and water, and are home to native flora and fauna, some of which are rare and endangered species.
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Find out more about the dos and don'ts you should follow when visiting nature reserves.
At 3,043 hectares, this nature reserve is the largest in Singapore. It occupies over 2,000 hectares of forest cover, containing scattered patches of primary lowland dipterocarp forest, tall secondary forest of varying quality depending on its age, maturity and tree species mix, and the last remaining primary freshwater swamp forest in Singapore at the Nee Soon Swamp Forest.
It also serves as a catchment area for Singapore's 4 main reservoirs (MacRitchie, Upper Peirce, Lower Peirce, Upper Seletar) that are located within the nature reserve.
The Central Catchment Nature Reserve and the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve once formed a contiguous forest. That all changed when the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) was constructed in 1986, separating the forest into two. The Eco-Link@BKE, completed in 2013, now connects the 2 Reserves once again to facilitate animal movements and the dispersal of forest plant seeds.
Find out what to see and do at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve or learn more about the forest ecosystem in Singapore.
A 163-hectare reserve containing lowland and coast hill dipterocarp forest. Around half of the Reserve comprises Singapore's largest contiguous tract of primary forest, and it is one of the few places on the island where primary forest can be found. It was first established in 1883 as the Bukit Timah Forest Reserve, one of the first forest reserves to be created in Singapore.
Find out what to see and do at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve or learn more about the forest ecosystem in Singapore.
Sungei Buloh was opened as a nature park in 1993. In 2002, 130 hectares were officially gazetted as a nature reserve and renamed Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. A year later in 2003, the Reserve became Singapore's first ASEAN Heritage Park.
Today, the Reserve has expanded to include 202 hectares of mangroves, mudflats, ponds and forests. It is home to more than half of the bird species found in Singapore and recognised internationally as a site for migratory birds. In addition, it has been awarded a certificate by Wetlands International, making it a part of the East Asian Australasian Shorebird Site Network.
Find out what to see and do at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve or learn more about the mangrove or forest ecosystem in Singapore.
The Reserve contains secondary coastal forest, with areas that have been around since before World War II. It is located on steep sandstone slopes, at the seaward foot reaching a rocky shore and shallow coral and rubble substrate.
Find out what to see and do at Labrador Nature Reserve or learn more about the mangrove or forest ecosystem in Singapore.
Our nature parks are established at the edges of nature reserves to serve as green buffers from the impact of urbanisation in order to protect and safeguard the flora and fauna in the nature reserves.
Nature park networks connect these nature parks together to protect the nature reserves against future developments. The existing habitats within these networks are also enhanced both to allow biodiversity to thrive and to provide the public with alternative spaces to connect with nature.
As part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 to transform Singapore into a City in Nature, we aim to grow our nature park networks with 200 more hectares of new nature parks by 2030.
Read more about our key strategies for a City in Nature by 2030
The Central Nature Park Network provides ecologically interdependent habitats for the flora and fauna of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. It also supports the establishment of ecological connectivity throughout Singapore.
The Central Nature Park Network comprises these nature parks:
The Sungei Buloh Nature Park Network buffers the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve with extensions to the east, west and south of the reserve, as well as to Kranji Marshes, and the Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat.
Collectively, these complementary wetland habitats strengthen the conservation of wetland biodiversity in the northwestern part of Singapore.
The Sungei Buloh Nature Park Network comprises these nature parks and nature areas:
Covering over 200 hectares, the Labrador Nature Park Network was developed based on the ecological profile of the area, with input from a scientific advisory panel comprising academics and domain experts from the nature community as part of the NParks Ecological Profiling Exercise (EPE).
It comprises the Labrador Nature Reserve and the following nature parks and areas that buffer the Reserve:
In future, the Labrador Nature Park Network will be expanded northwards towards the Southern Ridges, and towards West Coast Park through habitat enhancements along Pasir Panjang Park.
The Southern Ridges comprise 10km of green, open spaces that connect Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park, HortPark, and Kent Ridge Park.
It is one of the best spots in Singapore to enjoy panoramic views of the city, harbour and the Southern Islands, with other highlights such as:
Aside from the nature reserves, there are 20 other green spaces that make up the total number of nature areas in Singapore.