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Only
12 kilometers from the Singapore, this verdant 164-hectare
reserve is a home for several species of trees than
the entire North American continent.
It offers some adventure and thrilling activities. It
is paradise for bird and nature lovers.
Trek through
the jungle via well-marked paths and look out for striking
birds, butterflies, monkeys, squirrels and flying lemurs,
as well as unique plant life like the insect-eating
pitcher plant. Or climb up Bukit Timah Hill at the core
of the reserve – Singapore's highest point at 164 metres
above sea level.
Introduction
Located in the centre-west of Singapore is a hill called Bukit Timah; with an official height of 164 metres or 538 feet this is the highest point in the country.
Clinging to its slopes are Singapore's last vestiges of Primary Forest. For decades this forest has been protected as a Nature Reserve, however all may not be well at Bukit Timah.
Urban Development
The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve now stands totally cut off from the bulk of Singapore's regenerating secondary forest by a six-lane road development.
New roads are now being built to the north, completing the hill's encirclement by tarmac.
An ugly communications building dominates the summit and recent, thoughtless condominium development at the park's boundary has meant an increase in recreational visitors. There is serious erosion along some of the forest trails.
Furthermore, what are the long term effects of the granite quarrying which has eaten away at the hillside for decades ? Is there a risk of the water table becoming lower ? Is the forest becoming drier ?
A precarious existence indeed for this last sizable remnant of Singapore's once extensive Primary Forest. There is no suggestion that inappropriate development will ever take place within the boundary of the reserve as the land is under the care of the National Parks Board, but the ecological damage may already have been done at the periphery.
Amazing diversity
Singapore is located in the middle of one of the world's biodiversity hotspots; in neighbouring Malaysia there are over 10,000 plant species (compared with around 1500 species, for example, in the United Kingdom).
Despite the negative effects of recent urban development in the area, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve still stands as a microcosm of this amazing diversity.
All the major plant groups one would expect in a tropical rainforest occur here - fig trees, rattans, palms, lianas, vines, epiphytes and, last but not least, the majestic Dipterocarps which so dominate the canopy.
Bukit Timah was acknowledged by Alfred Russell Wallace
to be 'exceedingly productive'. Indeed, species fresh
to science keep on being discovered here, even today!
The Bukit Timah nature reserves houses more than 840
flowering plants and over 500 species of animals.
The
plant life of the reserve includes towering trees, climbing
palms (better known as rattans), ferns, orchids, gingers
and strange blooms such as the Black or Bat lily. The
forest is home to all types of animals.
The most commonly
viewed are the Long-tailed Macaques or monkeys. It offers
an exclusive wildlife and boasts nature's beauty to
the fullest.
Your trip will be active and vibrant by
encountering such lively species.
Worldtravel4indians.com offers the best information
about Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and other attractions
in Singapore
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