Thursday, January 20, 2011

Information About Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

    

    Step into the nature reserves and journey back in time to the days before Sir Stamford Raffles arrived, when much of the island was covered with lowland, tropical forest. Though much of Singapore's original vegetation had been cleared for logging and cultivation, the forest at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve hMacRitchie area and Nee Soon Swamp at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

These nature reserves bounded 4 reservoirs - namely
MacRitchie Reservoir, Lower Peirce Reservoir, Upper Peirce Reservoir and Upper Seletar Reservoir. The nature reserves act as water catchment for the reservoirs, in addition, the nature reserves also ensure the quality of water in the reservoirs.

Other than being storehouses of water, today, Bukit
Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve are homes to more than 840 flowering plants and over 500 species of animals (including butterflies). With such an astonishing variety of plants, animals and insect life, the nature reserves are indeed treasure houses of Singapore's biodiversity.
    Covering an area of approximately 3,043 hectares, both the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve are managed by the Central Nature Reserve Branch of the National Parks Board.
     As nature reserves, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserves are protected by the Parks & Trees Act 2005 for the conservation of our native biodiversity. Certain activities are prohibited within the nature reserves, especially activities that cause a lot of impacts on the native flora and fauna - hiking in groups of more than 30 without a permit, releasing of animals, feeding of animals, removing of native flora and fauna from the nature reserves, cycling, walking off the designated trails are just some of these activities.


No comments:

Post a Comment