Page 34 - MND Handbook

Comprising three waterfront gardens, it is a
101-
hectare development situated on prime
land in a new business district.
Bay South – the largest garden – provides an
all-weather “edutainment” space. It includes
two cooled conservatories displaying
plants of high conservation value from
the Mediterranean and Tropical Montane
regions, two of the most endangered habitats
in the world. Another Bay South highlight is
the presence of tall tree-like vertical gardens
called Supertrees.
Singapore is also home to the world’s
finest tropical botanical garden – Singapore
Botanic Gardens. Founded in 1859, it has
garnered international accolades such as
TIME Magazine’s “Asia’s Best Urban Jungle”
award and a three-star rating by the Michelin
Green Guide. Going forward, NParks plans
to showcase the Gardens' rich heritage,
and strengthen its position as a premier
botanical institution.
Rejuvenating Urban Parks
and Enliven our Streetscape
Our parks are havens where Singaporeans
can all come together to play, celebrate,
reflect, and connect. NParks will develop
selected regional parks into leisure
destinations and night attractions to draw
visitors from all over the island. In addition,
NParks will enliven our streetscape by
incorporating more native plant species.
Optimising Urban Spaces
for Greenery and Recreation
NParks has developed about 200 km of
greenways, or park connectors, linking
housing estates to parks and nature sites.
As park connectors make use of drainage
and road reserves, it is an innovative way of
creating more green corridors from otherwise
unusable space.
As an extension of this Park Connector
Network, NParks is also planning the Round
Island Route, a 150km green recreational
corridor that goes around Singapore.
Enriching Biodiversity in
our Urban Environment
By successfully balancing development
and conservation, we have been able to
conserve Singapore’s rich biodiversity. For
example, Singapore is home to 364 species
of birds – about 75 per cent of the number
of species found in France, and 295 species
of butterflies – five times as many species as
can be found in the United Kingdom.
To bring nature closer to Singaporeans,
we have embarked on several projects to
enhance the presence of native plants, birds,
butterflies and dragonflies in urban spaces.
One successful re-introduction is the Oriental
Pied Hornbill which used to be extinct
in Singapore. Today, there are more than
100
of them across the island. At the same
time, NParks is improving access to nature
reserves so that the public can experience
the wonders of nature first-hand.
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An Endearing Home,
A Distinctive Global City