Why a small city-state like Singapore keeps discovering rare plants

like below Uncariaother recent botanical rediscoveries and discoveries are mainly at the nature reserves with the largest areas of native species-dominated forests, namely Bukit Timah Nature Reserve with 163 hectares and Central Catchment Nature Reserve with over 3,000 hectares. It was held in the district.

Dr Neo said: “These numbers show that remaining fragments of original forests, which already have a long history of conservation, can indeed act as oases or refuges of biodiversity.” I did.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Singapore’s largest expanse of virgin forest, was declared a protected area in the late 19th century. Although the Central Catchment Nature Reserve was gazetted much later, it was largely protected by agreements at the time to maintain vegetation along streams and water bodies, including MacRitchie Reservoir.

The site with the highest number of rare species discovered was the largest and least disturbed forest area within the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. In Singapore he recorded 44 rediscoveries and 22 new species.

This was followed by the last substantial area of ​​freshwater wetland forest, the Nee Soon Wetland Forest in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, which saw 43 rediscoveries and 17 new records.

A small number of rediscoveries have been due to regeneration of secondary forests and parks that buffer these reserves, such as Windsor Nature Park in the Upper Thomson region. This shows that heavily disturbed forest fragments can still support some rare native species, the researchers said.

Secondary forest refers to vegetation that emerges after the previous forest has been completely removed.

Most of these rediscovered plant species are classified as endangered in Singapore, and conservation action is clearly needed, the researchers said.