Botanic Gardens primary rainforest area expansion

NParks to expand primary rainforest area in Botanic Gardens

The National Parks Board (NParks) will be expanding the 6-hectare site of primary rainforest in the Singapore Botanic Gardens to include a 9.8-hectare Learning Forest to showcase the best of tropical trees.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said this at the launch of the "Wealth of the Rain Forest" exhibition on Friday.

The Learning Forest will also include a new marshland showcasing tropical wetland plant species and aquatic wildlife.

Mr Mah added that when completed, the Learning Forest will give visitors an exceptional forest and marshland experience within the city for nature education and nature watching.

Through thematic walks, visitors will get to see giant trees, trees with interesting forms and barks of various textures, a conservation collection of rare fruit and nut species, and a bamboo garden.

The indoor "Wealth of the Rain Forest" exhibition features the richness of plant life in the rainforests, and will be held until October 6.

The exhibition also reveals interesting facts on how certain rainforest plants have
healing properties and how the forests present opportunities for eco-tourism and other forms of recreation.

For example, quinine, the anti-malaria medication, was extracted from the bark of the Cinchona tree found in the forests on the Andes mountains of South America.

The Gutta-Percha (Palaquium gutta), a relative of the Chiku fruit tree, was discovered by the colonial British in Singapore during the mid-19th century for use to insulate the new invention of submarine telegraphic communications cable (from 1866) and is still the preferred non-toxic material for dentists performing root-canal fillings.

"The 'wealth' that tropical rainforests confer is multi-fold. They provide us with sustenance and valuable materials for fabrics, building, fuel, pharmaceutical and medicinal applications. Rainforests also present eco-tourism and recreational opportunities," said Mr Mah.

"But more importantly, rainforests are our key defence against global warming as a mega carbon sink, given their natural capacity to store large amounts of carbon. In fact, the amount of carbon stored in forests is estimated to be more than all the carbon found in the atmosphere."

-Info courtesy of Channel Newsasia-