With 350 parks, gardens and nature reserves under its care, NParks is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the greenery of our City in Nature.
Singapore Botanic Gardens
The 160-year-old Singapore Botanic Gardens has a rich history and an array of botanical and horticultural attractions of worldwide significance. Complementing these are educational programmes and family-oriented activities to cater to visitors of all ages. The Gardens is also a world-renowned botanical institution.
The Gardens was originally developed along a 3-Core Concept. The three cores comprised Tanglin which is the heritage core retaining the old favourites and charms of the historic Gardens; Central, the tourist belt of the Gardens; and Bukit Timah, the educational and discovery zone. A fourth core, Tyersall-Gallop, was created with the opening in 2017 of the Learning Forest which is designed to integrate into the Gardens' existing rainforest to form an enlarged forest habitat.
On 4 July 2015, the Gardens was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC).
In July 2019, NParks unveiled the 8-hecatre Gallop Extension addition to the Singapore Botanical Gardens, which brings the Gardens’ total land area to 82 hectares. The space houses the OCBC Arboretum and the Mingxin Foundation Ramblers’ Ridge. These features enable visitors to learn about forest ecology and the importance of conservation. The Gallop Extension also strengthens the buffer for the Gardens against urban development.
In March 2021, NParks opened the Botanical Art Gallery and Forest Discovery Centre @ OCBC Arboretum, contained within two colonial-era bungalows. The Botanical Art Gallery features Singapore’s first permanent display of botanical art, including paintings, sketches, and line drawings from the Garden’s collection. Meanwhile, the Forest Discovery Centre serves as a space where people can learn about Singapore’s forests, its biodiversity, and the importance of conserving these ecosystems.
Find out more about the Singapore Botanic Gardens here.
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve was first opened as a Nature Park in 1993, and in 2002, the entire site comprising 130 hectares was officially gazetted as a Nature Reserve. In 2003, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve was named Singapore’s first ASEAN Heritage Park. As a major stopover on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, the Reserve is recognised as a site of international importance for migratory birds.
Over the years, Sungei Buloh has expanded to include 202 hectares of mangroves, mudflats, ponds and forests, providing an even larger sanctuary for the flora and fauna that call it home. This includes the newest extension that houses a Visitor Centre and additional trails for visitors to explore and enjoy.
Find out more about Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve here.
Jurong Lake Gardens
Jurong Lake Gardens (JLG) is Singapore’s new national gardens in the heartlands. It is a people’s garden where spaces are sensitively landscaped and created for families and the community to come together.
JLG is strategically located to serve serve the Jurong Lake district – the largest business district in the western region of Singapore. The Gardens will feature sustainable ecosystems in the areas of water, energy, biodiversity, and food as part of the design of the Gardens. It contributes to the larger plans of the District in promoting sustainability and a healthy living environment by providing more spaces for recreation amidst lush greenery, restored wetlands and habitats for biodiversity, and with vibrant programmes for the community.
The 90-hectare JLG comprises Lakeside Garden, Chinese and Japanese Gardens, and Garden Promenade. Lakeside Garden was opened in April 2019. It boasts a strong emphasis on nature, community, and play, and provides the community with a space to gather and bond, and create shared memories. Chinese Garden, Japanese Garden, and Garden Promenade will be progressively completed from 2021 onwards.
Find out more about Jurong Lake Gardens here.
Park Connector Network
The Park Connector Network is an island-wide green network of linear open spaces around major residential areas, linking up parks and nature sites in Singapore, allowing everyone to enjoy our green spaces.
There are currently five completed loops:
- Central Urban Loop
- Eastern Coastal Loop
- Northern Explorer Loop
- Northern Eastern Riverine Loop
- Western Adventure Loop
NParks is currently developing the Round Island Route – a continuous 150km park connector that loops Singapore linking existing natural, cultural and historical sites and bringing communities together. It was first conceptualised in 2011 following public consultations for our City in a Garden vision, where many suggestions were given by the public on a green corridor that goes around the island, linking parks and park connectors. The Round Island Route will complement the existing Park Connector Network. When fully completed, users will be able to cycle from Lower Seletar Reservoir Park along the coast of Sengkang, Punggol, Pasir Ris, Changi and East Coast Park to Gardens by the Bay.
Find out more about the Round Island Route here.
NParks is also developing additional recreational opportunities for the community. The upcoming 36km Coast-to-Coast Trail will span across Singapore, stretching from Jurong Lake Gardens in the west to Coney Island Park in the northeast. It will take users through a variety of parks, park connectors, nature areas, places of interests and urban spaces. In addition, the 18-km Eastern Corridor will link East Coast to Pasir Ris via Bedok Reservoir, and the 34-km Central Corridor will link Woodlands in the north to the city centre. The upcoming 25-km Coast-to-Coast Northern Trail will run from Khatib Bongsu to Sungei Buloh, while in the south, the upcoming 62-km Coast-to-Coast Southern Trail will run from Changi Beach to Tuas via the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Find out more about the Coast-to-Coast Trail here.
Nature Park Network
As part of a holistic conservation approach, NParks has established a network of buffers in the form of nature parks, surrounding the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, as well as the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
The Central Nature Park Network protects the central nature reserves against developments that abut them. NParks sensitively enhances the habitats within these buffers so that they remain rustic and forested, and provide the public with alternatives to connect with nature. Beyond serving as buffers and habitats, the Central Nature Park Network provides ecologically inter-dependent habitats for the flora and fauna of the Nature Reserves, and are integral to the network of ecological connectivity that is being established around the island. These include Chestnut Nature Park, Dairy Farm Nature Park, Hindhede Nature Park, Springleaf Nature Park, Thomson Nature Park, Windsor Nature Park, Zhenghua Nature Park, as well as the upcoming Rifle Range Nature Park.
The establishment of the Sungei Buloh Nature Park Network adds to the existing Central Nature Park Network. Buffers to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve include extensions to the east, west and south, Kranji Marshes, and the Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat. Collectively, these complementary wetland habitats strengthen the conservation of wetland biodiversity in the northwestern part of Singapore and form the Sungei Buloh Nature Park Network.
Find out more about our Nature Park Networks here.
Launched in May 2005, and first carried out at Mayfair Park Estate, NParks' Community in Bloom (CIB) is a nationwide gardening movement. It aims to foster community spirit and bring together people interested in gardening, both young and old to make Singapore our garden.
Today, CIB has more than 1,300 community gardening groups across Singapore that have engaged over 36,000 gardening enthusiasts.
Community Gardens
Community gardens are common spaces where people of different demographics come together to create, develop and sustain a gardening space in their locality. Through community gardening, the gardening culture and a greater sense of civic ownership is manifested amongst the public and private estates, schools and organisations.
Not only does community gardening beautify our city with blooming flowers, vegetables, spices and fruits, it is a platform for neighbours, peers and colleagues to come together to bond and share knowledge and experiences. Community gardens goes beyond nurturing gardening – it also promotes values of cooperation, volunteering, respecting diversity and creating ecological awareness.
Public Housing Estates
Community gardens in public estates are managed by the Residents’ Committees and are cultivated by residents using the common green space available. This allows residents from the same neighbourhood to take part in gardening and sharing of horticultural knowledge.
Private Housing Estates
Community gardens in private housing estates are managed by the Neighbourhood Committees and are cultivated by residents on roadside green verges in front of their homes, in neighbourhood parks, or on common green spaces within highrise private estates.
Organisations
Community gardens in organisations are cultivated by staff or volunteers on green spaces within the organisation’s premises or in common green spaces within a housing estate. The project is managed by the organisation’s gardening interest group.
Schools
Community gardens in schools are cultivated by students, teachers and parent volunteers on green spaces within the school premises. The project is managed by schools’ environmental clubs. Many schools are inclined to set up wildlife-attracting gardens which never fails to intrigue the young ones. They also take the opportunity to exercise their creativity, such as by growing gardens in recyclables, doing flower art paintings and setting up DIY vertical gardens. It is also an educational platform for the younger generation to learn about plants and ecology.
Click here for gardening tips and here for more information on NParks’ CIB initiative.