The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve ( abbreviation: BTNR) is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

near the geographic centre of

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, located on the slopes of

Bukit Timah Hill Bukit Timah Hill, located in its namesake district of Bukit Timah, is a hill located near the geographical centre of Singapore. The hill stands at an altitude of 164 metres (538 ft) above sea level, making it the highest natural peak in the coun ...

, the country's highest natural peak standing at a height of approximately , and parts of the surrounding area. The nature reserve is about from the

Downtown Core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buildi ...

, Singapore's central business district (CBD). Together with the neighbouring

Central Catchment Nature Reserve The Central Catchment Nature Reserve (; ms, Hutan Simpanan Kawasan Tadahan Air Tengah; ta, மத்திய நீர்ப்பிடிப்பு இயற்கை ரிசர்வ்) is the largest nature reserve in Singapore, occ ...

(CCNR) in close proximity, it houses over 840

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of flowering plants and over 500 species of

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...

. Today, it is one of the largest patches of primary rainforest left in Singapore. The forest reserve was formally declared as an

ASEAN Heritage Park ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) are selected protected areas in the ASEAN region that are known for their unique biodiversity and ecosystems, wilderness and outstanding values in scenic, cultural, educational, research, recreational and tourism. Its vi ...

on 18 October 2011.

Etymology

The name ''

Bukit Timah Bukit Timah, often abbreviated as Bt Timah, is a planning area and residential estate located in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. Bukit Timah lies roughly from the Central Business District, bordering the Central Wat ...

'' is borrowed from the tallest hill found in the area of the same name, which is also the tallest geographical location in all of Singapore. ''Bukit'' means hill in the

Malay language Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...

, while ''Timah'' means tin. It is directly translated to English as "Tin Hill". The hill served as a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

quarry for many years, but since the mid-1900s, all operations of which has since been abandoned and converted into recreational areas and even filming locations.

History

In 1882,

Nathaniel Cantley Nathaniel Cantley (1847–1888) was a British botanist and expert in tropical horticulture, agriculture, and forestry. Nathaniel Cantley worked at Kew Gardens and was then from 1872 to 1880 the assistant director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, P ...

, then Superintendent of the

Singapore Botanic Gardens The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a -year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of the Orchard Road shopping district in Singapore. It is one of three gardens, and the only tropical garden, to be honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. T ...

, was commissioned by the Government of the Straits Settlements to prepare a report on the forests of the settlements. On Cantley's recommendation, several forest reserves were created on Singapore island over the next few years. Bukit Timah was one of the first forest reserves established in 1883. All the reserves were worked for timber with the exception of Bukit Timah Reserve. By 1937, the forest reserves were depleted under economic pressures for development. However, three areas, including the Bukit Timah Reserve, were retained for the protection of

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

and

under the management of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. In 1951, further protection of the reserves were provided by the enactment of a Nature Reserves Ordinance and the establishment of a Nature Reserves Board for the administration of the reserves, now designated as nature reserves, which total some 28 square kilometres in area. Today, the nature reserves are set aside for the

propagation Propagation can refer to: * Chain propagation in a chemical reaction mechanism *Crack propagation, the growth of a crack during the fracture of materials * Propaganda, non-objective information used to further an agenda * Reproduction, and other fo ...

protection Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...

and preservation of the indigenous flora and fauna of Singapore under the National Parks Act and are managed by the

National Parks Board The National Parks Board (NParks) is a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. History In November 1989, Minister of National Development, S. Dhanabalan, presented the National Parks Bill ...

Activities

The primary activities at Bukit Timah are strolling, running and hiking. There are also smaller groups of people who rock-climb and

abseil Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...

at the Dairy Farm quarry as well as mountain biking. There are specially-allocated mountain-bike

trails A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...

around the area an
Bukit Timah Mountain Bike (MTB) Trail
is located within the Reserve. The 6.5 km MTB trail loop around Bukit Timah Hill and stretched between Hinhinde Park and Dairy Farm Road. The trail represents a tropical rocky terrain with extended technical climbs and difficult descents at short intervals. For MTB Map trail rating, it is largely made up of black diamond sections with intermittent blue square sections. There are also short alternative double black diamond sections. The Reserve is popular among athletes training for mountain-climbing. There are a number of hiking trails. The blue trail is rated as "easy" and is long, ending overlooking Hindhede Quarry. The red trail is also rated as "easy" and is long. The green trail is rated as "moderate to difficult" and is long. The yellow trail is rated as "difficult" and is long. The red, green and yellow trails all end at the hut at the summit of Bukit Timah hill.

Wildlife

Flora

Some of the common plants there are the

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan, is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the closed- canopy old-growth tropical fores ...

figs The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

, and

macaranga ''Macaranga'' is a large genus of Old World tropical trees of the family Euphorbiaceae and the only genus in the subtribe Macaranginae (tribe Acalypheae). Native to Africa, Australasia, Asia and various islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, t ...

. Two meninjau trees ('' Gnetum gnemon'') stand near the visitor center. 18 different species of

dipterocarp Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = f ...

s live in the reserve, including the seraya ('' Shorea curtisii'') and ''

Dipterocarpus caudatus ''Dipterocarpus caudatus'' is a species of plant in the evergreen or semi-evergreen family Dipterocarpaceae. The species name is derived from Latin (' = tailed) and refers to the narrow acumen of the leaf apex. It is an emergent tree, up to 50 ...

''.

Fan palms Fan palm as a descriptive term can refer to any of several different kinds of palms (Arecaceae) in various genera with leaves that are palmately lobed (rather than pinnately compound). Most are members of the subfamily Coryphoideae, though a few ...

('' Licuala ferruginea''), leaf litter plants (''

Agrostistachys longifolia ''Agrostistachys indica'' is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, known in Singapore as the leaf litter plant. The species is widespread across much of Southeast Asia as well as New Guinea, India, and Sri Lanka. ''Agrostistachys indi ...

'') thorny rattan and

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

s are also common. Fern species include staghorn fern ('' Platycerium coronarium'') and bird's nest fern (''

Asplenium nidus :''See bird's-nest fern for other plants with this common name.'' ''Asplenium nidus'' is an epiphytic species of fern in the family Aspleniaceae, native to tropical southeastern Asia, eastern Australia, Hawaii (''ʻēkaha'' in Hawaiian), Poly ...

''). Lichens and fungus, such as

bracket fungus A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...

are also found.

Fauna

Insects and arachnids

Insects found within the reserve include

millipede Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a resu ...

carpenter bee Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant m ...

s, and many different types of bird, insects and spiders. Common insect species include

cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into tw ...

s and giant forest ants ('' Camponotus gigas''). Common spider species include the golden orb-web spider (''

Nephila pilipes ''Nephila pilipes'' (northern golden orb weaver or giant golden orb weaver''Nephila pilipes''
Ar ...

'') and the St Andrew's Cross spider (''Argiope mangal'').

Arthropods

The Singapore freshwater crab ('' Johora singaporensis'') is indigenous to Bukit Timah.

Reptiles

Reptiles in the reserve include the

reticulated python The reticulated python (''Malayopython reticulatus'') is a python species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's longest snake, and is among the three heaviest. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its w ...

('' Python reticulatus''), the paradise tree snake (''

Chrysopelea paradisi Paradise tree snake or paradise flying snake (''Chrysopelea paradisi'') is a species of snake found in southeastern Asia. It can, like all species of its genus ''Chrysopelea'', glide by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. ...

'') and the common sun skink ('' Eutropis multifasciata'').

Mammals

The crab-eating macaque (''Macaca fascicularis''), a species of monkey, is common in the reserve. The monkeys also enter the area surrounding the park and are common enough that there are concerns that interactions with people will alter their behaviour. Feeding the monkeys is prohibited, and visitors are urged to avoid staring at, baring teeth at or otherwise disturbing or threatening the monkeys. Monkeys are not the only mammals in the park. Other mammals include the Malayan pangolin (''Manis javanica''), Malayan colugo (''Galeopterus variegatus''),

plantain squirrel The plantain squirrel, oriental squirrel or tricoloured squirrel (''Callosciurus notatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand in a wide range of habitats: forests, mangroves, park ...

(''Callosciurus notatus'') and slender squirrel (''Sundasciurus tenuis''). The colugos, which are generally nocturnal, can sometimes be seen clinging to trees during the day. Bukit Timah is the only place in Singapore where the red-cheeked flying squirrel (''Hylopetes spadiceus'') is found. Raffles' banded langur monkey (''Presbytis femoralis'') was once found in Bukit Timah but the last individual from the Bukit Timah population died in 1987. The government hopes that the Eco-Link@BKE will allow the Raffles' banded langur to repopulate Bukit Timah from Central Catchment once the vegetation matures.

Birds

The

greater racket-tailed drongo The greater racket-tailed drongo (''Dicrurus paradiseus'') is a medium-sized Asian bird which is distinctive in having elongated outer tail feathers with webbing restricted to the tips. They are placed along with other drongos in the family Dic ...

is one of the most common birds at Bukit Timah ('' Dicrurus paradiseus''). The drongos often follow monkeys through the forest and eat insects that are exposed by the monkeys' actions. Other bird species include the Asian fairy bluebird ('' Irena puella''), the

red-crowned barbet The red-crowned barbet (''Psilopogon rafflesii'') is a species of bird in the family Megalaimidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest ...

('' Megalaima rafflesii'') and the

common emerald dove The common emerald dove (''Chalcophaps indica''), also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. ...

('' Chalcophaps indica''). Bukit Timah is one of only two places in Singapore where the red-crowned barbet is found, the other being the

. The reserve, along with the adjacent Central Catchment Nature Reserve, has been identified by BirdLife International as the Central Forest Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports populations of vulnerable straw-headed bulbuls and

brown-chested jungle flycatcher The brown-chested jungle flycatcher (''Cyornis brunneatus'') is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It breeds in South China ; its winters in the Malay peninsula. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical m ...

Eco-Link

In 2011 the National Parks Board and the Land Transport Authority announced a plan to construct an ecological corridor, the Eco-Link@BKE, at the Bukit Timah Expressway to connect Bukit Timah Nature Reserve with the nearby

. Construction was completed in late 2013. The Eco-Link is an hourglass shaped bridge passing over the expressway, permitting wildlife to pass between the two reserves. Trees and shrubs native to Singapore are planted along the bridge, which provide food for the animals. The reserves had been separated since the expressway was built. After monitoring its effectiveness for a few years, the National Parks Board intends to consider opening the bridge to the public for guided walks.

References

External links

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

(National Library Board)
National Biodiversity Centre, Singapore

{{Authority control Nature reserves in Singapore Parks in Singapore Bukit Panjang Bukit Timah Important Bird Areas of Singapore ASEAN heritage parks