Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Coordinates: 01°22′N 103°48′E / 1.367°N 103.800°E / 1.367; 103.800
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Central Catchment Nature Reserve
Central Catchment Nature Reserve is located in Singapore
Central Catchment Nature Reserve
Typenature reserve
LocationSingapore
Coordinates01°22′N 103°48′E / 1.367°N 103.800°E / 1.367; 103.800
Area2,880 hectares (28,800,000 m2)
StatusOpen

The Central Catchment Nature Reserve (

River Safari, as well as several newer facilities built to encourage public appreciation of the reserve, such as the HSBC TreeTop Walk. The reserve sits within the boundaries of the Central Water Catchment.[2]
It is one of the four gazetted nature reserves in Singapore. The other three are the Labrador Nature Reserve[3] which was gazetted since 1 January 2002, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve[4] and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.[5] All four nature reserves along with the parks are protected under the Parks & Trees Act 2005.

The nature reserve acts as a catchment area for the surrounding reservoirs. The country's main reservoirs – MacRitchie, Upper Seletar, Upper Peirce and Lower Peirce are located within the reserve.[6][7]

Most forests in the CCNR were cleared for logging and cultivation unlike Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, which remain relatively undisturbed. The CCNR now consists of a mixture of young and mature secondary forests with virgin

primary forest surrounding the reservoirs.[8]

Attractions

Bordering MacRitchie reservoir are remnants of rubber plantations from the 19th century. Walkways and boardwalks in the reserve, which range from 3 to 11 kilometres long, allow visitors to enjoy a closer feel to nature. The reserve is also visited by hikers and trekkers due to its terrain and scenery. A hike can lead to the nearby

Amateur Radio
operators using portable equipment.

Biodiversity

The nature reserve boasts a rich biodiversity with over 500 animal species including

butterflies. It is home to some 1,600 species of flora.[10] The reserve, along with the adjacent Bukit Timah 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 flycatchers.[11]

HSBC TreeTop Walk

HSBC TreeTop Walk

The nature reserve contains a 250-metre suspension bridge. The HSBC TreeTop Walk opened to public on 5 November 2004. It connects the two highest points in MacRitchie – Bukit Pierce and Bukit Kalang. At the highest point, the bridge hangs 25 metres from the forest floor. The difficulty level of the trail ranges from moderate to difficult. The suspension bridge serves an important role in forest canopy research, giving researchers access to areas well off the ground. To preserve the tranquility of the environment and for safety reasons, the number of people allowed on the walkway is capped at 30. Visitors will only be able to travel along the narrow walkway in one direction, by entering from the Bukit Pierce entrance and exiting through the Petaling Trail. Rangers are deployed along the 10.3-kilometre trail to ensure safety.[12]

Conservation

The CCNR provides free guided tours to schools and the general public. This is part of National Parks Board's efforts to educate people about the conservation of nature areas in Singapore.[13]

Banded leaf monkey conservation

The

banded leaf monkey is one of four primate species native to Singapore. The CCNR is the only location in Singapore where the nationally critically endangered banded leaf monkeys can be found. Due to rapid urbanisation and habitat loss, the population at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve had died out in 1987.[14] The Central Catchment population had declined to as few as 10–15 monkeys before recovering to about 40 by 2012.[15] Today, they are restricted to a small area within the Central Water Catchment with a population of about 70 by 2022.<ref>{{cite web |author=Wei, Chong Xin |date=22 June 2022<ref> The population is expected to double to 75 in 2023 to more than 150 in the next 15 years.<ref> https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/once-nearly-extinct-rare-raffles-banded-langur-numbers-in-s-pore-set-to-double-to-150-by-2038
<ref>

See also

References

  1. ^ 'Nature Reserves' Archived 22 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine, National Parks Board, retrieved 5 June 2009.
  2. ^ "URA Maps". Urban Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  3. ^ Labrador Nature Reserve Archived 18 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, National Parks Board Website, retrieved 4 June 2009.
  4. ^ Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Archived 9 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine, National Parks Board Website, retrieved 4 June 2009.
  5. ^ Protecting Our Natural Heritage: Gazette of Nature Reserves, Convention on Biological Diversity, retrieved 4 June 2009.
  6. ^ "Upper Peirce Reservoir Park". National Parks Board. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  7. ^ Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Archived 22 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine, National Parks Board, retrieved 4 June 2009.
  8. ^ Singapore Parks Archived 23 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Wild Life Asia, retrieved 4 June 2009.
  9. ^ Raffles’ banded langur (Banded leaf monkey) Archived 20 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Infopedia, National Library Board, retrieved 5 June 2009.
  10. ^ ‘’ Top of the trees‘’, CyberPioneer, retrieved 4 June 2009.
  11. ^ "Central Forest". Important Bird Areas factsheet. BirdLife International. 2014. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  12. ^ 'TreeTop Walk too tough?' The Straits Times, 30 Jan 2005, retrieved 8 June 2009.
  13. ^ Learning Journeys Archived 25 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Education, retrieved 5 June 2009.
  14. ^ "Hope remains for last monkeys". Singapore Press Holdings. 8 April 2002. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  15. ^ Ang A.; Srivasthan A.; Md.-Zain B.; Ismail M.; Meier R. (2012). "Low genetic variability in the recovering urban banded leaf monkey population of Singapore". Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 60 (2): 589–594. Retrieved 2 August 2015.

External links