The Learning Forest
ON 31 March 2017, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officially opened the Learning Forest, a new conservation core of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Visitors can now access a network of boardwalks and elevated walkways to explore wetland and rainforest habitats. The Learning Forest is home to more than 100 species of birds, 20 species of amphibians and reptiles, 19 species of butterflies and 7 species of mammals and over 600 species of plants. Highlights of the Learning Forest include the Keppel Discovery Wetlands, the first project in Southeast Asia to recreate a freshwater forest wetland and the SPH Walk of Giants, which showcases a collection of magnificent trees.
The Wetlands features a carefully curated plant collection of over 200 species. Connected by trails and boardwalks, it provides visitors with an opportunity to access and experience a freshwater swamp habitat in the heart of the city. In contrast, the Walk of Giants has an elevated boardwalk in the forest where visitors can get close to existing mature trees and young forest emergent species — most of which, in time, can grow up to at least 60 meters in height (about 20-story high). Besides viewing some of the region’s tallest tree species within a regenerated lowland forest area, visitors also get to see a bambusetum, as well as over 50 species of wild fruit trees with familiar relatives, such as species from the soursop, jackfruit, lychee and mango families; a collection of trees that exhibit the phenomena of cauliflory and ramiflory; and trees with interesting forms and barks.
Located in the TyersallGallop Core, the 10- hectare Learning Forest is an extensive restoration project of the lowland forest and wetland habitats that used to surround the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It was designed to integrate with the Botanic Gardens’ existing 6-hectare Rain Forest to form an enlarged forest habitat that will help strengthen the conservation of native flora and fauna. It will form a buffer against the urban development surrounding Singapore’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, and serve as an important reference for the ongoing research work of restoration ecology around the region.