You might have heard of Clementi Forest, a hidden gem tucked away among residential buildings in the west of Singapore.

The place was made popular after photos taken by nature enthusiast Brice Li showing the misty forest at dawn went viral.

You might have even visited the place, which is admittedly rather muddy and slippery.

However, have you seen it from up above?

Forest from the air

This view was what one Jonathan Teo offered to netizens after he brought his quadcopter drone to Clementi Forest.

Teo is a licensed commercial UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) pilot, according to his Facebook page, and regularly posts videos his drone captured at nature areas in Singapore.

He is also part of a media production company which specialises in drone aerial photography and videography, and has been flying his quadcopter for six years.

His drone footage sweeps over the vast expanse of Clementi Forest, and although he lamented the fact that there wasn't any fog during his trip there, the place still looks rather otherworldly.

The drone also captures what appears to be a natural stream winding through the shrubbery, as well as some visitors admiring the scenery to the side.

Teo even manages to manoeuvre the drone between the branches of a particularly tall tree, which provides a rather thrilling experience for viewers (almost like a roller coaster).

Teo's video, which he posted to Facebook, has since garnered over 1,200 shares.

Many marvelled at the beauty of the greenery, or complimented Teo's skills at flying the drone.

You can watch the entirety of Teo's four minute footage here.

Calls to conserve this patch of forest

The 85ha Clementi Forest is home to around 90 species of birds, both resident and migratory, 98 species of vascular plants, and 61 species of butterflies, according to various studies by the Nature Society Singapore conducted at various points in time.

Besides being home to wildlife, the Clementi Forest is also part of a greater ecological network — it is connected to the new Holland Green Linear Park which leads to the Greenleaf forest. It is also linked to Maju forest which is linked to other green areas up northwest.

With its rich biodiversity, there have been recent calls by nature lovers to conserve this patch of greenery, with Li proposing to build an elevated boardwalk through the forest to raise awareness of the environment and allow visitors to immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of nature.

Li has since sent his proposal to various agencies such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), National Parks Board and Minister for National Development, Desmond Lee.

However, URA has since told Mothership "there are no immediate plans for residential development at the site".

URA added that there is a need to balance both the needs for development and conservation in land-scarce Singapore.

"While there may be some sites which are needed for development, others do not have plans for quite some time to come, and we will ensure they remain green," the URA spokesperson said.

Any development plans for and around Clementi forest will involve necessary studies to take the biodiversity in the area into consideration and to reduce the potential impact on the natural environment.

Totally unrelated but follow and listen to our podcast here

Top photo from Jonathan Teo / YouTube