June 07, 2022, 07:17 PM
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The north of Singapore will soon see a new nature corridor comprising 150 hectares of nature parks and parks, and 80km of trails.
New parks
The Khatib Nature Corridor is made up of various forested sites at Springleaf, Tagore, Miltonia Close, and along Lower Seletar Reservoir.
According to an Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) media release, the nature corridor will include the existing Springleaf Nature Park and three new parks that serve as ecological buffers:
- Nee Soon Nature Park, which contains a rare freshwater swamp forest habitat. It is an extension of the Nee Soon Swamp Forest in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR).
- Miltonia Nature Park, which will retain a natural stream and riparian habitat.
- An extension along Lower Seletar Reservoir.
Artist impression of Nee Soon Nature Park from NParks
Artist impression of Miltonia Nature Park from NParks
Artist impression of Extension of Lower Seletar Reservoir Park from NParks
These three parks take up an area of around 37.9 hectares.
Another two parks that are part of the nature corridor are the previously-announced 40-hectare Khatib Bongsu Nature Park, which is expected to be completed by 2026, and the 4.8 hectare Canberra Park.
In total, over 90 hectares of new green spaces will be added. This is equivalent to the size of Jurong Lake Gardens, reported Today.
More trails
A network of park connectors, Nature Ways, and trails through Lower Seletar Reservoir and the surrounding Khatib areas will be curated to connect the various green spaces in the northern part of Singapore.
Over 20km of new trails will be added.
Khatib Nature Corridor will also be connected to three recreational routes — the Round-Island Route, Coast-to-Coast Northern Trail, and the Central Corridor.
Photo from NParks
Guiding urban planning
Khatib Nature Corridor was established to help maintain and enhance ecological connectivity between the CCNR and Khatib Bongsu Nature Park.
The area was identified during the National Parks Board's (NParks) islandwide ecological profiling exercise (EPE), which allows the government to "sensitively integrate nature in our urban landscape upfront in our land use plans".
The findings from the EPE will help guide urban planners to have a greater understanding of the island's ecological connectivity.
There will be two upcoming residential and mixed-use developments at Springleaf and Miltonia Close that will lie within the new nature corridor.
Springleaf and Miltonia Nature Parks will therefore serve as buffer and "stepping-stone habitats" to enable wildlife to move between the CCNR and Khatib Bongsu Nature Park.
Aside from Khatib, NParks also identified three other ecological corridors — Seletar, Kranji and Lim Chu Kang — through its EPE.
More information on these three ecological corridors will be shared when available.
Top photo from NParks
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