Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a small 1.64 square kilometre site near the geographic centre of the main island in Singapore, about 12 kilometres from downtown. Despite its small size, it is considered one of the most productive pieces of nature, particular by Alfred Russel Wallace. Together with the neighbouring Central Catchment Nature Reserve, it houses over 840 species of flowering plants and over 500 species of fauna. According to Dr David Bellamy, the number of plant specie in the small reserve exceeds that in all of North America. Today, it is one of the largest patches of primary rainforest left in Singapore.

History

The name "Bukit Timah" 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 Malay, while "Timah" is theorised to mean tin, although tin deposits are not found in the area. The hill did serve as a granite quarry for many years, however, especially in the mid-1900s, all operations of which has since been abandoned and converted into recreational areas and even filming locations.

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve itself is amongst the earliest forest reserves established in Singapore, having been accorded that status since 1883. The Nature Reserves Ordinance accorded the site further protection in 1951, which continues to be enforced today under the National Parks Act.