Singapore, an island city-state at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, spans approximately 728.6 square kilometers with a 193-kilometer coastline. It is bordered by Malaysia to the north and Indonesia to the south, with the South China Sea to the east and the Strait of Malacca to the west. The city-state boasts a diverse cultural landscape, with major ethnic groups including Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian communities. 

Singapore is a vibrant city-state with diverse religions including Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Taoism. Its rich cultural heritage features traditional performances and festivals, such as Chinese New Year and Deepavali. Despite its small size, Singapore boasts diverse ecosystems, including tropical rainforests and mangroves, and protected areas. It has identified 24 nature areas with ecological and aesthetic importance. To date, there are four (4) established nature reserves in Singapore to safeguard habitats, address habitat fragmentation, maintain and mitigate ecosystem services (e.g., clean air and water, biodiversity), and protect cultural indigenous ecosystems under the Parks and Trees Act (National Board Parks, 2024). It is home to threatened species such as the Raffles’ Banded Langur Presbytis femoralis and Singapore Freshwater Crab Johora singaporensis, and maintains over 20 parks and nature reserves, including one ASEAN Heritage Park. 

To date, the regional terrestrial biodiversity of Singapore supports 32 species of amphibians, 86 species of mammals, 138 species of reptiles, 467 species of birds, 300 species of spiders, over 1400 species of insects, and more than 2000 species of plants. These rich fauna and flora of Singapore are due to reinforced protection and efforts in conserving 4 Nature Reserves and 18 Nature areas. The forests of Singapore are not exploited commercially for timber, and there are no indigenous people dependent on the forests for subsistence. Due to the loss of much of the primary forest cover during the 19th century, secondary forests make up a large portion of the current terrestrial vegetation.

In addition to natural ecosystems, well-managed green spaces such as public parks, park connectors, roadside plantings, and reservoir parks also support considerable biodiversity, which underscores Singapore’s commitment towards creating a clean, green, and blue living environment. Over the past 20 years, Singapore’s green cover has increased from 36% to 47% of the total land area. Continued efforts towards biodiversity conservation and protection in Singapore are strengthened and mainstreamed, committed to extensive reforestation and afforestation.

Singapore also supports a diverse coral reef with an estimated area of over 10 km2. The marine biodiversity of Singapore includes over 123 reef fish species, more than 190 species of sponges, and 250 species of corals, which account for more than 25% of the world’s coral species. Additionally, 12 species can be found in Singapore (i.e., 17% of the world seagrass diversity), more than 450 species of crustaceans (i.e., both freshwater and marine species), over 580 species of mollusks, 865 species of marine fishes, and about 500 species of seaweeds have been observed (National Board Parks, 2024).

Historically, mangrove habitats covered 13% (1820s) of Singapore’s total land area. However, due to the realignment of rivers, industrial development, and land area reclamation, to date, only 0.95% of Singapore’s land area remains as mangroves, which is 6.59 km2. Despite this, Singapore still remarkably harbors a high diversity of mangrove species, considering its small size. To date, initiatives in mangrove planting and enrichment planting have been implemented to assist the recovery of mangrove ecosystems. In Singapore, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve covers the largest patch of mangrove area, covering 100 hectares recognized as having international importance for migratory birds (National Board Parks, 2024). Thirty-five mangrove species are found in Singapore, which is about half of the world’s total mangrove species. Hence, these mangroves provide sanctuary and breeding habitats to estuarine animals such as mudskippers, archerfish, pipefish, bivalves, mollusks, crabs, mud lobsters, crocodiles, and many others.