Singapore Vows to Have Better Future with One Million New Mangrove Trees

In its quest to improve habitat quality of its wildlife and living condition of its residents, Singapore has undertaken the ambitious reforestation campaign of planting one million mangrove trees over the next ten years.

“Singapore’s mangroves punch way above their weight,” says Geography professor Dan Friess from the National University of Singapore. “We only have a small area of mangroves, but within that we have huge biodiversity. In the Mandai mangroves alone researchers have found 20 species that are new to science.”

The launch of the Sungei Buloh Park Network, a vast park located in the northern part of the island, is part of the One Million Trees project. Its aim is to safeguard the biodiversity of multiple areas like the Kranji marshes and the Mandai mangrove as they comprise many ecosystems. Mangroves have an outsize ecological impact: pound for pound, they can isolate more carbon than rainforests do. They also prevent soil erosion thanks to their roots. Once the project is completed in 2030, Singaporeans will all be a ten-minute walk away from a park.