No plans to designate Tagore forest as a nature reserve: Chee Hong Tat

Published Sep 09, 2026, 12:15 PM

Updated Sep 09, 2026, 12:15 PM

There are no plans to designate Tagore forest as a nature reserve; land is prioritised for residential development based on biodiversity value and housing needs.

Singapore currently protects four nature reserves and plans to increase green spaces from 7,800ha to 8,800ha by 2035, including parks and green corridors.

Housing demand is met by optimising land use, intensifying low-density areas where feasible, and conducting environmental impact assessments to balance development with nature conservation.

SINGAPORE - There are currently no plans to designate the Tagore forest as a nature reserve, Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat said on Sept 8.

He was responding to WP’s Kenneth Tiong (Aljunied GRC), who asked about the criteria that the Government uses to decide if an area should be set aside as a nature reserve and whether it will consider granting Tagore forest such protection . An othe r five MPs also asked about land-planning and decision-making for ecologically significant sites.

The forested site in the Lentor area is currently zoned for residential development. In 2024, a group of scientists and conservationists had proposed that the authorities study the preservation of the plot due to the presence of rare wildlife, including a globally critically endangered monkey.

In his written reply, Chee said his ministry “adopts a science-based approach to prioritising what to conserve, and how we conserve, while strengthening our ecological system over time”.

He said the designation of a nature reserve involves the consider ation of its biodiversity and ecological value, and its importance to Singapore’s native wildlife . These aspects are weighed alongside Singapore’s other land-use needs, the minister added.

Singapore currently has four nature reserves, which are protected under the Parks and Trees Act. Nature reserves are protected areas for the conservation of Singapore’s biodiversity, and there are various measures to safeguard the spaces. For instance, entry to these areas are restricted to certain hours.

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve were gazetted in 1990, while Labrador Nature Reserve and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve were gazetted in 2002.

Said Chee: “These are assessed to be the most biodiverse areas in Singapore and are representative of Singapore’s native landscapes.

“They also safeguard a range of habitats and serve as strongholds for various endemic and threatened species.”

Chee said Singapore has set aside more than 7,800h a of green spaces, which it will increase to 8,800ha by 2035.

These green spaces include nature parks, which protect nature reserves from the effects of urbanisation, and linear green corridors that link major parks and nature areas.

The proposal for Tagore forest to be studied, with the view of it being designated as a nature park, was mooted in the 2024 Singapore Terrestrial Conservation Plan by nearly 40 scientists and conservationists. They said it is a crucial refuge for native wildlife like the Raffles’ banded langur and Sunda pangolin.

Another r eport published last month by youth nature groups LepakInSG and Singapore Youth Voices for Biodiversity called for the site to be turned into a nature park.

In his reply , Chee said agencies take a comprehensive approach in planning new housing supply, by accounting for demographic and socio-economic trends, prevailing market conditions, and the supply of resale flats on the open market, to meet Singaporeans’ needs across different locations and time periods.

This includes providing housing near existing estates as many Singaporeans, including young families, seniors and singles, want to continue living near their families for mutual care and support.

Said Chee: “It is not possible to predict future housing demand with 100 per cent accuracy as the key demand drivers have varying degrees of uncertainty.

“Nevertheless, we expect housing demand to remain strong in the near to medium term, due to strong household formation rates and decreasing household sizes.”

Chee said that to meet the housing needs and aspirations of Singaporeans, Singapore will continue to optimise its existing land to keep up a robust supply of public and private housing.

He added: “Where feasible, we intensify land usage, co-locate facilities, and make better use of under-utilised spaces.”

“We will utilise suitable brownfield sites in the area as far as possible, if they are available within the required timeframe, before activating sites with greenery or heritage.”

WP’s Dennis Tan (Hougang) had asked if the government will consider intensifying existing or planned low-density residential areas. Chee said the government does intensi fy low-density residential areas where it can, by injecting high-density public housing into predominantly landed areas, such as Turf City.

Chee added: “However, it is not practical to assume that we can meet the bulk of public housing supply through redevelopment of landed residential areas as this will require extensive acquisition of existing landed properties, as well as significant upgrading of transport and other essential infrastructure to support higher housing densities.”

He also addressed a question by WP leader Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC), who had filed a question on whether public housing supply could be met through the selective en bloc redevelopment scheme (SERS) that rebuilds older public housing estates.

Chee stressed that SERS can only apply to a small proportion of sites in certain parts of Singapore, adding that the government has to be mindful of the disruption to residents who have to relocate when their flats undergo SERS.

Said Chee: “Hence, doing SERS alone will not be enough to meet our overall housing demand.”

He added that an environmental impact assessment study is conducted when development does proceed on sites where there is potentially significant environmental impact, and the report is then used to develop mitigation measures.

Said Chee: “Today, Singapore is both a thriving global city and one of the greenest cities in the world.

“We got here by planning for development and nature together.”

Ministry of National Development

Parks/Nature reserves

发布于 2026 年 9 月 9 日下午 12:15

更新于2026年9月9日下午12:15

目前没有将泰戈尔森林划为自然保护区的计划；土地优先用于住宅开发，依据是生物多样性价值和住房需求。

新加坡目前保护着四个自然保护区，并计划到 2035 年将绿地面积从 7,800 公顷增加到 8,800 公顷，其中包括公园和绿色走廊。

住房需求的满足方式是优化土地利用，在可行的情况下提高低密度地区的开发利用率，并进行环境影响评估，以平衡发展与自然保护。

新加坡——国家发展部长徐芳达9月8日表示，目前没有计划将泰戈尔森林指定为自然保护区。

他是在回应工人党议员张建宗（阿裕尼集选区）的提问。张建宗询问政府在决定是否将某地划为自然保护区时所依据的标准，以及政府是否会考虑给予泰戈尔森林此类保护。另有五位议员也询问了有关具有重要生态意义地点的土地规划和决策问题。

伦托尔地区的这片林地目前被划为住宅开发用地。2024年，一群科学家和自然保护主义者曾提议，由于该地栖息着珍稀野生动物，包括一种全球极度濒危的猴子，当局应该研究如何保护这片林地。

Chee在书面答复中表示，他的部门“采取以科学为基础的方法，优先考虑保护什么以及如何保护，同时随着时间的推移加强我们的生态系统”。

他表示，划定自然保护区需要考虑其生物多样性、生态价值以及对新加坡本土野生动物的重要性。部长补充说，这些因素会与新加坡的其他土地利用需求一并权衡。

新加坡目前拥有四个自然保护区，均受《公园与树木法》保护。自然保护区是为保护新加坡生物多样性而设立的保护区，并采取了多种措施来维护其安全。例如，进入这些区域有时间限制。

武吉知马自然保护区和中央集水区自然保护区于 1990 年被列为保护区，而拉布拉多自然保护区和双溪布洛湿地保护区于 2002 年被列为保护区。

谢先生说：“这些地区被评估为新加坡生物多样性最丰富的地区，代表了新加坡的本土景观。”

“它们还保护着一系列栖息地，并为各种特有物种和濒危物种提供了庇护所。”

Chee表示，新加坡已划出超过7800公顷的绿地，到2035年将增加到8800公顷。

这些绿地包括自然公园（保护自然保护区免受城市化的影响）和连接主要公园和自然区域的线性绿色走廊。

在2024年新加坡陆地保护计划中，近40位科学家和自然保护主义者提出对泰戈尔森林进行研究，以期将其划为自然公园。他们表示，这片森林是莱佛士叶猴和马来穿山甲等本土野生动物的重要庇护所。

上个月，青年自然团体 LepakInSG 和新加坡青年生物多样性之声发表的另一份报告呼吁将该地改造成自然公园。

Chee在回复中表示，各机构在规划新住房供应时采取综合方法，考虑人口和社会经济趋势、当前的市场状况以及公开市场上转售组屋的供应情况，以满足新加坡人在不同地点和时期的需求。

这包括在现有住宅区附近提供住房，因为许多新加坡人，包括年轻家庭、老年人和单身人士，都希望继续与家人住在一起，以便相互照顾和支持。

Chee表示：“由于关键需求驱动因素存在不同程度的不确定性，因此不可能100%准确地预测未来的住房需求。”

“尽管如此，由于家庭组建率高和家庭规模不断缩小，我们预计中短期内住房需求将保持强劲。”

Chee表示，为了满足新加坡人的住房需求和愿望，新加坡将继续优化利用现有土地，以保持公共和私人住房的充足供应。

他补充道：“在可行的情况下，我们会加强土地利用，集中建设设施，并更好地利用未充分利用的空间。”

“我们将尽可能利用该地区合适的棕地，如果能在规定的时间内获得这些棕地的话，然后再考虑激活有绿地或历史遗迹的地块。”

工人党议员陈志远（后港选区）询问政府是否会考虑提高现有或规划中的低密度住宅区的密度。徐顺全表示，政府确实会在条件允许的情况下提高低密度住宅区的密度，例如在以有地住宅为主的地区，如草坪城，建造高密度公共房屋。

Chee补充道：“然而，认为我们可以通过重建有地住宅区来满足大部分公共住房供应是不切实际的，因为这将需要大量收购现有的有地房产，以及对交通和其他基本基础设施进行重大升级，以支持更高的住房密度。”

他还回应了工人党领袖毕​​丹星（阿裕尼集选区）提出的问题，毕丹星提出的问题是关于通过选择性整体重建计划（SERS）重建老旧公共组屋区是否可以满足公共住房供应。

Chee强调，SERS只能适用于新加坡某些地区的一小部分地块，并补充说，政府必须考虑到当组屋进行SERS改造时，居民搬迁会造成不便。

Chee表示：“因此，单靠SERS计划不足以满足我们整体的住房需求。”

他还补充说，当开发项目在可能对环境造成重大影响的地点进行时，会进行环境影响评估研究，然后根据该报告制定缓解措施。

Chee表示：“如今，新加坡既是一个繁荣的国际化大都市，也是世界上最绿色的城市之一。”

“我们之所以能走到今天，是因为我们把发展和自然结合起来进行了规划。”

国家发展部

公园/自然保护区