Rainforests, intertidal habitats, mangroves and reefs support different species and services. Protecting the links between habitats also matters.
An ecosystem consists of living organisms interacting with one another and their surroundings. Singapore's terrestrial, or land-based, ecosystems include tropical rainforests. Their plants provide habitat, help cycle water and store carbon.
Intertidal habitats lie between land and sea, exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Mangrove species are adapted to waterlogged coastal conditions. Their roots shelter organisms, slow water and trap sediment. Coral reefs support different marine communities. Each ecosystem has functions that another cannot fully replace.
Biodiversity is the variety of life, including species and habitats. Losing one habitat patch can cut routes between those that remain. Conservation therefore needs connected habitats as well as protected sites. Ecosystems also provide recreation and learning, but heavy use needs management to avoid damaging them.
Step by step
Different habitats
Rainforests, mangroves, intertidal areas and reefs support different communities.
Useful interactions
Mangrove roots shelter organisms, slow water and trap sediment.
Connected spaces
Links between habitat patches help organisms move.
Worked example: Why a corridor helps
NParks plans nature corridors and planted nature ways between green spaces. A connection can help animals move between habitats. It complements habitat protection; a thin corridor is not a complete substitute for a large, good-quality habitat.
Watch out for this
Any planted lawn replaces the biodiversity of a cleared forest.
Habitat quality, species, structure, size and connections differ. Equal areas of greenery do not necessarily provide equal ecological functions.
Check your understanding
A proposal keeps the same total green area but breaks one forest into isolated small patches. What should be investigated?
- Whether species can still move between suitable habitats.
- Only whether every patch has the same colour on the plan.
- Nothing; unchanged green area guarantees unchanged biodiversity.