Read the NPARKS Press release.
"Due to illegal logging and deforestation, the population of dipterocarps – iconic trees that constitute the backbone of the Indo-Malayan rainforests – have decreased over the years.
Many species in Singapore have also become critically endangered.
When it opens at the end of this year, the OCBC arboretum in the Botanic Gardens will house an integrated suite of technological tools that will be employed to better track the climate, growth and conditions of these trees, and bolster efforts to conserve them, it was announced on Saturday (July 20)."
– Read more at Straits Times
"What is an arboretum and how does the high-tech botanical site aid conservation efforts?"
Video from CNA
"The new project will collect data that will help arborists and ecologists understand the conditions required for the healthy growth of dipterocarp trees, which are the “backbone” of South-east Asian tropical forests, NParks and OCBC said in a joint press release.
The hardwood trees, which has more than 500 described species, grow to be some of the tallest trees in forests, comprising up to 50 to 80 per cent of the forest canopy in the region, they added.
This makes dipterocarps vital in shaping the landscape and creating a habitat for other plants and wildlife."
– Read more at Singapore Today
"The National Parks Board (NParks) and OCBC bank have announced a joint project of setting up an arboretum which will employ the use of Internet of Things technology. This arboretum, which is mainly a botanical collection of trees, is set up with the aim of restoring South-east Asia’s tropical rainforests."
– Read more at OpenGovAsia.
