Integrated research, conservation and management of Nee Soon freshwater swamp forest, Singapore: hydrology and biodiversity

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The current paper acts as an introduction to nine following papers concerning the hydrology and biodiversity of Nee Soon freshwater swamp forest. Freshwater swamp forest is a threatened and overlooked ecosystem in the Southeast Asian region and in Singapore. Characterised by predominantly mineral soils supporting forest that contains a subset of the flora and fauna of lowland forest, but with the addition of important habitat specialists, freshwater swamp forest is fed by an array of hydrological processes. As conservation management depends on good hydrological and biological understanding, a research programme was designed to tease out the roles of the various hydrological components. The background, management concerns, and aims of the project are detailed.