Ecology, land use, and environmental activism in a development-obsessed state.

The recent sighting in Sungei Buloh of the Rhinoceros hornbill, thought to be locally extinct, brought joy. It was a sobering reminder too, of what we’ve lost in our headlong, heedless rush toward modernity.

Some claim that tiny forests can bring relief from dangerous heat. Mere greenwashing? And even if not, can the concept grow roots in a city uncomfortable with wildness?

Is there space to rethink and renegotiate our relationship with nature in a state-controlled urban environment that rests on unfeeling technologies and exploited migrant labour?

Singapore’s narratives of “land reclamation” have obscured the displaced destruction of our neighbours’ land and livelihoods. What has been lost, and what do we owe to each other?

The author explores her relationship with Evelyn Eng-Lin, founder of Green Circle Eco Farm, and argues that by embracing the concept of “biocultural diversity”, Singaporeans can better preserve and protect our green spaces.