2023
Trees are essential for the conservation of biodiversity. They provide habitats for a wide variety of species, from birds and mammals to insects and fungi. They also play a vital role in the global carbon cycle, helping to regulate the climate and reduce the impacts of climate change. In SICC, many of these gems are hidden within our golf courses. The Sindora velutina is a rare species native to Singapore and critically endangered. There are only 8 such trees in Singapore, and one of them resides in SICC.
When The New Course was undergoing redevelopment, one of the core scopes for the task force was to transplant all the trees that were affected. The Arborist found a tree that could not be named during the process. To an Arborist, a tree that could not be named is often a rare species and indeed it was the endangered Sindora velutina tree. The plant species - Sindora × changiensis - is the only specimen known to grow in the wild in Singapore. A natural hybrid endemic to Singapore and is the first record of natural hybridisation in the genus Sindora. The “parents”, Sindora echinocalyx and Sindora coriacea, can be found among the trees in The New Course.
