My final thoughts

 

Last stop: Conclusion

It is very hard to maintain our environment unless we give the environment a purpose in our lives. For the temple, it was integrating the environment with religion and worship. The temple stands as a testament to a quintessential time. The park connector serves as a reminder that Singaporeans used to depend on the over of our forests to settle villages on which their livelihoods depended. The Woodlands Town Gardens East reminds us that everyone can do their part in conservation and that we can build our own environment with our own hands. Our national parks like the Woodlands Waterfront Park, Admiralty Park, Marsiling Park, and even the Botanic Gardens are all clever ways nature, heritage and sustainability combined for the enjoyment of the people. No matter the history of the place, there is always a way we can integrate these three elements to take care of our environment while preserving our history.

However, in integration, there is always a lot lost. In curating our Singapore story, some parts of our heritage have to be remodelled, hidden and repurposed. Every bit of natural space in this country has to serve a functional and historical purpose, and cannot be left completely natural. 

There is loss, but there is a lot to celebrate.

I am grateful for Roots.sg who curated this thoughtful trail, as well as the Botanic Gardens who provided a lot of information on our heritage crops.