Amazing Planet

Gardens By The Bay, Singapore's Sustainable 'Superpark'

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Singapore's government is on a mission to transform their island nation into a "city in a garden." Sounds pretty dreamy, right? Their National Parks Board moved this vision right along by creating a man-made mechanical forest inside their 250-acre landscaping project, Gardens by the Bay. It's a breathtaking, solar-powered urban oasis.

Related: The Legacy of America's National Park Service

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Why we're covering this:

  • Did you take a look at those super trees?! And they're good for the environment, to boot.
  • This urban park should top your eco-tourist destination bucket list.

A Sustainable Wonderland

Gardens by the Bay opened in 2012 in the Marina Bay area of Singapore's south side. The national garden is comprised of three distinctive waterfront gardens: Bay South, Bay East, and Bay Central, which are maintained by an in-house team of landscape designers, horticulturists, arborists, engineers, and other plant specialists. Their team aims to both entertain visitors and educate them about sustainable development and conservation. Also, to wow everyone with their badass supertrees (we presume).

Related: Toronto's Corktown Common Park Recycles Its Rainwater

So, what's so special about these supertrees? We're glad you asked. These manmade structures tower at over 164 feet (50 meters), and, according to CNN, they "act as vertical gardens, generating solar power, acting as air venting ducts for nearby conservatories, and collecting rainwater." They also absorb and disperse heat, provide shelter, and eleven of the supertrees are fitted with solar photovoltaic systems that convert sunlight into energy. Did we mention that they're pretty? The artificial trees are covered with tropical flowers and climbing ferns. To see them up close, you can take a stroll across their connecting bridges, called "skywalks."

Garden by the bay solar trees
Cloud Forest Dome at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore
Supertree garden at night, Garden by the Bay, Singapore

Take A Walk In The Superpark

Related: The Biodiversity of Yasuní National Park

Your trip to the Gardens won't be complete without visiting their two green conservatories, the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. These climate-controlled biomes were inspired by the shape of an orchid flower, and they're the size of four football fields (housing 220,000 plants). Don't forget to bring your camera.

View of Singapore Gardens by the bay river, Supergrove trees, Flyer observation wheel glasshouses
Gardens by the Bay and Cargo ships of Singapore.

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Watch And Learn: Our Favorite Content About Parks

Singapore's Urban Oasis

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Gardens by The Bay | Grant Associates
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The Legacy of America's National Park Service

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The Biodiversity of Yasuní National Park

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Amazon Adventure—Documenting Life in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park | National Geographic
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Key Facts In This Video

  1. Yasuní National Park is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, and is under threat due to its reserves of oil. 00:08

  2. Photographers use camera traps to take pictures of an elusive jaguar. 01:44

  3. One of the indigenous communities living in Yasuní, the Waorani people have also been affected by the presence of oil companies. 02:38

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