Maju Forest

Maju Forest
Remnant of the KTM Jurong Line in Maju Forest
Interactive map of Maju Forest
Geography
LocationSunset Way, Clementi, Singapore
Coordinates1°19′35″N 103°46′18″E / 1.3264°N 103.7717°E / 1.3264; 103.7717
Elevation57m[1]
Area
23 ha (57 acres)[2]
Administration
AuthorityNational Parks Board
Ecology
EcosystemPeninsular Malaysian rain forests
WWF ClassificationTropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

Maju Forest is a regenerating secondary forest located in Clementi, Singapore.[3][4]

Etymology

The term maju means "to move forward" in Malay.[5]

History

Records suggest that the area of the modern forest was a plantation in 1914, but was predominantly covered by grassland by 1950. The forest and the neighbouring Clementi Forest were later affected by the development and operations of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway in the 1960s. In 1963, the Jurong Line was incorporated into the railway. It began at Clementi Forest and cut through the valley in the southern section of Maju Forest. Between 1975 and 2005, both forests matured into abandoned-land forest; railway operations ceased in the 1990s.[6][1][7]

Redevelopment controversy

On 10 July 2026, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced that it would build new homes in Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks.[8] Following the announcement, over 41,000 people signed a petition against the plans.[9]

On 4 August 2026, Alvin Tan, the Minister of State for National Development, stated that the plans were not fixed.[8]

Natural history

Ecology

Maju Forest is home to over 100 species of wildlife, including 6 species of conservation significance, including the straw-headed bulbul, buffy fish-owl, changeable hawk-eagle, oriental magpie-robin, bamboo bat and long-tailed macaque.[3][10]

References

  1. 1 2 Land Transport Authority (6 October 2022). Environmental Impact Study (Clementi Forest and Maju Forest) (PDF) (Report). Vol. 1 of 5. Land Transport Authority. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Mingli Seet (24 July 2026). "Why is everyone talking about Maju Forest?". TimeOut. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 Hoffner, Erik. "Looming loss of Singapore's Maju Forest to development raises many questions (commentary)". news.mongabay.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Erin Liam; Natalie Ong (10 July 2026). "Nature groups call for stronger environmental safeguards over Sunset Way, Gillman Barracks housing plans". CNA. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Azrin Tan (8 August 2026). "Is there hope yet? The power of collective care in saving our forests". Vogue Singapore. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Shirleen Lee (6 August 2026). "Everything to know about Maju Forest before HDB development begins, including its rare wildlife inhabitants". MustShareNews. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Land Transport Authority (6 October 2022). Environmental Impact Study (Clementi Forest and Maju Forest) (PDF) (Report). Vol. 2 of 5. Land Transport Authority. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 Matthew Mohan (4 August 2026). "Gillman Barracks, Sunset Way plans not fixed as government weighs competing needs: Alvin Tan". CNA. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Srinidhi Ragavendran; Chanyaporn Chanjaroen; Joyce Koh (8 August 2026). "Rare Public Friction Tests Singapore's 'City in Nature' Vision". Bloomberg. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  10. ↑ Natalie Ong (7 August 2026). "NParks sterilising long-tailed macaques at Maju Forest to manage population". CNA. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
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