Where the wild things are: how Mandai is redefining wildlife tourism for Singapore and beyond

From the outset, environmental safeguards were built into the plan. The team commissioned an environmental impact assessment, convened an independent advisory group and adopted global best practices. In 2019, the Mandai Wildlife Bridge was completed, allowing animals to safely cross Mandai Lake Road. These safeguards were just the beginning. That founding idea has since matured into a broader model for eco‑tourism—one where preservation and public access are held in deliberate balance.

“From the point of forest conservation, the Mandai [wildlife] parks have come at an ecological cost of cleared habitats,” observes prominent ecologist Shawn Lum. “However, through its research efforts, public outreach, and in management of the considerable green spaces within the parks, the Mandai Wildlife Reserves individually and collectively do a good deal for local conservation,” says the senior lecturer at Nanyang Technological University’s Asian School of the Environment.

Each of the five parks offers a distinct lens on the natural world, but all share the same intention. “Our wildlife parks act as windows into the wild, helping guests understand the threats species face and the efforts to protect them,” says Mike Barclay, group CEO of Mandai Wildlife Group. That sensibility extends beyond the parks’ physical design and into a deeper purpose—much of it driven by Mandai Nature, a non-profit founded in 2020 by Temasek and Mandai Wildlife Group, and of which Lum is a member of its advisory panel.

Created to scale ecological outcomes across Southeast Asia, the organisation integrates research, community-led efforts and sustainable financing to protect the region’s most threatened wildlife and habitats. According to Mandai Nature CEO Sonja Luz, the partnership with Mandai Wildlife Group is fundamental to this mission. “[It] brings together the strengths of a leading zoological institution and its dedicated not-for-profit conservation organisation.” This collaborative model offers a unique opportunity to leverage Mandai Wildlife Reserve as a research and training hub. “Through this, we can build veterinary and animal care capacity, conduct essential research, and foster Asia’s conservation talent by investing in mentorship and capacity-building programmes,” she adds.

Mandai Nature currently supports over 40 wildlife protection projects across the region, focusing on lesser‑known vertebrates such as freshwater fish, amphibians and birds. These include efforts to recover the Raffles’ banded langur in Singapore and combat the Asian songbird trade. Its approach centres on empowering local actors. “We collaborate with field partners who … lead efforts on the ground,” says Luz. “These organisations have long-standing relationships with their local governments, communities and indigenous groups—the true stewards of many of the world’s most important ecosystems.”

In the Philippines, for example, Mandai Nature works with the Philippine Eagle Foundation. “With 80 per cent of the remaining eagle population found on ancestral lands, these [indigenous] communities are essential to [their] long-term survival,” Luz shares. A key programme supports indigenous-led efforts to protect nesting sites and cultivate agroforestry—preserving both biodiversity and livelihoods.

Mandai Nature also bridges in-situ and ex-situ conservation to save threatened Asian species. “By protecting wildlife in their natural habitats and providing a safety net within our zoos, we work together to ensure their survival both in the wild and in human care,” Luz notes. This approach aligns with the International Union for Conservation of Nature One Plan framework, which “unites efforts in the wild and under human care to save species through coordinated planning”.

This integrated strategy gained significant global validation when the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted during the Conference of the Parties (Cop 15) in 2022, explicitly acknowledged the need to halt species extinction through both in-situ and ex-situ interventions. This aligns directly with Mandai Nature’s core tenets and contributes to the 23 targets set by the Framework for 2030, to which Singapore has pledged the nation’s contribution.

For Mandai Nature, that recognition affirms the vital role that zoos can play in halting biodiversity loss. “Given that many species cannot be saved through in-situ efforts alone, this reality has shaped our conservation strategies toward 2030,” Luz posits. “It also underscores the unique role that Mandai Wildlife Group and Mandai Nature can play in addressing biodiversity challenges specific to our region.”

At Mandai Wildlife Reserve, this collaboration is made tangible, as visitor-facing spaces also serve an ecological function, shaped by regular biodiversity surveys and species care programmes. “Across our zoos, we participate in over 160 globally managed plans such as the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria Ex Situ Programme, [a conservation programme by an organisation that connects over 400 zoos and aquariums across Europe and Western Asia], … and the Species Survival Plan programme, which work to maintain healthy, genetically diverse populations of threatened species in human care, while supporting potential reintroductions and coordinated conservation globally,” Barclay shares. Visitor engagement directly supports this mission too. “A portion of our revenue goes to supporting conservation projects in Singapore and the region through Mandai Nature.”

All these efforts stem from a core philosophy: “Species protection must go hand-in-hand with habitat restoration and community engagement because wildlife cannot be protected in isolation,” Luz expounds. At the Mandai eco-tourism hub, each visitor touchpoint is designed to foster biodiversity encounters. This extends to the public Mandai Boardwalk, a 3.3km wheelchair-friendly elevated trail along the Upper Seletar Reservoir, which offers a scenic connection between Mandai Wildlife East and River Wonders, with look-out points, rest stations, and views into Singapore Zoo habitats. Its design also incorporates five thematic stations inspired by native species such as the four-lined tree frog and Common Iora bird.

Built with low-impact techniques and planned around mature trees, the boardwalk allows native wildlife free movement underneath and closes at dusk to protect nocturnal animals. Along the trail, visitors might spot local species including straw-headed bulbuls and long-tailed parakeets, alongside glimpses of giraffes and other animals from the nearby wildlife parks. “Our vision for the Mandai Wildlife Reserve has been to create an accessible and inclusive destination that offers a window into the wild, allowing everyone to appreciate nature at their own pace,” says Barclay.

That vision now finds fuller expression with the opening of the Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree—the homegrown hospitality brand’s first resort in Singapore—an invitation to not just visit, but to stay as nature’s guest. Tucked into the forest fringe, the resort extends the ethos into hospitality, with a design that minimises ecological disruption. Its layout weaves around mature trees, while elevated walkways and rooftop gardens preserve wildlife movement across the site.

“The resort’s design is guided by a deep commitment to biophilia,” says general manager Glen Cook. “The concept is sympathetic to the existing vegetation and treelines, as well as natural topography. It is also designed to be unobtrusive, sitting below the upper canopy layer of the surrounding trees.” There were also efforts to enhance the site’s biodiversity through thoughtful planting strategies that both promote and increase the number of native species on the site of the resort.”

Further emphasising its ecologically sensitive approach, the resort’s wings are elevated to allow animals to pass beneath, pathways are carefully planned, and low-lux, inward-facing lighting minimises disturbance to nocturnal species. Biomimicry plays a central role. Treehouse villas take their form from the seed pods of the purple millettia, while spa pods echo the protective scales of the Sunda pangolin. Even the 300-seater Meranti Ballroom is inspired by the bridal veil stinkhorn, a rare rainforest fungus.

The guest experience continues this immersive theme. Hotel rooms feature layered illustrations of the rainforest canopy and lithographs of native species such as the lesser mousedeer. A dedicated Colugo Room offers educational panels on the resort’s design and Mandai’s broader stewardship efforts. Programmes like nature walks, sound baths, and immersive wellness activities deepen each guest’s awareness of the forest and their place within it.

Such initiatives are integral to Mandai’s cohesive vision. Done with intention, eco-tourism becomes a powerful force for regeneration, far beyond mere sustainability. Yet, even the most thoughtful infrastructure cannot alone secure biodiversity’s future.

As Lum reminds us, “we don’t need more roads in pristine wilderness, we need to make inroads into the human mind”. Indeed, offering deeper access to species-rich landscapes is only the crucial first step. He warns that “unless public understanding and a love for nature keeps up with infrastructure upgrades, biodiversity may not necessarily have a brighter future”. The responsibility, he stresses, lies in commensurate outreach efforts, ensuring that “public awareness, nature-positive behavioural change, and increased support for conservation can be gauged and tracked over time”.

Ultimately,  the Mandai wildlife and nature destination poses a vital proposition: what does it mean to belong to the natural world, not as visitors, but as inhabitants concerned with its protection and conservation. In bearing witness to its rhythms, we are reminded that true connection calls for more than admiration—it demands responsibility and a willingness to protect what we cannot replace.

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