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exuviae, be used to outline ecological requirements when questions of conservation or 
population monitoring arise. Hence, future studies should dedicate more effort towards 
the collection and identification of larvae, including barcoding and environmental 
DNA (Kutty et al., 2018), to complement the adult surveys thus presenting a more 
representative odonate community in Nee Soon freshwater swamp forest. 
Conclusion 
This study has provided an overview of the odonate diversity within Nee Soon 
freshwater swamp forest, as well as the overall condition of the freshwater streams. 
Nee Soon holds the only primary freshwater swamp habitat left in Singapore and 
much of its biodiversity, including odonates, is severely threatened with extirpation 
at the national level. The continued survival of the indigenous freshwater fauna in the 
freshwater swamp forest will require conservation actions at local level as part of the 
on-going efforts aimed at sustaining forest biodiversity in the densely populated island 
of Singapore. These actions will require in-depth studies of the microhabitat-dependent 
distribution of odonates as well as studies of their complex interactions with other 
species. Future conservation management actions can include stream rehabilitation 
and forest enhancement, the reintroduction of native species to their original habitats, 
formulation of long-term monitoring programmes, increased and stricter enforcement 
on the protection of Nee Soon freshwater swamp forest. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. We would like to thank Drs Lena Chan, Geoffrey Davison and 
Liong Shie-Yui for their support, Dr Liong Shie-Yui for the map, Dr Chong Kwek Yan for 
discussion on statistics, and Mr Lim Weihao, Ms Li Tianjiao, Mr Su Weijie and colleagues from 
the National Biodiversity Centre for their help with field surveys. This study forms part of the 
Nee Soon Swamp Forest Biodiversity and Hydrology Baseline Studies Project funded by the 
National Parks Board of Singapore (FC 12302501). 
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