Nature groups welcome revised Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks housing plans, but maintain need for safeguards
The enlarged green areas are set to become nature parks, with opportunities for habitat enhancement and community use.
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SINGAPORE: Nature groups said that the extra green spaces retained under revised plans for Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks would benefit wildlife and ecological connectivity, but cautioned that safeguards would still be needed as development proceeds.
They said that the developments should be carried out according to environmental management and monitoring plans.
Mr Lester Tan, chairperson of the Marine Conservation Group at the Nature Society Singapore (NSS), said that the group would prefer to "conserve as much" as possible, but it also understands the need to balance development and conservation.
The society's president Leong Kwok Peng had previously proposed conserving two-thirds of Maju Forest and leaving the remaining third for housing.
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On Wednesday (Oct 28), the Housing and Development Board (HDB) said that it revised housing plans for Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks to retain more greenery following public feedback.
Under the revised plans, the area retained as greenery at Maju Forest in Clementi will increase from around 8ha to about 10ha. That represents about 45 per cent of the 23ha site, up from about 35 per cent under the original plans.
At Gillman Barracks off Alexandra Road, the area set aside for greenery will increase from around 8ha to about 12ha. That represents about 60 per cent of the 20ha of existing greenery, up from about 40 per cent under the original plans.
This means that there will be 1,200 fewer homes than initially planned. Under the revised plans, about 11,000 units could be built across both sites.
Mr Tan said that the initial plan for Maju Forest retained a "very thin strip" of forest at the south. The revised plan provides an extra buffer, which offers an opportunity to plant more native plants.
He also said that the additional retained areas at both plots provide a "compromise", as development stress is contained within the same areas and not shifted to another patch of forest.
The enlarged areas will also be safeguarded as new nature parks, with opportunities for the community to take part in habitat enhancement efforts.
"Nature park means there will be trails," Mr Tan said. "Residents can also go in and join the nature spaces. So basically, it's creating more green spaces for the residents as well, on top of enhancing the connectivity that's already existing."
Dr Shawn Lum, a lecturer at Nanyang Technological University's Asian School of the Environment, was "pleasantly surprised" and "greatly heartened" to hear about the revised plans.
The extra space is an "upgrade" in terms of supporting larger wildlife populations, and serving as a more effective connector between green areas, he said.
Dr Lum, who is also an NSS member, added: "There is still a considerable clearance, but by retaining roughly half, in theory, most of the diversity that was present in the original space can still be maintained in the slightly reduced (space)."
IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT REMAINS
However, nature experts who spoke to CNA cautioned that the impact on the environment remains.
The reduced forested area might increase competition for food and shelter, Dr Lum said.
"Because there is a smaller space, but the same number of animals, there might be individual animals that won't compete as well."
He also said that many of these animals are active in the evenings and early mornings, so there would be a need to limit noise and light and adhere to a work window that minimises disturbances to the animals.
Mr Ho Xiang Tian, the co-founder of environmental advocacy group LepakInSG, said that the extra area is "good enough as a connectivity corridor", but not enough as a habitat for all the existing wildlife in the area.
"Essentially, because there is less space for (the animals) to live, so it’s like survival of the fittest. Whoever can fight and survive in the remaining 10ha is what will live. Then the rest will die or be forced out into the adjacent blocks."
He also wondered if the decrease in housing units built might be shifted to adjacent plots such as Clementi Forest.
LepakInSG previously reported that Clementi Forest is an important connectivity corridor from the Central Catchment to the Southern Ridges.
"So we hope that if there is any (housing) units displaced, they will not be moved over to cut down more (forests) in the future," Mr Ho said.
Regardless, Mr Tan from NSS pointed to an issue that will persist: human-wildlife conflict due to the proximity to wildlife.
This can be mitigated by outreach and education to advise residents on what they should do.
Lessons can also be taken from Bididari estate, where the park is built "nicely", he said, and trails are kept rustic, with lights pointed towards the ground to allow wildlife to still thrive in the space.
With plans finalised, the environmental management and monitoring plan must be "stringent", he added.
"They have to monitor that space and ensure that the construction is kept to standard (and) follows the protocol. All life shepherding ought to be done properly, so nothing gets trapped."
HDB first announced on Jul 10 that it would build new homes at Gillman Barracks and Maju Forest following the completion of environmental and heritage studies.
The proposed redevelopment drew public outcry, with residents and nature groups calling for stronger environmental safeguards.
On Aug 14, Mr Tan said that the government would retain more greenery and plan for fewer homes at Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks sites after public feedback, although he did not give specific details at the time.
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