STI News: Nature Society wasn't consulted

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Nature Society wasn't consulted

 

 

 

WE REFER to the letter by the National Service Resort and Country Club (NSRCC),

'Club kept faith, and more' (ST, July 8), with regard to the controversy over

Kranji Marsh.

 

At the meeting with NSRCC in April last year, chaired by the Urban

Redevelopment Authority (URA), it was agreed that there is to be a marshy

buffer, consisting of the existing vegetation along the existing shoreline of

the golf-course boundary at the Sungei Jelutong area.

 

This was the starting point for negotiation. The NSRCC's design map presented

at that meeting showed a 60m marshy buffer (margin) for only one third of the

Sungei Jelutong shoreline, with the rest varying from 10m to 15m. We emphasised

that the whole of the buffer should be 60m wide, as the area is also an

important shorebird feeding ground.

 

NSRCC agreed to consider additional buffer here. This is confirmed in the URA

minutes of May 13 last year, which states that NSRCC is to consider 'providing

additional 'green buffers or green screenings' along the Sungei Jelutong area as

this is an important bird feeding area'. This point in the minutes entails:

 

that there is already an in-place buffer, agreed to by both parties;

 

that this in-place buffer is to protect an important bird feeding area;

 

that NSRCC is to consider adding to this buffer.

 

But at the next meeting on Sept 10, we found out that the marshy buffer that

was agreed upon at the April meeting would not be spared.

 

This was evident from the revised design map shown to us. It indicated that the

existing marshy buffer would be reclaimed, and a row of trees planted. We

objected strongly because apart from rejecting the request for additional

buffer, what was the starting point in the April meeting was also not to be

granted.

 

A further change of plan at Sungei Jelutong was revealed during a site visit on

Sept 20, when NSRCC told us that it would also reclaim the watery bird feeding

area up to 50m from the existing marshy edge (This was changed to 25m-30m in the

article, 'Greens vs. Green'; ST, July 3).

 

This reclamation covers substantially the feeding ground of the shorebirds

mentioned in the URA minutes for the first meeting, where it was recognised that

the shorebird feeding area requires buffering protection in the first place.

 

This constitutes for us a big departure from the starting point - from the

agreement to consider providing additional buffer to a shorebird feeding area,

to the plan to reclaim a part of it. We were not consulted on this drastic

change, which we were told is final.

 

NSRCC claims that birdlife is 'resilient' and that the shorebirds at Sungei

Jelutong will not be affected by the landfill project. We disagree. Given the

drastic reduction in habitat, the population of the various surviving species

will be reduced drastically. This will affect their long-term survival. NSRCC's

project entails a loss of 77 per cent of habitat.

 

We recognised its eco-friendly efforts at Tanah Merah and had assisted it in a

bird survey there. We would be glad to work with it at Kranji if that is still

possible.

 

 

 

DR HO HUA CHEW

 

Chairman, Conservation Committee

 

LIM KIM KEANGChairman, Bird Group

 

Nature Society (Singapore)

IP Address:210.186.194.70