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Mandai plans altered to limit environmental impact

SINGAPORE — Original plans for the mega nature attraction in the Mandai area were modified, after an assessment found that the construction and operation of the attractions could have an impact on the habitats, wildlife and vegetation, and cause pollution.

The site of the future Bird Park in Mandai. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

The site of the future Bird Park in Mandai. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — Original plans for the mega nature attraction in the Mandai area were modified, after an assessment found that the construction and operation of the attractions could have an impact on the habitats, wildlife and vegetation, and cause pollution. 

The Bird Park, expected to draw 14,300 visitors a day at its peak, was initially envisioned for the northern side of Mandai Lake Road, but will be built on the southern side instead, as it is “predominately cleared”. “Greater disturbance” is expected from the development of the Bird Park because of the construction of nine aviaries, according to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) commissioned by Mandai Park Holdings (MPH), which was made public on Tuesday (July 26).

The rainforest-themed adventure park will be built on the northern end, which would allow for better protection of the existing forest area.

MPH also decided to build two arrival areas instead of the originally planned single entry, to divert some visitors from environmentally sensitive areas around the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR).

The public areas around each arrival point are expected to see about 10,200 visitors at its peak each day when development works are completed, according to the EIA. 

Commissioned in March last year, the EIA was conducted by consultancy firm Environmental Resources Management. The findings have been gazetted for public consultation until Aug 22. The measures detailed in the 398-page EIA are expected to help reduce the potential environmental impact linked to the development to “a residual impact of small or below”. This means that the impact would not be as significant, and “animal(s) as a population will survive”, said marine biologist Leo Tan of the National University of Singapore, which provided technical advice for and oversight of the EIA.

Without mitigation, the impact of construction work on certain areas, such as the surface water quality and ecological resources due to the disturbance and displacement of fauna, would be large, the EIA stated. 

Speaking at a media briefing on the EIA findings on Tuesday, MPH group chief executive officer Mike Barclay said the firm had initiated the assessment early into the planning and design processes, “to bring on board feedback and comments at a very early stage to inform our master-planning”. 

The final siting of both wildlife parks was revealed last month. The two new parks will join the Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari already in the Mandai area. By 2023, the 126ha mega-attraction will be home to a nature-themed education centre and eco-sensitive lodging. 

Plans for the education centre also saw tweaks. Expected to draw peak-day visitorship of 25,200 when completed, it will be housed in a single building on a site where a multi-storey car park now sits, instead of along the reservoir edge as initially planned, as there was concern about the impact on a patch of forest. Meanwhile, a development-free buffer zone measuring 45m to 50m wide will be set aside between the eastern edge of the development and the CCNR. The planned eco-link bridge to allow wildlife to move between the central and northern reaches of the nature reserve will be built in this zone. 

The various mitigation measures and monitoring requirements will be laid out in an Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan, with an Environmental Advisory Panel made up of experts and members of nature groups to keep tabs. The authorities will also check in on these plans, said Mr Barclay. 

Professor Tan acknowledged that human activity would impact the environment, “but it does not mean that impact is bad”. “It’s just that you have to manage it, and that’s the reality of life. We are starting with already-impacted land, and that’s the key,” he said.

After the public consultation closes, MPH will incorporate public feedback in the final EIA report and development plans, before seeking the Government’s approval.

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