Improve wildlife conservation plans for Tengah

I refer to the report “Tengah environmental study findings to be out soon” (April 5).

After the baseline study to assess Tengah’s topography, hydrology and wildlife is complete, the arrangement is to shepherd the animals to adjacent forested areas to minimise the impact of the development works on them.

I acknowledge the Government’s efforts to preserve the area’s biodiversity as it pushes for economic development and tries to get citizens and nature to co-exist.

It seems idealistic, however, to believe that the shifting of wildlife will not have much impact on the animals.

It would contain them temporarily within the area the Government wants them to occupy, but it does not prevent them from returning to their original habitat later. Furthermore, the shepherding programme may apply only to land animals.

According to the Nature Society (Singapore), Tengah’s secondary forests house nine bird species threatened with extinction. These birds may not be able to be moved to a different habitat and would lose their nests and homes in Tengah instead.

The shepherding programme could possibly mirror the building of the Bukit Timah Expressway, which fragmented the animals’ habitat, and they could not cross to the other side to find food or to mate without the risk of becoming roadkill. This led to a biodiversity decline, for example the near extinction of the banded leaf monkey.

As with the Eco-Link@BKE, a solution can be found: A “mimic habitat” that looks like Tengah can be built beside it, to further minimise the impact on land, aquatic and aerial animals.

Another challenge is that people have varying tolerance levels and diverse views of nature. The creation of a “forest town” can be a double-edged sword. The recent culling of chickens highlights possible conflicts the Government must be ready to address.

In conclusion, although the Tengah concept is good, and the effort to consider the conservation of biodiversity is commendable, the Government must be aware of the challenges that may surface and must address them pre-emptively.