Guided walks raise profile of nature reserves ahead of MRT construction
17 Feb 2014|1,898 views
Last Saturday, some 20 people embarked on a nature hike at the MacRitchie Nature Trail and caught their first glimpses of animals like a five-banded gliding lizard and a slender squirrel. MacRitchie is a gateway to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The nature walk began after different individuals united to develop an appreciation for the reserve, which is threatened by the constructing of a new 50km Cross Island MRT Line (CRL) that will connect the island horizontally.
During the walks, the guides point out the flora and fauna unique to the reserves along with a short history lessons on some of the plants. Mr Subaraj Rajathurai, one of the guides on last Saturday's walk, believe the knowledge will allow people to develop a higher respect for nature and not be mellow about abusing the environment.
The nature walks also aim to differentiate the difference between parks and nature reserves - and why the latter needs to be protected. In the case of MacRitchie, it is believed the biodiversity of the reserve could be lost with the construction of the new MRT Line.
The walks began last August in response to an earlier announcement by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) about the construction of the new CRL - projected to be ready by 2030. In September last year, LTA said it will call a tender for a consultant to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to access how the line could affect the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
According to LTA, the transport body is working towards calling the EIA tender in the first quarter of this year, and environmentalists believe the tender would be called out by the end of February.
In addition, a group of nature lovers have submitted a 120 page collation of research on the reserve's ecology to the LTA, as an aid the consultants in carrying out the assessment. The LTA told the local paper, the report, together with an earlier position paper submitted by the local Nature Society, will be included in the EIA tender as reference materials for the bidders.
LTA added that findings from EIA, when completed in 2016, will be taken into consideration with other factors, including travel times, implications to developments in the vicinity and costs. These factors would allow the Government to make a better decision on the alignment of the CRL.
Last Saturday, some 20 people embarked on a nature hike at the MacRitchie Nature Trail and caught their first glimpses of animals like a five-banded gliding lizard and a slender squirrel. MacRitchie is a gateway to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The nature walk began after different individuals united to develop an appreciation for the reserve, which is threatened by the constructing of a new 50km Cross Island MRT Line (CRL) that will connect the island horizontally.
During the walks, the guides point out the flora and fauna unique to the reserves along with a short history lessons on some of the plants. Mr Subaraj Rajathurai, one of the guides on last Saturday's walk, believe the knowledge will allow people to develop a higher respect for nature and not be mellow about abusing the environment.
The nature walks also aim to differentiate the difference between parks and nature reserves - and why the latter needs to be protected. In the case of MacRitchie, it is believed the biodiversity of the reserve could be lost with the construction of the new MRT Line.
The walks began last August in response to an earlier announcement by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) about the construction of the new CRL - projected to be ready by 2030. In September last year, LTA said it will call a tender for a consultant to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to access how the line could affect the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
According to LTA, the transport body is working towards calling the EIA tender in the first quarter of this year, and environmentalists believe the tender would be called out by the end of February.
In addition, a group of nature lovers have submitted a 120 page collation of research on the reserve's ecology to the LTA, as an aid the consultants in carrying out the assessment. The LTA told the local paper, the report, together with an earlier position paper submitted by the local Nature Society, will be included in the EIA tender as reference materials for the bidders.
LTA added that findings from EIA, when completed in 2016, will be taken into consideration with other factors, including travel times, implications to developments in the vicinity and costs. These factors would allow the Government to make a better decision on the alignment of the CRL.
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