Singapore to preserve more greenery in Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks — Channel NewsAsia

In Singapore, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has revised housing development plans for Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks, providing for the preservation of a larger area of green spaces following public feedback. Nature groups welcomed the changes while stressing the need for environmental safeguards during construction.

As Channel NewsAsia reports, the area to be left green in Maju Forest will increase from about 8 to 10 hectares. This is around 45% of the 23-hectare site, whereas the initial plan provided for preserving about 35% of the area.

More green space

At Gillman Barracks, the green area will increase from approximately 8 to 12 hectares. This amounts to around 60% of the 20 hectares of existing greenery, compared with about 40% in the original project. Due to the revised plans, the number of housing units that can be built on the two sites will decrease by 1,200, to approximately 11,000.

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The additionally preserved areas are to be protected as new nature parks, and the community will be able to take part in improving animal habitats. Nature Society Singapore representative Lester Tan called this a compromise, as the development pressure will not be shifted to another forested area. According to him, trails will be created in the nature parks, and their establishment should also strengthen the ecological connectivity of the areas.

Environmentalists’ concerns

Sean Lum, a lecturer at the School of Environmental Science at Nanyang Technological University, said that preserving about half of the area could theoretically allow most of the existing biodiversity to be retained. At the same time, he warned that reducing the forest area could intensify competition among animals for food and shelter.

Experts also called for limiting noise and lighting and setting a work schedule that minimizes the impact on animals active in the morning and evening. They stressed that development should proceed in line with environmental management and monitoring plans. LepakInSG co-founder Ho Xiang Tian believes that the additional area could serve as a corridor for animal movement, but it is insufficient as a полноценный habitat.