Plan unveiled to 'shepherd' wildlife from Pasir Ris BTO project; nature lovers worry birds will be disoriented, move away
SINGAPORE — A plan by the authorities to shepherd animals such as owls and eagles away from a Pasir Ris Build-to-Order (BTO) housing construction site has drawn a sceptical response from some nature enthusiasts who frequent the area.
They are concerned that birds will become disoriented by a "shepherding" process and will move away from the park area permanently.
Site clearance work for the BTO project, near Pasir Ris Park, is due to get underway in the first quarter of this year, though no specific date has yet been provided.
The project will occupy the site of a current car park and a forested area beside it that borders Pasir Ris Drive 3. The clearing of the site is set to be done in phases so that wildlife may gradually "shift out" of the area.
The site is not far from a popular bird-watching spot called Kingfisher Pond. Wildlife lovers fear that noise and lights from the BTO construction will drive away birds and other wildlife permanently.
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has previously offered assurances that steps will be taken to protect wildlife, including a 50m wooded corridor to serve as a buffer between the project and the park.
HDB and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) released an environmental management and monitoring plan on Monday (Jan 29) that involves directing wildlife to a mangrove area to the north of the project.
To guide wildlife further into the park, workers and construction personnel will undergo biodiversity awareness training and wildlife shepherding training.
This training includes what to do during wildlife sightings or encounters and how to minimise attracting wildlife.
Still, nature enthusiasts and guides who frequent Pasir Ris Park generally have their doubts about the likely success of the shepherding plan because they believe that certain types of wildlife may not respond well to relocation measures.
Mr Ivan Ho, 60, who worked in real estate and the aerospace industry, said: “They need to understand why the birds are there. Some (birds) are there to nest, and some are there to find food. It's not exactly the same... so you can talk about one bird, but you cannot generalise.”
Mr Ho is sceptical about the shepherding plan because it involves a one-size-fits-all plan for birds, which have different habits and nesting behaviours.
He added that the relocation of reptiles such as snakes and even otters is more workable since these creatures are rather adaptable.
Agreeing, retiree Rick Szeto, 60, a wildlife lover and photographer, is concerned about the shepherding birds because they tend to go back to the same place and might be disoriented if their habitat is destroyed.
"For birds, it is in their DNA that will point back to their birthplace," Mr Szeto said. "This is the reason why they'll go back to the same place year after year."
Mr Law Ingg Thong is co-founder of the Herpetological Society of Singapore, a volunteer-run group of enthusiasts keen on the conservation and study of reptiles and amphibians in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
He said that the shepherding plan seems to be characteristic for a project of this scale, and that the authorities are "proposing the standard mitigation measures".
However, he also said: "On the long-term scale, there could be potential human-wildlife conflict due to the upcoming estate's proximity to the forest and further degradation and fragmentation of the environment."
The report proposes as well that reptiles will be shepherded away from the construction site including creatures such as the estuarine crocodile and the Cantor's water snake.
Mr Law, who has a zoology degree, said that if estuarine crocodiles are disturbed by the construction work, they will move away from the site.
WILDLIFE 'SHEPHERDING' IN PHASES
The report states that the wildlife shepherding will be done in phases to ensure that there is added consideration to allow the wildlife to move away from the areas to be cleared.
The clearance works will be scheduled during daylight hours from 8am to 6pm to reduce the impact on wildlife activities at dawn and dusk.
A pre-clearance check of the area will be done, involving checks for nests, burrows or any other sensitive species.
A wildlife specialist engaged in surveying the site is expected to inspect the ground to check for the presence of fauna for potential nests or burrows.
If no nest or burrows are detected, clearing of undergrowth and low-lying vegetation and the shepherding may begin.
Shepherding is typically done manually or with a small excavator, the report said.
To encourage the wildlife to move, workers and operators should generate noise, such as a whistle or clapping of hands, or use a stick to disturb the surrounding vegetation and encourage the wildlife to move.
This is done in a systematic manner. The site clearance should be conducted starting from the direction of any road or site access and towards the designated forested area.
Besides that, a worker will walk ahead of the excavator to scan the ground for fauna such as snakes in holes, bird nests, mammals in burrows, and other terrestrial animals.
Once the undergrowth is cleared, a buffer of three full days will be given for arboreal wildlife (those living in trees) to migrate from the site. Then, a pre-felling check can be done during the three days before tree felling.
The personnel assigned would survey the crown of the tree for nests, crevices on tree trunks that might be used by wildlife, and the presence of bees’ nests.
The aim is to determine if there are any active bird roosting and nesting sites. This allows for a sufficient buffer, if necessary, to ensure that nesting sites are protected until the young are able to leave.
Five days after the area has been cleared and no animals have been found in the trees or burrowed in the ground, trees can be cut.
Temporary hoardings should be put up after all trees of each section have been cleared to prevent wildlife from re-entering the cleared areas.
WHAT NATURE ENTHUSIASTS SAY
Some nature enthusiasts and photographers who frequent Pasir Ris Park are sceptical about the effectiveness of the shepherding plan, while others said that this plan is a happy compromise.
A nature photographer, who wanted to be known as just Mr Lai, 79, said: "Birds like trees, they like food. If they cannot feel safe and can't find food, they will go away."
The retiree also said that shepherding the animals to a smaller area might drive them away from Pasir Ris Park.
"If you push all the animals to a smaller area, they will go away," he added, suggesting that competition for food in smaller areas might drive animals into urban areas.
He pointed to the monkeys in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, which often steal food items from visitors, and wild boars that come out of forested areas to urban areas to look for food.
The shepherding plan raises more questions than answers for Mr Szeto. He wondered if there would be a sufficient budget to provide training for those doing the shepherding.
About creating more urban spaces and protecting wildlife, a wildlife photographer who wanted to be known only as Eugene said that "it's a matter of finding balance".
The 45-year-old has been visiting Pasir Ris Park for years to photograph various birds such as kingfishers and herons.
He cautioned: "The more we urbanise and with more deforestation, the lesser habitat there is for wildlife and this will push the wildlife to more urban areas."
He added that there have been cases of crows in urban areas attacking humans when the humans venture too close to the crows' nests.
Freelance nature guide Richard Koh expressed some scepticism at the idea but noted that the authorities are "trying something" rather than just bulldozing the area.
He is not too concerned that the shepherded animals will compete for food but said that only time will tell if shepherding wildlife this way will have a positive outcome.
"It's a positive sign, that they are doing what they can to salvage whatever is left over there."
This is not the first time that a construction project has caused concern among Pasir Ris residents and nature enthusiasts.
In 2013, a group of people formed a committee to save a woodland at the junction of Pasir Ris Drive 3 and Elias Road from being developed into an international school.
