Love Our MacRitchie Forest

This is the car decal from Teresa, Vilma & friends which we circulated during Festival of Biodiversity. We join them to urge fellow-Singaporeans and earthlings alike to Love Our MacRitchie Forest, this precious primeval heritage of our island.

You can read and sign an ongoing petition which may reflect your views at tinyurl.com/lta-crl.

We applaud the release of this position paper by Nature Society (Singapore) today, 18th July 2013:

NATURE SOCIETY (SINGAPORE) RELEASES DISCUSSION AND POSITION PAPER ON THE CROSS ISLAND LINE – link

In January 2013, the Ministry of Transport announced plans for an MRT line called the Cross Island Line (CRL) that will be completed around 2030. Running about 50 km from Changi to the Jurong Industrial Estate, the Cross Island Line will be Singapore’s longest train line.

As unveiled, the CRL passes through the southern section of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR), near MacRitchie Reservoir, as it goes from Sin Ming to Bukit Timah.

The Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS) believes that engineering investigation and construction works for the Cross Island Line will severely degrade ancient, species-rich and highly complex ecosystems.

The Nature Society recommends that the design alignment be adjusted to avoid crossing the Reserve.

Of particular concern is the fate of primary forest remnants that the Cross Island Line will traverse if built as presented. Less than 0.2% remains of the lowland rainforest that originally covered most of Singapore. The remnants are too scarce and take too long to regenerate to risk damaging them.
In addition, the stream systems through which the Cross Island Line passes are especially vulnerable. Though these habitats are currently protected as part of a Nature Reserve, they are nonetheless now threatened unless the Cross Island Line is rerouted.

The Nature Society (Singapore)’s Discussion and Position Paper on the Cross Island Line is available from today for downloading from the Society’s website (nss.org.sg).

Questions on the NSS Discussion and Position Paper can be directed to crl@nss.org.sg or 6741-2036.

The NSS spokesperson for its position on the proposed Cross Island Line is Mr Tony O’Dempsey.

Download the full position paper from the NSS webpage.

Marcus talking about leopard cats today – but not to kids

Marcus isn’t talking to kids today, but his examiners and fellow biologists. It’s a pre-thesis submission seminar required of him by the department. It’s a small room, so we’ve not publicised this but he will repeat this as a seminar and a public talk in a more spacious setting.

Photo by Joelle Lai

For the record:

Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore Pre-Thesis Seminar: “Ecology and Conservation of the Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis (Kerr, 1792) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Singapore”

By Chua Aik Hwee Marcus, Graduate Student
Thursday 18 July 2013: 10.00am
Supervisors: Prof Ng Kee Lin, Peter & N. Sivasothi