The Parks and Trees (Amendment) Bill 2017 Round-Up Speech by SMS Desmond Lee

Feb 7, 2017

Madam Speaker, I thank all Members for speaking in support of this Bill, and in particular, the protections provided to the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park. Members have asked questions that broadly encompass two areas: First, the protection of greenery and biodiversity, and second, the maintenance of such. So let me try to address some of these questions.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked whether NParks could monitor construction damage to ensure that trees are not damaged in the course of works. There are existing legislative levers in the Act to ensure that trees are not indiscriminately damaged.

For trees that are specifically protected like those in heritage road green buffers and road verges, as well as mature trees in tree conservation areas and vacant lands, NParks works closely with site arborists, contractors and developers to ensure that no damage is caused. Residents can also inform NParks if they see trees being damaged during construction. The helpline is 1800-471-7300, so please, let the residents know.

Mr Darryl David, Mr Louis Ng, Assoc Prof (AP) Fatimah Lateef, Dr Daniel Goh, spoke about Sisters’ Islands Marine Park (SIMP). I thank them for their support. But there were several questions about the definition, the scope, the scale, and how the Marine Park will be protected.

Madam Speaker, with your permission, may I display a map of the Marine Park? Just for the purposes of answering some of the questions raised by Members, including Mr Louis Ng.

To clarify, we are amending the Act to make clear that the marine and foreshore areas of the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park are a type of “public park”. Hence, they are under the jurisdiction of the Act. These areas are described in Part III of the revised Schedule.

The terrestrial areas of the Marine Park are already protected as public parks. The rules governing these public parks are laid out in the subsidiary legislation of the Parks and Trees Act, namely, the Parks and Trees Regulations (PTR).

They include prohibitions against littering, causing death or injury to animals, and restrictions against fishing or collection of organisms, such as corals without the approval of the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation. NParks will make new rules that are specific to marine parks in due course. These will include restrictions on diving, movement of vessels, and the dropping of anchors.

We will work closely with our marine conservation community, recreational fishing community, boat operators and other relevant stakeholders to develop these new rules.

Dr Daniel Goh spoke about the concern about the scope of protections offered to the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park. As I said earlier in my speech, as I just reiterated a moment ago, this Marine Park came into being in 2014. We have taken the last few years, NParks managing our Marine Park, and we have now the confidence to make these amendments, but given ourselves the flexibility to make comprehensive rules, made in consultation with the blue fraternity, the marine conservation fraternity – and these members are the authors of the Blue Plan, to come up with these rules, together with stakeholders like the boat operators and our recreational fishing community. So the protections will be there.

Mr Darryl David asked if SIMP could be developed into a leisure and edutainment destination. While SIMP is a marine sanctuary, we also want it to be a living classroom for marine conservation.

NParks set up a public gallery on St John’s Island in 2015, as an educational resource for visitors. It has also worked with marine nature groups on guided intertidal walks and dive trips at the Marine Park.

We have further plans to develop a boardwalk, intertidal pools, and a floating pontoon at Big Sister’s Island. These facilities will offer the public more opportunities for encounters with marine and terrestrial biodiversity.

Small Sister’s Island will serve as a dedicated site for marine conservation, promoting species recovery and habitat enhancement. Programmes will be conducted to facilitate visits for schools, institutions and organisations.

Indeed, even as we want to confer protection on the Marine Park, make it a sanctuary, we also have to bring people to the Marine Park, allow them opportunity to come up close with marine life, so they see how valuable and precious this biodiversity is; not only for them, but also for their children and their grandchildren. If you keep them away – if you say you can’t do this, you can’t do that, you can’t go to the Marine Park, it is off limits, I am not sure that the mind share and support will be there in the community.

AP Fatimah Lateef asked about the criteria for an area to be considered a “marine park”, and Mr Louis Ng asked if we could bring the coastal areas of nature reserves and parks under the Parks and Trees Act. Dr Daniel Goh asked about the scale of Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, asking why it does not encompass all the areas covered under the plans.

Madam, the designation of a marine park is based on species richness and the habitats at the site.

The importance of the site as a source of coral larvae for dispersal is another important consideration. For example, the Sisters’ Islands are important natural refugia for corals, from which larvae are dispersed to enrich other sites in the southern islands. The suggestion to gazette the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park in the Blue Plan was validated by NParks’ use of modern technology such as agent-based modelling. And it shows that the Sisters’ Islands – the areas that we have gazetted, are about the richest source of coral larvae in our southern waters, and from there, as a source of coral larvae, populating other islands in the area. And so, we have to start off with the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, it is a rich haven for marine life – both coastal and sea life, and we will continue to work with the authors of the Blue Plan, we will continue to work with our marine conservation community, with academics interested in the topic, as well as relevant stakeholders to identify whether there are other areas which are equally rich in biodiversity, in which would need that kind of protection.

In response to Mr Louis Ng’s question, NParks’ management currently covers the foreshore, or intertidal areas at Chek Jawa, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Labrador Nature Reserve. For the other coastal parks, for example East Coast Park, NParks’ management extends up to the high water mark, the high tide mark. Hence, the areas highlighted by Mr Louis Ng are already protected as “nature reserves” or “public parks” under the current Parks and Trees Act and Regulations.

The Member also mentioned that NParks has been reporting misdemeanours to Maritime Port Authority, or MPA, even though NParks issued a Notice stating that Chek Jawa is protected under the Parks and Trees Act.

I would like to clarify that having checked with my NParks colleagues, NParks has not made any such report since the Notice was issued. NParks will stop unauthorised activities that it comes across, but will seek the assistance of the Maritime Port Authority where it is necessary to supplement its efforts in enforcement.

We will look into stepping up enforcement at Chek Jawa. But simply relying on enforcement will not be 100% effective, as no one can be on patrol everywhere and all the time, even though opportunities for technology to come into play are being explored.

Public education is equally important. In this regard, we will work closely with our environmental community and our Friends of the Park Communities, including a soon-to-be established Friends of the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, and continue to share with the fishing and recreational boating communities on the Dos and Don’ts at Chek Jawa and other coastal areas.

On this note, I would like to address Mr Louis Ng’s query on whether we can restrict the release of animals everywhere, instead of just within the Reserves and in watercourses leading to the reserves. Mr Alex Yam also spoke against the release of animals like terrapins into the wild, into the open.

Indeed, the release of such invasive species has adverse effects on our native ecosystems. For example, some Asian Arowana, which is an aquarium fish that is not native to Singapore, have been released by members of the public in very sensitive freshwater habitats like Nee Soon Swamp Forest. The Arowanas then gorge themselves on our highly threatened native fish and crustacean species and caused ecological damage.

Other less hardy species that are released are unlikely to survive and very often die a slow and painful death. They often are unable to cope with the new environment and may be too weak or stressed to survive. Some animals previously held captive also may not have the natural instincts to fend for themselves in the wild, in the open.

That is why NParks will continue to work with relevant agencies and community groups on “Operation No Release”, which spreads awareness on the harm caused by this behaviour. This year’s campaign is expected to take place in May.

We can certainly study the feasibility of Mr Ng’s suggestion, but for now NParks will ramp up public education to increase public awareness about the impact of such behaviour.

Mr Alex Yam also asked about how we would mitigate any negative impact on the Kranji Marshes, or I believe Sungei Buloh, arising from major developments across the Straits. We will certainly protect Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve by continuing our effects in habitat restoration enhancement, and we have a very active Friends of the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, comprising very passionate members of the nature fraternity and other stakeholders who help us keep an eye, and continue to enhance the richness of Sungei Buloh.