Sunday, 7 September 2014

New plans for Mandai will be 'sensitive to area'

Study will be done to address impact on nature reserves and reservoirs
By Melissa Lin And Samantha Boh, The Straits Times, 6 Sep 2014

THE new developments at the Mandai area will be sustainable and sensitive to the surrounding area, with an Environmental Impact Assessment to be undertaken to address any impact on the nature reserves and reservoirs.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the National Parks Board (NParks) said in a joint statement yesterday that the development "should not encroach on the nature reserves and reservoirs".

"Through sensitive design and management, the development could potentially strengthen and enhance the nature reserves," it said. NParks added that views from nature groups will be sought to ensure the sustainable development of the area.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said during a live television forum on Thursday that leafy Mandai will be transformed with a "bigger, better zoo", and the Jurong Bird Park could be moved to the area, home to the Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari.

Second Minister for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran said last night that the green groups here are important stakeholders in the development of Mandai. "They will be engaged; (we) already have spoken to some. As the idea develops, there will be more engagement to ensure that some of the key concerns that already have been outlined can be addressed in a fair manner," he said.

In the joint statement, STB said it is "still working out" the development plans for Mandai. It noted the area's potential "to be developed into a precinct of nature-themed attractions for education and recreation, and green public spaces for Singaporeans to enjoy and appreciate nature".

Moving the Bird Park to Mandai would be a win-win situation for the attraction and its neighbours, as such a cluster would be more marketable to tourists, said industry players and experts. A new Bird Park would also create a buzz among Singaporeans for the 43-year-old attraction.

 But a cluster could also result in saturation of attractions and increased competition among them, said Dr Guan Chong, marketing lecturer at SIM University's School of Business.

Dr Michael Chiam, Ngee Ann Polytechnic's senior lecturer in tourism, said the problem with the Bird Park is its "isolated location, with no other attractions around to support it". A crocodile farm next door closed in 2006.

A move would allow Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), which runs the four parks, to hold joint promotions and events to draw crowds back to the ailing attraction, said Dr Chiam.

Last year, the Bird Park attracted nearly 800,000 visitors - nearly 14 per cent less than in 2012 and the lowest in at least seven years, according to Singapore Department of Statistics data.

Dynasty Travel "usually omits" the Bird Park from its itinerary in Mandai as it takes 20 to 30 minutes by coach to reach the park from there, said director of marketing communications Alicia Seah. If the Bird Park moves to Mandai, it could be added to the current package under a special price, she added.

Attractions overseas have already found success with this concept. The Darling Harbour area in Sydney has a zoo, aquarium, wax museum and observation tower.

The expansion of the wildlife parks is necessary, said WRS chairman Claire Chiang yesterday. The zoo saw a peak of 15,000 people a day during Chinese New Year. "That kind of crowdedness is not giving us the guest experience," Ms Chiang added.

Additional reporting by Melody Zaccheus and Adrian Lim






More authentic wildlife encounters at zoo?
By David Ee, The Straits Times, 6 Sep 2014

A VISIT to the Singapore Zoo could one day mean more encounters with animals right in one's path, without any visible barriers.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) chairman Claire Chiang said last night that the company's reputation is based on an open-concept zoo.

"Having animals walk alongside you has become a reason why tourists come to the Night Safari. In our expansion, we will follow this open-concept philosophy," she said in Mandarin. Having a personal, first-hand experience with animals will help with our conservation message, she added.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday that the zoo would be made bigger and better by as early as 2020.

Zoo experts also suggest that WRS could create an "un-zoo" experience at the attraction, in which seemingly random wildlife encounters would be engineered behind the scenes.

Since former WRS chief executive Bernard Harrison said in April that he had suggested the "world- first" idea to the authorities, others have added their support.

Mr Michael Graetz, an independent zoo designer who worked on the Taipei City Zoo and is designing a new zoo in Dubai, said: "When children visit the zoo, they are taken, not necessarily by the big, impressive animals, but by the ducks in the water or the peacocks on the road right in front of them.

"It is about a sense of discovery, the feeling that you were lucky to see this. These are the stories people would tell."

Mr Vinodh Ayathan, founder of zoo design firm Wild Concepts International, said that for more dangerous wildlife such as lions, visitors could view them safely from tree-top platforms, yet feel as if they are in a national park like Malaysia's Taman Negara.

For Mr Henry Steed, a landscape architect at design consultancy ICN Design International, expanding the zoo will mean that its enclosures can mimic the animals' wild habitats more closely, making for a more authentic wildlife encounter for visitors.

"The real client when you design a zoo is the animal," said Mr Steed, who has designed nature trails in Britain and Hong Kong, and exhibits at the Singapore Zoo.

He added: "You are not just looking at a baboon, but a whole tribe of baboons. You want to observe their social structure in their natural condition.

"The more space you have got, the more you can achieve the real safari feel of seeing animals in their natural state."

But experts noted some of the pitfalls of a larger zoo. Planners have to resist being tempted to "cram too much in and make it into a theme park", said Mr Steed.

A larger zoo also means longer, more tiring walks in tropical heat, so more shady areas, shelters and transport modes are needed to keep visits enjoyable.

Speaking to reporters at an event last night, Second Minister for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran said ideas for Mandai have to be unique to Singapore. "We have to look at what we can learn from others and then adapt it to our unique circumstances," he said.





Buffer zones should be part of Mandai redevelopment, say green groups
STB, NParks to guide planned redevelopment of area so it is sustainable for environment
By Xue Jianyue, TODAY, 6 Sep 2014

In response to the Government’s plans to redevelop Mandai, nature groups yesterday called for buffer zones to be created between any future man-made and existing forest areas and for the minimisation of any impact on the ecosystem.

The groups also welcomed the Government’s decision to seek their advice on its plans for the area, which is currently home to the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and the River Safari.

In a joint statement yesterday, the Singapore Tourism Board and the National Parks Board (NParks) said the latter will guide the development so it is sustainable for and sensitive to the natural environment.

The statement reiterated that views from nature groups would be sought to ensure the sustainable development of the area.

It added: “The development should not encroach on the nature reserves and reservoirs. An Environmental Impact Assessment will need to be undertaken to avoid or mitigate any impact of the development on the nature reserves and reservoirs. Through sensitive design and management, the development could potentially strengthen and enhance the nature reserves.”

While he noted that more details had yet to be revealed, Mr Tay Kae Fong, president of the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore), said any redevelopment should “work with the land”, which meant taking time to study the ecology of the forests that surround the new attraction and minimising the number of trees that would need to be cut.

“What I don’t want to see is them bulldozing the entire place down, (leaving a) blank canvas, and then they start doing planting and manicuring the whole place because they want it to be grand. I’m hoping they would take into account what’s already there,” said Mr Tay.

To reduce any adverse impact on the animal wildlife there, nature groups have called for buffer zones to be set up along the forest edge to separate it from man-made infrastructure.

Nature Trekker founder Ben Lee said this was necessary, as the redevelopment would increase road traffic in Mandai significantly.

Passing traffic could kill animals such as the macaque monkeys, which dwell in the periphery of the forests, said Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) founder Louis Ng, who had previously called for such buffers to be created in the Dairy Farm area.

He said the authorities have approached ACRES on two occasions since the start of the year and he hoped they would continue to do so.

As part of the redevelopment plans, the Jurong Bird Park could be relocated to Mandai.

Mr Ng said the bird park’s relocation presented an opportunity to redesign the park and replace outdated small cages with larger enclosures. “It’s moving in the right direction. A lot of new enclosures are already free-ranging for the birds, whereas the old ones are all cages. We are hopeful that as they move and develop a new bird park, they will follow and move along what they have already been doing to more free-ranging enclosures.”



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