Worksite on Cross Island MRT Line Will be Downsized and Moved to Protect Indigenous Monkeys

Good transport infrastructure is key. As is well-connected public transport. But every good thing has its downsides, especially in land-scarce and densely populated Singapore.

Competing for land use means that the various interests of residents clash when it comes to how a piece of land might be developed (or left untouched). Just look at the Dover Forest incident earlier this year.

Thankfully, we’ve made one little step in protecting our biodiversity with the relocation of the Cross Island MRT Line (CRL) worksite to protect the endangered Raffles’ banded langur.

Now, this is one monkey business that we don’t want to disrupt.

Downsized and Partially Shifted

According to The Straits Times, the worksite, A1W1, has been partially shifted into the Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) to prevent any disturbance to the indigenous Raffles’banded langurs.

It is now 150m away from the tree canopy link over Island Club Road—the area where the langurs are known to roam.

Originally, the worksite was only 30m away and was 15,000 sq m. It has since been halved to 7,000 sq m, part of which is on SICC grounds.

Although this has been one of the positive changes made, nature groups are still worried about the environmental impact of the CRL as part of the line runs directly under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. This might affect the flora and fauna in the area.

The government has been consulting with nature groups with regards to the new MRT line ever since much concern was raised over its development.

In a written reply to MP Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC), Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung noted that key representatives of nature groups have reviewed the changes made to the worksite and are supportive of them.

In addition, an engineering consultant had been appointed to look into the issue of the proximity between the worksite and the monkeys.

He added that “LTA will continue to work with them on further measures to mitigate any potential environmental impact at the A1W1 worksite when construction of the CRL begins, so as to strike a balance between preserving the environment and wildlife, and improving transport infrastructure for the benefit of Singaporeans.”

Shawn Lim, the president of Nature Society said that he was relieved to hear of LTA’s decision, adding that it bodes well for the continued engagement of the authorities with nature groups on the environmental impact of the rest of the CRL.

There will be a much-reduced traffic load of lorries hauling out stones and soil during the shaft excavation process, as the amount of material is a fraction of the original amount envisaged,” he explained.

“The effort has led to a more successful project outcome with reduced impacts on the forest and wildlife.”

The Rare Raffles’ Banded Langurs

If you think that they’re just your every day monkeys that steal your food when you go hiking in Singapore, think again.

Just by their name alone, you’ll know that these monkeys were discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles almost 200 years ago.

It is one of the three non-human primates native to Singapore.

They are also twice the size of the annoying brown macaques, but are much shyer (so don’t worry about then stealing your food, worry about their habitat being stolen instead).

According to TODAYOnline’s explainer article from 2019, these banded langurs once roamed across Changi, Tampines, Bukit Timah, Pandan and Tuas up until the 1920s.

However, our rapid development caused them to be confined to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

The CRL is not the first project to threaten their survival. The construction of the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) in 1983 divided the population by cutting through the forest.

Eventually, the last member of the troop in the Bukit Timah Reserve was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in 1987. Today, the Raffles’ Banded Langurs remain in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in small numbers.

Dr Ang, who chairs the Raffles’ Banded Langur Working Group expressed concern that the development of the CRL could be a repeat of what happened to the langurs after the BKE was built.

When worksites are placed within the forest, they eat into the langurs’ habitat, capable of splitting apart the current population of a measly 60 langurs. Especially since the group in Singapore showed some signs of inbreeding, connectivity is needed for facilitating genetic exchange, said Dr Ang.

In addition, worksites that affect the forest will have detrimental impacts on the biodiversity as it will take time for the forest to regrow and be mature enough to be used by animals.

Currently, these banded langurs are only found in Singapore, Johor and Pahang. Only an estimated total of 300 are left.

Malaysia is also rapidly losing them due to the loss of habitats for palm oil plantations.

The Central Catchment Nature Reserve is so rich in wildlife that many other species—including several critically endangered animals like the Sunda pangolin—live in the same area.

Dr Vilma D’Rozario, a wildlife activist and member of a nature group that the authorities had consulted regarding the CRL, commented back then that she was “truly very disturbed that the direct alignment has been chosen for the Cross Island Line.” This echoes other nature groups’ worries over how the line is being built.

“I personally don’t think sufficient comprehensive biodiversity surveys were done by the Land Transport Authority’s consultant to give a true picture of all the animals that could be affected by the forest clearance.”

We must take ownership of Singapore’s remaining biodiversity and do whatever we can to protect them now.

Featured Image: SMRT