Cut by MP Louis Ng for Ministry of Transport’s Committee of Supply debate 2020
Reduce the impact of the Cross Island Line on wildlife
There is no doubt that the Cross Island Line is needed and I also have no doubt that we can reduce its impact on our biodiversity. People are concerned that the clearance and construction work at work site (A1W1) will have a major impact in breaking up wildlife habitats.
It would mean that tree-dwelling animals like the Raffles’ banded langurs might not be able to get from one forest patch to another and this will threaten their survival.
There are only 61 Raffles’ banded langurs left in Singapore. The stakes are extremely high. These highly threatened monkeys are only found in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. This is one of their last strongholds.
If the forest is cleared for the work site, the langurs who rely on tree canopies will be forced to come down to the ground to use the roads to cross, and they will likely get injured or killed.
We know through the work of Dr. Andie Ang that a bachelor group of four male langurs, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael need the forest at the work site (A1W1). While mitigation measures have been proposed, Dr. Andie feels that these measures will not work. She personally told me that she fears for the survival of this species.
Will MOT consider moving work site A1W1 further into SICC where the forest that the langurs need will not be impacted?
Watch the speech here
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