SINGAPORE - The National Parks Board (NParks) will conduct public guided walks of the Eco-Link@BKE for the first time on Nov 21, Dec 5, Dec 19 and Jan 9 next year.
From March 2016 onwards, NParks will also conduct monthly guided walks of the bridge, Senior Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said on Wednesday (Nov 4).
The first of its kind in South-east Asia, the Eco-Link@BKE aims to restore the ecological connection between two nature reserves - Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment area - forests separated by the Bukit Timah Expressway since 1986.
The $16 million bridge opened in October 2013, and is located about 600m north of Rifle Range Road, between the Pan-Island Expressway and Dairy Farm exits.
Since its opening, access to Eco-Link@BKE was restricted to allow the vegetation to grow and the animals get used to the bridge without human disturbance.
NParks has assessed that limited guided walks are feasible with minimal disturbance to the animals, as the vegetation is now denser.
"Like all other ecological linkages we have island-wide such as nature ways, streetscape gardens or the creation of habitats in our parks, it is the community who inject soul and meaning into these green spaces. The public guided walks at the Eco-Link@BKE would allow the community to appreciate the rich variety of life within our midst," Mr Lee said during a media tour.
"I hope that through such nature expeditions, more Singaporeans will fall in love with our environment and be inspired to do their part to conserve our precious natural heritage," he added.
During these walks, members of the public will learn about the types of animals that are dependent on the bridge and how they use it to find safe passage between nature reserves.
They will also get to know the interesting facts about both Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment area.
Eco-Link@BKE to open to public for guided tours
The public will be able to join guided tours of Eco-Link@BKE, an ecological bridge which allows animals to cross between Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
Olivia Quay and Wendy Wong Channel NewsAsia 4 Nov 15;
SINGAPORE: The public will get able to access the Eco-Link@BKE ecological bridge for the first time, in guided tours conducted by the National Parks Board (NParks).
As part of the Clean and Green SG50 campaign this year, NParks said on Wednesday (Nov 4) that it will be organising guided tours on Nov 21, Dec 5, Dec 19 and Jan 9. From next March, NParks will organise guided walks on a monthly basis. During these guided tours, the public will learn about the species of animals that are dependent on Eco-Link.
Members of the public will be able to walk along this pathway on the Eco-Link@BKE, during the monthly guided walks conducted by NParks. (Photo: NParks)
Access to Eco-Link was restricted since its completion in 2013. The past two years were meant for vegetation to grow, as well as giving animals a window to get used to the bridge without human disturbance.
Eco-Link@BKE is an ecological bridge that arches over the Bukit Timah Expressway, connecting Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve. It provides a safe path for animals to cross, allowing interaction of wildlife between the two nature reserves.
The improved interaction will in turn prevent genetic isolation, and promote a wider spread of their genetic pool, while reducing the occurrence of inbreeding and boosting the survival of the species, said NParks.
Native animals such as this emerald dove are now able to travel between nature reserves and expand their habitats with the bridge. (Photo: NParks)
According to NParks, camera traps have recorded various species of birds and snakes crossing the bridge, as well as rarely-sighted animals such as the lesser mousedeer and the sunda pangolin, a critically endangered species.
NParks also said that there have been fewer pangolin deaths from road accidents. An average of two pangolins were reported killed on the road per year, between 1994 and 2014. There were zero such deaths from April 2014 to October 2015, after the bridge was built.
- CNA/xq
Nature-conservation bridge to open for guided tours
STACEY LIM Today Online 4 Nov 15;
SINGAPORE — For the first time, the public will be able to walk along a 62m-long ecological bridge that was built two years ago to create a path for animals to move between Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve without the risk of being run over by vehicles.
The bridge, called Eco-Link@BKE, is typically not open to the public to allow animals to use it without human disturbance, and allow the vegetation over it to grow, providing additional cover for wildlife. But the National Parks Board (NParks) is organising guided walks — on four days in all — so that the public can better understand its role in conserving Singapore’s natural heritage.
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve were once connected by forest, until the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) separated them in 1983.
Since the bridge was built, NParks has seen the number of reported pangolin roadkill fall from an average of about two per year in 1994 to none since 2014.
The agency also said the rarely sighted Sunda Pangolins, which are critically endangered, have also been spotted using the bridge.
The S$16 million bridge was the result of suggestions pooled from the public consultation for the Singapore Green Plan in 2005. Speaking during a media tour today, NParks conservation director Wong Tuan Wah pointed out that Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is much smaller in size as compared to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
Hence, the bridge is important in preventing genetic recession and inbreeding, especially for the animal population in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, as it helps “increase the genetic viability of the population itself and to encourage the animals to live longer”.
NParks said its camera traps on the bridge have captured native animals such as Slender Squirrels, Common Palm Civets and various species of birds and snakes crossing it. The Lesser Mousedeer, which was previously only found in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, was also spotted earlier this year at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
“While there is no photographic evidence of the Lesser Mousedeer crossing into Bukit Timah Nature Reserve via the Eco-Link@BKE, it is likely that it had used the bridge, as there is no other feasible way,” said NParks.
It added that as the vegetation on the bridge grows taller and denser, more animals are expected to use it, such as the Banded Leaf Monkey, a critically endangered species, the Malayan Colugo, and bird species that are dependent on tall trees and shrubs as cover to move from one area to another.
Senior Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee told reporters during the media tour: “It is reassuring that the bridge gives (animals) a better chance of survival, and, in fact, to flourish in this highly urbanised Singapore. Because Singapore is not just about concrete, or steel, or glass, or roads, or buildings, it is also about the green spaces that we work very hard and pro-actively to cherish, to protect, and more importantly, to enhance.”
The cameras along Eco-Link@BKE have also captured a less-welcome presence on the bridge — humans. People are not allowed to use the bridge, and NParks will issue a warning, and fine repeat offenders.
The public guided walks will be held on Nov 21, Dec 5 and 19, and Jan 9. During the guided walks, the public will learn about the types of animals that are dependent on the bridge, and how they use it to find safe passage between nature reserves.
Two sessions will be held each day, lasting 90 minutes. The walks are offered free of charge, but prior registration is required on a first-come-first-serve basis and each walk only accommodates 20 people.
Take a walk along bridge specially reserved for animals
Carolyn Khew, Straits Times AsiaOne 5 Nov 15;
SINGAPORE - A unique $16 million bridge reserved for animals such as civets and pangolins is opening its doors for the first time to another species - humans.
In the next two months, the National Parks Board (NParks) will conduct eight guided walks of the Eco-Link @ BKE, South-east Asia's first ecological bridge. This will become a monthly affair from March.
The 62m bridge, which was completed in 2013, has so far been seen only from a distance by motorists on the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE). It was built to reconnect the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve to allow wildlife in both areas to safely cross the BKE, which separated the two forests when it was built in 1986.
Access to it has been restricted so far to give plants time to grow and allow animals to get used to the bridge. NParks has since assessed that limited guided walks can be done with minimal disturbance.
During the media tour of the Eco-Link @ BKE yesterday, Senior Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said it is important to strike a balance between protecting the area and helping the public understand the role the bridge plays in conservation.
"Unless we have public understanding and acceptance, it will not give us the impetus and community support to do even more," said Mr Lee.
During the guided walks, visitors will be able to learn more about the different kinds of animals that use the link as well as interesting facts about both nature reserves. To minimise disturbance, the number of visitors will be limited to 20 a tour and they will use only a small pathway at the side of the bridge.
Since 2013, NParks has worked with the community, including student groups, to carry out projects such as animal surveys, and plant more than 3,000 native flora on the bridge. Some of these can grow up to 15m and are meant to simulate the natural habitat of animals.
Plants are also grown at the edge of the bridge to create a buffer against noise and dust pollution so that animals will not be inhibited from using it.
Already, more than 15 species of mammals and birds have been spotted using the green corridor. They include the common palm civet and the critically endangered Sunda pangolin - all captured on cameras installed at the site.
While the ecological corridor is the region's first, it is not new in other parts of the world like Germany and the United States. Dr Shawn Lum, president of the Nature Society (Singapore), said that there had been initial concerns about whether animals would really use the bridge, given the traffic noise and the exposed environment.
"Wildlife is starting to come and the vegetation is starting to grow... So I'm delighted, and whatever initial concerns or worries that we had, luckily turned out not to have materialised," he said.
The results so far are encouraging, said Mr Wong Tuan Wah, NParks' director of conservation.
He highlighted how the number of pangolin road kills have gone down. According to NParks, there were no reports of pangolin road kills from April last year to last month. From 1994 to 2013, an average of about two pangolins died on the road each year.
When the vegetation grows even more, he hopes that other animals like the elusive banded leaf monkey will also make use of the bridge.
NParks starts new guided walks of Eco-Link@BKE
NParks press release 4 Nov 15;
Regular monthly walks will also commence from March 2016 onwards
4 Nov 2015 — The National Parks Board (NParks) will conduct public guided walks of the Eco-Link@BKE for the first time on 21 Nov 2015, 5 Dec 2015, 19 Dec 2015 and 9 Jan 2016, in conjunction with Clean and Green SG50. The first of its kind in Southeast Asia, the Eco-Link@BKE is an ecological bridge that spans across the Bukit Timah Expressway, connecting Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Its main purpose is to restore the ecological connection between two nature reserves, allowing wildlife to expand their habitat, genetic pool and survival chances.
From March 2016 onwards, NParks will also conduct regular monthly guided walks of Eco-Link@BKE. This was announced by Mr Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development, during a media tour of Eco-Link@BKE on 4 Nov 2015. He said, “As a City in a Garden, we must always strive to enhance and protect the diverse biodiversity that co-exists in our living environment. The Eco-Link@BKE effectively expands the habitat, mating and foraging ranges of animals, boosting their survival chances. Soon enough, many more species of animals, even those rare and critically endangered ones may start using the bridge.”
“However, like all other ecological linkages we have island-wide such as nature ways, streetscape gardens or the creation of habitats in our parks, it is the community who inject soul and meaning into these green spaces. The public guided walks at the Eco-Link@BKE would allow the community to appreciate the rich variety of life within our midst. I hope that through such nature expeditions, more Singaporeans will fall in love with our environment and be inspired to do their part to conserve our precious natural heritage,” he added.
After its completion in 2013, access to Eco-Link@BKE was restricted to allow the vegetation to grow and the animals to get used to the bridge without human disturbance. Now that the vegetation is denser, NParks has assessed that limited guided walks are feasible with minimal disturbance to the animals. During these guided walks, members of the public will learn about the types of animals that are dependent on the bridge and how they use it to find safe passage between nature reserves. The walks will also present interesting facts about both Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
Since 2013, NParks has partnered the community such as institutions, volunteers and students to carry out research projects such as animal surveys and bird banding, as well as to plant more than 3,000 native plants to turn Eco-Link@BKE into a green corridor for animals to cross. Through photos from camera traps placed on the bridge, NParks has recorded populations of native animals such as Slender Squirrels, Common Palm Civets and varies species of birds and snakes crossing it. Rarely sighted animals such as the Sunda Pangolins, a critically endangered species, have also been photographed. In particular, the Lesser Mousedeer, which was previously only found in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, had been sighted earlier this year at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. While there is no photographic evidence of the Lesser Mousedeer crossing into Bukit Timah Nature Reserve via the Eco-Link@BKE, it is likely that it had used the bridge, as there is no other feasible way.
NParks has also been tracking pangolin road kills for the last 20 years on major roads that surround the two nature reserves. Ever since tree planting at Eco-Link@BKE was completed in the first quarter of 2014, the number of reported pangolin road kills has decreased, from an average of about 2 per year from 1994 to 2014 to none from April 2014 to Oct 2015. As the vegetation on the bridge grows taller and denser, more animals are expected to use it to get from one nature reserve to another. This may include the Banded Leaf Monkey, a critically endangered species, the Malayan Colugo, and bird species such as the Babblers, Asian Fairy Bluebird and Greater Green Leafbird, which are dependent on tall trees and shrubs as cover to move from one area to another.
Having a safe way for animals to cross from one nature reserve to another is important for several reasons. The interaction of wildlife between the two nature reserves – previously not possible before Eco-Link@BKE was completed – prevents genetic isolation and promotes a bigger spread of their genetic pool, reducing the occurrence of inbreeding and ensuring a higher chance of the survival of the species. In the longer term, the Eco-Link will help to restore the ecological balance in these fragmented habitats. Plants which are pollinated and dispersed by animals such as the Singapore Durian (Durio singaporensis) and Singapore Walking Stick Palm (Rhapaloblaste singaporensis) will also benefit from the Eco-Link@BKE.
NParks remains committed to striking a balance between conserving Singapore’s biodiversity and offering recreational opportunities for the public. Hence, as part of Clean and Green SG50, NParks will be offering public guided walks of Eco-Link@BKE on 21 Nov 2015, 5 Dec 2015, 19 Dec 2015 and 9 Jan 2016. Each date consists of two walks, with each able to accommodate 20 people. The 1.5 hours walk is free of charge, but prior registration is required on a first-come-first-served basis. Interested participants may register at www.nparks.gov.sg/ecolink from 8 November 2015 at 10am. Registration is compulsory and visitors who turn up without registering will be turned away. Details of the regular monthly walks from March 2016 will be announced at a later date.
Fact sheet about the Eco-link https://www.nparks.gov.sg/news/2015/11/factsheet-eco-link-at-bke