Work begins to restore Rail Corridor’s native flora

Gwyneth Teo Channel NewsAsia 20 Oct 18;

SINGAPORE: For decades, magnolia singapurensis, a flower native to and named after Singapore, had not been seen in the country.

Until National Parks Board (NParks) officials discovered the flower again at a swamp in Nee Soon a few years ago.

It took repeated trips back to the swamp to carefully collect the seeds of the flower, bring them to the nursery to cultivate, and study how best to grow the species elsewhere, said Ms Sharon Chan, director of the Central Nature Reserve at NParks.

There are only four known instances of magnolia singapurensis, which thrives in swampy areas, in the wild.

On Saturday (Oct 20), the native species was replanted elsewhere in Singapore for the first time.

The planting ceremony, led by Second Minister of National Development Desmond Lee and advisers from Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, marked the first phase of NParks' work to reintroduce native flora to the Rail Corridor stretch.

Nature lovers, researchers, members of the surrounding community were also invited to the planting ceremony.

The 24km Rail Corridor was first built in the early 1900s as part of the colonial KTM train network.

READ: Parts of Rail Corridor to open by 2021 with enhanced offerings and amenities
Work to restore its native flora are starting at Rail Corridor (Central) – a 4km stretch from Hillview to the former Bukit Timah railway station, near the King Albert Park MRT station today.

The area would then serve as a buffer zone between Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the urban area, NParks said.

NParks is clearing out plants of foreign origin that took root during the development of the railway and replanting native species in order to conserve them.

A stream made from concrete that once served as the drainage system for the railway tracks is also being enhanced, in hopes of encouraging wildlife to return to the area.

NParks said otters have already been spotted playing in the stream. It hopes to see water hens return as well.

"Our scientific research has shown that the Rail corridor is an important part of Singapore's forest ecosystem ... Animals are probably using (it) to move back and forth between the Central Catchment and the Southern Ridges," said Mr David Tan, a researcher who is part of community group Friends of Rail Corridor.

"Rewilding is good not only for the Central Catchment, but for all forest biodiversity in Singapore as well."

READ: Refreshed Bukit Timah Heritage Trail features new sites, thematic routes
To encourage members of the public to visit the Rail Corridor, the dirt trail will be converted to one of grass and gravel. The Rail Corridor (Central) stretch will be worked on in phases and is scheduled to be completed by December next year.

Infrastructure projects on the whole Rail Corridor have a deadline of 2021, when the whole corridor will be open to the public.

According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, there will also be a pedestrian underpass under the Rail Corridor parallel to Hindhede Drive which will be completed by end-2019, so that members of the public can safely enter Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Christopher de Souza said it will be a "green artery for Singaporeans".

"The goal here is to try to create more accessibility for residents (in the area) so they can come, they can walk, they can cycle, they can share this community space that is increasingly becoming more accessible," he said.

Free guided walks covering the flora, fauna and heritage of the Rail Corridor will be organised until the end of the year. Registration for the walks, which take place between Oct 27 and Dec 1, opens this Sunday at 10am.

Source: CNA/cy


Native trees to replace alien species, and footpaths upgraded, on Rail Corridor
Jose Hong Straits Times 20 Oct 18;

SINGAPORE - Only four Magnolia singapurensis trees are known to exist in Singapore's forests, but on Saturday (Oct 20), the critically endangered plant's numbers received a boost when two young trees were planted along a disused rail corridor converted to recreational use.

Some 200 volunteers also planted many more trees and helped to restore a stream, marking the official launch of a movement to reintroduce Singapore's native wildlife to the colonial-era tracks.

By 2021, the 24km length of the railway corridor will be ready as a "green vein" running through the west of Singapore, while a core 4km section near the central catchment area will be filled with native plants, said the director of NParks' central nature reserve department, Ms Sharon Chan.

The National Parks Board (NParks) will lead the process, known as "rewilding", while the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will continue to upgrade the footpaths on the corridor.

Right now, the dirt paths turn to mud after wet weather, which drives people to tread on the grass verges, trampling the wildlife in the process, and inadvertently creating an even wider path that turns to more mud in the rain. The URA will solve this by reinforcing the trail near the nature reserve with materials like gravel.

The two agencies are starting at the 4km stretch known as Rail Corridor (Central), which is roughly book-ended by the Hillview and King Albert Park MRT stations.

The section is well-used, given its proximity to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and heritage landmarks like the black railway bridge, popular with photographers.

Ms Chan said at the launch that the board would focus not just on reintroducing native wildlife to the rail corridor, but also on clearing the alien species that have encroached on the land over the decades.

Pointing to the towering Albizia trees along the sides of the old tracks, she said: "These are from South America, and they have shallow roots that could cause them to topple during storms." These trees, which grew from seeds that were dispersed naturally, will be replaced with native species such as the oil fruit tree and the jelutong.

Ms Chan said the re-population will have to be done gradually to avoid losing the shade the trees provide by removing them too rapidly.

At the same time, NParks will enhance a nearby stream that was originally built as a concrete drain about a century ago. Its walls have collapsed and the water is full of sediment and silt.

Volunteers and NParks staff will place rocks in the stream and introduce specific plants to filter and clarify the water, creating different habitats for the species found in it such as the common walking catfish and lowland freshwater crab.

Mr Elliott Ong, 21, a volunteer with the Friends of the Rail Corridor group, said he counted 10 species of dragonfly and damselfly in surveys conducted last year.

"We're passionate about the environment, and Singapore has very few natural streams left. This is a way to gain back some of that heritage," said the environmental studies student at the National University of Singapore.

Ms Chan said: "What we hope is to eventually see a water hen coming here, or monitor lizards. Because that means that we would have succeeded in creating a habitat that attracts them."

From January next year, Rail Corridor (Central) will be closed in phases to allow the URA to upgrade the paths. Work on the 4km stretch will be done by December.

Speaking at the launch ceremony at Fuyong Park near The Rail Mall on Saturday, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza said: "We want to bring back some of our endangered species and make this a lush, rustic, natural and historical part of Singapore... This stretch really embodies a really important part of our history."

Helping to plant trees were investment manager Chew Wee Kee and housewife Tiffany Hor, who brought along their young son and daughter as well. "It's good for the kids to come here and plant some trees to help them understand about sustainability," said Mr Chew, 41. "We want to do our part to make sure that it's still there in the next 50 years."

Other guests at the opening included Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee and Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MPs Sim Ann and Liang Eng Hwa.

Members of the public who wish to contribute to the restoration of the railway corridor, or are interested in the guided walks, can find out about the Friends of Rail Corridor group here: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/railcorridor/friends-of-rail-corridor