Review of Regulations to Protect Wild Animals near Places, such as Construction Sites

20 Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked the Minister for National Development whether there will be a review of regulations to protect wild animals in our forested areas, such as (i) compelling construction companies and developers to take measures to protect displaced wild animals, and (ii) mandating vehicular speed limits or penalties around areas where large swathes of construction work are taking place.

Mr Lawrence Wong: Protecting our biodiversity is key to our City-In-A-Garden vision. That is why we require developers of projects near our nature reserves to assess the potential impact of their works on the flora and fauna in the area. Developers would then need to propose appropriate mitigation measures to protect wildlife based on this assessment, which are evaluated by Government agencies. If there are unanticipated environmental impacts or if mitigation measures prove ineffective, the developers should alter their mitigation plans or propose additional measures in consultation with the relevant technical agencies.

Depending on the specifics of the project, vehicular speed reduction measures may be required, for instance, the installation of humps and road signs. Beyond site-specific measures, our agencies have worked with the Traffic Police to include content about wildlife crossings in the Basic Driving Theory handbook. We hope this will encourage motorists to exercise greater caution when they see wildlife crossings indicated, for example, via signs or road markings. Agencies will continue to partner developers, as well as nature groups, to improve wildlife protection around development sites.