What is our relationship with nature? — by Veronica Yow

When I first moved to Singapore a little over a year ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of green spaces that exists in this city-state. Sure, some of it is a little curated but the amount of efforts put in is laudable. It feels like Singapore is doing its best to maintain the green spaces left in the country.

However, what I have learned this year is nature in Singapore is equally as threatened by the age-old development. Earlier this year, I came upon Green Circle Eco Farm and Fireflies Health Farm, both organic and regenerative farms in Kranji that had their land taken back by the government for military training purposes. Both farms put in a valiant fight, putting up appeals after another to demonstrate that healthy soil, cared for over decades with love and labour and teeming with biodiversity, is worth keeping. Unfortunately, both farms had to vacate their land in August this year after close to thirty years of working with and for the land.

Today, I went on a guided walk by Chua Chin Tat at Dover Forest East which is scheduled to be cleared later this month for residential development. A secondary forest that has been growing wild since the 1970s after the original kampung residents left, this forest has become the home of many native bird species such as the Changeable Hawk-Eagle and the Oriental Pied Hornbill. Both bird species were once considered extinct in Singapore but they have now made a comeback including in Dover Forest East where both species returned year after year to the same Albizia trees to nest. Interestingly, Albizia trees are considered to be invasive species which is considered vulnerable to storms due to the shallow roots. Secondary forests which are dominated by exotics like the Albizia are also deemed to be of lower ecological value…

Following an Environmental Impact Assessment and countless appeals from Chin Tat and others, the local housing board (HDB) announced their decision to clear Dover Forest East. The adjacent vegetation, Dover Forest West, would be maintained as is until 2030. Dover Forest East is about 11 hectares in land area, while Dover Forest West covers another 15 hectares.

The HDB explained that when they acquired the land, the land had been earmarked for residential development. Chin Tat explained that the growth of the secondary forest in the last 40 years has provided a suite of ecosystem services to the residents of Singapore (humans, plants and animals alike) and this is worth taken into land planning considerations. In the context of a resource-constrained world, a negotiation ensued. A larger-than-usual green space would be maintained to preserve the stream — and the trees around it — at the Dover Forest East, but the show must go on.

I asked Chin Tat, “How has he gotten to know the forest so intimately? Is he a biologist, or a naturalist?” To my surprise, he said, “No.” Chin Tat first ventured into Dover Forest East in February 2021 when he heard that the forest would be cleared. As Chin Tat led us to enter the forest from near the Dover MRT station, he jokingly said, “This is the Amazon of Singapore with the forest being extra lush from the heavy rain last night.”

We were swept away by the sounds, sights, touches, and scents of the forest. Our knowledgeable guide pointed out the fruit trees planted by the residents of the former kampung (village), the exotic tree species and the bird species that have taken their liking to, the different types of native fig trees and the ones which host bio-luminescent fungi that takes center stage at night, the native fishtail palms that provide civet cats with their favorite food. An entire ecosystem thrives in this forest…

We completed the walk by going to one of the top floors of a block of public housing that faces the Dover Forest. A deep, deep sadness overcame me by the prospect of the disappearance of these large swathes of wild, green spaces. I kept thinking that Nature has a right to exist on its own. I stood there for as long as I could to take it all in.

As I entered the lift to return to the ground floor, an uncle asked what I was doing there. I said, “To say goodbye to the forest”. He said with a hint of sadness in his eyes, “Yes, that forest will be gone soon”. We both stared at the ground before parting ways.

We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see. And touch. And hear." - Richard Louv.

Today, I’ve had the opportunity to see, touch and hear Dover Forest East thanks to Chin Tat. Since February 2021, Chin Tat has led 50 walks for members of the public to enter the forest. Thanks to his efforts, many others would have the opportunity to see, touch and hear Dover Forest East too. Sometimes, I feel so dejected by losses like this, but I feel encouraged to meet people like Chin Tat. Thanks to the negotiations, we now have 10 years to protect Dover Forest West. The show must go on indeed…

p/s: LepakinSG have put together a map showcasing about 2,700 hectares of forest areas similar to Dover Forest that are slated for development. Another 3,700 hectares of similar areas are marked in the masterplan as reserves meaning their land use status have not been determined.

This article was originally published at https://veronicayow.medium.com on November 5, 2022.

About the Writer

Veronica Yow (Instagram)

Veronica is a pragmatist dreamer who loves trees and all of nature’s gifts. Her passion for sustainability has taken her across the world, working with rural communities who do have the knowledge, but not necessarily the means, to farm or fish according to nature’s regenerative cycles. Whenever she has time, Veronica can be found under her favorite tree by the water in the East Coast of Singapore or on her balcony tending to her plants.