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What
people say about the Southern shores
and plans for its development
SkyscraperCity Forum
Resort living on Sentosa ... and a Casino!
Below is a selection of posts that mentioned the reefs and wildlife
of the Southern shores
The
full thread
huaiwei The Monkey King
March 15th, 2004, 08:15 PM
Hmm...I wonder what is going to happen to the tranquil nature of our
southern islands once this happens....I dont noe if I shd be happy
or not!
RafflesCity Asia
in a City!
March 15th, 2004, 11:08 PM
Bleah. I bet most Singaporeans have not even set foot there. I take
the optimistic view that we are maximising our limited resources to
further extract revenue from them. Besides, theres always Pulau Ubin
or that 'rubbish dump'
szehoong KL Native
March 16th, 2004, 04:48 AM
Is that Kusu Island part of the development plan as well? Huaiwei
> Have you been to the Southern Islands? Are they tourist attractions
now?
huaiwei The Monkey
King
March 16th, 2004, 12:35 PM
No I have never been there, which is prolly why I am a little aghast
by the plans? But I do noe from my studies here, that the southern
islands is actually one of the last remining enclave of an extensive
colony of corals. They are already coming under attack from nearby
developments, and any development on the islands themselves will surely
spell doom for our remaining natural treasure if considerations for
their survival are not taken into account.
RafflesCity Asia
in a City!
March 16th, 2004, 11:38 PM
Its a classic case of development vs nature. Some letters to the Straits
Times. I really feel this is a good time to reinvent Sentosa. Anyway
huaiwei said that the greatest tragedy for Singapore was the settlement
of mankind on it -_-
16/3/04 IN REFERENCE to the article, 'Top-draw resort for southern
isles' (ST, March 13), I would like to enquire from the authorities
what is being done to prevent 'further reclamation' from adversely
affecting marine life in the Southern Islands. As a diver and former
student of coral-reef ecology at the National University of Singapore,
I am concerned about the impact of sedimen-tation from reclamation
and other sources on the marine life. It would be a counter-productive
effort if the marine life is adversely affected as a result of trying
to develop the region for tourism.
LAM KOI YAU
IF THE Government is really serious about making Sentosa into a world-class
resort, it must be prepared to relocate the commercial vessel anchorage
that is currently in front of the island. This would remove the stench
of diesel-oil fumes when the wind blows inland, and the quality of
the surrounding seawater would improve. Tourists will not be prepared
to pay six-star hotel rates when their view out to sea is a clutter
of oil tankers and rusting cargo ships. The romance of a tropical
island-paradise is sitting on the balcony and seeing no more than
the occasional passing steamer, or sail on the horizon. DEREK ROBINSON
heirloom Queen
of Dunnodunnowhat!
March 16th, 2004, 10:26 AM
i dunno anything about lancia... but i just came across its website
a few days ago and its got these really gorgeous futuristic retro
looking vehicles that look as if they were from the set of gattaca...
the lancia ypsilon is a small small car that looks so incredibly regal
and is filled with luxury features that could rival ummm a luxury
car maybe that's why i'm partial to the lancia thesis... btw i'm not
religious or anything but the pope uses an absolutely gorgeous special
lancia too
i dont think singapore really has the luxury of conserving too much
nature... we really should leave such things to 'proper' countries
with more normal land areas? i'mnot saying that the nature reserves
here should be done away with, but ummm i think its ok to develop
things like that.
heirloom Queen
of Dunnodunnowhat!
March 17th, 2004, 01:33 AM
well... considering the chorals hardly contribute to the economy -
i dont think anyone would fly here to look at a few corals - they
really shouldn't be 'national treasure'? there no no coral farms,
or coral gardens, or any coral attractions at all...
huaiwei The Monkey
King
March 17th, 2004, 04:32 PM
What a super horrible thing to say....since when is everything tied
in with dollars and cents? Here is an EDUCATIONAL post for you about
the wonders of our very own coral reefs!!! (the info on the Coral
Reefs of Singapore homepage was pasted into the post)
redstone Made in
Singapore
March 17th, 2004, 05:06 AM
I hate the idea of joining the Sisters ,St. John's ,Lazarus and other
islands together.I'd rather prefer that they'll create another island
beside Sentosa and link it with a suspension bridge.
Those small islands are little gems ,pockets of tranqulity that we
should preserve for the future generation to enjoy.
szehoong KL Native
March 18th, 2004, 01:24 AM
yea....since coral reefs in Singapore are reduced to a bare minimum,
the more the reason to protect em!
heirloom Queen
of Dunnodunnowhat!
March 18th, 2004, 02:19 AM
but... there are so many in malaysia (arethere? i assume there are)...
as i mentioned earlier.. a 660km2 country can barely afford to set
side land for nature at the expense of economic development...
huaiwei The Monkey
King
March 18th, 2004, 10:21 AM
When i was younger, I used to care less about nature stuff. I keep
wondering why they cant just remove all those silly mangroves and
build nice seaside houses. I wondered wat those pockets of forests
are for, when tall condos can rise there. And I wonder why all those
land cant be reclaimed, since more land = more space.
That was until I realised mangroves were one of the most important
zones for research, which can produce some of the most important uses
for mankind, especially medicine, and they are actually nature's version
of filters which help to remove pollutants. The forests turns out
to be nature's airport hubs, housing countless migratory birds stopping
over here to recharge for their next trip. And I realised in all those
places where reclamation could have taken place, there resides millions
of exotic organisms in seemingly useless and ugly mudflats, swamps,
and reefs, which will all be lost forever even with a slight tweeking
of their surrounding conditions.
Who ever said that Singapore dont have enough space as a justification
of removing whatever nature we have left is trying to find the easy
way out. why, for eg, are we still impossing a silly height constraint,
when we dont constraint the destruction of nature? Why have hundreds
of 12 storey flats, when a few more floors can mean saving that precious
patch of green?
Because it is cheaper to chop the trees then to engineer a way to
preserve them?
Gee.....I dont remember myself ever sounding so pro-nature, but I
think my academic studies and the exposure I get with international
friends through this forums is really begining to force me to open
my eyes a little wider to what is missing around me?
heirloom Queen
of Dunnodunnowhat!
March 18th, 2004, 11:42 AM
maybe they should develop a coral reef resort then how do you justify
not losing the coral reefs for a potential um star attraction?
huaiwei The Monkey
King
March 18th, 2004, 04:31 PM
Corals are best left on their own. We dont need any form of resort
to maximise their existance. Tell me which one is easier.....building
the resort elsewhere, or moving the coral reef??
szehoong KL Native
March 18th, 2004, 06:31 PM
Yea.....I share the same sentiments too although I lived in Malaysia.
I've seen Singapore's environment preservation first hand. I've been
to Pulau Ubin and Sg. Buloh Nature Reserve as well as Bkt Timah. I
dunno why but I've been to the Singapore Botanical Gardens 3 times!!!
Although Malaysia had abundance of virgin jungles and mangrove swamps......and
with expertise in nature reserves and preservation.......efforts which
are being recognised by UNESCO......we're still lacking in terms of
environmental awareness amongst the people here. A recent project
by a private developer at an island just next to Westport, Port Klang
decided to have a mangrove reserve with education and public awareness
facility, similar to Sg. Buloh reserve. (it was specifically mentioned
by the developer!). So this shows that Singapore did the right thing
on preserving the little that is left of a mangrove swamp and made
it a showcase......and an educational tool too. In Malaysia, we had
an abundance of protected mangrove swamps but most are inaccessable
to the public so the Singapore way is something to ponder on. The
only time I've been to a mangrove swamp (and possibly the only one
opened for public) in Malaysia are those at Kuala Selangor which its
main attraction are fireflies. |
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