SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board said on Thursday (Jun 4) that it is investigating the unauthorised clearance of a site in Lower Peirce Reservoir, which contained trees planted under a nationwide greening initiative. NParks said that an employee carrying out routine inspections on Tuesday morning discovered that around 40 saplings and shrubs within half of the original tree-planting site had been cleared. A contractor had done this without approval to temporarily store materials at the site, NParks group director for conservation Lim Liang Jim said in response to queries. NParks did not identify the contractor in its statement. Mr Lim said that NParks immediately instructed the contractor to stop its work and remove the stored items. He added that NParks intends to replant the site, which is located in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The original tree-planting was done as part of NParks’ OneMillionTrees movement, which aims to plant 1 million trees across Singapore from 2020 to 2030. “NParks had earlier communicated to the contractor’s site supervisor on a few occasions that the area was not suitable for their storage space and had advised them to use an alternative location,” said Mr Lim. “However, the contractor went against NParks’ direction and proceeded to clear the area on May 29, 2026 without informing NParks.” It is an offence to cut, collect or displace any tree or plant within any national park or nature reserve without permission from the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation. Offenders can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$50,000 or receive both penalties. The tree-planting site held 87 saplings planted on Jan 22, 2025, by citizen scientists from the Raffles’ Banded Langur Working Group. The Raffles' banded langur is one of only two species of monkeys native to Singapore and is critically endangered. Dr Andie Ang, primatologist and chairperson of the working group, told CNA she organised the tree-planting as part of celebrations leading up to the group’s 10th anniversary in 2026. According to her, the tree-planting site is located near the entrance of Lower Peirce Reservoir Park. The tree-planting was carried out on Jan 22, 2025 by citizen scientists from the Raffles' Banded Langurs Working Group, under NParks' OneMillionTrees movement. (Photo: Facebook/Raffles' Banded Langurs) Dr Ang said she contacted NParks on Jun 2 after a volunteer who was at the site alerted her to the state of the saplings. She received a message from the volunteer saying that the tree-planting site had been “flattened” and that construction materials were there. The tree-planting site and species had been chosen by NParks, said Dr Ang. “There was a lot of care put into ensuring that one sapling can survive, and we also know that the survival rate might not be high, so we were extra careful,” she said of the planting process. Of the five native species planted, two are food plants of langurs: Canthiumera robusta (Green Coffee), which is endangered, and Vitex pinnata (Malayan Teak). The other three species are the critically endangered Kopsia singapurensis (White Kopsia), as well as the Horsfieldia polyspherula and Ixora congesta (Malayan Ixora). Tree-planting benefits wildlife in the area by providing food, restoring habitats and helping with connectivity in the forest, said Dr Ang. It was also meaningful for the citizen scientists to see the data they had collected about langurs’ diets translate into action, by planting the food plants they had identified, she added. “They were shocked, they can’t believe it, they were really sad, and they have a lot of questions now,” she said of the participants’ reactions. Dr Ang said such tree-planting exercises should continue because they benefit biodiversity and community engagement, but also has "mixed and conflicted feelings" after the incident. She questioned whether the saplings planted under the OneMillionTrees movement are being actively monitored and whether the contractor has been suspended, given the severity of the incident.   https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/nparks-trees-cleared-illegal-lower-peirce-reservoir-onemilliontrees-6161681

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