NATURE RESERVES

NATURE RESERVES

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(Number of visitors and accessibility): **

8.

Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the trend of the number of visitors to nature reserves over the last five years; (b) what are the types of transport used by visitors to get to the nature reserves; (c) what measures have been implemented to improve the accessibility of nature reserves via public transport, in particular the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Labrador Nature Reserve.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: There has been a general increase in visitorship to the nature reserves over the past few years. For example, visitorship to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve rose from 290,000 in 2001 to 320,000 in 2006. This trend is also observed at the Labrador Nature Reserve, where visitorship rose from about 360,000 in 2004 to 480,000 in 2006. At the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, visitorship has varied between 98,000 and 116,000 per year.

NParks estimates that about 20% of the visitors use public transport to get to the nature reserves. Organised groups, such as schools, corporations and grassroots organisations, which make up 30% of the visitorship, usually travel in private coaches to get to these destinations. The rest of the visitors use their own transport.

Part of the attractiveness of the nature reserves like Sungei Buloh and Labrador lies in the fact that they are tucked away from the hustle and bustle of urban centres. Notwithstanding this, to facilitate visits to these nature reserves, NParks has worked with various partners to improve their accessibility.

For example, SBS runs a half-hourly bus service from Harbourfront MRT station to Labrador Park on weekends and public holidays. There is also a free shuttle service from Vivo City to Labrador Park from Mondays to Saturdays. In addition, the Singapore Trolley has a regular service which brings tourists and local visitors from various locations in the city, such as Clarke Quay, Orchard Road and the Singapore Botanic Gardens, to Labrador Park.

Column: 2011

For the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, SMRT runs a bus service from the Kranji MRT station to the Wetland Reserve on Sundays and public holidays. On weekdays and Saturdays, the bus runs from Kranji MRT station to Kranji Reservoir car park. From the car park, visitors can then take a leisurely, scenic walk to Sungei Buloh along the “Kranji Nature Trail” developed by NParks.

Since 1st July 2006, the Kranji Countryside Association has also introduced a "Kranji Express" bus service, which operates on an hourly basis from Kranji MRT station to the various farms around Kranji, including Sungei Buloh.

Column: 2011