ID: 1892
Presenting Author: Sivaraman Sivanantham
Session: 527 - The importance of effective communication for Impact Assessments
Status: pending
How engagement of nature groups in Singapore’s Environmental Impact Assessment process, inform balance between nature conservation and development needs, with examples from public housing developments
The sharing aims to provide insights into the role of nature group engagements within Singapore's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. The engagements are a collaborative approach between government agencies, developers, and nature groups ensuring environmental considerations are thoroughly addressed in developments. Nature groups hold invaluable ecological knowledge on Singapore's natural heritage. These groups, comprising of passionate naturalists, academics, and environmental advocates, are aware of the biodiversity within specific areas, and the ecological processes within Singapore’s natural spaces. Consultation leads to insights on sensitive species, habitats, or ecological corridors requiring special consideration/protection, resulting in robust studies and better-informed mitigations. We will share how the engagements evolved to be more systematic ensuring sufficient consultation, while covering mechanisms to incorporate more perspectives into our land-use planning. Examples where nature group feedback has improved outcomes, such as the refinement of development boundaries to conserve important habitats or the implementation of specific measures to protect wildlife will be shared. However, engagement is rarely straightforward and considerations taken to manage challenges such as reducing engagement fatigue will be shared. The session will conclude with best practices for engagement in Singapore, such as maintaining open dialogue, managing expectations of feedback being incorporated, and enhancing information sharing between parties in the EIA process.
Sivaraman is an environmental specialist at Singapore's Housing Development Board, where he integrates ecological and sustainability considerations into urban development projects.
Coauthor 1: Anna Low