Although Dr Ho Hua Chew believes that Bukit Brown is rich in biodiversity ("Biodiversity importance of Bt Brown"; last Friday), I agree with Mr Heng Cho Choon ("Bukit Brown not worthy of World Heritage status"; July 11) that such biodiversity is of no significance.
Any piece of land left undisturbed for a prolonged period, including my backyard, will see the vegetation regenerating and the biodiversity increasing. And if my backyard is next to a nature reserve, it is inevitable that forest animals will wander in. Rare or endangered animals that happen to visit, including colugo and pangolin, will not make the area worthy of conservation.
To claim that MacRitchie forest is isolated from the rest of the catchment forests and that its carrying capacity for forest species is being exceeded is mere speculation. The animals may move to Bukit Brown because it is nearby, but they also move to nearby areas elsewhere.
The Bukit Brown habitat can easily be recreated.
The Peirce and MacRitchie forests are more than a century old. They cannot be recreated within a lifetime. The Nature Society should give priority to such areas rather than fight for replicable habitats.
Wee Yeow Chin (Dr)