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the feasibility and utility of a dam at the lower end of the lower channel to prevent 
upstream encroachment should be investigated. This may be a flap gate designed to 
allow outflow but prevent backflow of the reservoir water into the swamp. 
b) Reduction of the influence of the spillway/discharge from reservoirs i) to mitigate 
against changes in water quality; ii) to reduce input of, and local expansion in the 
distribution of, less desirable (non-native) fish species within the swamp forest streams; 
and iii) to maintain more “typical” forest stream communities of fish and invertebrates, 
notably rarer taxa less prevalent elsewhere. 
Mitigating impacts of construction and development 
a) Identify, reduce, monitor and regulate impacts from new and existing construction 
and development (e.g. water quality issues associated with heavy metals). 
b) Ensure continued maintenance of the pipeline linking Upper Seletar Reservoir and 
Lower Pierce Reservoirs to avoid leaks/input of reservoir water into the Nee Soon 
freshwater swamp forest system. 
Considering the views of stakeholders, public perceptions and the views and interests of 
other agencies should also be factors in deciding conservation measures for Nee Soon 
freshwater swamp forest. All management options should be considered in concert, 
in the form of a whole-catchment plan of research, monitoring and management to 
address both hydrological (flood, drought) conditions as well as emerging pressures 
such as erosion and reservoir discharge. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. This paper is based on contributions from leaders of the 
multidisciplinary team, listed here in alphabetical order: Cai Yixiong, Chong Kwek Yan, Esther 
Clews, Liong Shie-Yui, Rudolf Meier, Hugh Tan Tiang Wah, Robert Wasson, Sin Tsai Min, 
Darren Yeo Chong Jinn, and Alan D. Ziegler. We thank them for the opportunity to include their 
findings and recommendations here. We would like to thank staff of the National Parks Board, 
especially the Conservation Division and National Biodiversity Centre, who have provided 
support, helped to acquire permits, and worked tirelessly from the beginning of the project. We 
thank the Ministry of Defence for permitting research teams to access areas around the firing 
ranges. Colleagues from the Public Utilities Board have been very helpful and cooperative in 
providing essential hydrological data (e.g. rainfall, reservoirs’ water levels) required for the 
numerical eco-hydrological model. PUB’s participation in this project is greatly appreciated. 
Past and present staff and students at the Tropical Marine Sciences Institute, the Department 
of Biological Sciences and the Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, 
contributed to the body of work and knowledge-base on which this study was developed as 
well as providing practical, logistical and technical support for the project team. Our gratitude 
goes to the Ministry of Finance and the National Parks Board for their funding without which 
it would have been impossible to carry through this project. 
