Fewer cases of people straying off nature trails

But enforcement cases are just the tip of the iceberg, say nature guides and consultants

- Ang Qing

Hikers and bikers caught straying off designated trails in nature spaces have become rarer in recent years, the National Parks Board (NParks) told The Sunday Times.

The number of such cases that the board has taken enforcement action against has fallen from about 430 in 2021, when Covid-19 pandemic restrictions hampered travel, to roughly 85 in 2024, said NParks group director of conservation Lim Liang Jim.

The risk of such activities surfaced in June after a man was hit by a bullet slug while cycling with his friends along a popular unofficial cycling route in an area closed off to the public in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Mr Lim said enforcement action is taken against visitors who disregard signs and opt to go off-trail, the bulk of whom are handed fines and warnings.

Only a handful are prosecuted in court. The latest case to conclude involved a man who was fined $11,000 in 2021 for taking a dog into a nature reserve, trespassing into an area at Upper Peirce Reservoir Park and other offences.

However, enforcement cases reveal only the tip of the iceberg, nature guides and consultants said when recalling their encounters with such trespassers during wildlife surveys.