With S'pore's population hitting an unbearable 5 million soon, all available space on the mainland will be taken up. The only nature areas left will be those unsuitable for development like catchment and military zones.
Heartening to see so many here lamenting the loss of a small but exquisite nature spot. But the sad reality is that if you would go ask the residents around the pond, they would definitely vote for water sports centre. Government bodies have to make populist decisions. Nature spots are a luxury with high premiums in land-scarce S'pore.
The WBSEs will relocate, they are good adapters. Their presence in urban S'pore is a good indication that they can thrive in populated areas.