A tiny team surveys Pasir Ris, an accessible and well visited shore. But it remains rich in a variety of marine life and is home to the last large specimen of a rare mangrove tree on the mainland.
A small team finds the tree still standing! The seagrasses and shores are also well.
There is a small patch mangroves near the mouth of Sungei Loyang. This is home to the beautiful
Bakau mata buaya, listed as 'Critically Endangered' not just in Singapore but
globally too! It is now the last large Bakau mata buaya on the mainland (the one at Sungei Buloh is dead). The situation is similar to our last surveys in
Jun 2023,
Oct 2020 and
Jan 2020. The tree is still standing. The embankment behind the tree has eroded away, but the base of the tree looks strong and healthy. I couldn't see any flowers on the tree. There some calyx on the ground. There wasn't much litter accumulated near the tree.
This tiny patch of mangroves seems to be doing well. The mud is nice and soft and smelly. There are lots of little saplings everywhere. The big trees are doing well. There seems to be less trash than usual.
After the mangroves, a stretch of sandy shores and lush seagrass meadows extend at the mouth of Sungei Loyang. Mostly
Spoon seagrass with both small and large leaves, growing particularly thickly on the soft silty edges away from the shore. I saw a small patch of
Needle seagrass (forgot to take a photo). Unfortunately, I saw many patches of bleaching seagrasses.
The edge of the shore is a little soft! But good to see many healthy
Haddon's carpet anemones. Also small horseshoe crabs. Lots of fiddler crabs on the sandy areas. And animals that are common in seagrass meadows:
Garlic bread sea cucumbers, some
Pink warty sea cucumbers. But only some
Sand stars - we saw many different sea stars on our last survey here in
Jun 2023. There were also
cerianthids and
sea pens,
Window pane shells,
fan clams and of course, hermit crabs. The team also spot a well camouflaged nudibranch
Hypselodoris nodulosa.
Unfortunately, there is still a lot of litter accumulated on the seaward edge of the mangroves and on the low shore. As well as abandoned fishing nets.
What is the fate of Pasir Ris shores?There doesn't seem to be a change in 2013 plans to reclaim all of Pasir Ris, all of Changi from Carpark 1 to Carpark 7 and beyond, and reclaim Chek Jawa and Pulau Sekudu. These appear to remain in place in the
Long-Term Plan Review. Including plans for a road link that starts at Pasir Ris, crosses to Pulau Ubin, right across Chek Jawa to Pulau Tekong, and back to the mainland at Changi East.
See Pasir Ris shores for yourself !These shores are easy to get to, and enjoyed by many people. But it remains rich in a variety of marine life. More details in
"Pasir Ris - Perfect intertidal getaway for the family" Today, it was heartwarming to see a family exploring the shore so early in the morning. There were also a few people cast-netting and foraging.
Photos by others on this surveyKelvin YongOthers on this survey: Nasry, Jayden, Mathias.
