Review on the Springer website and Straits Times article
Review on the Springer website
This book highlights how Singapore’s coral reef system is responding to changing environmental conditions caused by urbanization and climate change. It provides a fundamental understanding of how reefs respond to decades of chronic urbanization impacts and episodic marine heatwave events, with studies revealing responses at molecular, cellular, organismal, and community levels. Knowing what drives the persistence of coral-dominated reefs through urbanization and global warming impacts will contribute to the formulation of effective conservation strategies.
The chapters cover topics such as the impacts of sedimentation on coral communities, the energetic needs of corals in extreme environments, and the diversity of Symbiodiniaceae dinoflagellates. Readers will discover insights into the resilience of coral reefs, the role of microbiomes, and the thriving coral reef fishes in Singapore’s urban reef system. This literature invites readers to think through critical questions about conservation status and biological connectivity in urbanized seascapes. Contributions from distinguished scholars and practitioners provide expert insights into theoretical frameworks and practical case studies, addressing topics such as the impacts of climate change, the persistence of coral-dominated reefs in the face of substantial losses and bleaching events, and strategies for management and reef restoration initiatives.
Researchers, ecologists, and reef managers will find this book invaluable. It offers a comprehensive analysis of Singapore’s coral reefs, making it essential for anyone interested in marine conservation, urban ecology, and sustainable development. This volume is a crucial resource for understanding and managing coral reef resilience in the face of urbanization and climate change. Scholars, students, and practitioners in marine biology, environmental science, and urban planning will benefit from the insights and strategies presented. As governments seek to fulfil obligations to COP and UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, this book provides the scientific foundation needed to guide effective conservation measures in tropical coastal cities.
From spiky branches to dome-shaped: How corals in Singapore have evolved over 70 years
Shabana Begum Straits Times Nov 17, 2025, 05:00 AM
- Singapore lost 65% of coral reefs since the 1960s due to coastal development. Remaining reefs are now dominated by dome-shaped corals.
- A 70-year study reveals declining ecological functions in reefs, with sensitive branching corals decreasing and some, like birdsnest coral, locally extinct.
- To restore reefs, NParks supports research towards suitable coral species for specific conditions, alongside improving water quality and sedimentation control.
SINGAPORE – As more than two-thirds of Singapore’s coral reefs have been lost to coastal development and reclamation since the 1960s, the characteristics of its remaining reefs have changed dramatically over the decades.
For one thing, there are fewer fast-growing and branching corals now, which means fewer marine animals are able to seek shelter within the reefs.
Coral species dominating the remaining 10 sq km stretches of reefs are mostly dome-shaped or flat, and they are expected to host a lower diversity of marine life, said marine biologist Huang Danwei, deputy head of the NUS Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
However, these species tend to be more adaptable and tolerant of stressors like heated up waters, he added.
The declining ecological roles of Singapore’s reefs were a key finding of the first study that tracked the species and functions of the island-state’s coral reefs since the 1950s.
This study was published in a new book, Coral Reefs Of Singapore’s Urbanised Sea, released in October.
The over 230-page tome – edited by Associate Professor Huang and Emeritus Professor Chou Loke Ming from the NUS Department of Biological Sciences – documents how reefs respond to decades of urbanisation impacts and marine heatwave episodes caused by climate change.
Understanding the reefs’ past could offer glimpses into the future, especially as the Republic recently embarked on a 10-year effort to plant 100,000 corals in its waters – its largest coral restoration effort to date.
Most of Singapore’s intact reefs are in the Southern Islands. The island-state is home to around 250 species of hard corals, a third of the world’s coral species. More than 200 species of sea sponges and 120 species of reef fish, including rare seahorses, rely on the reefs for shelter and food and to rear their young.
Sea sponges, often mistaken for plants, are colourful aquatic animals with dense, porous skeletons.
The book’s authors have described Singapore’s reef environment as “extreme”. Decades of extensive land reclamation, coastal development and regular dredging of shipping channels in the region have caused the waters to be murky and sedimented.
Since 1997, the reefs have also been struck by four global coral bleaching events, with the most recent one in 2024 killing about 5 per cent of local corals.
Corals get their vibrant colours from microscopic algae living in their tissues. When stressed by warmer waters, the corals expel the algae and turn ashen white in a phenomenon known as coral bleaching.
After the massive coral losses in the 2024 coral bleaching episode, scientists here are expecting the ecological functions of the reefs to be depressed over the next few years, said Prof Huang.
While intricately shaped and branching corals like the acropora are fast-growing, they are most sensitive to environmental stress, and their numbers have declined significantly over the years, he added.
Stress-tolerant species like the brain coral have persevered, filling the space left by the dying branching corals.
“Species that grow and colonise the reef environment quickly, and thus can help facilitate recovery during times of stress, have also declined,” said Prof Huang, citing the spiky, thin bird’s nest coral that was declared locally extinct in 2024.
In October, a global report by 160 scientists declared that the planet is facing its first catastrophic tipping point due to global warming, with warm-water coral reefs at risk of dying out.
