Citizen science project on seahorses and pipefishes in Singapore

Over the next two years, a citizen science project hopes to learn more about our seahorses and pipefishes. Singapore is home to three species of seahorses – the spotted seahorse, tiger tail seahorse and Japanese seahorse – as well as 19 pipefish species. There are plans for workshops for the public, to teach volunteers how to identify seahorses and photograph them. 

The data will give researchers a sense of species loss and whether it is happening in tandem with the country’s coastal development. It is led by senior research fellow Neo Mei Lin from the National University of Singapore’s Tropical Marine Science Institute, in collaboration with Adam Lim, director of Save Our Seahorses Malaysia.

Dead dugong spotted at Bedok Jetty (Jun 2026)

Identified as a juvenile dugong by Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, the body was found off Bedok Jetty on 6 Jun 2026. The Museum will only extract samples and not the whole carcass due to its highly decomposed state. And the Museum already have the carcass found in 2021 off Pulau Hantu.

Members of the public who spot large marine animals like dugongs, rays and turtles can aid research into them here by submitting their sightings to the Mega Marine Life in Singapore database at this website.

Lianhe Zaobao features Marina Bay mangroves

In response to Lianhe Zaobao, Dr. Karen, Senior Director of the National Biodiversity Centre of the National Parks Board, said that the authorities are aware of this mangrove forest and conducted an on-site inspection in March this year. The authorities will study the mangrove forest in conjunction with relevant agencies when assessing development plans for the area.

Muhd Nasry, Executive Director of the Singapore Youth Voices for Biodiversity, said, “While this mangrove forest is smaller compared to the vast mangroves of the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, it’s truly amazing to see it." Nasri said that with the upcoming development of coastal protection facilities, it is crucial to arrange for engineers to conduct on-site inspections. "How to strike a balance between construction projects and maintaining biodiversity, and even fulfilling the function of seawall protection, are all issues that need to be discussed."

Google translate of the original article
滨海东填海地自然长出红树林 为长岛生态规划提供参考
by Huang Yinchuan Lianhe Zaobao June 1, 2026, 18:00

AI summary

• Mangroves have naturally grown on the reclaimed land in Binhai East, providing a reference for the ecological planning of Changdao Island.
• Mangroves have naturally grown on the reclaimed land east of the coast, including the critically endangered *Avicennia marina* and the rare *Avicennia galbana*.
• These mangroves have formed a complete ecosystem without human intervention, providing habitat for mud lobsters, hermit crabs, and other organisms.
• Environmentalists believe this phenomenon provides an ecological reference for the Long Island Project, demonstrating that artificial coastlines can become natural regeneration hotbeds.
• The mud lobster mounds confirm the mangroves' maturity, and experts are calling for engineering plans to consider both biodiversity and shoreline protection functions.
• The National Parks Board has inspected the area and will collaborate on assessing the feasibility of mangrove conservation in its development planning.

Other shores surveyed (May 2026)

Besides the main surveys, the team split up on some dates to also guide. To take advantage of the very  few super low tides during daylight! Many team members visited various parts of Changi. Other shores visited on this tide include Pasir Ris and Sentosa Tg. Rimau.

Collage of photos by the team. Links to their albums below.

People don't believe me when I say, Changi is among the best shores to see a wide variety of nudibranchs. No need to dive! Here's photos of recent sightings by the team, mostly by our nudi whisperer Jianlin who visited in April. Love the photo of the big orgy of Jorunna nudis complete with laid egg ribbons and chomped up sponges. Also, a new Singapore record of Limenandra fusiformis, many colourful slugs and flatworms too.

Plans will relocate food farms to 'wrap around' Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

A change in land use was announced which will concentrate food farms closer to and 'wrapping around' Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. There are currently no food farms in this area, which previously was designated for military use and thus served as a buffer to the nature spaces in the Reserve. 

What potential impact? Land-based food farms can be highly pollutive, affecting the quality of water that flows through the Reserve and into the Johor Strait, where the fish farms are. We need to monitor closely these plans to move them so close to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

When will this happen? When will this happen? Affected farms will be allowed to remain on site until their land tenures expire, ranging from 2026 to the mid-2030s.

Signs of recovery from 2024 Pasir Panjang Oil Spill

Studies suggest there is recovery on shores affected by the 2024 Pasir Panjang Oil Spill.

One of the studies involved 100 citizen scientists, who collected samples from 10 sites including Pasir Ris Beach, Changi Beach, Lazarus Island and St John’s Island for a year. These studies are expected to be completed by end-2026.