Ubin rocks still alive

A small team surveys the living rocks and seagrass meadows next to Ubin Jetty. 

We started at Thomson's Rock which was sparsely 'painted' with colourful encrusting animals. And ended up at the shore opposite the old Civil Service Chalets, where the sea fans were much reduced. The rest of the team make all the special finds. I will update later.

Less starry at a Changi shore

I made a quick solo survey of sliver of Changi shore that is seldom done by the whole team. I surveyed in Jul 2025 following a break in May 2021. 

The seagrasses seem to be doing well in the less disturbed parts of the shore. But I saw fewer and smaller sea stars. The shore was affected by seawall works all of 2024. It doesn't seem to have recovered fully from this yet.

Pulau Tekukor is alive!

Just minutes from Sentosa Cove, lies the natural reefy rocky shores of Pulau Tekukor. Including last longest natural coastal cliff in Singapore.

The corals seems fine, and coastal forest looks good. As usual, the rest of the team make all the special finds: giant clams and more! I will update later.

Pulau Semakau (North) with 3 giant clams

Pulau Semakau (North) is close to the petrochemical plants of Pulau Bukom and yet has some great reefs. A full team survey today and find 3 giant clams, a seahorse, special sea anemones and more. 

The corals seem mostly alright although there are signs of stress in some colonies. The seagrasses remain sparse.

Mangroves growing on Pulau Hantu seawall still doing well

Today, I focused almost entirely on the mangroves growing on the artificial seawalls of Pulau Hantu. Such a joy to do this with another mangrove enthusiast - thanks Kwan Siong! Amazing to see the mangroves, reefs and all kinds of marine life just opposite the huge petrochemical plants on Pulau Bukom.

We visited the large Nyireh laut growing on the seawall, and may have found another small treelet in the Southern lagoon. But sadly, someone had chopped all the saplings that settled on the Southern lagoon. My brief look suggest the corals are mostly alright. The rest of the team make all the special finds, I will update later.

Mass coral bleaching expected in Mar-May 2027

Mass coral bleaching is likely in Singapore in Mar-May 2027. NParks will be monitoring.

Mass coral bleaching at Kusu Island, Jun 2024

Karenne Tun, group director of NParks’ National Biodiversity Centre said that while recent studies show that repeated bleaching in Singapore has caused relatively low immediate coral death – usually under 10%, and about 5% in the 2024 bleaching event – the reefs are changing and have “flattened” over time. Repeated bleaching and shifts to simpler reefs may affect coral spawning, limiting the  reefs’ long-term resilience even if they appear to recover.

Marine biologist Huang Danwei, deputy head of NUS’ Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum noted that increased frequency of coral bleaching events means reefs have less time to recover between them. When corals do not recover, the flora and fauna that depend on reef habitats also decline in abundance and diversity.

According to third World Ocean Assessment: “The reefs of today will not be the reefs of tomorrow, and shifting baselines need to be considered when setting objectives, with respect to conservation, restoration and regeneration".

Current efforts include NParks’ 100k Corals Initiative, launched in December 2024 to plant 100,000 corals in Singapore over the next decade and beyond. It is the most extensive coral restoration effort in Singapore to date. Jani Tanzil, facility director of the St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory, noted that in Singapore’s case, where only about 10 sq km of reefs remain, there is no choice but to turn to this last resort of reef restoration to combat their decline.