Feedback on land reclamation at Keppel-Tanjong Pagar

The marine community's feedback in the Straits Time include: Dr Jani Tanzil, facility director of the St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory, said reclamation poses a risk to nearby habitats such as the reefs around Sentosa. She noted that the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park and Kusu and Lazarus islands are located just 4km to 5km from the reclamation. “This is not a great distance (and) there is a good chance that finer sediments and other pollutants could be transported to and negatively impact these important key conservation areas,” added Dr Tanzil.

Dr Tanzil noted that the report did not consider how sediments in the water will block sunlight for corals, as a small reduction in light can greatly impact their survival and growth. “It is important to remember that in addition to the amount of sediments in the water, the more direct impact here is light reduction,” she said.

Ms Rachael Goh, co-lead of land use planning at environmental group LepakInSG, cautioned that the survival and success rate for transplantation may not be high, depending on various factors. “What is more important is allowing corals to come back after the reclamation is over. The sea wall or sloped rock revetment could make suitable new habitats for corals to return,” she added.

Ms Goh is hoping that the eventual environmental management and monitoring programme for this project will be made public.

Mr Isaac Ong, a member of the Singapore Youth Voices for Biodiversity, urged the authorities to consider the cumulative effects of future developments on the south-eastern coast, including the construction of Long Island and the coastal barriers near Sentosa. Mr Ong said: “Singapore’s reefs have also experienced stress from sedimentation from decades of past coastal development, which already limited the depth ranges at which corals can grow. This is an added pressure.” The proposed coastal barriers have the potential to alter tidal flows and the movement of coral larvae. Reduced channel speeds at times could also increase the risk of harmful algal blooms and degrade water quality over time, he added.

Submit your feedback to HDB here https://form.gov.sg/6966fc4e7c5fe159af98b799

Links to full EIA and extracts in this blog post.

Second B. hainesii at Pasir Ris!

A small team survey the small but lush natural mangroves next to the Sungei Loyang canal. 

This home to a large Bakau mata buaya that we have been visiting for nearly 20 years. Today, we saw a second smaller tree!

EIA for land reclamation at Keppel-Tanjong Pagar

Reclamation will take place after end of 2027. "As construction activities for the Project are not confirmed at this stage, the worst-case scenarios in terms of potential impacts were identified and assessed within this study."

Shores nearby include Sentosa (Serapong and Tg Rimau), Labrador, P. Tekukor, Kusu Island, Seringat Kias and Lazarus, St. John's Island. And Marina East.

HDB wants your feedback https://form.gov.sg/6966fc4e7c5fe159af98b799

Return to mangroves at Marina East

A small team of mangrove enthusiasts return to the larger patch of mangroves at Marina East which Arjun Sai Krishnan first explored in Dec 2025. I was excited to share with them what we saw on our survey in Feb 2026.

A healthy patch of mangroves had settled naturally here. From tiny saplings among the cracks in the seawall to huge trees behind the artificial seawall and reclaimed land. We found a few more rare mangroves in addition to those we saw on our previous survey. Mangrove nerds were highly over stimulated. The rest of the team documents birds, fish and other wildlife that have also settled here. I will update with their sightings later on.

'Preparatory Works' to start for Long Island

Agencies are planning preparatory works, which includes removing seabed obstructions and movement of materials into the waters. This is done progressively ahead of the main reclamation works, to ensure timely completion of reclamation works for ‘Long Island’. These preparatory works will not lock in the plans for ‘Long Island’ and will not involve reclamation works. 

East Coast reclamation in 1972, from the URA Long Island website.

The plans and design for ‘Long Island’ will only be finalised after the full findings of technical studies, mitigation measures and feedback from further public engagements have been taken onboard. Reclamation works will begin thereafter.

Share your feedback and indicate interest for future engagements here.

Other intertidal surveys: Mar 2026

Thanks to Marcus for visiting Cyrene in March so we could get an update on the mass injuries we saw to the Knobbly sea stars that we observed in Feb  2026.

Collage of photos by Marcus Ng.

Marcus photographed 14 Knobblies on his Mar 2026 visit. Although all of them appear healthy at first glance, a closer look at the top 5 knobs shows that 10 sea stars (or about 70%) show recovery from damage. Where the top 5 big knobs should be, there was a sheared flat surface - which were a dark colour and thus seem 'healed', not greyish-blue as we observed in Feb  2026. Others had dark patches at the top and the knobs were missing or seem a little 'limp'. One had knobs that look like they were starting to separate at the base from the main body. One pale sea star had three knobs instead of one large knob. Only 5 sea stars seem normal. Again, still not sure what is going on. But at least there isn't new damage?