Corals, seagrasses and other marine life have settled on artificial shores at East Coast Park!
The younger and more agile team members explored the 2.5km of seawalls covered in corals. I checked out the lush seagrasses that settled in the lagoon behind the seawall. Thanks to NParks for obtaining permission for us to do our annual survey on this restricted site.
Thanks to Kelvin, here's a glimpse of the 2.5km seawall that is covered with corals! The team saw a variety of corals as well as reef life such as nudibranchs, cowries, feather starts and more.
Meanwhile, I did the easier job of suveying the seagrass meadows. Which were rather quiet today. The most abundant large animal remains Haddon's carpet anemones. I saw one with Peacock anemone shrimps. There were hermit crabs, crabs and I saw one Skinny sea fan with an ovulid snail and tiny colourful brittle stars. I only saw one Thorny sea cucumber and one Pink warty sea cucumber.
The seagrass situation seems similar to our last survey in
May 2022 and
Jun 2021. There are lush dense growths on large parts of the lagoon created between the long seawall and the reclaimed sandy shore. The most common seagrasses remains
Spoon seagrasses (both small and large leaf blades) and
Needle seagrass (both skinny and broad leaf blades). I sense larger and more patches of
Noodle seagrass at the edges and in deeper water. For the first time, I came across a patch of
Sickle seagrass, and many small patches of
Hairy spoon seagrass.
I saw clumps of
Tape seagrass, both on the low water mark and in deeper water in the middle of the lagoon. All the clumps had nice long leaves, I didn't see any with cropped leaves. One patch growing near the seawall had developing flowers at the base of the leaves.
There remains a lush seagrass meadow at the Western end of the lagoon were it is shallower. The seagrasses were fresh and green. But I didn't see many animals living among seagrasess here.
At the Eastern end of the lagoon, there is still some seagrasses but they seem more sparse. The ground was soft. And I didn't come across many animals either.
Mangrove trees have settled naturally on the landward side of the breakwater walls. They are flowering and producing propagules!
Coastal forest plants have also settled naturally on and above the high water mark!
As I walked back, I noticed what might be paw prints of an otter on the high shore!
This shore is one of the most recent that our team 'discovered'. Thanks to Arjun Sai Krishnan who shared with me some intriguing photos of corals at East Coast Park. As a result, Kok Sheng recced the area before a small team visited it for the first time in
May 2015. We returned again in
May 2016. But shortly after, the area became off limits and
cameras installed to deter unauthorised entry. We first returned to this shore in
Jun 2021 and
May 2022, thanks to support from NParks for arranging authorised access.
What is the fate of these shores?In the
Long-Term Plan Review, there are plans for a masive 'Long Island' opposite East Coast Park. In addition to more reclamation along that shoreline, already unveiled in 2013. While these will obliterate existing shores, it could also be an opportunity to build so that nature and marine life can return.
The 2.5km seawall and lagoon we surveyed today shows that natural regeneration on Singapore's artificial shores and structures is already happening now. Unintentionally, with zero replanting. Can we plan coastal works to allow reefs, mangroves and seagrasses to naturally regenerate? Naturalise canals leading to the sea for a continuum of freshwater wetlands to mangroves? Imagine what's possible! Reefs and natural marine ecosystems at our doorstep, for all in the City to enjoy. More about this idea in my feedback to the
Draft Master Plan 2013.
See East Coast Shores for yourself!Although this particular shore is off-limits without a permit, you can see for yourself the amazing marine life on other East Coast shores before they are gone! These shores are easy for ordinary people to explore at low spring tide. More details in
"East Coast Park - Surprising intertidal adventures for the family".
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| Corals at another part of East Coast Park which is not restricted. |
Photos by others on this surveyKelvin YongChe Cheng NeoTommy Arden
