Love Our Mother Shores: visit baby mangroves in the East!

In the shadow of Marina Bay Sands, a small mangrove has settled on top of the seawall. With animals commonly seen in mature mangroves.  As well as some rare mangrove plants.

These are the babies of vast unseen Mother Shores in the west. Anyone can visit this amazing mangrove at almost any tide! Where and what will you see? More details below.

A good variety of the usual common mangrove trees can be found here. Including the usual animals seen in mature mangroves, such as Mud lobsters and their mounds!

Rhu or Casuarina trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) form a thick border outside of the mangrove area. The seeds sprout in hot, open sand above the high-water mark and the young plants grow quickly, often form a thicket that eventually forms a Casuarina forest. The trees cannot tolerate salt water, the way that mangroves can. So the margin between mangroves and Casuarina probably reveals the limit of seawater intrusion into the reclaimed land.

Amazingly, this tiny mangrove patch has some very rare mangrove plants. The highlight is the huge (about 2m tall) Critically endangered Mentigi (Pemphis acidula). The stronghold for this plant is Pulau Biola, just off Raffles Lighthouse (Pulau Samutu). Referring to the list of mangrove plants recorded by the Southern Island Biodiversity Survey (SIBS) 2025 this plant also occurs on Mother Shores Pulau Salu and Pulau Semakau.

There is one small Critically Endangered Tumu Berau (Bruguiera sexangula). This might be the first record of this species in the South as it was not recorded in SIBS. It is not common even on our northern mangroves.

Also a small Critically Endangered Gedabu (Sonneratia ovata) tree. These are mainly found in our northern mangroves. SIBS records this at Pulau Semakau.

There is also small sapling of Endangered Dungun (Heritiera littoralis). SIBS records this at Pulau Semakau. 

There are also a few small Endangered Tengar merah (Ceriops zippeliana) SIBS also records this at Mother Shores like Pulau Hantu and Pulau Semakau.

There are also tall Endangered Teruntum merah (Lumnitzera littorea) trees, some small Chengam (Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea) shrubs. There also also some well formed Nyireh bunga (Xylocarpus granatum) complete with lovely sinuous buttress roots.

There are small Vulnerable Bakau pasir (Rhizophora stylosa).

As well as Tumu (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza) and some Bakau minyak (Rhizophora apiculata) from shrubs to very tall trees.

There are many great specimens of common mangroves, tall Bakau putih (Bruguiera cylindrica) and Api-api bulu (Avicennia rumphiana) (plus many smaller ones of these two species), many small Api-api putih (Avicennia alba).

Also several tall Perepat trees (Sonneratia alba), and many small to medium sized Vulnerable Nipah palms (Nipah fruticans) as well as Buta-buta (Excoecaria agallocha) shrubs.

Animals encountered

There are the usual fiddler crabs, little mangrove snails. We also encountered otters here before. As well as many different birds. 

Some Malaysian Plovers nest on the seawall at Marina East. Laying eggs directly on the rocks, no twigs - so watch your step! There are also many other kinds of birds in the mangrove forest.

Photo by Jayden Kang

Location of the mangroves is in the yellow circle. Mangroves on this artificial shore seems to be quite resilient and has survived massive development as well as the Pasir Panjang oil spill and other impacts.

 Looking at Google Earth over the years, it seems there was always a wild patch in that area since 2007, remaining there despite the massive works in the area through the decades. To me, it seems the area became more conducive to mangrove settlement after the jetty was constructed in 2014. This created an 'elbow' and a small beach on the eastern most end of the seawall.

The mangroves and seagrasses on this artificial shore have returned after every massive coastal works. These are the mangroves seen near the Marina Barrage in 2008. Growing on the western most end in the seawall. These were lost due to works for the MCE. 

What is the fate of this shore?

There will be massive 800ha reclamation for 'Long Island'  off the East Coast. The preparatory works already begun.

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? Imagine what's possible! Reefs and natural marine ecosystems at our doorstep, for all in the City to enjoy. 


How to get there

From Marina East Park, simply walk along the top of the seawall until you reach the forested area of tall Casuarina trees.

Along the way, you might have a look at a much smaller mangrove that has settled on the lower portion of the seawall. But be careful, the lower seawall is quite slippery.

Finding your way to Marina East Park
MRT: Brown Line Gardens by the Bay station. Cross Marina Barrage to Marina East Park.
Cab: drop off at Marina East Park via Marina East Drive.
Drive: Park at Marina Barrage. Cross Marina Barrage to Marina East Park.

Check for closure of Barrage (thus preventing crossing) and other activities in the vicinity.
https://www.pub.gov.sg/Public/Places-of-Interest/Marina-Barrage/Notices

Preparing for a visit

Safety on the shore!

Lighting and rain: Immediately evacuate to one of the park shelters at the first signs of the weather turning bad. Lightning can occur without rain. Get the latest weather situation here: radar readings updated every 10 mins.

Don't touch! All animals defend themselves from predators or they will be eaten up and soon become extinct. Some of these animal defences can cause humans irritation, pain or even worse injuries and death. As with any nature walk, it is important to respect the wildlife: do not touch animals, don't poke them, leave them alone. Cover all skin that can be exposed to the water; wear covered shoes. Do not walk on bare feet. Closely supervise young children who may accidentally touch animals, then rub their eyes or put fingers into the mouth.

At the same time, our visit also affects the safety of the shores. Our shores are fragile. Many small sea creatures live in the sand and mud. These are killed when we step on them, no matter how gently we walk. These small sea creatures form the base of the entire food chain on our shores. Seagrass have delicate roots and take a long time to recover when trampled on.

If we are not careful, we can damage the shore when we visit. Be gentle. Watch your step. Avoid wading into deeper murky waters as you won't be able to see what you are stepping on. Don't poke animals or dig them up or bring them home. Take only photos.

Sharing your photos is one way to give back for the damage you cause to the shore. No matter how careful you are, you will cause some damage.

MORE tips for safety on our shores and FAQs about shore visits.


Links to more

• East Coast Park - Surprising intertidal adventures for the family
• Posts about the Long Island project
• Our surveys of Marina East mangroves and seagrasses
• Southern Island Biodiversity Survey (SIBS) 2025 by NParks