Sharing Marina East mangroves with youth leads

A patch of wild mangroves has settled naturally on the Marine East seawall! We shared these with youth leads and hope they will be inspired to bring others to see it too. This is part of Love our Mother Shores: visit baby mangroves in the East!

We went at a high tide (about 2m) and it was still possible to see a lot of things. Thanks to Nasry for sharing about the mangrove plants and their ecology. 

Photo by Jayden Kang.

Thanks to Jayden for organising the event, and special thanks for flying the drone and giving us awesome views of these mangroves with MBS and the Central Business District. WOW!


Along the way, we pass the much smaller mangrove that has settled on the lower portion of the seawall. They seem to be doing well, with fiddler crabs and other little animals living there. The high tide also seems to result in a much large pool collecting on the lower seawall. Lon noted probably this is because the lower seawall sloped downward at the base of the upper seawall. Who says Singapore doesn't have rock pools to explore! 

The grasslands at the top of the seawall is also full of life. With wildflowers of all kinds. As well as a very large Mangrove fern in the middle of the patch - suggesting it is a wet area which probably shelters birds and wildlife. Even if we can't see animals, we come across signs of them, like the shell of freshwater snails eaten by birds, or poop - maybe of civet cat? Thanks to Jeff and Jayden for sharing more about the amazing birds that can be seen here.

As we approached the mangrove area at the eastern end of the seawall, it was rather alarming to see a gap in the treeline, with excavators and cleared land. When we got closer, the work seems limited to clearing the edges of the canal. It seems they mainly killed the Rhu/Casuarina trees, and stopped short of the mangrove area.

Aerial view of the clearance, thanks to Jayden's drone. Mangroves are spared (for now?).

Photo by Jayden Kang.

Amazingly, this tiny patch of mangroves has some plants now rare in Singapore. We managed to show all of them to our friends. The Critically Endangered Gedabu was producing flower buds and had nice healthy fruits. The huge (about 2m tall) Critically endangered Mentigi is still huge and had some flowers. The small Critically Endangered Tumu Berau was fine, producing fat propagules. Nasry found the fruit of Nyireh - the highlight of the trip. I rarely see one. Nearby, we saw a Endangered Nyireh batu. I also came across a few red Saga seeds, probably from a tree growing further inland. The Saga tree grows by the sea but cannot stand in saltwater like mangroves do.

The usual common mangrove trees and plants were still there and doing well.

The aerial view of this same spot is stunning!

Photo by Jayden Kang.

There seemed to be a much higher load of marine litter today. Perhaps it's the usual seasonal inflow of trash. Do they eventually flow out again? Because on our part visits, the load didn't seem so high.

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. They involve removal of seabed obstructions, construction of temporary sand bunds and sand infilling. Phase 1 will begin end-2026, while Phase 2 will take place after the end of the SEA Games 2029.

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.

You can visit this area on your own!

I've done a post with what you can see, how to get there. See it while you can! More here Love our Mother Shores: visit baby mangroves in the East!

More photos by Jayden Kang including drone views