POTENTIAL IMPACT
The process of reclaiming land from sea “would certainly lead to the decline of marine species living in the sea and potentially habitats around it”, said Associate Professor Huang Danwei from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
For example, half of coastal wetlands in China have been lost to land reclamation.
The deputy head of Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, whose research interests include coral reef ecology and conversation, cautioned that Singapore needs to strike a balance between coastal protection and marine life protection.
“Certainly, lives, livelihoods and properties are at stake, but terrestrial and coastal ecosystems that may be affected by the seawater inundation in the next few decades could also be impacted,” added Assoc Prof Huang.
“These should be balanced by the potential impact on sea life directly at the areas of reclamation and also marine ecosystems adjacent to these areas.”
Land can be reclaimed by adding material such as rocks, soil, and cement to an area of water. It can also be achieved by draining submerged wetlands or similar biomes.
Nature Society (Singapore)’s chairman Stephen Beng concurred that reclamation works on Long Island will “most definitely” disrupt ecosystems and lead to a loss of habitat and biodiversity.
He noted that Singapore lost 60 per cent of its coral reefs, which “support a greater diversity of life than any place on earth”, over the past few decades due to reclamation and development works.
A vast majority of these reclamation works have happened along the eastern coast, such as the East Coast Reclamation Scheme that was launched in 1966. It was completed 20 years later with a total of 1,525ha of land reclaimed.
With the Long Island project slated to be a similarly decades-long one, more sediment and pollutants could end up in the waters. This could smother corals and seagrasses and impact the Southern Islands, which is home to most of Singapore’s remaining coral reefs, said Dr Jani Tanzil, facility director of St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory.
Aside from the past loss of coral reefs, she noted that reefs in Singapore already exist “in marginal conditions where light penetration is limited”.
“I’m worried that if the land reclamation works are not managed properly, we may see our reefs having to endure even lower light conditions for decades to come, and further truncation of our reefs to even shallower vertical distribution,” Dr Jani added.
NUS biological scientist N Sivasothi also pointed out that the Long Island project will eliminate existing marine habitats, given the plans to create an enclosed waterbody – eventually, a freshwater reservoir – in front of East Coast Park.
Nevertheless, he said these marine communities are not as mature as those on Chek Jawa Wetlands or Pulau Ubin.
Mr Beng, who is also chairperson of the Friends of the Marine Park ground-led initiative, added: “We’ve … seen that life on our reefs and shores does return when given a chance, though some changes and losses cannot be reversed such as predator-prey relationships, invasive species, resource competition.
“Our remaining reefs and living shores could disappear within a generation under the threats of climate change and coastal development.”
DESIGN WITH NATURE FIRST IN MIND
The experts championed the idea of designing structures at Long Island with a nature-first approach, including artificial reef structures that can beef up coastal defence and biodiversity protection.
Mr Beng further suggested providing sufficient depth for mangroves, slopes of reefs, and allowing the natural accumulation of sediment for sandy beaches and rocky shores.
Professor Benjamin Horton, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, also pointed to “working with nature” concepts where developments are designed based on natural principles that mimic nature.
Marine forces – such as waves and tides – should be used to maintain high-quality developments like artificial beaches, lagoons, wetlands and mangroves, rather than being viewed as something to protect against during extreme events, he added.
“Coastal environments are transient, continuously reshaped by the natural forces of waves, tides, surges, erosion and deposition. To be sustainable, the Long Island developments must be designed and implemented with a clear understanding and respect for local natural processes,” Prof Horton noted.