Singapore to map coastal, marine habitat changes, including western islands in proposed merger plan

SINGAPORE: Coastal and marine habitats across Singapore will be mapped in a nationwide study to understand the changes they have undergone from 2011 to 2026, according to a government tender launched two days after a proposed western island development plan was announced.The National Parks Board (NParks) issued the tender on Aug 25, titled “Mapping of the extent of Coastal and Marine Habitats and Coastline Types in Singapore”.The study covers the entire coastline of mainland Singapore and its offshore islands and reefs, except for marine waters around Pedra Branca, tender documents on government procurement portal GeBIZ showed.NParks identified Pulau Ubin's Chek Jawa and Pulau Semakau as potential "ground-truthing" sites, where satellite data is checked against real-world observations.Pulau Semakau is among the islands Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said, at his Aug 23 National Day Rally, could be merged to support new industries and Singapore's future power generation needs.Dr Karenne Tun, group director of NParks' National Biodiversity Centre, said on Friday in response to CNA queries that the tender was called as part of the agency's regular efforts to study and map Singapore’s coastal and marine habitats."This will build on the previous Coastal and Marine Habitat Map 2011 and Coastal and Marine Habitat Map 2018, and quantify any changes to the habitats since 2018," she said."The updated map will support seaspace and conservation planning across Singapore, and complement ongoing and future research studies under NParks’ Marine Climate Change Science Programme and other agencies. As with previous mapping efforts, the geospatial dataset from this study will be made publicly available."The proposed western island development has drawn concern from marine conservation advocates, who cited the area's biodiversity value and called for closer involvement of experts and community groups in the planning process.The tender, which closes on Sep 21, requires the appointed contractor to identify and quantify changes between coastal and marine habitat maps from 2011, 2018 and 2026.NParks awarded a tender with an identical title in July 2019 to sustainability consultancy Hydrobiology Singapore for S$29,000 (US$22,700).