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

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.