A new environmental study has found that preparatory works for Singapore's major coastal protection project, known as Long Island, are expected to have an overall minor impact on the surrounding environment. According to the assessment, while the works will temporarily disturb nearby habitats, the effects are expected to remain localised.
The study examined impacts such as sediment plumes, water quality and underwater noise along Singapore's eastern waters, where ecosystems described as teeming with life lie beneath the surface. Even so, the report makes clear that a minor overall impact does not mean there will be no impact at all.
Some marine life living directly beneath the footprint of the preparatory works, known as macro-benthic communities, will be lost during the works. These include shellfish and crustaceans that form part of the base of the marine food web. Nearby corals and seagrass may also experience stress from sediment plumes, though the study expects these effects to be short-term and localised, with mitigation measures and monitoring planned.
Officials note that this environmental impact assessment was carried out mainly for the preparatory works, which include removing seabed obstructions and adding material to the waters along East Coast Park. A separate assessment is in the works and will be conducted over the next few years to gauge the impact of the reclamation project as a whole on the area and its biodiversity.
Conservation groups, however, say the key uncertainty is not only what will be lost, but how the wider ecosystem responds afterwards. They point to the displacement of marine communities and ask how species such as horseshoe crabs and sea turtles will navigate the area once parts of the shoreline are altered, calling for more monitoring, long-term research and better models.
Lester Tan, chairman of the Marine Conservation Group at Nature Society Singapore, said certain fish species, including some rays and guitarfish, were not really recorded in the assessment, leaving open questions about how sediments could affect them in the long run. The group says it recognises the importance of the Long Island project and hopes to help enhance the area so that nature can eventually return.