Singapore to map coastal, marine habitat changes in third such study since 2011
The National Parks Board says the exercise is part of its regular mapping efforts and is not linked to the proposed western island reclamation.
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SINGAPORE: Singapore's coastal and marine habitats will be mapped in a nationwide study to track changes since 2011, the third such exercise conducted by the National Parks Board (NParks).
The tender, issued on Aug 25, is 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.
The tender was launched two days after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said, at his Aug 23 National Day Rally, that several islands to the west of Singapore could be merged to support new industries and future power generation needs.
In response to CNA's queries, NParks said on Friday (Sep 4) that the tender is not linked to the proposed western island reclamation.
"The tender is part of NParks' regular efforts to map Singapore's coastal and marine habitats and this will be the third such mapping exercise conducted by NParks since 2011," it said.
Dr Karenne Tun, group director of NParks' National Biodiversity Centre, said the exercise builds on the agency's 2011 and 2018 Coastal and Marine Habitat Maps and will quantify changes since 2018.
"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 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.
Editor's note: This article has been amended after NParks clarified that the tender is not linked to the proposed western island development.
