Cicada Tree Eco-Place

At the National Day Rally 2026, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced plans for the reclamation of the waters between Pulau Bukom, Pulau Sudong and Semakau Island to create a large new landmass for future industrial and defence needs. The reclamation profile presented also encompasses the smaller islands of Pulau Hantu, Pulau Jong and Pulau Sebarok and several submerged reefs including Beting Bemban Besar, Terumbu Pempang reefs, and Terumbu Raya.

These Southern Islands are home to some of Singapore’s most biodiverse and resilient intertidal habitats, coral reefs and seagrass meadows. Situated amid some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, these ecosystems have persisted despite decades of sedimentation, coastal development and intensive maritime activity. These waters continue to support an extraordinary diversity of marine life, including nudibranchs, dugongs, turtles, sharks, giant clams and many other species. Annual mass coral spawning events also demonstrate the ecological importance of these reefs, with coral larvae contributing to the replenishment of reefs throughout Singapore’s southern waters, as well as artificial structures such as the sea walls around Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Marina Bay.

We therefore respectfully urge the Government to reconsider the proposed reclamation plans, for the following reasons:

1.⁠ ⁠Singapore has already lost a significant proportion of its coral reefs to coastal development. 

Singapore has lost an estimated 60% of its coral reefs (1), many of which provide important coastal protection and help buffer shorelines against wave energy. Their roles may become increasingly important as climate change brings more extreme weather and rising sea levels.

2.⁠ ⁠These reefs represent irreplaceable natural heritage.

Reefs in this area have been found to be more than 8,000 years old (2). Their persistence, despite high levels of sedimentation and human disturbance, demonstrates remarkable ecological resilience. The biodiversity and ecological complexity that have developed over thousands of years cannot simply be restored, recreated or fully replaced through mitigation measures.

3.⁠ ⁠Their ecological importance extends beyond the reclamation footprint.

These coral reefs form part of an interconnected network of coral reef habitats, with coral larvae capable of dispersing between reefs across Singapore’s Southern Islands (3). Their loss could therefore have ecological consequences well beyond the immediate boundaries of the reclamation project.

4.⁠ ⁠These islands also hold important cultural heritage.

Semakau, Pulau Sakeng and Pulau Bukom were once home to Orang Laut communities. Their histories form part of Singapore’s maritime and cultural heritage. Further alteration or loss of these islands and their surrounding waters should therefore be considered not only as a land-use issue, but also as a question of cultural heritage and identity.

 ⁠5.⁠ ⁠The environmental footprint of reclamation is two-fold. 

At the reclamation site, the deposition of fill smother existing marine habitats, with no chance of local survival. Singapore has historically depended heavily on imported sand for land reclamation. Sand extraction has significant ecological and social impacts in source regions. The full environmental footprint of the project should therefore include both the impacts associated with obtaining reclamation material and those arising from its use in Singapore.

Preserve the Extraordinary Natural and Cultural Heritage of Singapore Archipelago

In light of the ecological and cultural significance of these Southern Islands, we respectfully ask the relevant agencies:

Q: What process and criteria were used to determine that the site is the most appropriate location for these new industrial and defence uses?

Q: What alternative locations were considered, and how were their environmental, economic, social and strategic impacts compared with those of reclaiming these Southern Islands?

Q: Before creating new land through reclamation, has the Government fully assessed opportunities to optimise land use, increase industrial density or repurpose existing industrial areas and already-developed islands?

Q: Where does the Government intend to procure the considerable volume of fill needed for this project? What will the Government do to ensure the sand sources are sustainable?

Committing to Biodiversity Conservation and a Sustainable Future

Singapore’s commitment to biodiversity conservation is embodied in our National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).

Singapore has always been a city shaped by careful planning and a willingness to think long-term. As we plan for the next chapter of our nation’s development, we hope that the extraordinary natural and cultural heritage of our Southern Islands will be given equal consideration.

Development and environmental protection do not have to be opposing goals. We urge the Government to explore alternatives that allow Singapore to meet its future industrial and defence needs while safeguarding the marine ecosystems and cultural heritage that make our island nation unique.

Cicada Tree Eco-Place

References

Tanzil, J. T. I. et al. (2020). “Accreting coral reefs in a highly urbanized environment.” Coral Reefs.

Siddiqui, N. et al. (2025). “Holocene coral assemblages reveal similarities to living communities in Singapore’s urban reef environment.” Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 

Tay, Y. C., Todd, P. A., Rosshaug, P. S., & Chou, L. M. (2012). Simulating the transport of broadcast coral larvae among the Southern Islands of Singapore. Aquatic Biology.

Protect Our Last Wilderness!

‘Protect Our Last Wilderness’ is a conservation campaign since 2019 by Cicada Tree Eco-Place. It highlights the pressing need to prevent the disappearance of the island’s last remaining wilderness areas, which are an important buffer against the effects of climate change. Protecting them is our moral responsibility.

Singaporeans are slowly but surely awakening to the pressing need of protecting our last wilderness areas on land and in the sea.

Make your voices heard today!

protect our last wilderness

For Maju Forest – Checkout Brice Li’s account for more! @brice.li.12

Written by: Neo Xin Yuan
Photos by: Neo Xin Yuan

This article originally appeared in Concrete and is reprinted here with permission.

As historic heatwaves sweep across the UK and Europe, we are reminded of climate change and its disproportionate effects. But amid a volatile geopolitical environment, concrete climate action remains limited after Cop30. 

In response, Singapore’s first Wildlife Writing Symposium suggests that literature and creative storytelling can help us communicate compellingly about nature and inspire climate action. 

The symposium took place on 27 June at Bollywood Farms, a farm offering educational experiences allowing people to reconnect with nature. Nature lovers, authors and poets gathered to explore how writing in all its forms can foster more eco-centric perspectives. 

A portion of the symposium’s proceeds goes to support a habitat restoration initiative targeting a vital wildlife corridor in Malaysia. Event refreshments were plant-based and prepared from the farm’s organic produce.

Returning home through ecowriting – Esther Vincent Xueming

Esther Vincent Xueming, a 2025 Writer-in-Residence at the National Centre for Writing, opened the speaker sessions. 

She is the editor-in-chief of Tiger Moth Review, a journal publishing eco-centric art and literature.

Vincent read a few poems from her nature poetry collection, womb song, where she linked her experiences with love and loss to nature. 

“What is an ecopoem but a love song to the earth?” she suggested. “In tending to our words, we tend to our hearts, and in doing so, return home to our original state of wholeness and peace.”

Nature in non-fiction – Jessica Lee Chu En

Next, director and producer Jessica Lee shared the creative process behind her documentary, Secret Lives of Trees. 

As climate change escalates, trees become increasingly crucial to absorbing carbon emissions and reducing the urban island heat effect. In a land-scarce city where forests continue to be cut down to prioritise socio-economic development, the documentary aims to “tell stories about trees in an entertaining way to make people care”. 

The documentary turns unassuming trees into compelling protagonists with rich backstories and thrilling mysteries, making audiences invested in the lives and fates of trees.

On-screen visual storytelling brings immediacy, texture and emotional resonance. It is a powerful communication tool in today’s digital age where short-form video content attracts the most eyeballs.

Lee, however, is currently working on writing a book detailing the history of trees in Singapore. Non-fiction storytelling, screen or page, has the potential to generate debate and inspire climate action.

Nature-centred poetry – BabaGabra, Clarence Eng and George Jacobs

BabaGabra is a collective that aims to preserve and promote Baba Malay, a dying language spoken by the Baba Nyonya community. 

Benedict Khoo, a young representative from BabaGabra, shared how remaining in touch with his roots has brought him closer to nature. 

For the Babas, nature is sacred and highly intertwined with their culture and language. Pomegranates, for example, symbolise fertility, while its leaves are used to wash oneself and cleanse bad energy after a wake. 

The poetry and folk songs by Babas are proof that nature was once much closer to humans. To demonstrate this, Khoo recited a few pantuns – a Malayic oral poetic form – written in Baba Malay, weaving in elements of nature like durians and roses. 

By sharing poetry, one can promote a love for the environment. “Every one of us is like a seedling, inspiring others. You can propagate positivity to the people around you and change the environment around you,” said Khoo.

Clarence Eng and George Jacobs also performed their poem “I’m a Sambar Deer”, written in the perspective of a sambar deer, a species threatened by hunting and deforestation. 

Enhancing public eco-literacy – Ng Kah Gay

Ng Kah Gay, publisher at Ethos Books, advocated for enhancing public eco-literacy. 

To develop eco-literacy, people must first understand the logic of capitalist economies. Ng deconstructed the extractive mechanics behind the idiom “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”. 

Capitalism suggests that the bird in the hand is worth more because it can be exploited. Ng discerned a similar mentality in how oil and gas companies plan to ignore climate commitments and increase extraction while they still have fossil fuels ‘in hand’. 

Conversely, Ethos publishes “eco-literature that presents the sacredness of the natural world”. By reading eco-literature and participating in a regenerative economy based on mutualism, people with power and resources can be mobilised to fund the environmental cause. 

Ng pointed to the importance of books in education and advocacy. “For nature to survive, we need books to be valued in the market economy,” he declared. 

Challenges of nature journalism – Robin Hicks

Sustainability journalist Robin Hicks discussed the challenges of reporting on environmental issues in Singapore. 

Data scarcity, reluctant sources, and a lack of academic freedom can make it difficult to gather substantial information for reporting.

Journalists self-censor and skirt sensitive topics, perpetuating a culture of caution where critiquing policy decisions is discouraged.

Hicks cautioned against extractive journalism, where journalists report stories without considering the impact on the featured communities.

Still, nature journalism is important in holding companies, elites and the government accountable to their treatment of the environment.

Blogging for nature advocacy – Sivasothi N.

Educator and conservationist Sivasothi N. shared how blogging can educate the public about nature and environmental issues. 

Blogs, he suggested, provide searchable repositories of observations and ideas which help deepen eco-literacy among researchers, students, practitioners and the public. 

He presented real-life examples of how blogging raised public interest about environmental issues and communicated concerns to the government. 

Other than blogs, platforms like traditional media outlets, social media, and online news portals can fuel collaborative discussions of environmental issues.

Whether one communicates best with blogs, articles, poems, prose, non-fiction or videos, everyone can play a part in advocating for the environment.

End

The Wildlife Writing Symposium 2026 was organised by Cicada Tree Eco-Place in partnership with Bollywood Farms on 27 June 2026.

Written by: Rominia Leonard
Photos by Jeryl Sim, Merey Tan, Pui Cuifen, Seetha Sharma, and Teresa Teo Guttensohn

What better way to celebrate Singapore’s 61st birthday than by spending a morning discovering some of the wonderful wild neighbours with whom we share our island home?

For our National Day Walk 2026, Cicada Tree Eco-Place welcomed nature lovers and friends for our annual walk, this year at the Rail Corridor — a simple tradition that reminds us that Singapore is not only a city of buildings and roads, but also a living landscape of trees, birds, butterflies, flowers and many other forms of life.

This year, we explored in two groups, led by our volunteer nature guides Tan Hang Chong, and Lifang together with Dr Vilma d’Rozario. With their sharp eyes, knowledge and enthusiasm, participants were encouraged to slow down, look more closely and discover the little wonders that are so easily missed in our everyday lives.

And nature did not disappoint us.

Among our feathered encounters were a flock of juvenile Asian Glossy Starlings, four colourful Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots feeding on powderpuff flowers, and a Yellow-vented Bulbul. We also spotted catfish, and along the way stopped to admire the many beautiful flowers, plants and other flora and fauna that make Singapore’s green spaces so full of life.

We were also treated to the beautiful serenading call of a cicada looking for love. Sometimes nature is not only about what we can see, but also what we can hear. Turn up the sound and listen!

As we celebrated National Day, we were reminded that Singapore’s natural heritage is also part of our national heritage. Protecting the places where our native plants and wildlife can continue to thrive is something each of us can play a part in.

A heartfelt thank you to Hang Chong, Lifang and Dr Vilma, and to everyone who came along, asked questions, shared sightings and celebrated Singapore with us in nature.

Cicada Tree Eco-Place hopes to continue this National Day Walk every year, bringing more people outdoors to discover and cherish the wild Singapore that is still all around us.

There were many more beautiful moments and sightings from the morning, do visit our Facebook page to see the photographs from the walk.

Happy 61st Birthday, Singapore!

Keep looking, keep learning, and keep caring for our little red dot island.

See you again at our National Day Walk next year!