Opening address by Minister Desmond Lee at the Marine Monitoring for Action 2024 Workshop

Oct 8, 2024

Introduction

Good morning to all!

I am glad to join you at the inaugural Marine Monitoring for Action Workshop, organised by the St. John’s Island National Marine Laboratory (SJINML) and the Marine Environment Sensing Network (MESN).

I hope you have enjoyed the workshop so far, and gained new insights.

Importance of Stewarding Our Sea Space

As a small island city-state, Singapore is surrounded by coastal and marine areas that are vital not only to our own environment, but also integral to the broader Southeast Asian region.

Our inter-connected waters are home to a diversity of marine life, and Singapore waters are home to about 250 coral species and about 700 marine fish species.

Our waters are some of the busiest in the world, serving multiple functions, from shipping and industry, food and aquaculture, to research, leisure and recreation.  This coupled with climate change, brings significant pressure to the marine ecosystem.

The demands on our sea spaces are no less intense than those on our limited land, and even as public attention is very much focused on concept planning and master planning of the terrestrial areas of our city, there is also equal amount of work done to master plan our sea space. So we have to plan our sea spaces very carefully to balance the multiple uses, while protecting our biodiversity.

To ensure the sustainability of our marine biodiversity and its ecosystem, it is crucial that we adopt a science-based approach to monitor and protect our regional waters. Only with science and data can we make a strong case for conservation.

One terrestrial example is the Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat site – for those who are visitors to Singapore, it is actually a very small area next to one of the busiest land crossings in the world at Woodlands, the causeway. The site could have been used for many other uses – security, industry and so on, because of its very prime location next to the causeway. It’s because of data and a strong partnership between the National Parks Board, the Nature Society (Singapore) and our nature community and scientists, that we were able to prove that the site is, and remains, vital to the survival of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the mudflat and mangrove area in the northwest of Singapore. The symbiotic relationship between the two sites meant that we had to rethink the use of Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat, and hence it had been announced a couple of years ago as our next nature park.

The science and data, particularly for a very land and sea scarce island city-state like Singapore, is vital to policy. And this workshop, focused on marine monitoring, is not only timely, but also essential, as it brings together both local and regional marine researchers to strengthen our collective knowledge and protection of our regional waters.

Monitoring of the Marine Environment

The foundation of any effective marine monitoring effort lies in the accuracy and reliability of the data collected on marine habitat for the long-term.

It is no longer sufficient to rely on historical data and assumptions. Instead, we need systematic and effective marine monitoring to gather data for scenario mapping and analysis. These insights are crucial to help us understand the health of our marine environment, identify specific risks, so that we can develop targeted policies and actions in response to the challenges posed by climate change and urban development.

For example, in Singapore, the Marine Environment Sensing Network (MESN) has deployed a research buoy near St. John’s Island in November 2022 – I understand that you will have a field trip to the buoy on Friday. Another two buoys will be deployed near Chek Jawa Wetlands and Raffles Lighthouse.   These buoys will help establish a baseline for key biogeochemical processes by collecting near real time monitoring data, such as wave height, biological productivity, and salinity.

This knowledge gained will form the bedrock upon which we would formulate strategies to protect and safeguard our marine environment.

Only by understanding our marine ecosystems, can we develop solutions to strengthen their resilience, and inform critical restoration efforts.

You may recall the oil spill incident that occurred in Singapore waters in June this year.  An allision between two vessels at Pasir Panjang Terminal caused 400 tonnes of oil to be spilled into the sea, and impacted our beaches and our marine environment.

Our immediate response efforts focused on containing and mitigating the effects of the oil spill. Frontline workers were mobilised to clean affected areas; oil-absorbent booms were deployed to protect our sensitive coastal and marine ecosystems; affected beaches and shorelines were closed to protect public health and safety.

Additionally, with the help of volunteers and the scientific community, we also conducted surveys to assess the impact on our marine biodiversity.

I am glad that we have since reopened our beaches as the clean-up has been completed, and water activities have been allowed to resume.

While no significant impact on our marine biodiversity has been observed thus far, there could be a time lag between the incidence of the oil spill and its effects on biodiversity. We need to continue to monitor the impact, and the recovery of our marine habitats.

Integrated Oil Spill Response and Habitat Recovery plan

To support these research efforts and better understand the longer-term impact of the oil spill on our biodiversity, I am happy to announce that my colleagues from NParks is teaming up with NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute, St. John’s Island National Marine Laboratory, and National Institute of Education to develop and implement an integrated oil spill response and habitat recovery plan.

In the initial phase of the plan, the research team will carry out a 15-month national monitoring plan focusing on collecting baseline data at key biodiversity areas and of species of interest, and monitoring the post-oil spill ecological impact and recovery. So whilst the main recovery effort is completed, this work will continue for some time.

We will assess the data collected from this initial phase and suggest possible mitigation and restoration strategies towards protecting and restoring key biodiversity areas.

We will also continue to collaborate with local scientific communities, citizen volunteers, and partners to conduct post-spill monitoring surveys and research.

We intend to train more citizen scientists from schools, interest groups, and members of the public to conduct intertidal watch surveys at various sites across Singapore, because we believe that safeguarding and restoring our marine environment is a collective effort that everyone can play a part in – and it’s a matter of organising, strategising and building effective operational collaboration on the ground.

Conclusion

In closing, I would like to thank the organisers, and all who have contributed to this workshop in different ways.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the local and regional community for your invaluable contributions to our shared mission of safeguarding our regional waters.

Your dedication to science and to marine environment sensing and data collection plays a crucial role in protecting our precious marine ecosystems and biodiversity. And all the more important in Singapore as our waterways are heavily used and one of the busiest waterways in the world. If our biodiversity is to thrive, we have to put in double the effort and collect as much data as we possibly can.

I wish everyone a fruitful discussion for the rest of the programme. Thank you.