🚨 Take Action

PROTECT OUR SOUTHERN ISLANDS!

This document lists all the relevant resources for the proposed “Western Island” plan as well as opportunities for feedback channels that can help make our voices heard as there are no formal government calls for feedback on the plan.

Sharing the resources here to help concerned members of the public to understand what is going on. Feel free to share this widely.

Tip: In the sidebar, click the 3 dots next to “Take Action” and click “Show Outline” to navigate the different headings.

Sharing link: https://tinyurl.com/sgsouthernshores

TAKE ACTION

How to help? 🚨

Write to your MP to raise Parliamentary Questions (draft you can use below)

Submit your direct feedback to the government via the NDR feedback form [Closes 3 September 2026, 11:59pm]: https://form.gov.sg/6a7a76eeab5473eb8d5f87d8?6a27b55bc2a20659318b56f6=ap88dctubgon7lvn

Our Singapore Reefs is gathering feedback from the community on the loss of our shores: https://form.jotform.com/262348286333057?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaelChGUS6Wlgt59N4QNdDImZ0dlFqse7C0whhdCSGkc6Yt03ZuvalshEodArQ_aem_fhYb8ZlWs4qKVqA2-8s4_w

Learn about why our Southern shores are important, join the Telegram group: https://t.me/+MoL4jnhd8d0zNGM1

#1 Writing to your MPs or sharing at Meet-the-People Sessions

MPs can raise concerns of residents through Parliamentary Questions in Parliament (when they sit every 30-40 days).. It is often important that the topic is something residents care about to encourage them to raise these questions and bring it to the attention of Parliament. The main ways you can engage with your MP is via email or Meet-the-People sessions, though sometimes MPs also respond on social media.

Please adapt these to include your own voice and concerns. More effective letters are addressed directly to specific ministers, and written from a personalised standpoint.

Find your MP’s email here: https://www.parliament.gov.sg/mps/find-mps-in-my-constituency

Below are 2 email templates you can adapt to write to your MP:

Dear ____

My name is ____ and I am a resident of _____. I am writing to you with my concerns regarding the proposed reclamation of the Southern Islands to form a "Western Island", which was announced at the National Day Rally 2026.

The proposed area of reclamation has been well-studied by scientists and community groups in Singapore over several decades. The biodiversity value and ecological significance of these islands has been thoroughly documented and acknowledged multiple times by the government.

The Southern Islands currently host more than half of the coral reefs and almost the entire known giant clam population in Singapore. The reefs are over 8,000 years old and simply not replaceable. Protecting these reefs is crucial for ensuring coral persistence in Singapore and the region. The seagrass meadows of these islands are also nurseries and food sources for animals like dugongs and sea turtles (which were featured so prominently in NDP 2026). For these reasons, the Singapore Blue Plan, published in 2018 and presented to the Government then, with the input of over 100 scientists and civil society leaders, recommended gazetting this entire area as a Marine Reserve.

These islands also host important terrestrial ecosystems, including rare mangrove and coastal forests. They themselves have been relatively well-studied and host important biodiversity. There is great potential for restoration and recovery in the Southern Islands. For this reason, the Singapore Terrestrial Conservation Plan, published in 2024 with the input of almost 40 scientists and civil society leaders, recommended improving protections for terrestrial forests in the Southern Islands.

A reclamation on this scale will no-doubt require a lot of sand. A recent article by Mongabay alleged that Cambodian sand is being brought into Singapore once more, despite a ban in 2017. There has been no comment on this from the Ministry of National Development. Dredging for sand (legal or otherwise) in sensitive locations like the Mekong River has untold ecological and social consequences in the places where it is done. Singapore must be a better neighbour than that, and we must not contribute to such environmental destruction here and in the region. This is not in line with our vision of a City in Nature.

When the overwhelming scientific consensus does not support the reclamation of the Southern Islands for this reason, what is the rationale for even considering such action?

I acknowledge the evolving energy needs of Singapore and the challenging global geo-political situation, which makes it necessary to seriously consider alternative energy sources. However, have alternatives been explored and can those considerations be made public for society to understand?

I hope you will be willing to represent these perspectives through Parliamentary Questions in the upcoming parliamentary sitting.

Yours sincerely,
______

Dear XXX,

I am writing to share my concerns regarding the potential development of the Western Islands, which was raised by the Prime Minister during NDR 2026.

My key question is: What is the decision-making process behind earmarking the Western Islands for development, and how were the environmental and long-term climate costs weighed against the potential economic benefits? In particular, I hope to better understand the following.

1. Was the development properly studied and justified?

Research on Singapore's marine environment has highlighted the ecological significance of areas around Pulau Semakau and the adjacent islands (pg4). How was this scientific evidence considered when assessing the need for development? What alternatives were explored before determining that reclamation or development was necessary?

2. What was the basis for announcing the development before an EIA was conducted?

During our conversation at the MPS, you mentioned that an EIA has yet to be conducted prior to the announcement. If so, what considerations formed the basis for earmarking the Western Islands and announcing this intention publicly? Was the decision based primarily on economic, strategic, or security and defence considerations? To what extent had environmental and ecological factors already been incorporated at that stage, and were any preliminary assessments conducted before the announcement?

3. How have the environmental and long-term trade-offs been assessed?

Singapore is investing in initiatives such as restoring 100,000 corals, while this development may alter the marine conditions that surrounding ecosystems depend on. How has the Government reconciled these competing objectives? Can ecological restoration genuinely compensate for the loss of the ecosystem? Has the projected economic value of the development been assessed against the long-term costs of environmental mitigation, ecological restoration, the loss of natural coastal protection, and climate adaptation?

4. Who is ultimately accountable for these trade-offs?

Which ministries and agencies were involved in earmarking the Western Islands for development, and what roles did agencies such as MSE and NParks play? When economic development, environmental protection, and climate resilience involve competing considerations, who ultimately decides how these trade-offs are made, and on what evidence?

I understand that Singapore faces genuine land constraints, and I am not opposed to development in principle. However, given the potentially irreversible nature of biodiversity loss, I believe the necessity of this development, the alternatives considered, and the environmental trade-offs involved should be clearly and transparently assessed.

As a young citizen, I hope to have a voice in the development of the Singapore I will inherit, not only through campaigns and slogans, but by participating in conversations and asking important and difficult questions about the choices we make as a nation. I would appeal to you to consider bringing these questions to the next Parliament session, so there can be a healthy and constructive discussion on how we balance economic development with environmental stewardship and the interests of future generations.

Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me during the MPS. I would greatly appreciate your assistance in seeking clarification from the relevant ministries and agencies on this matter.

#2 Sharing direct feedback on the National Day Rally

FEEDBACK FORM HERE [Closes 3 September 2026, 11:59pm]: https://form.gov.sg/6a7a76eeab5473eb8d5f87d8?6a27b55bc2a20659318b56f6=ap88dctubgon7lvn

This feedback is for the government.

On Qn #24, if you click “No”, it will trigger the below Questions #25 and #26.

______________________________________________________

[WIP] 💬 FAQ

What are the Southern Islands?

See map below! You’ve probably heard of Sentosa and Pulau Semakau (our offshore landfill), but there are many more. These islands are home to rich marine life, coral reefs, and so much more!

The Orang Laut community once lived on many of these islands. They were forced to relocate to “mainland” Singapore around the 1970s, but many continue to maintain close ties to the seascape and their unique cultures.

Image via ResearchGate

What’s happening?

The government recently announced plans to merge several southern islands to form a new “Western Island”.

The new island will be used for "industries, power generation infrastructure, and defence" — including petrochemicals, and some are speculating nuclear. But we don't have any specifics.

How do they even merge islands…?

Through land reclamation – literally dumping sand in the sea to create “new” land. Singapore ran out of our own sand reserves in the mid-1980s and turned to neighbours in the region – but sand dredging destroys their local marine life, fish and crab stocks, and cultures.

Malaysia and Indonesia banned sand exports to Singapore in 1997 and 2007 respectively, and Cambodia followed in 2017 given severe environmental concerns. (Though, Mongabay recently reported that Cambodia “appears to have resumed exporting sand to Singapore”.)

How will the Western Island project impact Singapore’s marine life?

More than half the remaining reefs we have south of mainland Singapore will be gone.

According to Dr. Neo Mei Lin, a long-time local marine ecologist and science advocate:

The loss of marine habitats and species is astronomical, and no amount of restoration techniques can help to recover these losses post-reclamation. These reefs also hold marine biodiversity that continuously seed the neighbouring reefs within our national waters that has helped them to thrive despite the heavy impacts of maritime activities. This proposal is a death sentence for marine habitats and species.