Singapore, 15 July 2014 - Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee today embarked on an introductory guided walk at the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park led by volunteers. During the tour, he visited the intertidal area where a variety of marine life can be found, including hard and soft corals, and sea anemones. He was joined by representatives from the marine nature community including Nature Society (Singapore), the Toddycats and wildsingapore, as well as from the National Parks Board (NParks). To mark the start of establishing Singapore’s first Marine Park, MOS Lee planted a giant clam off the shore of Big Sister’s Island. The giant clam is one of the endangered marine species found in Singapore’s waters, and is one of the species which the Marine Park will serve to protect.

Introductory guided walks for members of the public will be organised from August 2014 to offer more opportunities to understand and appreciate our marine biodiversity. This new conservation initiative aims to give Singaporeans a first-hand experience of our rich natural heritage which are submerged most of the time.

The Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, which will span some 40 hectares around Sisters’ Islands and along the western reefs of both St John’s Island and Pulau Tekukor, serves as a platform for outreach, educational, conservation and research activities related to our native marine biodiversity. The location was chosen due to its variety of habitats including coral reefs, sandy shores and seagrass areas.

A number of nature groups have come on board to offer outreach activities like intertidal walks and guided dives which will encourage greater appreciation of our native marine biodiversity. Following the introductory guided walks held this year, more activities are being planned for roll out next year. These include workshops, seminars, camps and talks at the outreach and education centre on St John’s Island. School groups can also be involved in monitoring programmes which will contribute to data collected for marine biodiversity research.

For the best experience of Singapore’s first Marine Park, the public is advised to sign up for NParks guided walks. As visibility of the marine life is subjected to tidal patterns, vacancies for the introductory guided walks will be limited. The groups, led by trained volunteer guides, would also be kept small so as not to harm the marine life.