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Pulau
Semakau
350ha. Unspoilt mangroves, vast seagrass meadows, coral
reefs, sandy shores.
Entry only with designated interest groups (see below)
History of
Semakau Landfill
In 1999, when the last remaining landfill on Singapore's mainland
was exhausted, the Semakau Landfill was created by enclosing Pulau
Semakau and a small adjacent island (Pulau Sakeng) with a rock bund.
More
history. All of Singapore's waste now ends up at Semakau, i.e., ash from
the incineration plants and all non-incinerable waste.
During the construction of the landfill, effort was made to protect
the marine ecosystem, especially mangroves and corals. 13 hectares
of mangrove were replanted to replace those removed during construction
of the bund. Wildlife continues to thrive on Pulau Semakau, and the
air and water quality remains good.
Semakau opened!
On 16 Jul 05, Pulau Semakau was opened for nature-related recreational
activities. Members of the public can now visit the island for birdwatching,
sports fishing and intertidal walks.
Marine life of Pulau Semakau
The Landfill construction buried all of Pulau Sakeng and half of Pulau
Semakau. The original Pulau Semakau which was not buried by the
landfill construction has an enormous intertidal area which is rich
in amazing wildlife. The natural mangroves
there shelter a wide variety of plants and animals, many no longer
seen on the mainland or other islands. There is a vast seagrass
meadow, possibly the largest in Singapore that is accessible to
the public. There is a wide zone of coral
rubble with amazing marine life, leading to the coral
reefs that line the edge of the island. Here's some
posters of Semakau's intertidal shores and more about a survey
of Semakau's mangroves in 2005.
Getting there
Contact NEA for a visit to Pulau Semakau:
Other activities
TeamSeagrass
also conduct regular surveys of seagrasses on Pulau Semakau. Anyone
may join TeamSeagrass as a volunteer. For details and contact
see the TeamSeagrass
blog
More
tips for visitors
More about preparing for a trip to the shores
More FAQs about visiting the shores
How to take photos on the shores.
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Links
General information
- Semakau
updates field trips, coastal works and other news from the
wild shores of singapore blog.
Background
on Semakau and Sakeng
Media articles
and blog entries about Semakau
- Semakau:
Love in a landfill
Five years after Semakau opened to the public, visitor numbers
and wildlife flourish Ong Dai Lin Today Online 8 Jan 11;
- More
than a dumping ground: Pulau Semakau
Cheong Poh Kwan, Straits Times 26 Aug 09;
- Semakau
Island popular haunt for Singapore astronomers 'Trash island'
by day, star-studded by night Ng Tze Yong, The New Paper 12 Aug
09;
- Book
launched to commemorate 10th anniversary of Semakau landfill
Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia 8 Aug 09;
- Pulau
Semakau: It's a landfill -- and an ecopark
Singapore’s only landfill is more like a recreation area than
a dumping ground. Vijaysree Venkatraman, The Christian Science
Monitor 3 Jun 09;
- Pulau
Semakau: Dump wonderland
Leong Siok Hui, The Star 16 May 09;
- Plans
for eco-park on Semakau landfill It may be a test bed for
energy studies and a place for 'green' recreation Ang Yiying,
Straits Times 10 Sep 08;
- Underwater
nursery Singapore's first coral nursery welcomed new inhabitants
yesterday. Tania Tan, Straits Times 16 Apr 08
- Singapore
unveils first coral nursery to conserve underwater habitat
Channel NewsAsia 30 Jul 07
- The
island paradise built on a garbage dump
By Francesca de Chatel CNN 26 Jul 07
- Garbage
of Eden Straits
Times 27 May 07; reprint of Island
of trash or the 'Garbage of Eden'? by Eric Bland New Scientist
12 Apr 07
- Pulau
Semakau: Island paradise . . . and landfill by Matthew Phan
Business Times 11 May 07
- Trekking
on 'Trash' photos and story done during the Semakau
survey by Teh Jen Lee, photos by Mohd Ishak The New Paper,
16 Jul 05
Opening up of Semakau for recreational use
Media articles
- First
intertidal and landfill public visit to Pulau Semakau on the
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research news blog 22 Nov 05
- Trash
for Tourism in Singapore by Keith Lin The Star, Malaysia,
06 Sep 05
on the ecologyasia website
- Innovative
Singapore turns Semakau island into eco-tourism attraction
Channel NewsAsia 29 Aug 05
- Launch
welcomes back 40 former resident families from Pulau Sakeng
NEA News Release No: 30/2005 Date of issue: 16 July 2005
- The
heron rises from the ashes about the terrestrial and shore
wildlife of Pulau Semakau
by Chua Mui Hoong The Straits Times, 7 Apr 05
- Semakau
Landfill may be opened up for selected recreational activities
NEA newsroom, 8 Mar 05
- Speech
by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources,
at the Committee of Supply Debate 2005 8 Mar 2005 Discussing
Environmental Sustainability, Community Participation in the Environment,
Enjoying Our Environment and Water Resources (including reservoirs
and Pulau Semakau), Raising awareness and consultation on
environmental issues, Improving Energy Efficiency and Carbon Intensity,
Green Vehicles. Singapore Government Media Release, 8 Mar 05
- Pulau
Semakau rich in biodiversity
Fancy a nature trek on Pulau Landfill?
by Alexis Hooi The Straits Times, March 9, 2005
From dump to play haven: Environment minister announces new lease
of life for Semakau landfill
by Sheralyn Tay Today, 9 Mar 05
Pulau Semakau
by Hasnita A. Majid Channel NewsAsia , 8 Mar 05
- Feathers
ruffled but Singapore's eco-dump wins fans by Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop
The South China Morning Post 3 Oct 05 see also comments
by Siva on his habitatnews blog
- Innovative
Singapore turns Semakau island into eco-tourism attraction
Channel NewsAsia 29 Aug 05
- Opening
of Semakau Bio-treasure Isle
By Sarah Ng The Straits Times 18 Jul 05
- Semakau
landfill to last 15 more years as recycling reduces waste
By Hasnita A Majid Channel NewsAsia, 16 Jul 05
- Speech
by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim at the official opening of Semakau Landfill
MEWR Press Release, 16 Jul 05
Blog entries
about the official opening of Semakau
Links to
other data about Semakau's wildlife
Older articles
about Semakau
Other links
Field
guides and references
- Wildfact
sheets introduction to common marine life in Singapore.
- Ng, Fu Chuan
Marcus. 2009. Habitats
in Harmony: The Story of Semakau Landfill.
National Environment Agency.
- Tan, Leo
W. H. & Ng, Peter K. L., 1988. A
Guide to Seashore Life. The Singapore Science Centre,
Singapore. 160 pp.
- Ng, Peter
K. L. & N. Sivasothi, 1999. A
Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore II (Animal Diversity).
Singapore Science Centre. 168 pp.
- Lim, Kelvin
K. P. & Jeffrey K. Y. Low, 1998. A
Guide to the Common Marine Fishes of Singapore. Singapore
Science Centre. 163 pp.
- Tan, Ria
and Loh Tse-Lynn, 2004. Guidesheet
to the Amazing Marine Life of the Southern Shores of Singapore.
- Tan, Ria
and Alan Yeo, 2003. Chek
Jawa Guidebook. Simply Green. 219
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