[Note: Post-publication, the Housing Development Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority clarified in a joint response to Eco-Business on 28 July that access to the intertidal areas off Changi Beach Park – including Carparks 6 and 7 – would not be affected by the reclamation activities. The HDB will implement mitigation measures and put in place an Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) for the duration of the reclamation project. It shared that viewers of the project’s EIA were required to sign an NDA due to concerns around security sensitivities, and that a wide range of stakeholders have been engaged in its study.]
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Over 1,300 people have signed a petition to conserve a biodiversity-rich beach on the island’s easternmost coast, after the government confirmed its plans earlier this month to reclaim 193 hectares (ha) of land to build a new aviation park in the area.
Despite adjustments made to limit damage to one of Singapore’s largest seagrass meadows, as local broadsheet The Straits Times reported, community members are urging the authorities to further scale back the project to protect Changi Beach as a site for local biodiversity appreciation.
“Changi is one of the last accessible places where people can experience the rich biodiversity of our shores through intertidal explorations, beach cleanups, citizen science efforts, and other recreational and cultural uses,” wrote the petition starters in an open letter to Singapore’s Housing Development Board (HDB), the statutory agency in charge of the planned reclamation project.
In response to media queries, HDB had earlier confirmed the project for a second aviation logistics park by 2030 and said that it had commissioned an environmental impact assessment (EIA) to determine the potential impact of the works on coral and seagrass within the project footprint, and the biodiversity that thrives in these habitats. After conducting surveys from April 2022 to May 2023, it reduced the footprint of the project by nearly one-fifth, or 45 ha, to limit damage to the seagrass meadow.
The EIA report has been available for in-person viewing by the general public since 9 May, upon signing of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
The ongoing petition, started after the media reported on the reclamation plans, called for a further scale-back, stating that seagrass meadow habitats are some of the most sensitive ecosystems, “which are expected to suffer, even under the best mitigation measures”.
It also expressed concern that the requirement of a “blanket NDA” can undermine the process surrounding the EIA for the reclamation project. “This approach runs counter to the core purpose of environmental assessments: to incorporate diverse views and meaningfully protect natural heritage through public input,” it said.
One of the co-initiators of the petition, Neo Xiaoyun, who used to lead intertidal walks in the area as a wildlife guide for nearly five years, said even as she was aware of the potential plans to reclaim land off Changi as early as 2021 after environmental group LepakInSG had flagged them, she felt a sense of resignation after realising the public only got updates that the project would go ahead, as the Straits Times reported, after the official public consultation period had closed.
Neo also observed that representatives of nature groups did not speak out publicly against the project after news broke. While she did not rule out that the silence could mean the groups felt that the project would not severely impact the seagrass meadows, Neo told Eco-Business that she later learnt it could be because many of these members had previously been consulted in closed-door sessions.
Neo, who had been actively documenting her experience as an environmental educator and community volunteer on social media, shared her concerns about the reclamation project on her platform and said the responses she received from her followers spurred her to start the petition. Most were not aware of the new developments, said the graduate student, who is currently pursuing a geography and environment degree at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
According to latest statistics, among the 11 EIAs conducted in the first half of this year, three – inclusive of the Changi Bay reclamation project – required NDAs. Citing legal experts and their comments with regards to the EIA process, the petition stated that the practice creates a “chilling effect” that “[dissuades] meaningful engagement and potentially [exposes] individuals to legal liability for fulfilling their civic duty”.
Navigating NDAs
In recent years, the Singapore government has communicated its intention to strengthen the framework to guide how and when environmental studies should be done ahead of development works. Since 2020, there has been at least 50 EIAs conducted.
In 2019, Desmond Lee, then speaking in his capacity as second minister for national development in Parliament, also said the authorities intend to make public findings of EIAs, but highlighted security considerations as a key factor for instances when confidentiality needs to be maintained. He was responding to a request for making the full EIA report on a housing development project which involved clearing secondary forests in an area demarcated as a military training ground.
It was the first time security considerations were cited as a factor for withholding the results of environmental studies.
As of press time, HDB has not responded to Eco-Business’ queries on the reasons for requiring viewers of the Changi project’s EIA to sign confidentiality agreements or directly to the asks in the petition.
Neo acknowledges that there could be national security concerns in EIAs pertaining to land reclamation works, but suggested that the government consider releasing a version of the report that does not contain sensitive information or a press release announcing its plans to facilitate public feedback.
Rachael Goh, a member of LepakInSG, which was consulted by HDB for the reclamation project, said that from what has been reported, it appears that the footprint of HDB’s reclamation plans – including the cutback of 45 ha to protect the seagrass meadow – has barely changed since its initial engagement with the agency. She said that the petition’s second call to action is a “fair ask”, though she is unsure about the considerations for the use of confidentiality agreements.
From Goh’s observations, agencies working on more sensitive projects like reclamation and military sites tend to consult nature groups to a smaller extent. “It so happens that HDB and the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) tend to be the agencies working on such projects.”
Muhammad Nasry Abdul Nasir, executive director of Singapore Youth Voices for Biodiversity (SYVB), another group that was involved in the consultation, told Eco-Business that while he does have concerns regarding the hydrology of the site and how reclamation works will alter the movement of spawn and mangrove propagules, his key concern is not regarding biodiversity loss from this project.
“I genuinely think it will be fine so long as the surrounding source habitats like Chek Jawa remain healthy. My concern is with access to the shore,” said Nasry. “The shore’s value proposition is not in the biodiversity it offers, it is the access to nature education and awareness of our marine ecosystems, which are too often out of sight, out of mind. To me, that’s the real thing at stake here.”
The reclamation works are expected to affect Changi Beach Carpark 6, which is a popular spot on the mainland for intertidal walks due to its current accessibility.
”For many people it is the first and only shore they ever will get to visit due to the ease of access, nearby bus stop, ease of terrain, and there is usually lots to see in just a small area,” he said. “Once the reclamation begins, I’m not sure if the shore will still be accessible to people… There may be associated impacts from noise and dust in the air – it is difficult to enjoy intertidal walks when you are choking on the mudflat.”
“I fully understand the need for NDAs and for keeping some information private. But if HDB is going to be serious about gathering public input, especially for a site that is so heavily frequented by the public like Changi Beach Park, we need to have much higher expectations for the authorities and demand more engagement next time,” said Nasry.
Some users of the Changi Beach, such as 36-year-old professional Leong Si Wei and musician Aarika Lee, only found out about the government’s plans to reclaim parts of it through Neo’s petition.
Leong, a citizen researcher who frequents the beach to document Singapore’s native biodiversity, told Eco-Business that he believes conserving the shoreline is needed for public education. While reclamation plans have been deferred at Chek Jawa, a coastal wetland off the main island and another well-known intertidal area, he noted that the public rarely goes there as venturing beyond the boardwalk requires a permit or joining limited guided tours, which require a fee as well, Leong added.
Meanwhile, Lee said that her family discovered the intertidal areas in Changi after attending guided walks, some of which were led by Neo, and have nurtured a love for marine life over the last few years.
“Growing up, I never knew that we had such diverse marine life right on our shores, so to discover this whole world was amazing to me,” she said. Lee signed the petition as she sees more value in conserving the site, over building another aviation park.
The new airport logistics park will complement an upcoming industrial zone in Changi East and boost the cargo handling capacity of Changi Airport from 3 million tonnes per year to 5.4 million tonnes annually. According to local media reports, Singapore’s first logistics park, which was built in 2003, is already operating at full capacity.
Demands for more engagement
Conservation biologist Debby Ng, who studied seagrass meadows in Singapore, including the one at Changi Beach Park, for her PhD at the National University of Singapore (NUS), said that it is encouraging that stakeholders want to have better access to EIAs.
“Removing barriers can democratise and improve the effectiveness of the EIA process,” said Ng, a doctoral candidate at the NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions. “Stakeholders engagement is a continual work in progress. And as our society matures, both organisations and stakeholders need to play their part to adapt to society’s evolving needs and perspectives with regard to our natural heritage.”
Ria Tan, who has been running Wild Singapore, an online resource for Singapore’s wildlife and natural habitats, for the past two decades, said that she signed the petition in support of its call to remove the NDA requirement for the public when engaging with the government.
Tan said that there is precedence to do so since agencies like the National Parks Board and the Public Utilities Board – in its consultations for its latest land reclamation project off Singapore’s eastern coast – do not bind those who participate in consultations to confidentiality agreements. “That’s the way it should be right? Another point to remember is that the EIAs are tax money, so shouldn’t taxpayers have a right to know their contents, at least in broad strokes?”
“There are concerns, but I don’t think it’s impossible to figure out a way to scrub out the sensitive information and give everybody who pays taxes, and especially the people who you ask to make time to give you some useful feedback, access to a sanitised press release version [of the EIAs].”
Tan has turned down invitations from government agencies and corporations to attend consultations if they insist on NDAs, and has encouraged her peers to do the same in solidarity throughout the years. “But they won’t do it, they just want to attend. So I’m very glad that we have young people who realise this practice is wrong. I hope there is a change.”
