Sisters’ Islands Marine Park is a marine park located in Southern Islands planning area, Singapore. The park encompasses the land and waters surrounding Sisters' Islands, and also covers the western coasts of both St John's Island and Pulau Tekukor. The park is Singapore's first marine park and it allows visitors to the park to experience the marine life around the region, through guided walks, the Marine Park Public Gallery which showcases the biodiversity in Singapore waters and the dive trails where visitors can observe the marine life in the area.
Overview
In July 2014, National Parks Board announced their plans for a new marine park. The park will serve as a platform for outreach, education, conservation and research activities related to Singapore's native marine life. It will also serve as a marine reserve to protect Singapore's coral reefs, which support an ecosystem inhabited by rare and endangered species of seahorses, clams, sponges and other marine life.
Biodiversity
The area that the park occupies has a vast variety of marine life, which includes hard and soft corals, and sea anemones. Restoration activities including nurseries for iconic marine organisms are also part of the enhancement efforts to be carried out at the park. Colonies of corals and sponges were also relocated from Pulau Semakau to the park. Among the sponges relocated included rare species like the Neptune's Cup Sponge, which was thought to be extinct since 1908, until it was rediscovered in 2011 along Singapore's coast.
Activities
Guided walks
The intertidal area at Sisters’ Islands Marine Park are only organised during low tides of 0.4 metres and below, allowing the marine life in the area to be seen which is usually submerged under water. Nature guides will be at hand to bring you on a tour to experience the MarinePark's amazing biodiversity. These guided walks are conducted free of charge and each guided walk session is open to a maximum of 45 people. The walks are currently limited to the shores off Sisters’ Islands.
Dive trails
Opened in September 2015, the park features 2 dive trails as part of the Marine Conservation Action Plan to protect and enhance marine heritage and biodiversity in the area. The two circular dive trails are located at different depths, the Shallow Dive Trail where divers can observe giant clams, sea anemones and clown fishes circles around coral reef and sandy habitats is around 4 to 6 metres underwater, while the Deep Dive Trail features coral rubble and rocky and silty habitats at around 10 to 16 metres deep where divers can observe sea fans, sea stars and the Neptune's Cup Sponge. Underwater signboards are also located along each dive trail provides information on marine biodiversity in the area. There are also plans to build facilities in the big lagoon of Big Sister's island to allow access to intertidal areas.
Sisters' Islands Marine Park Public Gallery
The gallery, which is about was officially opened on 15 July 2015 by President Tony Tan Keng Yam. It features marine biodiversity in Singapore's waters and provide an overview of the Sisters' Islands Marine Park, including a 3D diorama of its dive trails. Other features of the gallery includes a seminar room and teaching lab where talks, seminars and teaching activities for school and community groups can be facilitated at the park. Plans to include viewing pools to display marine organisms and a mangrove ecosystem, which is an area where mangroves can be planted under controlled conditions to facilitate experiments for research projects will be completed by 2016.
