01 / Keep the shore clear
Take your litter with you.
After a seaside snack or walk, put your wrappers and bottles in a bin. If there isn’t one, take them home. Litter can harm marine animals.
The sea around your city
Your reefs.
Closer than you think.
Singapore’s southern islands have reefs of their own. Start with three places in the sea around your city.
Heat and sediment can stress reefs. Local restoration depends on research, monitoring and care over time.
How does restoration work? A local story of research and continued care- 1Pulau Hantu
A western island with fringing reefs.
- 2Sisters’ Islands
A marine park protecting reefs and their neighbours.
- 3Kusu Island
Part of Singapore’s local coral restoration story.
A local restoration story
Planting coral is
just the start.
Tap a stage to look closer.
Study Know the reef.
Researchers study corals and local conditions, including how much light reaches the reef.
Transplant Help coral settle.
WWF-Singapore’s project describes transplanting coral fragments at Kusu Island.
Care Keep checking in.
Transplanted corals still need maintenance and monitoring. Reef conditions also affect how well restoration works.
Local story & sources
One local example: WWF-Singapore and NUS TMSI describe restoration work at Kusu and St John’s islands, including research on corals adapted to lower light.
A local project example. Explore our campaign’s current ways to take part.
Take part with What the Reef!Try one reef question
A little knowledge travels
Take a discovery.
Pass it on.
Pick a reef fact. Give someone else a new reason to look at the sea around Singapore.
#WhatTheReef!
A discovery from Singapore
Corals are animals.Choose a discovery to take with you.
Living coral
Corals are animals.
A hard coral colony is made of tiny animals called polyps. Many reef-building corals live with algae that use sunlight to make food.
Hard corals are part of the living reefs around Singapore’s southern islands.
Curious which coral shape feels like you? Find your coral match
A little care, close to home
A small start.
A shared sea.
You don’t have to dive to care about the sea around your city. Start with what you do at the shore.
02 / Let the neighbours be
Look closely. Leave it living.
Observe or photograph shore life where it belongs. Avoid handling or collecting animals, and watch where you step.
With What the Reef!
Keep the reef in the conversation.
Explore the campaign and choose how to take part.
Read the reef guide
Who calls a reef home?
A reef provides a home for fish, clams and many other animals. The creatures you see are part of a community that depends on this habitat.
Explore reef life with NParks ↗Corals are animals.
Corals are animals made of tiny polyps. Many reef-building corals host algae that use sunlight to make food. The algae share nutrients with the coral; hard corals also build a limestone skeleton that forms the reef.
How corals live · NParks ↗A home among the tentacles.
Clownfish live among the stinging tentacles of sea anemones. Several species are recorded in Singapore. Look for the fish close to its host.
Explore with NParks ↗Sharing a little sunshine.
Tiny algae live inside a giant clam's colourful mantle. They use sunlight to make food and share nutrients with their host. The clam also draws water through its siphon and filters food with its gills.
How the partnership works ↗A small discovery.
Look closely: this small animal is a sea slug. Nudibranchs are among the colourful creatures recorded at Sisters' Islands Marine Park. Some discoveries reward a slower look.
Explore with NParks ↗Spreading towards the light.
On Singapore's reef slopes, light becomes weaker with depth. Many corals spread into plates, increasing the area exposed to light.
Explore with NUS ↗Connected to the coast.
Reef crests reduce the energy of incoming waves, helping protect shorelines. The reef is a habitat for marine life and part of the coast's natural protection.
Explore with NUS ↗Meet the wrasses.
Wrasses are part of Singapore's marine life. Look for the long body and low dorsal fin in this illustration, then compare its silhouette with the rounder reef fish you met earlier.
Singapore's marine fishes ↗A reef takes many shapes.
Some hard corals branch upwards. Others spread into broad plates or form rounded boulders. As these colonies grow, they build a habitat for fish and many other reef animals.
Explore coral shapes · NUS (PDF) ↗Sponges are animals, too.
Look for the sponge cups among the rocks. Sponges feed by filtering food from the water. Some grow as colourful layers over coral rubble on Singapore's southern shores.
Meet the sponges with NParks ↗