IT MAY be a wasteland but it is teeming with life.

Researchers are embarking on a three-year species census of Pulau Semakau, Singapore's first artificial landfill.

Project Semakau, which will be spearheaded by the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, could also be the first steps towards making the landfill a marine conversation park.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor visited the site on Friday to launch the project.

Over 200 volunteers will be recruited and trained by the museum, to help conduct school and public tours of the shores during low tide. They will also help researchers document and record species of plant and animal on the island.

By involving schools and the public, organisers are hoping for a 'multiplier effect' - with more people spreading the message of conservation, said Professor Leo Tan, who helped conceptualise the project.

'Semakau highlights Singapore's ability to strike a delicate balance between the needs of an urban city and nature conservation,' said Prof Tan, who is also the director of special projects at the National University of Singapore.

Created in 1999 by merging Semakau with neighbouring Pulau Sakeng, the island has become a showpiece for eco-friendly urban waste management.

Visits for members of the public and foreign dignitaries are conducted regularly to the island.

Despite being a landfill, Semakau has several unique habitats, including mangrove swamps, forests and coral beds, said Prof Tan.

'None of these have suffered severely from being sited next to a landfill,' he added.

Scientists will collate their findings in an online database, as a free resource for nature enthusiasts and researchers alike.

London-based HSBC Bank will provide $600,000 to fund outreach, research and conservation activities during the course of the project, which is supported by the National Environment Agency.

For more information about the project, visit projectsemakau.rafflesmuseum.net