SINGAPORE - As the planet warms, ice sheets melt and sea levels creep up, it is not just cities that are at risk of coastal flooding. Natural habitats, too, could be overwhelmed by the rising tides.

Singapore has already lost much of its wilderness to development, but a new study has found that the nation's mangroves and seagrass meadows could shrink by 20 per cent from current levels by the end of this century due to sea level rise.