wildsingapore news: Dec 20, 2007

Greece must act to replenish fish stocks: Greenpeace

Karolos Grohmann Reuters 20 Dec 07;

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece should immediately set up marine reserves to replenish depleted fish stocks due to overfishing or face a collapse of the industry, Greenpeace said on Thursday.

The environmental group's call, which came as the EU announced lower-than-expected cuts for 2008 catch quotas, said stocks in the Aegean and Ionian seas had fallen dramatically in recent years.

"We will constantly see a drop in catches and size and graver problems lie ahead," Greenpeace oceans campaigner Sofia Tsenikli said. "The government must immediately impose marine reserves where fishing will be prohibited to allow stocks to recover."

EU countries on Wednesday struck a deal for 2008 catch quotas that watered down proposals for the preservation of species whose stocks are at precariously low levels, angering environmental groups.

Greece has among the largest fishing fleets in the EU by numbers with 18,040 registered vessels in 2006, some 2,500 fewer boats than in 1998. Most of the fleet is small, coastal fishing vessels.

In 2006 Greeks fished about 90,000 tonnes, about half the amount compared to 1994, mainly due to depleted stocks. The fish were also on average smaller in size.

More than a decade of heavy fishing by big trawlers and lack of a national strategy have led to the decline, marked by dips of bluefin tuna, mullet and hake, the National Fishermen's Union (SAE) said.

By the end of this year Greece's agriculture ministry must present proposals for areas where some forms of fishing will be banned in line with the EU's Mediterranean fishing regulation, but so far has not revealed its plans.

(Writing by Karolos Grohmann, Editing by Michael Kahn)

Plant cover in Haiti at two percent: UN official

Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

Deforestation in Haiti, where trees and bushes are routinely felled for cooking fuel, is at crisis level, with just two-percent plant cover now, the UN warned Thursday.

"There is a real urgency, and measures need to be taken ... plant cover is down to about two percent," UN Development Program official in Haiti, Joel Boutroue, said.

Most people in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, live on less than two dollars a day, and they use wood for fires to cook. The result has been widespread deforestation and erosion.

Boutroue pressed the Haitian government and international groups to act quickly to foster re-forestation and runoff control programs, without which he said he feared Haiti could sink even further into poverty.

More Singaporeans choosing high-end gifts this holiday season

Channel NewsAsia 20 Dec 07;

SINGAPORE : More Singaporeans are choosing high-end limited edition presents this holiday season, thanks to a good economy and better bonuses.

At a Noel Gifts' warehouse, workers are busy preparing hampers and other gifts to meet rising demand.

Noel said it's getting 40% more orders than the previous year.

But instead of the regular hampers of sweets and cookies, well-travelled Singaporeans these days want something more.

Items on their shopping lists include things like whiskey jam, champagne mustard and limited edition wines.

"Knick-knacks like mugs and photo frames, useless stationeries as well as retro items, those are out. Retro is passé," said Winnie Tan, General Manager of Noel.

And it looks like this holiday season, a simple e-mail greeting card may just not make the cut. - CNA /ls

In the Netherlands: for a truly green Christmas, adopt a tree:

IOL.com 20 Dec 07;

Leusden, The Netherlands - Despite the icy cold and the gloomy sky, Daniella Kolman has come to pick up her very "own" Christmas tree, the one she adopted last year from an organic tree grower in this town in the centre of the Netherlands.

"Before, we always bought our Christmas tree in a pot and then my husband tried to plant it in the garden afterwards, but it died each time," said Kolman.

"So we said to each other 'How can we find an ecologically responsible Christmas tree?'" she said, stamping her feet from the cold at Leusden's Randijk organic tree lot.

"We thought about a plastic tree, but that is just as polluting, or we thought of not having a tree at all, but it's an important tradition, so we ended up adopting," she continued, as an employee got to work digging up her tree.

Come the New Year, Kolman, along with 1 000 other Dutch families, will return the tree for professional replanting in Leusden's sandy soil.

"We started the business five years ago," said Erwin Kooijman, who came up with the original idea. "We planted a few pine trees and when they got big, I thought, what a pity to cut them down after taking such good care of them."

"Little by little, I said to myself, maybe we could have them adopted," he said. "Now people call us from all over the Netherlands, and you should see how happy the children are when they come for 'their' Christmas tree, and how excited they get running between the rows to find it."

Grown in chemically-free fertiliser, without pesticides and certified organic, Randijk's pines remain a drop in the ocean, given the millions of commercially grown trees cut down each year, mostly in Scandinavia, and exported across Europe.

On top of being organic, the pines-for-adoption save on CO2 transport emissions.

"The advantage of our trees is that they're a local product, so the distances they travel are limited, as is the pollution they might cause as well as traffic congestion," said Ad Kooijman, Erwin's father.

Their two-hectare business, which also produces organic bamboo, has seen adoptions increase 10-fold in the last two years. "We started small in 2005, selling 120 trees, this year we sold 1 000," said Kooijman junior.

Adoption costs, payable each year, are between 15 and 25 euros depending on height, much the same as local market prices, with an added five-euro deposit to encourage returns.

"There is a lot of interest and enthusiasm for these kind of things, because they are socially and ecologically responsible as well as fun," Jasper Vink, spokesperson for Biologica, a Dutch organic growers association, told reporters.

"Normally trees are uselessly thrown away or burned after Christmas," he said.

For Kolman, the reunion with her tree, number 630, is a warm one, despite the near freezing temperatures.

"And what's more," she said, happily sliding the tree into her car boot, "it didn't even lose a single pine needle in my living room last year".

New butterfly species found in the Andes

Paul Eccleston, Telegraph 19 Dec 07;

A new species of butterfly has been found during an expedition to an unexplored region of the high Andes of South America.

The coffee-brown butterfly was found by scientist Blanca Huertas, who is butterfly curator at the Natural History Museum.

Because of the difficulty of the terrain Huertas and her team and their equipment were dropped by helicopter on to an isolated peak at 3,000 metres above sea level.

It was the first time people have explored the highest elevations of the 100 kilometre-long mountain range in Colombia's Serranía de los Yariguíes. and led to it being designated a national park by the Colombian government.

The butterfly was named Idioneurula donegani in honour of Thomas Donegan, project director of Evaluation of Biodiversity in the Andes (EBA) who pioneered the expeditions.

The medium-sized butterfly has eyespots on its hindwings and resembles three other species of Idioneurula butterflies with yellow and orange outlines on the wings.

It lives in the high elevation 'paramo' forests of Colombia, characterised by ferns, orchids, palms and grasses and is an endemic species of the Yariguíes mountains in Colombia, which means it is not found anywhere else in the world.

The new species was found at two different locations at the top of the mountain range and has been recommended for IUCN categorisation as vulnerable.

Blanca Huertas,said: 'This is an amazing discovery. Butterflies are a diverse group of insects with almost 20,000 known species, 40 per cent of which are in South America. We have been to almost every corner of the world and although some remote parts of the Neotropical region remain unexplored, we only occasionally discover a new species.'

Butterflies found during the expedition were examined and compared to specimens held in the Natural History Museum's collections, which include more than 7,000 species of butterflies from South America. Molecular analysis of DNA collected from the butterflies in the field revealed that I. donegani is a separate species.

'New finds like this encourage us to keep exploring the world', said Huertas.

'We have only recently explored the mountain where we found I. donegani. Other remote and unexplored mountains like the Yariguíes could have other species that remain undiscovered. We are privileged at the Natural History Museum to have one of the largest butterfly collections in the world. We look after 28m insects here, which include around 3m butterflies.'

The paper describing the new species was published this month in the prestigious international journal Zootaxa and is available online.

San Francisco Bay spill costs to exceed $61m federal limit

Erica Werner, Associated Press Yahoo News 18 Dec 07;

Clean-up costs for last month's oil spill in San Francisco Bay are on track to exceed the $61 million federal insurance liability limit, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.

As of last Saturday, $54.7 million has been spent to respond to last month's 58,000-gallon spill, with clean-up costs averaging about $770,000 per day, the agency said.

The cost of clean-up is expected to surpass the $61 million liability cap on insurance payments by the owner of the Cosco Busan, the cargo ship that sideswiped the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in heavy fog on Nov. 7.

After testifying to a Senate subcommittee Tuesday, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen said the agency and the Justice Department were discussing how to proceed after that limit is reached.

In the wake of the spill, Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California have introduced legislation to raise the insurance liability limits set by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

Under current law, the liability cap would be lifted if gross negligence were found in the accident. Other ways also can be found for the so-called responsible party — in this case Regal Stone Ltd._ to pay above the liability limit.

"No one should think that Regal Stone is going to do anything other than meet its legal responsibilities," said company spokesman Jim Lawrence.

South Korean oil spill worse than estimated

Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

Nearly 80,000 barrels of oil were spilled from a punctured supertanker off South Korea's western coast earlier this month — about 20 percent more than previous estimates, an official said Thursday.

Experts calculated the size of the spill after the Hebei Spirit arrived at a South Korean port Tuesday — 11 days after it was slammed by a wayward crane-carrying vessel — by determining how much oil the ship still contained, said Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry official Kim Jung-seok.

The Hong Kong-registered tanker, which initially carried 1.9 million barrels of oil, leaked the equivalent of 78,920 barrels into the water, Kim said.

That places the spill at nearly a third the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster that sent 260,000 barrels of oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound.

The spill — some 2 1/2 times bigger than South Korea's worst previous spill in 1995 — has severely jeopardized the ecosystem and spoiled hundreds of seafood farms in the area, which is also a prime tourism attraction.

Tens of thousands of coast guard officers, soldiers, residents and volunteer workers have been mobilized to clean up the muck. Some 37,000 people were still working Thursday with 845 ships and 10 helicopters, said Coast Guard spokesman Lee Won-yeol.

"We don't know until when we have to continue the cleanup work but believe we'll soon enter the final stage," he said.

Conservation of green turtle nesting sites show they can recover: study

Study shows that sea turtles can recover
mongabay.com, 18 Dec 07;

Conservation of sea turtle nesting sites is paying off for the endangered reptiles, reports a new study published this week in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography.

A team of researchers led researchers from IUCN and Conservation International found that green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting on four beaches in the Pacific and two beaches in the Atlantic have increased by an four to fourteen percent annually over the past two to three decades as a result of beach protection efforts.

"These results should be celebrated," said Milani Chaloupka, lead author and vice chair of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group. "They demonstrate that green turtle populations and presumably the green turtles ecosystem roles can be recovered in spite of drastic population declines in the past."

"This analysis shines a light of hope on marine conservation efforts for endangered species and for biological diversity as a whole," said Sebastian Troang, co-author, MTSG member, and senior director of regional marine strategies at Conservation International. "Ambitious strategies including long-term protection of habitats and reduction of survival threats are working, and endangered species can be recovered."

Despite the positive results, the researchers caution that sea turtles have not escaped rough seas yet, noting that hunting of turtles and poaching of eggs are still problems in some of the studied sites, including Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

"In Tortuguero, the recovering green turtle population attracts millions of dollars in tourism revenue each year for the local community as tourists come to watch the turtles lay their eggs," said David Godfrey, MTSG member and executive director of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation. "Unfortunately, these same turtles are still hunted by the thousands when they swim to Nicaraguan waters in search of seagrass, so conservation efforts must continue."

CITATION: Milani Chaloupka et al (2007). Encouraging outlook for recovery of a once severely exploited marine megaherbivore. Global Ecology and Biogeography, Dec 2007. DOI: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2007.00367.x

Guyana's sea defence: mangroves to get special attention

$5b sea defence pact signed-mangroves to get special attention
Starbroek News 20 Dec 07;

Expensive structures were not always necessary and in some instances, earthen embankments would suffice.

The European Union (EU) is pumping an additional $5 billion into Guyana's sea defences with special emphasis on shoring up the mangrove bulwark and it has also underlined the importance of a sector policy.

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and Head of the EU Delegation Ambassador Geert Heikens signed the agreement for the $5 billion sea defence project yesterday. Earlier this year, in March, a similar agreement worth 900,000 euros had been signed.

The new agreement, Heikens pointed out in brief remarks, provides for preventative maintenance and reconstruction as the main components as well as the institutional capacity building components, including the expansion of the already established Shore Zone Management System.

He said the EU was happy to assist Guyana in the long-term development of the sea defence sector.

Mangroves, which are the first line of sea defence are an additional element being catered for under the programme. Head of the Sea and River Defence Division of the Public Works Ministry George Howard, who was on hand for the signing, explained that the financial assistance will cover reconstruction and rehabilitation of Sea Defence works in Ann's Grove and Clonbrook in Region Four and Number 66 Village in Region Six. Work will also be done on the sea defence in Regions Two and Three, including Wakenaam, Howard said.

He pointed out too that the division was also in the process of designing sea defences for Leguan, for which local funds were being used.

In the area of institutional capacity building, he explained that consultants were already here and have started with the design of programmes.

Regarding the mangrove management programme, Howard said the department intended to improve this. He said there were some areas where this would be sufficient in terms of defence from sea encroachment. He noted that expensive structures were not always necessary and in some instances, earthen embankments would suffice.

However, the re-planting and maintenance of mangroves could cost as much as US$3.8 million per kilometre.

In this regard, he said that a public education programme would be designed to sensitize people on the use of mangroves and their role in ensuring that they are not destroyed.

He acknowledged that some "stepping-up" would have to be done in terms of maintenance management of sea defences.

The Finance Minister in expressing thanks to the EU underscored the importance of the emphasis being placed on the sector against the background of the challenges countries like Guyana face in the wake of climate change.

"We have had to wrestle with the challenges of living below sea level and it has not been an easy battle given the reality of Guyana's topography," he said.

He explained that the EU funds will augment resources provided from the local budget to enhance the capacity of the sea defence.

An EU statement said the backlog of rehabilitation of the severely deteriorated sea defence was estimated at about 20 years, and the present state of the sea defence was considered critical.

It said the overall strategic objective of the programme will be the improvement of the living conditions of the population by increased confidence against inundation by sea water.

Heikens said the EU will place special emphasis on assisting government in its efforts to develop a Sea Defence Sector policy, for which terms of reference have already been finalised. "A sector policy will not only provide the basis required to ensure adequate levels of funding for preventative maintenance, but will also provide for an integrated comprehensive approach under which co-ordinated and sustainable actions can take place," he said.

The European Development Fund is currently the only long-term active donor in the sea defence sector in Guyana.

India's endangered elephants boosted by 'corridor' opening

Anil Penna Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

An "elephant corridor" linking two forest reserves is being opened in southern India, giving the endangered animals unrestricted movement to feed and breed in the region, officials say.

More than 1,000 elephants are set to gain right of passage through the corridor linking the Edayargalli and Doddasampige reserves when land deeds are handed over to the Karnataka state forest department on Thursday.

India is home to an estimated 25,000 wild elephants, the most in Asia, but their numbers have been vastly depleted by poaching and habitat loss.

Encroachment on elephant turf by humans has also forced the animals to stray from their habitats and attack settlements in search of food.

"Securing these corridors is the only long-term solution for reducing the human-elephant conflict," said Vivek Menon, executive director of the Wildlife Trust of India.

The 25.5 acres (10 hectares) of land was bought by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in 2005 for an unspecified sum to ensure the area is protected from human settlement.

The wildlife trust and the IFAW, which are partner organisations, currently hold the deeds.

Menon estimates that clashes between humans and elephants kill roughly 200 people and an equal number of the animals every year, aside from the crop damage caused by rampaging herds.

"Elephants are big nomads -- if you don't give them room to move from one habitat to another, the situation will only get worse," said Menon, an elephant biologist.

The handover of the deeds will mark the start of a two-day meeting of chief wildlife wardens from 10 states, animal rights activists and conservationists in Bangalore to discuss elephant protection measures.

The scale of the problem is highlighted by satellite imagery showing that between 1996 and 2000 villagers encroached on 691,000 acres of thick forest in the northeastern state of Assam, home to 5,000 elephants -- the most in India.

Thursday's land handover ceremony in Bangalore, the Karnataka state capital, marks the first time land has been bought by a private organisation and delivered to the government to protect elephant habitats.

In return for the land, forest rangers will maintain the corridor as a safe passage for elephants.

The corridor, which is two kilometres (1.25 miles) long and 0.5 km wide, links two forest areas cut off from each other by deforestation and agricultural land, the statement said.

A highway runs through the corridor connecting the human settlements but it has little traffic and officials say plans will be made to regulate the road to avoid hampering elephants' ability to move safely between the protected areas.

"Elephants are intelligent animals; they will go to the edge of the forest and wait for the traffic to pass before crossing over," said Menon.

The Wildlife Trust of India, the IFAW and other partners have also acquired part of a strip of land linking the Wayanad and Brahmagiri sanctuaries in Kerala that is threatened by human habitation.

US govt rejects California bid for tough emissions standards

Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

The United States government on Wednesday rejected a request by California for it to be allowed to introduce tough new vehicle emissions standards, dealing a blow to the state's hopes of slashing greenhouse gas levels over the next decade.

The Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement that after consideration of the requests by California it had found there were no "compelling and extraordinary conditions" to grant a waiver.

The EPA instead said legislation signed by President George W. Bush this week was a step towards a "clear national solution" towards curbing greenhouse gas emissions rather than a "confusing patchwork of state rules."

California passed legislation in 2002 requiring automakers to reduce vehicle emissions 30 percent by 2016. A total of 17 states had reportedly indicated they would adopt California's emissions levels.

However, for the law to take effect, California needed approval with a waiver from the EPA.

Analysts say the Bush administration is opposed to California's request because of fears of the effect it may have on the ailing US auto industry.

California officials responded to Wednesday's decision by vowing to press ahead with plans to sue the government.

"It is completely absurd to assert that California does not have a compelling need to fight global warming by curbing greenhouse gas emissions from cars," Attorney General Jerry Brown said.

"There is absolutely no legal justification for the Bush administration to deny this request - Governor Schwarzenegger and I are preparing to sue at the earliest possible moment."

Schwarzenegger vowed no let-up in California's fight to set it's own standards.

"It is disappointing that the federal government is standing in our way and ignoring the will of tens of millions of people across the nation," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

"We will continue to fight this battle. California sued to compel the (EPA) to act on our waiver, and now we will sue to overturn today's decision and allow Californians to protect our environment."

Although Schwarzenegger applauded the federal energy bill signed by Bush, he said it did not go far enough.

"The energy bill does not reflect a vision, beyond 2020, to address climate change, while California's vehicle greenhouse gas standards are part of a carefully designed, comprehensive program to fight climate change through 2050," he said.

Schwarzenegger has made the environment a key issue of his tenure, signing a historic bill in September 2006 that saw the state become the first in the US to impose limits on global warming gases.

Under the plan, California will aim to slash the state's carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent by the year 2020, a figure that Schwarzenegger has said is equivalent to removing 6.5 million vehicles from the road.

EPA denies Calif. greenhouse gas waiver
Ken Thomas and Erica Werner, Associated Press Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday slapped down California's bid for first-in-the-nation greenhouse gas limits on cars, trucks and SUVs, refusing the state a waiver that would have allowed those restrictions to take effect.

"The Bush administration is moving forward with a clear national solution — not a confusing patchwork of state rules," EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson told reporters on a conference call. "I believe this is a better approach than if individual states were to act alone."

The long-awaited decision amounted to a serious setback for California and at least 16 other states seeking the new car regulations to achieve their anti-global warming goals.

The tailpipe standards California adopted in 2004 would have forced automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and light trucks by 2016, with the cutbacks beginning in the 2009 model year.

Under the Clean Air Act, the state needed a federal waiver to implement the rules.

"It is disappointing that the federal government is standing in our way and ignoring the will of tens of millions of people across the nation," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. "California sued to compel the agency to act on our waiver, and now we will sue to overturn today's decision and allow Californians to protect our environment."

Twelve other states — Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington — have adopted the California emissions standards, and the governors of Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Utah have said they also plan to adopt them. The rules were also under consideration in Iowa.

With Wednesday's denial, those other states are also prevented from moving forward.

In explaining his decision, Johnson cited energy legislation approved by Congress and signed into law Wednesday by President Bush. The law requires automakers to achieve an industrywide average fuel efficiency for cars, SUVs and small trucks of 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

Johnson said Congress' approach would be better than a "partial state-by-state approach." He said California's law would have yielded a 33.8 mpg standard, but California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols said Johnson's math was "just wrong."

She said the California regulations would have resulted in a 36.8 miles per gallon average and would have taken effect sooner than the federal standards.

"EPA is now trying to hide behind the passage of (fuel economy) legislation," Nichols said. "This is really unconscionable."

Environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers also denounced the decision. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who chairs the Senate's environment committee, said she'd question Johnson at a hearing. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the government oversight and reform committee in the House, vowed to investigate, alleging the decision was dictated by politics — something Johnson denied.

"This federal agency blunder is bad policy and worse law," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said. "We will take the EPA to court if necessary and once again demonstrate that no one is above the law. If the EPA won't obey the law or take the lead, at least it should get out of the way so states can protect our environment."

Automakers applauded the outcome.

General Motors Corp. said in a statement that "by removing the disproportionate burden of complying with a patchwork of state-specific regulations that would divert our resources, automakers can concentrate on developing and implementing the advanced technologies in ways that will meet America's driving needs."

Wednesday's decision was further confirmation of the Bush administration's adamant opposition to mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions, even after a string of court decisions affirming the right of states and the federal government to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

It was the first time the EPA had fully denied California a Clean Air Act waiver since Congress gave California the right to obtain such waivers in 1967.

The auto regulations were to have been a major part of California's first-in-the-nation global warming law which aims to reduce greenhouse gases economy-wide by 25 percent — to 1990 levels — by 2020. The auto emission reductions would have accounted for about 17 percent of the state's proposed reductions.

Nichols said California expects to win on appeal and does not plan to shift its strategy to meeting greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Despite the Bush administration's opposition to mandatory greenhouse gas limits, some congressional Democrats hope to craft a federal law. Earlier this month Boxer's committee passed a bill with mandatory caps on greenhouse gases although there are no immediate plans for the full Senate or the House to act.

California had been waiting for Wednesday's decision for two years. EPA put it off while a Supreme Court case was pending on whether the agency could regulate greenhouse gases. In April, the Supreme Court said it could.

In the wake of that ruling, President Bush directed federal agencies to craft regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. Johnson said Wednesday he would review the newly signed energy bill to see what additional steps might need to be taken.

Associated Press writer Samantha Young in Sacramento contributed to this report.

Japan denies dropping humpback whale hunt: foreign ministry

Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

Japan said Thursday it has made no agreement to stop hunting humpback whales, denying comments from the US ambassador here that suggested a temporary deal had been struck.

"There is no (new) written, diplomatic agreement between Japan and the United States over the current specific whaling mission... and whaling in general," said Tomohiko Taniguchi, spokesman for the Japanese foreign ministry.

He was responding to comments by US ambassador Thomas Schieffer, who reportedly told journalists Wednesday that Japan and the United States agreed on no harvesting of humpback whales for the time being.

Taniguchi said the ambassador might have meant to refer to various discussions between Japan and the United States and suggested whaling had been one of many topics covered.

He added, however, that he was not aware of the context in which Schieffer made the remarks.

"I cannot disclose exactly what diplomatic discussions we are having. But there is no concrete, diplomatic agreement on whaling between Japan and the United States," Taniguchi said.

Japan's ships set sail last month on the country's largest hunt yet, which for the first time since the 1960s will kill humpbacks, one of the most popular animals for Australian whale watchers.

The mission defied warnings from Japan's usual Western allies including Australia.

Australia's new left-leaning government said Wednesday it would deploy an unarmed customs ship and a surveillance aircraft to monitor the Japanese hunt as well as appoint an envoy in Tokyo to press its case.

Tokyo responded on Wednesday, calling for calm and voiced hope Australia would come to understand its whaling.

Japan, which says whaling is part of its culture, is carrying out the hunt in the Antarctic Ocean using a loophole in a 1986 global moratorium on commercial whaling that allows "lethal research" on the giant mammals.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace on Thursday called on new Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to contact his Japanese counterpart Yasuo Fukuda and demand a halt to whaling in waters off Antarctica.

Greenpeace's Australia Pacific chief Steve Shallhorn said Rudd, who made campaign pledges to keep Australia strongly opposed to whaling before his centre-left Labor Party won power last month, needed to become personally involved in the issue.

"There's still time, this issue is developing, and I think it's appropriate for the Australian prime minister to pick up the phone and talk to the Japanese prime minister," he told reporters.

Shallhorn, however, welcomed Australia's plan, announced Wednesday, to send an unarmed customs vessel and an aircraft to the Southern Ocean to monitor the Japanese whaling fleet and step up diplomatic efforts to end the cull.

Shallhorn also claimed Japan was planning to build a new whaling factory ship with the capacity to double the nation's whale kill.

The existing whaler "Nisshin Maru" was temporarily disabled in a fire that killed a crew member earlier this year and Shallhorn said a Japanese fisheries industry newspaper had reported a new vessel was being considered last May.

Malaysia must learn to live with deluges

Prepare for more surges
M. Veera Pandiyan, The Star 20 Dec 07;

We must accept that existing mitigation measures are no longer effective. Radical changes are needed in our preparedness for floods, taking global weather change into concern. It's a cliché but what we need is a paradigm shift.

Malaysia must learn to live with the deluges by devising long-term plans.

THE year is coming to an end, just the way it did last year – wet, wet, wet. As of yesterday, 30 people had been reported dead in floods, and close to 40,000 in Johor, Pahang, Kelantan and Kedah forced to flee their deluged homes.

When the floods hit Johor last December, climate experts issued grim warnings. More such disasters could be expected, they said, because of changing global weather patterns.

There would be higher than usual rainfall over the next two decades and the experts warned the Government to be prepared to face massive floods such as the one that hit the country in 1971.

Even the soothsayers saw it coming at the start of 2007, the Year of the Fire Pig in the Chinese zodiac.

A popular on-line Chinese astrologer predicted: 2006’s “furnace” of Yang fire (Bing) has dimmed to a flickering “candlelight” Ying fire (Ding) for the Fire Pig Year of 2007. While the Fire factor will still be present, the hidden element is Water.

Now that we are back on the same old boat, let’s acknowledge our malady of selective amnesia. We have been there and done that, but we can’t quite remember to get it right when troubles recur.

Yes, the response to the floods has been fairly quick. Rescue of those trapped in areas cut off by rising waters, supply of relief aid to victims via army trucks, boats and even helicopters, have been laudable, although help from the country’s major profit-raking corporations has been shamefully slow, unlike last year.

But when it comes to planning ahead and being ready, it has been the same sorry story. There were red alerts from the Meteorological Services Department like last year but for most of the victims, the water rose too fast.

They only had time to save themselves. The furniture, appliances and other basic belongings had to be abandoned. For the poor, this means new hire-purchase debts all over again.

In 2006, the murky waters flushed down an estimated RM1.2bil. It’s still early days to assess the latest losses in ruined roads and railway links, bridges, power stations and a wide range of businesses, including fish, prawn and oyster farms and from crops like palm oil and rubber. To make things worse, a second wave is likely to lash the east coast states soon.

While the task at hand is to ensure speedy delivery of relief and prevent a potentially bigger blow in the form of water-borne diseases, the Government should also start focusing on ways to counter dangers from cataclysms that are yet to come.

We must accept that existing mitigation measures are no longer effective. Radical changes are needed in our preparedness for floods, taking global weather change into concern. It's a cliché but what we need is a paradigm shift.

We can no longer regard floods as unavoidable natural banes. There must be proactive plans, like reviewing the extent of the country's mutilated topography and upgrading its entire drainage network.

We should also think about designing buildings that can withstand periodic inundation, like the new designs for schools in flood-prone areas, currently being drawn up by the Education Ministry.

The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (SDR), the UN’s body for preventing disasters, says the number of hydro-meteorological hazards – hurricanes, typhoons, droughts and floods – have risen sharply over the past three decades.

Between 1995 and 2004, such scourges killed 890,000 people, disrupted 2.5 billion lives and caused losses of US$570bil.

That works out to a staggering RM1.9 trillion – twice the value of Malaysia's current annual external trade.

Perhaps we can take a leaf out of how seriously Britain is looking at the problem after parts of the country were badly hit by flooding during the summer months.

Sir Michael Pitt, an independent reviewer appointed to study the floods wants girding up for floods to be accorded the same priority as planning for “terrorism or pandemic flu.”

In an interview with BBC’s Radio 4, he said floods were likely to get worse with global warming and that Britons must learn to adapt accordingly.

The Pitt Review made 87 recommendations, all of which were agreed to by British Environment Secretary Hilary Benn. They include having the public act more responsibly, introduction of more flood-resilient buildings and preventive efforts by local authorities.

It listed lessons to be learnt from the floods and highlighted existing failings of the government, including the lack of a national flood emergency plan, no clear responsibility for dealing with urban flooding and no systematic stockpiling of emergency equipment, such as boats.

At home level, it proposed emergency flood kits for potential victims – batteries, radio, torch, mobile phones, rubber gloves, cleaning materials, emergency contact numbers of local councils and other services, antibacterial gels or wipes, first aid boxes and blankets.

The British government has since pledged up to £800m (RM5.4bil) a year by 2011 for flood preparation programmes. Whopping, as it may seem, the amount has been dismissed as “too low” by the insurance industry.

Back to Malaysia, where clamour to set up royal commissions of inquiry into an array of contentious issues is the order of the day, it might be a bit far fetched to expect the appointment of an independent reviewer to study floods and make recommendations.

But with torrential rains expected annually, we have no choice but to start drawing up practical and enduring mitigation plans, whatever the cost.

M. Veera Pandiyan, Deputy Editor, New Media, who was born in the year of the Water Goat and lives on the 11th floor of an apartment, empathises with flood victims.

Najib: School calendar to be adjusted if flooding continues
The Star 20 Dec 07;

TUMPAT: Students in flood-affected areas may get to enjoy longer school holidays if the situation does not return to normal, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

He said this was because some schools were flooded while others had been turned into flood relief centres.

“We'll make adjustments to the school calendar if necessary,” he told reporters after presenting food aid and cattle for Hari Raya Haji at SK Bunohan here yesterday.

The year-end school holidays will end on Jan 1 for some states and Jan 2 for the others.

Najib said 28 schools in Kelantan were affected by the floods which began to hit the state on Dec 8.

More low-lying and coastal areas are at risk of being flooded while the situation in the affected areas may worsen with the high tide phenomenon forecast to start on Friday.

The Meteorological Department had said the high tide would peak from Dec 23 to 26 and was expected to last until Dec 29.

Najib advised those living in such areas as well as near rivers to exercise caution as the sea level may rise and contribute to more flooding.

He reminded parents to keep a close watch on their children and prevent them from playing in floodwaters as most of the 29 flood fatalities in Kelantan, Pahang and Johor were children.

Najib said he was satisfied with the management of relief aid in Kelantan, thanks to close cooperation between the federal and state government. – Bernama

Best of our wild blogs: 20 Dec 07

Hantu dive photos
fabulous amazing photos (as usual) on the hantu blog

New Nudibranch Guidebook by Helmut Debelius and Rudie Kuiter
on the fins online blog

The Eagle and the Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens
on the bird ecology blog

Dwindling excuses for false solutions
looking at solar power on the it's getting hot in here blog

Singapore: from voluntour to volunteer

Organisers of overseas relief trips say such expeditions are an important first step to get youth more involved in volunteerism
Sumathi V. Selvaretnam, Straits Times 20 Dec 07;

AFTER the Asian tsunami in 2004, Mr Hari Vijayarajan made a resolution to become 'more useful' in the upcoming year.

Two months later, the programme manager at Microsoft Singapore was onboard a flight to Sri Lanka for a disaster relief mission organised by the YMCA.

The images that he saw there left a lasting impression.

He said: 'Dead bodies were still being cleared. I saw six- to eight-year-olds who had recently become orphans. I felt I could do more.'

Mr Vijayarajan, 26, is one of thousands of young Singaporeans who head overseas every year to lend a helping hand.

But those expeditions, known somewhat derisively as 'voluntours', came into the spotlight earlier this month when the head of Singapore's national volunteer association called them 'superficial'.

Mr Stanley Tan, chief of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, also told The Straits Times the short expeditions were not the best way to teach young people the meaning of giving.

Local groups that have organised such trips recently bristled at Mr Tan's comments.

Ms Peggy Kek, acting director of the Singapore International Foundation, which runs a overseas volunteer programme, said that short-term assignments can be 'a crucial first step for one to begin his or her love affair with volunteerism'.

For Mr Vijayarajan, the Sri Lanka experience encouraged him to volunteer on a more regular basis.

Upon his return, he joined the Singapore arm of international aid agency Habitat for Humanity, which sends teams across the world to rebuild homes. In August this year, he led a team of 19 volunteers to Khao Lak, Thailand, to rebuild a house destroyed by the tsunami.

Mr Yong Teck Meng, the national director of Habitat for Humanity, said many of the volunteers ended up working with the organisation on a regular basis. Without their support, many people would be homeless, he added.

'In Batam, for example, our efforts resulted in the provision of more than 300 houses for the needy,' Mr Yong said.

The volunteers stand to gain too, organisers said.

Expeditions organised by the Singapore Red Cross and the National Youth Council help volunteers develop new skills and learn about other parts of the world.

Volunteers plan months in advance for their missions, assessing the needs of the host community, raising their own funds and taking care of logistics. They also have to write a post-trip evaluation report.

Mr Izuan Rais, who heads the International Relief Division at Mercy Relief, said: 'Upon their return, during post-trip interviews, many of the volunteers feel humbled by the experience. They realise how fortunate they have been and how much more they are capable of doing.'

Ms Aileen Yap, 29, is a civil servant who helped build a house for a tsunami victim in Khao Lak with Habitat for Humanity.

'I couldn't believe that I was able to mix cement, lay bricks and build a house!' she said.

Told this week how volunteers had reacted to his comments, NVPC chief Mr Tan said he was not against this kind of activity.

'I do not discourage overseas volunteer trips, but I'm making a case for volunteers to be nurtured way before they embark on such trips,' he said.

Floods more deadly now than a decade ago, KL warns

Straits Times 20 Dec 07;

Effects worsened by seasonal monsoons and cutting down of trees from hillsides
KOTA BARU (KELANTAN) - THE Malaysian government has warned of a new age of floods, with the combination of felling of hillside trees and seasonal monsoons creating deadlier results compared to a decade ago.

Natural Resources and Environment Ministry parliamentary secretary Sazmi Miah said yesterday that several factors had combined to wreak havoc on daily life.

He cited swifter river currents, a higher rate of landslides, drainage systems clogged by mud and debris, as well as the dwindling number of trees, which are natural water catchments.

'We hope people understand that the more we wrangle over the environment, the more nature has a tendency to come back and bite us,' he said.

What has occurred, he said, is that the number of hillside trees, which are nature's 'sponge' to absorb excess water that will otherwise flow into rivers, have been reduced to such an extent that water is now flowing downstream more rapidly, leading to stronger and faster currents. Hence, riverbanks are spilling over at a swifter rate.

At least 29 people were killed and 34,000 displaced as floods battered several states in peninsular Malaysia during the past two weeks.

The north-eastern state of Kelantan has the highest number of victims, with 14 drowning cases reported as of Tuesday.

Datuk Sazmi said state governments, particularly along the east coast, must generate awareness among the people that playing in flood waters is no longer harmless, given the stronger currents.

State Drainage and Irrigation Department director Lim Chow Hock said the release of excess water from a dam in Narathiwat in southern Thailand also highlighted the need for a government-to-government effort to address the cross-border effects of floods.

It is believed that the water from the dam contributed to the third round of floods in Kelantan, with Tumpat the worst affected, and the number of evacuees here has risen to some 7,000.

Sungai Golok, a river separating Narathiwat province in Thailand and Kelantan in Malaysia, also recorded its highest-ever level of water at 10.6m on Monday.

Meanwhile tonnes of palm oil fruits turned rotten after the floods destroyed the country's plantations, as well as disrupted harvests and transportation to refiners.

Elsewhere, monsoon rains disrupted rubber tapping in Thailand and affected the quality of fresh fruit harvests in Indonesia.

'We heard it's difficult to bleach crude palm oil to get the refined palm products because the rains have spoilt the fruits and there has been quite a bit of contamination,' said a dealer with a foreign commodities trading house.

'Plantation companies are losing out because they have to sell these fruits at a discount to the refiners and, if the quality is really bad, the refiners have a right to get compensation.'

Worries about tight supplies boosted Malaysian palm oil futures, with the benchmark March contract hovering within sight of the record RM3,068 (S$1,337) a tonne hit late last month.

Malaysia is the world's largest producer of palm oil, which is used in products ranging from edible oil, shampoo, ice cream and margarine to biofuels.

The country's palm oil output is likely to fall 18 per cent this month compared to last month, as floods and heavy rains have inundated plantations in key producing states.

Meteorological officials expect more rain to pound the north-eastern Malaysian states during the monsoon season, a climatic phenomenon that occurs between November and February every year.

The relief authorities are bracing themselves for the high tide phenomenon, which is expected to worsen the flood situation in the central state of Pahang.

But the flood situation has improved in the southern state of Johor, with only 2,012 victims left in 33 evacuation centres.

Last week, there were more than 5,000 evacuees.

Palm oil growers savaged by floods
Business Times 20 Dec 07;

(SINGAPORE) Tonnes of palm oil fruits turned rotten in Malaysia after deadly floods caused by days of heavy rain wreaked havoc on the country's plantations, disrupting harvests and transport to refiners.

Elsewhere, monsoon rains disrupted rubber tapping in Thailand but coffee basked in the sun in Vietnam's Central Highlands as harvests progressed. Parts of drought-hit Australia may experience warm weather early next year.

At least 28 people were killed and 34,000 displaced as floods battered several states in Peninsular Malaysia, including central Pahang state and Johor in the south, which accounts roughly for a third of the country's palm oil output.

'We heard it's difficult to bleach crude palm oil to get the refined palm products because the rains have spoilt the fruits and there has been quite a bit of contamination,' said a dealer with a foreign commodities trading house.

'Plantation companies are losing out because they have to sell these fruits at a discount to the refiners and if the quality is really bad, the refiners have a right to get compensation.'

Heavy rains are expected in Johor and Pahang until today, the Malaysian Meteorological Department said on its website.

Worries about tight supplies supported Malaysian palm oil futures, with the benchmark March contract hovering within sight of a record RM3,068 (S$1,337) per tonne that was reached in late November.

Malaysia is the world's largest producer of palm oil, which is used in products ranging from edible oil, shampoo, ice-cream, margarine to biofuels.

Malaysia's palm oil output is likely to fall 18 per cent this month from November, as floods and heavy rains have inundated plantations in key producing states.

Heavy rains in Indonesia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer, also raised water content in fresh fruit bunches and led to higher free fatty acids. Good quality crude palm oil has free fatty acid content of no more than 5 per cent.

In neighbouring Thailand, rubber farmers in the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat had stopped tapping for about a week because of the monsoon rains, causing a drop in supply that could last until the end of December.

'Tapping in the deep south has completely stopped. Rains and floods don't only disrupt tapping but also transport,' said a farmer in Narathiwat.

Thailand's weather service warned of more rains in the south next week. The country is the world's largest rubber producer.

'This year is weird because we didn't expect too much rain. But I think supply in the deep south should be OK in January,' said a farmer in Yala.

While parts of Thailand struggled with incessant rains, coffee farmers in Vietnam, the world's largest robusta producer, enjoyed ample sunshine as they dried recently harvested cherries. The harvest is in full swing, thanks to good weather, and farmers are expected to release their growing stocks to cover year-end expenses.

Traders estimated Vietnam may already have sold about 8.33 million bags of coffee or about half its crop.

In Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology said warmer weather was expected in January through March in the southern part of the country, where barley is grown.

'The national outlook for maximum temperatures averaged over the March quarter, January to March, shows a moderate to strong shift in the odds favouring higher than average temperatures over much of southern Australia,' it said on its website.

Australia is gripped by its worst drought in 100 years, resulting in crop failures that have propelled wheat prices both there and globally to record highs\. \-- Reuters

Hong Kongers Say Bah Humbug to Christmas Lights

PlanetArk 20 Dec 07;

HONG KONG - Glittering neon santas and rainbows of flashy lights are the norm for glitzy Hong Kong in December.

But this year the city's shimmering, shopper-friendly winter wonderland is turning heads for all the wrong reasons. Environmental activists and some shoppers say the lights are blocking out the night sky and are gobbling up lots of electricity.

"I think it's a waste of energy. It's really bad. I don't think it's necessary," said shopper Jackie Chow, as he strolled through the crowded Causeway Bay shopping district.

The decorations are considered part of Hong Kong's Christmas glamour. Many of the city's waterfront skyscrapers are lit up for the festive season and for the Chinese New Year holiday that follows.

At street level, retailers hope neon billboards and blinking decorations will lure shoppers to their stores.

But to some experts, all that light is pollution.

"Instead of lights that we are able to use, for security reasons, for various commercial reasons, actually these are energy lost," said Jason Pun, an Assistant Professor of Physics at Hong Kong University.

"(They) just become the haze background, the light background that we call light pollution," he said.

Astronomers in particular are concerned about the effect of light pollution, claiming it is becoming near-impossible to see the night sky due to the cloud of haze caused by blinking lights.

Pun is leading a government-sponsored study measuring the brightness of the night sky in urban areas compared to quieter areas on the edge of the city.

Early results show the night sky is 30 times brighter in urban areas.

"There's a whole generation of young children who grow up without actually being able to see the night sky because when they turn their heads up to the sky all they see is just regular gray haze," said Pun.

"They don't see any of the stars and planets."

Retailers, content with the strong local economy and surge of mainland Chinese tourists who dash across the border to Hong Kong for shopping and dining tours, have not made any noises about dimming the lights.

And the government, which has long been enamoured by the spectacular displays lighting up the city's famous harbour, is pushing ahead with a spectacular multimedia show, "A Symphony of Lights", to be projected on more than 40 buildings on New Year's Eve.

But for shoppers who jostle under their glare, lights that are too bright are fast becoming another seasonal grumble, along with crowds and congestion.

"For just a couple of weeks I think its okay," said shopper Jeff Yu.

"But if it's for a long time like the other neon lights, it's not good". (Writing by Tara Joseph, editing by Gillian Murdoch and David Fogarty)

Indonesia Tries to Stop Oil Spill From Tanker in Surabaya

PlanetArk 20 Dec 07;

JAKARTA - Rescuers in Indonesia were trying to prevent an oil leak on Wednesday after a tanker overturned at a port in the country's second-largest city of Surabaya, a port official said on Wednesday.

The tanker, with a capacity of 500,000 litres, capsized on Tuesday while being loaded with fuel oil at the Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya, said harbour master Rocky Ahmad Suherman.

A small amount of oil had seeped from the ship operated by Indonesian company Pasifik Selatan but it appeared to have come from its engine, he said.

"We are discussing with related parties how to right the tanker without spilling the oil," Suherman said.

It was not clear how full the tanker, the Karisma Selatan, was when it capsized.

Surabaya is about 800 km (497 miles) east of the capital Jakarta on Java island.

No was was hurt in the accident.

(Reporting by Ahmad Pathoni, editing by Ed Davies and Sanjeev Miglani)

Marine protection plan unveiled in the UK

BBC News 20 Dec 07;

Public consultation has begun on proposals to extend protection for marine life around Britain.

Seven areas, totalling 10,000sq km (4,000sq miles) of sea, have been earmarked as sites for the UK's first offshore Special Areas of Conservation.

They include habitats of important sea life, such as sandbanks, sand volcanoes and cold water coral reefs, found in the seas surrounding the UK.

Currently, only coastal and inshore areas are protected.

The government says areas rich in wildlife further out to sea face a different kind of threat.

Jonathan Shaw, the minister for marine, landscape and rural affairs, said: "The UK has one of the richest marine environments in the world.

"We want to bring conservation standards at sea up to the level of those that we have on land, to give greater protection to sea life.

"I want to see a network of marine protected areas around the UK by 2012, and these seven new proposed offshore areas would be a big part of that."

The sites will be presented to the European Commission in September 2008.

Included sites

The projected conservation areas include the Darwin Mounds, an exceptional cold water coral reef to the north-west of Scotland, and the Scanner and Braemar Pockmarks in the North Sea where methane seeps from the sea floor, sustaining communities of worms and other organisms.

Around 380 organisations will be contacted for their views on these proposals, but comments from any interested parties are welcome.

Charlotte Johnston, the Marine Site and Strategy Team Leader at the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) told BBC News: "We have attempted to include all stakeholders in this consultation, such as sea users, conservation organisations and offshore government departments."

Environmental groups have campaigned for a move like this for more than five years.

Dr Simon Walmsley, head of marine programmes at the conservation group WWF-UK, welcomed the news.

However, he said he was concerned over the time it had taken to make the announcement and urged the government to meet its 2012 deadline.

He also said he was anxious about how the sites had been selected and in particular why areas like Dogger Bank in the North Sea, an important spawning ground for fish and dolphins, had not been recommended for protection.

Ms Johnston said the area had not been included "as more time is required for the science to establish where the site boundary needs to lie".

Level of protection

Dr Walmsley also expressed concern over what level of protection the sites would have.

"Will any become highly protected marine reserves where no level of activity can happen and there is a no-take policy?" he asked.

Protected areas can bring benefits to the fishing industry by creating places where young fish can grow. The UK's only "no-take zone" around the Isle of Lundy has brought local shellfish populations back from their overfished state.

The JNCC decision, to determine if a marine industry activity will be permitted, depends on the features at the site, the level of protection required and the type of activity.

Ms Johnston said: "After an appropriate assessment, if it is likely the development will have significant adverse effects on the habitat then it will not be permitted, except on the grounds of overriding public interest."

Marine bill to 'protect UK seas'
BBC News 15 Mar 07;

The government has launched its long-awaited Marine Bill which aims to protect Britain's seas and marine life.

As well as creating protected areas, ministers plan to improve the regulation of inshore fisheries and ease planning for offshore industry.

Environment groups have generally given the move a guarded welcome.

The bill, a manifesto commitment at the 2005 general election, goes out for consultation with the aim of passing legislation next year.

"Protecting our seas is one of the biggest environmental challenges after climate change, and the two are closely linked," said Environment Secretary David Miliband.

"The proposals in the Marine Bill White Paper are a first for the UK, and would raise planning for the management and protection of our seas to a world-leading level."

'Vital tool'

The bill would create up to eight new Special Areas of Conservation, including features such as the Dogger Bank in the North Sea which are important spawning grounds for fish and dolphins.

Other projected conservation areas include the Darwin Mounds, an exceptional cold coral reef to the north-west of Scotland, and the Scanner and Braemar Pockmarks in the North Sea where methane seeps from the sea floor, sustaining communities of worms and other organisms.

Protected areas can bring benefits to the fishing industry by creating places where young fish can grow. The UK's only "no-take zone" around the Isle of Lundy has brought local shellfish populations back from their overfished state.

Meanwhile, companies wanting to exploit non-protected zones of the sea would find their progress eased.

Environmental groups began campaigning for a bill like this more than five years ago.

They were delighted when Labour included it in its manifesto for the last general election, but dismayed when it did not make the 2006 Queen's Speech.

"There is a lot in the Marine Bill White Paper that we are excited about," said WWF's campaign director Paul King.

"It is a vital tool for restoring our seas to good health, and it is now crucial that the government introduces legislation in the 2007 Queen's Speech if it is to meet its national and international targets on biodiversity and climate change."

Those targets include the commitment, made by every government signed up to the UN biodiversity convention, to halt the global loss of biodiversity by 2010.

On climate change, the renewables industry has been lobbying hard for streamlining of the planning process for offshore wind farms, and the Marine Bill promises to meet that need.

Protection urged for UK sea life
BBC News 16 Jan 07;

Conservation scientists have identified eight "biodiversity hotspots" around Britain's coast which they say ought to be priorities for protection.

The Marine Biological Association (MBA) and WWF want these areas to be given protected status under the government's proposed Marine Bill.

They include areas of importance for fish, mammals, birds and shellfish.

The government says it remains committed to introducing a Marine Bill within this term of Parliament.

Its absence from the Queen's Speech surprised and angered conservation groups. Publication of a white paper could come as early as March.

Special sites

Currently, the UK has 56 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) which include marine habitat, with a further five under consideration.

Development is restricted in these areas; but WWF believes hotspots need a higher level of protection, as has recently been implemented around the Isle of Lundy, the UK's first "no-take zone" where fishing is banned.

"It's part of our international commitments (on biodiversity), and if the government doesn't now come forward with the bill we will be immensely upset," said WWF's marine policy officer Kate Reeves.

"These are particularly diverse areas, and we want them to be highly protected marine reserves," she told the BBC News website.

With such a range of habitats around the coast, scientists need a way of identifying which ones should be priorities for protection.

The Marine Biological Association and partners have used a complex set of criteria. Broadly speaking, an area is considered special if:

* it includes a high proportion of the global or regional population of a species
* it is home to organisms that do not move
* decline has been identified
* decline is likely
* it is manageable as a coherent unit

They assessed more than 120 sites around the UK, and detailed eight areas which they feel are especially deserving of protection.

These include Plymouth Reefs in the southwest of England, Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland and the Menai Strait in Wales.

All are notable for a huge richness of species. Unst in the Shetlands contains the only British representatives of species that thrive in the Arctic, including some sea urchins and sea cucumbers.

The estuary of the Blackwater in Essex is important for wading birds, yet threatened by human development; while the Dogger Bank in the North Sea is important for the harbour porpoise and as a spawning ground for herring.

The government acknowledged the need for marine protected areas in the consultation which it ran last year on the scheduled Marine Bill.

Protection can have benefits for people as well as nature. The Isle of Lundy no-take zone has led to a significant rise in the number of lobsters, which could provide a boost to the local fishing industry.

Japan Seen Halting Humpback Whale Hunt - US Envoy

PlanetArk 20 Dec 07;

TOKYO - Japan has apparently agreed not to kill humpback whales during its current Antarctic hunt, the US ambassador to Tokyo said on Wednesday, a move that could help ease criticism of its controversial whaling programme.

Japan's whaling fleet set sail last month with plans to catch more than 1,000 whales, including 50 humpbacks, which are popular among whale-watchers for their distinctive silhouettes and acrobatic leaps, before returning to port early next year.

Humpbacks were hunted to near extinction until the International Whaling Commission ordered their protection in 1966 and the planned hunt had sparked a loud outcry from activists.

"I think we had an agreement ... between the United States and Japan that humpback whales would not be harvested, I think, until maybe the International Whaling Conference in June," US ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer told a small group of reporters.

Because of migration patterns, the delay would mean it would be "a while before they are at risk again", Schieffer added.

Australia announced on Wednesday that it would send a fisheries patrol ship to shadow Japan's whaling fleet near Antarctica and gather evidence for a possible international court challenge to halt the yearly hunt.

Separately, Greenpeace sent a ship on Wednesday to try to stop the Japanese fleet hunting whales.

Japan has long resisted pressure to stop what it calls scientific whaling, insisting that whaling is a cherished cultural tradition.

"Japan's whaling is being conducted in line with international treaties and for the purpose of scientific research. We would like to win the understanding of others," a Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said in Tokyo. (Reporting by Linda Sieg; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Deforestation hits nutrient cycle

BBC News 19 Dec 07;

The benefits of cutting down tropical forests in order to convert the nutrient-rich soil into farmland are only short-lived, scientists suggest.

US researchers studied deforested land in Mexico and found that soil levels of phosphorus, a key nutrient for plants, fell by 44% after three growing cycles.

In the long-term, the land risked becoming so degraded that it would be uneconomic to farm, they added.

The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Downward spiral

The researchers from the University of Virginia examined the disruption to the phosphorus (P) cycle in southern Yucatan, where a dry tropical forest had been felled to become farmland.

"After three cultivation-fallow cycles, available soil P declines by 44%, and one-time P inputs from biomass burning decline by 76% from mature forest levels," they wrote.

The team added that the lack of a forest's canopy also resulted in hampering an area's ability to replenish phosphorus levels.

"The decline in new P from atmospheric deposition creates a long-term negative ecosystem balance."

The ongoing decline of the nutrient, which is a key component in the growth of organisms, triggered a "feedback" effect, they explained.

It could affect the growth of plants in the study area, and "may induce a shift to sparser vegetation", they warned.

As well as the area's ecosystem, the researchers added that local farmers were likely to be affected.

"Without financial support to encourage the use of fertilisers, farmers could increase the fallow period, clear new land, or abandon agriculture for off-farm employment," they wrote.

"[The farmers'] response will determine the regional balance between forest loss and forest regrowth."

Japan to save world's tuna spawning ground by funding Coral Triangle conservation

BIMP-Eaga asks Japan to save world's tuna spawning ground
Sun Star Davao 20 Dec 07;

JAPAN, one of the world's biggest consumer of tuna, is expected to contribute millions of dollars in funding to save and preserve the Coral Triangle, which has been identified by marine scientists as the world's spawning ground for tuna.

Jesus Dureza, presidential adviser on the peace process, said the four countries comprising BIMP-Eaga -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines -- agreed during the recent minister's meeting in Singapore to save and preserve this critical marine area along Celebes Sea and Sulu Sea which is the world's richest source of tuna.

The preservation of this so-called Coral Triangle was initiated by presidential daughter Ma. Lourdes "Luli" Arroyo, who works closely with the World Wildlife Fund, (WWF) as an active advocate for marine preservation in this part of the world.

Arroyo said the world's tuna population has been diminishing over the years from over-fishing and time has come for the countries of BIMP-Eaga to join hands in saving the spawning grounds of tuna in the Coral Triangle.

Trade Asst Secretary Merly Cruz who also heads the Senior Ministers meeting urged the four countries to help each other in coming up with plans and programs to preserve the region's Coral Triangle.

The BIMP-Eaga is composed of the entire sultanate of Brunei Darussalam; Irian Jaya, Maluko and the provinces of Kalimantan and Sulawesi in Indonesia, the states of Sabah and Sarawak and the Federal territory of Labuan in Malaysia; and the islands of Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines covering an area of 1.6 million square kilometers with a total population of 57.5 million people.

Grow more food in cities, U.N. agency tells Asia

Reuters 19 Dec 07;

GENEVA (Reuters) - Asian nations, many at risk from climate change, must invest more in urban and indoor farming to help feed the hundreds of millions of people in their growing cities, the World Meteorological Organisation said on Wednesday.

Of the 10 countries most affected by extreme weather in 2006, seven were Asian -- Afghanistan, China, India, Indonesia, North Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam, said the WMO, the U.N. agency looking at weather, climate and water problems.

Asia needs secure food supplies for its rising population, and "indoor and urban agriculture is receiving special attention to make most efficient use of space using controlled environments," WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said in a statement after a 3-day meeting in Hanoi on sustainable farming.

Weather problems affecting Asia range from drought in recent years in Afghanistan and other central and southwest Asian countries to floods this year in China and Bangladesh.

The WMO said it was necessary to improve seasonal prediction, early warning systems, and monitoring for regional droughts, to help farmers decide which crops to grow.

Forecasts could also help experts improve their ability to control the spread of pests and diseases.

The agency called on countries to provide the latest information on the impact of climate change on water resources, and assess whether modern or traditional methods of collecting rainwater were best for them.

(Reporting by Jonathan Lynn, editing by Tim Pearce)

EU cuts cod fishing in Atlantic

Yacine Le Forestier Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

EU fisheries ministers netted a deal in the early hours of Wednesday to reduce fishing quotas next year although environmentalists warned that the cuts did not go far enough to save stocks.

In marathon talks in Brussels, the ministers agreed to cut cod quotas by between nine and 18 percent in the North Atlantic, the European Union's Portuguese presidency said.

However, the cod cut is lower than the 25 percent the European Commission had been seeking initially and falls short of demands from environmentalists alarmed by dwindling stocks.

Greenpeace marine policy expert Saskia Richartz slammed the deal, which she said "continues a three-decade long trend of ministerial incompetence that is dragging Europe's seas towards a point of no return.

"The fisheries ministers simply cannot be trusted and more than ever Europe's environment ministers need to be included in future negotiations," she added.

The deal also reduces the number of days fisherman can cast their nets at sea by 10 percent but this only covers cod caught in the Atlantic and so excludes the North Sea.

An agreement on an 11 percent increase in cod quotas in the North Sea had already been reached as part of a separate deal with Norway.

Although cod has become considerably rarer in European waters for some years, prompting plans for its protection, recent studies suggest that stocks have begun to recover in some zones.

The cod-loving countries of Britain, France, Ireland, Belgium and Denmark -- the biggest cod fishing nation in the EU -- had seized on evidence of a recovery in hope of minimising the quota cuts.

Some environmentalists argue that fisheries should be closed entirely. Greenpeace protestors on Monday sealed off the entrances to the meeting, erecting a brick wall sprayed with slogans in front of the main entrance.

World Wildlife Fund fisheries expert Carol Phua criticized the ministers' failure to make obligatory measures aimed at protecting young fish.

"2008 will be earmarked as the year when cod had a chance to recover but was jeopardised due to lack of will to put in place clear measures to reduce cod by-catch," she said, referring to the capture of smaller, immature fish.

With European fish stocks under growing pressure, the annual negotiations between fisheries ministers to divvy up the quotas have become a tradition in Brussels, frequently with the haggling dragging on late into the night.

The ministers also agreed to deep cuts in quotas for fish such as blue whiting, herring and plaice.

They decided to keep a ban on anchovy fishing in the Bay of Biscay, which has often been a source of conflict between Spain and France, while waiting for scientists to say whether it should be reopened in July.

Some of Europe's big fishing nations, such as France and Spain, voiced satisfaction with the deal, which in some cases led to quota increases.

"Spain's satisfied," said Spanish Fisheries Minister Elena Espinosa. "Above all the Spanish fleet is satisfied because it can start 2008 keeping its quotas steady and even increasing some."

French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier stressed that the deal, which won unanimous backing, was a "balanced compromise".

"We are not badly treated compared to some other countries," said one French diplomat.

However, French fishermen were not of the same opinion.

"It's been a bad meeting for France. We haven't been hit this hard for five years," said Pierre-George Dachicourt, president of France's National Fisheries Committee.

EU cod fishing quotas up after stocks improve
Charles Clover, Telegraph 19 Dec 07;

Fishermen will be allowed to catch more cod in the North Sea next year and for the first time will be able to boost their livelihoods by avoiding dumping dead fish over the side, EU ministers have announced.

The annual negotiation on next year's catch quotas ended at dawn with an agreement which partially offsets further cutbacks in fishing effort by drawing the trawlermen themselves into the long-term revival of dwindling stocks of cod.

The deal also delivers the first significant rewards after years of belt-tightening by fishermen - an 11 per cent increase in permitted North Sea cod catches in 2008 to reflect a scientifically-acknowledged upturn in cod numbers but with less time to catch them in.

Elsewhere - off the West of Scotland and in the Irish Sea - fishermen must absorb yet more cod fishing reductions of up to 25 per cent.

And they face reduced "fishing effort" - the number of days at sea - as part of the deal.

Britain and the European Commission insisted that the plan was consistent with scientific advice, despite conservationists' insistence that the increase in quota for the North Sea was far more than the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea recommended for a cod recovery.

The newest element to the deal was the British proposal to allow fishing vessels to "earn" around 12 more days at sea by adopting voluntary measures such as "real time closures" where juvenile fish congregate and separator trawls which allow the catching of haddock but allow cod to escape.

Jonathan Shaw, the fisheries minister said that the deal was a fair one for Britain and made a start at tackling the "immoral" dumping of dead fish back in the sea.

"Today's agreement acknowledges efforts by our fishermen to find new ways to safeguard stocks and to prevent large amounts of the fish they catch having to be thrown back dead into the sea.

"Everyone worked together for a fair deal that has benefits for fishermen throughout the UK."

As well as an 11 per cent rise in the North Sea cod quota, the deal offers a 50 per cent increase in Rockall haddock catches, a five per cent increase in Irish Sea haddock quota and an eight per cent increase in North Sea megrim.

Richard Lochhead, Scottish Fisheries Minister, hailed the deal as a new approach to fisheries conservation.

He said it included a "historic" agreement giving Scotland flexibility to decide how to allocate days at sea - with more for vessels that practised conservation.

He said: "Scotland has blazed a trail for the whole of Europe by adopting sustainable fishing practices."

Helen McLachlan, senior marine policy officer at WWF said: "This is the fishing industry's big chance to show they can deliver on their claims of being able to fish more selectively and sustainably.

"If successful the 2008 measures will give the much needed break that cod needs and help the stock replenish. However if the fishermen fail to implement cod avoidance plans, we will have wasted the only chance at recovery since 1997. The stakes are high - let's hope they can deliver."

Dr Euan Dunn, head of marine policy at the RSPB said: "It is a scandal that the Fisheries Council consistently fails to make tried-and-tested gear selectivity measures - that would assist young cod to escape from nets - mandatory across all Community fleets.

"We still need to make basic conservation measures compulsory for all to deliver a really fair deal for fish stocks and dependent fishing communities."

Willie Mackenzie of Greenpeace said: "The EU's own scientists have said that North Sea cod stocks are in such trouble that the quota must be reduced. And yet, by ignoring the scientists and announcing an increase in this quota, these bungling bureaucrats are displaying breathtaking stupidity.

"Today's announcement is disastrous for the fishing industry. The cod quota could literally lead to fishermen fishing themselves out of a job, because these catch levels could see an end to North Sea cod.

"It's clear that these quota decisions have to be taken out of the hands of fisheries ministers if there is to be any chance of real recovery for Europe's decimated fish stocks."

Indian authorities say probing mysterious fish deaths

Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

Pollution authorities in the northeastern Indian state of Assam began Wednesday investigating the mysterious deaths of thousands of fish in the Brahmaputra River, officials said.

More than 1,500 dead fish have been found floating in the river, lifeline of India's northeast this week, fuelling fears that toxic chemicals are being used by fishermen.

Groups of fishermen sometimes use explosives and toxic chemicals to net fish in large quantities, authorities said.

"We have already collected water samples and some dead fish for a thorough investigation and tests," said a state pollution board official, asking not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the press.

The state forensic science laboratory is examining the fish.

"This is something unnatural and we can be sure only after proper tests," D. J. Hazarika, a scientist at the laboratory said.

Locals in the area said they believed water pollution in the Brahmaputra, not poisoning, was behind the fish deaths.

Authorities have cautioned people against eating the dead fish.

The 2,906-kilometre (1,816-mile) river -- one of the longest in Asia -- traverses Tibet, India and Bangladesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Dead fish surface on Indian river
Subir Bhaumik, BBC News 19 Dec 07;

Thousands of dead fish have been washed ashore in a river in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam river since early this week.

They were discovered on the banks of the Brahmaputra river in the state capital, Guwahati.

An equal number of sick fish were found in the same place, officials said. They blamed rising pollution levels.

An investigation has been ordered by the Assam government, said C.K.Bhuiyan, senior district official in Guwahati.

'Zero pollution'

Earlier in the year, the Assam Pollution Control Board (APCB) told all the oil refineries in the state to achieve "zero pollution" levels by 31 December, otherwise they would be threatened with closure.

The Guwahati refinery was found to be the worst polluting refinery and was perhaps the only one in Assam not to have yet complied, pollution control board officials said.

"The marine life in the Brahmaputra river has been seriously affected by the pollution caused by these refineries, particularly the Guwahati refinery," said Jawaharlal Dutta, APCB chairman.

He alleged that pollution from these refineries was several hundred times above the permissible limits.

But district officials who are monitoring the development were not ruling out other possible causes.

"It could be a case of poisoning caused by water pollution or may be an outcome of some kind of explosion inside the water to catch fish in large numbers from the river. We are not ruling out either possibility at this moment," Mr Bhuiyan said.

Killing of fish by using explosives and chemical fertilisers or other poisonous substances is not uncommon in Assam, especially during the winter.

Floods kill 29 in Malaysia, palm oil industry hit

Channel NewsAsia 19 Dec 07;

KUALA LUMPUR - The death toll in Malaysia's floods has risen to 29 with more than 34,000 people evacuated, reports said Wednesday, as forecasters tipped more bad weather in the coming days.

In north-eastern Kelantan state which borders southern Thailand, 14 people were killed while some 8,352 people were forced to flee their homes, the Star newspaper said.

The bursting of a dam in Thailand's Narathiwat province has worsened the situation, it said, and displaced people are being housed and fed in schools and community centres.

The death toll of 29 was up by five from Tuesday.

In Pahang, 11 people died as rescue officials found two bodies floating in the Endau Rompin river. Both men were reported missing after going fishing. At least 22,549 people have been evacuated to relief centres in the state, the Star said.

In southern Johor state neighbouring Singapore, four deaths were reported and 814 were being housed in relief centres.

Meteorological officials expect more rain to pound the north eastern states during the monsoon, a climatic phenomenon that occurs between November and February every year.

Relief authorities are bracing for the high tide phenomenon Friday which is expected to worsen the flood situation in the coastal areas of central Pahang state.

As well as human casualties, the floods have hurt palm oil production, damaged property and cut access to many highways.

"Total production for the year will be lower," said R. Chandran, the former head of the Malaysian Palm Oil Association, citing estimated output for 2007 at 15.7 million tonnes compared to 15.9 million tonnes a year earlier.

- AFP /ls

Ngee Ann Polytechnic adopts Clementi Woods Park

Channel NewsAsia 19 Dec 07;

SINGAPORE : Ngee Ann Polytechnic has adopted Clementi Woods Park, treating it as a learning park for its students.

Using GPS-enabled PDAs, Horticulture and Landscape Management students can access pop-up information on plants in various parts of the park.

They can also get practical tips on horticultural maintenance such as pruning and planting on their PDAs.

The park is located about 10 mins drive from the Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

The polytechnic plans to buy 70 PDAs for a six-month pilot run starting in January.

Eight teams of students have also showcased their projects on how to revamp the park.

"We are very pleased we can offer an outdoor classroom like this for students at Ngee Ann... They have come up with so many wonderful ideas on how some of these issues can be solved and we ourselves at NParks are looking at how we can adopt some of these ideas for our daily operations," said Ng Lang, CEO, National Parks Board. - CNA /ls

Australian fishers to stop clowning with Nemo's habitat

Padraic Murphy, The Australian 20 Dec 07

NORTH Queensland commercial aquarium fishers are still able to find Nemo, but now they'll have to leave him alone.

Under a groundbreaking voluntary agreement between commercial operators and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the sought-after clown fish and anemones will no longer be caught at reefs off Keppel Island, near Rockhampton.

Lyle Squire, a commercial fisher and industry representative whose family has run aquariums in Cairns and fished the reef since the 1960s, said the moratorium was a precautionary measure to allow habitats, affected by coral bleaching, the best chance to recover.

The agreement was reached after several outbreaks of coral bleaching on reefs near Keppel Island reduced the numbers of sea anemones in which the fish lived and threatened the valuable tourist industry.

"We recognise the importance of these fish to the tourism industry," Mr Squire said.

"People come from all over the world to snorkel the Keppels, so we are happy to exercise our stewardship and stop taking clown fish from those reefs."

Although most clown fish sold in aquariums were bred in captivity, their popularity, particularly overseas, meant Queensland's 30 or so commercial aquarium fishers still caught them in the wild.

"There is a real worry that, because of climate change, they will become less common on the reef and that will be a tragedy, not just for us, but for all users of the reef," Mr Squire said.

The agreement to protect wild clown fish has been welcomed by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.

"This strategy is an important step towards effective co-management of this small but economically valuable fishery," department spokeswoman Brigid Kerrigan said.

"We will continue to work with the industry to achieve the best outcomes for sustainability and economic productivity."

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said voluntary agreements between government and commercial operators would help protect the reef from climate change, which some experts say could destroy the reef in decades.

"(This agreement) forms part of a wider strategy to adapt to the effects of climate change," the authority's Bruce Wallner said.

"Such an initiative is probably a world first in addressing this growing problem."

Under the agreement, commercial aquarium fishers will collect data about fish populations and provide the information to state authorities.

Finding Nemo may be hit by climate change
Nick Squires, Telegraph 20 Dec 07;

Finding Nemo may have been a box office hit but encountering the real life counterparts of the film's hero is becoming increasingly hard in the turquoise waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Clownfish, immortalised by the hit Pixar movie, live amongst the waving tentacles of sea anemones in tropical waters off the coast of Queensland.

But the anemones have been severely affected by coral reef bleaching, a phenomenon linked to climate change.

In an attempt to give the sea anemones and their piscine inhabitants a chance to recover, 30 commercial aquarium collectors in Queensland agreed today to a moratorium on collecting the species.

"There is a real worry that, because of climate change, they will become less common on the reef and that will be a tragedy, not just for us, but for all users of the reef," said commercial diver Lyle Squire, whose family has fished for 40 years.

The voluntary agreement was struck after several outbreaks of coral bleaching near the Keppel Islands reduced the number of sea anemones and clownfish.

"What the collectors have done is put their hand up to voluntarily put a moratorium on the collection of those clownfish, and the anemones they inhabit in that region, in the hope that they will recover naturally," said Mr Squire.

Most clownfish sold in aquariums are bred in captivity but their popularity, particularly since the release of Finding Nemo, means that some are still caught in the wild.

"(This agreement) forms part of a wider strategy to adapt to the effects of climate change," said Bruce Wallner of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

"Such an initiative is probably a world first in addressing this growing problem."

More than 20m fish are caught globally each year for the aquarium trade, according to the United Nations.

Clownfish head the list of the most traded tropical fish, together with the blue-green damselfish.

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