Thousand of sea birds killed by fishing trawlers

Paul Eccleston, The Telegraph 6 Aug 08;

Thousands of sea birds are killed every year by fishing trawlers working in a Southern Hemisphere bird hot-spot, a new study reveals.

Many of the birds killed by boats operating in the Benguela Current, off South Africa are from endangered species - including the albatross.

Scientists monitored catches on 14 different trawlers fishing for hake and saw 30 birds die in 190 hours of observation.

The majority were albatrosses and most died in collisions with wires - known as warp lines - extending from the stern of the boats.

"We believe the seabird deaths the scientists recorded might be just the tip of the iceberg", said Dr John Croxall, chair of BirdLife's Global Seabird Programme. "

He added: "It suggests that around 18,000 seabirds may be killed annually in this fishery alone.

"Most mortality relates to the dumping of fishing waste behind the boat. This attracts seabirds which can either hit the warp lines or become entangled in the nets."

The birds killed during the study, published in the journal Animal Conservation, included South African breeding species such as Cape gannet, and species like the white-chinned petrel, sooty shearwater, and black-browed and shy albatrosses, which visit the Benguela Current region from nesting islands dotted around the Southern Ocean.

"The impact of this one local fishery has very widespread geographical repercussions", warned Dr Croxall. "Potential mortality at this scale for the albatrosses is unsustainable".

The black-browed albatross is listed by the IUCN Red List - the international inventory of threatened species - as endangered because numbers have fallen by two thirds in 65 years, while the shy albatross is considered to be near-threatened.

According to the RSPB, fisheries are the most significant threat to the world's 22 types of albatross - 18 of which are facing extinction - with an estimated 100,000 of the birds killed each year.

Birdlife said the best way to cut bird deaths was to improve waste management techniques and using devices protecting warp cables from bird strikes.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 7 Aug 08

Our stunning living reefs
and outreach efforts for them on the singapore celebrates our reefs blog

Is this a forewarning of reservoir in Johor Straits?
comments on recent letter to the Straits Times about a reservoir between Pulau Ubin and Singapore on the Pulau Ubin Stories blog, also on the lazy lizard tales blog

Hunting strategies of two raptors
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Read more!

I'd rather be a hypocrite than a cynic

I'd rather be a hypocrite than a cynic like Julie Burchill
Give me a posh, preachy eco-activist over a narcissist without a moral compass any day
George Monbiot, guardian.co.uk 6 Aug 08;

In her new book, Not In My Name, Julie Burchill reserves her grandest fury about hypocrites for environmentalists. We are, she (and her co-author, Chas Newkey-Burden) say, pious, sexless and contemptuous of humankind. We are all posh and rich, and have found in environmentalism a new excuse for lecturing the poor. We tell other people to live by rules we don't apply to ourselves.

Like all stereotypes, these claims are lazy, familiar and sometimes true. Burchill knows nothing about environmentalism, and, almost as a point of pride, hasn't bothered to find out, but when you use grapeshot you are bound to hit someone. Yes, many prominent greens are posh gits like me. The same can be said of journalists, politicians, artists, academics, business leaders … in fact, of just about anyone in public life. But it is always the greens who are singled out.

In truth, while the upper middle classes are, as always, over-represented in the media, the movement cuts across the classes. A recent ICM poll found that more people in social classes D and E thought the government should prioritise the environment over the economy (56%) than in classes A and B (47%).

Environmentalism is the most politically diverse movement in history. Here in the Kingsnorth climate camp, I have met anarchists, communists, socialists, liberals, conservatives and, mostly, pragmatists. I remember sitting in a campaign meeting during the Newbury bypass protests and marvelling at the weirdness of our coalition. In the front row sat the local squirearchy: brigadiers in tweeds and enormous moustaches, titled women in twin sets and headscarves. In the middle were local burghers of all shapes and sizes. At the back sat the scuzziest collection of grunge-skunks I have ever laid eyes on. The audience disagreed about every other subject under the sun – if someone had asked us to decide what day of the week it was, the meeting would had descended into fisticuffs – but everyone there recognised that our quality of life depends on the quality of our surroundings.

The environment is inseparable from social justice. Climate change, for example, is primarily about food and water. It threatens the fresh water supplies required to support human life. As continental interiors dry out and the glaciers feeding many of the rivers used for irrigation disappear, climate change presents the greatest of all threats to the future prospects of the poor. The rich will survive for a few decades at least, as they can use their money to insulate themselves from the effects. The poor are being hammered already.

In reality, it is people like Julie Burchill – who is, incidentally, far richer than almost any green I have met – who treats the poor with contempt. So that she can revel in what she calls "reckless romantic modernism", other people must die. But at least you can't accuse her of hypocrisy: she cannot fail to live by her moral code, for the simple reason that she doesn't have one.

Sure, we are hypocrites. Every one of us, almost by definition. Hypocrisy is the gap between your aspirations and your actions. Greens have high aspirations – they want to live more ethically – and they will always fall short. But the alternative to hypocrisy isn't moral purity (no one manages that), but cynicism. Give me hypocrisy any day.

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Create reservoir between Pulau Ubin and Singapore

COME 2012, we will have to be more self-reliant for our water supply.
Letter from Chew Wai Soon Straits Times Forum 7 Aug 08;

I propose Pulau Ubin be linked to mainland Singapore to create a huge reservoir.

On the eastern end of Pulau Ubin, a two-tier road can be built so the lower deck allows cyclists to cycle between Singapore and Pulau Ubin. The upper deck will be another route for vehicles to go to and from Malaysia. Jetties can jut out from both sides of the link - the reservoir side for smaller boats such as kayaks, sailing and racing boats, and water scooters, while bigger boats can dock on the other side. Bicycle rental kiosks, souvenir shops and so on can be built at the starting point of the link at the Singapore end. Further reclamation at the Singapore end will allow immigration offices and multistorey carparks to be built.

On the link at the western end of Pulau Ubin, bicycle rental kiosks, food centres and souvenir shops with solar-panelled roofs can be built for cyclists to cycle between Singapore and Pulau Ubin.

Pavilions can also be extended from both links into the reservoir for relaxation, photography and fishing.

Pulau Ubin can be promoted extensively as a venue for camping, mountain biking, adventure, trekking, hiking, jogging, horse riding and prawn fishing (to meet strong demand for youngsters to rough it out and enjoy nature).

The proposed reservoir will mean less land use elsewhere - some of the existing reservoirs can be redefined as collection centres for rainwater and Newater, and their water channelled into Pulau Ubin reservoir. The surrounding land can then be freed for other use, such as residential development to house a growing population.

Feedstock for Pulau Ubin reservoir can also be had from excess water from the smaller reservoirs, from rainwater and Newater to be collected from the northern and eastern parts of Singapore and from more Newater that could be generated.

Big water pipes connected to both links at Pulau Ubin would help to drain seawater between Pulau Ubin and the Causeway and provide a change of seawater according to the tides. Energy-generating turbines can be incorporated into these seawater pipes.

Coney Island can be reclaimed further to become part of the mainland and pavilions can be extended from Coney Island into the reservoir.

The damming of the water between Pulau Ubin and Singapore to become a huge reservoir promises many possibilities for development, for meeting future water needs and for recreation.

I urge the authorities to look into these great benefits on our doorstep.



Latest comments

STTeam Administrator, 7 Aug 08, 05:50 AM
COME 2012, we will have to be more self-reliant for our water supply.

ooptimizer, 7 Aug 08, 07:22 AM
I suggest creating a bigger reservoir by connecting Singapore - Pulau Ubin - Pulau Tekong - Singapore. This reservoir should be big enough for all Singaporeans, our 5th national tap.

Procrusteans, 7 Aug 08, 07:36 AM
Do not teach the garmen men whar to do lah! They are the smartest. They will never listen to you lah!

SeenItAll, 7 Aug 08, 07:38 AM
Nah... we should just reclaim every bit of sea all the way to our legally max border.

Sangeba888,7 Aug 08, 08:25 AM
The channel between Changi and Pulau Ubin is the waterway for vessels going to Sembawang Shipyards for repairs. Our imported cars are I believe, unloaded there too. So it is very unlikely that the govt will carry this out which will make the channel between Johor and Pulau Ubin more congested/

mayhem_sci,7 Aug 08, 08:38 AM
Yes and ruin all the marine ecology in the process, including Chek Jawa on the eastern coast of Pulau Ubin.

XIIIblackcat, 7 Aug 08, 09:26 AM
Singapore will looked even more artificial and ugly on the World map.

ErpErpErp, 7 Aug 08, 09:41 AM
Not a new idea lah.

MIWs have discussed this before.

Johor will get more upset lah.

micamonkey, 7 Aug 08, 10:13 AM
i can't believe straits times published this again. we already discussed it before and PUB already replied and we've already talked about what a horribly wrong and non-feasible idea this is and STILL straits times published such a (almost exact replica) letter again!!! unbelievable!

ErpErpErp, 7 Aug 08, 10:16 AM
More than 70 letters a day.

How to decide?

I don't write. I post in this DB. No editing. Why write to ST Forum anymore?

AYB?

varanus_salvator, 7 Aug 08, 10:20 AM
A similar idea was addressed a few months ago. Have people forgotten already?

http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_229684.html

The same points and concerns still stand.

Related articles

Is this a forewarning of reservoir in Johor Straits?
comment on this letter on the Pulau Ubin Stories blog

I'm getting a sense of deja vu about this
comment on this letter on the Lazy Lizard's Tales blog

After Marina Barrage, Tekong-Ubin reservoir
Letter from Syu Ying Kwok, Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 08;

Strategy in place on long-term water supply: PUB reply to Tekong-Ubin reservoir
Reply from PUB, Straits Times Forum 22 Apr 08;

What's wrong with an Ubin-Tekong reservoir?
on the Pulau Ubin Stories blog

Tekong-Ubin reservoir not practical
Letter from Ivan Kwan Wei Ming, Straits Times Forum 22 Apr 08;

Dam idea for Tekong-Ubin reservoir
on the wildfilms blog

Read more!

Coastal water quality: the hard facts, please

Releasing water quality data results to the public would benefit environment
Mark Wong Vee-Meng, Today Online 7 Aug 08;

I REFER to “Swim at your own risk” (July 31) and Mr John Lucas’ response “What about the water quality”(Aug 1).

I share many of Mr Lucas’ concerns about the reporting of recreational water quality in Singapore.

While I agree with some of the points he raised, there are several statements that reflect a lack of appreciation of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines for analysing recreational waters.

First, his contention that the presence of garbage, flotsam and jetsam at beaches like the East Coast Park gives lie to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) claim that the East Coast Park had a clean bill of health is false.

While chapter 9 of the WHO guidelines states that such trash may serve as “possible proxy indicators for the likelihood of gastrointestinal effects associated with swimming” (with emphasis on the possible), the actual criteria used by the NEA, WHO and other regulatory bodies — the enumeration of certain faecal indicator bacteria has definitively been shown to be a good indication of the levels of faecal pollution at recreational beaches.

Since the NEA measured the level of enterococci (a faecal indicator bacteria) at the East Coast Park and found it to fall within the “good” range of the WHO guidelines, I do not think it is unreasonable for them to announce that the East Coast Park is safe to swim in, despite the presence of trash.

Secondly, although none of the reports published included the physical and chemical results for these beaches, since such parameters are included in the WHO water quality standards, I think it is safe to assume that such parameters have been tested and are within normal levels.

Nevertheless, Mr Lucas’ point is well taken. There can be no confidence in announcements from government bodies regarding the safety of recreational areas if the data behind such assurances is not made available.

The NEA should take a page out of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s playbook and publish the results of recreational water quality tests online, as they already do for air quality.

Third, Mr Lucas’ suggestion that water at the beaches be sampled twice daily is not viable for several reasons.

The costs would be prohibitive, and more importantly, it would not add any value to the data being generated. The standard method for the enumeration of faecal indicator bacteria like enterococci requires a minimum of 18 to 24 hours of incubation before readings can be taken. This means that a sample taken today can only be read the following day.

Given such long sample-to-result times, it does not make sense to sample twice daily as the results would not affect the decision to post advisories today.

Like most regulatory bodies, the NEA relies on the historical trend in the faecal indicator bacteria data to give a more holistic picture as to whether a beach or stretch of coastline is frequently or infrequently affected by faecal pollution.

Lastly, most Singaporeans are just starting to wake up to issues like global climate change, environmental stewardship and recreational water quality. Government bodies are also starting to realise that the public is increasingly less satisfied with blanket assurance statements about public health and safety.

There will be a period of mismatch between what the public expects to know and what government bodies feel the public needs to know.

Much of the reticence of government bodies to release public information stems from a long-established mandate of not wanting to “alarm the public unduly”.

While it is certainly laudable and responsible, I believe Singaporeans are mature enough to handle some bad news without panicking.

The level of interest in the issue of recreational water quality indicates that Singaporeans are more interested in knowing the hard facts about the kinds and types of tests carried out in our waters than we are in wanting to hear an “all clear” signal from the authorities.

I reiterate my suggestion that the NEA start publishing the actual results of recreational water quality analyses done at our local beaches, together with the health risk category.

This will increase public confidence, raise awareness of the need to protect our recreational water and foster a greater sense of environmental stewardship — probably the most lacking facet of the Singapore psyche.

The writer holds a PhD inenvironmental microbiology

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Clean up the coast

Debris and lumber along coastline pose a threat
Letter from John Lucas, Today Online 7 Aug 08;

WATER pollution along East Coast Park is serious as the photographs show above.

The debris on the beach included boards with rusty nails and even a syringe with a hypodermic needle. The amount of timber being washed ashore could also pose a serious threat to anyone diving into the water.

The Defence Science and Technology Agency and the Agency for Science,Technology, and Research conducted a long-term study on currents in the Singapore Straits, and published a report called Singapore Straits Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Modeling. The model is reported to be capable of accurate 3D currents prediction in the Singapore Strait, so it could probably isolate the source of the debris being dumped on the beaches in Singapore.

It would be good if Singapore helps with the problem of trash in the strait so that people can have a clean and safe beach to swim in again.

Read more!

18 new cases of chikungunya infection reported in Singapore

Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia 6 Aug 08;

SINGAPORE : 18 new cases of chikungunya infection have been reported in Singapore, bringing the total number of cases to 54 this year.

One of them - a 25-year-old Chinese national - was infected locally. It is believed that the technician, who resides at Miltonia Close in Yishun, caught the virus around the area or at his workplace.

Authorities said a mosquito breeding spot was found near his home, while another was found near his workplace in a factory at the Marsiling Industrial Estate.

The man developed symptoms on July 18 and was admitted to a hospital from July 19-23. Fortunately, none of his 10 housemates caught the virus.

Separately, 17 others have tested positive for chikungunya. They are believed to be linked to the Kranji Way cluster where three cases were reported earlier, on August 2.

These 17 cases have been admitted for isolation and treatment in the Communicable Diseases Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The total number of cases linked to Kranji Way currently stands at 20. Preliminary investigations indicate that the Kranji Way cluster is due to local transmission.

Since the notification of the first three cases, NEA officers have been conducting intensive mosquito control operations within the vicinity of the victims' workplace and residences, and the areas that they frequent.

More than 23 premises have been inspected in the Kranji Way area and a total of 15 premises were found breeding the Aedes mosquito.

Outdoor and indoor fogging of insecticide is also being carried out at all the checked premises. Intensive operations to seek out and remove any mosquito breeding habitats will continue.

Residents and owners of premises in the vicinity of Kranji Way have all been advised to check their premises daily to remove any stagnant water that may breed mosquitoes.

Besides the cluster in Kranji Way, to date, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has been notified of a total of 54 confirmed cases of chikungunya fever. 19 were local cases and 35 were imported cases.

The MOH advises anyone who has travelled to Kranji Way recently and developed symptoms of chikungunya - which include fever, joint pain and rashes - to consult their doctors.

Singapore's Communicable Disease Centre said it is not surprised that more cases of chikungunya infection have surfaced, given the conducive environment for the disease to flourish here.

This includes the presence of the mosquito vector, low immunity to the virus, and mobility of the population, who may have ventured into areas where the disease is endemic.

However, there is one consolation - unlike the dengue which comes in four strains, chikungunya has only one.

"Having one dengue infection cannot protect the individual from the other three. Chikungunya has one serotype so you are likely to have the infection just once," said Associate Professor Leo Yee Sin, Clinical Director of the Communicable Disease Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Prof Leo said so far there has been no case of death in Singapore linked to chikungunya, possibly because most patients are still young and healthy. However, she cautioned that fatalities may happen if the elderly catch the virus.

She appealed to those who are infected to cooperate with the hospitals and be isolated to prevent further transmission.

Patients admitted to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital with the chikungunya virus will be placed at the Communicable Disease Centre, where they will be treated until their infective period is over.

Meanwhile, Mount Alvernia Hospital, where two patients with chikungunya were treated, said both patients are recovering well and will be discharged soon.

Prof Leo added that researchers are also looking out for people with dual infection - both dengue and chikungunya. There are concerns that the Aedes mosquito, which is the host of both viruses, may be able to spread both viruses at the same time.

There have been reports of chikungunya outbreaks in the region such as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Persons travelling overseas are advised to remain vigilant and seek prompt medical treatment if they are unwell and develop symptoms of chikungunya. - CNA /ls

Biggest cluster in Kranji
17 cases in industrial area; local transmission possible
Leong Wee Keat, Today Online 7 Aug 08;

SEVENTEEN more people have fallen victim to chikungunya fever in Kranji Way, making the area the largest cluster of cases so far.

The affected area is next to Kranji Reservoir, and is largely an industrial area comprising of factories and sawmills. Punters who frequent the Singapore Turf Club can breathe somewhat easy as the outbreak area is about 3km away.

The 17 patients include two Singaporeans, two Malaysians, two Thai nationals, one Chinese national, three Bangladeshi, and seven Indian nationals. All but three had no history of recent travel, but health officials are investigating if the trio could still have acquired their infection locally.

Blood checks on 282 workers in the area had been conducted after three people came down with the virus last week, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a statement yesterday.

The 17 new cases picked up have since been admitted for isolation and treatment at the Communicable Diseases Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. While epidemiological investigations are on-going, preliminary probes indicate the Kranji Way cluster is due to local transmission.

For companies in the area, the past few days have been business as usual, with operations continuing and workers turning up for work.

Firms have, however, become more vigilant in keeping their environment clean. For example, sawmill Kwong Man Company general manager Peter Ho said they have stepped up mosquito-fighting procedures with more frequent checks and fumigation.

Meanwhile, NEA officers have been conducting “intensive mosquito control operations”. More than 23 premises have been inspected in the Kranji Way area and 15 premises were found breeding the Aedes mosquito. Fogging is being carried out.

Heath officials have urged the public who have travelled to Kranji Way recently and developed symptoms of chikungunya — which include fever, joint pain and ­rashes — to consult their doctor.

Another new case at Yishun

Meanwhile, another new case of chikungunya fever was discovered, involving a 25-year-old Chinese national who stays at Miltonia Close, off Yishun Ave 1.

The technician developed symptoms on July 18 and was hospitalised, but has since been discharged. His movements had been largely confined to his residence and workplace at Marsiling Industrial Estate; 10 household contacts were screened and tested negative for the disease.

Chikungunya, like dengue, is a mosquito-borne disease. This year, MOH was notified of 54 confirmed cases, of which 19 were local cases and 35 were imported. The first local outbreak surfaced in January, when 13 people in Little India were infected.

18 more down with viral infection
Chikungunya strikes 17 workers in Kranji and one in Yishun
Lee Hui Chieh, Straits Times 7 Aug 08;

ANOTHER 17 workers found with chikungunya at Kranji Way have made this outbreak the largest one in Singapore.

The latest patient count includes two Singaporeans, two Malaysians, two Thais, one Chinese national, three Bangladeshis and seven Indian nationals.

They bring the total number of Kranji Way victims to 20, the Health Ministry said yesterday.

Fifteen of them worked in a company making building materials; the remaining two worked next door in a storage yard.

They were found with the mosquito-borne, dengue-like disease when health officers screened 282 workers in the area after three fell ill last month.

That trio - two foreign workers who live and work in the company, and a Singaporean who made a delivery there - have since recovered.

The rest have been isolated in the Communicable Disease Centre to treat their symptoms such as fever and joint pains, and keep them from being bitten again by mosquitoes that could further spread the disease.

Previously, the largest chikungunya outbreak here, also the nation's first, hit 13 people in Little India in January.

Separately, a technician from China, who lives in Miltonia Close, off Yishun Avenue 1, and works at Marsiling Industrial Estate, also came down with the disease. The 25-year-old fell sick on July 18, and was hospitalised the next day for five days.

None of the 10 people living with him - two co-workers, his employer's family of seven and a maid - were infected.

The National Environment Agency's (NEA) officers inspected more than 23 premises in the Kranji Way area, and found 15 breeding the chikungunya virus-transmitting Aedes mosquito.

They also checked 105 residences near Miltonia Close, and 23 factories in Marsiling Industrial Estate. A home and a factory were found to be breeding mosquitoes.

The NEA's tests on viruses from the first three incidents in Little India, Teachers' Estate and Farrer Road, showed these cases were not linked. The agency has yet to test viruses from the latest three at Jalan Jelita, Kranji Way and Miltonia Close.

The Health Ministry also said yesterday that it retrospectively detected a recovered patient who was among the earliest to have been infected by chikungunya in Singapore.

The 35-year-old man, who lives behind Hertford Road, near Little India, fell ill on Jan 18, and was hospitalised from Jan 21 to Jan 24.

This means 39 people contracted the disease here; another 35 were infected while abroad this year. Previously, 13 others were infected overseas between 2006 and last year.

Read more!

Sharp rise in Borneo forest fires within a day

217 hot spots reported, up from 122, as fears grow of haze returning
Straits Times 7 Aug 08;

JAKARTA - FOREST fires in Kalimantan in Borneo have nearly doubled because of land clearing, amid fears that hazy skies could return to the region.

'Our latest data shows that the number of hot spots on Kalimantan island has nearly doubled,' said Mr Israr Albar, a forestry ministry official monitoring the forest fires via satellite.

He said yesterday that 217 hot spots recorded on Borneo were from land clearing in the West Kalimantan province, compared with 122 recorded a day earlier.

He added that the number of hot spots on Sumatra island had decreased slightly to 423 from 557.

There are fears that the number of hot spots in Indonesia could exceed last year's figure because of the current dry season.

Mr Sonny Partono, the director of forest fire control, said: 'According to the meteorology agency, this year's dry season is very dry, not wet like last year. That's the problem.

'Looking at the fluctuation of hot spots, this year could be worse than last year.'

Experts have warned that the haze contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions and could have a huge impact on climate change.

A report last year by the World Bank and Britain's Department for International Development said Indonesia was among the world's top three greenhouse gas emitters due to deforestation and forest fires in the country. Forest and land fires accounted for 57 per cent of Indonesia's non-industrial greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

In Malaysia, the state government in Sarawak has stopped all applications to conduct open burning.

State Assistant Minister of Environment Abang Abdul Rauf Abang Zen said the order was issued after the Fire Weather Index (FWI) reached level seven in the central region of Sarawak, as well as in Sri Aman in the southern part of the state.

The FWI is a rating of fire intensity derived from weather parameters such as temperature, rainfall, wind speed and relative humidity.

Under this rating, an FWI of one and below is considered a low fire hazard, two to six a moderate fire hazard, seven to 13 a high fire hazard, and above 13, an extremely high fire hazard.

'With this order, those who had been issued permits to perform open burning have been told to stop this activity for the time being,' Dr Rauf said.

Anyone who defies the ban is liable to a fine of up to RM30,000 (S$12,630) and three years' jail.

He said a total of 51 hot spots had been detected in the state's central region as at 6pm on Tuesday.

Although the Air Pollutant Index in major places in the state was still between good and moderate, Dr Rauf said the concern now was on the wind direction in the next few days as that could lead to transboundary haze.

He said a south-westerly wind, which has been forecast in the state over the next few days, might bring the haze from Kalimantan.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, BERNAMA

Read more!

Sudan busts illegal ivory trading ring

Yahoo News 6 Aug 08;

Sudan announced on Wednesday a Khartoum police swoop busting an illicit ivory trading ring, seizing more than 470 pieces and arresting an unspecified number of suspects.

The network used a commercial premises as cover for its illicit trade in ivory and other antiquities, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Officers seized 309 ivory sculptures, 147 bracelets and 21 vases, and sacks of other crude items, it added.

No further details were released and police were not reachable for comment.

Since 1989, an international ban has prohibited the sale of ivory in all but exceptional circumstances.

Trade was halted after a dramatic fall in the world's elephant population, due to poaching for lucrative tusks and the gradual destruction of habitat.

While figures are disputed, the WWF conservation group estimates that there are probably 554,973 African elephants alive, compared to 1.2 million in the late 1970s.

Although ivory sales have dropped markedly in Europe, North America and Japan, the commodity is still in big demand in other parts of the Far East.

The WWF says new demand in China, which is the biggest single buyer of Sudan's oil, stands behind an increasing trend in illicit trade since 1995.

The conservation group has pointed to a thriving domestic ivory market in Sudan. It says much of the raw material originates in neighbouring countries, particularly the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Read more!

Australian Aborigines Get Pristine Forest Back

Rob Taylor, PlanetArk 7 Aug 08;

CANBERRA - Australia's largest remaining tract of tropical rainforest was handed back to traditional Aboriginal owners on Wednesday, reversing 30 years of state government opposition to indigenous control.

In the remote northeast Cape York Peninsula, the Premier of conservative Queensland state Anna Bligh handed over 1,800 square kilometres (695 square miles) of the sprawling McIlwraith Range to become an indigenous-owned national park.

"Half of Australia's butterfly species are found here, so it's a jewel in the crown of our Australian protected area estate," Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) spokesman Don Henry told local radio ahead of the handover in Coen township.

Cape York, an area larger than Greece with a human population of just 18,000, is one of Australia's largest wilderness areas with sprawling cattle stations and savannas containing carbon sinks vital to the global climate.

It also has more orchid species than any other area in Australia and is home to endangered birds such as the cassowary, a large flightless species.

The region has, since the 1970s, been a battleground between successive governments determined to protect farm owners, environmentalists wanting to protect its biodiversity and Aborigines determined to reclaim traditional lands.

The Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation, which promotes economic development for Cape York Aborigines, said it was worried environmental concerns could stifle economic opportunities the park could bring to disadvantaged locals.

"Indigenous people in Cape York are deeply concerned that our desire to build a sustainable future on traditional lands will lose out to extreme conservationist demands," corporation executive Gerhardt Pearson wrote in the Australian newspaper.

Aborigines have inhabited Australia for 45,000 years and have the world's longest-living culture. But they have consistently higher rates of unemployment, substance abuse and domestic violence than other Australians.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in February apologised in parliament to Aborigines for past injustices in the 200 years since colonisation by Britain.

The McIlwraith Range land, formerly a pastoral farming lease, was to be loaned back to the government as a national park, jointly managed by the local Kaanju, Umpila, Lamalama and Ayapathu people and government-employed rangers.

Aborigines have been anxious in other land agreements reached with government or the courts to be able to use traditional lands to their own benefit, sometimes leasing land to miners for a share of profits, or creating parks to lure tourism dollars.

Wilderness Society spokesman Anthony Esposito and the ACF's Henry said opportunities from ecotourism would spring up for Aborigines from the area's "great landscapes".

"We're hoping at the end of the day that this is not only a great gift to all Australians, but it also provides a better future to the traditional owners," Henry said. (Editing by David Fogarty)

Read more!

Greenpeace protest targets Indonesian forestry ministry

Yahoo News 6 Aug 08;

Environmental group Greenpeace hung a banner reading "Stop Deforestation" on the Indonesian forestry ministry Wednesday and called for a moratorium on palm oil concessions on forested land.

"The forestry ministry is currently part of the deforestation problem. The ministry as the state agency tasked with protecting the forests is in fact promoting forest destruction," Greenpeace activist Bustar Maitar said.

"This has to stop now to arrest our greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure protection of our biodiversity for future generations."

Greenpeace accused the government of issuing palm oil plantation permits on millions of hectares (acres) of forests, even though only a fraction had been cleared and planted.

"The is a clear case of the illegal 'land banking' practice of purchasing land with the intent to hold onto it until such a time as it is highly profitable to sell it on to others," Maitar said in a statement.

Greenpeace said Indonesia, the world's biggest producer of palm oil, was destroying its rainforests faster than any other major forested country.

Tropical forest destruction is responsible for nearly 20 percent of global greenhouse gases blamed for climate change, making Indonesia the world's third biggest greenhouse gas emitter behind the United States and China, it said.

Environmental group WWF said earlier this year that Indonesia's Riau province alone had lost 4.2 million hectares (10.4 million acres) or 65 percent of its forests in the past 25 years.

The clearing of forests and the degradation of carbon-rich peatlands over that time means the province now emits more carbon than the Netherlands, it said in a report.

A forest ministry spokesman said two million hectares of forested land had been legally converted to palm oil plantations across Indonesia and another two million had been earmarked for conversion.

He said a "review" would be undertaken of the land for which plantation permits had been issued but where no clearing work had begun.

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Congo Should Cancel Most Logging Deals - Report

Joe Bavier, PlanetArk 7 Aug 08;

KINSHASA - Democratic Republic of Congo should cancel more than three quarters of its logging deals for not meeting necessary standards, a government-sponsored working group looking into the forestry sector said on Wednesday.

Congo, home to the world's second largest tropical forest, launched a World Bank-backed review of all timber contracts last week in an effort to recoup millions of dollars in lost taxes and clean up a business rife with corruption.

The working group is evaluating the technical and legal aspects of 156 logging deals, mostly signed during a 1998-2003 war and subsequent corruption-plagued interim government.

A list published in the local press on Wednesday showed only 29 of the contracts met the minimum standards required.

"These are the opinions of the technical working group," Abel Leon Kalambayi, the head of the commission that will make the final decision on the deals, told Reuters.

"They do not bind the commission. We must wait for the end of the process and the commission's recommendations," he added.

Amongst contracts recommended for cancellation are 10 of 16 belonging to Portuguese-owned Sodefor, a unit of NST.

Siforco, a subsidiary of Germany's Danzer Group, had three of its nine logging deals picked out while Safbois saw both of its contracts on the cancellation list.

Together the three companies account for more than 66 percent of all timber exported from Congo, researchers say.

Logging and land clearance for farming are eating away the Congo Basin, home to more than a quarter of the world's tropical forest, at the rate of more than 800,000 hectares a year.

In 2002, with the country partially under the control of rebels, Congo issued a five-year moratorium on new logging contracts to try and stem rampant deforestation.

The measure went largely unheeded and companies continued to sign new deals.

Conservation campaigner Greenpeace said Wednesday's findings did not go far enough and accused the working group of not living up to its own published criteria for evaluating the deals, which require compliance with the moratorium.

"The fact that 16 titles out of the 29 that have received a favorable opinion have been obtained in clear violation of the 2002 moratorium is completely incomprehensible," Judith Verweijen, Africa Policy Advisor for Greenpeace, told Reuters.

The review commission is expected to publish its preliminary findings in mid-September. (Editing by David Lewis and Mary Gabriel)

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Will Grasslands Overtake U.S. Forests Due to Warming?

William Cocke, National Geographic News 6 Aug 08;

Climate change may cause grasslands to spread to parts of the United States that are currently covered in forest, a new study says.

If local climates become more extreme due to global warming, then entire ecotones—boundaries between ecosystems—could shift, the study says, highlighting the central United States, where prairie gives way to forests of the east.

"People generally expect that the climate is becoming more variable with climate change," said study author Michael Notaro of the University of Wisconsin's Center for Climatic Research.

"If the climate becomes more variable year-to-year, then potentially, you may have less vegetation, more fire, then shifts in these different boundaries," he said.

Wildfires

An unstable climate would prove fatal to certain types of trees and advantageous for short-lived plants, such as grasses.

The buildup of combustible plant material caused by long, wet periods followed by extended droughts may increase the size and frequency of wildfires, Notaro said.

The combination of fire and drought, coupled with extreme temperature swings, favors certain types of trees, as well as grass.

"The evergreen tree tends not to do as well with larger variability," Notaro said. "Part of the reason is, if you kill an evergreen tree, it takes a long time to grow back compared to a grass or even a deciduous tree."

Deciduous trees limit water loss by shedding their leaves, whereas evergreens, which need to keep their needles year-round, are sensitive to water loss, particularly during the winter months.

By favoring the expansion of grasses over woody plants, less consistent climate patterns over time could reduce total global vegetation cover, Notaro said.

Shifting Boundaries

In the central U.S. an ecotone marks the transition from grasslands and prairies to the west and forests to the east. The current boundary exists largely because the western climate is more extreme—varying throughout the year between hot and cold, and wet and dry.

"If there was no variability, then the whole forest in the eastern United States would shift into the central United States," Notaro said.

Over the course of decades, if global warming causes extreme weather, as expected, the opposite will occur: Grasses, which go dormant during drought and thrive after fire, would move east to exploit the habitat of trees that are unable to compete for scarce resources and ravaged by wildfires.

The ecotone transition from closed forest to open canopy is, by nature, highly variable, said Ronald P. Neilson, a scientist with the U.S. Forest Service in Corvallis, in Oregon.

An increasingly extreme climate "would tend to push the ecosystem to a lower density of overstory [forest canopy] and a more open type of a system," said Neilson, who is not involved with the new study.

Notaro used a dynamic global-vegetation model with climate data from the 20th century for his study, which appears in the journal Climate Dynamics.

By contrasting model results driven by mean, or average, climate data against an experiment driven by climate data with year-to-year fluctuations, Notaro was able to identify the impact of climate fluctuations on global vegetation patterns.

He presented his findings Tuesday at a meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Milwaukee.

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E-waste poisoning environment in Ghana: Greenpeace

Yahoo News 6 Aug 08;

E-waste from European, US and Japanese manufacturers is contaminating the environment around the sites where it is dumped for recycling and disposal in Ghana, Greenpeace said in a statement received Wednesday.

Greenpeace said it visited two scrapyards -- one at Abogbloshie in the centre of Accra, the main centre for recycling computers in Ghana, and one in the city of Koforidua in the country's Eastern Region.

The scientist in the team took samples from the open-burning sites at both locations as well as from a shallow lagoon at Abogloshie.

"Some of the samples contained toxic metals including lead in quantities as much as 100 times above levels found in uncontaminated soil and sediment samples," the Amsterdam-based environmental campaigner said in a statement.

The group also noted the presence in most of the samples of other chemicals such as phthalates, which interfere with reproduction, and in one of the samples of a high level of chlorinated dioxins, known to promote cancer.

"The nature and extent of chemical contamination found at these sites in Ghana is similar to that previously exposed by Greenpeace for e-waste open-burning sites in China and India," the group said.

It pointed to the fact that many of those working on the sites were children and noted that hazardous chemicals may be more dangerous to children than to adults.

The children are employed to retrieve metal parts, mostly made of either aluminium or copper, for sale.

Greenpeace said container-loads of old and often broken computers, monitors and TVs arrive in Ghana from Germany, Korea, Switzerland and the Netherlands "under the false lable of 'second-hand goods'".

"Unless companies eliminate all hazardous chemicals from their electronic products and take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products, this poisonous dumping will continue," Martin Hojsik, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner was quoted as saying.

"Electronics companies must not allow their products to end up poisoning the poor around the world," he said.

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New Planet Geology Map Seen Aiding Mining, Climate

Alister Doyle, PlanetArk 7 Aug 08;

LILLESTROEM, Norway - Scientists unveiled the first digital map of the earth's geology on Wednesday and said it could guide oil and gas exploration and mining or pinpoint sites for burying greenhouse gases.

The map shows the world stripped of vegetation, water, soil and human structures by joining up existing data from the geological centres of 83 member nations in a planetary jigsaw on the Internet (www.onegeology.org).

"We have simply unlocked what already exists," said Ian Jackson, chief of operations at the British Geological Survey who is coordinator of the map that he said could be of interest to the public as well as many companies.

"The rocks beneath your feet have a powerful impact on resources, minerals, where your energy comes from, the hazards that you face and, last but not least, climate change," he said at the launch at an international geological congress in Norway.

Uses could be to identify areas suitable for mining, oil and gas exploration or areas at risk from landslides or earthquakes. It could help understanding of formations which store groundwater for drinking or irrigation.

It could also help locate porous rocks suitable for burying emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels in power plants or factories. The UN Climate Panel says such burial could be a main way to slow global warming this century.

But there are problems with burying greenhouse gases, led by risks of leaks. "You will have to understand the geology, especially if you are going to do it near a border, such as the United States or Canada," Jackson told Reuters.


INDIA

The mapping project so far covers about 70 percent of the globe -- gaps include India and parts of Africa. Britain and France have contributed a total of 600,000 euros (US$930,100) to the project. All countries provided their data for free.

Jackson said the maps could help mineral-rich developing nations, such as Sierra Leone or Afghanistan, win foreign investments. Strong economic growth in developing economies such as China is boosting demand for many raw materials.

The maps could also help countries adapt to global warming by aiding understanding of groundwater trapped in rocks, a major source of water for drinking and irrigation.

Clay beneath London, for instance, swells and shrinks according to rainfall, causing subsidence to buildings that costs insurers 300 million pounds (US$590 million) a year. Shifts in rains linked to climate change could aggravate losses.

In many countries, maps are used to safeguard groundwater, for instance by identifying whether rock formations would let a toxic spill from a nearby factory seep into drinking water.

"In the United States the principal application of geological mapping is groundwater protection. People need to see underground so they can protect their drinking water," said Harvey Thorleifson of the Minnesota Geological Survey.

(Editing by William Schomberg)

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Prepare for global temperature rise of 4C, warns top UK scientist

Defra's chief adviser says we need strategy to adapt to potential catastrophic increase

James Randerson, The Guardian 7 Aug 08;

The UK should take active steps to prepare for dangerous climate change of perhaps 4C according to one of the government's chief scientific advisers.

In policy areas such as flood protection, agriculture and coastal erosion Professor Bob Watson said the country should plan for the effects of a 4C global average rise on pre-industrial levels. The EU is committed to limiting emissions globally so that temperatures do not rise more than 2C.

"There is no doubt that we should aim to limit changes in the global mean surface temperature to 2C above pre-industrial," Watson, the chief scientific adviser to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told the Guardian. "But given this is an ambitious target, and we don't know in detail how to limit greenhouse gas emissions to realise a 2 degree target, we should be prepared to adapt to 4C."

Globally, a 4C temperature rise would have a catastrophic impact.

According to the government's 2006 Stern review on the economics of climate change, between 7 million and 300 million more people would be affected by coastal flooding each year, there would be a 30-50% reduction in water availability in Southern Africa and the Mediterranean, agricultural yields would decline 15 to 35% in Africa and 20 to 50% of animal and plant species would face extinction.

In the UK, the most significant impact would be rising sea levels and inland flooding. Climate modellers also predict there would be an increase in heavy rainfall events in winter and drier summers.

Watson's plea to prepare for the worst was backed up by the government's former chief scientific adviser, Sir David King. He said that even with a comprehensive global deal to keep carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere at below 450 parts per million there is a 50% probability that temperatures would exceed 2C and a 20% probability they would exceed 3.5C.

"So even if we get the best possible global agreement to reduce greenhouse gasses on any rational basis you should be preparing for a 20% risk so I think Bob Watson is quite right to put up the figure of 4 degrees," he said.

One big unknown is the stage at which dangerous tipping points would be reached that lead to further warming - for example the release of methane hydrate deposits in the Arctic. "My own feeling is that if we get to a 4 degree rise it is quite possible that we would begin to see a runaway increase," said King.

He said a two-and-half-year analysis by the government's Foresight programme on the implications for coastal defences had more impact in the corridors of power than any other research on the effects of climate change that he presented.

"No other single factor focussed the minds of the cabinet more than the analysis that I produced through that ... We begin to have to talk about ordered retreat from some areas of Britain because it becomes impossible to defend," he said. "There's no choice here between adaptation and mitigation, we have to do both."

Other experts were concerned that Watson's comments might be seen as defeatist and an admission that emissions reductions were impossible to achieve.

"At 4 degrees we are basically into a different climate regime," said Prof Neil Adger, an expert on adaptation to climate change at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in Norwich.

"I think that is a dangerous mindset to be in. Thinking through the implications of 4 degrees of warming shows that the impacts are so significant that the only real adaptation strategy is to avoid that at all cost because of the pain and suffering that is going to cost.

"There is no science on how we are going to adapt to 4 degrees warming. It is actually pretty alarming," he added.

Speaking to the Guardian, Watson, who is a former science adviser to President Clinton and ex-chief scientist at the World Bank, said the UK should take a lead in research on carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Alluding to the US effort in the 1960s to put a man on the moon he advocated an "Apollo-type programme" to introduce 10 to 20 CCS pilot projects - which work by burying carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels underground - among OECD countries to develop the technology.

"This would allow coal-fired power plants that are currently being built to be modular and capable of having carbon capture retrofitted, and would show the world that we take the issue of climate change seriously, thus demonstrating real leadership. Without this technology we have a real problem."

He also said as coal burning is cleaned up to remove harmful sulphur pollution climate change would actually get worse. The sulphur aerosols are actually preventing some warming from taking place currently.

"This offsetting effect, which is equivalent to about 100 parts per million of carbon dioxide, will largely disappear if China and India follow the lead of the US and Europe in limiting sulphur emissions, the cause of acid deposition," he said.

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