Best of our wild blogs: 30 Dec 08

Wild Geese
on the Flying Fish Friends blog

Stars at Lazarus reclaimed beach
on the wonderful creation blog

Kranji Quickly
on the wild shores of singapore blog

Last Chek Jawa boardwalk tour for 2008
on the Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs blog

Nordmann’s Greenshank catching a crab
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Hawking behaviour by a woodpecker
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Croak on a rock
on the annotated budak blog

Sultan Shoal Lighthouse - Sentry of the West
on the Mountain and Sea blog

How do fiddler crabs find their way home?
and thus why we shouldn't pick them up, on the wild shores of singapore blog

Why are there banana trees outside Hindu temples?
on the Singapore's Heritage, Museums & Nostalgia Blog

Natural Disasters
on the Psychedelic Nature blog

Corallimorphs and shipwrecks
on the blooooooooooo blog

Read more!

Adopting trees to save the Silvery Gibbon

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post 30 Dec 08;

Protecting the critically endangered silvery gibbon -- a rare primate endemic to a few scattered forests in Java -- is proving to be increasingly difficult with poachers targeting them for their soft and velvety fur while locals remain unsympathetic to their plight.

"If we can't take timber from the forest anymore, then how will our children and grandchildren build houses?" said Iskandar, a villager from Cisalimar village in Sukabumi regency, West Java.

This question was raised during a meeting aimed at sharing information regarding the forest corridor at Mount Halimun Salak National Park.

Representatives from three kampongs, experts, the park head and around 30 others attended the discussion.

The central debate focused on whether or not villagers should be allowed to enter the forest and cut down trees, though other issues such as the restoration of the park's 1,200 hectare forest corridor were also discussed.

If the deforestation of the corridor continues, the habitats and communication patterns for the silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch) will be further restricted, putting the future survival of their species at risk.

Currently, they are found in Javanese forests, particularly in areas within Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, the Mount Halimun Salak National Park and the Ujung Kulon National Park.

Head of Mount Halimun Salak National Park, Bambang Supriyanto, said the protected area covers around 113,357 hectares of forest.

It has been divided into three sections, located in Sukabumi and Bogor in West Java and in Banten province.

The corridor acts as a home to the silvery gibbon and spans 4,200 hectares, linking Mount Halimun and Mount Salak.

The park is currently working to restore the damaged corridor with Japan's Kagoshima University, primate researchers from Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB) and botanic researchers and zoologists from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

Together, they have developed programs to conserve trees and conduct research in the corridor.

They have also investigated water catchment areas in the park, with 117 basins impacting on the environment downstream, such as in Depok, Jakarta and Tangerang.

"The environmental issues with the corridor is the biggest challenge we face," Bambang said.

He said large sections of the land have been used for inappropriate causes, such as farming.

"That is why I invited along the researchers from the IPB and the LIPI to help speed up the corridor's restoration using the kind of plants that are good for the community and are also good for wild animals," he said.

The park has introduced a tree adoption project involving the local community, where both individuals or companies can adopt trees.

For companies, the minimum involvement is planting five hectares of land with up to 2,000 trees for three years participation.

The money raised from the adoption program does not go the park but to the Gede Pahala Foundation.

"Through the foundation, we hope the public fund can be managed transparently and used for the benefits of communities living around the area," Bambang said.

The fund, he said, would be used to train the communities and help them grow seedlings, while the trees are maintained by local groups.

"When a tree dies they are also responsible for replanting it," he said.

The community is given assistance creating seedling beds, allowing those wanting to adopt trees to buy from the villagers and in turn, help raise their income.

The villagers are also required to plant trees, especially fruit trees and those of hard wood, in empty plots around their homes so they do not have to enter the forest to seek timber to build houses.

IPB's primate researcher, Dones Rinaldi, said this action in preserving the corridor should continue in a way where the valleys and hill slopes are maintained in their original environments.

The forest is also the habitat for the Javanese eagle and the trees are good for nest building and for supplying prey, predominantly small mammals.

He said the Halimun and Salak zones should not be disturbed and preferably secured to let the original forest grow again, while the cleared zones should be well supervised to ensure there were no more intrusions.

Currently human activities within the corridor are still too high, mainly because there are many roads passing through the passageway from north to south.

Moreover, timber harvesting projects and the cultivation of non-irrigated fields have slowly begun in the corridor, and infrastructure like power lines and pipelines have crept into its zone.

He said situation has disturbed the life of primates and wild animals living in the park.

"Primates are one of the wild animal groups which can serve as indicators of the ecological health of a forest," Dones said.

The primates' knowledge of their territory can provide information about the condition of a habitat, which in turn can be useful in managing and rehabilitating the area.

"Damage to the environment in the corridor between Mount Halimun and Mount Salak ruins the habitat of the primates. This threatens the existence of wild animals because they are then vulnerable to poaching," said Dones.

Read more!

Car-free push key to rise in clean air days in Jakarta

Tifa Asrianti, The Jakarta Post 30 Dec 08;

With the last car free event of the year held on Sunday, Jakarta will have seen 125 days with "good" air quality in 2008, higher than the 73 days recorded last year, an official said Monday.

Jakarta Environmental Management Board (BPLHD) Chairman Budirama Natakusumah said the car free events helped Jakarta reach the higher number of days with good air quality this year.

The number of days with good quality air has been consistently increasing; from 28 in 2005 to 45 in 2006.

"During the car free day events, the areas usually see a 60 to 80 percent drop in carbon monoxide levels and 50 to 60 percent drop in dust pollution," Budirama told The Jakarta Post.

He said that his agency's target for next year is to hold the event twice a month along Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin, as well as twice a year in each municipality.

This year the city administration held car free events in each of its five municipalities. Central Jakarta saw a car free day on Jl. Letjen Suprapto, in East Jakarta it was on Jl. Pramuka, in South Jakarta on Jl. HR Rasuna Said and in North Jakarta Jl. Danau Sunter Selatan was free of motor vehicles. Meanwhile West Jakarta blocked traffic off Jl. Tongkol, Jl. Cengkeh, Jl. Kali Besar Timur, Jl. Pintu Besar Utara and Jl. Pos Kota, all in the Old Town area.

Alfred Sitorus from the Committee for Phasing Out Leaded Gasoline (KPBB) said that his organization believes the event still has room for improvement, as it still allows private vehicles to use one lane.

"We regret that there is no coordination between the police, the BPLHD and the transportation agency. With the private cars using the slow lanes, it won't affect the air quality as much as it could. If there is no improvement in January's car free day, we will help the organizer to keep the area sterile from all private vehicles," he said.

Budirama acknowledged the flaw in the event. He cited that, on last Sunday's car free event, there was a military-clad troop traveling through the area, ignoring the rule. He said the public was angry at the passing of the military truck.

Besides private cars, top officials such as Vice President Jusuf Kalla have also crashed a car free event.

Budirama said that his agency could not punish the perpetrators.

"We always inform government offices and the public of the events. Lack of information is no excuse. I am happy if NGOs want to help us in the event," he said.

Alfred questioned the accuracy of the data because, while a car free day event decreases pollution by 20-30 percent, pollution levels jump by up to 70 percent on the average work day.

"Perhaps they count the quality air days from the number of Sundays and the car free days. Perhaps they count the pollution percentage on Jl. Sudirman - Jl. MH Thamrin and claim it as the whole of Jakarta. As far as I know, the city administration only has five monitoring devices," he said.

Budirama said that his agency planned to buy fixed equipment for Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin this year. The European-made equipment cost Rp 5 billion (US$455,000), he said.

"But due to the late budget, we have to return the money. We hope we can procure the equipment next year," he said.

Read more!

Asia needs its own Green New Deal

Green infrastructure will strengthen continent's competitive advantage
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 30 Dec 08;

There's still a disconnect between what is being said and what is done. In Asia, no one is clearly saying 'let's build green infrastructure' and announcing appropriate policies to drive the process.

THE year is 1933. The Great Depression began four years earlier and 'The New Deal' had just been born.

The US economy was beginning its long recovery from the worst slump in its history. Then-United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt unveiled a slew of measures to create jobs and reform businesses and financial practices.

Today, 75 years later, the world finds itself in what has been called the 'worst financial crisis since the Great Depression'. Unsurprisingly, Roosevelt has become a touchstone again and a new version of his 'New Deal' has emerged. This time, however, it's taken on a hue: green.

At the United Nations climate change talks in Poland last month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon called for a 'Green New Deal', to both curb global warming and salvage the world economy.

'This is a deal that would work for all nations, rich as well as poor,' he said, urging governments to set aside a chunk of the fiscal stimulus measures they are planning for investment in low-carbon technologies. Such investments would help fight climate change, create millions of green jobs and spur green growth, he argued.

The concept is not new. US President-elect Barack Obama had pledged during his presidential campaign to spend US$150 billion (S$215 billion) over 10 years to build a clean energy economy, one that will create five million jobs.

Some pundits say the call for a Green New Deal couldn't have come at a worse time. With economies struggling with credit crunches, falling demand and rising unemployment, the green agenda is bound to drop off the radar. Plummeting oil prices are also blurring the economic case for investing in clean energy projects.

Yet there are also some voices making a powerful case for the Green New Deal. Mr Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy are among the world leaders who have embraced the idea.

Perhaps they recognise what Newsweek magazine said recently: 'Simply put, the world needs a new economic driver', given that the two pillars of the US economy - housing and financial services - are undergoing massive restructuring. What the Green New Deal offers is essentially a means of killing two birds with one stone - stimulating the economy by providing jobs, and laying the groundwork for a more efficient, low-carbon future.

What is striking, however, is the lack of a similar game plan in Asia. Asian governments have focused their economic stimulus on infrastructure-oriented programmes, say economists, as these tend to be good for long-term growth and generate a lot of employment.

But the same analysts also concede that Asian governments are 'not that concerned about the environment', especially since in the short-term, green infrastructure tends to be expensive.

That is a shame. The downturn would be a 'good time to think about both survival and the long-term drive towards efficiency', as Mr Simon Tay, former Nominated Member of Parliament and president of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, puts it.

This is not to say Asian governments are not taking steps to green their economies. China has invested an estimated US$720 million in 2008 alone in clean technology.

Top politicians in Singapore and all over Asia have recognised the importance of moving towards more efficient, sustainable economies and have pledged money to that end.

But there's still a disconnect between what is being said and what is done. In Asia, no one is clearly saying 'let's build green infrastructure' and announcing appropriate policies to drive the process.

Asia has always been a laggard compared to Europe with regard to environmental economic policies. Credit Suisse Asian chief economist Joseph Tan points to two reasons: lack of regulations, and lack of leadership. There is no Al Gore of the East pushing for a Green New Deal.

We need to realise that a green infrastructure would provide us with a competitive advantage. Lower fuel costs would only be one of the many benefits, says Mr Tay.

Economists like Mr Tan agree: There is no reason why economic goals should not be aligned with environmental goals, especially when the latest crisis presents us with an opportunity to do so.

Take Singapore as an example. Layoffs in the electronics sector are expected to total 1,000 in the last quarter of the year, NTUC deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob disclosed last month. Companies like IM Flash, Adobe, HP, Motorola and Nokia have already announced layoffs, which have affected their Singapore- based operations.

Given how skills in the electronics and semiconductor industry are similar to those required for solar technology, an investment by the Government to beef up our solar energy infrastructure could provide jobs for such retrenched workers.

As the growth potential of the solar sector is massive, these jobs are also likely to have a multiplier effect, creating spin-offs in various industries, from construction to glass-making.

According to the International Energy Agency, greening the world's energy infrastructure would require an investment of US$3.6 trillion in power plants and US$5.7 trillion in energy efficiency from 2010 to 2030. These investments correspond to 0.6 per cent of global GDP per year, but would bring fuel-cost savings of US$6 trillion.

Considering that easy oil will run out sooner or later, these are sobering statistics governments should consider - especially in Asia, as the region is an overall net energy importer.

The planet cannot afford for Asia to develop in the same way Europe and the US did, polluting its way into prosperity. The Green New Deal is the next global revolution and Asia will make history by embracing it.

Read more!

Sad farewell to tranquil Seletar Airbase

Straits Times Forum 30 Dec 08;

THE black-and-white houses, like their photographic counterparts, tell an old story plain words cannot describe. The unfathomable peace, unparalleled anywhere else in Singapore, the song of the magpie robins and the occasional caw of parrots playing like soft music in the distance - these have been the days of Seletar Airbase.

A sense of sadness struck as we were told we had to leave the estate by the end of this year. Where would we ever find such a place again? Nowhere else could we find a place with such tranquillity and lush greenery in the urban jungle of Singapore. As some readers may know, there are plans to expand the aerospace hub in Seletar Airbase, hence our need to move out.

As a Seletarian for the past nine years, I have grown fond of this place. As I live out my remaining hours on Seletar soil, I reminisce and, as much as I like my recently bought replacement home, I realise nothing can ever replace what we have in Seletar.

Our dog, Shandy, which has been with us throughout our stay in Seletar, will be devastated for a start - where else can a domestic pet enjoy such nature and greenery in Singapore? Where else can it have a large garden to frolic in, as any happy dog should?

As I sit here on my rusty swing, I take one of my last glances at the place I have called home for almost the past decade. The house will be demolished and the ground piledriven in a matter of days. A saddening thought it may be, but as with everything in life, we must learn to move on and accept change.

Seletar Airbase will be physically demolished, but it will forever have a place in my heart. I am sure other residents who leave will feel the same.

Thank you, Seletar Airbase, for all the great times you have given us. You will be sorely missed.

Jeremy Sim

Read more!

JTC Corp talks about how it has come this far

From factories... ...to Fusionopolis
JTC Corp talks about how it has come this far since its birth in 1968
Joyce Teo, Straits Times 30 Dec 08;

'Private developers won't be holding a lot of land and pumping money into, say, Seletar Air Base, at the start,' he said. 'They will want to see some seeding in place first.' JTC is turning Seletar into a business aviation hub.

MUCH was at stake when Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) workers started hacking away at the uninhabited jungles and marshlands of the Jurong area in 1968.

The fate of not only the future industrial hub of Jurong, but also Singapore itself, might have been in the balance.

'If JTC had failed, Singapore might have failed,' said Mr Ong Geok Soo, assistant chief executive of the body now known as JTC Corp, in a recent interview.

He has been at JTC through almost all of its 40 years, and remembers well the early challenges.

'We seeded the whole process. We developed Jurong town,' said Mr Ong. 'In the early days, JTC built roads, drains, sewers and worked with the Public Utilities Board to bring in power.'

Fortunately, the pioneers at JTC were a gung-ho bunch. There were some 'daredevils' who went all out to get the project done.

Back then, JTC was an all-round developer, building not only factories but even flats and gardens. It practically carved out Jurong town, and also built some of the flats in the area, which were later transferred to the Housing Board.

Although few entrepreneurs were initially willing to invest in Jurong, it eventually attracted huge foreign investment.

'In the early days, we had to build confidence and trust as we had to show investors we were credible. Customers were not yet at our door,' said Mr Ong.

Slowly, more and more customers came. Then began JTC's evolution, from its founding purpose to develop the Jurong Industrial Estate, to a much wider role in Singapore's development.

It began to build more no-frills low-rise factories elsewhere across the island in the 1970s.

Then it moved on to building multi-storey factories and high-tech business parks. 'Customers became more sophisticated. They wanted labs, showrooms, warehouse space.'

Gradually, the private sector was also able to provide and manage the same sort of space that JTC had been providing.

That meant JTC had to do more. It then reclaimed land that was eventually offered to business clusters in need of space. Chemical firms were housed on Jurong Island and pharmaceutical players at Tuas Biomedical Park, for instance.

Then, plans were laid out for the $15 billion one-north - a 200-ha self-contained research hub in Buona Vista promoting a 'work, live, learn and play' lifestyle. It is to be built over 15 to 20 years.

JTC has played a key role in Singapore's move into research and development and product design, helping the nation keep up with the times by offering innovative products to attract investors.

Since 2001, JTC has gone on to build Biopolis and then Fusionopolis at one-north. Media Park will follow.

These clusters of intelligent, cutting-edge 'factories' are striking examples of how far JTC has come since 1968. The high-rise buildings boast green features and combine work with leisure.

Apart from work spaces, the first phase of Fusionopolis, a $560 million two-tower-cum-podium development, has serviced apartments, shops and 13 public sky gardens, for instance. It even has a state-of-the art experimental theatre, which boasts a unique $380,000 timber beads-acoustic wall padding.

Construction of the 30-ha Fusionopolis, which will stretch over at least six phases, started in 2003 when the Sars outbreak was taking its toll on the economy. 'We were prepared to put our money into it but nobody trusted us,' said Mr Philip Su, JTC's assistant chief executive.

Market confidence was then at a low ebb so JTC wasn't sure if there would be takers for the space. Nevertheless, it forged ahead with the project, believing in its long-term potential. 'Now I've got a problem. I don't have enough space. Now, we have to launch phase 4,' said Mr Su.

Due to a lack of space, JTC is also going underground to create more usable space for Singapore. It is building an underground oil storage facility called Jurong Rock Cavern, which will feature over 2.7 million cubic metres of storage space when completed.

There are plans for an underground science city catering to research and development and an underground warehouse.

Among its other new ideas is one which looks at housing business clusters in a high-rise complex. For instance, a car mart can be combined with warehousing and logistics facilities.

These projects, which the private sector finds too big, complex and risky to handle, will be the focus of JTC in future.

It recently sold $1.71 billion worth of its ready-built facilities to Mapletree Investments as it shifts focus to such strategic projects that will help take Singapore into the future.

'In the early days, we had more flexibility as we had plenty of land,' said Mr Ong. 'Now, we are short of land so there's more planning, more thinking... We are less visible because Singapore is more developed now.'

Nevertheless, there is always a place for JTC in Singapore, said Mr Ong.

'Private developers won't be holding a lot of land and pumping money into, say, Seletar Air Base, at the start,' he said. 'They will want to see some seeding in place first.' JTC is turning Seletar into a business aviation hub.

Read more!

Government to proceed with Jurong Lake District development

S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia 29 Dec 08;

SINGAPORE: The Singapore government is proceeding to put in the infrastructure to facilitate the growth of Jurong Lake District. This follows the unveiling of the area's development blueprint in April this year.

Giving an update on Monday, both the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and JTC said the measures include constructing a new spinal road, expanding the Jurong East MRT station and redeveloping the bus interchange.

There will also be upcoming developments at the International Business Park (IBP), Teban and Pandan Gardens.

The existing business cluster in the IBP will be expanded to maximise its potential in the next economic upturn.

Given IBP's proximity to industrial estates in the west and to the major commercial hub at Jurong Gateway, it remains an attractive location for many industrialists to site their headquarter operations.

JTC envisaged that this strong demand for business park space in IBP will continue into the next economic upturn.

It is planning to develop the land parcels along the business park's southern boundary, generating about 5 hectares of land and 125,000 square metres of business park space.

There will also be improvements to the road network in the IBP which was the first business park established in Singapore in 1992.

Teban and Pandan Gardens will be rejuvenated as well to provide attractive waterfront housing and to enhance their connectivity.

On top of that, there will be road improvement works at Faber Terrace and Faber Hills. This will improve current traffic situation in the area and allow more quality low and medium density housing fronting Sungei Ulu Pandan.

All these are part of Master Plan 2008 to develop new growth areas outside the city centre.
- CNA/so

Jurong to get more business space
Expansion of business park will position Singapore for recovery
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 30 Dec 08;

THE economic outlook is all gloom but the Government is already positioning Singapore for the next upturn by unveiling plans to beef up the supply of business park space in Jurong.

Its ambitious move comes even as demand in the property sector has fallen dramatically in recent months while office rents have dipped.

Industrial landlord JTC Corporation said yesterday it will develop 5ha south of the existing International Business Park. This will yield 125,000 sq m, or about 1.35 million sq ft, of rentable space.

The development will help JTC 'secure investments and anchor key companies' in an effort to better place the economy for the next upturn, it said.

Site surveys will start next month and infrastructure work, including improvements to the park's road networks, will begin in March. Two new road linkages to the Ayer Rajah Expressway and Pan-Island Expressway will be created.

Companies can lease space in the business park from 2011, said JTC.

Market watchers told The Straits Times that the Government is stimulating economic activity with the development while also seeking to avoid the kind of office space crunch that has hit businesses in recent years.

The economic boom that preceded the financial crisis saw prime office rents double to almost $19 per sq ft last year. This sparked a scramble to build more office space, including government moves to release transitional office sites to relieve pent-up demand.

While this has now led to concerns that Singapore could face an office space glut over the next two years, some analysts feel that early preparation of sites enables the market to respond faster when the economy does pick up.

Colliers International's research and advisory director, Ms Tay Huey Ying, said she did not think there would be a glut, and that this 'will help in ensuring a U-shape recovery instead of a V-shape one when the global economy recovers'.

CIMB-GK economist Song Seng Wun said government investment in public infrastructure like Jurong Island or Changi Airport during downturns has traditionally 'worked well for Singapore'.

Even though the impact on economic output 'will not be massive', such work will benefit local firms, added Mr Song.

The International Business Park - 21 land parcels of about 25ha - is Singapore's first such park. Established in 1992, it has drawn renowned tech firms such as Dell and Acer to set up shop.

JTC said a review of the park's masterplan was timely as the Urban Redevelopment Authority had recently announced a dramatic makeover for Jurong in its 2008 Masterplan.

The industrial town is to be redeveloped into Jurong Lake District - a 360ha mini metropolis of homes, hotels, shops, eateries and offices linked to the MRT via walkways and waterways.

It will consist of Jurong Gateway, the up-and-coming commercial hub of the West, and Lakeside, which is being developed as a destination for young families, with tourist attractions and parks complemented by water activities.

JTC said 'there is potential' for synergy between the expanded business park and the rejuvenated Jurong Gateway.

Collier's Ms Tay agreed that more business park space will add critical mass and 'aid in the realisation of the Government's vision for the Jurong Lake District'.

To complement the commercial developments, the surrounding housing estates will be rejuvenated by various statutory boards. This will mean upgrades to Teban and Pandan Gardens and the Faber Terrace areas in the next few years.

Wider variety of housing in the west
Straits Times 30 Dec 08;

RESIDENTS in the west can look forward to having a wider variety of homes to choose from in the next few years.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) yesterday announced detailed plans to rejuvenate estates such as Teban and Pandan Gardens, and Faber Terrace and Faber Hills - part of a bigger makeover for the Jurong district.

As the existing International Business Park expands, infrastructure upgrading works will also be carried out at surrounding housing estates by national water agency PUB and the Housing Board.

Dredging works by the PUB to deepen Jurong Lake to allow for more recreational water activities, for example, have already begun.

Under its Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme which aims to convert canals and reservoirs into a scenic network of waterways, PUB plans to build a new waterfront promenade with boardwalks, bridges and wetlands at Jurong Lake.

At Teban and Pandan Gardens, the HDB has been rejuvenating these estates through various upgrading programmes and its Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers). Sers involves the relocation of residents in public housing that is about 30 years old to newly developed high-density projects located nearby.

Road improvement works at Faber Terrace and Faber Hills will also allow more quality low- and medium-density housing fronting Sungei Ulu Pandan to be built to support the growth of the Jurong Lake District, said URA.

A 1.9ha private residential and commercial site next to Jurong East MRT was also put on URA's reserve list last month.

Knight Frank's director of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak does not expect the plans to have any immediate significant impact on the market.

But Colliers International's research and advisory director Tay Huey Ying said the plans to enhance residential estates 'will add variety to housing options...and help entice home purchasers'.

'This can help to boost population in this area - a critical ingredient if the Jurong Gateway is to be a success.'

JTC to bulk up space at Jurong business park
Area to be increased by 20%; some parts to see plot ratios raised
Emilyn Yap, Business Times 30 Dec 08;

(SINGAPORE) The economy may be slowing but the government has already set its sights on riding the recovery. To meet future demand for space, JTC Corporation plans to expand the International Business Park (IBP) in Jurong by 20 per cent and will raise plot ratios for some areas in the park.

Property consultants generally welcomed the news and believe that the new supply, which will enter the market only in the mid to long term, will have little impact on the weakening property market.

First established in 1992, the IBP now consists of 21 land parcels spanning 25 hectares, and JTC has fully allocated these plots. The park is home to several global technology firms such as Creative Technology, Acer and Dell.

'We are expecting a surge in demand for business park land in this area in the next economic upturn, which land intensification on existing IBP land alone would not be able to address,' said a JTC spokesman yesterday.

To prepare 'land supply in advance to meet investors' needs, we are planning to develop land parcels adjacent to the IBP for its expansion'.

JTC will be adding five parcels or around five hectares of land along the IBP's southern boundary. With a plot ratio of 2.5, this will generate some 125,000 square metres of new business park space.

JTC has also been receiving requests from existing IBP lessees to intensify land use. The overall occupancy rate for multi-tenanted buildings at the park has been high, at around 90 per cent.

To meet these needs, plot ratios for around 14.8 hectares of land will be increased from 1.4 to 2.5.

In line with the redevelopment, the government is looking to improve the area's road network by creating two road linkages to direct traffic from the IBP to the Ayer Rajah Expressway and the Pan Island Expressway.

It could take another 3-4 years for the IBP's revamp to be completed, estimates JTC. The redevelopment will complement the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) 2008 Master Plan to create a suburban commercial hub in Jurong.

'There is potential to create synergy between the IBP and the proposed developments in Jurong Gateway, the commercial precinct of the Jurong Lake District,' said the JTC spokesman.

JTC's announcement comes amid a cooling economy and a softening property market - consultants are predicting a fall in demand for industrial space and rents in the coming year. But some whom BT spoke to remain sanguine about prospects for the extra IBP space coming up.

'Business park space is still a good alternative for those looking at office space outside the Central Business District (CBD). As long as rentals in the CBD are considered high, interest in business parks will be healthy,' said Knight Frank's head of industrial business space, Lim Kien Kim. 'I don't think this new supply will significantly affect rents for business parks in general.'

According to its website, JTC charges a land rent of around $60.57 per square metre (psm) per annum, or a land price of $913 psm on a 30-year lease for IBP sites with a plot ratio of 2.5.

DTZ's executive director Ong Choon Fah also believes that the new IBP supply will not pose a big concern. 'This is long-term . . . There will always be market cycles, so we must not lose sight of the long- term goals . . . Announcing this now also allows market players to be aware of what is happening in the future, so they can start to plan.'

Cushman & Wakefield Singapore managing director Donald Han says that the new IBP plots could also be put on the reserve list if they are released in a subdued market. Reserve list sites are launched for tender only upon successful application by a developer with an undertaking of a minimum bid acceptable to the state.

'I don't think (the government) will force feed the market,' he said.

Alongside JTC's redevelopment plans for the IBP, URA also released other updates to its 2008 Master Plan for the Jurong Lake District yesterday. They include the rejuvenation of Teban Gardens and Pandan Gardens, and road improvement works for Faber Terrace and Faber Hills.

Rejuvenation for Jurong residential areas
Better connectivity and more housing choices are on the cards
Emilyn Yap, Business Times 30 Dec 08;

MORE residential areas in Jurong are to be rejuvenated as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) 2008 Master Plan to develop commercial hubs outside the Central Business District.

Supporting the growth of the Jurong Lake District, Faber Terrace, Faber Hills, Teban Gardens and Pandan Gardens will soon enjoy better connectivity and more housing choices.

Various infrastructure plans in the region will proceed 'notwithstanding the current economic downturn', said URA in a release yesterday.

The government will be enhancing roads at Faber Terrace and Faber Hills. Not only will this improve the area's traffic situation, it will also allow more low and medium-density housing fronting Sungei Ulu Pandan to be built in future, said URA.

Noting that traffic along the Ayer Rajah Expressway in the area can be heavy, DTZ's executive director Ong Choon Fah agreed with the plans. 'If you build up the Jurong Lake District, you will also need to find an accessible way to get there,' she said.

According to URA, new residences at Faber Terrace and Faber Hills will be private and could include landed property as well as low- and medium-density condominiums. The area could be suitable for cluster housing, said Cushman & Wakefield Singapore managing director Donald Han.

Teban and Pandan Gardens will also undergo rejuvenation. Two public housing sites at Teban Gardens are already under the selective en-bloc redevelopment scheme, and PUB's ABC Waters programme for the Pandan Reservoir will further enhance waterfront living in the area.

There are also plans to improve Teban and Pandan Gardens' connectivity with the Jurong Lake District.

The district - comprising a commercial centre at Jurong Gateway and a leisure hotspot at Lakeside - could attract more large and global companies and the redevelopment of the International Business Park would further support this. As JTC Corporation also said yesterday, it plans to add another five hectares of land and raise plot ratios for some areas in the park.

Knight Frank director of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak pointed out that multinational corporations do pay attention to where the workforce is when they pick a site for their headquarters or factories. 'To know that (workers) are all living around is good, there is a ready pool of labour,' he said.

The announcements are also 'a signal to potential developers and investors that there is still land around the Jurong Lake area available,' he added.

URA also provided more updates on the development of Jurong Lake District yesterday.

For instance, dredging works to deepen the Jurong Lake for more water-based activities are already underway.

The ‘lake district’ just gets bigger ...
Zul Othman, Today Online 30 Dec 08;

IN APRIL, they learnt how nearby Jurong would be transformed into a “lake district” and Singapore’s largest commercial hub outside the city centre.

Yesterday, residents of three estates located a stone’s throw away — including one that made history by being the first to reject upgrading — found out they would be part of the rejuvenation, too.

The 30-year-old public housing neighbourhoods of Teban and Pandan Gardens, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, can expect “attractive waterfront housing”, a feature that has been given top billing elsewhere, such as in Punggol.

With Pandan Reservoir and Sungei Ulu Pandan in the vicinity and water-based activities expected, space for private housing fronting the river has also been set aside at nearby Faber Terrace and Faber Hills.

And to top off the effect of the Jurong Lake District, which promises leisure infrastructure and should be fully developed by 2020, it was announced yesterday the authorities would expand the nearby International Business Park (IBP) so that more jobs and homes go hand-in-hand in the former swampland-turned-industrial town.

JTC Corporation (JTC), which manages the 25-hectare IBP, will add five hectares or 125,000 sq m of business space to the area, which, in its current size, had been fully allocated by the middle of this year.

There is potential to “create synergy” between IBP and the proposed developments in the Jurong Gateway, the 70-hectare commercial precinct (500,000 square metres of office space) of the Jurong Lake District, said JTC.

“We’re expecting a surge in demand for Business Park land in this area in the next economic upturn, which land intensification on existing IBP land alone would not be able to address,” said a JTC spokeswoman.

Tenants of the IBP engage broadly in data centre, engineering, software R&D, info-comm and telecommunication (ICT) activities. It is too early to say if rent at IBP will increase, which would depend on the market, the spokeswoman added. Expansion will start with a site survey next month and site preparation works in March, which will include two road linkages to direct traffic to the Ayer Rajah and Pan-Island Expressways. The targeted completion date is within three to four years.

Across the AYE, road improvement works will also be carried out at Faber Terrace and Faber Hills to support future growth in low- and medium-intensity density housing while more housing choices will be provided in Teban and Pandan Gardens through the Selective En-Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers). The latter estate rejected upgrading works in 2003.

But this time, residents Today spoke to said they were pleased to hear about the coming developments, which in the case of Teban Gardens, already includes two Sers sites. More details will be made known at a later stage, but residents such as clinical nurse Farida Abdul Talib, 46, has her wishlist ready.

She said: “(There’s) not much variety now. I would definitely like to see more shops to liven up the place.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SUFIAN BIN SUDERMAN

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Singapore families get utility rebates

Families to get $125m in utility rebates
780,000 households will benefit from help given to offset GST hike
Jessica Lim, Straits Times 30 Dec 08;

MORE than 780,000 HDB households will receive utility rebates in the next seven months, with those in smaller flats getting more.

The 2009 rebates will cost the Government $125 million. They were introduced during last year's Budget as part of the $4 billion GST offset package.

The aim of the rebates is to help Singaporeans, especially those from low-income households, cope with the GST hike implemented in July last year.

The Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebates range from $70 to $210 and are pegged to flat type. They will be parcelled out in two instalments - the first next month, and the second in July.

People living in one- or two-room flats, for example, will receive rebates of $210, while those living in five-room flats will receive $110.

Now in its third year, the rebates - which recipients can roll over to the following months if their bills are less than the rebate amount - will run until at least 2011. Over the five years from 2007 to 2011, $550 million will be handed out in total.

The rebate will help Madam Fauziah Ab Samad, a mother of five school-going children who lives in a four-room flat in Jurong West.

'This month, my children had to buy school books and new uniforms. This will really help to offset all these extra costs,' said the housewife, who lives on $1,300 a month from her husband who is a bus driver.

The family has $500 in unpaid power bills.

Mr William Sng, 61, who lives in a three-room flat in Hougang, is also grateful.

'If the Government wants to help me to pay my bills, I am happy,' said the father of two in Mandarin.

'It may not be that much, but the amount saved will cover the amount I spend for four trips to the supermarket.'

The rebate amount will be reflected in utility bills for January and July 2009 for all eligible households.

For more information on U-Save rebates, the public can call SP Services on 1800-2222-333.

Utilities rebates of $70-210 for HDB homes in 2009
Business Times 30 Dec 08;

MORE than 780,000 eligible HDB households will receive $125 million worth of Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebates in 2009, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.

Households will receive between $70 and $210 worth of U-Save rebates, depending on flat type. Part of the rebates will be given out in January, while the rest will be given in July.

Under the schedule of U-Save rebates released yesterday, one-room and two-room HDB flats will get $210 worth of rebates in 2009.

Three-room flats will get $190; four-room flats, $180; and five-room flats, $110. Executive flats will get rebates of $70.

The U-Save rebates are part of the $4 billion GST Offset Package announced in the 2007 Budget to help Singaporeans, especially low and middle-income households, cope with the increase in the goods and services tax (GST) in July 2007. The GST was increased by two percentage points to 7 per cent then.

The rebates will cost the government about $620 million over five years (FY2007-FY2011), it said.

'U-Save rebates will be used to offset utility charges directly. The amount of U-Save rebates will be reflected in the utility bills for January and July 2009 for all eligible households,' said the Ministry of Finance yesterday.

Electricity bills were hiked by about 21 per cent in October - the highest one-time increase in about seven years.

The government's U-Save rebates aim to provide relief for the higher electricity bills.

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Artistic clues to coastal change

Julian Siddle, BBC News 29 Dec 08;

Nineteenth Century artwork is a useful tool for studying coastal erosion, according to a retired coastal engineer.

Robin McInnes assessed the accuracy of geological and topological features in more than 400 paintings of the Isle of Wight and Hampshire coastline.
Dr McInnes said such old masters gave engineers the chance to see coastal features before they were changed by industrial development.

He was standing in London's Tate Gallery, admiring a painting entitled Pegwell Bay, Kent - a recollection of October 5th 1858 by Pre-Raphaelite artist William Dyce, when the thought struck him that the detailed accurate depiction of groynes and foreshore, despite being painted 150 years ago, might be of use in his work as a coastal engineer.

Over the years, Dr McInnes had amassed quite a collection of paintings, prints and etchings depicting the coastlines of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, where he ran the island's coastline management strategy.

Combining his interests in paintings of the local environment, geology and coastal erosion, he looked at hundreds of artworks and came up with a method to assess their value as indicators of coastal change - especially erosion.

"From the late 18th Century, Europe was cut off by the Napoleonic wars, this resulted in travellers and artists paying greater attention to the picturesque landscapes of the British Isles," said Dr McInnes.

Artists such as William Turner visited the Hampshire coast and produced panoramic paintings in aquatint and water colour.
Dr McInnes began to examine images from the 1770s to the 1920s. From more than 400 paintings, prints and illustrations he drew up a scale to asses how useful such artworks were as coastal engineering tools.

"The ranking system is based on four or five factors, it is a qualitative assessment," he said.

"I looked at issues such as the material and the nature of the media, oil paintings versus prints; generally, water colour allowed the most accurate depiction.

"The next question was what do they actually show, do they provide understanding of the geology or beach levels? I gave each a score for that.

"Also to time periods, from a coastal engineers point of view, the most relevant period is when rapid coastal development took place."

Dr McInnes said the Victorian era saw a dramatic change in the coastline as towns, such as Portsmouth, grew with the opening up of railway links.

He also gave marks for the accuracy of the artistic style, and whether the painting showed the topography.

"In Italian landscape style accuracy was not the prime consideration, (whereas) traditional Victorian coastal painting was the most accurate as the idea was to provide an exact image to take home.

"Followers of the pre-Raphaelites captured in precise detail this period, it coincided with an interest in geology and natural sciences. "

He added that the paintings of the period were not just a tool for categorising physical change, but also environmental and developmental issues.

"Many artists returned to the same spot to capture the same scenes over a period of years.

"The study shows how Victorian development has radically changed the coastline; it's nice to strip it back because it helps you understand what might be the underlying problems of erosion and instability.

"Natural processes in the past are largely masked by coastal development," Dr Innes explained.

"Looking back 150 years, it's easier to understand the geography and topography when you don't have this coastal development covering the slopes."

The study - carried out with help from Portsmouth University, the Crown Estate and the National Maritime Museum - has been well received by organisations concerned with coastal erosion.

Dr McInnes recently presented his findings at a coastal engineering conference in Venice, where he learned of similar research that used Caravaggio's paintings to asses historic water levels in the sinking Italian city.

"A lot of people think it can be applied to other parts of the coast that are well illustrated," he says.

The study could be extended, he suggested, to cover areas of south-east England where the erosion of soft rocks, combined with human development, has led to dramatic coastal change.

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Disappearing UK coast presents dilemma

Alison Harper, BBC News 29 Dec 08;

It's a bright sunny day in Studland, Dorset. The wind catches the sand and whips it through the dunes and grasses. Helped by the tides, as each grain moves the shoreline slowly but inevitably shifts.

Emma Wright has worked for the National Trust at Studland for the past seven years.

As we walked along the beach she explained she had become used to seeing areas of the beach swept away.

In November it took just one storm for the sea to reclaim 15 metres of the beach.

Emma showed me red and white hazard tape flapping next to some wooden posts - these were all that remained of the wooden steps once used to access the car park.

"It's just the vegetation left which is holding the dune together and you can see it cracking all the way through.

"That will be just another chunk of dune grass to fall off into the sea with the next storm", she says.

Summer holidays

Studland isn't disappearing overnight - its situation is well documented and is just one section of 279km (173 miles) of coastline in south-west England at risk of erosion.

There are around one million visitors annually, but Emma admitted as the years go on there will be much less to visit.

She explained the rows of beach huts at Studland have been moved inland three times in the past.

"If you come on your summer holidays you want to be on a sandy beach.

"Once that sandy beach isn't there, you don't want to be sat in a car park. The beach hut becomes a shed," she says.

So can anything be done?

It is a dilemma for those keen to protect the beach and those who use it.

"People come here because it's so wonderfully natural, " Emma explains.

"The National Trust is about nature conservation."

That means managed retreat - leaving nature to take its course and the inevitable consequences of erosion.

It is one of those days which is perfect beach-walking weather as long as you are wrapped up warmly.

Howard and Sylvia Oliver come to visit Studland often from their home along the coast in Swanage.

They agree the beach should be left as it is.

Pointing towards Brownsea Island, Howard admired the coast: "Look at that - it's the open stretch of water and sand, it's just superb.

"I'd certainly be sad if we lost a lot of it."

He didn't want to see groynes - wooden or concrete barriers - put up in the sea to slow down the erosion.

"I think it would be a real shame, " he says.

Inevitable

The National Trust has experimented with gabions, metal grilles filled with rocks, which are supposed to soak up the force of the waves.

But they were washed away.

Some visitors do believe in a more solid effort.

Clive Arnold was over with his family on the chain ferry for the afternoon.

"I think some drastic action needs to be taken pretty soon. I think if you left nature to take its course the beach would be eroded so fast.

"At least if you put groynes in there would be something left for the people to enjoy."

It is a view recognised by Emma but she believes it will only delay the inevitable and, anyway, the National Trust is well aware of the sacrifices it will have to make as the erosion continues.

Its own visitor centre, car park and restaurant will be lost.

To relocate would cost an estimated £3.6m and there is nowhere for it to go since most of this peninsula is closely protected as a designated Site of Specific Scientific Interest.

Ironically the National Trust is hampered by the very policies it supports.

No-one can tell how quickly the erosion will take effect. As the sand moves, other areas are enlarged.

"At the moment we're turning back the clock.

"We're where we were in Tudor times, the sand is moving around and the water has come in," but even with expert advice, Emma says the future is unknown and that is what makes her job at Studland unique.

"I'd love to know what it would look like in 100 years. It is ever changing and unpredictable".

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Natural disasters 'killed over 220,000' in 2008

Simon Sturdee Yahoo News 29 Dec 08;

BERLIN (AFP) – Natural disasters killed over 220,000 people in 2008, making it one of the most devastating years on record and underlining the need for a global climate deal, the world's number two reinsurer said Monday.

Although the number of natural disasters was lower than in 2007, the catastrophes that occurred proved to be more destructive in terms of the number of victims and the financial cost of the damage caused, Germany-based Munich Re said in its annual assessment.

"This continues the long-term trend we have been observing. Climate change has already started and is very probably contributing to increasingly frequent weather extremes and ensuing natural catastrophes," Munich Re board member Torsten Jeworrek said.

Most devastating in terms of human fatalities was Cyclone Nargis, which lashed Myanmar on May 2-3 to kill more than 135,000 people and leave more than one million homeless.

Just days later an earthquake shook China's Sichuan province, leaving 70,000 dead, 18,000 missing and almost five million homeless, according to official figures, Munich Re said.

Around 1,000 people died in a severe cold snap in January in Afghanistan, Kyrgystan and Tajikistan, while 635 perished in August and September in floods in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Typhoon Fengshen killed 557 people in China and the Philippines in June, while earthquakes in Pakistan in October left 300 dead.

Six tropical cyclones also slammed into the southern United States, including Ike which, with insured losses of 10 billion dollars, was the industry's costliest catastrophe of the year.

In Europe, an intense low-pressure system called Emma caused two billion dollars worth of damage in March, while a storm dubbed Hilal in late May and early June left 1.1 billion dollars' worth.

The earthquake in Sichuan province was the most expensive overall single catastrophe of 2008, causing around 85 billion dollars worth of damage, helping to make the year the third most expensive on record, Munich Re said.

With 200 billion dollars' worth of damage, only 2005, when a large number of hurricanes slammed into the southern United States, and 1995, year of the Kobe earthquake in Japan, wreaked more destruction since records began in 1900.

According to provisional estimates from the World Meteorological Organization, 2008 was the tenth warmest year since the beginning of routine temperature recording and the eighth warmest in the northern hemisphere.

This means that the ten warmest years ever recorded have all occurred in the last 12 years, Munich Re said.

"It is now very probable that the progressive warming of the atmosphere is due to the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity. The weather machine is running in top gear, bringing more intense severe weather events," it said.

The number of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic in 2008 was much higher than the long-term average, and in terms of both the total number of storms and the number of major hurricanes, 2008 was the fourth most severe hurricane season since reliable data have been available, it said.

The world needed "effective and binding rules on CO2 emissions, so that climate change is curbed and future generations do not have to live with weather scenarios that are difficult to control," board member Jeworrek said.

Last December, the international community agreed in Bali on a two-year roadmap culminating in a new global climate deal to be signed in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Unprecedented in scale and complexity, this accord, due to take effect from 2012, is meant to rein in the greenhouse gases that stoke global warming and throw a lifeline to poor countries exposed to mutated weather patterns.

'Huge year for natural disasters'
BBC News 29 Dec 08;

The past year has been one of the most devastating ever in terms of natural disasters, one of the world's biggest re-insurance companies has said.

Munich Re said the impact of the disasters was greater than in 2007 in both human and economic terms.

The company suggested climate change was boosting the destructive power of disasters like hurricanes and flooding.

It has called for stricter curbs on emissions to prevent further uncontrollable weather scenarios.

Although there were fewer "loss-producing events" in 2008 than in the previous year, the impact of natural disasters was higher, said Munich Re in its annual assessment.

More than 220,000 people died in events like cyclones, earthquakes and flooding, the most since 2004, the year of the Asian tsunami.

Meanwhile, overall global losses totalled about $200bn (£137bn), with uninsured losses totalling $45bn, about 50% more than in 2007.

This makes 2008 the third most expensive year on record, after 1995, when the Kobe earthquake struck Japan, and 2005, the year of Hurricane Katrina in the US.

Torsten Jeworrek of Munich Re said the pattern continued a long-term trend already observed.

"Climate change has already started and is very probably contributing to increasingly frequent weather extremes and ensuing natural catastrophes," he said.

Uninsured

Asia was the continent worst hit by natural disasters in 2008, Munich Re reported.

Cyclone Nargis in Burma killed an estimated 130,000 people and devastated much of the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta region, while the earthquake which struck China's Sichuan province in May left an estimated 70,000 dead and millions homeless.

Munich Re said the losses of $85bn made Sichuan the second most expensive earthquake after Kobe.

Although Nargis and the Sichuan quake brought the biggest cost in terms of human lives, the economic losses were mostly uninsured.

The most expensive single event in 2008 was Hurricane Ike, which brought $30bn in losses. It was one of five major hurricanes in the North Atlantic over the year, which saw a total of 16 tropical storms.

In addition, roughly 1,700 tornadoes across the US caused several billion dollars of damage, as did periods of low pressure weather activity in Europe.

Munich Re quoted World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) figures showing that 2008 was the 10th warmest year since reliable records began, meaning that the 10 warmest years on record all occurred in the past 12 years.

"It is now very probable that the progressive warming of the atmosphere is due to the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity," said Prof Peter Hoppe, head of Munich Re's Geo Risks Research.

"The logic is clear: when temperatures increase there is more evaporation and the atmosphere has a greater capacity to absorb water vapour, with the result that its energy content is higher.

"The weather machine runs into top gear, bringing more intense severe weather events with corresponding effects in terms of losses."

The company said world leaders must put in place "effective and binding rules on CO2 emissions" to curb climate change and ensure that "future generations do not have to live with weather scenarios that are difficult to control".

"If we delay too long, it will be very costly for future generations," said Mr Jeworrek.

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