The Grass Yellows of Singapore (Part 1)
on the Butterflies of Singapore blog
Tideless town
on the annotated budak blog
A peek at Sungei Api Api
on the wild shores of singapore blog
Ghost Crabs @ Tanah Merah
on the Manta Blog
Terns and passing ships
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog
Nesting of the Savanna Nightjar
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 25 Apr 09;
Next month's World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado, North Sulawesi, is to focus on adaptation measures to help address the adverse impacts of climate change on the marine sector.
WOC national organizing committee deputy secretary Gellywynn Jusuf said the meeting will invite the United Nations to help provide funding for adaptation programs.
"We will invite the adaptation fund board from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the funding to achieve the integrated coastal and ocean management of climate change," he told the press Friday.
Gellywynn admitted that funding was crucial to help restore the damaged marine and coastal ecosystem and protect them in the future, particularly fish stocks.
The WOC will take place on May 11 to May 15 and will involve ministerial level officials and other government delegates from 121 countries.
As of April, around 50 countries had confirmed their plans to send delegates to the conference.
Gellywynn said the conference would also strive to include marine issues at the Copenhagen meeting in Denmark to be held at the end of this year.
"We hope the protection of oceans will be promoted following the Kyoto Protocol in 2012," he said.
The adaptation fund board was set up by the UNFCCC to provide cash for developing countries to adapt to the impact of climate change, including shortages of food and water, coastal flooding and the spread of disease vectors.
From the sale of carbon, 2 percent of all sales go toward the funding initiative.
But the UNFCCC has not yet included adaptation programs for the marine sector.
"So far, discussions on oceans and climate change have revolved around the impacts of rising sea levels. We want further discussion on oceans in the context of climate change," Gellywynn said.
Indonesia hosted the world's biggest international climate change conference in Bali in 2007, resulting in a Bali road map for the establishment of a new protocol on emission cuts after 2012.
The Bali conference also adopted the reduction of emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) as an alternative to slashing emissions.
Gellywynn admitted that the country had not yet conducted specific research into whether oceans had the capacity to absorb or release carbon.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is widely blamed for global warming that causes climate change.
On the sidelines of the WOC, the heads of the Coral Triangle countries - Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands - plan to launch a Coral Triangle Initiative on the protection of reefs, fish and food.
They will adopt a CTI regional plan of action to conserve and manage sustainable coastal and marine environments with the Coral Triangle countries.
"The implementation of the CTI is still voluntary for each nation," Gellywynn said.
The donor countries have granted US$70 million through the Global Environmental Fund (GEF) for the conservation of coral reefs within the region.
Fardah, Antara 25 Apr 09;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Manado, a pleasant city with a population of over 417,000, will be in the international spotlight during the upcoming World Ocean Conference(WOC) and Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Summit to be held May 11-15, 2009.
About 2,900 participants from 121 countries are expected to take part in the WOC, the CTI Summit, and associated events. They will stay among other things in 18 star-rated hotels and 24 non-star hotels.
"The central government has met all its commitments to securing infrastructure, roads, bridges, electricity, clean water, land and sea transport and increase flight frequencies," North Sulawesi Governor Sarundajang said last Wednesday (April 22), after meeting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to report preparations for the WOC and CTI Summit to be held in the North Sulawesi capital of Manado.
The WOC on May 11-14 which aims to build a commitment for sustainable management of marine resources will be themed "Climate Change Impacts on Oceans and The Role of Oceans in Climate Change".
An Indonesian professor of oceanography from Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java, told The Jakarta Post daily that Indonesia 75 percent of whose national territory consists of water hoped the conference would produce something tangible to assist its 17,480 islands in countering the impact of global warming.
During the WOC, ministers, senior officials, and oceanographers from all over the world will discuss the complex relationship between the oceans and climate change.
One the one hand, the oceans play a major role in determining the world`s climate system and are believed to function as a carbon sink. On the other hand, the increasing rate of global climate change in recent times is threatening marine life and the livelihood of the people. particularly those living in coastal areas.
"Combined, the Earth`s land and ocean sinks absorb about half of all carbon dioxide emissions from human activities," Dr Paul Fraser, a climatologist from Australia, said in an article published by Science Daily in 2007.
Meanwhile, Dr Anthony Richardson, from the University of Queensland, told Science Daily in 2008 that "marine ecosystems are undoubtedly under-resourced, overlooked and under threat and our collective knowledge of impacts on marine life is a mere drop in the ocean."
Coral Triangle
On May 15, six countries grouped in CT-6 (Coral Triangle-6) will hold the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Summit also in Manado. Australia and the United States will attend the Summit as observers.
Leaders of the CT-6 member countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste) are expected to issue a Regional Action Plan.
The Regional Action Plan would consist of five points, respectively on seascapes, the implementation of ecosystem-based fishery management, protected marine areas, adaption to climate change, and cutting the number of endangered marine species on the list of the International Union For the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Indonesian Marine and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi said a press statement recently.
The coral reefs are known as the Amazon of the Seas because of their rich biodiversity. The coral reef triangle that covers the six countries is 75,000 square kilometers wide and has 500 coral reef species and more than 3,000 fish species.
The coral reefs in the area are also a source of livelihood for 120 population, and a place of tuna mating and a source of regional economy with money in circulation reaching US$2.3 billion a year.
Manado will also host an International Symposium on Ocean Science, Technology and Policy, on May 12-14, a Global Ocean Policy Day on May 13, and an International Ocean Science, Technology and Industry Exhibition, May 11-15, coinciding with the WOC.
The symposium will discuss topics on Sustainable Marine Tourism, Small Island Development, Coral Reef Management, and Fisheries Assessment and Management
Some other side events will also include North Sulawesi Cultural Week, Indo Aqua 2009, and Marine Scout Jamboree, using the Landing Platform Dock Vessel of the Indonesian Navy.
During their sailing journey from Jakarta to Manado, the scouts from the country`s 33 provinces will organize various activities on board the vessel, including lectures on marine topics, various exercises and drills, and cultural performances.
A "Sail Bunaken" fleet review is also scheduled to be held in North Sulawesi waters May 12-20, 2009. A total of 18 foreign warships from several countries and 30 Indonesian warships have confirmed participation in the event, the North Sulawesi Naval Base (Lantamal-VIII) commander, Commodore Willem Rampangiley, said in Manado recently.
The United States will send three warships and one aircraft carrier to take part in the fleet review in North Sulawesi waters. Apart from the fleet review, the event`s
organizing committee will also hold a yacht rally from Darwin (Australia) to Manado, a fly pass, a city long march and provide social services.
UNEP Support
The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) has expressed its support to the Indonesian initiative to host WOC, and is ready to cooperate with Indonesia to promote the outcome of WOC 2009 and the Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) into the UN System and to present the outcome to the Conference of the Parties (COP) 15 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, December 2009.
During the opening of the 25th Season of the UNEP Governing Council Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, February 16, 2009, UNEP Executive Director Dr Achim Steiner said that WOC 2009 was expected to put high awareness on Ocean and Climate Change into the UNEP activities and this will bring oceans into the picture of UNEP`s future programs.
The draft of a road map is being discussed between UNEP and Indonesia to bring the WOC 2009 result into the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, next December, in which an `Ocean Day will be organized by UNEP in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The WOC also received support from UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) which will also send its representative in the conference in Manado.
Responses of NGOs
A number of international NGOs such as WWF, TNC, CI, GEF, ADB, and Worldfish, are also expected to participate in the WOC.
Several Indonesian NGOs have voiced their views on the upcoming ocean and climate change conference.
Apart from focusing on the relationship between oceans and climate change, the NGOs hoped that the conference would also discuss overfishing and poaching.
The government should protect Indonesia`s traditional fishermen and seas from poaching and exploitation by advanced countries, M Riza Damanik, secretary general of KIARA (People`s Coalition for Fishery Justice) said in a rally in front of the Japanese embassy in Jakarta, last Wednesday (April 22), to observe the Earth Day.
KIARA joined an environmental NGO coalition which included the Committee of the Indonesian National Fishermen Organization (KPNNI), The Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM), The Indonesian Environmental Forum (WALHI), The Study Center of Marine Development and Maritime Civilization (PK2PM) and the Anti Debt Coalition (KAU), in the rally.
The NGOs said traditional fishermen and people living in coastal areas were prone to the impacts of climate change due to human-induced environmental damage, and over exploitation and poaching of natural resources.
"Today`s ecological crisis leading to climate change, is more due to natural resource overexploitation by advanced states such as Japan, the United States, and Australia, which have ignored sustainable development principles," Riza Damanik said.
Overexploitation by advanced countries would continue if the Indonesian government failed to carry out its diplomatic mission to save the oceans and traditional fishermen at the upcoming WOC Manado, he said.
Indonesia`s marine wealth has been poached by 10 countries, namely Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, Panama, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and
Myanmar, he said.
"Around 30-50 percent of the total national fish catchment are traded in global markets illegally every year. Moreover, 90 percent of the national shrimp catchment are not intended to meet domestic consumption," he said.
Marine and Fishery Minister Freddy Numberi earlier said that Indonesia lost around Rp30 trillion annually due to fish poaching activities.
Manado which offers a variety of natural panoramas with beaches, hills, volcanic mountains and scenic plateaus, could hopefully inspire oceanographic and climate scientists as well as government officials to produce significant and useful formulations at the conference, summit and symposium to save Planet Earth.
Beautiful and biodiversity-rich Bunaken Marine Park, which is just about 10 km from Menado and is being recommended as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO, will surely be able to give the participants a concrete example of a marine treasure which must be protected.*(*)
Lau Joon-Nie, Channel NewsAsia 26 Apr 09;
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) says there are currently no known cases of human swine flu in Singapore.
However, it has alerted all local doctors and healthcare institutions to be vigilant for any suspect cases during this period.
While there are currently no travel restrictions or quarantine advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for swine flu, MOH has advised those travelling to Mexico, Southern California and Texas to take precautions such as avoiding crowded places, people with flu symptoms and washing one's hands regularly.
Anyone developing swine flu symptoms within a week of travelling to these places should seek immediate medical attention.
In its list of frequently asked questions, MOH says swine flu spreads to humans mainly through contact with infected pigs, but limited human-to-human transmission can also occur in the same way seasonal flu occurs in people.
The symptoms are similar to regular human seasonal influenza - high fever in the early stages followed by cough, sore throat, runny nose and sometimes breathlessness a few days later.
MOH says it maintains a comprehensive, well-established disease surveillance system for early detection of human cases with novel influenzas such as swine flu.
If the situation warrants, MOH will step up public health measures such as quarantine of contacts, issue public health advisories and work with other government agencies to screen visitors at border checkpoints.
It also has an influenza pandemic preparedness plan.
The MOH adds that there is currently no evidence to suggest that swine flu can be transmitted to humans from eating pork or pork products that have been thoroughly cooked. - CNA
New flu virus kills 68 in Mexico
Health officials act to prevent pandemic; eight also infected by the swine virus in US
Straits Times 26 Apr 09;
Mexico City - A new strain of flu that has killed as many as 68 people in Mexico has had health officials scrambling to avert a possible global outbreak.
As the Mexican government axed public events and shut schools, libraries and cinemas, World Health Organisation (WHO) experts were dispatched to Mexico.
More than 1,000 people there, and eight in the United States, are suspected to be down with that strain of flu.
WHO director-general Margaret Chan warned yesterday that the new multi-strain swine flu virus had 'pandemic potential'.
'A new virus is responsible,' she said after an emergency meeting of flu experts in Geneva. 'It is a serious situation which needs to be closely followed.'
Separately a US health official warned that it may be too late to contain the new virus.
'It is clear that this is widespread. And that is why we have let you know that we cannot contain the spread of this virus,' Dr Anne Schuchat of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters.
Dr Chan said it was too early to say whether a pandemic - defined as a global infectious disease outbreak for which there is no immunity - will actually occur.
But the UN agency has advised countries worldwide to look out for similar outbreaks following the discovery of related strains on both sides of the US-Mexico border.
Scores have died in Mexico from severe pneumonia after infection. At least 24 new suspected cases reported yesterday in Mexico City, a city of 20 million people.
Tests on some of the victims found that they had contracted a new version of the A/H1N1 flu virus, which is a combination of bird, pig and human viruses.
'It has pandemic potential because it is infecting people,' said Dr Chan. 'However, we cannot say on the basis of currently available laboratory, epidemiological, and clinical evidence whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic.'
As the new strain was still poorly understood and the situation evolving quickly, it was too soon to announce any travel advisories or to advise drugmakers to switch to producing a new vaccine, she told a teleconference.
The CDC said some of the samples from Mexican patients were a genetic match of the strain seen in eight people in California and Texas, who later recovered.
In New York City, health officials were looking into what had sickened scores of students who fell ill with flu-like symptoms.
The French government said suspected cases are likely to occur in the coming days because of global air travel.
Most of the dead were young healthy adults. That alarms health officials because seasonal flus cause most of their deaths among infants and elderly people, but pandemic influenza - like the 1918 Spanish flu which killed millions - often strikes young, healthy people the hardest.
Influenza can spread quickly when a new strain emerges because no one has natural immunity.
Yesterday was the first time Dr Chan has convened such a crisis panel since the procedure was created almost two years ago.
An official source said yesterday the panel is expected to declare the outbreak 'a public health emergency of international concern'. With that, the WHO would have to decide next on measures such as travel advisories, trade restrictions and border closures.
The panel is also likely to ratchet up the WHO's six-phase flu pandemic alert level. It is now set at Phase 3 - meaning there is no or very limited risk of a new virus spreading from human to human.
US health officials are urging anyone with a fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or muscle and joint pain to seek medical attention.
The WHO stands ready with antivirals to combat the outbreaks in Mexico. But the authorities have a sizeable supply of Tamiflu, which has proved effective against the new virus, the UN agency said.
Mr William Schaffner, a US flu expert, said the new strain is the biggest threat of a pandemic since the emergence of the H5N1 strain, which has killed millions of birds and hundreds of people.
AP, Reuters, AFP
No cases of deadly flu in Singapore
Straits Times 26 Apr 09;
There are currently no known cases of human swine flu in Singapore but the Health Ministry is not taking any chances.
In a statement yesterday, the ministry said it has informed all medical practitioners and health-care institutions of the outbreak in the United States and Mexico, and alerted them to be vigilant for any suspect cases during this period.
The ministry is monitoring the situation closely and will update the public should there be developments.
Members of the public should seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms of swine flu within seven days of travel to California or Texas in the US, or to Mexico, the statement said.
The public is also advised to maintain high standards of personal hygiene, such as washing hands frequently with soap and water, especially after contact with respiratory secretions such as from sneezes and coughs.
Those who are sick with respiratory illnesses should avoid crowded areas and wear masks if possible.
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) also issued a statement yesterday to say that the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said that there is no danger of contracting the flu virus from eating pork products.
It added that cooking pork will kill the swine flu virus as it does with other bacteria and viruses.
Singapore imports about 10 per cent of its pork - all frozen - from the US. Since the beginning of this year, Singapore has imported about 2,500 tonnes of frozen pork from the US. There are no imports of pork from Mexico.
The AVA said it is monitoring the situation in the US and is in contact with the authorities there.
Asian countries on alert for swine flu
Straits Times 26 Apr 09;
Checks done on people arriving from Mexico and the US; Import of pork also under watch
Tokyo - Some Asian nations enforced checks yesterday on passengers and pork products from Mexico amid fears that its deadly outbreak of swine flu might spread to a continent that has battled hard to contain bird flu.
Malaysian Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said medical practitioners had been told to report cases of atypical pneumonia if their patients had visited Mexico, California or Texas after April 17.
At Tokyo's Narita airport - among the world's busiest with more than 96,000 people using it daily - officials installed a device at the arrival gate for flights from Mexico to measure the temperatures of passengers.
'We are increasing health surveillance following the outbreak of swine flu,' said Mr Akira Yukitoki, an official at the airport's quarantine station.
He said more than 160 passengers arriving from Mexico yesterday were screened by the thermographic machine.
No one complained of fever or severe coughing.
The airport also plans to put up special signs for passengers going to Mexico, urging them to 'wear masks, wash hands and gargle,' Mr Yukitoki said.
In the Philippines, passengers with fevers who have been to Mexico may be quarantined in government hospitals, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
The government was also tightening monitoring at all ports to prevent the entry of any hogs or pork from Mexico and the US.
The health authorities in Thailand and Hong Kong said they were closely monitoring the situation.
The swine flu virus, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) says appears to be able to spread from human to human, has killed scores of people in Mexico and infected eight in California and Texas.
Asia has grappled in recent years with the H5N1 bird flu virus. Nearly 45 per cent of the 257 global bird flu deaths since 2003 have occurred in Indonesia, according to WHO data.
A vaccine for the strain has been available since 2007.
However, no vaccine specifically protects against swine flu and it is unclear as to how much protection current human flu vaccines might offer.
While little can be done to prevent an outbreak from spreading, health experts say common sense measures can help individuals protect themselves.
No. 1 is hand-washing, they say.
'Cover your cough or your sneeze, wash your hands frequently,' Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters in a telephone briefing yesterday.
'Social distancing' is another tactic, he said.
'If you have the flu, then you shouldn't be getting on the bus or getting on the plane and travelling.'
Flu experts have also long advised against trying to stockpile personal supplies of antivirals, which must be taken within 48 hours of the first symptoms to do any good.
AP, Reuters
Additional reporting by Carolyn Hong
Flu facts
The Health Ministry (MOH) yesterday released information on swine flu.
Straits Times 26 Apr 09;
What is swine flu?
It is a respiratory disease affecting pigs that is caused by type A influenza virus. Most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months, similar to influenza outbreaks in humans.
Does it affect humans?
Swine flu viruses very rarely affect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. These cases commonly occur in people with direct exposure to pigs.
How does it spread to humans?
It spreads to humans mainly through contact with infected pigs.
Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?
There is currently no evidence to suggest that swine flu can be transmitted to humans from eating pork or pork products that have been thoroughly cooked.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of swine flu are similar to the symptoms of regular influenza. An early symptom is high fever, and this is followed by cough, sore throat, runny nose, and sometimes breathlessness a few days later.
How can the infections be diagnosed?
A respiratory specimen would be collected within the first four to five days of illness, when the infected person is most likely to be shedding the virus. However, some, especially children, may shed the virus for 10 days or longer.
What medications are available to treat the infection?
There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in Singapore: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir.
While most swine flu viruses have been susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent swine flu viruses isolated from humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. At this time, the US CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza) for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine flu viruses.
What is MOH doing to ensure that the disease is not transmitted here?
A medical alert has been sent out to all medical practitioners and health-care institutions to update them on the outbreak of swine flu in the United States and Mexico.
When the situation warrants, MOH will step up public health measures, such as quarantine of contacts, issuing public health advisories, and working with other government agencies to screen visitors at Singapore's border checkpoints. MOH also has an influenza pandemic preparedness plan in the event of a pandemic situation.
Is it safe to visit countries with cases of swine flu and will I be quarantined when I return? What travel precautions should I take?
There are currently no travel restrictions or quarantine advised by the World Health Organisation. If you intend to travel to areas which have cases of swine flu, you should:
- Avoid contact with persons with symptoms of influenza
- Avoid crowded areas
- Observe good personal and environmental hygiene
- Maintain good body resistance
What should I do if I suspect I have swine flu after returning to Singapore?
You should consult your doctor immediately and inform the doctor that you had recently travelled to areas which have cases of swine flu.
What should I do if I fall ill overseas?
You should consult a doctor as soon as possible and refrain from travelling until you are certified fit by the doctor.
Does influenza vaccination help in preventing swine flu?
There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine is unlikely to protect against H1N1 swine flu viruses.
Is it safe to come into contact with live pigs in nature reserves and the wildlife reserves?
So far, there are no known cases of swine flu in Singapore. However, proper hygiene practices, such as washing of hands after contact with animals, including pigs, should be maintained.
Teo Wan Gek, Straits Times 26 Apr 09;
Mr Toh Eng Huat was about to go to sleep last Wednesday when he received a phone call from the National Parks Board at 11.25pm.
He was told that a storm had wreaked havoc across the island.
Mr Toh, who is employed by a company contracted by NParks to clear fallen trees, headed to his first location of the night in Coronation Road.
'The damage was very severe. A tree had fallen and was blocking the road. I quickly called my men down to the site, and then I moved on to another place,' said the 58-year-old team leader.
It would be 8pm on Thursday before he eventually called it a day. By then, he had inspected more than 50 locations and even used his chainsaw to cut and remove smaller branches.
Last Wednesday, a Sumatra squall, marked by thunderstorms and gusty winds, swept through Singapore between 11pm and just after midnight.
Mean wind speeds of 33kmh to 54kmh were recorded, with the strongest gust at 83kmh detected in the western areas. On average, wind speed ranges from 25kmh to 35kmh.
That night, NParks received calls from the police and public about the damage to trees. It alerted its contractors, which sent out five teams of four to five people each.
Still, motorists on Thursday morning were stuck in at least two massive jams in Queenstown and the Pan-Island Expressway.
NParks director of streetscape Simon Longman said it was notified of the obstruction in these areas only in the morning.
The fallen tree in Queenstown caused a traffic jam that lasted at least two hours.
Of the 170 cases reported from Wednesday's storm, 30 per cent were causing road obstructions. By Thursday morning, all trees except those in a few locations had been cleared, said Mr Longman.
According to Mr Dick Toh, managing director of Toh Eng Hock Construction, one of NParks' contractors, tree clearing is not that simple.
'You have to cut the tree in a certain way or the tree could spring back. We always cut from the tips and work inwards,' he said.
Other risks to cutters working on fallen trees on roads include poor visibility in the rain and drivers who speed at night.
With a new system put in place last year, the response time to alerts about fallen trees has been halved to 30 minutes.
Motorcycles are also now utilised since they can get through a traffic jam to reach the scene more quickly.
If a crane is needed, help from the Traffic Police is sought to clear a path for the driver.
Mr Longman said Wednesday's storm was not the most severe in Singapore's history.
He said Sumatra squalls move in from Indonesia and usually hit the south-west coast of Singapore first.
'That's why the Bukit Timah, Pasir Panjang and Thomson areas all bore the brunt of the storm,' he said.
The National Environment Agency predicts one or two more squalls this week.
Mr Longman said NParks will continue with tree inspections.
More than 100 certified arborists inspect the trees for weaknesses and defects every day.
'This is our first line of defence. From identifying the weakness, we then prune the tree, eliminating the risk of it snapping in a storm,' he said.
Since 2000, the incidence of falling trees has been reduced by 62 per cent.
Mr Longman said one of the trade-offs of living in a garden city is that there will always be some storm damage.
'Even humans blow over in the wind,' he said.
Man killed by falling branch
Victim was working at Pyramid Club when 20m-long branch hit him
Huang Huifen, Straits Times 26 Apr 09;
Landscaper Noordin Osman's plans to take his family to Bali in June will never happen.
The 46-year-old was killed when a 20m-long branch fell on him at about 10am yesterday at the prestigious Pyramid Club in Goodwood Hill.
The contract worker for landscaping firm Crystalene Product(s) was doing upgrading work there.
His co-worker, Mr Fardullah Hulbaid, 26, heard a 15cm thick branch snap and saw it falling. He shouted a warning to Mr Noordin but it was too late.
'He was standing nearest to the tree and could not run in time. After the branch hit him, blood came out from his mouth,' said Mr Fardullah.
The police were alerted and Mr Noordin, who suffered head injuries, was pronounced dead at 10.23am by the paramedics.
Mr Fardullah said it was not windy when the incident occurred and that they were not wearing helmets.
Mr Noordin's wife Besah Abdul Rahaman, 54, said she was getting ready for work when she got a call from the police at around 11.30am.
'I didn't know what to say as I just couldn't believe what had happened,' said the health assistant who works at Changi General Hospital.
The couple were married for 19 years and have two children, aged 15 and 12.
Madam Besah also has two other children from a previous marriage.
'He was a good husband. He was always very cool and did not get angry easily. He was always happy and we never quarrelled,' said Madam Besah.
'He would always be the one reaching out to me, asking me how I was, and helping out with the housework when I was working,' she added.
'Now I feel so lonely without him.'
Mr Noordin's elder sister, Ms Noraini Osman, 51, described him as soft-spoken and a family guy.
'He loved to travel and was planning a trip to Bali with his family in June.'
The administrative assistant finds his death hard to accept: 'This is so sudden. If he had died of sickness, I could still accept it.'
Mr Richard Ng, managing director of Crystalene, described Mr Noordin as his best worker who was willing to do whatever was asked of him.
'He would never argue. He would simply smile and say okay,' said Mr Ng of his employee of six years.
Mr Ng said he would continue to pay Mr Noordin's monthly salary of $1,200 to his family until they were financially stable.
'We have nothing much to give but it is the duty of the company to help his family carry on with their livelihood,' said Mr Ng.
Asked for a possible reason for the incident, he suggested that the tree may have been weakened by the strong winds caused by a Sumatra squall last Wednesday night.
'Many trees fell but it just so happened that this fell after the storm,' said Mr Ng.
The Ministry of Manpower has asked Crystalene to cordon off the area and check the condition of the trees there.
The ministry, together with botanists and the police, is investigating.
Jonathan Brown, The Independent 25 Apr 09;
The catastrophic decline of the common seal population in Scottish waters could be blamed partly on killer whales, marine biologists believe.
Numbers of the common seal, also known as harbour seals, are continuing to fall in Orkney, Shetland and Caithness – areas where the whales' predatory behaviour is increasing. One theory is that killer whales are moving south from Iceland and the Arctic to escape the effects of climate change.
The common seal population has falled by up to 50 per cent in the Firth of Tay and 25 per cent in Strathclyde. There are now up to 35,000 common seals in Scottish waters, compared with 50,000 in 2001. By contrast, there are about 164,000 grey seals – 44,000 more than was previously thought.
The Scottish Government's Special Committee on Seals report for 2008 found that competition for food from the more stable grey seal population might also be a significant factor in the decline in harbour seal numbers.
Professor Ian Boyd, director of the sea mammal research unit at St Andrews University, said the presence of killer whales was having an increasingly harmful effect on the species.
But Mark Simmonds, the director of science at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said the decline was much dar likely to be linked to the legalised shooting of seals to protect fish farms.
A report by the BBC's Countryfile programme this month suggested that up to 5,000 seals were killed off the Scottish coast each year to protect the lucrative salmon industry, as well as by netsmen and anglers.
Nick Holland, BBC News 23 Apr 09;
"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."
There is some debate about who actually made this remark. It is often attributed to Albert Einstein, but few scientists now believe this doomsday scenario will actually happen.
Nevertheless, the apocalyptic vision is an indication of how important honeybees are to the world's agricultural economy. It is estimated a third of the food we eat is pollinated by bees.
So it is no wonder the dramatic and unexplained decline in the population of these insects is worrying for everyone, not just the conservationists.
Fewer bees means less pollination, which results in less honey and fewer plants.
The consequences are damaging industries that depend on the insects' survival and threaten to make the food we eat more expensive.
Fragile industry
Hidden away in quiet corner of Regents Park in London, Toby Mason puffs a calming smoke through the slats of one of his wooden beehives.
It settles the insects while he checks over the colony.
Mr Mason is one of only 300 commercial beekeepers in the country.
Fluctuations in the weather and the increased prevalence of diseases make it a fragile industry to be in. Last year these factors cost his business Purefood half its revenue.
"The year before last I went into the winter with 20 colonies and by spring last year only four or five of those colonies were alive," he says.
"It means there's huge losses in the business... and very little income from the sales of the honey because there isn't the honey there to be sold."
The shortages in supply are having a knock-on effect on the retail market too. Because the UK does not produce nearly enough honey for its own consumption, supplies are imported from abroad.
"There's been lots of talk about the problems of honeybee health around the country and indeed that is a worldwide problem, not just a UK problem," says David Bondi, managing director of Rouse Honey, one of the largest suppliers of honey in the UK.
"If you add together the effect of the increase in the cost of honey because it is in shorter supply and the increase because of the exchange rate, some honeys have doubled in price."
Economic importance
But bees do more than just make honey. They fly around pollinating all sorts of fruit and vegetables, which end up on our plates.
Their role in the food chain is so important that in 2007 The National Audit Office collated research working out the value of honeybees to the UK economy.
The value of the bees' services were estimated at £200m a year. The retail value of what they pollinate was valued closer to £1bn.
Nobody knows exactly what impact the current decline in honey bee populations is having on these figures and on the supplies of these foods, but it is clear there could be consequences.
"If we had a serious loss of honeybees in the UK, then inevitably food prices would have to increase," according to Simon Potts, head of pollination research at Reading University.
"Essentially we would have to import fruits from overseas.
"Either that or the British diet would have to change considerably. Instead of eating British fruits we'd have to switch to more starchy foods like grains and cereals."
Costs would double
But honeybee populations are declining around the world and so far there seems to be only one other way of pollinating mass numbers of plants.
It involves employing people to go round with feather dusters, brushing the insides of plants with pollen.
They are already doing it in parts of China to pollinate pear trees in areas where the insects are extinct.
Reading University is currently trying to work out how feasible it would be to employ people to hand pollinate plants in the UK.
They are focusing on how much an apple would cost if you paid someone earning the minimum wage.
Early estimates suggest it would more than double the price.
When you consider a single hive of fifty thousand honeybees pollinate half a million plants in one day it is clearly not a practical solution.
Mohammad Fadhel Yahoo News 25 Apr 09;
MANAMA (AFP) – Bahraini authorities are seeking to tame a roaring trade in wild animals, which are being smuggled in to meet fierce demand for exotic creatures in the tiny Gulf archipelago.
"Our teams have managed to confiscate monkeys, crocodiles, young tigers and various types of snakes of different sizes," Salman Abdulnabi, an official at the ministry of municipalities, told AFP.
The problem reared its head last week when a stray wild cat caused panic by entering a company building in the capital Manama. The cat, a lynx, was later caught.
"We have discovered crocodiles, snakes, wild cats, in total about 30 species of wild animals ... that were smuggled into the country," Abdulnabi said.
"We never imagined there are that many wild animals in Bahrain," he said.
Some farms have acquired so many strange beasts that they have become virtual zoos and schools have started to organise trips, according to a man who rears wild animals.
The passion of Bahrainis for exotic animals is shared by residents of other Gulf states, but the small size of the country means problems are greater when the unusual pets escape or their owners discard them if they have become difficult to maintain.
Bahrain offers little space for animals to roam about, as its 13 islands are home to over a million people but have a combined area of merely 662 square kilometres (about 255 square miles), barely the size of a decent ranch in some countries.
Two years ago an African hyena escaped a farm in a central Bahraini village, terrorising the population in the village and its surrounding neighbourhoods.
It took hunters a week to catch the creature and by that time it had injured a number of women and children.
Abdulnabi said smugglers bring the wild animals into the country when they are still young and easy to hide.
Crocodiles, for example, are transported in fish aquariums, when they are barely the length of finger, he said.
"These animals are then hand-reared, but they grow up and turn dangerous for human beings and the environment," the ministry official said.
The culprits can be charged with "introducing animals illegally and without a permit" to the country. Those convicted are usually fined, though judges often accept the claim the animals were bought or reared in good faith and animal welfare groups would like to see stiffer penalties.
As part of the ministry's efforts to stem the trade, it has launched a press campaign offering an amnesty to owners of exotic pets who hand them in voluntarily to the authorities.
The animal rearer, who requested anonymity, told AFP: "The increasing demand is what drives breeders to import more animals."
Some buyers keep the animals as pets while others sell them, he said, noting that demand is high for boas, a large kind of snake that is not venomous.
Other people order crocodiles, chameleons, monkeys and African hyenas, while one dealer even imported an Afghan bear, the animal rearer said.
"It is a limited trade, but it exists, and it is growing," he said.
Bahrain, a country with only small numbers of wild animals of its own, has one reserve, where a few local Arabian oryx and other deer species are protected.
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