The Cove - environmental espionage?
from ashira
Dairy Farm Nature Park Sightings!
from NaturallYours
Greater Green Leafbird and others feeding on figs
from Bird Ecology Study Group
The jungle is neutral
from The annotated budak
Life History of the Pea Blue
from Butterflies of Singapore
David Fogarty, PlanetArk 10 Sep 09;
SINGAPORE - Wealthy Singapore, a global refining and manufacturing hub, will do more to curb its carbon emissions but additional steps depend on the shape of a broader pact to fight climate change, a top diplomat said on Tuesday.
The city state, covering less than 700 sq km, has a population of 4.5 million and one of the world's highest standards of living with per-capita GDP of $37,597 in 2008.
The country has become a focus for environmentalists who point to the nation's wealth and energy-intensive economy and say the government should adopt emissions targets.
Top climate change negotiator Chew Tai Soo said energy efficiency steps had significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions but that his country, through lack of space, was limited in its ability to switch to green energy, such as wind or solar.
The country was in many ways still a developing nation and would remain reliant on fossil fuels, he said, adding a recent German study saying Singapore's per-capita carbon dioxide emissions were among the world's highest was inaccurate.
"Small countries like Singapore or the Bahamas lack the alternative energy potential, or as I would call it, is alternative energy disadvantaged," he told Reuters as part of a global Climate Change and Alternative Energy summit.
But he said there was still much the country has done, and could do, to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
Singapore, with power generation capacity of more than 10,000 megawatts, has switched to less polluting natural gas as the main fuel source for electricity, although some larger power stations still use a proportion of dirtier fuel oil.
Chew, a veteran diplomat, said the government would curb growth in numbers of vehicles by 2020, ensure the majority of commuters take public transport and test-bed electric vehicles.
EMISSIONS TRADING?
The present annual growth rate in the number of cars on Singapore's congested roads is 3 percent. "We're going to cut that down to 1.5 percent."
Asked how the government would achieve that, he said: "We'll do that. When we say we'll do something, we will do something."
Asked about additional steps, such as introducing domestic emissions trading and setting an emissions cap, he said: "We will be looking at it, we will be looking at all these instruments."
But he personally felt emissions trading was inappropriate for Singapore, given its size.
He said the government would not rule out any option as part of global negotiations on a broader replacement for the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol and that the government was developing a plan to consider additional steps to fight climate change.
Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 12 Sep 09;
THE National Environment Agency hopes to pare down the $1 billion Singaporeans spend on utilities bills each year - by getting them to buy appliances which use less energy.
At a ceremony at Marina Square yesterday, 16 shops and suppliers, including major retailers Best Denki, Gain City and Harvey Norman, agreed that within a year, at least 60 per cent of air-conditioning systems, refrigerators and clothes dryers in their selection would be the most efficient models available, up from one-third now.
Such appliances score an 'excellent' rating under the NEA's Mandatory Labelling Scheme.
The scheme was introduced last year for air-conditioners and refrigerators, which account for half of an average household's utility bill.
At yesterday's event, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, said retailers play an important role in weaning out energy-guzzling models.
'By increasing the proportion of energy-efficient products on the market, we hope to influence consumer demand,' she said.
Well-trained sales staff who could help customers make informed purchasing choices was also key, she said.
Studies conducted by the NEA showed that the most energy-efficient refrigerator on the market costs $100 more than the least efficient one, but this initial expense is more than made up for in long-term savings.
Over an average 10-year lifespan, the greener model would rack up $1,300 in usage bills, about half that of the less efficient model.
NEA chief executive officer Andrew Tan noted that going green could give consumers some protection from rising electricity tariffs.
'By transforming the market, we are giving people greater control irrespective of electricity prices,' he said.
The NEA estimated that if consumers here switched to more efficient appliances, they could save at least $20 million annually.
But retailers said the downturn is impeding efforts.
Mr C.J. Raj, director of Best Denki Singapore, has seen a 50 per cent dip in the 55 units of energy-efficient air-conditioning units sold at its stores every month, with customers opting for less efficient models which cost several hundred dollars less.
This despite a life-cycle cost of $12,000 for the cheaper model, compared with $8,000 for the most energy-efficient one.
'Consumers are paying more attention to the value proposition of products. They are not so keen on the long-term perspective, but on short-term gain,' he said.
Singapore's retailers and suppliers to provide more energy efficient appliances
Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia 11 Sep 09;
SINGAPORE: 16 major retailers and suppliers promised on Friday to provide more energy efficient appliances to Singaporean consumers.
These include companies such as Best denki, Courts, Gain City and Harvey Norman, as well as suppliers such as BSH Home appliances, Carrier, CASA, DAIKIN, Fisher and Paykel, LG Electronics, Miele, Mitsubishi Electric, Wo Kee Hong Marketing, Panasonic, Samsung and Sanyo.
The move is in line with a landmark voluntary agreement signed with the National Environment Agency (NEA) and a partnership with the Housing & Development Board and Energy Market Authority.
Under the agreement, retailers and suppliers are expected to voluntarily commit to targets set out by the NEA, including retiring stock of energy inefficient models and ensuring that energy efficient models make up at least 50 per cent of their model range within 6 months and 60 per cent of their model range by September 2010.
"Suppliers and retailers are really gatekeepers. In the sense that they can help us retire and weed out, the less energy efficient products from the market. Increase the proportion of more energy efficient products and in this way influence consumer demand," said Dr Amy Khor, senior parliamentary secretary, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.
Consumers will soon see more ticks, representing greater energy efficiency, on more models of electrical appliances in stores.
Gain City Best-Electric, one of the retailers involved in the agreement said that the move is a natural progression for them.
Sales of their energy efficient inverter air-conditioners had climbed up from 17 to 39 per cent between 2006 and 2008.
"When consumers come to our stores, they tend to choose energy efficient appliances, after being educated on the benefits of the cost savings that come with it. They will generally tend to look for a three to four tick air conditioner," said Evonne Lee, marketing manager, Gain City Best-Electric.
The year-long agreement is aimed at paving the way for a minimum standard for energy efficient appliances by 2011. Retailers and Suppliers will have the option to extend the agreement after it ends.
The agreement is also part of the 10 per cent Energy Challenge, which this year is focused on making energy efficient home appliances more readily available to consumers with the help of retailers and suppliers.
Singapore is working towards a 35 per cent reduction in energy consumption from energy levels in 2005.
- CNA/sc
Organiser of competition hopes to raise awareness in this controversial field
Judith Tan, Straits Times 12 Sep 09;
THE assignment: find out what the average Singaporean believes about genetically modified (GM) foods and debunk any misconceptions he has about them.
About 130 students from 20 secondary schools, joining in efforts by Singapore's GM watchdog to raise awareness in the controversial field, produced videos to do so as part of the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) Student Reporters' Challenge.
The six finalists had their work screened at the Biopolis science hub last week.
GM foods have their genetic make-up altered to boost their nutritional content, make them more resistant to diseases or insects, and yield better harvests.
However, such foods are controversial, with sceptics worrying about adverse effects on human health and the ecosystem.
While conducting the interviews for the challenge, which were organised by the GMAC, the cub reporters found that most Singaporeans did not understand or trust GM products.
Professor Lee Sing Kong, chairman of the GMAC sub-committee on public awareness and director of the National Institute of Education, even gave the example, to much laughter, of one woman here who worried that GM foods would turn her skin green.
The competition is part of the drive to promote understanding of GM foods, he said.
'Students here learnt about GM technology and GM foods in schools, and are enthusiastic about its science and applications. We feel that it is time for them to share what they know with other Singaporeans,' he said.
Unity Secondary clinched top honours in the lower secondary category for its simple yet clear video presentation.
The team's group leader, Secondary 2 student Chua Guo Yao, 14, said: 'If you don't understand the science of GM foods, it can seem very scary.
'So we tried to explain it simply and not complicate the issue.'
The group of five 14-year-olds from the neighbourhood school in Choa Chu Kang had a secret weapon - teacher Clement Yew, a former television producer.
He helped them to fine-tune their work, for example, by showing them how to avoid distracting background noise.
'I merely took them through the paces of film production. The hard work was theirs,' he said.
The trophy for the upper secondary category went to the team from Raffles Institution.
juditht@sph.com.sg
The winners
LOWER SECONDARY CATEGORY:
1st Prize: Unity Secondary (Trophy and $1,000)
2nd Prize: NUS High School of Mathematics and Science ($600)
3rd Prize: CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' ($300)
UPPER SECONDARY CATEGORY:
1st Prize: Raffles Institution (Trophy and $1,000)
2nd Prize: Nanyang Girls' High and Hwa Chong Institution ($600 each)
Jolee Lunjew, The Star 12 Sep 09;
It was an eye-opener of sorts for three young ladies campaigning for turtle conservation when they traversed the East Coast where turtle eggs are still sold openly for consumption.
Two weeks on the road travelling in a cramped car may seem quite uncomfortable but biologist Grace Duraisingham, 26, and agency executives Chong Huey Meim, 29 and Nelleisa Omar, 26, found their road trip exciting because they wanted to spread the word that consuming turtle eggs was bad for the future of marine turtles.
And their ride was a cool one indeed, courtesy of AMC Motors which provided them a bright green classic Volkswagen Beetle decked up to look like a turtle.
The trio flagged off from Tropicana City in Petaling Jaya on July 27, and headed north to Ipoh, Penang, Kedah and Perlis; then east to Kelantan and Terengganu; south to Johor Baru via Kuantan and back to Kuala Lumpur on Aug 8 via Malacca.
When asked how the project came about, Chong said that the idea started when her fellow Leo Burnett colleague Nelleisa pledged her support for WWF’s Egg=Life campaign and started convincing everyone to do the same.
“We came up with this road trip idea to collect signatures to help the cause. WWF pledged 40,000 signatures but we thought, why not make it 100,000?
“We approached WWF and they loved the idea. Grace, who is a WWF-Malaysia Field Biologist with the Malacca Hawksbill Turtle Conservation Project, pushed for the project and Voila! here we are.
“We named ourselves Telur Rangers for obvious reasons. We want to be little heroes and chip in to save our turtle friends from ending up as someone’s snack,” says Chong.
Their main objectives were to raise awareness of the turtles’ plight of possible extinction and to open up a new chapter in turtle conservation. Not many Malaysians are aware of the depth and implication of the turtle egg trade.
Although their goal was to collect as many signatures as possible, the girls also spent time talking to the public and visiting local markets and turtle hatcheries.
“We spoke with people who were interested and willing to help so I would think the time spent educating them would have made quite an impact in their understanding of conservation issues in Malaysia. It was also very motivating to have come across young Malaysians who wanted to help us collect signatures. It shows that the younger generation is aware of environmental issues and concerned about preserving our local unique biodiversity,” says Grace.
Nelleisa agreed that meeting enthusiastic young Malaysians was very touching.
“When we went to the Pekan Batu Pahat Scouts Centre, we were greeted by 70 excited scouts. We were so touched when we saw the welcome banner with a picture of our Telur Mobile that they had prepared just for us!
“We also enjoyed the talk we gave to the students at Olympia College in Kuantan and speaking to the kids in Kampung Mangkuk, Setiu. We were happy to see that they understood the issue and supported the cause.
Then there was Adam, a three-year-old boy in Malacca who managed to collect 12 signatures for us in less than 20 minutes! And in Kuala Perlis, Ila, a young teenager from a food stall, came after us to ask if she could have some forms so that she could help. She said it was her birthday the next day and she wanted to be part of something special.
“These are the Malaysians that we need in our country,” says Nelleisa.
But there were also some sad moments in their journey when they went to the Kota Baru market and found turtle eggs being sold openly at RM10 for three.
“The sellers I spoke to said that they knew it was illegal to sell the eggs openly but the authorities had never stopped them so they continue to do so. They are aware that the eggs are hard to get. They said they received the eggs from Sabah, transported illegally by air or sea,” says Nelleisa.
The girls said the response was better in the northern states of Kedah and Perlis but it was difficult to change the mindset of the village folks.
“During my work in Malacca, I questioned some people as to why they wouldn’t stop eating turtle eggs. The response I got was: ‘Ala, dulu nenek moyang saya makan telur penyu. Sekarang masih ada lagi. Penyu ni tak akan pupus lah (My ancestors used to eat the eggs. Turtles are still here. They won’t go extinct)’,” says Grace.
“Some said they loved the taste and argued that ‘Saya makan sekali-sekala sahaja, bukannya makan hari-hari (I only eat it once in a while, not every day)’.
“And this was from a guy living in Kuala Lumpur! There are also those who say: ‘It’s not illegal so why not try. After all, it’s just once’. But they don’t realise that if every Malaysian wanted to try one egg, then we would have killed 26 million baby turtles!
“Others say that pregnant women crave the eggs and there are many false beliefs that turtle eggs are good for your health, have more nutrients compared to chicken eggs, have aphrodisiac properties and are lower in cholesterol. One restaurant owner even said that the eggs would give babies smoother skin if taken by pregnant women.
“These myths are pure nonsense and have all been scientifically debunked. The hardcore egg consumers just don’t care. In fact, turtle eggs are found to be less nutritious than chicken eggs,” explains Grace.
“This quote definitely takes the cake! Someone said: ‘Dah nak pupus? Lebih baik makan lebih sekarang. Nanti masa depan tak boleh rasa lagi (Going extinct? Better eat more now or we won’t be able to taste them in future)’,” Chong reveals.
“From what we have learned, many people eat turtle eggs out of curiosity, because the eggs were presented as gifts or their parents used to eat them, so they continue to eat it.
“Many do not know that unlike commercial chicken eggs, turtle eggs are all fertilised and if not consumed, will eventually hatch into turtles. People are just too selfish to think or care that they are driving a species towards extinction,” says Chong.
“If we keep eating turtle eggs, the poor turtles will have no offspring and eventually go extinct. Turtle hatchlings already have many natural obstacles and predators to face out there in the wild. The last thing they need is someone eating their babies just for the heck of it.”
During their stop in Kerteh, the girls met up with Imam Zulkiflee Salleh who has been highlighting the plight of the turtles during his sermons at several mosques around Kerteh.
According to the girls, the imam said that different mazhab (Islamic schools of thought) had different views, some allowing and others disallowing turtle egg consumption. The mazhab that Malaysians follow does not disallow it. However, he said that Islam taught its followers to protect God’s creations.
“My personal view is that it is still wrong to consume turtle eggs because turtles are considered haiwan dua alam (animals that can live on land and in water). But eating anything into extinction is definitely wrong anyway,” says Nelleisa.
Besides their signature drive and raising awareness, the girls managed to visit a Government-run turtle education centre and hatchery, released some hatchlings and went turtle-spotting around Pulau Perhentian.
“Alu Alu Divers in Perhentian took us on a complimentary trip and made sure we saw turtles, so that was just amazing. I am directly involved with turtle conservation but it’s not every day I get to see these amazing creatures swimming in the wild,” says Grace.
The girls managed to collect 3,366 signatures from their two-week road trip, a far cry from their targeted 100,000 signatures, but they plan to fulfil their goal through various post activities.
“We will be uploading more of our pictures and videos on our blog as well as our Facebook page so that the public can share our journey. Many caring Malaysians have come forward to help us collect signatures from their universities, schools and organisations, so we are staying positive on achieving our targeted 100,000 goal.
“More importantly, we hope the Government will see that Malaysians at large want more protection of marine turtles, and hopefully the Government will step up their efforts in this area,” says Chong.
“As the Egg=Life campaign ends on Sept 30, we will try to have weekend activities to spice things up and get more signatures. We’ll probably approach more corporations and schools to pledge for this cause as well,” adds Nelleisa.
o Help the Telur Rangers and WWF-Malaysia to achieve their 100,000 signatures. Follow the Telur Rangers’ journey at telurrangers.blogspot.com, join their Facebook fan page or pledge your online signature at www.wwf.org.my or www.saveturtles.my. Currently, the signatures roughly number 14,000.
The ‘Egg=Life’ crusade
The Star 12 Sep 09;
WWF-Malaysia launched the “Egg=Life” campaign on Earth Day (April 22) this year with the aim of improving the protection of marine turtles in Malaysia.
The campaign, which runs till September 30, aims to get pledges from 40,000 people to never consume or trade in turtle eggs or their parts, support laws banning the sale and consumption of turtle eggs and support the call for comprehensive legislation to conserve marine turtles.
Pledges are obtained through signatures collected from the public, postage-paid hardcopy sign-up forms and online pledges through www.wwf.org.my or www.saveturtles.my. Many organisations and colleges are supporting the campaign as well by undertaking signature drive initiatives of their own.
When WWF-Malaysia executive director and CEO Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma first heard about the Telur Rangers proposal, he was very excited because it would promote turtle conservation awareness in a fun and unique way.
“We hope to raise public awareness of the importance of turtle conservation and related issues, so the Telur Rangers are an important part of our Egg=Life campaign. We do not have the resources to undertake a peninsula-wide Egg=Life road show, so this was also a good way of getting our message out to the public in many states.
“We are pleased to support the efforts of such enthusiastic people who are passionate about protecting turtles that they took time off work to undertake the project,” says Dionysius.
WWF-Malaysia’s involvement in the project includes helping them secure accommodation, venue and car sponsorships, as well as promoting the project to the media and WWF supporters and networks. Each signature in support of WWF-Malaysia’s “Egg=Life” campaign will lend weight to efforts aimed at improving turtle protection legislation in Malaysia.
“WWF-Malaysia will be working with our partners to call for laws banning the sale and consumption of all turtle eggs throughout Malaysia. I hope everyone will help save the turtles with just one signature — either when the Telur Rangers visit or through the many colleges and corporations that are helping us to obtain signatures in support of the campaign.
“This process will take time, but by the end of the year, we are optimistic that these signatures will help lend weight to the call,” says Dionysius.
Dionysius points out that leatherback turtles have already been declared functionally extinct in Malaysia.
“In the 1950s, there were 10,000 leatherback nests in Rantau Abang each year; now there are less than 10. Moreover, turtle protection laws are inadequate. Current federal laws on turtles are limited. Under the Federal Constitution, it is the state that has the authority to make laws on turtles. State laws vary from state to state and are simply inadequate.”
Marine turtles are threatened with extinction due to various factors such as the consumption of turtle eggs, turtles being accidentally caught in fishing gear, poorly planned coastal development, marine and nesting beach pollution as well as illegal trade in turtles and their parts.
In Peninsular Malaysia, WWF-Malaysia works with partners, including the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, to conserve turtles at key nesting rookeries including Kem Terendak, Pulau Upeh and Padang Kemunting beaches in Malacca as well as Ma’Daerah and Setiu beaches in Terengganu.
Malacca’s beaches are home to the peninsula’s largest population of hawksbill turtles — with 20% to 30% of the state’s total nesting occurring on the 120m strip of beach in Pulau Upeh, the densest nesting beach in Malacca, while a significant population of green turtles nest on Terengganu’s beaches.
Joseph Sipalan, The New Straits Times 12 Sep 09;
KUALA LUMPUR: Any environmentalist here will tell you that the Ulu Muda forest reserve is an important bastion of ecological wonder, one of the last largely untouched forests in Peninsular Malaysia.
But in reality, most Malaysians will probably have little chance of seeing for themselves the grandeur of the centuries-old forest.
The World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia calls the 160,000ha Ulu Muda a treasure of national importance, as it feeds water to rice production areas in Seberang Prai, Perlis and, most importantly, Kedah, the country's rice bowl state.
And because forests act as natural sponges to retain water, Ulu Muda continues to provide the life-giving resource, said the WWF chief technical officer for Peninsular Malaysia, Surin Suksuwan.
He said without the trees, the area could not retain water to feed Kedah's padi fields, which meant bad yields for farmers and shaky food security for the country.
Water Watch Penang president Prof Chan Ngai Weng added that no trees meant siltation, which ill pollute the island state's drinking water.
Considering that 80 per cent of Penang's water is sourced from Ulu Muda, this means more work and higher cost to churn out clean water for the consumer, who will end up paying for it all.
And if plans to clear the forest are on, Surin contends that the ringgit and sen of the entire exercise would be hard to justify. Citing a study WWF Malaysia did in 2002, he said the figures did not amount to very much.
The study estimated earnings from a 10-year concession to heli-log areas in Ulu Muda to be RM53 million.
Minus from that would be payments by way of premiums, loyalty and timber cess to the state government, which would hit RM26 million.
On the flip side, the state can earn an average RM187 million annually from domestic water supply, plus RM5 million from irrigation.
And if water is converted to rice production, the value shoots up to RM622 million, said the report.
But none of this information will help address the reason why the Kedah government plans to log the area -- the lack of state funds.
"The ultimate goal is to get the authorities to declare Ulu Muda as a protected area, but there must be an alternative for the state government to raise funds," Surin said.
He said a few options were put on the table for stakeholders to consider, such as a natural resource levy for consumers and industries that source water from the area, or even an Ulu Muda Trust Fund to help cover the state's administration costs.
Surin said the Federal Government also had a key role to play, especially in seriously considering the RM100 million annual compensation to Kedah to forget about logging.
"Some of these ideas are not new. Some were mooted in the 1980s, some even as far back as the 1970s.
"There have been many reports over the years and they keep piling up but there is a lack of political will to implement these ideas.
"The solution to Ulu Muda's status goes all the way up to the state authorities ... if the government puts its mind to it, it can be done," said Surin.
(The Ulu Muda trip was made possible by WWF Malaysia, Malaysian Nature Society, Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Malaysian Karst Society, Water Watch Penang and Rohani Rahmani of Ronn's Adventures.)
'If they cut the trees, it would be a shame'
The New Straits Times 12 Sep 09;
SIK: Rahim takes a drag off his rokok daun, sitting cross-legged and leaning back on his free arm as he relaxes after a hard day's trekking.
As he exhales, a whimsical smile bares his tobacco-stained teeth as he speaks his reverence for the place where a group of "city folk" are spending a few nights.
"It always has something to give us," he says before he pulls another long puff while rolling his cigarette between his thumb and forefinger to get an even burn.
The wilds of Ulu Muda, he explains, have given villagers in and around the forest's great expanse many treasures that have kept them going for generations.
Water to sustain their padi fields, abundant fish in its surrounding lakes and rivers, and wild honey, while dangerous to harvest, is lucrative when in season.
But Rahim's optimism to keep his relationship with the forest alive is slowly fading.
He fears that he and the other locals in the area, will slowly -- in the name of development -- disappear.
While the area at large still retains virgin forest cover, parts of Ulu Muda have been scarred by extensive logging from the 1960s to 1980s and even now under much smaller concession areas.
After a two-decade reprieve from large-scale intrusion of logging trucks and buzzing chainsaws several feet long, the threat reared its head again twice in the new millennium.
The first was in 2002, when then Kedah menteri besar Datuk Seri Syed Razak Syed Zain led the state government into a partnership with a private timber company to carry out heli-logging, using helicopters to transport felled logs .
The state thought it a more "environmentally-friendly" approach.
But the plan was scrapped a year later as the Environmental Impact Assessment report was deemed incomplete.
The latest attempt was last year, when Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak announced that the state was going to "carefully" handle their logging project, which he said would not affect the environment.
On both counts, the underlying reason behind the logging plans was because the state did not have the money to run the government, let alone develop Kedah.
Rahim says the villagers are not averse to progress, with electricity and potable water, and machines like the pump-boat engines they use for fishing, and ferrying the rare tourist, a godsend that makes their lives all the more easier.
"If they come in and cut the trees, it would be a shame. We've been doing this for so long, and it would just disappear," Rahim says.
Bernama 11 Sep 09;
SIBU, Sept 11 (bernama) -- Malaysia is ready to send its fire bomber aircraft or air tanker to help Indonesia douse its fires in joint efforts to reduce the occurrence of transboundary haze.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas said here today he had written to his Indonesian counterpart on the availability and readiness of the aircraft to fly there.
He told reporters here today that this was in response to the Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore Ministerial Standing Committee Meeting on transboundary haze problem in Singapore last month where it was agreed that co-ordinated efforts would be made by all in fighting it.
"Indonesia had indicated at the meeting that it might need our help.
"If this happens, we will contribute in ensuring a haze free Hari Raya celebration for the people especially in Sarawak," he said.
"At the same time we pray that there will be more rains in Kalimantan," he said.
He said that based on a satelite report, 700 hotspots had been detected in Kalimantan as of yesterday compared to less than 50 in the state itself.
Unggah also commended the people as well as the state and government ministeries for their co-operation in reducing open burning which had helped to reduce the local haze problem.
"We really appreciate such efforts and co-operation," he said.
-- BERNAMA
Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, Phuketwan 11 Sep 09;
NO MORE private marinas and piers will be built on Phuket under a reversal of policy, implemented by Governor Wichai Praisa-nob.
The change in approach leaves some branded resort developments with no prospect of providing marinas that were offered as an attraction to buyers.
It's a remarkable reversal of attitudes and administrative approaches.
Just a year or two ago, an entrepreneur suggested the building of an artificial island for megayachts in Phang Nga Bay, and his suggestion was taken seriously.
"Many private companies have tried to purchase land along the east coast of Phuket and around Sireh island," Governor Wichai said.
"The east coast has had problems with pollution and the destruction of mangrove forests.
"To protect the existing marine life and the livelihood of the local people, we are going to cease permits for non-government piers and marinas."
With the sale of all viable land along the west coast for development, Phuket's east coast has become increasingly desirable.
The opportunity to open marinas with access to Phang Nga Bay has already been exploited, with several established marinas and proposed resorts seeing it as essential to have their own "yacht havens".
But the east coast remains home to vulnerable marine life, including dugongs which rely for their survival on a handful of areas where sea grass grows.
Villagers along the east coast and on the offshore islands have witnessed the consequences of large-scale developments and declared that they do not want more resorts or "pool villas with private moorings".
The decision on marinas and piers was made known at a meeting of the governor's new environmental impact review committee this week.
Dr Narinee Tongtam, of the Phuket Marine and Coastal Resources Office, told the meeting that in the past, villagers have been deceived by developers who promise locals jobs if projects go ahead.
Some of the biggest new up-market resorts along the east coast have been guilty of this deception. Locals did not get the jobs and were eventually shut out of beaches and public areas where previous generations once wandered freely.
"It's a good thing to stop these projected marinas and piers because ultimately, they destroy the environment and only benefit a handful of people." Dr Narinee said.
The policy marks a dramatic change in approach, largely based on the broken promises of several big-name, high-profile developments that have sprung up along the east coast in the past few years.
The meeting was told that the alternative was for resorts to provide access to local government piers and existing marinas.
The governor has established the new committee because the existing system of environmental checks is flawed.
Once approved, there has previously been no control to ensure the environment is actually protected and no penalty for falsely-issued approval certificates.
The change in policy leaves some branded resort developments with no prospect of providing marinas that were promised as part of the attraction to buyers.
The present governor and his predecessor, Dr Preecha Roungjan, have expressed personal views that Phuket is developed enough.
Both governors have listened sympathetically to village leaders of traditional communities along the east coast and on offshore islands, where the majority view is that no more development is wanted, or necessary.
The villagers prefer to maintain their traditional lifestyle. For better or worse, they see continuity as far more important than cash-in-hand.
thaindian.com 11 Sep 09;
Bhubaneswar, Sep 11 (IANS) The mass breeding of rare Olive Ridley turtles is likely to be hit due to the sinking of a cargo ship, carrying iron ore fines and oil, in the Bay of Bengal off the Orissa coast two days ago, a marine expert warned Friday.
The Mongolian vessel capsized in the harbour area of Paradip port, some 100 km from here, carrying about 25,000 tonnes of iron ore fines and 900 tonnes of oil.
The site where the ship has gone down is very close to the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, one of the few remaining nesting sites for Olive Ridley turtles in the world. The turtles come to the site every year around this month for breeding.
Port authorities say they have deployed officials and taken all steps to prevent any spillage from the ship, but Biswajit Mohanty, coordinator of Operation Kachhapa, a turtle conservation group, said he sees a threat to the turtles.
The ship contains iron ore fines which can be washed away by sea currents. If the iron ore fines settle on the floor of the sea, benthic fauna - tiny creatures found on and within the seabed - can be wiped out inside the sanctuary, Mohanty said.
“That could lead to a food crisis for turtles. The authorities must step in and recover the oil completely before it spills off into the surrounding environment,” Mohanty told IANS.
Senior port officials said they have already apprised the ship owner about the possible danger.
“Certainly it will affect marine life if the oil spills. We are keeping a close watch and taking steps to prevent pollution,” the port’s deputy chairman Biplav Kumar said, adding no spillage had been reported from the ship so far.
The Olive Ridley turtle, which can grow up to 75 cm in length, is found in tropical regions of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In India, they are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Orissa is home to more than 50 percent of the world’s turtle population. Besides Gahirmatha in Kendrapada district, the other mass nesting sites are the Devi river mouth in Puri district and the Rusikulya river mouth Ganjam district.
The turtles start arriving in the coastal water from end of September onward and return in the month of May after mass nesting.
Sunken cargo ship threatens breeding Indian turtles
Jatindra Dash, Reuters AlertNet 11 Sep 09;
BHUBANESWAR, India, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The mass breeding of India's endangered Olive Ridley turtles could be under threat by iron ore and oil carried in a cargo ship that capsized off India's east coast, a conservationist said on Friday.
The vessel, operating under a Mongolian flag, capsized off the harbour area of Paradip port in Orissa state on Wednesday.
It was carrying about 25,000 tonnes of powdery iron ore fines and more than 900 tonnes of fuel oil but none had been spilled so far, port authorities said.
The site is close to the Gahirmatha Marine sanctuary, home to almost half a million sea turtles in winter.
Port authorities said they had taken all necessary steps to prevent spillage.
"Certainly it will affect marine life if the oil spills. We are keeping close watch. We are taking steps to prevent pollution," said Biplav Kumar, the port's deputy chairman.
The area is one of the world's few remaining mass nesting sites for Olive Ridley turtles. The turtles come to its beaches for breeding every year around September.
Biswajit Mohanty, the coordinator of Operation Kachhapa, a turtle conservation group, said the turtles could be threatened if their food supply was contaminated.
"Materials in the disaster-hit ship can cause irrevocable harm to the sea turtles' habitat once they spill out," Mohanty said. "The food of turtles like jelly fish, mollusca, shrimps, starfish ... could be killed in the contamination."
Hundreds of thousands of Olive Ridley turtles swim up to Orissa's beaches every year to nest, but their numbers are falling drastically due to neglect and rapid industrialization.
(Editing by Matthias Williams and Paul Tait)
Anita Rachman Jakarta Globe 11 Sep 09;
An Indonesian beauty from deep in the wilds of Papua was formally recognized this week when an international scientific journal affirmed it as a new orchid species.
The unusual, bright yellow flower with rust-colored spots was first identified in 2008 by Destario Meusala, a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences’ Purwodadi Botanical Gardens in East Java.
“There is no a description that perfectly describes this species, it’s very unique,” Destario said.
He has named the orchid Dipodium brevilabium D.Metusala & P.O’Byrne, after himself and collaborator Peter O’Byrne, who was part of the long research and journal-writing process.
“It took eight months of research before we were sure that it was really a new species.”
He said that he finished the research in October last year and then submitted his discovery to the Orchid Review journal, published by the Royal Horticultural Society in England, which describes itself as “the oldest and most influential orchid magazine in the world.”
The journal only this month published his article and officially approved the orchid as a new find.
Destario said a single plant of this kind could produce up to 35 flowers that bloom for 10 to 15 days. The orchid can reach a height of more than one meter and grows by attaching itself to large tree trunks. The orchid flower itself grows to between 27 and 40 centimeters in size.
The Dipodium genus has around 25 species spread over Malaysia, Australia and the islands of the West Pacific.
“The flower organ, the shape of flower bud, size and shape of the flower petals — those organs distinguish our orchid from others of the same genus,” Destario said.
He said he believed the Dipodium brevilabium only had a small population in Papua. He said he had not been able to find an orchid with the same characteristics on any other island in the country, “and our taxonomist colleagues in Papua New Guinea have never announced anything like this. So I guess it’s special.”
However, Destario refused to name the exact site where the orchid was found. He said it was important to keep the site secret because there were many hobbyists in the world who would want to get their hands on the orchid, adding that his institute wanted to take all necessary steps to conserve the flower.
Many experts believe that there are numerous new orchid species waiting to be discovered in the country.
Matt Walker, BBC News 11 Sep 09;
One of the world's rarest and most elusive birds has finally been seen flying in its natural habitat.
The Fiji petrel, a seabird that once "went missing" for 130 years, has been sighted flying at sea, near the island of Gua in the Pacific Ocean.
The culmination of a meticulously planned bird hunt, Birdlife International researchers sighted the birds 25 nautical miles south of Gua.
Up to eight individuals were seen and photographed over 11 days.
The 30cm tall dark-brown Fiji petrel ( Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi ) is one of the most elusive of all birds.
Originally, the species was known from just a single immature specimen, collected in 1855 on Gau Island, Fiji.
But then the bird "went missing" with no further confirmed sightings of it for almost 130 years.
Then in 1984, an adult was caught and photographed on Gua, then released.
Since then, there have been a handful of reports of "grounded" birds that had crashed onto village roofs on the island. Most were immature birds, of which a few died.
Due to the extremely limited number of sightings, the bird is also inferred to be one of the rarest of all bird species.
It is one of 192 bird species which are list as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Stinky lure
But while there have been ten unconfirmed reports of the bird at sea, with the latest a possible Fiji Petrel sighted around 400km north of Bougainville Island, until now there has been no confirmed sightings.
That was until in May, when scientists and volunteers working with Birdlife International and NatureFiji-MareqetiViti, a partner conservation organisation based in Fiji, set out to find the bird in its natural habitat.
The search for the elusive petrel is described in a paper in the latest Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club.
The researchers lured the bird with a specially made food, made from finely cut fish offal mixed with very dense fish oil.
These were then frozen into 10kg blocks, which persist for over an hour in the water, creating a pungent oil slick which attracts petrels from some miles away.
On the second day of the expedition, the first Fiji Petrel appeared, approaching the chum slick from downwind, slowly zigzagging over the slick, and suddenly changing direction to drop onto a floating morsel.
In all, the expedition team believe they saw eight individuals over eleven days of observations.
"Finding this bird and capturing such images was a fantastic and exhilarating experience," says ornithologist Hadoram Shirihai, who lead the search team.
In 2008, Mr Shirihai also rediscovered the Critically Endangered Beck's Petrel ( Pseudobulweria becki ) a bird that was also only known from two sightings in the Pacific made in the 1920s.
"To see such a little-known bird at such close range was magical," added fellow expedition member Mr Tony Pym, describing his joy at seeing the Fiji petrel flying over the waves.
More surveys in 2010 are now planned to to locate the breeding area of the Fiji Petrel, says Dick Watling of NatureFiji-MareqetiViti.
"Once we know the location, we can assess what needs to be done to turn around the fortunes of this species," he says.
Kyoko Hasegawa Yahoo News 11 Sep 09;
TAIJI, Japan (AFP) – To animal rights activists it's a cruel and bloody slaughter; for Japanese it's a long tradition: this week fishermen in a picturesque coastal town embarked on their annual dolphin hunt.
Every year, crews in motorboats here have rounded up about 2,000 of the sea mammals, banged metal poles to herd them into a small, rocky cove and killed them with harpoons, sparing a few dozen for sale to marine aquariums.
But this year the small southwestern town of Taiji was shunted into the global spotlight with the release of the hard-hitting US-made eco-documentary "The Cove".
In the film, years in the making, a team of underwater cameramen, free divers and other experts used hidden cameras and other technical devices to covertly capture the hunt in graphic detail.
The film shows angry confrontations between residents and the lead activist, Ric O'Barry, who in the 1960s trained dolphins for the US hit television show "Flipper" but now argues the animals should be free to roam the oceans.
The film won numerous international prizes, including the Sundance Festival's audience award, and last month led the Australian city of Broome to announce it would cancel it sister-city relationship with Taiji.
"Dolphins are a large-brain creature," O'Barry, 69, told AFP during a recent return visit to Japan. "They are highly intelligent, they are self-aware, like gorillas and humans. I nursed them, I watched them give birth.
"And for me, to kill them, is extremely, extremely..." He paused, then simply added: "I don't see the purpose."
In Taiji, where about 3,700 people live, the global uproar stirred by "The Cove" has met with equal incomprehension -- and anger.
"If it's cruel to kill dolphins, it's also cruel to kill cows and pigs," Hiromitsu Taniguchi, a 41-year-old house painter, told AFP during a recent interview as several of his friends nodded in agreement.
"I can never understand those Westerners' argument. They eat cattle, pigs and chicken. We eat dolphins and whales. That's it."
Fishermen and town officials declined to speak with AFP about the film, citing what they described as widespread media bias against them.
"We've been betrayed for years by reporters," said a fishing cooperative official. "If we explain our opinions to them, editors cut out the parts giving our views and the result is stories supporting anti-whaling activists."
Taiji is filled with monuments to dolphins and whales, which are commonly grouped as 'whales' in conversations here, and has a museum dedicated to hunting the sea mammals, a practice it says started around the year 1600.
At a monument, people from the town pray for the souls of the dolphins, porpoises and whales killed in the hunts.
The film's director, Louie Psihoyos -- a veteran National Geographic photographer and co-founder of the non-profit group the Ocean Preservation Society -- says he doesn't buy the tradition argument.
"The dolphin hunters told us that they are proud of their tradition," he told AFP in an email. "This 'tradition' has been only going on with fast diesel power boats" since the early 1900s, he wrote.
Psihoyos suggested that some traditions need to end. "In America we had a much older tradition of slavery and not allowing women to vote."
Amid the raging controversy, Taiji's fishermen started their annual hunt Wednesday, catching about 100 bottlenose dolphins and 50 pilot whales, said Wakayama prefectural official Yasushi Shimamura.
They plan to sell about 50 dolphins to aquariums nationwide and release the remainder back into the sea, while the whale meat will be sold for human consumption, an official at a local fishermen's cooperative said.
Officials said they would not slaughter any of the dolphins caught on Wednesday, but denied it was due to international pressure and did not say whether or not they would hunt or cull more of the animals this season.
"We didn't decide to release the remainder of the dolphins because there have been protests against dolphin hunting from animal rights activists," said a fisheries cooperative official who declined to give his name.
"From the viewpoint of resource control, we've been occasionally releasing them on our own judgement in the past."
This year, Taiji was allocated a cull quota of about 2,300 small cetaceans, or hairless aquatic mammals such as dolphins, whales and porpoises.
O'Barry made a return visit to the town, accompanied by media, at the start of the hunting season, September 1, but the hunt was delayed by officials citing inclement weather conditions.
He was an unwelcome guest, blocked at one stage by a fisherman from entering a supermarket that sells dolphin and whale meat.
O'Barry has stressed that his message is not anti-Japanese but intended to protect them because dolphin meat, once served in school lunches in Taiji and still sold elsewhere in Japan, is toxic.
He told AFP that he came back "to get this information out about mercury poison in dolphin meat," referring to the heavy metal that concentrates in the marine food chain and is often found in dolphin meat.
People in Taiji say they already know about the mercury risk.
"The Cove", which has not been shown in Japanese cinemas, features interviews with two Japanese experts who speak about the heavy metal.
Both now say they are angry their comments were used in the film.
Hisato Ryono, 52, an assemblyman in Taiji who raised the alarm over dolphin meat being served in school lunches, said: "It's a betrayal. I thought (the film) was about marine pollution, but it's about anti-whaling."
"Showing the scene of the slaughter is not fair."
Tetsuya Endo, of the Health Science University of Hokkaido, who also spoke about the mercury risk on camera, said: "The overall tone of the film is an insult to the Japanese people and the people of Taiji in particular."
Psihoyos told AFP: "'The Cove' is not an attack on the Japanese people... I believe stopping the killing of dolphins is a win-win situation for both the dolphins and the Japanese people."
Chris Ayres, Times Online 12 Sep 09;
For the first two hours of the bone-jarring drive into the Pryor Mountains you do not see much but rocks, scrubland and tree stumps charred by a recent forest fire.
It is only when you reach the subalpine meadows at 8,000ft (2,400m) looking over the vast, red rock deserts of Wyoming below that the creatures begin to emerge slowly. They are a magnificent sight: wild horses, their lineage unbroken from the horses that arrived with Spanish conquistadors about 500 years earlier.
This particular herd has even greater historical significance: its ancestors were tamed by the pioneering Lewis and Clark Expedition across the West but were stolen by the Crow tribe, who set them free.
They have been living in almost complete isolation ever since, protected by a 1971 Act of Congress which declared that wild horses, or mustangs, be “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West”.
Last week, however, the US federal government’s Bureau of Land Management began to round up the horses using a helicopter in an effort to reduce their numbers.
It is part of a scheme that has resulted in 33,000 mustangs being caught, with only about 26,000 left to roam. Some of the horses will be put up for adoption. Others will be released, but only after the mares have been given contraceptives.
What happens to the rest, especially the older ones, is not clear, although one thing is for sure: with budgets being cut because of the recession, feeding and housing captured mustangs is not a priority.
Planning documents obtained by a request under the Freedom of Information Act suggest that a mass cull has been considered, including a proposal to offer vets counselling to cope with the number of animals that would have to be put down.
Another option is for the horses to be sold, although this could result in them being slaughtered for meat.
“Since wild horses were protected by Congress in 1971, the Land Bureau has taken away 19.4 million acres of their land,” Ginger Kathrens, a wildlife film-maker, said as she watched a mare and her lame foal make their way to a watering hole on Pryor Mountain. The horses were among those that escaped the round-up but the foal was injured in the process.
The remaining herd of 120 or so horses left on Pryor Mountain is now genetically non-viable, she said. “People get paid to manage, rather than leaving things up to natural selection,” she said. “They say the land’s not suitable for mustangs, then they end up leasing it to cattle ranchers for just $1.35 per cow, per month.”
Ms Kathrens said that this was “welfare ranching” to reward politically connected farmers.
Land officials said that the Pryor Mountain meadows have been overgrazed by the horses, which they described as feral rather than wild.
They said that if the herd was not managed its population would double or triple within a few years, resulting in many of the horses starving to death. “And you know who’d get the blame for that, don’t you?” said one official, who did not want to be named. “We can’t win either way. Meanwhile, Ginger Kathrens is making a lot of money by giving these horses romantic names and making films about them.”
Ms Kathrens appears to be winning political support: a new law named the Restore Our American Mustangs Act, which would outlaw the sale and slaughter of wild horses, has been passed by Congress and is expected to get through the Senate.
Wild and free
— The ancestors of today’s horses lived in North America, four million years ago, where the genus Equus originated
— Horses died out in North America between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago but by then had spread to Asia, Europe and Africa
— In the 16th Century Spanish conquerors reintroduced horses to the Americas. By then they had been domesticated, but escaped horses returned to the wild and spread throughout the Great Plains
— The controversial process of mustanging — hunting wild horses from cars or airplanes or by poisoning — was outlawed by the Wild Horse Annie Act of 1959
— Mustangs gave rise to cultural icons such as the Ford Mustang and the 1965 song Mustang Sally, sung by Mack Rice
— In 1971 Congress adopted the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, giving the horses federal protection to preserve “a living symbol of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West”
Sources: Bureau of Land Management, Natural History magazine; Times database
Reuters 11 Sep 09;
THIMPHU, Bhutan (Reuters) - Bhutan has warned its citizens over cutting down thousands of young trees every year to make prayer flags, a threat to the tiny kingdom's lush scenery and the government's duty to bring "Gross National Happiness."
Himalayan Buddhists put up prayer flags for good luck or to help the dead find the right path to their next life. The more flag poles put up for the departed the better, and Buddhist monks say fresh poles must be used each time.
Having failed to convince its citizens to switch from wood to steel for prayer flags, the government of the Himalayas' last Buddhist kingdom is growing bamboo, which it hopes will be an attractive alternative.
"The pressure on forest is from all sides -- from flagposts to hydropower. We are discussing this every day," Agriculture Secretary Sherub Gyaltshen, said.
Bhutan's constitution, which emphasizes the importance of Gross National Happiness over Gross Domestic Product, stipulates the country must have at least 60 percent forest cover.
Himalayan Buddhists believe winds will carry positive vibrations of tantric symbols written on the prayer flags in yellow, green, red, white and blue to represent the five elements, and 108 prayer flags are put up when someone dies.
"If you re-use an old flagpole, you aren't putting in effort, which means the merit earned is compromised," explained Lopon Gyem Tshering, a monk who teaches at a religious school.
Bhutan felled around 60,000 trees between June 2007 and June 2008 just for flag poles, according to official data, and per capita consumption is rising in the country of around 700,000.
(Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Alistair Scrutton)
Emma Foster, The Independent 12 Sep 09;
Beach users have been warned to beware of stinging jellyfish after an "unprecedented" number of reports of the creatures being stranded across the UK.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has received more than 60 reports of Portuguese-Man-of-War, a jellyfish-like creature, stranded on beaches on the Isle of Wight, Devon, Cornwall, Wales and the Isle of Man in the past six weeks.
It also received reports of a mass stranding of the mauve stinger jellyfish on the Isle of Lewis last week, as part of its national Jellyfish Survey.
MCS said it was the third consecutive year that large numbers of the species have been recorded late in the year on the west coast of the UK. Large swarms of mauve stingers can have economic consequences, the MCS said, killing caged fish in fish farms and making the sea hazardous for bathing, affecting the tourism industry.
Peter Richardson, MCS biodiversity programme manager, said: "Between 2003 and 2006 the MCS jellyfish survey received less than 10 reports of Portuguese-Man-of-War, but in the summers of 2007 and 2008 they started stranding on beaches in the South-west in greater numbers. This summer we have received over 60 reports involving hundreds of Portuguese-Man-of-War – many more than in previous years. We are urging the public to help us record these jellyfish swarms so we can warn relevant local interests, such as fish farms, about their arrival.
"We encourage anyone who encounters a jellyfish to download our free identification guide, carefully identify and then report the jellyfish to our survey online at the MCS website."
Murad Sezer and Ayla Jean Yackley, PlanetArk 10 Sep 09;
ISTANBUL - Flash floods killed 31 people in northwest Turkey, sweeping through the city of Istanbul, swamping houses, turning highways into fast-flowing rivers and drowning seven women in a minibus that was taking them to work.
Twenty-six died in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city with 14 million inhabitants, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said late on Wednesday, after two days of the heaviest rain in 80 years produced sudden flood waters which engulfed low-lying areas.
Another five died in Saray, west of Istanbul, reportedly all from the same family. Nine more were missing, Erdogan said.
In Istanbul rescue workers, some on boats, put out planks and ladders to help drivers, stranded in fast-flowing waters, reach the safety of bridges and high land. Military helicopters also assisted bringing stranded people to safety.
The worst flooding occurred in areas in the west of the city, on the European side, where drainage is often poor.
The waters began to recede late Wednesday revealing wrecked buildings and debris scattered across the streets, as distressed residents and workers started the clean-up.
Interior Minister Besir Atalay said the death toll could rise as waters continued to recede.
Witnesses said waves of muddy waters pulling cars, trees and debris crashed into homes and buildings early Wednesday as people were getting up to break their fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
"We heard a crashing sound and then saw the waters coming down carrying cars and debris," said Nuri Bitken, a 42-year-old night guard at a truck garage.
"We tried to wake up those who were still asleep in the trucks but some didn't make it. The dead had to be retrieved by boats," Bitken told Reuters.
CNN Turk television showed scenes of white blankets covering the bodies of people found in the western Halkali neighborhood near Ataturk International airport. Airport officials said there was no disruption to flights.
"My friend got stuck in the truck after the water rose all at once. The vehicle stopped working after filling with water. We rescued him with a winch," Kamil Coskun told Reuters TV in Ikitelli district.
Istanbul's ancient district of Sultanahmet, with its famous mosques, the palaces of the waterfront and Beyoglu's area of narrow streets were largely unaffected.
In the Ikitelli commercial district, residents scrambled for office equipment amid debris. In other parts of the city, people waded chest-high through swamped highways.
HUGE DAMAGE
Insurance company Axa Sigorta Deputy General Manager Ali Erlat said damage from the floods could total $70 million-$80 million, the state-run Anatolian news agency reported.
Public Works Minister Mustafa Demir, who toured the worst hit areas, said there was "huge damage to infrastructure."
Ali Erdem, chief analyst at the Istanbul Meteorology Department, told Reuters Tuesday's rainfall was the heaviest recorded in the last 80 years.
The bodies of seven women were discovered in Bagcilar, a working-class suburb of Istanbul, Wednesday. They had drowned in a minibus that was taking them to jobs at a textile factory, Anatolian said.
Istanbul is situated on the steep banks of the Bosphorus strait, which divides Europe from Asia and is one of the world's busiest waterways -- a major conduit for cargo ships and oil tankers passing between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
Elsewhere in northwest Turkey, two bridges were demolished by floodwaters on the Bahcekoy-Saray highway.
Istanbul authorities have been more occupied in their disaster planning with making provisions for earthquakes in a city crossed by a major faultline. A quake killed 18,000 people in northwest Turkey in 1999.
(Editing by Charles Dick)
Turkey floods highlight need for climate change adaptation
WWF 11 Sep 09;
Istanbul, Turkey – Recent flooding in parts of Turkey has underscored the need to focus on ecologically-sound flood management practices to shield urban areas from extreme weather events, particularly those caused by climate change.
“The presence of deadly floods right in the heart of Istanbul first of all points at the insufficient infrastructure of the city,” said Dr. Filiz Demirayak, the CEO of WWF-Turkey. “Unregulated urban development and infrastructure have become barriers preventing rain water to reach the sea via its natural path.”
Turkey’s Thracian region and the capital Istanbul this week received a month’s worth of rainfall during two days -- or four times the total amount of average precipitation for this entire month -- causing massive flooding that led to the death of 30 people and widespread damage estimated at US $90 million dollars. Turkey's Meteorology Institute recorded 13.2 centimetres of rain fell in the area.
This week’s floods follow flash floods in July that killed at least six people in the north-eastern province of Artvin, and inundated more than 100 homes and businesses in the Black Sea province of Giresun.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of life because of these floods and our thoughts are with the victim's families," said Demirayak.
Flooding occurred mostly because natural irrigation channels had been damaged and unplanned developments blocked the rain water from dissipating into the sea, WWF said.
“The insufficiency of water absorbing green areas and forests in the heart of the city is another factor that blocks water in the midst of concrete,” Demirayak said. “In the periphery of Istanbul and Tekirdağ river beds have been narrowed down, filled up by residential and industrial areas, thus blocking natural flood control mechanisms. The local municipalities and the government need to resolve the infrastructural problems of the city and prepare climate adaptation plan immediately.”
WWF warns that weather-related problems such as floods could worsen because of climate change unless ecological flood prevention techniques are adopted. These consist of river delta conservation and forest conservation. In addition, urban settlements along river beds must be closely monitored.
“Ecological flood management is the safest and most cost-effective solution,” said Dr. Demirayak. “If future damage is to be prevented, the climate change adaptation process has to start immediately.”
“The current infrastructure in Turkey cannot handle the consequences of climate change. WWF-Turkey calls upon the government and the municipalities to take immediate action for adaptation to climate change.”
Turkey's avoidable disaster
Simple precautions could have prevented the deaths of more than 30 people in Istanbul's floods
Bulent Kene, guardian.co.uk 11 Sep 09;
Turkey is back in the international media once more due to a tragedy: heavy rains that led to a flooding disaster in which more than 30 lives were lost in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city. The number of deaths is jarring. But what is much more shocking is that those people died not on the outskirts of the city of 12 million, but right in the middle of Istanbul.
For the last two days, every Turkish public official or municipal worker to open their mouth has spoken about the heavy volume of rain that fell and spoken of the "inevitability" of the "natural" disaster. I share the opinion of many city planners and experts on the subject who disagree with these evaluations. More than a natural disaster, this event in the heart of Istanbul seems to me a fully fledged man-made disaster.
Imagine you've woken up early one morning and hit the road in your car to catch a flight. As you travel along the highway, the only thing out of place you note is that it's raining particularly hard. But in an instant, the road you're driving on turns into an angry river, and the fierce waters of this river block the road in front of you and then sweep away your vehicle; you are stuck inside the car and (God forbid) you drown there. You had intended to catch your flight – perhaps on your way to meet a loved one or attend a business meeting – you had violated no rules. Something like this happening to you could probably only happen in a nightmare after you fall asleep following a heavy meal. If you think this is the case, you're wrong. What I've described is exactly what happened on Wednesday morning to someone a friend of mine knows. The person who called his son (my friend's friend) and spoke their last words, saying, "My car is entirely full of water," is no longer alive.
How could this citizen have known that the highway he took every day, which connects Istanbul's two main highways to one another – the busiest juncture in the city and the most important road leading to Turkey's biggest airport (the Basın Express Yolu, Press Express Road) – was built on a riverbank?
How could he have guessed that the highway he set out on stopped being a road with even the lightest rain, turning into a rushing river? And on top of this, despite meteorological warnings issued from Sunday, neither the police or the municipality, neither the highways directorate or any public administration took a single precaution regarding the dangers that awaited all who would use that road. So how would it have occurred to a citizen going about their business as usual that they would face the rushing waters of a flash flood that day?
It must also be asked why in Turkey, the municipality, the police department, the highways directorate or the government never thinks to take precautions to avoid disaster, but is always mobilising for rescue efforts and damage control after the fact. In cities in the United States and in Europe, when the risk of danger presents itself, the police, firefighters, ambulances and dozens of other public officials rise to the challenge. Why is it that we don't witness the same precautions being taken? Is it that the lives of Turkish citizens are worth much less than their western counterparts? Perhaps the people who most fall victim to dangers that could be addressed in advance by such life-saving precautions are the Turkish people. Because when it comes to the issues that affect their lives and pose a potential danger to them, they never encounter any intervention on the part of the police or any other officials. And as if this wasn't enough, following every tragedy that takes place, the people hear vows and advice from the public officials who should instead be accepting responsibility for their mistakes and apologising to society.
Let's speculate. If there had been a police barricade at the juncture that turns on to the highway in question, and had those motorists and passengers who lost their lives or had a narrow brush with death been warned and told not to use that route, would so many people still have died?
At the very least, wouldn't our friend's dearly beloved father still be alive today? If building permission hadn't been granted for land along riverbanks and gullies, if the use of unsuitable vehicles for employee transportation had been disallowed, and, what's more, if a highway hadn't been constructed along the longitude of a flood path, then today we would only be discussing how heavy rains had saved Istanbul from suffering from the level of drought next summer that it had faced this summer. We would have been talking about the great blessings brought along with the rain.
It's necessary to ask: in the absence of a disaster such as an earthquake, tsunami or similar event, is the rain responsible for the deaths of more than 30 people? Or does responsibility lie with the public officials who failed to take necessary precautions and allowed infrastructural insufficiencies? Where should the blame be placed, especially when the public officials failed to learn a lesson from a similar disaster in the same area 14 years ago?
Shapi Shacinda and Duncan Miriri, Reuters 11 Sep 09;
JOHANNESBURG/KERUGOYA, Kenya (Reuters) - Mini hydro plants could be the answer to a lack of power in rural Africa, especially as larger power projects are put on hold due to limited cash and abundant red tape, industry officials say.
Analysts say the continent could generate as much as 330,000 megawatts (MW) from its hydro reserves, yet only some 7 percent of that potential has been exploited so far.
But rather than trying to build big dams such as the Grand Inga dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which comes with political risk and an $80 billion price tag, communities and investors are looking into developing smaller plants.
"It's a very effective way of providing electricity. The lifespan of a mini hydro scheme could be 20 years or more," said Steven Hunt, an energy consultant based in London. Hunt said most projects in Africa would be 10 kilowatts to 10 MW.
So far only one in four Africans is linked to the grid, but power needs on the continent are estimated to triple by 2035.
Small hydro plants, involving small dams, pumps or water mills, can light villages with minimal environmental impact.
A 7 MW plant in the South African town of Bethlehem is expected to supply power to 15 percent of the roughly 70,000 people, at a total cost of 100 million rand ($13.24 million).
Mini plants satisfy people's basic needs, like the 0.75 kilowatt turbine in Kenya's Kerugoya village which gives access to power without forcing people to walk miles to the next town.
"Now people can walk from their homes to this site and access the Internet, print and charge their mobile phones," said James Kinyua, the head of the project.
The part self-help, part donor-funded project is one of many initiatives across Africa to bring electricity to people not yet covered by national grids.
Zimbabwe is estimated to be able to generate up to 85 MW from small hydro on free-flowing rivers and irrigation dams to supply electricity to farmers whose production could help fight food shortages in the country.
"Power is essential for development. The minute power becomes available, it enables a number of activities," said Felix Kiptum, a U.N. renewable energy consultant.
African governments say the extension of electricity lines to more people is a priority. Kenya is in the process of adding 200,000 new electricity consumers every year until 2012.
While South Africa plans to electrify the country by 2012, Rwanda has said it requires $200 million by the same year to add 220,000 new customers to the national grid.
Rwanda, which relies on diesel, high fuel oils (HFO) generators and imports to complement the 43 MW generated from hydro-electric power, has identified 333 potential hydro sites.
A mix of infrastructure bonds, mobilization of donor funds and even the small community's initiative like the one in Kerugoya are all fair game to increase electrification.
Civic group Practical Action is building 15 mini hydro plants in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique to light homes, schools and clinics and to irrigate fields.
Kenya, the world's largest exporter of black tea, also plans to build 10 mini hydro plants supplying a total of 23 MW to irrigate tea plantations.
Mini hydro projects will also help retain professionals such as teachers and health workers in rural areas.
"People will not be running away to go to the urban areas ... (power) is the thing they desire everyday," Kinyua said.
(Additional reporting by Chris Mfula in Lusaka, Helen Nyambura-Mwaura in Nairobi, Eddie Bugingo in Kigali and MacDonald Dzirutwe in Harare; Editing by Agnieszka Flak)
FACTBOX: Energy projects in east Africa
Reuters 11 Sep 09;
(Reuters) - Mini hydro plants are seen as part of the answer to ease power shortages in Africa, especially as larger projects are put on hold due to a lack of cash and abundant red tape, industry officials say.
Below are other energy projects in east Africa.
KENYA
* Kenya plans to spend $8 billion on 2,000 MW by 2013 -- 500 MW geothermal, 600 MW of clean coal, 800 MW from wind turbines, 30-50 MW generated as a bi-product of sugar manufacture and 30 MW hydroelectricity. Some other confirmed energy projects are:
* Kenya's Lake Turkana Wind Power plans to produce 300 MW of electricity by 2012.
* Kenya has invited construction tenders for a 428-km (266-mile) power line and four substations.
* Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) plans a fuel-powered plant for 120 MW by 2010.
* It also plans a $700 million coal-fired plant for 300 MW with a joint venture partner holding 60 percent.
* Aggreko to produce 140 MW of emergency thermal power for KenGen
* Independent producer Tsavo Power to add 50 MW by end of 2010 at a total cost of 50 million euro.
* Athi River Mining to construct a 29 MW coal-fired plant for $50 million by December 2011.
* China's Sinohydro is building a $65 million 21 MW hydropower plant in Sondu Miriu for KenGen.
* Kenya plans to double the capacity of its Mombasa-Eldoret oil pipeline to 880,000 liters per hour and to extend the pipeline past Eldoret to Uganda by end 2010.
* Kenya Power & Lighting Company is looking to install three 80 MW oil-fired power stations.
* Mumias Sugar has a majority stake in a $370 million project to produce 23 million liters of ethanol. Environmentalists and herders oppose the plan.
* India's Essar Group will upgrade the Mombasa refinery with $350-$400 million.
* Kenya's biggest tea producer, KTDA, plans some 23 MW of mini-hydro plants to power its rural factories.
ETHIOPIA
* China's Sinohydro and the Ethiopian Electric Power Authority have a 1.9 billion euro ($2.70 billion) deal for two hydroelectric dams for 2,000 MW. The deal brings the number of dams under construction in Ethiopia to seven with an aggregate total capacity of more than 5,000 MW.
TANZANIA
* Tanzania needs to invest $8 billion to boost generation and transmission by 2031 to meet rising demand, expected to jump by 471 percent to 4,500 megawatts (MW).
* Canada's Artumas Group plans a 300 MW natural gas-powered project in southern Tanzania for $700 million. The government wants to build over 500 km of high-voltage lines to link the plant to the national grid.
* Tanzania intends to construct a 400 MW coal plant by 2012 for $1.2 billion.
* The state-run utility means to spend $33 million on a 134 km high voltage line.
UGANDA
* British explorer Heritage Oil expects oil production to start in 2010.
* Kampala is mulling over whether to build a large refinery for its nascent oil industry -- already estimated at reserves of two billion barrels -- or to construct a smaller one.
* Uganda expects two hydropower plants -- Bujagali with a capacity of 250 MW and Karuma Falls with 700 MW -- to begin production of electricity by the end of 2010.
RWANDA
* Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have a joint gas project for 200 MW in Lake Kivu. Total reserves estimates are at 55 billion cubic meters of gas, which has the potential to produce around 700 MW over at least 50 years.
* Rwanda has signed a $325 million investment deal with ContourGlobal for a 100 MW natural gas extraction and electricity generation facility.
* Rwanda plans a further 100 MW project by a consortium led by Kenya's Industrial Promotion Services, the International Finance Corporation and the African Development Bank.
* The World Bank intends to loan Rwanda $70 million to expand its national electricity grid.
* Rwanda plans a micro-hydro generation scheme ranging from 5 KW to 3 MW projects at more than 300 potential sites.
BURUNDI
* Burundi plans two hydropower dams on its border with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo for a total 410 MW by 2018 and another 60 MW project on its border with Tanzania due to start by 2016.
* It is also working on two hydro projects, due to be completed in early 2010, to add 15.85 MW to its national grid, which will be lengthened to 5,000 km by 2012 from 3,300 km. (Reporting by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura)
Sylvia Westall, PlanetArk 10 Sep 09;
VIENNA - Some countries that fail to invest in nuclear power for political or financial reasons will be unlikely to meet emissions targets and could miss out on investment as companies build abroad, an IAEA expert said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which advises member states on developing atomic power safely while trying to curb proliferation risks, hiked its nuclear power projections for 2030 on Tuesday with Asian countries seen leading the way.
But countries such as Germany, with ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and a powerful anti-nuclear lobby, need to take a serious look at their options, Hans-Holger Rogner at the Vienna-based U.N. agency told the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy summit in an interview.
He said German center-left targets to generate large amounts of power from renewable sources were unrealistic. The Social Democrats (SPD) want 50 percent of Germany's power to come from renewables by 2030, the Greens target 40 percent by 2020.
"Just look at the lifespans involved. Look at infrastructure, housing, the transport sector, the way the country is being built up," said Rogner, who is a section head in the IAEA's nuclear energy department.
"You can of course calculate all kinds of things, like if everyone had their roof plastered with photovoltaic cells. But it still would mean a dramatic change in our lifestyles and I don't think that people are ready for it," he said.
The fate of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants, due to be shut down by the early 2020s, is one of the major issues dividing Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives from the SPD in the federal election set for September 27. It is not clear which technologies will be used to make up the supply gap.
"You should never look at a technology in isolation but you should compare it with the other options," Rogner said.
INVESTMENT POTENTIAL
Backers of nuclear power say it is a safe, reliable, low-emissions source which brings investment to communities, and that the industry has learnt from disasters like the Chernobyl power station explosion and say waste can be safely stored.
Critics say atomic power is not "green" because the waste must be stored for hundreds of thousands of years. Investment in renewable energy and efficiency programmes would allow countries to meet emissions targets without nuclear, they say.
Rogner said there was a risk that countries could lose out on investment. "Lots of industries will relocate to other countries where the energy situation is less politicized," he said. The commissioning, planning and building of nuclear power plants is an expensive process which takes many years.
Rogner said it was important to invest in renewables but there was not enough time for the technologies to improve without exploring other options to cut emissions.
A shift to renewables could happen gradually but nuclear power already provides the necessary technology to fight climate change, he said.
"There are also technological options on the horizon where you could further reduce the toxicity rate of waste to 200 or 300 years until it reaches (safe) background levels," he said.
The amount of waste is also minute compared to the amount of power produced, he added.
Emerging economies are expected to fuel growth in the sector. Construction has started on a record 52 new plants in 2009. This was mainly due to oil and gas developments ten years ago which spurred new nuclear projects, Rogner said.
Nuclear makes up around a 14 percent share in global electricity supply. Rogner says he expects this to go down slightly and then rebound to 14-18 percent by 2030, taking into account the time it takes for new projects to come online.
(Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)
Roger Harrabin, BBC News 11 Sep 09;
The government's new energy adviser says the UK could face blackouts by 2016 because green energy is not coming on stream fast enough.
Ministers have previously denied that the UK is heading for an energy gap.
But David MacKay, who takes up his post at the Department of Energy on 1 October, says that the public keep objecting to energy projects.
This, he says, is creating a huge problem, which could turn out the lights.
Professor MacKay is a researcher at Cambridge University.
His recent book, Sustainable Energy - Without The Hot Air, won applause for its examination of current government plans to keep the lights on whilst also cutting carbon emissions.
It concluded that policy is moving in the right direction, but the sums on energy provision simply do not add up - not enough power capacity is being built.
Speaking unofficially, he told BBC News that this meant that Britain could face blackouts in 2016 - when coal and nuclear stations are phased out.
"There is a worry that in 2016 there might not be enough electricity. My guess is that what the market might do is fix that problem by making more gas power stations, which isn't the direction we want to be going in," he said.
"So we really should be upping the build rate of the alternatives as soon as possible."
Professor MacKay blamed the public for opposing wind farms, nuclear power, and energy imports, whilst demanding an unchanged lifestyle.
You cannot oppose them all, he said, and hope to have a viable policy on energy and climate change.
HAVE YOUR SAY Blackouts might make people realise we need to invest in modern nuclear power stations and other means of clean fuel Andrew Lye, Pembrokeshire
"We've got to stop saying no to these things and understand that we do have a serious building project on our hands," he said.
Professor MacKay said he looked forward to engaging the public in a more open debate about what he calls the realities of energy policy when he takes up his post.
His says his new masters in Department of Energy and Climate Change have impressive commitment to solve the issues.
Professor MacKay's many supporters will hope that he is allowed to continue speaking openly to the public after he takes office.
Gerard Wynn, PlanetArk 10 Sep 09;
LONDON - Climate talks could draw on global recovery spending to smooth a deal in Copenhagen in December to replace the Kyoto Protocol, said Nick Robins, head of HSBC's climate change research center.
HSBC analysts estimate the green portion of a $3.1 trillion fiscal stimulus at about $512 billion.
Those funds to boost renewable energy, efficiency, public transport and water treatment so far exclusively focus on domestic economies and jobs, but could be turned to the aid of faltering U.N. talks meant to agree a new climate treaty.
"If we're anywhere near the $500 billion we've identified, then one should hope there is some scope for governments to think about a contribution that would be the Copenhagen stimulus," Robins said at the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit.
"The missing element in the stimulus debate is that all the stimulus angles, unsurprisingly, have been very domestically focused, stimulating our economy, our sectors."
"The question is how can we frame Copenhagen so actually this is about stimulating those parts of the world, poorer developing countries, hit hard by the crisis."
"The test is going to be the Pittsburgh summit," Robins told the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit, referring to a September 24-25 meeting of world leaders where finance ministers are meant to report progress on climate funds.
No offers of money from rich nations are yet on the table three months before the Copenhagen meeting. A London finance ministers meeting at the weekend yielded no progress.
Draft European Union papers seen by Reuters suggest that if anything the 27-nation bloc is curbing planned contributions to a climate fund for poor nations.
RECOVERY
The global economic crisis has underlined how the private sector will have to provide most cash to fight climate change, but big investors need more clarity, said Robins.
"If there's been one disappointment this year it has been, maybe for understandable negotiating reasons, that the financial discussions have very, very little visibility about what could be on the table."
"What's new and different is that there is very active discussion within the institutional investment community about getting involved," he told Reuters in London.
Public financing options to kick-start private finance include climate bonds, whereby a global agency sells bonds in capital markets on the promise that governments re-pay these over a period of time, or loan guarantees.
"The dialogue has started. But the question remains ... you need some seed capital to kick-start that. That's why Copenhagen's so important. We do need the (emissions) targets, the national policies put in place."
(Editing by Greg Mahlich)
As the UN climate summit in Copenhagen approaches, we must remember that 50% of climate change is caused by gases and pollutants other than CO2
Achim Steiner, guardian.co.uk 11 Sep 09;
Twenty years ago, governments adopted the Montreal protocol, a treaty to protect the Earth's ozone layer from emissions of destructive chemicals. Few could have foreseen how far-reaching that decision would prove to be.
The protocol explicitly aimed at phasing out substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) – found in products such as refrigerators, foams and hairsprays – in order to repair the thin, gassy shield that filters out the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. By 2010, close to 100 ozone-depleting substances, including CFCs, will have been phased out globally.
Without the decisions taken 20 years ago, atmospheric levels of ozone-depleting substances would have increased tenfold by 2050. This could have led to up to 20m additional cases of skin cancer and 130m more cases of eye cataracts, not to speak of damage to human immune systems, wildlife and agriculture.
But this is only part of the story that we celebrate on the international day for the preservation of the ozone layer (16 September). Over the past two years, it has been established that the Montreal protocol has also spared humanity a significant level of climate change, because the gases it prohibits also contribute to global warming.
Indeed, a study in 2007 calculated the climate mitigation benefits of the ozone treaty as totalling the equivalent of 135bn tonnes of C02 since 1990, or a delay in global warming of seven-12 years.
So the lessons learned from the Montreal protocol may have wider significance. Scientists now estimate that somewhere close to 50% of climate change is being caused by gases and pollutants other than C02, including nitrogen compounds, low-level ozone formed by pollution, and black carbon. Of course, a degree of scientific uncertainty remains about some of these pollutants' precise contribution to warming. But they certainly play a significant role.
Meanwhile, many of these gases need to be curbed because of their wider environmental impact on public health, agriculture and the planet's ecosystems, including forests.
Consider black carbon. A component of the soot emissions from diesel engines and the inefficient burning of biomass cooking stoves, it is linked to 1.6m-1.8 million premature deaths annually as a result of indoor exposure and 800,000 from outdoor exposure. Black carbon, which absorbs heat from the sun, also accounts for anywhere from 10% to 45% of the contribution to global warming, and is linked to accelerated losses of glaciers in Asia, because the soot deposits darken ice and make it more vulnerable to melting.
One study estimates 26% of black carbon emissions come from stoves for heating and cooking, with more than 40% of this amount from wood burning, roughly 20% from coal, 19% from crop residues and 10% from dung.
Some companies have developed stoves that use passive air flows, better insulation and 60% less wood to reduce black carbon emissions by around 70%. Mass introduction of such stoves could deliver multiple green-economy benefits.
While CO2 can remain in the atmosphere for centuries, other pollutants, including black carbon and ozone, remain for relatively short periods – days, weeks, months or years – so that reducing or ending emissions promises almost immediate climate benefits.
The international community's overarching concern must be to seal a serious and significant deal at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen in December to curtail CO2 emissions and assist vulnerable countries to adapt. If the world also is to deploy all available means to combat climate change, emissions of all the substances that contribute to it must be scientifically evaluated and urgently addressed.
• Achim Steiner is UN under-secretary general and executive director of the UN Environment Program.
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