Otter at Semakau!
from sgbeachbum
How to identify civet poop?
from The Diet of the Common Palm Civet in Singapore
Goodbye Mandai Orchid Garden
from My Itchy Fingers
2010: A Natural Odyssey
from Trek through Paradise
Back to MacRitchie
from Urban Forest
Homage to the hainesii
from wild shores of singapore
Best of our wild blogs: 31 Dec 10
Mandai Orchid Garden to move to Kranji
Seet Sok Hwee / Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 30 Dec 10;
SINGAPORE: Come new year, Mandai Orchid Garden as we know it will be no more. Friday is the last day at its current location, before it moves to Kranji by the middle of next year.
The 60-year old garden is one of the oldest in South East Asia. Its owner, Heah Hock Heng said it has some 50,000 orchid plants comprising over 100 varieties.
The Garden's lease expires on Friday and it is moving to make way for the expansion of the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari.
And due to land space constraints at the new place, Mandai Gardens has sold some of its plants to the Shangri-La Group and Singapore Botanical Gardens. It has also offered some orchid plants for sale to the Singapore Island Country Club.
Mr Heah said some exciting ideas are in the works for the new place, but until then, talks are in progress with the new landlord.
-CNA/ac
Mandai Orchid Garden to move to Kranji
New smaller site will house only 5,000 of its 50,000-strong collection
Jamie Ee Wen Wei Straits Times 1 Jan 11;
MANDAI Orchid Garden, the oldest orchid garden here, will move from its current site to Kranji, as time runs out on its lease today.
The 4ha garden has about 50,000 orchids, including more than 100 varieties that date back more than 40 years.
However, the move will not be as big as the size of the collection indicates: This is because the new site for the garden - all 0.8 ha of it - will be able to house only 5,000 of the orchids, a 10th of the collection.
Mr Heah Hock Heng, the chairman of Mandai Orchid Garden, said he has been working with organisations and individuals who wish to take some of the plants. So far, the Shangri-La Group has bought more than 1,000 and the National Parks Board has bought 600.
Mr Heah, 75, said: 'Unfortunately, if there are no takers, I may have to throw some of them away.'
Some of the orchids in the collection are named after famous people such as former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, former OCBC Bank chairman Tan Chin Tuan, and Singapore's first chief minister David Marshall.
The garden's current Mandai plot will be developed into a 35ha tourist attraction, which will become the fourth in the area alongside the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and the upcoming River Safari.
Mr Heah began his fight to preserve the garden in March last year. In November, the Singapore Land Authority offered him a one-year tenancy, until the end of this year, but he rejected it.
He said: 'They piled a huge rent increase on me - from $2,000 to $20,000 a month, among other conditions. It was just impossible for me to continue.'
In November, he began hunting for a new site and found the 0.8ha one in Kranji. He has six months to move there.
He said the new place will continue to receive visitors, just like the Mandai one did, welcoming up to 1,000 tourists a month who each paid a $3.50 entry fee. Entry to the new place is free.
The Mandai Orchid Garden was started in 1951 by the late Mr John Laycock, a lawyer and founder of the Malayan Orchid Society, now known as the Orchid Society of South-east Asia.
When he died in 1960, his daughter, Mrs Amy Ede, and her husband John took over the business. They became known for their books and love of orchids and gardening until he died in 2003 and she died in 2007.
Since Mr Heah took over ownership of the garden in 2001, he has added two full-scale laboratories.
One is used for cross-breeding orchids and the other is used for manufacturing fertiliser.
'I have to demolish what I've built over the years. It's not a happy situation,' he said.
The gardens' tenants, such as a research firm, an education centre and the restaurant Vanilla Pod, will move out from today.
The curator, Mr Hedrick Kwan, 33, is upset about the move. As a member of a group that tried to save the garden, he went as far as to meet the Singapore Tourism Board to offer ideas on possible uses for it.
Mr Kwan, who left his job in November, said: 'To be honest, I'm just tired now. We fought so hard, but in the end, this is the result.
'We've made enough noise but when we knew the outcome, we thought the next best thing was to think about how to save the plants.'
The online version was edited by Channel NewsAsia to this...
Mandai Orchid Garden to move to Kranji
Seet Sok Hwee / Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 30 Dec 10;
SINGAPORE: Come new year, Mandai Orchid Garden as we know it will be no more. Friday is the last day at its current location, before it moves to Kranji by the middle of next year.
The 60-year old garden is one of the oldest in South East Asia. Its owner, Heah Hock Heng said it has some 50,000 orchid plants comprising over 100 varieties.
The Garden's lease expires on Friday and it is moving as part of the Government's plans to develop the Mandai Nature Cluster and to complement existing attractions within that area.
And due to land space constraints at the new place, Mandai Gardens has sold some of its plants to the Shangri-La Group and Singapore Botanical Gardens. It has also offered some orchid plants for sale to the Singapore Island Country Club.
Mr Heah said some exciting ideas are in the works for the new place, but until then, talks are in progress with the new landlord.
-CNA/ac/fa
SINGAPORE: Come new year, Mandai Orchid Garden as we know it will be no more. Friday is the last day at its current location, before it moves to Kranji by the middle of next year.
The 60-year old garden is one of the oldest in South East Asia. Its owner, Heah Hock Heng said it has some 50,000 orchid plants comprising over 100 varieties.
The Garden's lease expires on Friday and it is moving to make way for the expansion of the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari.
And due to land space constraints at the new place, Mandai Gardens has sold some of its plants to the Shangri-La Group and Singapore Botanical Gardens. It has also offered some orchid plants for sale to the Singapore Island Country Club.
Mr Heah said some exciting ideas are in the works for the new place, but until then, talks are in progress with the new landlord.
-CNA/ac
Mandai Orchid Garden to move to Kranji
New smaller site will house only 5,000 of its 50,000-strong collection
Jamie Ee Wen Wei Straits Times 1 Jan 11;
MANDAI Orchid Garden, the oldest orchid garden here, will move from its current site to Kranji, as time runs out on its lease today.
The 4ha garden has about 50,000 orchids, including more than 100 varieties that date back more than 40 years.
However, the move will not be as big as the size of the collection indicates: This is because the new site for the garden - all 0.8 ha of it - will be able to house only 5,000 of the orchids, a 10th of the collection.
Mr Heah Hock Heng, the chairman of Mandai Orchid Garden, said he has been working with organisations and individuals who wish to take some of the plants. So far, the Shangri-La Group has bought more than 1,000 and the National Parks Board has bought 600.
Mr Heah, 75, said: 'Unfortunately, if there are no takers, I may have to throw some of them away.'
Some of the orchids in the collection are named after famous people such as former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, former OCBC Bank chairman Tan Chin Tuan, and Singapore's first chief minister David Marshall.
The garden's current Mandai plot will be developed into a 35ha tourist attraction, which will become the fourth in the area alongside the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and the upcoming River Safari.
Mr Heah began his fight to preserve the garden in March last year. In November, the Singapore Land Authority offered him a one-year tenancy, until the end of this year, but he rejected it.
He said: 'They piled a huge rent increase on me - from $2,000 to $20,000 a month, among other conditions. It was just impossible for me to continue.'
In November, he began hunting for a new site and found the 0.8ha one in Kranji. He has six months to move there.
He said the new place will continue to receive visitors, just like the Mandai one did, welcoming up to 1,000 tourists a month who each paid a $3.50 entry fee. Entry to the new place is free.
The Mandai Orchid Garden was started in 1951 by the late Mr John Laycock, a lawyer and founder of the Malayan Orchid Society, now known as the Orchid Society of South-east Asia.
When he died in 1960, his daughter, Mrs Amy Ede, and her husband John took over the business. They became known for their books and love of orchids and gardening until he died in 2003 and she died in 2007.
Since Mr Heah took over ownership of the garden in 2001, he has added two full-scale laboratories.
One is used for cross-breeding orchids and the other is used for manufacturing fertiliser.
'I have to demolish what I've built over the years. It's not a happy situation,' he said.
The gardens' tenants, such as a research firm, an education centre and the restaurant Vanilla Pod, will move out from today.
The curator, Mr Hedrick Kwan, 33, is upset about the move. As a member of a group that tried to save the garden, he went as far as to meet the Singapore Tourism Board to offer ideas on possible uses for it.
Mr Kwan, who left his job in November, said: 'To be honest, I'm just tired now. We fought so hard, but in the end, this is the result.
'We've made enough noise but when we knew the outcome, we thought the next best thing was to think about how to save the plants.'
The online version was edited by Channel NewsAsia to this...
Mandai Orchid Garden to move to Kranji
Seet Sok Hwee / Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 30 Dec 10;
SINGAPORE: Come new year, Mandai Orchid Garden as we know it will be no more. Friday is the last day at its current location, before it moves to Kranji by the middle of next year.
The 60-year old garden is one of the oldest in South East Asia. Its owner, Heah Hock Heng said it has some 50,000 orchid plants comprising over 100 varieties.
The Garden's lease expires on Friday and it is moving as part of the Government's plans to develop the Mandai Nature Cluster and to complement existing attractions within that area.
And due to land space constraints at the new place, Mandai Gardens has sold some of its plants to the Shangri-La Group and Singapore Botanical Gardens. It has also offered some orchid plants for sale to the Singapore Island Country Club.
Mr Heah said some exciting ideas are in the works for the new place, but until then, talks are in progress with the new landlord.
-CNA/ac/fa
Singapore green firms, out in the cold, wait for spring
Some face a tough financial climate but hope for better times after a 'transition'
Joyce Hooi Business Times 31 Dec 10;
(SINGAPORE) Some firms are bursting with promise while the future of others is fraught with uncertainty as the green sector treads gingerly beyond 2010.
For several companies this year, it has been a case of pain before gain. The trek to promising times has been riddled with bottom lines sinking ever further into the red.
Solar thin-film company Anwell Technologies Ltd, for example, almost tripled its losses for the nine months ended Sept 30, from HK$108.6 million to HK$319.6 million (S$53.2 million).
Its original business - the manufacturing of optical discs like DVDs - put the squeeze on gross margins with rising raw material costs and falling selling prices.
Chief financial officer Ken Wu prefers to think of this whole year as a 'transition period for the company', as it sidles more and more into the sexier territory of solar energy, while its optical disc business provides a baseline of steady, if unexciting, income.
With mass production of solar thin-film starting in March and income from the solar segment being produced in earnest from Q4 this year, the tide of losses might soon be stemmed. Mr Wu expects the solar business to represent more than 50 per cent of the firm's revenue by 2012.
Another green firm that is putting up with some red ink in anticipation of fatter times is EcoWise Holdings.
The firm, which had pinned its hopes on converting coal-fired power plants in China into biomass co-generation plants, has seen its Wuhan project become the albatross around the neck of its earnings.
Even as Q3 revenue increased 39.1 per cent to $19.37 million (thanks to the acquisition of a Malaysian tyre-retreading firm), its net losses more than doubled year-on-year to $428,000 partially because of implementation costs at the Wuhan plant, in which it had a 49 per cent stake.
EcoWise is, for its part, trying to plug the costs coming out of Wuhan. 'We are taking action and seeing improvements,' Low Kian Beng, EcoWise's deputy chief executive officer told BT. In January 2010, the operation of the coal-fired power plant was ceased to halt operational losses.
Its great green hope for 2011, however, has shifted closer to home, with revenue coming from the Malaysian side.
What EcoWise is particularly excited about is the biomass co-generation system in Marina South that it was contracted to design, build and operate for 15 years.
As with Anwell, shareholders will have to hang in there for the long haul, with revenue from the Marina South site expected to start rolling in from 2012.
While some green firms were done wandering in the wilderness, The Think Environmental Co (TTEC) appears to be changing its route to the Promised Land.
Just a little over a year ago, its name was Asia Tiger and it made office furniture. As of its latest results, its UK associate, Think Greenergy, had not started its waste-to-energy operations and its other UK associate, Think Environmental, is racking up huge losses in the waste processing business, DMG analysts noted in their report on the firm this month.
For the half-year ended Sept 30, the group waded in $1.87 million of red ink. In a more perplexing turn, the firm recently announced its foray into a second brand-new area in a span of about 12 months: gold mining in Mali.
'Given that the management has no proven record in offshore gold mining, and offshore gold exploration is filled with uncertainty, we view (TTEC's) choice of business diversification negatively,' said DMG analysts Tan Chee How and Terence Wong.
Its environmental segment, which the analysts deemed 'troubled', is unlikely to be the firm's saving grace next year. Think Greenergy is unlikely to start operations until the financial year of 2012 at the earliest, the DMG report said.
For its part, the firm maintains that its latest investment is 'opportunistic' and that there is 'no conflict in its commitment to being an environment-friendly company in this new area of gold exploration and production' due to its 'clean mining methods'.
Another firm - Sunpower Group - is making the transition into the green sector with decidedly less trauma.
It branched out from pipe supports more than a decade ago into heat pipe exchangers, waste gas and energy recovery systems. Its 35 million yuan (S$6.84 million) plant started production earlier this month without incident and its revenue and profit are up in healthy double-digit terms for the nine months ended Sept 30.
Executive director Frank Mah has an outlook for next year that is both sanguine and unequivocal.
He told BT: 'I have good feelings about 2011. I feel that Sunpower's position in the market is getting better and better. I can foresee that 2011 will be better than 2010.'
The big boys in Singapore who have set their sights on the green sector also expect better times ahead.
'We believe we will see more rapid development and investment of 'green' infrastructure around the world, and this will present opportunities for investors to benefit from this unique asset class,' said Thomas Pang, CEO of Keppel Infrastructure Fund Management, trustee-manager of K-Green Trust.
Joyce Hooi Business Times 31 Dec 10;
(SINGAPORE) Some firms are bursting with promise while the future of others is fraught with uncertainty as the green sector treads gingerly beyond 2010.
For several companies this year, it has been a case of pain before gain. The trek to promising times has been riddled with bottom lines sinking ever further into the red.
Solar thin-film company Anwell Technologies Ltd, for example, almost tripled its losses for the nine months ended Sept 30, from HK$108.6 million to HK$319.6 million (S$53.2 million).
Its original business - the manufacturing of optical discs like DVDs - put the squeeze on gross margins with rising raw material costs and falling selling prices.
Chief financial officer Ken Wu prefers to think of this whole year as a 'transition period for the company', as it sidles more and more into the sexier territory of solar energy, while its optical disc business provides a baseline of steady, if unexciting, income.
With mass production of solar thin-film starting in March and income from the solar segment being produced in earnest from Q4 this year, the tide of losses might soon be stemmed. Mr Wu expects the solar business to represent more than 50 per cent of the firm's revenue by 2012.
Another green firm that is putting up with some red ink in anticipation of fatter times is EcoWise Holdings.
The firm, which had pinned its hopes on converting coal-fired power plants in China into biomass co-generation plants, has seen its Wuhan project become the albatross around the neck of its earnings.
Even as Q3 revenue increased 39.1 per cent to $19.37 million (thanks to the acquisition of a Malaysian tyre-retreading firm), its net losses more than doubled year-on-year to $428,000 partially because of implementation costs at the Wuhan plant, in which it had a 49 per cent stake.
EcoWise is, for its part, trying to plug the costs coming out of Wuhan. 'We are taking action and seeing improvements,' Low Kian Beng, EcoWise's deputy chief executive officer told BT. In January 2010, the operation of the coal-fired power plant was ceased to halt operational losses.
Its great green hope for 2011, however, has shifted closer to home, with revenue coming from the Malaysian side.
What EcoWise is particularly excited about is the biomass co-generation system in Marina South that it was contracted to design, build and operate for 15 years.
As with Anwell, shareholders will have to hang in there for the long haul, with revenue from the Marina South site expected to start rolling in from 2012.
While some green firms were done wandering in the wilderness, The Think Environmental Co (TTEC) appears to be changing its route to the Promised Land.
Just a little over a year ago, its name was Asia Tiger and it made office furniture. As of its latest results, its UK associate, Think Greenergy, had not started its waste-to-energy operations and its other UK associate, Think Environmental, is racking up huge losses in the waste processing business, DMG analysts noted in their report on the firm this month.
For the half-year ended Sept 30, the group waded in $1.87 million of red ink. In a more perplexing turn, the firm recently announced its foray into a second brand-new area in a span of about 12 months: gold mining in Mali.
'Given that the management has no proven record in offshore gold mining, and offshore gold exploration is filled with uncertainty, we view (TTEC's) choice of business diversification negatively,' said DMG analysts Tan Chee How and Terence Wong.
Its environmental segment, which the analysts deemed 'troubled', is unlikely to be the firm's saving grace next year. Think Greenergy is unlikely to start operations until the financial year of 2012 at the earliest, the DMG report said.
For its part, the firm maintains that its latest investment is 'opportunistic' and that there is 'no conflict in its commitment to being an environment-friendly company in this new area of gold exploration and production' due to its 'clean mining methods'.
Another firm - Sunpower Group - is making the transition into the green sector with decidedly less trauma.
It branched out from pipe supports more than a decade ago into heat pipe exchangers, waste gas and energy recovery systems. Its 35 million yuan (S$6.84 million) plant started production earlier this month without incident and its revenue and profit are up in healthy double-digit terms for the nine months ended Sept 30.
Executive director Frank Mah has an outlook for next year that is both sanguine and unequivocal.
He told BT: 'I have good feelings about 2011. I feel that Sunpower's position in the market is getting better and better. I can foresee that 2011 will be better than 2010.'
The big boys in Singapore who have set their sights on the green sector also expect better times ahead.
'We believe we will see more rapid development and investment of 'green' infrastructure around the world, and this will present opportunities for investors to benefit from this unique asset class,' said Thomas Pang, CEO of Keppel Infrastructure Fund Management, trustee-manager of K-Green Trust.
Indonesia should build nuclear plant now
Antara 30 Dec 10;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Now is the time for Indonesia to build a nuclear power plant to overcome its electricity supply shortages and boost industrial development, an observer said.
"If Indonesia has no courage to make the great leap, it will always lag behind," intelligence observer Wawan H Purwanto said when presenting a year-end reflection here on Thursday.
He said neighboring Malaysia and Singapore were now preparing to build their nuclear plants.
It was even reported that Singapore would lease an island in Riau province and use it as the location of its nuclear power plant.
"I am afraid that we will become their consumer because we are not yet able to meet our domestic need for electricity," he said.
He said that there were many energy sources other then nuclear such as geothermal, wind and water that could be developed but these sources could not yield power massively.
Their production is less than 1,000 megawatt (mw), while a nuclear power plant could produce 10,000 mw, while in fact our need for electricity at home is only about 3,000 mw.
He said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had recommended that Indonesia met the requirement for the development of nuke plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is always ready to help countries including Indonesia build a nuclear power plant (PLTN), a spokesman said.
"Indonesia should not hesitate in its plan to develop PLTN because the world is working together to help the countries which are willing to build their nuclear power plants," consultant at IAEA nuclear technology development section in Austria, Jupiter S Pane said.
Pane said IAEA has formed a special team, called Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Group (INIG) whose main task was to systematically help developing countries in their plan to build their nuclear power plants.(*)
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Now is the time for Indonesia to build a nuclear power plant to overcome its electricity supply shortages and boost industrial development, an observer said.
"If Indonesia has no courage to make the great leap, it will always lag behind," intelligence observer Wawan H Purwanto said when presenting a year-end reflection here on Thursday.
He said neighboring Malaysia and Singapore were now preparing to build their nuclear plants.
It was even reported that Singapore would lease an island in Riau province and use it as the location of its nuclear power plant.
"I am afraid that we will become their consumer because we are not yet able to meet our domestic need for electricity," he said.
He said that there were many energy sources other then nuclear such as geothermal, wind and water that could be developed but these sources could not yield power massively.
Their production is less than 1,000 megawatt (mw), while a nuclear power plant could produce 10,000 mw, while in fact our need for electricity at home is only about 3,000 mw.
He said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had recommended that Indonesia met the requirement for the development of nuke plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is always ready to help countries including Indonesia build a nuclear power plant (PLTN), a spokesman said.
"Indonesia should not hesitate in its plan to develop PLTN because the world is working together to help the countries which are willing to build their nuclear power plants," consultant at IAEA nuclear technology development section in Austria, Jupiter S Pane said.
Pane said IAEA has formed a special team, called Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Group (INIG) whose main task was to systematically help developing countries in their plan to build their nuclear power plants.(*)
Malaysia, Sipadan: Dive permit quota to stay
Muguntan Vanar The Star 30 Dec 10;
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will not increase its daily permits for diving at Sipadan island.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the move to maintain a 120 daily dive permit quota is to ensure preservation of Sipadan’s environment.
He said Sipadan, which is part of the Semporna marine area, was only recently endorsed as the richest marine bio-diversity spot on Earth by a team of top scientists, remained a favourite tourist spot with a waiting list that stretches up to seven months.
“If we do not protect and conserve our environment, the tourism industry will not be able to thrive because the environment is the asset for the tourism industry,” he said, in reiterating he state is taking the necessary steps to preserve its natural heritage.
He said similar measures to preserve the environment was also taken for Mount Kinabalu where the number of climbers are limited to 192 a day.
“No matter how many visitors we have, we have to do something to prevent these flora and fauna from being affected,” he added.
He said the Sabah government would not be implementing any physical development at internationally renowned rainforest research center in the Danum Valley and also the bio-diversity rich Maliau Basin which is also known as the ‘Lost World’.
“Even the roads leading to Danum Valley which is not sealed, will not be repaired in order to slow down illegal hunters and poachers,” he said.
A recently-concluded 17-day Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition 2010 by a team scientists from Malaysia, United States and Holland discovered Semporna and its 49 islands had the highest marine bio-diversity in the world.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will not increase its daily permits for diving at Sipadan island.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the move to maintain a 120 daily dive permit quota is to ensure preservation of Sipadan’s environment.
He said Sipadan, which is part of the Semporna marine area, was only recently endorsed as the richest marine bio-diversity spot on Earth by a team of top scientists, remained a favourite tourist spot with a waiting list that stretches up to seven months.
“If we do not protect and conserve our environment, the tourism industry will not be able to thrive because the environment is the asset for the tourism industry,” he said, in reiterating he state is taking the necessary steps to preserve its natural heritage.
He said similar measures to preserve the environment was also taken for Mount Kinabalu where the number of climbers are limited to 192 a day.
“No matter how many visitors we have, we have to do something to prevent these flora and fauna from being affected,” he added.
He said the Sabah government would not be implementing any physical development at internationally renowned rainforest research center in the Danum Valley and also the bio-diversity rich Maliau Basin which is also known as the ‘Lost World’.
“Even the roads leading to Danum Valley which is not sealed, will not be repaired in order to slow down illegal hunters and poachers,” he said.
A recently-concluded 17-day Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition 2010 by a team scientists from Malaysia, United States and Holland discovered Semporna and its 49 islands had the highest marine bio-diversity in the world.
Malaysia: More eyes and ears to curb poaching
Roy See Wei Zhi New Straits Times 31 Dec 10;
KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) has beefed up security at all entry and exit points to the country prone to animal smuggling, by deploying more officers in those areas.
In addition, the department has increased the use of informants to gather information on illegal activities involving wildlife.
"We have increased the number of informants to tip us off on any animal trafficking and poaching syndicates in the country," Perhilitan director-general Datuk Abd Rasid Samsudin told the New Straits Times via email.
"We also share information with non-governmental organisations and members of the public to ensure we have eyes and ears everywhere."
Perhilitan has 500 officers deployed nationwide to nab illegal animal traffickers and poachers. This number excludes officers from other law enforcement agencies such as the Customs Department, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the armed forces and police.
"The (Perhilitan) officers have been placed on patrol across the peninsula, with emphasis on animal smuggling hotspots," said Rasid.
The heightened security measures coincided with a new law to curb illegal trafficking of animals. The new Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 was enforced in the peninsula and Labuan on Tuesday.
It replaced the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, and sees penalties increased to a fine of up to RM500,000 and not more than five years in jail, while the minimum penalty imposed for several offences is not less than RM5,000.
"The new law is more comprehensive, which will serve as a deterrent and dissuade most poachers and traffickers from continuing their trade. The scope also includes Labuan.
"It also covers amphibians, arachnids and gastropods. This scope of protection will help in the conservation of wildlife, in line with the National Biodiversity Policy," he added.
Rasid said the new legislation had granted the department unprecedented powers in enforcing the provisions of the new law.
"Section 90 of the act stipulates that other public officers are now also empowered to enforce the law aimed at conserving wildlife."
Meanwhile, Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network deputy regional director Chris R. Shepherd believed that the heavier sentence will deter some illegal traders from continuing their criminal acts.
He said Malaysia, along with Thailand and Indonesia, was home to many unique species and was conveniently located in the region for such illegal trade activities to occur.
"Air travel seems to be the preferred mode of transport for these traffickers. Enforcement in the airports will be paramount to the success of curbing wildlife trafficking."
Shepherd said seaports, meanwhile, were more popular for large shipments of products derived from exotic animals such as ivory.
Pangolins, certain species of reptiles and turtles from Malaysia are highly sought-after in China as many Asians believe they possess medicinal properties.
"Other unscrupulous individuals want to own exotic pets for vanity reasons, or as a fashion statement, which is cruel to these animals," Shepherd said, adding that the global animal trafficking industry was worth "billions of ringgit".
On people who claimed that they were not aware of buying illegally-sourced animals, Shepherd said if they were serious enough to spend large sums of money on exotic pets, they would know the status of the animals.
"Ignorance is not an excuse," he added.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) has beefed up security at all entry and exit points to the country prone to animal smuggling, by deploying more officers in those areas.
In addition, the department has increased the use of informants to gather information on illegal activities involving wildlife.
"We have increased the number of informants to tip us off on any animal trafficking and poaching syndicates in the country," Perhilitan director-general Datuk Abd Rasid Samsudin told the New Straits Times via email.
"We also share information with non-governmental organisations and members of the public to ensure we have eyes and ears everywhere."
Perhilitan has 500 officers deployed nationwide to nab illegal animal traffickers and poachers. This number excludes officers from other law enforcement agencies such as the Customs Department, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the armed forces and police.
"The (Perhilitan) officers have been placed on patrol across the peninsula, with emphasis on animal smuggling hotspots," said Rasid.
The heightened security measures coincided with a new law to curb illegal trafficking of animals. The new Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 was enforced in the peninsula and Labuan on Tuesday.
It replaced the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, and sees penalties increased to a fine of up to RM500,000 and not more than five years in jail, while the minimum penalty imposed for several offences is not less than RM5,000.
"The new law is more comprehensive, which will serve as a deterrent and dissuade most poachers and traffickers from continuing their trade. The scope also includes Labuan.
"It also covers amphibians, arachnids and gastropods. This scope of protection will help in the conservation of wildlife, in line with the National Biodiversity Policy," he added.
Rasid said the new legislation had granted the department unprecedented powers in enforcing the provisions of the new law.
"Section 90 of the act stipulates that other public officers are now also empowered to enforce the law aimed at conserving wildlife."
Meanwhile, Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network deputy regional director Chris R. Shepherd believed that the heavier sentence will deter some illegal traders from continuing their criminal acts.
He said Malaysia, along with Thailand and Indonesia, was home to many unique species and was conveniently located in the region for such illegal trade activities to occur.
"Air travel seems to be the preferred mode of transport for these traffickers. Enforcement in the airports will be paramount to the success of curbing wildlife trafficking."
Shepherd said seaports, meanwhile, were more popular for large shipments of products derived from exotic animals such as ivory.
Pangolins, certain species of reptiles and turtles from Malaysia are highly sought-after in China as many Asians believe they possess medicinal properties.
"Other unscrupulous individuals want to own exotic pets for vanity reasons, or as a fashion statement, which is cruel to these animals," Shepherd said, adding that the global animal trafficking industry was worth "billions of ringgit".
On people who claimed that they were not aware of buying illegally-sourced animals, Shepherd said if they were serious enough to spend large sums of money on exotic pets, they would know the status of the animals.
"Ignorance is not an excuse," he added.
Indonesian student discover four new fish species
Antara 30 Dec 10;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - An Indonesian biolgy student at George Washington University in the US has discovered four new fresh water fish species in Southwest Sumatra rivers.
Daniel Natanael Lumbantobing who is studying for a doctoral degree in biology at George Washington University said the four new species belonged to the Cyprinidae family.
In an e-mail to ANTARA here Thursday, he said he had named his four discoveries Rasbora api, Rasbora nodulosa, Rasbora kluetensis, and Rasbora truncata.
All of them were part of the Rasbora trifasciata species, he said.
One of the new found species was named Rasbora api because the dorsal fins and caudal fins or tails were orange-tinged resembling the color of a flame (api), Daniel said.
Rasbora api was distinguished from other species in the R. trifasciata-group by an anteriorly tapering black midlateral stripe extending posteriorly along the flank from the first lateral-line scale system and stout conical cephalic tubercles, whereas Rasbora nodulosa had nodular and smaller cephalic tubercles, Daniel said.
Meanwhile, Rasbora kluetensis was distinguished from its congeners in the species group by the conical cephalic tubercles with a somewhat protruding base bearing microridges.
The fourth new species, Rasbora truncata, differed from its congeners in the species group by a combination of meristic, pigmentary, and tuberculation features, and details of the lateral line system, he said.
The discpvery of the four new fresh water species was published in the December 2010 issue of Copeia, a journal of science issued by The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.
Daniel described the four new species during an inventory collection of fresh water fish in North Sumatra and Southwestern coast of Aceh in July-August 2006.
"We moslty used `seine` and `gill` nets to catch the fish. The captured fish had been preserved to be kept as museum items," he said.
There were some other members of Rasbora genus in Indonesia such as Saluang in Kalimantan, Paray in Sunda, Wader in Java, badar in Minang, Relo in Gayo, and Burinsak in Tapanuli, he said.
There were around 50 species identified and there might be numerous other species that were still unidentified, he said.
"Therefore, there is a possibility other species in the Rasbora category will be discovered in the future," Daniel said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - An Indonesian biolgy student at George Washington University in the US has discovered four new fresh water fish species in Southwest Sumatra rivers.
Daniel Natanael Lumbantobing who is studying for a doctoral degree in biology at George Washington University said the four new species belonged to the Cyprinidae family.
In an e-mail to ANTARA here Thursday, he said he had named his four discoveries Rasbora api, Rasbora nodulosa, Rasbora kluetensis, and Rasbora truncata.
All of them were part of the Rasbora trifasciata species, he said.
One of the new found species was named Rasbora api because the dorsal fins and caudal fins or tails were orange-tinged resembling the color of a flame (api), Daniel said.
Rasbora api was distinguished from other species in the R. trifasciata-group by an anteriorly tapering black midlateral stripe extending posteriorly along the flank from the first lateral-line scale system and stout conical cephalic tubercles, whereas Rasbora nodulosa had nodular and smaller cephalic tubercles, Daniel said.
Meanwhile, Rasbora kluetensis was distinguished from its congeners in the species group by the conical cephalic tubercles with a somewhat protruding base bearing microridges.
The fourth new species, Rasbora truncata, differed from its congeners in the species group by a combination of meristic, pigmentary, and tuberculation features, and details of the lateral line system, he said.
The discpvery of the four new fresh water species was published in the December 2010 issue of Copeia, a journal of science issued by The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.
Daniel described the four new species during an inventory collection of fresh water fish in North Sumatra and Southwestern coast of Aceh in July-August 2006.
"We moslty used `seine` and `gill` nets to catch the fish. The captured fish had been preserved to be kept as museum items," he said.
There were some other members of Rasbora genus in Indonesia such as Saluang in Kalimantan, Paray in Sunda, Wader in Java, badar in Minang, Relo in Gayo, and Burinsak in Tapanuli, he said.
There were around 50 species identified and there might be numerous other species that were still unidentified, he said.
"Therefore, there is a possibility other species in the Rasbora category will be discovered in the future," Daniel said.
Rhino Mom and Calf Gain New Home in India
LiveScience.com Yahoo News 31 Dec 10;
A rhino mother and calf were released into their new home at Manas National Park in India yesterday (Dec. 29), a move nearly a year in the making.
The female rhino and her calf were greeted with cheers and applause from the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020) team of conservationists, local representatives, veterinarians and forest department officials as the rhinos arrived at the park in India's northeastern state of Assam.
The move was the second for IRV 2020 (the first took place in 2008 with two males). The translocations are part of an effort to increase the population of India's rhinos from around 2,000 to 3,000 by the year 2020, distributed over at least seven protected areas in Assam.
"The present rhino translocation is very important to initiate the next round of translocations in Assam, which has strengthened the confidence of all teams involved," said Dipankar Ghose of the conservation group WWF-India. "Given the excellent support received from the state Forest Department and the administration, this is also a landmark achievement for active management of species involving different stakeholders."
The greater one-horned rhinoceros is currently listed as a vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List. In the early 20th century, they were hunted close to extinction in the eastern Himalayas but recovered, thanks to strict protection measures. Over 90 percent of India's rhinos are concentrated in Assam's Kaziranga National Park, putting them at risk of an outbreak of disease or natural calamities like flooding and poaching.
Translocation is a conservation tool that can boost the overall numbers of a species by establishing populations that can grow in more than one area. This helps increase genetic diversity and safeguards populations from being wiped out.
But moving several thousand pounds of armor-plated animal is easier said than done. These rhinos have a fearsome temper and a surprisingly delicate constitution. A year of planning went into the translocation.
The rhinos were moved from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, also in Assam, to the Manas site. Their journey began a day earlier when the carefully selected rhinos were darted and tranquilized before being moved into individual crates loaded onto two separate trucks.
Under the careful supervision of veterinarians who monitored their health, and under tight security, the rhinos were driven through the night to the release site.
At dawn the next day, the crate doors were lifted and the rhinos made their first foray into Manas. The adult was fitted with a radio collar, and along with the juvenile, will be monitored through the next year by park staff, with support from the WWF.
Along with the four rhinos released there in the past two years, Manas has also received increased anti-poaching protection from IRV 2020 partners that includes 12 new camps, a new wireless network and two additional vehicles for monitoring and patrolling. More protection staff was hired, with 100 from the local community and members of India's civil defense organization, Home Guards.
Wild Indian rhinos find new ground in Himalayan foothills
WWF 6 Jan 11;
New Delhi, India – Ongoing efforts to increase the population of the vulnerable Indian Rhinoceros received a crucial lift just before New Year’s with the successful translocation of two female rhinos to a national park in India’s northeastern state of Assam.
The year-long process of procuring tranquilizers, radio-collars and other equipment needed to move the two rhinos – one adult and one juvenile – paid off in late December after a specially trained team released the pair in Manas National Park located on the Himalayan foothills.
The rhinos, which are currently listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), were moved to Manas from the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in specially designed crates.
The nearby Pobitora sanctuary has accumulated the world’s highest density of rhinos, with over 80 in less than 18 sq. km of habitat.
Translocation proving to be a successful strategy
“The present rhino translocation is very important to initiate the next round of translocations in Assam," said Dr. Dipankar Ghose, head of WWF-India’s Eastern Himalayas Program.
“It has strengthened the confidence of all teams involved. Given the excellent support received from the state Forest Department and the administration, this is also a landmark achievement for active management of species involving different stakeholders.”
Translocation is an important part of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020), a joint program that includes the Department of Environment and Forests of the Government of Assam, WWF and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF). The program is also supported by the the Bodoland Territorial Council, US Fish & Wildlife Service and local communities.
IRV 2020’s vision is to increase Assam’s rhino population from the current 2,200 individuals to 3,000 by the year 2020. This will be accomplished through wild-to-wild translocations from Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, the Dibru Saikhowa National Park and the Laokhowa and Burachopari Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas.
A continuing conservation success story
From an estimated low of 20 individuals in 1905, the population of Indian Rhinoceros - also known as Greater One-horned Rhinoceroses – has increased over 100 fold, nearly all in Assam and most (86%) within the confines of Kaziranga National Park.
IRV 2020 also aims aims to secure the long-term survival of wild rhinos in Assam by expanding their distribution to reduce risks like disease, in-breeding and mass mortality.
"This successful translocation is a huge step forward for the survival of this magnificent species," said Sybille Klenzendorf, Director of Species Conservation at WWF US.
"It's amazing to see the hard work of so many people pay off with a safe, successful operation."
More translocations of rhinos planned for future
The first phase of wild-to-wild translocations under IRV 2020 was carried out in April of 2008 when two male rhinos were re-introduced into Manas National Park from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.
During the second phase, a total of eighteen rhinos will be translocated from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaziranga National Park to Manas National Park in several batches. As with the earlier translocations, the adult female has been fitted with a radio-collar, and both will be monitored throughout the year by Manas National Park staff with support from WWF-India.
A rhino mother and calf were released into their new home at Manas National Park in India yesterday (Dec. 29), a move nearly a year in the making.
The female rhino and her calf were greeted with cheers and applause from the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020) team of conservationists, local representatives, veterinarians and forest department officials as the rhinos arrived at the park in India's northeastern state of Assam.
The move was the second for IRV 2020 (the first took place in 2008 with two males). The translocations are part of an effort to increase the population of India's rhinos from around 2,000 to 3,000 by the year 2020, distributed over at least seven protected areas in Assam.
"The present rhino translocation is very important to initiate the next round of translocations in Assam, which has strengthened the confidence of all teams involved," said Dipankar Ghose of the conservation group WWF-India. "Given the excellent support received from the state Forest Department and the administration, this is also a landmark achievement for active management of species involving different stakeholders."
The greater one-horned rhinoceros is currently listed as a vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List. In the early 20th century, they were hunted close to extinction in the eastern Himalayas but recovered, thanks to strict protection measures. Over 90 percent of India's rhinos are concentrated in Assam's Kaziranga National Park, putting them at risk of an outbreak of disease or natural calamities like flooding and poaching.
Translocation is a conservation tool that can boost the overall numbers of a species by establishing populations that can grow in more than one area. This helps increase genetic diversity and safeguards populations from being wiped out.
But moving several thousand pounds of armor-plated animal is easier said than done. These rhinos have a fearsome temper and a surprisingly delicate constitution. A year of planning went into the translocation.
The rhinos were moved from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, also in Assam, to the Manas site. Their journey began a day earlier when the carefully selected rhinos were darted and tranquilized before being moved into individual crates loaded onto two separate trucks.
Under the careful supervision of veterinarians who monitored their health, and under tight security, the rhinos were driven through the night to the release site.
At dawn the next day, the crate doors were lifted and the rhinos made their first foray into Manas. The adult was fitted with a radio collar, and along with the juvenile, will be monitored through the next year by park staff, with support from the WWF.
Along with the four rhinos released there in the past two years, Manas has also received increased anti-poaching protection from IRV 2020 partners that includes 12 new camps, a new wireless network and two additional vehicles for monitoring and patrolling. More protection staff was hired, with 100 from the local community and members of India's civil defense organization, Home Guards.
Wild Indian rhinos find new ground in Himalayan foothills
WWF 6 Jan 11;
New Delhi, India – Ongoing efforts to increase the population of the vulnerable Indian Rhinoceros received a crucial lift just before New Year’s with the successful translocation of two female rhinos to a national park in India’s northeastern state of Assam.
The year-long process of procuring tranquilizers, radio-collars and other equipment needed to move the two rhinos – one adult and one juvenile – paid off in late December after a specially trained team released the pair in Manas National Park located on the Himalayan foothills.
The rhinos, which are currently listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), were moved to Manas from the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in specially designed crates.
The nearby Pobitora sanctuary has accumulated the world’s highest density of rhinos, with over 80 in less than 18 sq. km of habitat.
Translocation proving to be a successful strategy
“The present rhino translocation is very important to initiate the next round of translocations in Assam," said Dr. Dipankar Ghose, head of WWF-India’s Eastern Himalayas Program.
“It has strengthened the confidence of all teams involved. Given the excellent support received from the state Forest Department and the administration, this is also a landmark achievement for active management of species involving different stakeholders.”
Translocation is an important part of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020), a joint program that includes the Department of Environment and Forests of the Government of Assam, WWF and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF). The program is also supported by the the Bodoland Territorial Council, US Fish & Wildlife Service and local communities.
IRV 2020’s vision is to increase Assam’s rhino population from the current 2,200 individuals to 3,000 by the year 2020. This will be accomplished through wild-to-wild translocations from Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, the Dibru Saikhowa National Park and the Laokhowa and Burachopari Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas.
A continuing conservation success story
From an estimated low of 20 individuals in 1905, the population of Indian Rhinoceros - also known as Greater One-horned Rhinoceroses – has increased over 100 fold, nearly all in Assam and most (86%) within the confines of Kaziranga National Park.
IRV 2020 also aims aims to secure the long-term survival of wild rhinos in Assam by expanding their distribution to reduce risks like disease, in-breeding and mass mortality.
"This successful translocation is a huge step forward for the survival of this magnificent species," said Sybille Klenzendorf, Director of Species Conservation at WWF US.
"It's amazing to see the hard work of so many people pay off with a safe, successful operation."
More translocations of rhinos planned for future
The first phase of wild-to-wild translocations under IRV 2020 was carried out in April of 2008 when two male rhinos were re-introduced into Manas National Park from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.
During the second phase, a total of eighteen rhinos will be translocated from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaziranga National Park to Manas National Park in several batches. As with the earlier translocations, the adult female has been fitted with a radio-collar, and both will be monitored throughout the year by Manas National Park staff with support from WWF-India.
Sri Lanka: dugongs killed in dynamite fishing to be displayed at museum
Chamikara Weerasinghe Sri Lanka Daily News 31 Dec 10;
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratna yesterday said he is determined to put an absolute end to dynamite fishing in the seas off Mannar which killed two rare dugongs, while the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) is preparing them for public display at a national museum.
Meanwhile, NARA scientists are to perform autopsies on the two marine mammals. Their carcasses are preserved in deep freezers at the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation in Colombo, before they become museum specimen.
NARA Chairman Dr Hiran Jayewardena said the autopsy results are expected by the end of next week. The fishermen responsible for killing the animals are in remand custody. Fisheries Minister Senaratna has ordered a full scale investigation into the dugong killing and the disposition of fish dynamiting in Mannar, he said.
Minister Senaratna said he has received many reports confirming that blast fishing or dynamite fishing is taking place in Mannar despite it being illegal.
"We have also received information that some fishermen in Mannar are in the practice of killing these mammals," he said.
Dugongs, also known as sea cows are rare species protected under local and international law.
"We will not allow this to happen," he said.
Referring to the dead dugongs, he said looking at the size of their bodies and their weight, one can say they were 20 to 30 years old.
"It takes a long time for them to reach this size and the weight," he said. The two killed were fully grown dugongs, a female and a male. The weight of the female is about 545 kilos and the male 480 kilos," the Minister said.
Senaratna said he will stop the practice of dynamiting fish in Mannar permanently as he stopped it in the Trincomalee district with the support of the Navy. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, Dugongs are vulnerable and endangered globally.
They have been protected by the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance Act No 1, 1970 for several decades in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is also a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of wild fauna and flora.
Asked why they were going to arrange a display of the mammals, NARA Chairman Dr Jayewardena asked, "who has seen a dugong?"
"I have not seen one since 1980s. They will be kept as museum specimen at NARA museum or some other national museum for future generations," he added.
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratna yesterday said he is determined to put an absolute end to dynamite fishing in the seas off Mannar which killed two rare dugongs, while the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) is preparing them for public display at a national museum.
Meanwhile, NARA scientists are to perform autopsies on the two marine mammals. Their carcasses are preserved in deep freezers at the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation in Colombo, before they become museum specimen.
NARA Chairman Dr Hiran Jayewardena said the autopsy results are expected by the end of next week. The fishermen responsible for killing the animals are in remand custody. Fisheries Minister Senaratna has ordered a full scale investigation into the dugong killing and the disposition of fish dynamiting in Mannar, he said.
Minister Senaratna said he has received many reports confirming that blast fishing or dynamite fishing is taking place in Mannar despite it being illegal.
"We have also received information that some fishermen in Mannar are in the practice of killing these mammals," he said.
Dugongs, also known as sea cows are rare species protected under local and international law.
"We will not allow this to happen," he said.
Referring to the dead dugongs, he said looking at the size of their bodies and their weight, one can say they were 20 to 30 years old.
"It takes a long time for them to reach this size and the weight," he said. The two killed were fully grown dugongs, a female and a male. The weight of the female is about 545 kilos and the male 480 kilos," the Minister said.
Senaratna said he will stop the practice of dynamiting fish in Mannar permanently as he stopped it in the Trincomalee district with the support of the Navy. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, Dugongs are vulnerable and endangered globally.
They have been protected by the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance Act No 1, 1970 for several decades in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is also a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of wild fauna and flora.
Asked why they were going to arrange a display of the mammals, NARA Chairman Dr Jayewardena asked, "who has seen a dugong?"
"I have not seen one since 1980s. They will be kept as museum specimen at NARA museum or some other national museum for future generations," he added.
Grizzly bear deaths near Yellowstone rise in 2010
Associated Press Google News 31 Dec 10;
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Grizzly bear deaths neared record levels for the region around Yellowstone National Park in 2010, but government biologists said the population remains robust enough to withstand the heavy losses.
An estimated 75 of the protected animals were killed or removed from the wild, according to a government-sponsored grizzly study team. That equates to one grizzly gone for every eight counted this year in the sparsely populated Yellowstone region of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
The deaths were blamed primarily on grizzlies pushing into inhabited areas, where bears get into trouble as they search out food in farmyards and from the big game herds also stalked by hunters. Despite those conflicts, researchers recently reported the population topped 600 animals for the first time since grizzly recovery efforts began in the 1970s.
"The population will continue to grow with the mortalities we're seeing now," said Chris Servheen, grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Trapped and hunted to near-extermination last century, grizzly numbers have slowly rebounded since they were declared a threatened species in 1975.
An estimated 1,500 of the animals now roam woodlands and mountain ranges in the northwestern U.S. and the adjacent Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The Yellowstone-area population is one of the largest concentrations of the species in the lower 48 states.
In 2008, an estimated 79 Yellowstone-area grizzlies died or were removed — the most since they were listed as threatened. Deaths declined in 2009 before spiking again this year.
Most of the bears were killed by wildlife agents or hunters after attacking livestock, acting aggressively toward humans, damaging property or seeking human food.
Only three natural deaths were recorded.
"In general, if you were going to make a bet on whether a bear died because of people versus natural causes, it would be people," said Chuck Schwartz, a U.S. Geological Survey biologist who leads the multi-agency grizzly bear study team. "Eighty-five-plus percent of independent bears that die, die because of people," he added.
Hunting grizzlies remains illegal, but at least 15 were killed this year by hunters who shot them in self-defense or after mistaking them for black bears.
Over the summer, two adult bears were killed by government wildlife agents after the animals attacked and killed humans — the first fatal maulings in decades in the region. Three cubs captured after one of those attacks, near Cooke City, Mont., were later placed in a Billings zoo.
The deaths included an estimated 47 adult male bears — roughly twice the number of deaths the government considers sustainable. Female and cub deaths were within sustainable limits.
The male grizzly mortality threshold must be exceeded three years in a row to trigger an official review of government management practices. Nevertheless, Schwartz said representatives of state and federal agencies will meet in the spring to decide what additional steps could be taken to curb bear deaths.
The estimate of 75 dead or removed bears comes from extrapolations by researchers who assume not all deaths are recorded. Forty-seven deaths and removals were listed as "known and probable," generally meaning there was either a carcass or other evidence of dead bear.
The rise in bear deaths in 2010 coincided with a recent decline in two dietary staples for some Yellowstone bears — cutthroat trout and nuts from whitebark pine cones. The trout are being crowded out by nonnative fish, while whitebark pine has been ravaged by pine beetles that have thrived in recent years with milder winters.
Government scientists contend grizzly bears can adapt by eating more elk and other alternative foods. But wildlife advocates say their future is at risk if food supplies continue to diminish.
"You combine that with the (human) population growth in the region and it seems pretty likely this is going to be more of a recurring theme," said Jeff Welsch with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
The divergent views on the long-term risks faced by bears are at the heart of a legal debate over how much protection should be given to the species.
Confident the population won't crash, government officials plan to continue their push next year to remove Yellowstone-area grizzlies from the threatened species list.
A 2007 attempt to lift protections for the bears was overturned by a judge in Missoula last year. The government appealed that ruling and the case is pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
(This version CORRECTS Minor edits. Corrects name in 18th paragraph to Jeff Welsch, instead of Craig Welsch)
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Grizzly bear deaths neared record levels for the region around Yellowstone National Park in 2010, but government biologists said the population remains robust enough to withstand the heavy losses.
An estimated 75 of the protected animals were killed or removed from the wild, according to a government-sponsored grizzly study team. That equates to one grizzly gone for every eight counted this year in the sparsely populated Yellowstone region of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
The deaths were blamed primarily on grizzlies pushing into inhabited areas, where bears get into trouble as they search out food in farmyards and from the big game herds also stalked by hunters. Despite those conflicts, researchers recently reported the population topped 600 animals for the first time since grizzly recovery efforts began in the 1970s.
"The population will continue to grow with the mortalities we're seeing now," said Chris Servheen, grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Trapped and hunted to near-extermination last century, grizzly numbers have slowly rebounded since they were declared a threatened species in 1975.
An estimated 1,500 of the animals now roam woodlands and mountain ranges in the northwestern U.S. and the adjacent Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The Yellowstone-area population is one of the largest concentrations of the species in the lower 48 states.
In 2008, an estimated 79 Yellowstone-area grizzlies died or were removed — the most since they were listed as threatened. Deaths declined in 2009 before spiking again this year.
Most of the bears were killed by wildlife agents or hunters after attacking livestock, acting aggressively toward humans, damaging property or seeking human food.
Only three natural deaths were recorded.
"In general, if you were going to make a bet on whether a bear died because of people versus natural causes, it would be people," said Chuck Schwartz, a U.S. Geological Survey biologist who leads the multi-agency grizzly bear study team. "Eighty-five-plus percent of independent bears that die, die because of people," he added.
Hunting grizzlies remains illegal, but at least 15 were killed this year by hunters who shot them in self-defense or after mistaking them for black bears.
Over the summer, two adult bears were killed by government wildlife agents after the animals attacked and killed humans — the first fatal maulings in decades in the region. Three cubs captured after one of those attacks, near Cooke City, Mont., were later placed in a Billings zoo.
The deaths included an estimated 47 adult male bears — roughly twice the number of deaths the government considers sustainable. Female and cub deaths were within sustainable limits.
The male grizzly mortality threshold must be exceeded three years in a row to trigger an official review of government management practices. Nevertheless, Schwartz said representatives of state and federal agencies will meet in the spring to decide what additional steps could be taken to curb bear deaths.
The estimate of 75 dead or removed bears comes from extrapolations by researchers who assume not all deaths are recorded. Forty-seven deaths and removals were listed as "known and probable," generally meaning there was either a carcass or other evidence of dead bear.
The rise in bear deaths in 2010 coincided with a recent decline in two dietary staples for some Yellowstone bears — cutthroat trout and nuts from whitebark pine cones. The trout are being crowded out by nonnative fish, while whitebark pine has been ravaged by pine beetles that have thrived in recent years with milder winters.
Government scientists contend grizzly bears can adapt by eating more elk and other alternative foods. But wildlife advocates say their future is at risk if food supplies continue to diminish.
"You combine that with the (human) population growth in the region and it seems pretty likely this is going to be more of a recurring theme," said Jeff Welsch with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
The divergent views on the long-term risks faced by bears are at the heart of a legal debate over how much protection should be given to the species.
Confident the population won't crash, government officials plan to continue their push next year to remove Yellowstone-area grizzlies from the threatened species list.
A 2007 attempt to lift protections for the bears was overturned by a judge in Missoula last year. The government appealed that ruling and the case is pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
(This version CORRECTS Minor edits. Corrects name in 18th paragraph to Jeff Welsch, instead of Craig Welsch)
High temperatures causing death of stony corals in Qatar: expert
Coastline development, including construction in the sea, is one major cause of loss of natural reefs
Bonnie James Gulf Times 31 Dec 10;
High sea temperatures are causing the death of stony corals in Qatar, a noted Qatari environmental and marine researcher has said.
Though the optimum growth temperature for corals is between 20C and 23C, in June this year a sea temperature of 37.8C was recorded, Dr Mohsen Abdulla al-Ansi, the director of Qatar University’s Environmental Studies Centre, said.
The high temperature caused coral bleaching in reefs at Halul Island, Ras Rakan, Khereis, Um Alushran and Sherahou as well as the death of some fish.
Dr al-Ansi, who heads one of the oldest research centres in the Gulf region, presented a study about the status of corals at the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum held earlier this month.
Stony corals are composed of limestone structures formed by the deposits of living organisms. These are tiny animals (polyps) that live in a symbiotic relation with algae.
The algae produce the food energy needed by the polyps by photosynthesis. The coral is as such a colony. Numerous colonies on shallow waters, where sunrays can reach them, form a coral reef.
“Coral reefs can be extensive, such as the Great Barrier Reef, or can form localised reefs as in Qatar,” the researcher said.
Coral reefs support a third of the Gulf’s fish populations and local economies. Qatar has less than 20 species of stony coral and these are localised in only a few areas.
Coral reefs harbour numerous organisms including sponges, crabs, sea urchins, brittle stars and fish, and exist where environmental conditions are optimal for their flourishing, such as Southeast Asia, with Malaysia considered one of the best areas with 350 coral species known to occur.
Given that sea urchins and some fish are ferocious feeders on coral, they may cause the death and bleaching of stony corals through extensive feeding.
Climate change, in particular high sea temperature, can destroy coral reefs, and excessive rains with fresh water seeping to intertidal coral reefs will also cause coral bleaching.
“Coastline development, including construction in the sea, is one major cause of loss of natural reefs,” Dr al-Ansi said.
Aggressive fishing whether by harpoons or metal traps that are later left behind, destroy the reef.
“Bleaching of corals did also happen in Qatar and the rest of the Gulf in 1989 and 2002 when sea temperature rose,” he said.
The oil spills from the second Gulf War was another cause of coral bleaching in the regional waters.
Desalination plants, necessary for supplying fresh water to the countries along the Gulf coast, are also a threat to corals.
These plants spew hot brine and chemicals into the sea, warming their surrounding waters and increasing salinity.
A recent forum on marine conservation held in Abu Dhabi had come to the conclusion that the coral reefs of the Arabian Gulf have in large part been ruined and part of the damage is irreversible.
An international scientific study has revealed that 20% of the world’s reefs are damaged beyond repair.
It was pointed out at the Abu Dhabi forum that the main causes of the deterioration of coral reefs include the sharp drive for development, especially the construction of artificial islands and large ports, as well as the building of desalination plants and sewer dumped into the water.
The most heavily damaged areas are those along the coasts of Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, especially off Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the Abu Dhabi forum warned.
The coral reefs that are the most intact are instead those in front of the Musandam peninsula in Oman, just off the Strait of Hormuz.
Over the past decade, according to a study by the University of Warwick, fish density has gone from 4,000kg per hectare to less than 1,000kg.
Shrimps, crabs, lobsters and other seafood which account for a large part of the fishing industry live in the coral reefs.
The decline of some are inevitably leading to that of the others and, down the chain, marine fauna.
Bonnie James Gulf Times 31 Dec 10;
High sea temperatures are causing the death of stony corals in Qatar, a noted Qatari environmental and marine researcher has said.
Though the optimum growth temperature for corals is between 20C and 23C, in June this year a sea temperature of 37.8C was recorded, Dr Mohsen Abdulla al-Ansi, the director of Qatar University’s Environmental Studies Centre, said.
The high temperature caused coral bleaching in reefs at Halul Island, Ras Rakan, Khereis, Um Alushran and Sherahou as well as the death of some fish.
Dr al-Ansi, who heads one of the oldest research centres in the Gulf region, presented a study about the status of corals at the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum held earlier this month.
Stony corals are composed of limestone structures formed by the deposits of living organisms. These are tiny animals (polyps) that live in a symbiotic relation with algae.
The algae produce the food energy needed by the polyps by photosynthesis. The coral is as such a colony. Numerous colonies on shallow waters, where sunrays can reach them, form a coral reef.
“Coral reefs can be extensive, such as the Great Barrier Reef, or can form localised reefs as in Qatar,” the researcher said.
Coral reefs support a third of the Gulf’s fish populations and local economies. Qatar has less than 20 species of stony coral and these are localised in only a few areas.
Coral reefs harbour numerous organisms including sponges, crabs, sea urchins, brittle stars and fish, and exist where environmental conditions are optimal for their flourishing, such as Southeast Asia, with Malaysia considered one of the best areas with 350 coral species known to occur.
Given that sea urchins and some fish are ferocious feeders on coral, they may cause the death and bleaching of stony corals through extensive feeding.
Climate change, in particular high sea temperature, can destroy coral reefs, and excessive rains with fresh water seeping to intertidal coral reefs will also cause coral bleaching.
“Coastline development, including construction in the sea, is one major cause of loss of natural reefs,” Dr al-Ansi said.
Aggressive fishing whether by harpoons or metal traps that are later left behind, destroy the reef.
“Bleaching of corals did also happen in Qatar and the rest of the Gulf in 1989 and 2002 when sea temperature rose,” he said.
The oil spills from the second Gulf War was another cause of coral bleaching in the regional waters.
Desalination plants, necessary for supplying fresh water to the countries along the Gulf coast, are also a threat to corals.
These plants spew hot brine and chemicals into the sea, warming their surrounding waters and increasing salinity.
A recent forum on marine conservation held in Abu Dhabi had come to the conclusion that the coral reefs of the Arabian Gulf have in large part been ruined and part of the damage is irreversible.
An international scientific study has revealed that 20% of the world’s reefs are damaged beyond repair.
It was pointed out at the Abu Dhabi forum that the main causes of the deterioration of coral reefs include the sharp drive for development, especially the construction of artificial islands and large ports, as well as the building of desalination plants and sewer dumped into the water.
The most heavily damaged areas are those along the coasts of Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, especially off Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the Abu Dhabi forum warned.
The coral reefs that are the most intact are instead those in front of the Musandam peninsula in Oman, just off the Strait of Hormuz.
Over the past decade, according to a study by the University of Warwick, fish density has gone from 4,000kg per hectare to less than 1,000kg.
Shrimps, crabs, lobsters and other seafood which account for a large part of the fishing industry live in the coral reefs.
The decline of some are inevitably leading to that of the others and, down the chain, marine fauna.
'250 billion' plastic fragments in Mediterranean
Yahoo News 30 Dec 10;
PARIS (AFP) – Some 250 billion microscopic pieces of plastic are floating in the Mediterranean, creating a biological hazard that reverberates up the food chain, according to research supported by green campaigners.
The estimate comes from French and Belgian marine biologists who analysed water samples taken in July off France, northern Italy and Spain to a depth of 10-15 centimetres (four to six inches).
"The rough estimate is that there are roughly 250 billion pieces of micro-debris in all the Mediterranean," said Francois Galgani, of the French Institute for Exploration of the Sea (Ifremer), said.
The figure derives from 4,371 minute pieces of plastic -- average weight 1.8 milligrams (0.00006 of an ounce) -- found in the samples, "which extrapolates to roughly 500 tonnes for the entire Mediterranean," Galgani said.
Ninety percent of the samples, taken by volunteers from Expedition MED (Mediterranean in Danger) on a 17-metre (55-feet) yacht, had such fragments.
The sampling only covered surface waters and is a preliminary evaluation. Further samples, off Gibraltar, Moroccow, Algeria, Tunisa, Sardinia and southern Italy, will be taken in 2011 to get a wider picture.
Micro-sized plastic is an enduring hazard, as it becomes mixed with plankton, which is then ingurgitated by small fish that are then eaten by larger predators, says Expedition MED.
It says there is an accumulating pile of evidence of the damage that this does to larger forms of marine life, including seals and tortoises.
"The only solution is to stop micro-debris at the sources," said Expedition MED's Bruno Dumontet.
The group is launching an on-line petition to demand tougher European Union (EU) rules on the disposal and biodegrability of consumer goods.
PARIS (AFP) – Some 250 billion microscopic pieces of plastic are floating in the Mediterranean, creating a biological hazard that reverberates up the food chain, according to research supported by green campaigners.
The estimate comes from French and Belgian marine biologists who analysed water samples taken in July off France, northern Italy and Spain to a depth of 10-15 centimetres (four to six inches).
"The rough estimate is that there are roughly 250 billion pieces of micro-debris in all the Mediterranean," said Francois Galgani, of the French Institute for Exploration of the Sea (Ifremer), said.
The figure derives from 4,371 minute pieces of plastic -- average weight 1.8 milligrams (0.00006 of an ounce) -- found in the samples, "which extrapolates to roughly 500 tonnes for the entire Mediterranean," Galgani said.
Ninety percent of the samples, taken by volunteers from Expedition MED (Mediterranean in Danger) on a 17-metre (55-feet) yacht, had such fragments.
The sampling only covered surface waters and is a preliminary evaluation. Further samples, off Gibraltar, Moroccow, Algeria, Tunisa, Sardinia and southern Italy, will be taken in 2011 to get a wider picture.
Micro-sized plastic is an enduring hazard, as it becomes mixed with plankton, which is then ingurgitated by small fish that are then eaten by larger predators, says Expedition MED.
It says there is an accumulating pile of evidence of the damage that this does to larger forms of marine life, including seals and tortoises.
"The only solution is to stop micro-debris at the sources," said Expedition MED's Bruno Dumontet.
The group is launching an on-line petition to demand tougher European Union (EU) rules on the disposal and biodegrability of consumer goods.
Indonesia Chooses Climate Pact Pilot Province
Olivia Rondonuwu and David Fogarty PlanetArk 31 Dec 10;
Indonesia has chosen once of its largest and richest provinces to test efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by saving forest and peatlands, a key part of a $1 billion climate deal with Norway.
Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island is the second largest producer of greenhouse gases among Indonesia's 33 provinces because of deforestation, destruction of carbon-rich peat swamps, and land use change, the government says.
"The assessment showed that Central Kalimantan is a province with large forest cover and peatland and faces a real threat of deforestation," top technocrat Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, head of a special presidential delivery unit charged with managing the Norway deal, said in a statement on Thursday.
The agreement aims to test efforts that save and restore forests as a way to fight climate change. Forests soak up and lock away large amounts of carbon, while clearing and burning them releases carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas.
Under the climate deal signed this year, Norway will pay Indonesia for proven emissions reductions based on a transparent auditing system and a key part of the pact is selecting a province to test programmes that boost conservation, training and steps to improve livelihoods.
Overhauling the province's land-use plan is also key. The deal imposes a two-year national moratorium on new concessions to clear primary forests and peatlands, a step some palm oil and pulp and paper firms fear could disrupt expansion plans.
Central Kalimantan, with nearly a million hectares of oil palm plantations and a rapidly growing coal-mining sector, has some of the largest areas of threatened peatlands and peat swamp forests in the country.
READYING FOR REDD
The deal with Norway also seeks to ramp up a U.N.-backed scheme called reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) that aims to reward poor countries for saving their forests.
Internationally tradable carbon offsets would be generated by forest preservation projects based on national or regional emissions reductions. Rich countries would buy the credits in a future market that could be worth billions of dollars a year, the United Nations says.
A U.N. climate conference in Mexico this month backed REDD, which has already attracted about $4 billion in pledges from rich nations, including Norway and the United States.
"It is a tough job, but I am sure with good coordination with the central government we can do this," Teras Narang, the Central Kalimantan governor, told Reuters by telephone.
Indonesia already has nearly 40 REDD projects at various stages of development, the government says, with two projects totaling more than 300,000 hectares (750,000 acres) of peat swamp forest in Central Kalimantan.
The Australian government is also helping restore 100,000 ha (250,000 acres) of degraded peat land and forest in the province.
Under the deal, the province, which has an area more than twice that of Ireland, and another to be chosen in 2012, would benefit from some of the $120 million under the second phase of the deal.
The bulk of the money would be available in the third phase from 2014, when Norway will pay for measured greenhouse gas cuts based on its 2013 emissions reductions.
"This is a great opportunity," said Dharsono Hartono, developer of a large REDD project in Central Kalimantan.
"With this selection, the province can finalize its spatial plan, implement its green growth policy and drive bureaucratic reform that can boost jobs and environmental protection," he told Reuters in Jakarta. (Editing by Robert Birsel)
Indonesia picks Borneo for forest preservation plan
Yahoo News 30 Dec 10;
JAKARTA (AFP) – Indonesia has chosen its Borneo island to conduct a pilot project aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, as part of a deal with Norway, an official said Thursday.
Norway agreed in May to contribute up to a billion dollars to help preserve Indonesia's forests, in part through a two-year moratorium on the clearing of natural forests and peatlands from 2011.
"Central Kalimantan (Borneo) is a province with large forest cover and peat land and has faced a real threat of deforestation," the country's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) head Kuntoro Mangkusubroto said in a statement.
Mangkusubroto said the provincial authorities are expected to manage the project properly, ensure its transparency, tackle any corruption and enforce the law against illegal loggers.
"We recognise and fully understand this heavy task, and are prepared to take this on," he said.
Greenpeace warned last month that the deal with Norway was in danger of being hijacked by timber and oil palm companies.
It said "notorious industrial rainforest destroyers" want to manipulate the Indonesian government's ambiguous definition of forests to funnel the funds into the conversion of forests to plantation.
The industries' current expansion plans -- which have support within some government ministries -- seek to treble pulp and paper production by 2025 and double palm oil production by 2020, Greenpeace said.
Indonesia is the world's third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, due mainly to rampant deforestation by the palm oil and paper industries, which is fuelled by corruption.
Indonesia has chosen once of its largest and richest provinces to test efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by saving forest and peatlands, a key part of a $1 billion climate deal with Norway.
Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island is the second largest producer of greenhouse gases among Indonesia's 33 provinces because of deforestation, destruction of carbon-rich peat swamps, and land use change, the government says.
"The assessment showed that Central Kalimantan is a province with large forest cover and peatland and faces a real threat of deforestation," top technocrat Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, head of a special presidential delivery unit charged with managing the Norway deal, said in a statement on Thursday.
The agreement aims to test efforts that save and restore forests as a way to fight climate change. Forests soak up and lock away large amounts of carbon, while clearing and burning them releases carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas.
Under the climate deal signed this year, Norway will pay Indonesia for proven emissions reductions based on a transparent auditing system and a key part of the pact is selecting a province to test programmes that boost conservation, training and steps to improve livelihoods.
Overhauling the province's land-use plan is also key. The deal imposes a two-year national moratorium on new concessions to clear primary forests and peatlands, a step some palm oil and pulp and paper firms fear could disrupt expansion plans.
Central Kalimantan, with nearly a million hectares of oil palm plantations and a rapidly growing coal-mining sector, has some of the largest areas of threatened peatlands and peat swamp forests in the country.
READYING FOR REDD
The deal with Norway also seeks to ramp up a U.N.-backed scheme called reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) that aims to reward poor countries for saving their forests.
Internationally tradable carbon offsets would be generated by forest preservation projects based on national or regional emissions reductions. Rich countries would buy the credits in a future market that could be worth billions of dollars a year, the United Nations says.
A U.N. climate conference in Mexico this month backed REDD, which has already attracted about $4 billion in pledges from rich nations, including Norway and the United States.
"It is a tough job, but I am sure with good coordination with the central government we can do this," Teras Narang, the Central Kalimantan governor, told Reuters by telephone.
Indonesia already has nearly 40 REDD projects at various stages of development, the government says, with two projects totaling more than 300,000 hectares (750,000 acres) of peat swamp forest in Central Kalimantan.
The Australian government is also helping restore 100,000 ha (250,000 acres) of degraded peat land and forest in the province.
Under the deal, the province, which has an area more than twice that of Ireland, and another to be chosen in 2012, would benefit from some of the $120 million under the second phase of the deal.
The bulk of the money would be available in the third phase from 2014, when Norway will pay for measured greenhouse gas cuts based on its 2013 emissions reductions.
"This is a great opportunity," said Dharsono Hartono, developer of a large REDD project in Central Kalimantan.
"With this selection, the province can finalize its spatial plan, implement its green growth policy and drive bureaucratic reform that can boost jobs and environmental protection," he told Reuters in Jakarta. (Editing by Robert Birsel)
Indonesia picks Borneo for forest preservation plan
Yahoo News 30 Dec 10;
JAKARTA (AFP) – Indonesia has chosen its Borneo island to conduct a pilot project aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, as part of a deal with Norway, an official said Thursday.
Norway agreed in May to contribute up to a billion dollars to help preserve Indonesia's forests, in part through a two-year moratorium on the clearing of natural forests and peatlands from 2011.
"Central Kalimantan (Borneo) is a province with large forest cover and peat land and has faced a real threat of deforestation," the country's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) head Kuntoro Mangkusubroto said in a statement.
Mangkusubroto said the provincial authorities are expected to manage the project properly, ensure its transparency, tackle any corruption and enforce the law against illegal loggers.
"We recognise and fully understand this heavy task, and are prepared to take this on," he said.
Greenpeace warned last month that the deal with Norway was in danger of being hijacked by timber and oil palm companies.
It said "notorious industrial rainforest destroyers" want to manipulate the Indonesian government's ambiguous definition of forests to funnel the funds into the conversion of forests to plantation.
The industries' current expansion plans -- which have support within some government ministries -- seek to treble pulp and paper production by 2025 and double palm oil production by 2020, Greenpeace said.
Indonesia is the world's third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, due mainly to rampant deforestation by the palm oil and paper industries, which is fuelled by corruption.
Agent Orange cleanup to start at former US base in Vietnam
Yahoo News 30 Dec 10;
HANOI (AFP) – Vietnam and the United States aim to start cleaning up contamination from Agent Orange at a former wartime US base in the middle of next year, the US embassy said Thursday.
A memorandum signed between the two sides "confirms the mutual desire of both governments to cooperate in hopes that cleanup can begin in July 2011 and be completed in October 2013," the statement said.
The agreement covers contamination at the Danang airport in central Vietnam.
During the Vietnam War US aircraft flying from bases including Danang sprayed Agent Orange and other herbicides to strip trees of foliage, in a bid to deprive communist forces of cover and food.
The herbicides contained potentially cancer-causing dioxin.
In preparation for the cleanup, the US awarded a contract late last year for building a secure landfill site to hold contaminated soil and sediment at the airport, where the US is focusing its help at Vietnam's request.
US ambassador Michael Michalak told the signing ceremony on Thursday that Washington has set aside almost 17 million dollars this year for the Danang dioxin cleanup, which will cost a total of 34 million dollars.
"The two governments are now jointly preparing for the design, procurement and implementation of the project," he said.
Experts have identified two other former US air bases as "hot spots" of dioxin contamination.
The UN this year announced a five-million-dollar project to reduce contamination at the Bien Hoa airport hot spot near Ho Chi Minh City.
A Vietnamese doctor testified before the US Congress this year that more than three million Vietnamese have suffered the effects of wartime herbicides.
Vietnam and the US normalised relations 15 years ago.
HANOI (AFP) – Vietnam and the United States aim to start cleaning up contamination from Agent Orange at a former wartime US base in the middle of next year, the US embassy said Thursday.
A memorandum signed between the two sides "confirms the mutual desire of both governments to cooperate in hopes that cleanup can begin in July 2011 and be completed in October 2013," the statement said.
The agreement covers contamination at the Danang airport in central Vietnam.
During the Vietnam War US aircraft flying from bases including Danang sprayed Agent Orange and other herbicides to strip trees of foliage, in a bid to deprive communist forces of cover and food.
The herbicides contained potentially cancer-causing dioxin.
In preparation for the cleanup, the US awarded a contract late last year for building a secure landfill site to hold contaminated soil and sediment at the airport, where the US is focusing its help at Vietnam's request.
US ambassador Michael Michalak told the signing ceremony on Thursday that Washington has set aside almost 17 million dollars this year for the Danang dioxin cleanup, which will cost a total of 34 million dollars.
"The two governments are now jointly preparing for the design, procurement and implementation of the project," he said.
Experts have identified two other former US air bases as "hot spots" of dioxin contamination.
The UN this year announced a five-million-dollar project to reduce contamination at the Bien Hoa airport hot spot near Ho Chi Minh City.
A Vietnamese doctor testified before the US Congress this year that more than three million Vietnamese have suffered the effects of wartime herbicides.
Vietnam and the US normalised relations 15 years ago.
Best of our wild blogs: 30 Dec 10
22 Jan (Sat): Race Against Time – Science behind a Botanic Garden Tour from Celebrating Singapore's BioDiversity!
水獭和泽巨蜥 Otter and Water monitor lizard
from PurpleMangrove
December wild facts updates: hermit crabs!
from wild shores of singapore
101230 Well it's been a year.
from Singapore Nature
101229 Odontomantis released
from Singapore Nature
SPCA voices concern over animal experimentation and dolphins at Resorts World Sentosa
Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
TWO reports on Dec 20 ('Study on facility to breed large animals for tests'; 'Dolphin exhibit still part of RWS' plan') are cause for grave concern among those involved in animal welfare.
# Animal experimentation: It was high- lighted that Singapore is studying the feasibility of building a facility to breed large animals such as pigs and monkeys for scientists to test advances on. With billions of dollars set aside for biomedical research, the question arises as to how many animals will be put through medical experiments in these laboratories?
As much as animal experimentation has been beneficial in aiding medical researchers in the study of diseases afflicting humans, it cannot be denied that it has been at the expense of the animals involved. Aside from this, there is also no guarantee that what works on animals will work on humans.
Inspections once a year by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority is a basic requirement, but is it adequate when the lives of so many sentient and intelligent beings are involved? The industry is largely self-regulated which, over time, could easily result in complacency or loss of sensitivity to the animals being studied. What goes on behind closed doors cannot be imagined, in terms of pain, discomfort or mental distress endured by a laboratory animal.
The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) agrees with the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Animals in research: Room for greater transparency'; last Friday), that more effort should be made in reducing, refining and replacing animals in the field of scientific research in Singapore. We would also reiterate the urgent need to bring about more transparency in the industry, and ask that independent checks of animal research facilities by animal welfare organisations be permitted.
# Dolphin exhibit: It was announced by Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) recently that it would proceed with the importation of wild caught dolphins, despite the death of two of seven dolphins at a holding area in Langkawi Island, Malaysia.
The capturing and confining of any wild creature with the intention of transforming its natural lifestyle and habits for human enjoyment and revenue is immensely cruel. The suffering of these creatures in the build-up to becoming trained performers is also unimaginable with minimal educational value to the public.
The SPCA urges RWS to seriously reconsider its decision to be party to such a cruel trade.
Deirdre Moss (Ms)
Executive Director
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
TWO reports on Dec 20 ('Study on facility to breed large animals for tests'; 'Dolphin exhibit still part of RWS' plan') are cause for grave concern among those involved in animal welfare.
# Animal experimentation: It was high- lighted that Singapore is studying the feasibility of building a facility to breed large animals such as pigs and monkeys for scientists to test advances on. With billions of dollars set aside for biomedical research, the question arises as to how many animals will be put through medical experiments in these laboratories?
As much as animal experimentation has been beneficial in aiding medical researchers in the study of diseases afflicting humans, it cannot be denied that it has been at the expense of the animals involved. Aside from this, there is also no guarantee that what works on animals will work on humans.
Inspections once a year by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority is a basic requirement, but is it adequate when the lives of so many sentient and intelligent beings are involved? The industry is largely self-regulated which, over time, could easily result in complacency or loss of sensitivity to the animals being studied. What goes on behind closed doors cannot be imagined, in terms of pain, discomfort or mental distress endured by a laboratory animal.
The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) agrees with the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Animals in research: Room for greater transparency'; last Friday), that more effort should be made in reducing, refining and replacing animals in the field of scientific research in Singapore. We would also reiterate the urgent need to bring about more transparency in the industry, and ask that independent checks of animal research facilities by animal welfare organisations be permitted.
# Dolphin exhibit: It was announced by Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) recently that it would proceed with the importation of wild caught dolphins, despite the death of two of seven dolphins at a holding area in Langkawi Island, Malaysia.
The capturing and confining of any wild creature with the intention of transforming its natural lifestyle and habits for human enjoyment and revenue is immensely cruel. The suffering of these creatures in the build-up to becoming trained performers is also unimaginable with minimal educational value to the public.
The SPCA urges RWS to seriously reconsider its decision to be party to such a cruel trade.
Deirdre Moss (Ms)
Executive Director
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Singapore: Fine particles a growing concern though air pollution 'in good range'
Smog watch
Grace Chua & Amresh Gunasingham Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
WHEN it comes to good, clean air, Singapore trumps many of its South-east Asian neighbours, but its air quality still falls short of world standards.
Blame the haze, a burgeoning car population, construction boom and growing industrial hubs like Jurong Island - all of which could potentially churn out plenty of smog that could have an impact on people's health.
Dry-season forest fires in Indonesia produced a haze that blanketed Singapore in October, sent the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) to its worst levels since 2006 and brought on a 20 per cent surge in the number of patients who went to the doctor for asthma or other chronic lung conditions.
But official statistics point to the fact that air pollution in Singapore has not worsened over the years.
The levels of six air pollutants have gone down slightly between 1999 and last year, according to the Yearbook of Statistics Singapore.
The main mitigating factors: regular inspections and checks, and industrial emission standards that are tightened every few years to match international standards and keep up with Singapore's rapid growth.
A National Environment Agency (NEA) spokesman said it does not expect air pollutant levels to vary significantly in the short term.
What may tip the levels would be 'the future developments of Singapore's economic structure, energy mix and consumption patterns, and lifestyle choices', said the spokesman, adding that the agency will monitor such pollutants closely in the long run.
Still, fine particulate matter - its level in Singapore exceeds current limits set by the World Health Organisation - is a growing concern.
These particles are fine enough to settle in the lungs and cause health problems, said doctors.
Levels for even finer particles such as PM2.5, a pollutant 30 times smaller than the width of a strand of human hair, are also higher than ideal.
Last year, the annual mean level was 19 micrograms per cubic m. The NEA aims to cut this to 12 micrograms per cubic m by 2020.
Any level of exposure to these particles will have some impact on health, said National University of Singapore climate scientist Matthias Roth.
'That's why these guidelines are always revised over time, and even those standards are not the last word, but they are supposedly achievable,' he said.
The NEA measures several common pollutants in ambient air: sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead, PM10 which is particulate matter finer than 10 microns in size - about one-seventh the width of a strand of human hair, carbon monoxide and ozone.
It also checks the levels of volatile organic compounds that come from trade and industry. These are chemicals like solvents, which vaporise into the air at room temperature and cause eye and lung irritation in high quantities.
In lower doses, some of these can linger in the environment although their health effects at low exposure levels are not well understood.
While the agency has maintained that Singapore's air pollution is well within the good range, residents, commuters and researchers say they would like more publicly available pollution information, and for the authority to keep a closer watch on the culprits.
The Straits Times looks at these everyday sources of outdoor air pollution here.
HAZE: Health and air quality affected
Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
OF ALL the outdoor air pollution that Singaporeans are subjected to every year, the haze probably wreaks more health havoc than any other.
At least four respiratory specialists in private practice and the Changi General Hospital said they have seen a 20 per cent jump in the number of patients with asthma and chronic lung illnesses in October, a trend which generally mirrors those seen in previous haze seasons here in the last decade.
The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), the indicator used here to measure air quality, crept into the unhealthy range - PSI 108 - for the first time in four years in October this year.
Singapore has not managed to go a year without the haze in the last decade. In most years, it has been in the moderate range.
The haze - fumes blown this way from forest fires burning in Sumatra - contains minute ash particles known to trigger underlying health conditions.
During the last bad haze episode in 2006, Singapore had several days of air in the unhealthy range, with the PSI peaking at 130.
The worst recorded haze here was in 1997, when the air quality hit an all-time high of 226.
Besides the haze, vehicle exhaust fumes and the oil industry also contribute to pollutants in the air here.
It is not known how many asthma patients there are here. The Asthma and Allergy Association, which dispenses medical advice to such patients here, does not track such figures. But one study comparing children between the ages of 12 and 15 in 1997 and four years later in 2001, showed the proportion of asthmatics increased from 9.9 per cent to 11.9 per cent.
The same study also noted the prevalence of adult asthmatics at around 2.4 per cent in men and 2 per cent in women.
Dr Augustine Tee, a consultant at the Respiratory Department at Changi General Hospital, says the number of patients he has seen in recent years has increased, partly due to greater awareness of the issue, which meant more people were coming forward to be treated.
'But contributory factors like fluctuating air quality cannot be ruled out,' he said.
Dr Cheng Tuck Hong from the Mount Elizabeth Hospital said a higher number of people with lung-related ailments here would mirror a trend seen in other major cities such as Hong Kong and Shanghai which also have heavily polluted air.
But Dr Cheng Yew Kuang, the president of the Asthma and Allergy Association here, said studies done in the last decade here show the number of asthmatics as a proportion of the overall population has remained constant.
Experts said that overall, Singapore's air quality still compares favourably with other smog-filled cities in Asia, where people also have to contend with factors such as sharp temperature changes and the pollen season, which can trigger allergies.
AMRESH GUNASINGHAM
INDUSTRIAL: Working to clear the air
Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
EARLIER this year, a plume of black smoke rising from a refinery on the southern island of Bukom alarmed West Coast residents, who feared it could be noxious.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) gave the assurance that, although unusual, the smoke had not affected air quality on the mainland; however, complaints of polluted air from Johor refineries and odours of burnt cocoa from factories elsewhere pop up regularly in Internet forums like Stomp and punggol.org.
The NEA, concerned that the bad air problem will only intensify as industrial hubs like Jurong Island develop, is calling for expert help. It hopes to keep in check the particles more than 10 times smaller than the width of a human hair, and the levels of sulphur dioxide, which contributes to corrosive acid rain.
In its tender, it asked for consultants to compare Jurong Island's current emissions with those of petrochemical parks overseas and recommend plans for the Jurong Island infrastructure and for individual companies to maintain air quality. The consultants will also forecast industrial emissions there for the next decade.
Eight companies have submitted bids for the rights to do the six-month study, which will not only look at suspended particles and sulphur, but also at carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Dr Lin Jianhua, the vice-president of the chemical and materials division of testing and certification company TUV SUD PSB, said high concentrations of VOCs can irritate the eyes and lungs, so they must be filtered out of indoor air, and cleaned before being discharged outside. She added that, as an added measure, a factory's discharge pipes must stand taller than a certain height so pollutants do not linger close to the ground.
Industries can also switch to natural gas for power generation, which is cleaner than burning oil.
In some industries, however, avoiding pollutants is a challenge. Manufacturing solvent-based paints is a more pollutive activity than making water-based paints, but the continued demand for tougher solvent-based paints is driving its continued production.
Business at TUV SUD PSB has gone up 10 per cent since last year as a result of emissions standards becoming stricter every few years and businesses' rising awareness of the ills of pollution, said Dr Lin.
Emissions standards were last revised in 2008.
The NEA has 11 ambient air-quality testing stations here, but researchers here say it is not enough to work at improving air quality.
Dr Erik Velasco, a researcher with the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology Centre for Environmental Sensing And Modelling, said during last month's Better Air Quality conference here that Singapore was far from being a smoky and polluted industrial city, 'but with the lack of publicly available air-quality data, we can't conclude that Singapore has clean air.'
He said publicly available air-quality data, such as that made available by the US Environmental Protection Agency in real time, will enable scientists to pinpoint pollution sources and work out ways to clear the air.
GRACE CHUA
MARITIME: Using fuel with less sulphur
Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
LONG before man invented the car, bus or train, ships were the preferred mode of transport for adventurers seeking newer pastures.
But for years, the industry has harboured a dirty secret - that of hulking ships steaming through the ocean, coughing out plumes of black smoke.
In Singapore, the pollution contributed by the large oil refineries operating on Jurong Island, expanding vehicle population, and annual haze blown in from Indonesia has long been tracked by the authorities here.
But as one of the world's major ports, with some 140,000 vessels calling here every year, air pollution caused by ships has so far fallen outside Singapore's radar.
Ships carry 90 per cent of the goods traded by countries around the world, and with some estimates putting their contribution to global carbon emissions at 4 per cent - double the amount from the aviation sector - it has become a matter of concern for governments around the world and green groups.
That could well explain why the National Environment Agency has recently engaged a consultant to study the impact of emissions from ships that navigate Singapore waters.
Unlike airplanes or cars, ships largely operate on cheaper residual oil, which has a sulphur content thousands of times greater than the diesel fuel used by taxis here.
Sulphur and nitrogen oxide fumes are tied to smog and acid rain, and can have a significant impact on the health of communities, especially those living near the coastline, noted Associate Professor Anthony Chin from the Centre for Maritime Studies at the National University of Singapore.
For example, an American study done in 2007 estimated that the health cost to societies in European and South Asian countries by ship emissions was US$255 billion (S$331 billion) every year.
The same study also noted that 60,000 deaths a year in coastal communities in these regions were due to respiratory-related illnesses.
But tracking this pollution is problematic, given that vessels tend to spend most of their time out in international waters, where they have not been subjected to any regulations, said experts.
That is why ports, as 'fixed facilities', should take the lead by measuring the carbon emissions from ships docked there, said Prof Chin.
Some action has already been taken. The Maritime and Port Authority signed a global protocol which makes it compulsory for ships docking here to use higher grades of fuel - with less sulphur content - progressively.
The global pact aims to reduce this sulphur content to 0.5 per cent by 2020.
Now the challenge is to attract ship owners here, given that the move to higher grade fuels will add billions of dollars to their operating costs every year.
AMRESH GUNASINGHAM
VEHICLES: Some way to go to reduce fumes
Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
NEW-CAR quotas may be slashed from next year, but there are still nearly a million vehicles here. With industries, they make up the bulk of air pollution in Singapore.
In fact, vehicle exhaust fumes could be the chief contributor to pollution in the air here, given that oil refineries primarily operate offshore, said Changi General Hospital's Dr Augustine Tee, a consultant at its Respiratory Department.
Trucks and lorries belching black smoke are a common sight on the roads, even though smoky vehicles are against the law. The total number of such vehicles booked for the offence has gone down over the years, from 14,006 in 2005 to 8,865 last year. Between January and November this year, 8,523 local and foreign vehicles were booked by the National Environment Agency (NEA).
The agency has two stations which monitor roadside air quality and help it fine-tune its vehicle emissions control measures, such as tightening fuel and vehicle standards and enforcing smoky-vehicle rules more strictly.
But the data are not made public as 'the public is not exposed to kerbside air quality 24 hours a day,' said a spokesman, and the air quality there is therefore not representative of an average person's exposure.
While cutting car numbers, switching to renewable fuels and boosting public transport help reduce air pollution, it is also important to look at fuel and vehicle emissions standards, say commuters and industry players. And Singapore's fuel and vehicle emissions standards are well behind those of other Asian countries.
Singapore follows the Euro II emissions standard for petrol vehicles, the majority of cars here, and the more stringent Euro IV standard for diesel vehicles. In comparison, Thailand has adopted the cleaner Euro III emissions standards since 2007, and new cars in Hong Kong have had to meet the even more tough Euro IV petrol standards since 2006.
So why is air quality here better than in, say, Bangkok? The frequent breezes and rain here help flush pollutants out of the air, suggested Mr Clarence Woo, executive director of the Asian Clean Fuels Association, an advocacy group for cleaner fuels.
And enforcement may be less strict in other countries. Plus, the absolute number of vehicles is lower in Singapore, as is the number of vehicles per person.
Besides the vehicle emissions standards, the quality of the fuel counts too. Mr Woo wonders if fuel sold here lives up to the European emissions standards, as the data on fuel contents are not public, though they have to meet standards set by the authorities here.
The maximum sulphur content of petrol allowed to be sold here is 500 parts per million (ppm) while that of diesel is 50 ppm. The higher the sulphur content, the more sulphur dioxide they give off when burnt for fuel.
Even drivers like pilot and businessman Prithpal Singh are concerned. Mr Singh, 50, said he would like petrol companies to declare the pollutant contents of fuel, and that fuel standards should be upped for better fuel efficiency and less pollution. 'We consider ourselves a first-world country, but our emissions standards are only Euro II,' he said.
Already, the NEA is in talks with the oil industry to introduce Euro IV petrol, which has a maximum sulphur content of 50 ppm, and Euro V diesel (with sulphur at 10 ppm) in the next few years.
And by 2014 or 2015, Singapore aims to move to the Euro V standard for diesel vehicles, according to the Sustainable Development Blueprint, a government plan unveiled last year for the country to grow sustainably.
GRACE CHUA
Grace Chua & Amresh Gunasingham Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
WHEN it comes to good, clean air, Singapore trumps many of its South-east Asian neighbours, but its air quality still falls short of world standards.
Blame the haze, a burgeoning car population, construction boom and growing industrial hubs like Jurong Island - all of which could potentially churn out plenty of smog that could have an impact on people's health.
Dry-season forest fires in Indonesia produced a haze that blanketed Singapore in October, sent the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) to its worst levels since 2006 and brought on a 20 per cent surge in the number of patients who went to the doctor for asthma or other chronic lung conditions.
But official statistics point to the fact that air pollution in Singapore has not worsened over the years.
The levels of six air pollutants have gone down slightly between 1999 and last year, according to the Yearbook of Statistics Singapore.
The main mitigating factors: regular inspections and checks, and industrial emission standards that are tightened every few years to match international standards and keep up with Singapore's rapid growth.
A National Environment Agency (NEA) spokesman said it does not expect air pollutant levels to vary significantly in the short term.
What may tip the levels would be 'the future developments of Singapore's economic structure, energy mix and consumption patterns, and lifestyle choices', said the spokesman, adding that the agency will monitor such pollutants closely in the long run.
Still, fine particulate matter - its level in Singapore exceeds current limits set by the World Health Organisation - is a growing concern.
These particles are fine enough to settle in the lungs and cause health problems, said doctors.
Levels for even finer particles such as PM2.5, a pollutant 30 times smaller than the width of a strand of human hair, are also higher than ideal.
Last year, the annual mean level was 19 micrograms per cubic m. The NEA aims to cut this to 12 micrograms per cubic m by 2020.
Any level of exposure to these particles will have some impact on health, said National University of Singapore climate scientist Matthias Roth.
'That's why these guidelines are always revised over time, and even those standards are not the last word, but they are supposedly achievable,' he said.
The NEA measures several common pollutants in ambient air: sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead, PM10 which is particulate matter finer than 10 microns in size - about one-seventh the width of a strand of human hair, carbon monoxide and ozone.
It also checks the levels of volatile organic compounds that come from trade and industry. These are chemicals like solvents, which vaporise into the air at room temperature and cause eye and lung irritation in high quantities.
In lower doses, some of these can linger in the environment although their health effects at low exposure levels are not well understood.
While the agency has maintained that Singapore's air pollution is well within the good range, residents, commuters and researchers say they would like more publicly available pollution information, and for the authority to keep a closer watch on the culprits.
The Straits Times looks at these everyday sources of outdoor air pollution here.
HAZE: Health and air quality affected
Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
OF ALL the outdoor air pollution that Singaporeans are subjected to every year, the haze probably wreaks more health havoc than any other.
At least four respiratory specialists in private practice and the Changi General Hospital said they have seen a 20 per cent jump in the number of patients with asthma and chronic lung illnesses in October, a trend which generally mirrors those seen in previous haze seasons here in the last decade.
The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), the indicator used here to measure air quality, crept into the unhealthy range - PSI 108 - for the first time in four years in October this year.
Singapore has not managed to go a year without the haze in the last decade. In most years, it has been in the moderate range.
The haze - fumes blown this way from forest fires burning in Sumatra - contains minute ash particles known to trigger underlying health conditions.
During the last bad haze episode in 2006, Singapore had several days of air in the unhealthy range, with the PSI peaking at 130.
The worst recorded haze here was in 1997, when the air quality hit an all-time high of 226.
Besides the haze, vehicle exhaust fumes and the oil industry also contribute to pollutants in the air here.
It is not known how many asthma patients there are here. The Asthma and Allergy Association, which dispenses medical advice to such patients here, does not track such figures. But one study comparing children between the ages of 12 and 15 in 1997 and four years later in 2001, showed the proportion of asthmatics increased from 9.9 per cent to 11.9 per cent.
The same study also noted the prevalence of adult asthmatics at around 2.4 per cent in men and 2 per cent in women.
Dr Augustine Tee, a consultant at the Respiratory Department at Changi General Hospital, says the number of patients he has seen in recent years has increased, partly due to greater awareness of the issue, which meant more people were coming forward to be treated.
'But contributory factors like fluctuating air quality cannot be ruled out,' he said.
Dr Cheng Tuck Hong from the Mount Elizabeth Hospital said a higher number of people with lung-related ailments here would mirror a trend seen in other major cities such as Hong Kong and Shanghai which also have heavily polluted air.
But Dr Cheng Yew Kuang, the president of the Asthma and Allergy Association here, said studies done in the last decade here show the number of asthmatics as a proportion of the overall population has remained constant.
Experts said that overall, Singapore's air quality still compares favourably with other smog-filled cities in Asia, where people also have to contend with factors such as sharp temperature changes and the pollen season, which can trigger allergies.
AMRESH GUNASINGHAM
INDUSTRIAL: Working to clear the air
Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
EARLIER this year, a plume of black smoke rising from a refinery on the southern island of Bukom alarmed West Coast residents, who feared it could be noxious.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) gave the assurance that, although unusual, the smoke had not affected air quality on the mainland; however, complaints of polluted air from Johor refineries and odours of burnt cocoa from factories elsewhere pop up regularly in Internet forums like Stomp and punggol.org.
The NEA, concerned that the bad air problem will only intensify as industrial hubs like Jurong Island develop, is calling for expert help. It hopes to keep in check the particles more than 10 times smaller than the width of a human hair, and the levels of sulphur dioxide, which contributes to corrosive acid rain.
In its tender, it asked for consultants to compare Jurong Island's current emissions with those of petrochemical parks overseas and recommend plans for the Jurong Island infrastructure and for individual companies to maintain air quality. The consultants will also forecast industrial emissions there for the next decade.
Eight companies have submitted bids for the rights to do the six-month study, which will not only look at suspended particles and sulphur, but also at carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Dr Lin Jianhua, the vice-president of the chemical and materials division of testing and certification company TUV SUD PSB, said high concentrations of VOCs can irritate the eyes and lungs, so they must be filtered out of indoor air, and cleaned before being discharged outside. She added that, as an added measure, a factory's discharge pipes must stand taller than a certain height so pollutants do not linger close to the ground.
Industries can also switch to natural gas for power generation, which is cleaner than burning oil.
In some industries, however, avoiding pollutants is a challenge. Manufacturing solvent-based paints is a more pollutive activity than making water-based paints, but the continued demand for tougher solvent-based paints is driving its continued production.
Business at TUV SUD PSB has gone up 10 per cent since last year as a result of emissions standards becoming stricter every few years and businesses' rising awareness of the ills of pollution, said Dr Lin.
Emissions standards were last revised in 2008.
The NEA has 11 ambient air-quality testing stations here, but researchers here say it is not enough to work at improving air quality.
Dr Erik Velasco, a researcher with the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology Centre for Environmental Sensing And Modelling, said during last month's Better Air Quality conference here that Singapore was far from being a smoky and polluted industrial city, 'but with the lack of publicly available air-quality data, we can't conclude that Singapore has clean air.'
He said publicly available air-quality data, such as that made available by the US Environmental Protection Agency in real time, will enable scientists to pinpoint pollution sources and work out ways to clear the air.
GRACE CHUA
MARITIME: Using fuel with less sulphur
Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
LONG before man invented the car, bus or train, ships were the preferred mode of transport for adventurers seeking newer pastures.
But for years, the industry has harboured a dirty secret - that of hulking ships steaming through the ocean, coughing out plumes of black smoke.
In Singapore, the pollution contributed by the large oil refineries operating on Jurong Island, expanding vehicle population, and annual haze blown in from Indonesia has long been tracked by the authorities here.
But as one of the world's major ports, with some 140,000 vessels calling here every year, air pollution caused by ships has so far fallen outside Singapore's radar.
Ships carry 90 per cent of the goods traded by countries around the world, and with some estimates putting their contribution to global carbon emissions at 4 per cent - double the amount from the aviation sector - it has become a matter of concern for governments around the world and green groups.
That could well explain why the National Environment Agency has recently engaged a consultant to study the impact of emissions from ships that navigate Singapore waters.
Unlike airplanes or cars, ships largely operate on cheaper residual oil, which has a sulphur content thousands of times greater than the diesel fuel used by taxis here.
Sulphur and nitrogen oxide fumes are tied to smog and acid rain, and can have a significant impact on the health of communities, especially those living near the coastline, noted Associate Professor Anthony Chin from the Centre for Maritime Studies at the National University of Singapore.
For example, an American study done in 2007 estimated that the health cost to societies in European and South Asian countries by ship emissions was US$255 billion (S$331 billion) every year.
The same study also noted that 60,000 deaths a year in coastal communities in these regions were due to respiratory-related illnesses.
But tracking this pollution is problematic, given that vessels tend to spend most of their time out in international waters, where they have not been subjected to any regulations, said experts.
That is why ports, as 'fixed facilities', should take the lead by measuring the carbon emissions from ships docked there, said Prof Chin.
Some action has already been taken. The Maritime and Port Authority signed a global protocol which makes it compulsory for ships docking here to use higher grades of fuel - with less sulphur content - progressively.
The global pact aims to reduce this sulphur content to 0.5 per cent by 2020.
Now the challenge is to attract ship owners here, given that the move to higher grade fuels will add billions of dollars to their operating costs every year.
AMRESH GUNASINGHAM
VEHICLES: Some way to go to reduce fumes
Straits Times 30 Dec 10;
NEW-CAR quotas may be slashed from next year, but there are still nearly a million vehicles here. With industries, they make up the bulk of air pollution in Singapore.
In fact, vehicle exhaust fumes could be the chief contributor to pollution in the air here, given that oil refineries primarily operate offshore, said Changi General Hospital's Dr Augustine Tee, a consultant at its Respiratory Department.
Trucks and lorries belching black smoke are a common sight on the roads, even though smoky vehicles are against the law. The total number of such vehicles booked for the offence has gone down over the years, from 14,006 in 2005 to 8,865 last year. Between January and November this year, 8,523 local and foreign vehicles were booked by the National Environment Agency (NEA).
The agency has two stations which monitor roadside air quality and help it fine-tune its vehicle emissions control measures, such as tightening fuel and vehicle standards and enforcing smoky-vehicle rules more strictly.
But the data are not made public as 'the public is not exposed to kerbside air quality 24 hours a day,' said a spokesman, and the air quality there is therefore not representative of an average person's exposure.
While cutting car numbers, switching to renewable fuels and boosting public transport help reduce air pollution, it is also important to look at fuel and vehicle emissions standards, say commuters and industry players. And Singapore's fuel and vehicle emissions standards are well behind those of other Asian countries.
Singapore follows the Euro II emissions standard for petrol vehicles, the majority of cars here, and the more stringent Euro IV standard for diesel vehicles. In comparison, Thailand has adopted the cleaner Euro III emissions standards since 2007, and new cars in Hong Kong have had to meet the even more tough Euro IV petrol standards since 2006.
So why is air quality here better than in, say, Bangkok? The frequent breezes and rain here help flush pollutants out of the air, suggested Mr Clarence Woo, executive director of the Asian Clean Fuels Association, an advocacy group for cleaner fuels.
And enforcement may be less strict in other countries. Plus, the absolute number of vehicles is lower in Singapore, as is the number of vehicles per person.
Besides the vehicle emissions standards, the quality of the fuel counts too. Mr Woo wonders if fuel sold here lives up to the European emissions standards, as the data on fuel contents are not public, though they have to meet standards set by the authorities here.
The maximum sulphur content of petrol allowed to be sold here is 500 parts per million (ppm) while that of diesel is 50 ppm. The higher the sulphur content, the more sulphur dioxide they give off when burnt for fuel.
Even drivers like pilot and businessman Prithpal Singh are concerned. Mr Singh, 50, said he would like petrol companies to declare the pollutant contents of fuel, and that fuel standards should be upped for better fuel efficiency and less pollution. 'We consider ourselves a first-world country, but our emissions standards are only Euro II,' he said.
Already, the NEA is in talks with the oil industry to introduce Euro IV petrol, which has a maximum sulphur content of 50 ppm, and Euro V diesel (with sulphur at 10 ppm) in the next few years.
And by 2014 or 2015, Singapore aims to move to the Euro V standard for diesel vehicles, according to the Sustainable Development Blueprint, a government plan unveiled last year for the country to grow sustainably.
GRACE CHUA
Malaysian Nature Society: Fight to save nature
The Star 30 Dec 10;
AS we herald the New Year, it is my wish to see that in the next general election, every member of parliament and state assemblyman has a manifesto that includes the conservation of nature and the environment to ensure sustainable development for the future.
For too long, we have taken nature and the environment for granted.
In developed nations, all political leaders and elected representatives are champions of the environment and have key performance indicators (KPIs), related to conservation. Why not in Malaysia?
Hence, our leaders must buck up on their knowledge of the various United Nations internationally ratified environmental agreements of which Malaysia is a party to.
There has been lack of political will in this area that reflects on whether we are a caring society.
We must develop with our future generations in mind and it starts with knowledge of the dynamic environment, our living legacy and heritage. This area is wanting!!
In this respect, I hope Local Agenda 21 (involvement of the stakeholders) is utilised by the respective government departments especially the local authorities.
It is also imperative to emulate successful countries such as Japan, Australia and the Scandinavian nations in working closely with the NGOs in partnership.
The Government departments have the resources and manpower while the NGOs have the technical know-how and international expertise.
If the two parties can combine, it will be a potent force for the environment as the approach to development must take an innovative, sustainable and holistic approach.
The KPIs of the elected political representatives can include protecting fragile environments, conservation of valuable habitats namely the forests and wetlands, biodiversity protection, environmental education, combating poverty via permaculture (sustainable agriculture) promotion, initiating research initiatives and reaching out to all stakeholders.
With a population of about 27 million people, we have to start immediately before adverse climate changes engulf us and disrupt our future development plans.
ASSOC PROF MAKETAB MOHAMED,
President,
Malaysian Nature Society.
AS we herald the New Year, it is my wish to see that in the next general election, every member of parliament and state assemblyman has a manifesto that includes the conservation of nature and the environment to ensure sustainable development for the future.
For too long, we have taken nature and the environment for granted.
In developed nations, all political leaders and elected representatives are champions of the environment and have key performance indicators (KPIs), related to conservation. Why not in Malaysia?
Hence, our leaders must buck up on their knowledge of the various United Nations internationally ratified environmental agreements of which Malaysia is a party to.
There has been lack of political will in this area that reflects on whether we are a caring society.
We must develop with our future generations in mind and it starts with knowledge of the dynamic environment, our living legacy and heritage. This area is wanting!!
In this respect, I hope Local Agenda 21 (involvement of the stakeholders) is utilised by the respective government departments especially the local authorities.
It is also imperative to emulate successful countries such as Japan, Australia and the Scandinavian nations in working closely with the NGOs in partnership.
The Government departments have the resources and manpower while the NGOs have the technical know-how and international expertise.
If the two parties can combine, it will be a potent force for the environment as the approach to development must take an innovative, sustainable and holistic approach.
The KPIs of the elected political representatives can include protecting fragile environments, conservation of valuable habitats namely the forests and wetlands, biodiversity protection, environmental education, combating poverty via permaculture (sustainable agriculture) promotion, initiating research initiatives and reaching out to all stakeholders.
With a population of about 27 million people, we have to start immediately before adverse climate changes engulf us and disrupt our future development plans.
ASSOC PROF MAKETAB MOHAMED,
President,
Malaysian Nature Society.
Malaysia: Jellyfish alert at Langkawi
The Star 29 Dec 10;
BERJAYA Langkawi Resort has erected signages along its beachfront to warn and advise swimmers about the presence of jellyfish in the waters.
The resort’s general manager Graeme L. Dwyer who hails from Australia is putting to good use his experience in tackling the jellyfish danger.
He said the public had to be warned of the dangers of jellyfish and the signages provided information on the do’s and dont’s when one is stung.
Dwyer also said first aid in the form of applying or pouring vinegar on the area where one has been stung would be provided at three first aid stations set up along the 180m stretch of the beach.
He was speaking at a press briefing at the resort recently.
“The whole swimming area will be skimmed to remove any jellyfish and at a later stage, a protective beach net will be spread to safeguard the whole area.
“The jellyfish situation in Langkawi is manageable as far as the deadly box jellyfish species is concerned,” he said.
“The presence of jellyfish increases from December to March and we have to be prepared,’’ he said.
BERJAYA Langkawi Resort has erected signages along its beachfront to warn and advise swimmers about the presence of jellyfish in the waters.
The resort’s general manager Graeme L. Dwyer who hails from Australia is putting to good use his experience in tackling the jellyfish danger.
He said the public had to be warned of the dangers of jellyfish and the signages provided information on the do’s and dont’s when one is stung.
Dwyer also said first aid in the form of applying or pouring vinegar on the area where one has been stung would be provided at three first aid stations set up along the 180m stretch of the beach.
He was speaking at a press briefing at the resort recently.
“The whole swimming area will be skimmed to remove any jellyfish and at a later stage, a protective beach net will be spread to safeguard the whole area.
“The jellyfish situation in Langkawi is manageable as far as the deadly box jellyfish species is concerned,” he said.
“The presence of jellyfish increases from December to March and we have to be prepared,’’ he said.
Asean makes move to save dying science of taxonomy
Rhodina Villanueva The Philippine Star 30 Dec 10;
MANILA, Philippines - To boost the ASEAN region’s taxonomic capacities and save the dying science of taxonomy, the Philippine-based ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB), in partnership with Japan’s Ministry of Environment, recently conducted a series of workshops aimed at enhancing the capabilities of ASEAN+3 countries in the understanding and application of taxonomic knowledge in the context of sustainable biodiversity conservation and management.
ASEAN+3 refers to the 10 ASEAN member states together with Japan, China and Korea.
Rodrigo Fuentes, executive director of ACB, said, “Taxonomists, like many endangered species, are not increasing in numbers. There is a dire need to revive interest in taxonomy.”
“The diminishing status of this science and profession is crippling the ASEAN member states and other Asian countries’ capacity to effectively catalogue our biological resources. We are all aware that without knowledge and understanding of species, it would be difficult to plan and implement biodiversity conservation efforts,” Fuentes added.
Fuentes said people relate taxonomy to science only. “But we believe that taxonomy is one of the fundamental tools required by our global community to implement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the development targets set by the World Summit for Sustainable Development.”
“Without sufficient long-term investment in human resources, infrastructure, and information resources necessary to promote taxonomy, this gap could prevent implementation of sound and scientifically based sustainable environmental management and development policies. And we are all aware that development and environment that are not sustainable are a bane to poverty reduction and other MDGs,” Fuentes added.
The workshops were part of a project on “Taxonomic Capacity Building and Governance for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity” funded by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund.
The first in the series focused on corals taxonomy and was held last Dec. 4-8 in Penang, Malaysian, in cooperation with the University Sains Malaysia (USM).
The training workshop introduced the participants to the general biology of reef-building corals; and upgraded their skills on the methods of morphological observation, sample collection, processing and managing of corals, advanced taxonomic methodologies such as molecular techniques, photography of corals, and use of the Internet in corals taxonomy.
The participants had hands-on experience on museum collections management, cataloguing and storage.
The ASEAN region is home to 34 percent of the world’s coral reefs. This richness, however, is increasingly at risk due human activities and climate change, among other factors.
MANILA, Philippines - To boost the ASEAN region’s taxonomic capacities and save the dying science of taxonomy, the Philippine-based ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB), in partnership with Japan’s Ministry of Environment, recently conducted a series of workshops aimed at enhancing the capabilities of ASEAN+3 countries in the understanding and application of taxonomic knowledge in the context of sustainable biodiversity conservation and management.
ASEAN+3 refers to the 10 ASEAN member states together with Japan, China and Korea.
Rodrigo Fuentes, executive director of ACB, said, “Taxonomists, like many endangered species, are not increasing in numbers. There is a dire need to revive interest in taxonomy.”
“The diminishing status of this science and profession is crippling the ASEAN member states and other Asian countries’ capacity to effectively catalogue our biological resources. We are all aware that without knowledge and understanding of species, it would be difficult to plan and implement biodiversity conservation efforts,” Fuentes added.
Fuentes said people relate taxonomy to science only. “But we believe that taxonomy is one of the fundamental tools required by our global community to implement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the development targets set by the World Summit for Sustainable Development.”
“Without sufficient long-term investment in human resources, infrastructure, and information resources necessary to promote taxonomy, this gap could prevent implementation of sound and scientifically based sustainable environmental management and development policies. And we are all aware that development and environment that are not sustainable are a bane to poverty reduction and other MDGs,” Fuentes added.
The workshops were part of a project on “Taxonomic Capacity Building and Governance for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity” funded by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund.
The first in the series focused on corals taxonomy and was held last Dec. 4-8 in Penang, Malaysian, in cooperation with the University Sains Malaysia (USM).
The training workshop introduced the participants to the general biology of reef-building corals; and upgraded their skills on the methods of morphological observation, sample collection, processing and managing of corals, advanced taxonomic methodologies such as molecular techniques, photography of corals, and use of the Internet in corals taxonomy.
The participants had hands-on experience on museum collections management, cataloguing and storage.
The ASEAN region is home to 34 percent of the world’s coral reefs. This richness, however, is increasingly at risk due human activities and climate change, among other factors.
International Year of Biodiversity: A Year for Limited Optimism
Julio Godoy IPS News 30 Dec 10;
BERLIN, Dec 30, 2010 (IPS/IFEJ) - Nearly 12 months ago, when the U.N. heralded 2010 as the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’, unrealistic goals seemed to indicate failure for the ambitious initiative. But now that the year is drawing to a close, some experts also see the year’s progress as encouraging, and a reason for optimism.
The January 2010 inauguration of the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’ (IYB) was met with scepticism by the international community, which noted that the European Union (EU) target of halting regional decimation of species by December - formulated in 2003 - was unrealistic.
And yet leading German environmental and biology experts are labelling IYB a success. "The very fact that the U.N. called 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity was a strong signal and a warning, which moved many world leaders to finally act to protect flora and fauna around Earth," Josef Settele, head biologist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) told IPS.
The UFZ is the leading German centre of research on biodiversity. Settele, an expert on conservation and evolutionary biology, is editor of the UFZ ‘Atlas Biodiversity Risk’, the first of its kind to be published.
Settele admitted that the present state of biodiversity is dismaying. In Germany alone, more than 40 percent of all species inventoried in the country are considered at risk. "The overall situation of biodiversity is worrisome," Settele said. "But the EU was too ambitious in formulating the objective of stopping the decimation of biodiversity by 2010. Such a target is very unlikely to be fulfilled. Ever."
However, Settele said, several important initiatives have been launched this year that address the issue of biodiversity protection, such as the U.N. biodiversity agreement of Nagoya, and the presentation of the newest report on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), both in October.
With the TEEB report, Settele pointed out, the "economic importance of the world's natural assets is now firmly on the political radar. This study showcases the enormous economic value of forest, freshwater, soils and coral reefs, as well as the social and economic costs of their loss."
As an example, Settele pointed to the economic value of bees. "Thanks to TEEB, we now know that when bees pollinate flora worldwide, they produce an enormous economic value," he said.
TEEB estimated that the worldwide pollination carried out by bees in 2005 was worth some 153 billion euros (about 200 billion dollars).
At the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya in Japan, world leaders approved a key measure to protect biodiversity: a goal of eliminating all subsidies for agriculture and fishery, which provoke decimation of flora and fauna, by the year 2020. Worldwide, these subsidies amount to some 670 billion dollars.
Kai Frobel, professor of geology and ecology at the German university of Bayreuth, praised the Nagoya conference as a major step in the international protection of biodiversity. Frobel told IPS that the implementation of such measures in Europe constitutes a litmus test for the political will of European leaders to live up to their own environmental commitments.
Official subsidies for European agriculture and fisheries constitute the largest chunk of the EU budget, and must be revised before 2013. "We will see… whether the governments in France and Germany are willing to continue wasting taxpayers' money to finance the destruction of nature," Frobel warned.
Frobel also praised the Nagoya decision for including language regulating access and benefit sharing. According to one clause, industrialised countries must pay each time they use biological resources, including genetic material, from developing countries.
Furthermore, the Nagoya agreement establishes the expansion of new protected areas. "All these measures constitute a clear progress towards protecting biodiversity," Frobel said.
However, Frobel pointed out, actions speak louder than words.
"The measures must be implemented," he warned. "As of now, the Nagoya agreement constitutes only a binding declaration of intentions. Nagoya will only be a success if the measures the world leaders agreed upon there last October are actually put in practice."
Frobel worries that in the coming year biodiversity may disappear from the political agenda. "During 2011, the EU must negotiate its agricultural policy after 2013, and therefore the subject of biodiversity will be present in Europe," he said. "But otherwise, biodiversity won't dominate the political agenda as much as it did in 2010."
Frobel urged his colleagues worldwide to promote the importance of protecting biodiversity. "Biodiversity must become an integral part of the elementary syllabus, in order to teach younger generations to appreciate the social and economic value of flora and fauna.
"People have also come to realise that the protection of biodiversity does not mean protecting one particular species, but whole ecosystems," he said.
*This story is part of a series of features on biodiversity by Inter Press Service (IPS), CGIAR/Biodiversity International, International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ), and the United Nations Environment Programme/Convention on Biological Diversity (UNEP/CBD) - all members of the Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development. (END)
BERLIN, Dec 30, 2010 (IPS/IFEJ) - Nearly 12 months ago, when the U.N. heralded 2010 as the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’, unrealistic goals seemed to indicate failure for the ambitious initiative. But now that the year is drawing to a close, some experts also see the year’s progress as encouraging, and a reason for optimism.
The January 2010 inauguration of the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’ (IYB) was met with scepticism by the international community, which noted that the European Union (EU) target of halting regional decimation of species by December - formulated in 2003 - was unrealistic.
And yet leading German environmental and biology experts are labelling IYB a success. "The very fact that the U.N. called 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity was a strong signal and a warning, which moved many world leaders to finally act to protect flora and fauna around Earth," Josef Settele, head biologist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) told IPS.
The UFZ is the leading German centre of research on biodiversity. Settele, an expert on conservation and evolutionary biology, is editor of the UFZ ‘Atlas Biodiversity Risk’, the first of its kind to be published.
Settele admitted that the present state of biodiversity is dismaying. In Germany alone, more than 40 percent of all species inventoried in the country are considered at risk. "The overall situation of biodiversity is worrisome," Settele said. "But the EU was too ambitious in formulating the objective of stopping the decimation of biodiversity by 2010. Such a target is very unlikely to be fulfilled. Ever."
However, Settele said, several important initiatives have been launched this year that address the issue of biodiversity protection, such as the U.N. biodiversity agreement of Nagoya, and the presentation of the newest report on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), both in October.
With the TEEB report, Settele pointed out, the "economic importance of the world's natural assets is now firmly on the political radar. This study showcases the enormous economic value of forest, freshwater, soils and coral reefs, as well as the social and economic costs of their loss."
As an example, Settele pointed to the economic value of bees. "Thanks to TEEB, we now know that when bees pollinate flora worldwide, they produce an enormous economic value," he said.
TEEB estimated that the worldwide pollination carried out by bees in 2005 was worth some 153 billion euros (about 200 billion dollars).
At the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya in Japan, world leaders approved a key measure to protect biodiversity: a goal of eliminating all subsidies for agriculture and fishery, which provoke decimation of flora and fauna, by the year 2020. Worldwide, these subsidies amount to some 670 billion dollars.
Kai Frobel, professor of geology and ecology at the German university of Bayreuth, praised the Nagoya conference as a major step in the international protection of biodiversity. Frobel told IPS that the implementation of such measures in Europe constitutes a litmus test for the political will of European leaders to live up to their own environmental commitments.
Official subsidies for European agriculture and fisheries constitute the largest chunk of the EU budget, and must be revised before 2013. "We will see… whether the governments in France and Germany are willing to continue wasting taxpayers' money to finance the destruction of nature," Frobel warned.
Frobel also praised the Nagoya decision for including language regulating access and benefit sharing. According to one clause, industrialised countries must pay each time they use biological resources, including genetic material, from developing countries.
Furthermore, the Nagoya agreement establishes the expansion of new protected areas. "All these measures constitute a clear progress towards protecting biodiversity," Frobel said.
However, Frobel pointed out, actions speak louder than words.
"The measures must be implemented," he warned. "As of now, the Nagoya agreement constitutes only a binding declaration of intentions. Nagoya will only be a success if the measures the world leaders agreed upon there last October are actually put in practice."
Frobel worries that in the coming year biodiversity may disappear from the political agenda. "During 2011, the EU must negotiate its agricultural policy after 2013, and therefore the subject of biodiversity will be present in Europe," he said. "But otherwise, biodiversity won't dominate the political agenda as much as it did in 2010."
Frobel urged his colleagues worldwide to promote the importance of protecting biodiversity. "Biodiversity must become an integral part of the elementary syllabus, in order to teach younger generations to appreciate the social and economic value of flora and fauna.
"People have also come to realise that the protection of biodiversity does not mean protecting one particular species, but whole ecosystems," he said.
*This story is part of a series of features on biodiversity by Inter Press Service (IPS), CGIAR/Biodiversity International, International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ), and the United Nations Environment Programme/Convention on Biological Diversity (UNEP/CBD) - all members of the Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development. (END)
New botanic database holds a million plant names
AFP Google News 29 Dec 10;
PARIS — Capping the UN's International Year of Biodiversity, botanists in Britain and the United States on Wednesday unveiled a library of plant names aimed at helping conservationists, drug designers and agriculture researchers.
The database, accessible at www.theplantlist.org, identifies 1.25 million names for plants, ranging from essential food crops such as wheat, rice and corn to garden roses and exotic jungle ferns, and provides links to published research.
The aim is to clear up a century-old taxonomic jumble in which non-standard names sowed ignorance, rivalry and sometimes damaging confusion about the world's plant wealth.
"Without accurate names, understanding and communication about global plant life would descend into inefficient chaos, costing vast sums of money and threatening lives in the case of plants used for food or medicine," Britain's Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) said.
The project brought together scores of experts at RBG's famous Kew Gardens in London with the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.
It traces its origins to a 1999 botanical congress which called for a clear picture of plant biodiversity to help preserve species under threat.
The Plant List is described as a working list that will require finetuning.
"(It) is really a major step forward," said Peter Wyse Jackson, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
"It provides for the first time a basic checklist of what plants there are on the planet, and it can be used for so many purposes, planning conservation, action looking at the economic importance of plants and so on."
Of the 1.25 million names, 1.04 million are of species rank while the remainder are "infraspecific," meaning they are families or sub-groups of species.
The longest name is Ornithogalum adseptentrionesvergentulum, for a group of species that includes the ?Star of Bethlehem? plant. The shortest names include Poa fax, or scaly poa, a purplish flower native to Western Australia.
Only 300,000 names for species have been accepted as standard terms by the experts, and 480,000 others have been deemed "synonyms," or alternatives to accepted names.
A whopping 260,000 names are "unresolved," meaning that data is too sketchy to determine swiftly whether the claim for a new plant find is backed by the facts. This part of the list will be whittled down by experts over the years to come.
Under a plan adopted in Nagoya, Japan, last October, members of the UN's Biodiversity Convention agreed to set up a complete plant database by 2020.
One in five of the world's known plant species is under threat of extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said in September.
Habitat loss, climate change, pollution and invasive species are the major perils.
Plant list weeds out mass naming duplications
Ben Webster The Times The Australian 30 Dec 10;
LIFE on Earth is less diverse than we have been led to believe, with a review of the world's million named plants able to confirm only a third of them as unique.
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, south west London, has updated a project conceived 130 years ago by Charles Darwin to identify every plant known to science.
But it found that the list, which was started in the 1880s with the help of a bequest from the great naturalist of 250 pounds a year for five years, was largely made up of repetitions. Hundreds of botanists thought that they had discovered new species but they were naming previously identified plants.
Kew, working with the Missouri Botanical Garden in the US, found that a sub-species of English Oak had been "discovered" 168 times. The Plant List, published online yesterday, also weeds out 51 synonyms for the common beech, 29 for the common daisy and 26 for the bluebell. The giant sequoia, native of Sierra Nevada in California, has been named 18 times by different botanists.
By painstakingly comparing entries, Kew found 300,000 unique species and 480,000 synonyms of those species. Another 260,000 names are listed as "unresolved", meaning that botanists have so far been unable to determine whether they are a separate species or a duplication of one of the 300,000.
Families of plants with the highest proportion of unresolved names include the umbellifers, such as carrot and celery, the cactus family and the solanaceae family, which includes the potato and tomato.
Kew found 17,844 different names for hawkweeds but decided that 8,000 of these were synonyms. It has so far identified 1,411 different species of hawkweed but says that it needs to do more work on another 8,000 names to determine whether they are unique.
Researchers at Kew said that the lack of a definitive list of all plants had held back conservation efforts and prevented institutions from sharing information on the same plant. By identifying the synonyms for each plant, the Kew study has enabled scientists anywhere in the world to gain access to all the research conducted into a particular species.
Conservation bodies are expected to use the list to focus their efforts on truly endangered species rather than wasting resources protecting plants that may be rare in one place but abundant in another. Kew reviewed the "Red List" of threatened plants of Botswana and found that six of the names listed there were actually synonyms of other plants that were not threatened.
The linking of different names for the same plant is also likely to help medical research. Mu Xiang, a plant widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, has five synonyms. Kew said that health regulators in different areas would now be able to share information on the remedy.
A Kew spokesman said: "Without accurate names, understanding and communication about global plant life would descend into inefficient chaos, costing vast sums of money and threatening lives in the case of plants used for food or medicine. The Plant List provides a way of linking the different scientific names used for a particular species together, thus meeting the needs of the conservation community by providing reliable names for all communication about plants and their uses."
Eimear Nic Lughadha, the Kew scientist who led the Plant List project, said: "We can now pull all the information together on the same plant and plot on a map where it occurs. This enables us to decide quickly which species are most threatened."
She said that the original list, funded by Darwin and published a century ago under the title Index Kewensis, had simply been a list of 400,000 names, with little effort to remove duplication. An average of 6,000 names had been added every year since it was first published, with many new names describing plants already listed. "It was difficult to cross-check before the internet existed. This [duplication] happens much less often now," she added.
US, UK scientists draw up list of world's plants
Raphael G. Satter, Associated Press Yahoo News 29 Dec 10;
LONDON – British and U.S. scientists say they've compiled the most comprehensive list of land plant species ever published — a 300,000-species strong compendium that they hope will boost conservation, trade and medicine.
The list, drawn up by researchers at Kew Gardens in London and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, is intended to help resolve one of botany's most basic problems: Figuring out which plants go by what name.
Some plants have been labeled differently by researchers operating in different countries over the past century, while in other cases the different variants of the same plant have been erroneously identified as belonging to different species. There are also cases in which plants names' have been applied mistakenly, or just misspelled.
Although a rose by any other name may still smell as sweet, scientists say that attaching different labels to the same plant can rob researchers of the chance to get the information they need.
"If you only know it by one of its many names you only get part of the story," said Eimear Nic Lughadha, the senior scientist at Kew responsible for the list.
It's a problem that frustrates everyone from agricultural regulators to pharmaceutical researchers.
"Imagine trying to find everything that's ever been published about a plant: Which chemicals are in it, whether it's poisonous or not, where is it found," said Alan Paton, one of Nic Lughadha's colleagues at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. "To find that information, you need to know all of the different scientific names that have been used for it."
The plant compendium aims to clear up that confusion by putting all the various names in one place — and sorting out which ones apply to which plant. To that end researchers in the U.S. and Britain have been scooping up existing databases — with names such as GrassBase and iPlants — and combining them with checklists from organizations such as the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families and The International Legume Database and Information Service.
Kew's final list carries more than 1 million scientific names, of which 300,000 are accepted names for plant species. Another 480,000 are additional names, or synonyms, for those species. The rest are unresolved — they could apply to a previously identified plant, or they could describe a different organism altogether.
Botanists are still working their way through the backlog of unassigned names.
"Finishing that list will be a long task," Nic Lughadha said. "And, of course, new species are being described all the time."
Missouri Botanical Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, announce the Plant List
Accomplishment fundamental to plant conservation efforts worldwide
Missouri Botanical Garden EurekAlert 29 Dec 10;
(ST. LOUIS): As the 2010 United Nations International Year of Biodiversity comes to a close, the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) announce the completion of The Plant List. This landmark international resource is a working list of all land plant species(1), fundamental to understanding and documenting plant diversity and effective conservation of plants. The completion of The Plant List accomplishes Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for a widely accessible working list of known plant species as a step towards a complete world flora. The Plant List can be accessed by visiting www.theplantlist.org.
"The on-time completion of The Plant List is a significant accomplishment for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden, and our partners worldwide," said Professor Stephen Hopper, Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. "This is crucial to planning, implementing and monitoring plant conservation programs around the world."
Without accurate names, understanding and communication about global plant life would descend into inefficient chaos, costing vast sums of money and threatening lives in the case of plants used for food or medicine. The Plant List provides a way of linking the different scientific names used for a particular species together, thus meeting the needs of the conservation community by providing reliable names for all communication about plants and their uses.
The Plant List includes 1.25 million scientific plant names, of which 1.04 million are names of species rank. Of the species names included in The Plant List, about 300,000 (29 percent) are accepted names for species and about 480,000 (46 percent) are recorded as synonyms of those species. The status of the remaining 260,000 names is "unresolved" since the contributing data sets do not contain sufficient evidence to decide whether they should be accepted names or synonyms. The Plant List includes a further 204,000 scientific plant names of infraspecific taxonomic rank linked to those species names. These numbers will change in the future as data quality improves.
"All validly published names for plants to the level of species have been included in The Plant List, the majority of them synonyms; no names have been deleted," said Dr. Peter H. Raven, President Emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden.
Since 2008, botanists and information technology specialists at MBG and RBG Kew have been developing and testing an innovative new approach to generating The Plant List. The approach involved merging existing names and synonymy relationships from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's World Checklist of Selected Plant Families with over one million plant names from Tropicos®, which has been the Missouri Botanical Garden's main online taxonomic resource since 1982.
Researchers and specialists used names and synonymy relationships from regional floras and checklists and worked out a rules-based approach(2) to merge them with RBG Kew's records into The Plant List. The project has relied on collaboration with other botanists and their institutions around the world working towards GSPC Target 1; major contributions have come from The International Compositae Alliance (www.compositae.org), International Legume Database & Information Service (www.ildis.org) and The International Plant Names Index (www.ipni.org).
"This is a breakthrough," said Chuck Miller, Vice President of Information Systems at the Missouri Botanical Garden. "By capturing taxonomic knowledge into a rulebase, computers could be employed to aid the task of sorting out the millions of plant name records assembled over the past two decades in Tropicos®, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families and other sources to produce this product that achieves the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Target 1."
The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) was first proposed at the XVI International Botanical Congress in St. Louis in 1999. It was adopted in April 2002 by the Convention on Biological Diversity as a guide and framework for plant conservation policies and priorities worldwide at all levels. The GSPC consists of a plan containing 16 targets to address the loss of plant species around the world. At the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010, an updated plan was adopted for the period of 2011 through 2020 with updated targets. The first three objectives of the new Global Strategy for Plant Conservation are that plant diversity is well understood, documented and recognized; plant diversity is urgently and effectively conserved; and plant diversity is used in a sustainable and equitable manner. The completion of The Plant List is a significant step towards the new GSPC Target 1 – to create an online flora of all known plants by 2020.
"Having an accurate and comprehensive list of the world's flora will be a fundamental requirement to underpin future plant conservation efforts," said Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson, President, Missouri Botanical Garden. "The Plant List provides this new resource and will be widely used and much welcomed. Meeting this important GSPC target for 2010 represents a remarkable achievement for all those involved and provides the basis on which we can build towards the newly adopted 2020 target."
"For anyone that depends upon reliable information about plants, including professionals working in health, food and agriculture or rural development, The Plant List represents a significant information product," said Bob Allkin, Information Project Manager, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. "It will enable such professionals to find all published research about a given plant regardless of which name was used in those publications."
###
With scientists working in 38 countries on six continents around the globe, the Missouri Botanical Garden has one of the three largest plant science programs in the world. Its mission is "to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life." The Garden focuses its work on areas that are rich in biodiversity yet threatened by habitat destruction, and operates the world's most active research and training programs in tropical botany. Garden scientists collaborate with local institutions, schools and indigenous peoples to understand plants, create awareness, offer alternatives and craft conservation strategies. The Missouri Botanical Garden is striving for a world that can sustain us without sacrificing prosperity for future generations, a world where people share a commitment to managing biological diversity for the common benefit. Today, 151 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science, conservation, education and horticultural display.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organization, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the U.K. and around the world. Kew Gardens is also a major international visitor attraction. Its landscaped 132 hectares and Kew's country estate, Wakehurst Place, attract nearly 2 million visitors every year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2009. Wakehurst Place is home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and its partners have collected and conserved seed from 10 percent of the world's wild flowering plant species (c. 30, 000 species) and aim to conserve 25 percent by 2020.
PARIS — Capping the UN's International Year of Biodiversity, botanists in Britain and the United States on Wednesday unveiled a library of plant names aimed at helping conservationists, drug designers and agriculture researchers.
The database, accessible at www.theplantlist.org, identifies 1.25 million names for plants, ranging from essential food crops such as wheat, rice and corn to garden roses and exotic jungle ferns, and provides links to published research.
The aim is to clear up a century-old taxonomic jumble in which non-standard names sowed ignorance, rivalry and sometimes damaging confusion about the world's plant wealth.
"Without accurate names, understanding and communication about global plant life would descend into inefficient chaos, costing vast sums of money and threatening lives in the case of plants used for food or medicine," Britain's Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) said.
The project brought together scores of experts at RBG's famous Kew Gardens in London with the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.
It traces its origins to a 1999 botanical congress which called for a clear picture of plant biodiversity to help preserve species under threat.
The Plant List is described as a working list that will require finetuning.
"(It) is really a major step forward," said Peter Wyse Jackson, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
"It provides for the first time a basic checklist of what plants there are on the planet, and it can be used for so many purposes, planning conservation, action looking at the economic importance of plants and so on."
Of the 1.25 million names, 1.04 million are of species rank while the remainder are "infraspecific," meaning they are families or sub-groups of species.
The longest name is Ornithogalum adseptentrionesvergentulum, for a group of species that includes the ?Star of Bethlehem? plant. The shortest names include Poa fax, or scaly poa, a purplish flower native to Western Australia.
Only 300,000 names for species have been accepted as standard terms by the experts, and 480,000 others have been deemed "synonyms," or alternatives to accepted names.
A whopping 260,000 names are "unresolved," meaning that data is too sketchy to determine swiftly whether the claim for a new plant find is backed by the facts. This part of the list will be whittled down by experts over the years to come.
Under a plan adopted in Nagoya, Japan, last October, members of the UN's Biodiversity Convention agreed to set up a complete plant database by 2020.
One in five of the world's known plant species is under threat of extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said in September.
Habitat loss, climate change, pollution and invasive species are the major perils.
Plant list weeds out mass naming duplications
Ben Webster The Times The Australian 30 Dec 10;
LIFE on Earth is less diverse than we have been led to believe, with a review of the world's million named plants able to confirm only a third of them as unique.
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, south west London, has updated a project conceived 130 years ago by Charles Darwin to identify every plant known to science.
But it found that the list, which was started in the 1880s with the help of a bequest from the great naturalist of 250 pounds a year for five years, was largely made up of repetitions. Hundreds of botanists thought that they had discovered new species but they were naming previously identified plants.
Kew, working with the Missouri Botanical Garden in the US, found that a sub-species of English Oak had been "discovered" 168 times. The Plant List, published online yesterday, also weeds out 51 synonyms for the common beech, 29 for the common daisy and 26 for the bluebell. The giant sequoia, native of Sierra Nevada in California, has been named 18 times by different botanists.
By painstakingly comparing entries, Kew found 300,000 unique species and 480,000 synonyms of those species. Another 260,000 names are listed as "unresolved", meaning that botanists have so far been unable to determine whether they are a separate species or a duplication of one of the 300,000.
Families of plants with the highest proportion of unresolved names include the umbellifers, such as carrot and celery, the cactus family and the solanaceae family, which includes the potato and tomato.
Kew found 17,844 different names for hawkweeds but decided that 8,000 of these were synonyms. It has so far identified 1,411 different species of hawkweed but says that it needs to do more work on another 8,000 names to determine whether they are unique.
Researchers at Kew said that the lack of a definitive list of all plants had held back conservation efforts and prevented institutions from sharing information on the same plant. By identifying the synonyms for each plant, the Kew study has enabled scientists anywhere in the world to gain access to all the research conducted into a particular species.
Conservation bodies are expected to use the list to focus their efforts on truly endangered species rather than wasting resources protecting plants that may be rare in one place but abundant in another. Kew reviewed the "Red List" of threatened plants of Botswana and found that six of the names listed there were actually synonyms of other plants that were not threatened.
The linking of different names for the same plant is also likely to help medical research. Mu Xiang, a plant widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, has five synonyms. Kew said that health regulators in different areas would now be able to share information on the remedy.
A Kew spokesman said: "Without accurate names, understanding and communication about global plant life would descend into inefficient chaos, costing vast sums of money and threatening lives in the case of plants used for food or medicine. The Plant List provides a way of linking the different scientific names used for a particular species together, thus meeting the needs of the conservation community by providing reliable names for all communication about plants and their uses."
Eimear Nic Lughadha, the Kew scientist who led the Plant List project, said: "We can now pull all the information together on the same plant and plot on a map where it occurs. This enables us to decide quickly which species are most threatened."
She said that the original list, funded by Darwin and published a century ago under the title Index Kewensis, had simply been a list of 400,000 names, with little effort to remove duplication. An average of 6,000 names had been added every year since it was first published, with many new names describing plants already listed. "It was difficult to cross-check before the internet existed. This [duplication] happens much less often now," she added.
US, UK scientists draw up list of world's plants
Raphael G. Satter, Associated Press Yahoo News 29 Dec 10;
LONDON – British and U.S. scientists say they've compiled the most comprehensive list of land plant species ever published — a 300,000-species strong compendium that they hope will boost conservation, trade and medicine.
The list, drawn up by researchers at Kew Gardens in London and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, is intended to help resolve one of botany's most basic problems: Figuring out which plants go by what name.
Some plants have been labeled differently by researchers operating in different countries over the past century, while in other cases the different variants of the same plant have been erroneously identified as belonging to different species. There are also cases in which plants names' have been applied mistakenly, or just misspelled.
Although a rose by any other name may still smell as sweet, scientists say that attaching different labels to the same plant can rob researchers of the chance to get the information they need.
"If you only know it by one of its many names you only get part of the story," said Eimear Nic Lughadha, the senior scientist at Kew responsible for the list.
It's a problem that frustrates everyone from agricultural regulators to pharmaceutical researchers.
"Imagine trying to find everything that's ever been published about a plant: Which chemicals are in it, whether it's poisonous or not, where is it found," said Alan Paton, one of Nic Lughadha's colleagues at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. "To find that information, you need to know all of the different scientific names that have been used for it."
The plant compendium aims to clear up that confusion by putting all the various names in one place — and sorting out which ones apply to which plant. To that end researchers in the U.S. and Britain have been scooping up existing databases — with names such as GrassBase and iPlants — and combining them with checklists from organizations such as the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families and The International Legume Database and Information Service.
Kew's final list carries more than 1 million scientific names, of which 300,000 are accepted names for plant species. Another 480,000 are additional names, or synonyms, for those species. The rest are unresolved — they could apply to a previously identified plant, or they could describe a different organism altogether.
Botanists are still working their way through the backlog of unassigned names.
"Finishing that list will be a long task," Nic Lughadha said. "And, of course, new species are being described all the time."
Missouri Botanical Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, announce the Plant List
Accomplishment fundamental to plant conservation efforts worldwide
Missouri Botanical Garden EurekAlert 29 Dec 10;
(ST. LOUIS): As the 2010 United Nations International Year of Biodiversity comes to a close, the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) announce the completion of The Plant List. This landmark international resource is a working list of all land plant species(1), fundamental to understanding and documenting plant diversity and effective conservation of plants. The completion of The Plant List accomplishes Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for a widely accessible working list of known plant species as a step towards a complete world flora. The Plant List can be accessed by visiting www.theplantlist.org.
"The on-time completion of The Plant List is a significant accomplishment for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden, and our partners worldwide," said Professor Stephen Hopper, Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. "This is crucial to planning, implementing and monitoring plant conservation programs around the world."
Without accurate names, understanding and communication about global plant life would descend into inefficient chaos, costing vast sums of money and threatening lives in the case of plants used for food or medicine. The Plant List provides a way of linking the different scientific names used for a particular species together, thus meeting the needs of the conservation community by providing reliable names for all communication about plants and their uses.
The Plant List includes 1.25 million scientific plant names, of which 1.04 million are names of species rank. Of the species names included in The Plant List, about 300,000 (29 percent) are accepted names for species and about 480,000 (46 percent) are recorded as synonyms of those species. The status of the remaining 260,000 names is "unresolved" since the contributing data sets do not contain sufficient evidence to decide whether they should be accepted names or synonyms. The Plant List includes a further 204,000 scientific plant names of infraspecific taxonomic rank linked to those species names. These numbers will change in the future as data quality improves.
"All validly published names for plants to the level of species have been included in The Plant List, the majority of them synonyms; no names have been deleted," said Dr. Peter H. Raven, President Emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden.
Since 2008, botanists and information technology specialists at MBG and RBG Kew have been developing and testing an innovative new approach to generating The Plant List. The approach involved merging existing names and synonymy relationships from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's World Checklist of Selected Plant Families with over one million plant names from Tropicos®, which has been the Missouri Botanical Garden's main online taxonomic resource since 1982.
Researchers and specialists used names and synonymy relationships from regional floras and checklists and worked out a rules-based approach(2) to merge them with RBG Kew's records into The Plant List. The project has relied on collaboration with other botanists and their institutions around the world working towards GSPC Target 1; major contributions have come from The International Compositae Alliance (www.compositae.org), International Legume Database & Information Service (www.ildis.org) and The International Plant Names Index (www.ipni.org).
"This is a breakthrough," said Chuck Miller, Vice President of Information Systems at the Missouri Botanical Garden. "By capturing taxonomic knowledge into a rulebase, computers could be employed to aid the task of sorting out the millions of plant name records assembled over the past two decades in Tropicos®, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families and other sources to produce this product that achieves the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Target 1."
The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) was first proposed at the XVI International Botanical Congress in St. Louis in 1999. It was adopted in April 2002 by the Convention on Biological Diversity as a guide and framework for plant conservation policies and priorities worldwide at all levels. The GSPC consists of a plan containing 16 targets to address the loss of plant species around the world. At the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010, an updated plan was adopted for the period of 2011 through 2020 with updated targets. The first three objectives of the new Global Strategy for Plant Conservation are that plant diversity is well understood, documented and recognized; plant diversity is urgently and effectively conserved; and plant diversity is used in a sustainable and equitable manner. The completion of The Plant List is a significant step towards the new GSPC Target 1 – to create an online flora of all known plants by 2020.
"Having an accurate and comprehensive list of the world's flora will be a fundamental requirement to underpin future plant conservation efforts," said Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson, President, Missouri Botanical Garden. "The Plant List provides this new resource and will be widely used and much welcomed. Meeting this important GSPC target for 2010 represents a remarkable achievement for all those involved and provides the basis on which we can build towards the newly adopted 2020 target."
"For anyone that depends upon reliable information about plants, including professionals working in health, food and agriculture or rural development, The Plant List represents a significant information product," said Bob Allkin, Information Project Manager, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. "It will enable such professionals to find all published research about a given plant regardless of which name was used in those publications."
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With scientists working in 38 countries on six continents around the globe, the Missouri Botanical Garden has one of the three largest plant science programs in the world. Its mission is "to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life." The Garden focuses its work on areas that are rich in biodiversity yet threatened by habitat destruction, and operates the world's most active research and training programs in tropical botany. Garden scientists collaborate with local institutions, schools and indigenous peoples to understand plants, create awareness, offer alternatives and craft conservation strategies. The Missouri Botanical Garden is striving for a world that can sustain us without sacrificing prosperity for future generations, a world where people share a commitment to managing biological diversity for the common benefit. Today, 151 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science, conservation, education and horticultural display.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organization, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the U.K. and around the world. Kew Gardens is also a major international visitor attraction. Its landscaped 132 hectares and Kew's country estate, Wakehurst Place, attract nearly 2 million visitors every year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2009. Wakehurst Place is home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and its partners have collected and conserved seed from 10 percent of the world's wild flowering plant species (c. 30, 000 species) and aim to conserve 25 percent by 2020.