Best of our wild blogs: 13 Mar 10

What do you think about diving in Singapore?
from wild shores of singapore

Orange-breasted Trogon mating
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Don't feed the critters
from The Right Blue

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Bigger role for climate committee in Singapore

Besides international strategy focus, it will oversee home policies
Clarissa Oon, Straits Times 13 Mar 10;

THE inter-ministerial committee that formulates Singapore's position at global climate change negotiations now has an additional role of overseeing policies to be taken at home, Senior Minister S. Jayakumar said yesterday.

It will drive domestic measures to mitigate against climate change, now that the focus of international talks has shifted to what countries must do at home to meet obligations such as emissions reduction.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change (IMCCC), which Professor Jayakumar chairs, will be reorganised to have two working groups: One to focus on Singapore's strategy at international talks, and the other to craft and implement domestic mitigation measures.

Another change: the secretariat servicing the committee, now at the Foreign Ministry, will come under the Prime Minister's Office.

'This is to reflect the important scope of policies to be coordinated, including domestic economic, regulatory and fiscal measures, as well as the ongoing international negotiations,' Prof Jayakumar told Parliament, when replying to a question from Mr Cedric Foo (West Coast GRC).

To strengthen its clout, the National Climate Change Secretariat will be headed by a permanent secretary, who will coordinate the work of the working groups.

Explaining the changes, he noted that the Government has pledged to cut emissions growth by 16per cent below 'business as usual' levels by 2020.

This pledge, made ahead of last November's global climate summit in Copenhagen, is contingent on the world reaching an agreement to fight climate change.

What this means is that Singapore must introduce measures going beyond its earlier target of a 7 to 11per cent reduction in emissions growth below business as usual levels. This was set by last year's Sustainable Singapore blueprint.

'But this is no simple matter. We must formulate climate change policies that strike the right balance between regulatory, fiscal and other measures, and at the same time enable us to sustain economic growth,' he said.

Developing policies and implementing measures need close coordination.

'While our current working arrangements have worked well so far, we need to gear ourselves up to deliver on our domestic commitments, and to tighten coordination between international negotiations and domestic policies,' he said.

Hence the single body to oversee both aspects of climate change policies.

The working group on international negotiations will continue to be led by the Second Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The other working group will be co-chaired by the permanent secretaries of the Trade and Industry and the Finance Ministries.

Other environmental areas not directly related to climate change will continue to be overseen by the Environment and Water Resources and the National Development Ministries. These include water security, air quality, waste minimisation, biodiversity and sky-rise greenery.

Giving his prognosis of the fraught global negotiations on climate change, Prof Jayakumar said that while there was a lull immediately after the Copenhagen talks, the negotiation process has now taken on a sense of urgency, to build up to the next conference in Mexico at the year's end.

Among other things, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has formed a high-level advisory group on an important aspect - how mitigation measures will be financed.

Singapore has been invited to be a group member and will be represented by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Second Finance Minister Lim Hwee Hua.

Prof Jayakumar said there was still work to be done by negotiators, who have to bridge differences on issues such as financing, and how to measure and verify mitigation efforts by each country.

'I wish I had a crystal ball, but I'm a bit more encouraged now than immediately after Copenhagen, when the pieces were very slow in being picked up.'

National Climate Change Secretariat to be strengthened
S Ramesh Channel NewsAsia 12 Mar 10;

SINGAPORE: Singapore's National Climate Change Secretariat is to be strengthened. It will now come under the Prime Minister's Office and be headed by a Permanent Secretary, said Senior Minister S Jayakumar.

Professor Jayakumar, who oversees climate change policy issues, told Parliament that Singapore has also been invited to serve in a high level advisory group on financing aspects of climate change, formed by the UN Secretary General.

Singapore's representatives will be Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Second Minister for Finance, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua.

For a small, low-lying, densely populated island state like Singapore, climate change is a crucial issue. And as the issue cuts across various policy areas, the country set up the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change in 2007.

Professor Jayakumar said: "The IMCCC, which I chair, is supported by an Executive Committee comprising the Permanent Secretaries of those Ministries and headed by the Second Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

"We also have an inter-agency team led by a Chief Negotiator to handle the international negotiations. These bodies are serviced by a dedicated National Climate Change Secretariat, which is currently located in MFA.

"The IMCCC has largely focussed on formulating Singapore's positions and strategy for the international negotiations. Domestically, our mitigation measures under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint were coordinated by MND and MEWR, co-chairs of the Sustainable Development Policy Group (SPDG)."

But now the country's entering a new phase.

Professor Jayakumar added: "As we get closer to a global agreement on climate change, the focus will shift towards what we need to do domestically to fulfil our obligations.

"Singapore will have to introduce measures that go beyond the 7-11 per cent below "Business as Usual" (BAU) under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint.

"We must formulate climate change policies that strike the right balance between regulatory, fiscal and other measures, and at the same time enable us to sustain economic growth. Developing these policies and implementing these measures will need close coordination among the various agencies."

Hence, there is a need to gear up to deliver on the domestic commitments and to tighten coordination between international negotiations and Singapore's domestic policies.

So the government has decided that it is best to have a single body oversee the climate change policies and coordinate the roles of two work groups - one which deals with international negotiations strategy and the other on domestic matters.

Professor Jayakumar said: "There are some other issues which are not directly related to climate change, but are still very important aspects of sustainable development - such as water security, air quality, waste minimisation, biodiversity, and sky rise greenery. These areas continue to be overseen by MEWR and MND, as the lead agencies for sustainable development."

On the current state of affairs of the climate change negotiations, Professor Jayakumar noted that immediately after the climate change conference in Copenhagen, things were slow at restarting. And he feels there needs to be a bridging of differences, especially among the major economies.

Professor Jayakumar said: "It is well and good for countries to announce various targets and emissions. But one vexing issue is ultimately what will be the method of verifying compliance with each country's announced measures. Another vexing issue is that of financing."

Professor Jayakumar said he is a bit more encouraged now as there seems to be a sense of urgency and negotiators are due to meet again in Bonn next month.

- CNA/sc

One body to coordinate Singapore's climate change policies
Inter-ministerial committee reorganised, secretariat strengthened
Today Online 13 Mar 10;

SINGAPORE - As a global agreement on climate change gets closer to becoming reality, and Singapore gears up to deliver on its domestic commitments, a single body will now coordinate two key aspects - the international and the domestic - of the country's climate change policies.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change will be reorganised to focus both on formulating and implementing mitigation measures at home, and on international negotiation strategies.

Its National Climate Change Secretariat will also be strengthened. Currently located in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, it will be brought instead under the Prime Minister's Office and headed by a Permanent Secretary, to "reflect the important scope of policy matters to be coordinated", announced Senior Minister S Jayakumar.

The inter-ministerial committee was set up in 2007 - comprising Government leaders from six ministries and headed by Professor Jayakumar - to focus mainly on "formulating Singapore's positions and strategy for the international negotiations" on climate change. Its bodies are serviced by a dedicated national secretariat.

In the meantime, domestic mitigation measures under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint have been coordinated by the Ministry for National Development (MND) and Ministry for the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR).

"But now, the country is entering a new phase," said Prof Jayakumar.

"As we get closer to a global agreement on climate change, the focus will shift towards what we need to do domestically to fulfil our obligations.

"Singapore will have to introduce measures that go beyond the 7-to-11 per cent below 'Business as Usual' under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint ...

"We must formulate climate change policies that strike the right balance between regulatory, fiscal and other measures, and, at the same time, enable us to sustain economic growth.

"Developing these policies and implementing these measures will need close coordination among the various agencies," he said.

Hence, the reorganisation.

The inter-ministerial panel will now have two working groups instead: One, focusing on international negotiations strategy, to be led by the Second Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs; and the second, focused on domestic climate change mitigation measures, co-chaired by the Permanent Secretaries for Trade and Industry and Finance.

As for other key aspects of sustainable development not related directly to climate change - such as water security, air quality, waste minimisation, biodiversity and sky rise greenery - these will continue to be overseen by MND and MEWR.

Professor Jayakumar also informed Parliament on Friday that Singapore has been invited to serve in a high-level advisory group on financing aspects of climate change, formed by the United Nations Secretary General.

The country's representatives will be Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Second Minister for Finance Lim Hwee Hua.

Moving beyond rhetoric
Letter from Kwan Jin Yao, Today Online 16 Mar 10;

I REFER to the report "One body to coordinate Singapore's climate change policies" (March 13-14). The administration is moving in the right direction, but more has to be done to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the measures significantly.

Regardless of the world's progress towards an international consensus and agreement, Singapore must remain committed to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, coupled by related policies that would not compromise the growth of the economy. In fact, Singapore should seize this valuable opportunity to pledge its commitment to move forward sustainably, a stand which would heighten Singapore's diplomatic standing.

Before the reorganised Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change sets its sights on international negotiation strategies, much more has to be done for domestic measures. It is time to move beyond mere rhetoric and engage in tangible, effectual policy-making.

A two-pronged approach should be adopted: Strengthening and coordinating existing awareness campaigns and projects, complemented by initiatives to encourage or compel households and corporations to live and grow responsibly.

The campaigns by various organisations and agencies have either been repetitive or simply ineffective, providing little incentive for Singaporeans to effect the necessary change.

Progressively, Singapore should not be afraid to make its international presence felt. With inertia and tensions evident among the superpowers, Singapore can actively rally middle-power nations to exert effective diplomatic pressures accordingly. Greater participation in global climate conferences and forums would also provide platforms for local non-government organisations (NGOs) to gather new ideas, generate more hype, and create more synergy back home.

It is imperative that Singapore grab the climate bull by its horns, instead of remaining apathetic and lethargic. Change must be the new constant.

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Fishing groups working with PUB on licensing scheme for anglers

Hook, line and a...
Grace Chua, Straits Times 13 Mar 10;

LEISURE anglers may soon have to pay for a licence before they can drop their line and bait into Singapore waters.

Local fishing groups such as the Sport Fishing Association of Singapore (SFAS) and the Gamefish and Aquatic Rehabilitation Society (Gars) are working with national water agency PUB to come up with a licensing scheme for fishing.

PUB's director of catchment and waterways, Mr Tan Nguan Sen, told The Straits Times in an e-mail: 'By controlling the number of anglers, it is hoped that the ecosystem will not be affected while sustaining sport fishing as a popular recreational activity.'

Cases of illegal fishing escalated last year. A total of 488 summons were issued, up from 399 in 2008 and 336 in 2007. Most of these were for fishing beyond designated areas and for using pollutive live bait such as chicken liver or worms.

Fishing groups say such indiscriminate fishing impacts the ecosystem, although the exact extent of the damage to fish species has not yet been studied here.

A proper licensing system, explained Gars president Tan Tien Yun, 28, would regulate the size and number of fish caught per angler.

Licensing programmes overseas often have catch-size limits. Fish that are too small must be put back and fish that are too big are those likely to breed. Usually, specific species such as salmon or bull trout require a separate licence, while other threatened species cannot be fished at all.

Currently, there are no rules on how many fish an angler can take here or of what species.

In New Zealand, a Quota Management System has been in force since 1986. The scheme controls individual fishing numbers for more than 90 different marine species, and the methods in which they are caught. Similar systems have been introduced in Australia and Canada.

Such a licensing system would mean administrative and enforcement costs for the PUB, or the agency which administers licences.

Anglers here say they are willing to pay to fish, if it means that Singapore's waters are kept clean so more fish can survive.

'It would be like buying a golf club membership,' said fishing enthusiast Saravanan Elangkovan, 34.

Anglers in Sydney can purchase a three-day licence for about A$6 (S$7.60), while a three-year licence costs A$75.

Sport fishing here has been catching on over the last few years through clubs such as the NTU Anglers' Club, Fly Fishing Club and even on online forums such as Fishing Kaki.

There are no official figures on the number of anglers here, but the Fishing Kaki forum has more than 5,000 registered members. SFAS chairman Chin Chi Khiong, 50, said more tackle shops have sprung up in recent years to meet demands.

The PUB, which manages freshwater fishing spots, has said it will open up more legal fishing areas by the second half of this year. There are now legal sites at MacRitchie, Bedok, Kranji, Upper and Lower Seletar and Lower Peirce reservoirs, and Jurong Lake.

In future, fishing will be allowed at most parts of reservoirs except in designated no-fishing zones.

Meanwhile, SFAS and Gars are trying to teach anglers to fish without harming Singapore's waters.

'We want to promote a 'we own the waters and need to take care of them' mentality - rather than exhausting fish from one area and then moving to the next one,' said Gars vice-president Yusfiandi Yatiman, 39.

The society has conducted several workshops on sustainable fishing, covering things like how to catch and release fish gently and how to use artificial lures.

But preventing overfishing will be an uphill task, said Mr Chin, adding that it is greed that drives anglers to take home more fish than they can eat. Currently, taking home one's catch is not illegal.

Mr Chin said: 'The main reason they take the fish home is to show off.'

Read more!

My Waterway@Punggol

Water World
tay suan chiang Straits Times 13 Mar 10;

Imagine walking along a horseshoe-shaped bridge on a Sunday morning, catching the first glimpse of the sun as it rises from a waterway.

Or in the evening, heading to another similarly shaped bridge, but this one with a shaded dome, where you can see the setting sun reflected in the water. And best of all, there is no need to travel overseas to enjoy these scenes.

By the end of the year, all this will be possible when a 4.2km waterway at Punggol is completed.

Besides viewing sunrises and sunsets, visitors to the more than $25 million waterway, called My Waterway@Punggol, will be able to kayak or canoe as well as dine alfresco.

Four footbridges will provide access to both banks of the promenade. Two of them will be prime spots to enjoy sunrise and sunset views.

Construction of the waterway is underway on an empty field in Punggol that is parallel to Punggol Drive. The waterway is being built by damming two rivers at the east and west of Punggol, the Sungei Serangoon and Sungei Punggol, to form two reservoirs to meet Singapore's increasing water needs.

When completed, the waterway will link the two reservoirs to transfer water from one to the other.

Mr Alan Tan, principal architect and a deputy managing director at the Housing Board (HDB), which is in charge of the project, says that together with national water agency PUB, they saw that the waterway could 'complement the housing parcel for waterfront living'.

In May 2008, a landscape masterplan competition for the waterway was announced.

Local firm Surbana International Consultants and its Japanese partner Sen Inc were named winners in December that year.

The winning proposal not only showcased what could be done along the waterway, but also featured four distinctive footbridges that were both functional and reflective of the surroundings and Punggol's history.

'We want to give visitors an experiential journey from one end of the waterway to the other,' says Mr Tan.

Surbana's senior architectural associate Bonita Tan says the bridges are about 1km apart, helping give easy access to both sides of the 20m- to 60m-wide, and 4m-deep, waterway.

She adds that the two footbridges where the waterway meets the two rivers are designed to project out into the rivers, so visitors can fully enjoy the views of the sun rising and setting.

Another bridge, which resembles stilts on water, has been nicknamed the 'kelong' bridge.

'We wanted to bring home the idea of old Punggol,' says Ms Tan.

Back in the early days, Punggol was a fishing village and there were many kelongs that dotted the area. 'Walking on this bridge gives the experience of walking on water, like on a kelong,' she adds.

The last bridge, which will lead to a future commercial centre, has a more modern look. 'But it will have an undulating form that reflects the nature of the landscape,' says Ms Tan.

To make the bridges blend in with the surroundings, she says materials such as composite timber and steel, which will be painted for a more rustic look, will be used.

'There will also be plenty of greenery on the bridges,' she adds.

The team is also working on creating a heritage trail along the waterway to remind visitors of Punggol's transformation.

For example, photographs of Punggol during its early days will be put up along the waterway.

On a 280m-long wall at Punggol town centre, there will be panels depicting the old Punggol.

'It could be motifs of fishing villages, or even chilli crab, since the dish is well-known here,' suggests Mr Tan.

My Waterway @ Punggol is the first of its kind to be built in Singapore. It is part of the transformation plan to turn Punggol into a waterfront town.

Catching the sunset at Punggol

Plans for Punggol's makeover were first announced in 1996, by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. But the Asian financial crisis halted the town's development.

Developments have accelerated in the last two years since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong offered a new vision for it in his 2007 National Day Rally Speech.

Today, the town has a population of about 53,600 and this is projected to grow to 70,000 by next year.

The Government aims to build an extra 21,000 homes along the waterway, comprising 60 per cent HDB flats and 40 per cent private homes.

Last November, the HDB unveiled the winning design for the first batch of flats that will line the waterway.

Designed by international architectural firm Group8asia and local firm Aedas, there will be 1,200 flats featuring sky terraces, roof gardens and panoramic views of the Punggol Waterway.

The HDB hopes to offer these flats for sale this year and residents are expected to get their flats by 2014 or 2015.

While Punggol resident Tan Bee Bee, 24, is not living near the waterway, she is excited about it. The tertiary student lives a five-minute drive away.

'I can imagine it will be so scenic then and I won't have to travel to East Coast Park to view the sunset,' she says.

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NTUC Income quits car-sharing business

Car Co-op liquidated but will live on as a smaller outfit renamed Car Club
Christopher Tan, Straits Times 13 Mar 10;

NTUC Income has quit the car-sharing business it pioneered here more than a decade ago.

Its move follows two other car-share operators which have closed shop in recent years.

The cooperative-based local insurance giant cited the need to focus on its core business as a reason for liquidating the profitable 13-year-old Car Co-op.

The divestment is another in a series of moves by Income to get out of non-insurance activities since 2007, when leadership at the insurance cooperative passed from Mr Tan Kin Lian to Mr Tan Suee Chieh.

Income has since pulled out from Snow City, fitness centres, a call centre, NTUC Income Travel & Recreation Club and student-care centres.

Car Co-op will, however, live on as a pared-down operation following a management buyout by its former employees.

Renamed Car Club, the outfit has 22 cars shared by 300 members, down from its peak, when it had almost 190 cars and 4,500 members.

Car Club director and majority shareholder Lai Meng, who used to head Income's non-core businesses and who set up Car Co-op, said: 'We believe in car-sharing and we believe it has great potential.'

Going by its last audited accounts, Car Co-op was a little over $500,000 in the black in 2008.

Car-sharing was raised in Parliament on Thursday, when MPs Lim Wee Kiak and Ahmad Magad called on the Government to look into promoting it.

Responding, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said: 'From an overall transport perspective, more people sharing a car in effect increases the use of that car.

'But we recognise that there is a niche market for such services, and we will leave it to private enterprises.'

But those enterprises have dwindled. In 2007, transport giant ComfortDelGro Corp pulled the plug on its CitySpeed car-sharing firm after five years, explaining that falling car prices had made the business less viable.

The following year, Japanese carmaker Honda said its then six-year-old car-sharing scheme had become too big and unwieldy for it to maintain service standards.

The scheme continues today with a fleet of Civic Hybrids on a much smaller scale at Honda agent Kah Motor. From 100 cars and 2,500 members, it now has close to 50 cars and 300 active users.

Kah Motor seems to be managing the downsized business fairly well. It has added other models to the fleet and is looking to set up a new port in Toa Payoh this month, bringing the total to 17.

Observers say there are two main reasons car-sharing has sputtered and stalled. Transport researcher Lee Der Horng of the National University of Singapore said: 'It has much to do with car prices which have been comparatively low in recent years. So the savings you get from car-sharing are insignificant.

'Also, the system is not all that friendly. It is better than renting a car, but not better than having your own car.'

Still, long-time Car Co-op user David Yeo said he will carry on with Car Club.

The technical officer said he sold his car in 2003, when he moved near Aljunied MRT station.

'But occasionally, I still need a car. Car-sharing is more flexible than taking a cab, and I've had fairly easy access. I'm able to get a car more than 90 per cent of the time I book one,' the 44-year-old father of two said.

There are about 200 car-sharing schemes around the world. Interestingly, the IT system many of them use was devised by Income's Car Co-op and German solutions provider Invers more than 10 years ago.

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Water heater that cools rooms, dries clothes

Seven undergraduates and three PhD students will receive grants from NUS Enterprise to develop creative ideas into prototypes, start-ups or commercially viable products. Lester Kok looks at two of these projects.
Straits Times 13 Mar 10;

HOW would you like a two-in-one machine that heats up your water as well as cools your rooms with cold air?

This is the proposed prototype that two students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) came up with based on existing research done by their professors.

If they succeed, commercial businesses as well as households could slash their water-heating electricity bills by almost 75 per cent.

The duo, who call their group Soleil Water, are now using a grant from NUS to build a scaled-down version of their commercial prototype, a three-in-one system that heats water up to 60 deg C, cools a room down to 20 deg C, and dries 1.5kg of wet clothes in less than an hour.

The whole system, invented by Dr M.N.A. Hawlader from NUS' department of mechanical engineering and his PhD student Mohd Amin Zakaria, works on the idea of heat transfer where heat is extracted from the surroundings and used to heat up water.

Co-founder Darrell Zhang said the group hoped its project would use energy efficiently and reduce the carbon footprint.

'We feel that heating up water is a waste of electricity, when it can be better used for other devices,' said the 25-year-old engineering student.

'That is why we came up with an efficient way to utilise waste heat from air-conditioners and ambient heat from the air. In this way, we are using electricity as an engine to draw upon renewable and recyclable sources of energy.'

His partner, business student Bryan Lee, cites the example of a four-star hotel with almost full occupancy requiring about 150,000 litres of hot water daily.

The operating cost of producing hot water using a fuel boiler is estimated at $2.23 per 1,000 litres of water.

'With our system in place, we can potentially reduce the operating costs to less than $1 for every 1,000 litres,' the 27-year-old said.

For now, the domestic model has yet to make it to the drawing board, but the commercial prototype will be installed in a nursing home for a pilot test.

Read more!

Raptor watch returns to Tanjung Tuan, Malacca

Martin Carvalho and Alicia Yeoh, The Star 13 Mar 10;

TANJUNG TUAN: Bird lovers are in for a treat during Malaysian Nature Society’s (MNS) Raptor Watch at Tanjung Tuan this weekend with the spotting of a large number of migratory birds this season.

Some 21,613 raptors were spotted by MNS volunteers at the Tanjung Tuan’s lighthouse over a 13-day period from February 23 compared to 37,176 birds spotted over a 65-day period last year.

MNS head of communications Andrew Sebastian said that more migratory birds were expected to fly over Tanjung Tuan this season as they make their way from the colder northern region to warmer climates in the south.

“We would like to see a spike in the number of birds this year and hope avid bird watchers will join us during our weekend programme here,” he said during the unveiling of MNS’ Raptor Watch t-shirt here recently.

Local and foreign bird watchers will take part in the two-day programme starting today which includes talks by professional bird watchers from the Philippines, Thailand, China and Japan.

Members of the public would have the opportunity to participate in activities such as nature walks up Tanjung Tuan, arts and crafts workshops, games and lucky draws, he added.

Present during the ceremony was MNS Raptor Watch ambassador Maya Karin who urged locals to volunteer for worthy causes such as environment- and nature-conservation programmes.

“I am glad to bring these magical and beautiful creatures to the attention of many and be able to talk to kids about nature and the environment,” she said, adding this was her third year running as ambassador for the MNS programme.

Meanwhile, it was double delight for 18-year-old Joyce Kua Poh Ying of Satio College, Petaling Jaya, when she bagged the Best T-shirt Design award for this year’s Raptor Watch.

Joyce, a nature lover who has a keen eye for birds, was glad to contribute towards creating better awareness for MNS programmes particularly among the younger generation.

Her design emerged tops from 30 designs submitted by college students from around the country.

Her colourful creation showed the outline of a large raptor in a collage of a variety of birds.

“It took me a few days to think of a suitable design. I initially thought of creating a circle of a flock of birds but my lecturer suggested that it would be better if my motif was that of a bird in flight,” she said.

Read more!

In Malaysia: Water shortage

Drought forcing states to start water rationing
Teo Cheng Wee, Straits Times 13 Mar 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: One plastic water tank and eight colourful pails crowd the porch of Mr Mohammad Insani's home in Negeri Sembilan these days.

His taps ran dry two weeks ago, and he has had to make do with this system for his family of 12 since.

This state - and others including Johor, Malacca and Kedah - has been suffering from a month-long drought. Affected states received half the average rainfall for this time of year, causing crops to fail and forcing some areas to start water rationing.

Nilai town, where Mr Mohammad lives, is 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur and one of the areas where water is being rationed. Water supply in KL city and its suburbs has not been affected.

Almost 20,000 people in Nilai are affected and water-filled pails can be seen in many houses in Mr Mohammad's estate. Tap water runs only from 8pm to 8am daily. The state water agency, Sains, imposed that timetable when water levels at the district's treatment plant plunged last month. Sains said this was caused by the unprecedented drying up of a river that supplies water to the district.

'We try not to cook, clean or wash clothes at home these days,' said Mr Mohammad, 25. 'Everyone just showers once a day.'

On Thursday, the government said it was prepared to implement a 'drought contingency plan' involving water rationing and cloud seeding if the dry spell persists.

Serious droughts hit Malaysia every few years. Extreme weather and El Nino are being blamed for the latest bout of dryness. It has affected other South-east Asian countries too, and is expected to last till at least the end of the month.

In the past, people have also blamed rapid urban growth and pollution, as well as the weather for contributing to the problem. But activists and politicians are now focusing on another problem - the wasteful nature of Malaysians.

When the dry spell hit his state last month, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng announced that his government was 'seriously considering' imposing a severe fine on those who waste water.

According to the latest water statistics, the average Malaysian uses 25 per cent more water than what the United Nations recommends.

The biggest culprits live in Penang. People there use 286 litres a day, much more than the UN's 165-litre mark. By comparison, Singapore's daily domestic usage is 158 litres.

Penang has the cheapest water rate in Malaysia, at 31 sen (13 Singapore cents) per cubic metre. Singapore's tariffs are seven times higher, said Mr Lim.

That has prompted some to propose higher rates for water. But raising the prices of necessities is a sensitive issue and several politicians have spoken out against it. So the government is looking at other ways to minimise water shortages in the future.

One suggestion is tapping into groundwater, extracted using wells. But financial concerns have been raised, with each well estimated to cost US$2 million (S$2.8 million).

Rainwater harvesting could also be made compulsory, a minister said recently. This means residents are required to install tanks on their roofs to collect rainwater. This is used for non-essential cleaning purposes and studies have shown that this can reduce water consumption by about 40 per cent.

But opposition MP and water activist Charles Santiago feels the country needs to embark on a major sustained campaign: 'Malaysians have a perennial carefree attitude towards water. This is why some people don't fix leaks, or leave their taps running. We need to educate them about such behaviour.'

As for Negeri Sembilan, Sains said it is fixing the problem by channelling water from another source to Nilai, and building a new treatment plant. By 2012, Nilai should be less prone to droughts.

But all that seems distant to Mr Mohammad. His family has to continue rationing water until the shortage eases. 'I can't wait for this to be over,' he said.

Malaysia wilts in the heat
Straits Times 13 Mar 10;

# Johor: A month-long water rationing exercise affecting 25,000 residents in central Kluang district was recently extended by another month, until mid-April. The popular Kota Tinggi waterfall has dried up. The state government has set aside RM500,000 (S$211,000) for cloud seeding.

# Sarawak: Dry weather has caused rice shortages in the rural farmlands of interior Sarawak, as harvests plunged by 70 per cent. Emergency rice supplies had to be delivered to several settlements. Rivers in the mountainous, remote regions of Bario and Bakelalan have dried up.

# Negeri Sembilan: Water is being rationed in Nilai, with the unprecedented drying up of the Batang Benar river that supplies the area. Water levels plunged to half of the normal level, triggering water rationing that has affected almost 20,000 residents.

# Kelantan: The state government held prayers for rain yesterday, as some 26,000ha of padi fields in Kota Baru, Pasir Puteh, Bachok and Tumpat districts have been affected by the drought. The authorities estimate possible losses of up to RM52 million if the drought persists.

# Sabah: The lucrative palm oil industry here is struggling to deliver as its fruits wilt in the heat. Sabah produces a quarter of Malaysia's palm oil and experts worry that the country may not meet its target output this year if the bad weather persists.

El Nino's impact felt elsewhere
Straits Times 13 Mar 10;

# Thailand: Rice production in the world's largest rice-exporting nation is likely to suffer as drought is spreading in 36 of Thailand's 76 provinces, mostly in the north and north-east. The Mekong river is at its lowest level in 30 years near Thailand's border with Laos, Bloomberg reported.

# Vietnam: Vietnam's severe drought - possibly the worst in a century - has hit the country's electricity sector as reservoirs run out of water to feed hydropower plants. Fires are burning throughout the country's bone-dry north and tinderbox conditions threaten the south, Time Magazine reported.

# China: More than 11 million people and eight million livestock are facing a shortage of drinking water in southern China's worst drought in 50 years, CCTV reported last month. Many reservoirs have all but dried up.

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In the Philippines: Power shortage

Blackouts of up to 12 hours a day
Alastair McIndoe, Straits Times 13 Mar 10;

MANILA: In a covered area on the enormous Payatas garbage dump, mother-of-four Jane Tolentino plugs her electric iron into a row of power points and spreads a T-shirt onto a rusting ironing board.

Above her hangs a sign: 'Powered by methane'. The gas is extracted from rotting garbage and converted into electricity that powers the dumpsite's operations - and an ironing centre for ragpickers.

'We won't be getting brownouts,' says Ms Tolentino, as passing trash-filled trucks churn up clouds of dust.

Drops in the supply of electricity known as brownouts are spreading across the Philippines. A heatwave linked to the El Nino weather pattern has caused water levels in hydroelectric dams - which supply around a third of the nation's electricity - to fall to critical levels.

Repair work on several key power plants has worsened the situation.

Power cuts of up to 12 hours a day have hit parts of the main southern island of Mindanao, which is heavily dependent on hydroelectricity. Peak demand on the island with its population of 20 million is 1,450MW. But its power grid is supplying less than half that amount.

Unless it rains in the coming fortnight, the huge Magat Dam in the parched northern Philippines will be forced to shut down until the water level rises.

Last week, parts of metropolitan Manila were hit by two-hour rotating power cuts caused by breakdowns at three coal-fired plants. The electricity distributor Meralco has warned of further cuts.

'Businessmen are very apprehensive,' Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Francis Chua told reporters.

While new power plants are under construction, concerned groups say these will not be sufficient to meet future demand. Energy officials estimate the country's power needs will double to around 16,500MW over the next 20 years.

'The larger picture is worrisome,' said Mr Alberto Lim, executive director of the Makati Business Club, which represents big business in the Philippines.

'It takes between three and five years to put up a new power plant so we have to start attracting investments in this sector soon, but the climate is not inviting.'

He was referring to investor concerns on governance and corruption.

The Philippine Star daily said in a recent editorial: 'The El Nino weather phenomenon is merely an aggravating factor.'

Right now, the energy authorities are grappling with their most severe power shortage since the early 1990s, when blackouts lasting 12 hours a day hit the capital.

That was fixed when former president Fidel Ramos used emergency powers to contract private companies to provide electricity from diesel-run portable generators called power barges. It was an expensive solution, however.

The government is looking at this option again for Mindanao.

But plans to hold a special session of Congress to vote on giving President Gloria Arroyo emergency powers to tackle the power problem were dropped on doubts that a quorum could be reached.

This is election season and many lawmakers are out campaigning in their provinces for re-election in the May 10 polls.

'We will do everything we can to prevent power-related concerns getting in the way of an... orderly election,' Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes told reporters.

Mr Lim said local and foreign companies are looking to the next administration to improve the business climate to spur much-needed energy investments.

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Chinese medicine societies reject tiger bones ahead of CITES

WWF 12 Mar 10;

Doha, Qatar – WWF and TRAFFIC welcome a World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS) statement urging its members not to use tiger bone or any other parts from endangered wildlife.

The statement was made at a symposium Friday in Beijing and notes that some of the claimed medicinal benefits of tiger bone have no basis. The use of tiger bones was removed from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacopeia in 1993, when China first introduced a domestic ban on tiger trade.

“Tiger conservation has become a political issue in the world. Therefore, it’s necessary for the traditional Chinese medicine industry to support the conservation of endangered species, including tigers,” said Huang Jianyin, deputy secretary of WFCMS.

Illegal trade in Asian big cat products is a key issue at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Conference of Parties meeting at Doha, Qatar. China is among the 175 countries that are signatories to this international treaty governing wildlife trade.

“CITES governments should be encouraged by this statement and use the opportunity they have at this meeting to pass measures, that if properly enforced, can help put an end to tiger trade,” said Dr. Colman O’Criodain, Wildlife trade analyst, WWF International.

The statement also calls on all WFCMS’ members to promote tiger conservation and encourages them to abide by all relevant international and national regulations on wildlife trade.

“The Societies’ public declaration is a clear signal that the traditional Chinese medicinal community is now backing efforts to secure a future for wild tigers,” said Professor Xu Hongfa, head of TRAFFIC’s programme in China.

As an international traditional Chinese academic organization, the WFCMS stated that it had a duty to research the conservation of endangered species, including tigers.

“We will ask our members not to use endangered wildlife in traditional Chinese medicine, and reduce the misunderstanding and bias of the international community,” said the WFCMS’ Huang Jianyin. “The traditional Chinese medicine industry should look for substitutes and research on economical and effective substitutes for tiger products, which will improve the international image and status of traditional Chinese medicine and promote TCM in the world.”

The WFCMS is an international academic organization based in Beijing, with 195 member organizations spanning 57 nations where traditional Chinese medicine is used. It aims to promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine, which is a primary form of healthcare delivery in China, and widely regarded as an important part of China’s rich cultural heritage.

WWF and TRAFFIC are calling for a permanent ban on all trade in tiger parts and products, and for a curtailment of commercial captive breeding operations.

Wild tigers are especially in the spotlight as 2010 marks the celebration of the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year is seen as a unique opportunity to galvanize international action to save this iconic species.

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7 Cat Species Found in 1 Forest - A Record

National Geographic News 12 Mar 10;

Caught by a camera trap, a leopard prowls under the dense canopy of the Jeypore-Dehing lowland rain forest in the northeast Indian state of Assam (map).

Released in February, the picture was taken during a two-year survey by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The research found seven cat species in a 354-square-mile (570-square-kilometer) range—the highest diversity of cat species yet photographed in a single area.

Partly funded by WCS, wildlife biologist Kashmira Kakati had been studying the gibbons of Jeypore-Dehing and became curious about the predator tracks she kept finding on the ground.

"I said, I need to find out what's there," Kakati told National Geographic News. "Nobody had any clue. People who had been in the forest 30 years didn't know."

With 30 digital camera traps, Kakati captured not only the cats but a number of other rare forest animals between 2007 and 2009. "Even I was surprised by the result," she said.

—Dan Morrison

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Siberian tigers die at China zoo

Michael Bristow, BBC News 12 Mar 10;

Eleven rare Siberian tigers have died over the last three months at a zoo in north-eastern China.

The local authorities believe that a lack of food contributed to their deaths, according to media reports.

The news is bound to raise concerns about the treatment of captive tigers in China, which is this year celebrating the year of the tiger.

China has only about 50 tigers left in the wild, but it has about 5,000 in captivity.

The tigers died at the Shenyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo in Liaoning Province. That fact was confirmed by a worker at the zoo.

But there are discrepancies about how they died.

A local wildlife protection official, Liu Xiaoqiang, is reported to have said that malnutrition was one cause.

The tigers were apparently fed cheap chicken bones.

Mr Liu also said that the tigers had been kept in very small cages, restricting their movement and lowering their resistance to disease.

A manager at the zoo, which is currently closed, said the animals simply died of various diseases.

But however the tigers died, their deaths will inevitably raise questions about how the animals are treated in China.

Animal campaign groups say there is simply not enough protection for tigers held in the country's zoos and farms.

A spokesman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Beijing said: "[The government has] given too many credentials to groups that do not have the capability of taking care of these animals."

Tiger trade

In China there is also still a trade in tiger parts, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

They are used to treat rheumatism and to strengthen bones.

The BBC recently found that the Siberia Tiger Park, based in Heilongjiang Province in the northeast of China, is selling a "tiger bone wine" that contains three small tiger bones.

These issues have been discussed for some time, both inside and outside China, but they are being given extra prominence this year - because this year is the year of the tiger.

China investigating zoo over dead tigers
Yahoo News 15 Mar 10;

BEIJING (AFP) – Authorities are investigating a Chinese zoo where three dozen animals including 13 rare Siberian tigers died recently, amid charges it was harvesting their parts, state media said Monday.

The probe of the zoo in the northeastern city of Shenyang will look at whether the animal parts were being used as ingredients in Chinese medicine and other products, Xinhua news agency said.

China banned the international trade in tiger bones and related products in 1993, and is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which also bars such trade.

But such transactions exist as many tiger parts, such as penises and bones, are commonly believed to increase sexual potency or cure certain illnesses.

Xinhua quoted a manager at the Shenyang Forest Wildlife Zoo as saying that the carcasses of the dead tigers, 11 of which starved to death and two of which were shot after mauling a worker, have been cut up and put in cold storage.

But another unnamed zoo worker said the bones had been used to make tiger-bone liquor that was used to "serve important guests".

The deaths, which came to light as China celebrates the Lunar Year of the Tiger, have been blamed on a combination of inadequate funding, an unusually cold winter and poor general conditions at the facility, the China Daily said.

Zoo workers fed the tigers cheap chicken bones in recent months as funding dried up. On Sunday, the Shenyang government announced that it had allocated one million dollars to save surviving animals and fund the zoo.

Besides the tigers, 22 other animals have died, including rare species that are protected in China, among them a red-crowned crane, four stump-tailed macaques, and one brown bear.

The Shenyang government has a 15 percent share in the zoo, which is mainly privately owned.

China says it has nearly 6,000 tigers in captivity, but just 50 to 60 are left in the wild, including about 20 wild Siberian tigers.

In the 1980s, China set up tiger farms to try to preserve the big cats, intending to release some into the wild. But conservation groups say the farms are used to harvest ingredients for traditional Chinese medicine.

China's Shenyang Zoo closed after tigers starve to death
Employee accuses bosses of making drink from bones of endangered animal
Clifford Coonan The Independent 18 Mar 10;

It is the Chinese Year of the Tiger but it has been far from auspicious. China's Shenyang Zoo has closed after 11 Siberian tigers died of starvation or were shot this year amid murky tales of body parts being used for traditional medicinal remedies.

The government has ordered an inquiry into the deaths of the rare Siberian tigers, of which there are only an estimated 300 left in the wild, 50 of them in China. But what has already played out before an enraged Chinese audience is a story of terrible neglect and poorly financed zoos.

The 11 tigers died after they were fed nothing but chicken bones at Shenyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo, according to Chinese media reports this week. Another three listless big cats are shedding fur and have lost their appetites, the Xinhua news agency reported. A further two were shot dead after mauling a zoo worker in November 2009. The tigers are not the only victims of a cash crisis at the mainly privately owned zoological park. Twenty-six animals from 15 species have died this year, including four camels, a lion, a brown bear and a Mongolian horse. In all, the number of animals in the zoo has dropped by half in a decade, according to Xinhua.

Rumours swirled immediately that the tigers had been killed for their bones, which are prized in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Every year there are widespread illegal sales of tiger bones, penises and other parts because many believe that tiger parts can increase potency or cure diseases. A zoo worker, quoted by Xinhua, said the remains of the dead animal were used to make tiger-bone liquor that "was used to serve important guests".

But the zoo's managers denied anything untoward had happened and had allowed in experts to carry out tests and report the results to the authorities. "The tiger meat, skins and bones are kept in storage freezers," said Wu Xi, manager of the zoo. Officials ordered the zoo to close pending the result of an investigation, according to China's Global Times.

China banned the harvesting of tiger bones in 1993 and mentions of them were deleted from traditional medicine dictionaries. But tiger parts remain highly prized as an exceptional medical resource – tiger urine is used to treat eye infections, for example, and bones to treat rheumatism.

More than 5,000 tigers are held captive on farms and wildlife parks across China and there is an ongoing argument about allowing their bones to be used on a commercial basis.

Tigers are one of the most threatened large beasts on the planet, having slipped in numbers from over 100,000 in the early part of the last century to less than 3,200 remaining in the wild. Conservationists say they continue to be poached for their skins, and almost every part of a tiger's body can be used for decorative or traditional medicinal purposes. Tigers now survive in tiny areas and their plight is one of the main topics being discussed by conservationists at a meeting in Doha of signatories to the 200-member Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (Cites). China signed the pact in 1981.

"Although the tiger has been prized throughout history, and is a symbol of incredible importance in many cultures and religions, it is now literally on the verge of extinction," said Cites secretary general Willem Wijnstekers in a statement this week.

"2010 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger and the International Year of Biodiversity; this must be the year in which we reverse the trend. If we don't, it will be to our everlasting shame," he said.

Shenyang's local government pledged seven million yuan (£680,000) to help save the remaining animals after news of the tiger deaths broke last week. Zookeepers have cleaned and installed heating in the tiger cages, given the animals nutritional supplements and started feeding them 2.5kg of beef and two hens per day, Xinhua said.

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Two ‘fish bombers’ arrested in Labuan, Sabah

The Star 12 Mar 10;

LABUAN: Two locals have been arrested for fish bombing around Kurahman Island off the waters here.

Sabah Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) regional enforcement chief First Admiral Mohd Taha Ibrahim said the arrest on Saturday was made on a public tip-off.

“We managed to catch two of them while their accomplices managed to escape,” he told Bernama on Friday.

Three pump boats were seized for further investigation and MMEA officers also found various species of fish in the boat which were believed to meant for sale at the market.

He also advised the public to avoid buying bombed fish to discourage such activities which destroyed fish breeding grounds and affected the country’s tourism industry.

Mohd Taha said the agency had identified areas for fish bombing activities and warned those involved to stop immediately.

The duo would be charged in court soon. -- Bernama

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No more shark in UK fish and chips

Spiny dogfish, a fish and chip shop staple sold in Britain for decades, is to disappear from our dinner plates amid concern the rare species of shark is dying out.
Louise Gray, The Telegraph 12 Mar 10;

Despite restrictions on taking the species from European waters, the spiny dogfish is still imported into the UK and other EU countries. Most of the meat in Britain ends up in fish and chips without consumers knowing what they are eating.

But a meeting of 175 countries next week is expected to crack down on trading of the shark meat meaning it will no longer be appearing in the nation's favourite dish.

Spiny dogfish is one of eight species of shark to be considered at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting in Quatar later this week

Other species are porbeagle shark – that is found off Cornwall – oceanic whitetip, scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead, smooth hammerhead, dusky and sandbar sharks.

Members will vote on whether to upgrade protection of the sharks to an Appendix II under the convention, meaning it is only possible to trade in the species if the country of export can prove the shark is coming from a sustainable population.

Matt Rand, coordinator of the Shark Alliance, said around 20,000 tonnes of spiny dogfish - also known as rock salmon - is still eaten in the EU every year. He said most of the meat in Britain ends up in fish and chips, but is labelled as something else.

But spiny dogfish are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Endangered in the Northwest Atlantic and globally as Vulnerable.

Mr Rand said a vote at CITES will ensure the future of the spiny dogfish and force fishmongers to find more sustainable sources for fish and chips.

He urged the UK, which votes as part of the European block, to vote in favour of upgrading protection.

"Europe has done what it can, which is close the fishery. Now they have to take the next step by ensuring that none of these sharks come into the EU to end up in fish and chips," he said.

Along with sharks, the CITES conference from Saturday will examine proposals to tackle falling stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna, threats to elephants, "tiger farms" and the fate of polar bears.

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More protection for sharks sought as slaughter continues

Vesela Todorova, The National 12 Mar 10;

A lucrative trade in fins through local fish markets is a threat to shark numbers in the region, environmentalists warn. Now delegates are gathering in Doha to consider added protections for various species. Vesela Todorova reports

It is 7am and the Deira fish market is ready for business. The floor has long been swept, the stalls cleaned and covered with fresh ice. On them, neat stacks of fish have been arranged according to size.

An army of men in blue overalls is carrying the last of the fish to the counters where traders are welcoming their first customers.

Ten metres away, in the delivery car park, business is already wrapping up. This is where the fish first arrive before they are carried through to the market. This is also the place to find the sharks that normally do not end up being sold in the fresh fish stalls most people visit.

Behind some of the parked vans and lorries are dead sharks, laid on top of plastic crates. This time there are only a few, and most are quite small.

Jonathan Ali Khan stops in front of something that looks like a large piece of debris. Dark brown, with a crinkly, course surface, it is hard to believe this is an item for sale. “A whale shark!” he exclaims.

Or rather, the dried fin of a whale shark, with an asking price of Dh3,000 (US$820). In Hong Kong, where most of the fins that are traded through Dubai end up, it will fetch as much as $12,000. This one probably came from a very young adult, which would have been about six or seven metres long.



Khan, a Dubai-based filmmaker whose documentary on the shark fin trade, Sharkquest Arabia, is due for release in October, says that around 10 days ago he was told that a carcass of what appeared to be a whale shark of similar size had appeared near Khasab, in Oman.

“The carcass was floating in the harbour for days,” he says.

Twelve hours later and Khan is back at the market. There are more sharks now, laid out on a narrow concrete slab that runs through the middle of the car park. The traders say they were caught in Oman and will be auctioned later that evening.

Khan points out the species on sale: grey reef sharks, lemon sharks, carpet sharks and scalloped hammerheads. Most, including all the hammerheads, are young fish that have not had a chance to reproduce.

A few metres away, two men have four fresh shark fins for sale. One of them, according to Mr Khan, also belongs to a whale shark, most likely a very young one. Its distinctive white patterns are clearly visible against its grey skin.

There are more fresh fins laid out on plastic sheets at one end of the car park. To the side, there is another sheet with heaps of dried fins.

These, too, will be auctioned; traders say that in Hong Kong, Singapore or China they will fetch between $30 and $100 a kilo. The meat is also dried and exported to Sri Lanka but the profits of that business, apparently, are smaller.

Already the potential buyers are milling around. One walks around with a calculator in hand. Another approaches the heaps, picks up a dried fin and studies it quickly, before wandering off into the fish market.

This market is a key link in a trading chain that has been a point of contention for environmentalists for years.

Considered a delicacy in the Far East, shark fins are cooked in a soup. The fins are so sought after that many fishermen prefer to only harvest them, discarding the rest of the animal at sea. Many of the sharks die after prolonged suffering.

Environmentalists are now hoping that a high-profile international meeting, which starts today in Qatar, will impose barriers on the trade. There, delegates will decide whether to include eight shark species in Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).

That would impose restrictions on the international trade of the fish, a move that would have repercussions in the UAE, which is an important link in the chain that supplies Asian markets.

Two of the shark proposals, put forward by Palau and the United States, cover five species that are traded in the UAE, two of which are particularly prominent.

“In terms of this region, the two most important species are the great hammerhead and the scalloped hammerhead,” said Dr Aaron Henderson, an assistant professor at the Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. “They are both regularly seen in fishery landings.”

The great hammerhead, Sphyrna mokarran, is common in the Arabian Gulf and often caught by UAE fishermen. The scalloped hammerhead, S. lewini, is a staple for Omani fishermen. It is also one of the most highly valued in the international fin trade.

And it is the fin trade that is responsible for the shark’s decline, Dr Henderson says. “Sharks only started declining since the exploiting for fins started,” he says. “If there was no fin trade, fishermen will not be catching sharks in such numbers.”

Hammerheads are particularly vulnerable as they take a long time to reach maturity. Also, adult hammerheads prefer the open ocean, so it is pregnant females and juveniles that end up being caught.

“This is what not to do if your aim is to avoid collapse. If these species get protection under Cites, it will cause huge amounts of difficulty for the people who trade in them. But it will be very beneficial for the sharks, which have been declining rapidly.”

Last year, the UAE banned shark finning – the practice of cutting sharks’ fins off at sea, and throwing away the rest. It is also illegal in Oman, one of the main suppliers to the UAE market. Dr Henderson says the measures have acted as a deterrent to the fishing effort. Obliged to carry whole shark carcasses to port, fishing boats fill up quicker and spend less time at sea.

The proposals being discussed today in Doha would impose further restrictions, such as requiring the trade to be covered by a system of permits.

According to Dr Elsayed Mohammed, from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, it would require the Ministry of Environment and Water to ensure any controlled fish entering the UAE were accompanied with a Cites permit.

Catches and volumes of trade would be recorded and monitored, and countries would have to ensure that the industry is not harming wild populations, he says.

If passed, the permit regime would not come into effect for 18 months, to give governments time to prepare. Even then, enforcement would not be easy.

“The only way is to prohibit this trade or they have to check each shipment fin by fin to check which is in Cites or not,” Dr Mohammed says. It is precisely this point that leads some conservationists to urge the UAE to ban the trade altogether.

“This will have a big impact on the trend and send a very strong conservation message,” Dr Henderson says.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Environment and Water said it did not consider a ban necessary, as most of the sharks traded here were not landed in UAE waters.

Saif Mohammed al Shara, the ministry’s executive manager of water and nature conservation, said the ministry would support proposals to include the porbeagle and the spiny dogfish – neither of which is found in UAE waters – in Appendix II.

However, he did not comment on the UAE’s position regarding the local species. He said that even if restrictions were put in place, they would not affect the UAE. “The UAE in itself is not a big market for shark fin consumption or production,” he said.

“Local production of shark fins is meagre due to the proper regulations in place to control that. The UAE is basically acting only as a re-export point for the shark fins coming from the African region.”

Cities to consider eight shark species for protection

Established in 1973, the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), regulates the commercial trade of rare plants and animals.

The meeting, starting in Doha today and due to conclude on March 25, will be attended by more than 1,500 delegates who will discuss 42 proposals.

The convention has three regulatory options, in the form of appendices. The strictest, Appendix I, prohibits international trade and allows exchanges of plants and animals only in rare circumstances, usually for the purpose of scientific research. This covers some 530 animals, including cheetahs, snow leopards, tigers, cranes and sea turtles, as well as more than 300 plants.

Appendix II, which covers 4,460 animals and 28,000 plants, allows trading, but introduces monitoring and regulations.

The decisions to give a species Cites protection are taken at meetings held every three years. The first time a proposal is discussed, it needs unanimous approval to pass. If this is not possible, it is discussed again and then only a two-thirds majority is needed.

Four proposals covering eight shark species are being discussed in Qatar. However, they are likely to meet opposition, especially from some Far Eastern countries.
Appendix II already covers whale sharks and basking sharks. Now protection could be extended to the porbeagle (a type of mackerel shark), the spiny dogfish, the oceanic white-tip shark, the dusky shark, the sandbar shark, and the great, scalloped and smooth hammerheads.

Although local data is not available, the World Wide Fund for Nature estimates that populations of the hammerhead species have declined by up to 80 per cent from the historical baseline.

The fund estimates that up to 2.7 million scalloped and smooth hammerheads are traded internationally each year.

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Groups say Asia Pulp and Paper's green claims `misleading'

Jakarta Post 12 Mar 10;

JAKARTA: A group of Indonesian environmental NGOs published a letter, calling on investors and buyers to reject Asia Pulp and Paper's (APP) "misinformation" on its environmental policies, following the company's claim at the 12th Annual RISI Pulp and Paper Conference in Amsterdam on Thursday that it had environmentally friendly operations and had several community programs.

"For example, APP continues to clear large areas of natural forests in Kerumutan's deep peat and Bukit Tigapuluh in Sumatra, despite protests from local communities and NGOs," the NGOs said.

"We're trying to set the record straight for APP's customers and investors who may have been taken in by APP's misleading advertisements and glossy brochures," said Teguh Surya, the campaign director for the Indonesia Environment Forum (Walhi).

The NGO group includes WWF Indonesia, Walhi, the Community Alliance for Pulp and Paper Advocacy (CAPPA), and Riau's environmental group Jikalahari.

APP has been operating in Riau in Sumatra since 1984. - JP

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A tree for a child in Haiti

FAO 12 Mar 10;

FAO asks public to buy fruit trees for school yards

12 March 2010, Rome - FAO is asking people to lend a hand to children in Haiti by donating a fruit tree that they can plant in school yards across the country.

The UN food agency's Director-General, Jacques Diouf, will launch the "Fruit Trees for Haiti" initiative at a symbolic tree-planting at a school in the town of Croix des Bouquets, outside of Port-au-Prince, which while untouched by the earthquake is now playing host to tens of thousands of refugees from the capital.

The FAO programme aims to provide teachers with a hands-on education tool for children in a country that suffers from some of the worst rates of deforestation in the world. Fruit trees were chosen because, once fully grown, they will also help improve nutrition.

Just a $5 donation to the initiative buys an avocado or mango tree for a Haitian school garden, and covers fertilizer and other inputs as well as educational material.

Diouf is on a three day mission to Haiti to raise awareness about the need for international support to agriculture in the Caribbean country that is still reeling from the January 12 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people.

The "Fruit Trees for Haiti" initiative builds on FAO's experience in rolling out school gardens in developing countries. Buildings surrounded by trees are also better protected from the flooding that can occur in the Haitian rainy season.

To buy a tree for Haiti click here.

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Kenya strongly opposes resumption of ivory trade

Reuters 12 Mar 10;

NAIROBI, March 12 (Reuters ) - Kenya Friday underlined its strong opposition to any move to lift a ban on trading ivory ahead of a meeting on endangered species.

The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is due to meet on March 13 in Qatar.

A nine-year ban on ivory sales was agreed in 2007 under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species.

Kenya relies heavily on tourism to earn foreign exchange and many visitors come to the country to visit its numerous game parks, and see its animals, among them a 35,000-strong heavily protected elephant population.

"Tourism accounts for 21 percent of the total foreign exchange earnings and 12 percent of GDP. Tourism resources must, therefore, be guarded fiercely, hence Kenya's relentless conservation efforts," President Mwai Kibaki said.

"I appeal to all friends of Kenya to support this call to save the African elephant and rhino from extinction," he added in a speech while commissioning an electric fence protecting Aberdare National Park in central Kenya.

Tanzania and Zambia, both with growing elephant populations, want to reclassify their populations, as a first step to resuming the trade.

Kenya is opposed to the ivory trade after losing a large number of its elephants to poaching in the 1980s.

Forestry Minister Noah Wekesa said 23 other countries supported Kenya's stand on the ban on ivory trade.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Jon Hemming)

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Pollution fears stop Thailand's industrial heart

Claire Truscott Yahoo News 12 Mar 10;

MAP TA PHUT, Thailand (AFP) – In Thailand's industrial heartland, the workmen who should be constructing dozens of metal and petrochemical products are nowhere to be seen, their tools lying unused.

Legal action brought by environmental activists has brought dozens of projects to a halt until pollution fears have been addressed, seizing up nine billion dollars of investment and damaging the country's image.

The suspended projects at Map Ta Phut are part of a huge industrial estate on Thailand's eastern seaboard, a vast web of petrochemical, metal and energy plants the size of a city that dwarfs the rural villages surrounding it.

In those villages, the allegations against the plants are grave -- record cancer rates and respiratory disease in the area are blamed on the toxic fumes pumped out from the estate.

"We are not telling the factories to go away but we want them to control the fumes," says fruit farmer Noi Jaitang, 71, who suffers from breathing problems that he blames on fumes wafting across the fields to his house.

He says his wife has had cancer of the face twice and that his children are sick from acid rain in the area.

"When I sleep the fumes go in my eyes, and sometimes I have to stand and stretch just to breathe," he said.

But Noi says many others with similar problems are too frightened to complain, because unlike him they are employed by the factories.

A Thai court in September halted work at 76 projects in Map Ta Phut. Courts have subsequently allowed 20 of them to finish construction.

But the delays are causing anxiety among investors, already rattled by years of political unrest including a coup, the brief closure of Bangkok's airports by protesters in 2008 and fresh rallies set for this weekend.

The president of Japan's External Trade Organization for South and Southeast Asia has said the project suspensions are a bigger turn off than the protests, while Thailand's finance minister is currently in Tokyo to reassure investors.

Separately the Bank of Thailand has warned the row could cut the country's economic growth by 0.5 percentage points this year and that it presents "major risk factors to the stability of the corporate sector".

"Investors are concerned, we are all concerned. This is the problem of complying with the new rules," said Chainoi Puankosoom, president and chief executive of PTTAR, part of the Thai industrial conglomerate PTT Plc.

PTT accounts for nearly a third of the projects on hold in Map Ta Phut and has warned its net profit could fall five percent this year and more in 2011 if it cannot resume work.

"When the projects are delayed we have to renegotiate with our construction workers, renegotiate with our lenders, which all costs us money and delays our operations," Chainoi said.

The court that initially halted the projects based its decision on tougher rules brought in under a 2007 military-backed constitution, following the coup that toppled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The rules force all firms in Thailand to carry out health assessments and hold public consultations before beginning new works to prove they will cause no environmental damage.

But the companies complain the new regulations are unclear and costly.

This angers lawyer Srisuwan Janya, a former student activist and campaigner for better pollution controls who helped win the initial injunction that stopped work at Map Ta Phut.

"The government is not sincere in following the constitution," said Srisuwan. "I'm not denying development but development should be based on standards not just 'come and take'."

Heavy pollution from the estate was first noticed in the 1980s, but it wasn't until 1997 that villagers began to form a green movement after children attending a neighbouring school were taken ill.

The school was moved out of the area and further scientific research was carried out. The National Cancer Institute in 2003 found that the highest rates of cancer in Thailand were in Rayong province, where Map Ta Phut is located.

Lawyer Srisuwan insists he will back the villagers all the way, whatever the economic consequences may be.

He says he has retaliated for the government's successful appeals against some of the suspensions by lodging a further nine complaints with Thailand's administrative court, and says he is working on more than 170 other new cases.

"Don't talk with me about the economy. I'm ready to fight every organisation so that these people can receive justice," he said.

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Ocean pollution contaminating China shellfish: report

Yahoo News 12 Mar 10;

BEIJING (AFP) – China's coastal waters are increasingly polluted by everything from oil to pesticides, contaminating the nation's marine life including the shellfish supply, state press reported Friday.

Most shellfish in offshore areas contained "excessive harmful chemicals" such as lead, cadmium and the insecticide DDT, the China Daily said, citing a new report released by the State Oceanic Administration.

Levels of lead detected in shellfish were 50 percent higher than normal, while cadmium and DDT levels were about 40 percent higher, the report said.

Lead can damage the human nervous system and cause blood and brain disorders if consumed in unsafe amounts, while DDT is listed as a "moderately hazardous" pesticide by the World Health Organization.

The administration's report said that about 147,000 square kilometres (59,000 square miles) of China's coastal waters failed to meet standards for "clear water" last year, an increase of 7.3 percent over 2008.

China's coastal waters last year suffered 68 red tides, or algae blooms, caused by excessive sewage in the water that affected 14,100 square kilometres, 3.4 times the area affected by such blooms in the 1990s, the report said.

China's fast-paced economic growth was resulting in more industrial and domestic garbage being dumped into the sea, it added.

Following 30 years of explosive growth, China's is on track to overtake Japan as the world's second-largest economy, but that success has made it one of the most polluted nations in the world.

"Our environmental quality is only improving in certain areas, but overall the environment is still deteriorating," Vice Minister of Environmental Protection Zhang Lijun told journalists this week.

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Central American shrimp, lobster fast disappearing

Yahoo News 11 Mar 10;

PANAMA CITY (AFP) – Illegal fishing and climate change are decimating shrimp and lobster populations in Central America, threatening a two-billion-dollar industry and 136,000 jobs, regional experts said Thursday.

"Pollution and warmer waters are impacting our species," especially shrimp and lobster, said Central American Organization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sectors (OSPESCA) regional director Mario Gonzalez.

"The Pacific shrimp population, Panama excluded, has fallen dramatically" because of overexploitation and decreasing rainfall in Central America over the past decade, "which depletes the nutrients they feed on," the expert said.

The lobster population is also in jeopardy of disappearing altogether, he added.

Illegal fishing is also taking its toll, Gonzalez said.

"Of the total amount delivered to fish processing plants, approximately 20 to 30 percent is illegal or undersized," said the OSPESCA official.

Underreported catches compound the problem, Gonzalez said.

"You can say that in Central America 50 percent of our (fishing) production goes undeclared or not reported, not only by private fishermen but also by large fisheries," the expert said.

The dire situation has been brought to the attention of regional governments.

"There's a regional policy (on fishing), but it's just included in documents which have to be turned into action in order to better manage our fish stocks," OSPESCA interim president Diana Arauz told AFP.

As a first step, officials said, Central American Integration System members -- El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama -- have recently banned lobster fishing from March 1 to June 30 in hopes the species can make a comeback.

Lobster and shrimp fishing in Central America employs some 136,000 people and brings in 1.985 billion dollars a year -- 4.1 percent of the regional gross domestic product, OSPESCA and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said in a report.

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Climate change pushing bird species 'towards extinction:' US

Yahoo News 11 Mar 10;

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Climate change is pushing some bird species "towards extinction," US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar warned Thursday as a new report on the threats facing North American birds was released.

"For well over a century, migratory birds have faced stresses," Salazar said. "Now they are facing a new threat -- climate change -- that could dramatically alter their habitat and food supply and push many species towards extinction."

Birds that depend upon the ocean for survival "are among the most vulnerable birds on Earth to climate change," warned the report put together by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in coordination with several environmental groups.

All 67 oceanic bird species, including albatrosses, petrels and puffins, are at particular risk because they produce few offspring each year and their habitats are most susceptible to climate change phenomena.

Species including the Laysan Albatross and the Bonin Petrel typically nest on very low-lying islands, which could disappear as sea levels rise.

Many Hawaiian birds, including the endangered Puaiohi and Akiapolaau, face multiple threats, including from mosquito-borne diseases and invasive species, as well as loss of habitat, the report warned.

But even less-threatened species, like the American oystercatcher -- a black and white bird with a long red bill -- the common nighthawk, and the northern pintail -- an ubiquitous type of duck, are likely to become "of conservation concern" because of climate change.

In mountainous and Arctic regions "increased temperatures will drastically alter surface water and vegetation," meaning species like the White-tailed Ptarmigan and rosy-finches "may disappear... as alpine tundra diminishes."

"Birds are excellent indicators of the health of our environment, and right now they are telling us an important story about climate change," said Kenneth Rosenberg, director of conservation science at Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology, a contributor to the report.

"Many species of conservation concern will face heightened threats, giving us an increased sense of urgency to protect and conserve vital bird habitat," he added.

Salazar said the Department of the Interior was working to develop practical strategies to manage the effects of climate change in eight regions and has set up Climate Science Centers in each region to coordinate and lead those efforts.

Climate Change Harming Hundreds of Migratory Bird Species
Environment News Service 17 Mar 10;

WASHINGTON, DC, March 17, 2010 (ENS) - Climate change is putting pressure on hundreds of species of migratory birds, already stressed by habitat loss, invasive species and exposure to toxic chemicals, a new U.S. government report concludes. In part to meet their needs for protection, the Department of the Interior is laying the groundwork for a network of science-based landscape conservation cooperatives.

"The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change" indicates that the warming climate will have an increasingly disruptive effect on bird species in all habitats, with oceanic and Hawaiian birds in greatest danger.

"Just as they did in 1962 when Rachel Carson published "Silent Spring," our migratory birds are sending us a message about the health of our planet," said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, releasing the report on Thursday.

"That is why - for the first time ever - the Department of the Interior has deployed a coordinated strategy to plan for and respond to the impacts of climate change on the resources we manage," he said.

On March 4, Secretary Salazar announced that the first of eight new regional climate science centers planned by Interior Department would be based at the University of Alaska. The centers are expected to develop practical, landscape-level strategies for managing climate change impacts on birds and on land, natural, and cultural resources within the eight regions.

The centers will provide scientific and technical expertise to help support a new federal government network of landscape conservation cooperatives.

With an initial federal investment of $25 million in FY2010, the landscape conservation cooperatives are intended to become applied conservation science partnerships between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal agencies, states, tribes, nongovernmental organizations, universities and the public within each of the eight regions.

Rather than create a new conservation infrastructure from the ground up, said Salazar, the landscape conservation cooperatives are expected to build upon explicit biological management priorities and objectives. They will incorporate the science available from existing fish habitat partnerships, migratory bird joint ventures and flyway councils, as well as species-based and geographic-based partnerships.

The landscape conservation cooperatives will address landscape-scale stressors, such as habitat fragmentation, genetic isolation, invasive species, and water scarcity, all of which are accelerated by climate change.

The new State of the Birds report, a collaboration among experts from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and conservation organizations, identified common bird species that are likely to become species of conservation concern as a result of climate change, such as the American oystercatcher, common nighthawk, and northern pintail.

For bird species that are already of conservation concern such as the golden-cheeked warbler, whooping crane, and spectacled eider, the added vulnerability to climate change may hasten declines or prevent recovery.

"Birds are excellent indicators of the health of our environment, and right now they are telling us an important story about climate change," said Dr. Kenneth Rosenberg, director of Conservation Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Many species of conservation concern will face heightened threats, giving us an increased sense of urgency to protect and conserve vital bird habitat."

Oceanic birds are among the most vulnerable species because they raise few young each year; they face challenges from a rapidly changing marine ecosystem; and they nest on islands that may be flooded as sea levels rise. All 67 oceanic bird species, such as petrels and albatrosses, are among the most vulnerable birds on Earth to climate change.

"All of the effective bird conservation efforts already taking place to protect rare species, conserve habitats, and remove threats need to be continued." said David Mehlman of The Nature Conservancy "Additionally, they need to be greatly expanded to meet the threat climate change poses to bird populations."

Hawaiian birds such as the endangered puaiohi and 'akiapola'au already face multiple threats and are increasingly challenged by mosquito-borne diseases and invasive species as climate change alters their native habitats.

"The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change" follows a comprehensive report issued last year showing that that nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in decline.

"While there is much to be concerned about in this report, we can reduce the impact of climate change by taking immediate action to reduce carbon emissions and find creative conservation solutions to help birds adapt to the changes that are already in process." said David Pashley, vice president American Bird Conservancy.

Birds in coastal, arctic-alpine, and grassland habitats, as well as those on Caribbean and other Pacific Islands show intermediate levels of vulnerability.

The report concludes that most birds in arid lands, wetlands, and forests show relatively low vulnerability to climate change.

"The dangers to these birds reflect risks to everything we value: our health, our finances, our quality of life and the stability of our natural world," said the National Audubon Society's Glenn Olson. "But if we can help the birds weather a changing climate, we can help ourselves."

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Climate linked to smaller birds

Matt Walker, BBC News 12 Mar 10;

Songbirds in the US are getting smaller, and climate change is suspected as the cause.

A study of almost half a million birds, belonging to over 100 species, shows that many are gradually becoming lighter and growing shorter wings.

This shrinkage has occurred within just half a century, with the birds thought to be evolving into a smaller size in response to warmer temperatures.

However, there is little evidence that the change is harmful to the birds.

Details of the discovery are published in the journal Oikos.

In biology, there is a general rule of thumb that animals tend to become smaller in warmer climates: an idea known as Bergman's Rule.

Usually this trend can be seen among animal species that live over a range of latitude or altitude, with individuals living at more northern latitudes or higher up cooler mountains being slightly larger than those below, for example.

Quite why this happens is not clear, but it prompted one group of scientists to ask the question: would animals respond in the same way to climate change?

To find out, Dr Josh Van Buskirk of the University of Zurich, Switzerland and colleagues Mr Robert Mulvihill and Mr Robert Leberman of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Rector, Pennsylvania, US decided to evaluate the sizes of hundreds of thousands of birds that pass through the Carnegie Museum's Powdermill ringing station, also in Pennsylvania.

They examined the records of 486,000 individual birds that had been caught and measured at the ringing station from 1961 to 2007.

These birds belonged to 102 species, arriving over different seasons. Each was weighed. It also had the length of its wings measured, recorded as wing chord length, or the distance between the bird's wrist to the tip of the longest primary feather.

Their sample included local resident bird species, overwintering species, and even long distance migrants arriving from the Neotropics.

What they found was striking.

Of 83 species caught during spring migration, 60 have become smaller over the 46 year study period, weighing less and having shorter wings.

Of the 75 species migrating in autumn, 66 have become smaller.

In summer, 51 of 65 breeding species have similarly reduced in size, as have 20 out of 26 wintering species.

The differences in size are not big.

"On average, the decline in mass of spring migrants over the 46 year study was just 1.3%," says Dr Buskirk.

"For a 10g warbler that's a loss of just 130mg."

But some species are losing more weight.

For example, the rose-breasted grosbeak has declined in mass by about 4%, while the Kentucky warbler has dropped 3.3% in weight and the scarlet tanager 2.3%.

The trend is particularly noticeable among those birds that winter in the New World tropics of the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

"The headline finding is that the body sizes of many species of North American birds, mostly songbirds, are gradually becoming smaller," says Dr Buskirk.

However, their populations are not dwindling.

"So many of these species are apparently doing just fine, but the individual birds are becoming gradually smaller nonetheless," says Dr Buskirk.

That suggests that bird species in North America are obeying Berman's rule, by evolving into a smaller size as temperatures increase.

Though this change appears quick, it has taken place over at least 20 generations of birds.

"There are plenty examples of rapid contemporary evolution over much shorter time periods," says Dr Buskirk.

Whether the trend will cause the birds any long-term consequences is unclear.

"In one obvious sense, the consequences are positive," says Dr Buskirk.

"That is, as temperatures become warmer, the optimal body size is becoming smaller."

However, even though the species appear to be adapting to the new climatic conditions, it could still be that their average "fitness" in evolutionary terms, is going down.

"Evidence from other studies is that some species will benefit and others will be harmed, and it's not always the species we like that will be harmed," says Dr Buskirk.

The jury is still out as to why any species responds to warmer temperatures by becoming smaller.

Originally, biologists proposed that having a larger body surface to volume might help in warmer climates.

But more recent ideas suggest that animals might actually be responding instead to something else that correlates with temperature, such as the availability of food, or metabolic rate.

"It looks like it might take a while before we know," says Dr Buskirk.

His team says much more data is now needed to confirm this trend and to see if it is happening in animals other than birds.

For example, it took an avalanche of data before people became convinced that climate change is already altering when birds start migrating.

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