Best of our wild blogs: 25 May 10

World Environment Day screening: Chemerical
from Green Drinks Singapore

New Lease of Life?
from My Itchy Fingers

2,000 tonnes of crude oil spill off Singapore
from wild shores of singapore and Psychedelic Nature

Singapore Changi East Oil Spill (25 May 2010)
Facebook Page for latest info, updates and observations of the oil spill.

Hantu Dive!
from Pulau Hantu

What happened to the Yellow-vented Bulbul’s nestlings?
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Insectivores
from The annotated budak

World Biodiversity Day at Chek Jawa Boardwalk
from Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

裕华园的洋斑燕 Pacific swallow（Hirundo tahitica）
from PurpleMangrove

Raffles Museum Treasures:Textile cone
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

Long-distance seed dispersal and hunting
an interview with Kimberly Holbrook from Mongabay.com news

Wildlife - a good bet?
which animal will go extinct first in the Gulf oil spill? from BBC NEWS blog by Richard Black

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Crude oil spill off Singapore - 2,000 tonnes spilled

Straits Times 25 May 10;

CRUDE oil was spilled off Singapore's south-eastern coast after two ships collided on Tuesday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in an e-mailed statement.

The MT Bunga Kelana 3 tanker collided with the MV Waily bulk carrier at about 6.10am in the Singapore Strait, 13km south-east of Changi East, the statement said.

'There were no report of injury to crew members. However, MT Bunga Kelana 3 suffered damage to one of its cargo tanks, resulting in an oil spill. The Master of MT Bunga Kelana 3 estimated that 2,000 tonnes of crude oil could have spilled into the sea,' the statement said.

It added that the MPA 'immediately dispatched four patrol and emergency response craft to the affected area. MPA also activated oil spill response companies which have deployed three craft equipped with oil spill equipment'.

'Both vessels are currently anchored in the Singapore Strait,' the statement said. 'Work is ongoing to contain and clean up the oil spill.'

The statement also said that traffic in the Singapore Strait remains unaffected. The Malaysian and Indonesian authorities were also informed of the incident.

Tanker and bulk carrier collide off Changi East
Channel NewsAsia 25 May 10;

SINGAPORE: A Malaysian-registered tanker, MT Bunga Kelana 3, and a St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier, MV Waily, have collided in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was alerted to the incident which occurred some 13 kilometres southeast of Changi East, around 6:10am Tuesday.

There were no injuries reported, however, MT Bunga Kelana 3 suffered damage to one of its cargo tanks, resulting in an oil spill of an estimated 2,000 tonnes of crude oil.

The MPA has dispatched four patrol and emergency response craft to the affected area and also activated oil spill response companies which have deployed three craft equipped with oil spill equipment.

Work is ongoing to contain and clean up the oil spill.

Both vessels are currently anchored in the Singapore Strait.

Presently, the MT Bunga Kelana 3 is about 7km south of Changi East while the MV Waily is about 11km southeast of Changi East.

MPA's Port Operations Control Centre has issued navigational broadcasts to ships to keep clear of the anchored vessels and traffic in the remains unaffected.

- CNA/jy

Update: Oil spill after ships collide
Bernice Bong, Business Times Singapore 25 May 10;

SINGAPORE - Crude oil was spilled off Singapore's Changi coast after a Malaysian registered tanker collided with a bulk carrier on Tuesday morning, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said.

The MPA said in a press release on Tuesday that the incident happened about 13 kilometres southeast of Changi East.

It said it received a report at about 6.10am that the MT Bunga Kelana 3 and a St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered carrier collided in the Singapore Straits. Both vessels are currently anchored there.

It also said that there was no report of injury to crew members. However, one of the cargo tanks on the tanker was damaged, resulting in 2,000 tonnes of oil spilled.

MPA added work is ongoing to contain and clean up the spill.

The tanker is owned by MISC subsidiary American Eagles.

Collision between MT Bunga Kelana 3 and MV Waily in the Singapore Strait
MPA media release 25 May 10;

1. At about 6:10am on 25 May 2010, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) received a report that a Malaysian-registered tanker, MT Bunga Kelana 3 and a St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier, MV Waily had collided in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait. The incident location is about 13 kilometres southeast of Changi East.

2. Both vessels are currently anchored in the Singapore Strait. MV Waily is currently about 11 kilometres southeast of Changi East and MT Bunga Kelana 3 is about 7 kilometres south of Changi East.

3. MPA's Port Operations Control Centre has issued navigational broadcasts to ships transiting the TSS to keep clear of the anchored vessels. Traffic in the TSS remains unaffected.

4. There was no report of injury to crew members. However, MT Bunga Kelana 3 suffered damage to one of its cargo tanks, resulting in an oil spill. The Master of MT Bunga Kelana 3 estimated that 2,000 tonnes of crude oil could have spilled into the sea.

5. Upon notification, MPA immediately dispatched four patrol and emergency response craft to the affected area. MPA also activated oil spill response companies which have deployed three craft equipped with oil spill equipment. Work is ongoing to contain and clean up the oil spill.

6. MPA has also informed the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities of the incident.

7. Further details will be issued when available.

ISSUED BY THE MARITIME AND PORT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE (MPA)

For clarifications, please contact:

Ms Serene Tan
MPA media hotline: (65) 8366-2294
Email: Serene_Tan@mpa.gov.sg


Malaysia coastguard says damaged tanker has 10m gash
Forexyard 25 May 10;

SINGAPORE-OILSPILL/MALAYSIA (URGENT)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (Reuters) - A tanker and a bulk carrier collided in Malaysian waters off Singapore on Tuesday at 6.05 a.m. (2200 GMT on Monday), Malaysian coast guard officials said.

They said the collision between the two ships --identified as tanker Bunga Kelana 3, and the MT Waily -- led to an oilspill.

"The collision caused a 10-metre (yard) tear in the left side of the tanker and 2,000 metric tonnes of crude oil has spilled into the sea where the collision occured," Commander Abdul Hadib bin Abdul Wahab told Reuters.

Malaysia's largest shipping company MISC a unit of state-run oil company Petronas, lists the Bunga Kelana 3 as an Aframax class tanker built in 1998 with a dead-weight-tonnage of 105,784 on its website (http://www.misc.com.my).

The tanker is owned by MISC subsidiary American Eagles. (Reporting by Razak Ahmad; Editing by Jerry Norton)

Tanker in collision carrying light crude, condensate
Reuters 25 May 10;

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The tanker Bunga Kelana 3 was carrying light crude oil and condensate when it was involved in a collision with a bulk carrier in waters between Malaysia and Singapore waters early on Tuesday, a spokesman for vessel owner AET said.

"The Bunga Kelana 3 is a vessel owned and managed by AET. At the moment she is now safely at anchor off Changi," Paul Lovell, head of corporate communication atf AET, told Reuters. Changi is located in the east of Singapore.

"She was carrying two types of cargo, some condensate and some very light crude, it was about 40 percent condensate and about 60 percent light crude on the vessel at the time of the incident. It looks though the spill would have been from the very light crude, the exact amount I can't tell you," he said.

The spokesman could not say who owns the oil.

AET Tanker Holdings Sdn Bhd operates is a wholly owned subsidiary of international transport and energy company MISC Bhd, a unit of national oil firm Petronas.

(Reporting by Soo Ai Peng, Writing by Ramthan Hussain; editing by Michael Urquhart)

Tanker Collision Spills 2,000 Tons Oil off Singapore (Update2)
Yee Kai Pin and Jane Lee Boomberg Businessweek 25 May 10;

May 25 (Bloomberg) -- A tanker collided with a bulk carrier off Singapore’s southeastern coast, spilling 2,000 metric tons of crude oil near the world’s busiest port.

The MT Bunga Kelana 3 tanker collided with the MV Waily at about 6:10 a.m. local time in the Singapore Strait, 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of Changi East, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement. About 140,000 vessels call at Singapore each year, it said on its website. The city-state is also Asia’s biggest center for oil storage and bunkering.

“If you have an oil spill in a harbor, a populated area, it’s going to cause some concern,” said Stuart Traver, a downstream adviser at energy consultants Gaffney, Cline & Associates Ltd. in Singapore. “Two thousand tons of oil is not small -- most environmental organizations get upset about even smaller slicks.”

The spill is equivalent to 14,660 barrels or 616,000 U.S. gallons, almost enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. BP Plc estimated a damaged Gulf of Mexico oil well has been leaking 5,000 barrels a day since an April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which killed 11 workers. Independent scientists have told the U.S. Congress crude oil was coming out at more than 10 times the estimate.

Vessels Anchored

The two ships remain anchored in the Singapore Strait, the Maritime and Port Authority statement said. “Work is ongoing to contain and clean up the oil spill.”

AET Tanker Holdings Sdn., the owner of the Bunga Kelana 3 and a unit of Malaysia’s MISC Bhd., is working to “minimize the damage from the oil that’s leaked,” said Paul Lovell, a spokesman for AET Tanker.

“A number of oil-retaining booms have been deployed,” Lovell said by telephone. “These were done by specialist companies retained by the company. We’re doing all we can. There were no casualties on Bunga Kelana 3. We had 27 crew on the vessel.”

The Malaysia-flagged Bunga Kelana 3, classed as a Long Range 2 tanker, was built in 1998 with 12 cargo tanks, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It has a double hull, a design meant to prevent oil leaks or flooding beyond the outer compartment.

The vessel is sitting in 11.4 meters of water, compared with its draft of 14.9 meters, based on transmissions captured by AISLive on Bloomberg. This indicates it’s fully laden.

“At this stage, the impact could be relatively mild,” Traver said. “It’s not the same of course as a spewing oil well which won’t stop -- presumably this is it, this is over.”

Treasure Marine Ltd. is the beneficial owner of the Waily, Bloomberg data showed. The 25,449-deadweight ton vessel, flying a St. Vincent & The Grenadines flag, was built in 1983.

--Editors: Clyde Russell, Ang Bee Lin.

Related links
Singapore Changi East Oil Spill (25 May 2010) Facebook Page for latest info, updates and observations of the oil spill.

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Woodlands Waterfront promenade launches Phase 1

Waterfront promenade opens in north
Phase 1 of $19m park in Woodlands boasts 400m long jetty and 'sky walk'
Tan Weizhen Straits Times 24 May 10;

THE Woodlands coast took its most significant step yet in its transformation from sleepy industrial area to bustling waterfront promenade yesterday.

Once occupied by warehouses, the waterfront now boasts a modern park with highlights such as a 400m-long jetty - the longest in Singapore - and a playground equipped with a two-storey-high 'sky walk'.

Over 2,500 residents joined Sembawang GRC MP and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower and Health Hawazi Daipi yesterday for the phase one opening of the Woodlands Waterfront.

Phase two of the $19 million, 9ha park - which will feature, among other things, nature trails and a 700m promenade which will hang over the sea - will be opened only by the end of the year.

When fully completed, the 1.5km Woodlands promenade will form a significant part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA's) plan to link the north region's green spaces with park connectors, which by 2015, will stretch to 90km. Currently, the region has 19km of park connectors. URA's national objective is to build a 150km round island route, which will allow residents to walk, cycle or jog around Singapore.

Feedback played a crucial role in designing the Woodlands Waterfront, which offers a green oasis for residents to play, exercise or gather for activities, while enjoying the sea view. Ultimately, the final concept was a marriage of all that the stakeholders - residents, grassroot leaders and designers - wanted.

Mrs Cheong Koon Hean, URA's chief executive officer, said: 'It will bring the scenic northern coastline closer to people and offer more recreational choices, particularly for residents in the north.'

Features that are accessible now include a large event space called Central Spine, where residents can hold community activities, and Singapore's longest jetty.

The jetty, which dates back to the 1920s, has been refurbished and offers a close-up view of Johor Baru.

Jogging, cycling trails and rest areas weave through the promenade, together with a playground featuring a two- storey-high 'sky walk', a mesh bridge which people can climb up and across.

Residents who braved the scorching sun yesterday to enjoy the facilities were rewarded by the great sea view that the new waterfront offers.

Ms Wong Bee Ling, 39, who was there with her husband and children, was delighted with the facilities, especially the children's playground and the jetty.

'I'm pleasantly surprised, I didn't realise there was this spot in Woodlands. The view is nice and I'll be sure to come again in the future,' said the shipping executive, who lives in Woodlands.

Phase one of Woodlands Waterfront opens
Evelyn Choo & Lynda Hong Channel NewsAsia 23 May 10;

SINGAPORE : The northern region of Singapore now has a new leisure destination - Woodlands Waterfront.

And the park's launch on Sunday attracted some 2,500 people.

The park was designed with community-based events in mind.

Phase 1 opened up three hectares of the Woodlands Waterfront. The phased opening was by residents' demand.

"The project was actually planned in close collaboration with... input of the grassroots. Many of the facilities that we have provided were for community purposes," said Ler Seng Ann, group director of Conversation & Development Services with Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

Although only one-third of the park area has been opened, the URA said the main features are already in place.

One is a playground that's not just for children. Youths can also seek thrills at the two-storey Skywalk and crawl through the playground's tree pods.

The waterfront park, which overlooks the Straits of Johor, will also feature a refurbished 400-metre jetty - a reminder that the park used to be occupied by warehouses.

The remaining six hectares of the Woodlands Waterfront will be opened by the end of the year, with features like the Catilevered Promenade, nature area, trails and green spaces.

When fully completed, the Woodlands Waterfront will be linked to the nearby Admiralty Park and the park connector along Woodlands Centre Road and Admiralty West.

The Woodlands Waterfront will also add on to 1.5km of the 150km-Round Island Route, which allows seamless strolling, jogging or cycling around Singapore.

Construction costs of the park and promenade amounted to $19 million. - CNA /ls


New recreational destination at the North with Opening of Woodlands waterfront (Phase 1)
URA media release 23 May 10;

Singaporeans and residents living in the north can now enjoy a new leisure destination with the completion of Phase 1 of the Woodlands Waterfront. Developed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), this latest recreational addition in the north will be handed over to the National Parks Board (NParks) for management and maintenance. It was officially opened today by Mr Hawazi Daipi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Manpower and MP for Sembawang GRC.

The launch was held in conjunction with a community brisk walk and sports carnival organised by the Sembawang GRC, Nee Soon Central and Nee Soon East SMCs with over 2,500 participants, making it the first ever event to make use of the event plaza at Woodlands Waterfront.

Bringing people closer to the Northern coastline

The Woodlands Waterfront project was first conceived as part of the Parks and Waterbodies Plan exhibited by the URA in 2002. The plan seeks to enhance our green spaces and open up more coastal areas and waterbodies for leisure and recreation purposes. Woodlands Waterfront also forms part of the 150km Round Island Route under URA’s islandwide Leisure Plan announced in 2008, that will eventually allow residents to stroll, jog or cycle around the entire country. The North Region currently has 19km of park connectors and this will be increased to 90km over the next 10 to 15 years.

Feedback from stakeholders, including grassroot leaders and residents were sought and incorporated into the final design concept of Woodlands Waterfront. Phase 1 of Woodlands Waterfront includes a 200m long waterfront promenade and park, a 400m long refurbished jetty that is one of the longest jetties in Singapore, large event plaza and a playground with an attraction that is the first of its kind in Singapore.

Said Chief Executive Officer of URA, Mrs Cheong Koon Hean, “The Woodlands Waterfront is part of URA’s plans to continually enhance our living environment by capitalising on our natural assets and improve the quality of life for Singaporeans. It will bring the scenic northern coastline closer to people and offer more recreational choices, particularly for residents in the North.”

A waterfront attraction for multi-generational bonding

Once a laid-back coastal area occupied by warehouses, the area now offers a variety of recreational opportunities for people of all ages that is conducive for multi-generational bonding. Residents in the north can wind down after a hard day’s work and enjoy a stroll along the waterfront promenade to take in the beautiful sea view, or have a picnic by the lush green park beside the promenade. Fitness buffs can jog along the refurbished jetty and catch spectacular view of the sunrise; or simply enjoy some bonding time with family during the sunset hours.

A breezy stroll at the jetty

Overlooking the Straits of Johor, the refurbished jetty is one of the longest in Singapore, measuring about 400m long and about 12m wide. It can accommodate a wide range of activities such as roller blading, sports activities such as jogging, and various community events such as bazaars. An old shed with a pulley system along the jetty has been converted into a sheltered rest point, giving visitors a glimpse into the past when it was a working jetty.

An event plaza for mass activities

Adjacent to the jetty by the sea is an event plaza. Large-scale community events, such as mass exercise, line dancing or cultural performances can be held at the plaza. From the lookout point at the rooftop of the amenity building by the plaza, visitors can soak in the panoramic views of the waterfront across the Straits of Johor.

A playground that bonds the community

The playground is equipped with various facilities and fitness equipment for residents of all age groups to interact, and is conducive for inter-generational bonding. The adventurous and the young-at-heart will be fascinated by the two-storey high Sky Walk, an attraction that is the first of its kind in Singapore. Adventurous visitors can enjoy this self-contained ‘meshed bridge’ system, crawling from one tree pod to another.

Phase 2 of Woodlands Waterfront will be completed and opened in the second half of the year. When fully completed, the entire Woodlands Waterfront will be a 1.5km long waterfront promenade, which includes a 9-hectare coastal park to support a variety of recreational activities and community events. It will also be linked to Admiralty Park and the park connector along Woodlands Centre Road and Admiralty Road West in future.

Getting to Woodlands Waterfront

Woodlands Waterfront lies slightly north to the junction of Admiralty Road and Admiralty Road West. Members of the public can take bus service 856 which stops at Admiralty Road and walk the remaining distance to the coastal promenade and park, or drive and park at the Woodlands Waterfront carpark.

Please refer to Annex A for more details, or visit www.ura.gov.sg/woodlandswaterfront/

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Eco-friendly stores chase green dollar

Energy-saving lights, recyclable bags part of retailers' green arsenal
Jessica Lim & Tessa Wong Straits Times 25 May 10;

CUSTOMERS stepping into the newly opened Marina Bay Sands branch of the Hush Puppies shoe store will notice a lack of shiny glass-and-chrome display cases.

The look is rather more rustic: The shoes sit on stacks of old shoeboxes and wooden blocks. At the counter, the cashier puts your purchases into recyclable bags.

Hush Puppies is among the growing number of stores taking the plunge into eco-retail. This goes beyond hawking environmentally friendly products to using recycled material in store fittings and packaging and installing energy-saving systems.

The fittings at Hush Puppies' store, for example, are recycled corrugated boxes, compressed pinewood and old shoeboxes.

Over in Orchard Road, shoe retailer Terra Plana's walls and floors at its Mandarin Gallery and Ion Orchard branches are made from recycled wood. Their recycled-paper shoeboxes are handed over to customers in paper, not plastic, bags.

Supermarket chain FairPrice has installed energy-saving features in the lights and refrigerators in about two-thirds of its stores, and plans to make these de rigueur in its new outlets.

Its competitor Cold Storage said it is expanding the use of LED technology and energy-saving features in its stores, and has started using recycled material for the flooring in some of its outlets.

Meanwhile, Nanyang Optical in recent years has taken to recycling the glass from used spectacles and plastic from contact lens solution bottles.

One store has gone the whole hog. Choose, a store in Chinatown which sells eco-friendly products such as sanitary pads made from organic cotton and paper made from bamboo, uses its office premises as a showcase for green practices: It uses energy-saving lights and is cooled by inverter air-conditioners.

Besides having a recycling bin, the office also uses live worms to create a rich compost in the pantry out of its employees' leftover food. The compost fertilises the garden behind the shop.

A co-owner of the business, Mr Low Yiqi, 27, reckons the business has halved its carbon footprint, or the amount of carbon emissions it would have generated, with these practices.

Mr Low, whose customers are mainly upper-middle-income housewives and businessmen, said: 'This approach is what our customers are looking for now. They are becoming much more conscious of not only what they buy but also from whom they are buying.'

No studies have yet been done on the worth of the green dollar here, but it seems significant enough for businesses to start chasing after it, say observers.

Mr Howard Shaw, the executive director of the Singapore Environment Council, said: 'These businesses realise customers are including eco attributes in their decision to purchase products.'

The council gets about a dozen calls a day from customers looking for eco- stores to patronise, he added.

Mr Yatin Premchand, who runs business sustainability consultancy EcoWiz, said the eco-retail trend is a positive development for consumers, in that it raises awareness of green issues and widens consumers' choices.

A totally eco-friendly store may cost 20 per cent more to set up, but the returns on investment would make up for these added costs, he added.

Market watchers expect the green retail wave will catch on, now that global retail brands are setting up shop here.

Major brands have already embraced environmentally friendly practices in a big way, such as by reusing waste in their products, noted Ms Angelia Teo, the head of content in the Asia-Pacific for fashion trendspotting firm WGSN.

She said: 'We have seen the green trend spread across the globe with such amazing speed that I don't think Singapore will likely be left behind.'

More shoppers go for eco-friendly items
Straits Times 25 May 10;

SHOPPERS, especially those in the middle and upper-income brackets, are making a conscious effort to buy environmentally-friendly products, say recent studies.

A Reader's Digest survey of 1,000 people from the upper half of wage earners found that three-quarters were willing to pay extra for eco-friendly products.

A MasterCard poll conducted in November had similar findings: Nearly two-thirds of the 250 respondents here said they would go out of their way to buy environmentally-friendly gifts, and three-quarters said they are more likely to patronise eco-friendly merchants.

But there is a limit to their pro-green sentiment: cost. The Reader's Digest survey said shoppers will, at most, pay 8 per cent more for an eco-friendly product than its regular equivalent.

With cost-conscious Singaporeans, price and value still rule, going by a Straits Times street poll of 57 shoppers.

Mr Yati Premchand, environmental business consultancy EcoWiz's founder, said: 'It's a dilemma. Of course, everyone wants to do good for the planet. But in Singapore, when it comes down to it, shoppers still want to save.'

The good news is more affordable eco-friendly products have started filling the shelves in recent years, narrowing the price gap between them and regular products. For example, Hush Puppies' new eco-friendly line of shoes, made of biodegradable and recycled materials, costs $149 a pair, against $135 for the brand's average pair of casual shoes.

Retailers say the falling prices are due to a rising demand for eco-friendly items; with more distributors bringing them in and increased competition, the cost savings are passed on to consumers.

FairPrice has expanded its range of eco-friendly items from 60 items in 2005 to more than 400 now. Prices have fallen for some products, said its spokesman. For example, its 23-watt energy-saving light bulbs now cost up to $8.15 each, down about 20 per cent from 2005. But they are still 10 times pricier than regular non-energy-saving brands.

Choose, an amenities store on Sago Street, has also dropped the prices on its more popular eco-friendly items. Its bath towels made from cellulose now cost $2.40, down from $3.20 last month.

Patrons interviewed said a low price is the most attractive reason for buying a green product. National serviceman Kenneth Tan, 24, said: 'I feel that if a discount is offered, then there's an incentive to make an extra effort to go green.'

TESSA WONG and JESSICA LIM

Shopping green
Straits Times 25 May 10;

SEVERAL nationwide green retail initiatives have been launched in recent years, among which are:

# Bring Your Own Bag Day

Launched in 2007, this drive by the Singapore Environment Council aims to get shoppers to bring their own bags one day a week to reduce the number of plastic bags given out.

Fourteen shops and chains, mostly supermarkets, are taking part. FairPrice has also created a checkout line in its City Square Mall outlet for customers who bring their own bags.

# Trading in used goods

More retailers have started offering discounts to customers who bring in an old item to 'trade in' for a new one.

The Straits Times has reported that stores like Royal Sporting House, EpiCentre, Levi's, Samsonite and Skyla have run promotions on items ranging from computers to shoes. The discounts offered could be, say, $10 off for a new bra to hundreds of dollars off Samsonite luggage. These stores sift through the items and send the usable ones to the Salvation Army.

# Reuse a mug

Starbucks is encouraging its customers to bring reusable mugs to its stores for their beverages.

In return, they get 10 per cent off on any of the chain's beverages. The chain hopes to get all its customers to do this by 2015.

JESSICA LIM and TESSA WONG

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Recycling: Time to get our act together

Singapore has First World technology but Third World attitudes
Grace Chua Straits Times 25 May 10;

THE cost of recycling in Singapore may go up, as a result of the National Environment Agency's (NEA's) review of the waste management industry.

The Straits Times reported last Friday that new initiatives such as having more recycling bins per Housing Board block could be in place in some estates next year. This is when the waste collection contracts of Bedok and Tampines come up for renewal by the NEA.

Right now, fees for waste collection range from $4.31 for flats to $24.08 for landed properties.

With expected higher costs, there is every incentive for the country to relook its recycling efforts. In addition, there are pressing non-financial reasons for Singapore to raise its recycling rate.

One imperative to cut waste and recycle more is the sheer logic of land-scarce Singapore.

For instance, what happens when the offshore Semakau landfill runneth over? Will Singapore ship its ash to neighbouring countries next, or find pricey ways to use the ash in construction?

The national recycling rate of 57 per cent last year may look impressive. Other countries' overall recycling rates run the gamut from the Netherlands' 65 per cent (in 2006) to Malaysia's 5 per cent (in 2008).

But a closer look at what gets recycled reveals that the rates are highest for construction debris, metals, used slag and scrap tyres. Such waste is generated from industrial use and recycled by scrap dealers.

The recycling rate for waste types produced by both industry and households - such as paper, plastic and glass, at 48 per cent, 9 per cent and 21 per cent respectively - is paltry by comparison.

Taken together, the picture of Singapore's recycling efforts suggests that households and businesses are not pulling their weight when it comes to recycling. It is mainly scrap dealers who are doing most of the work of recycling, going round to companies and households to buy or collect their waste materials, and making a living from these scraps.

What can be done for the recycling bug to bite in households and businesses?

First, change the laws. Recycling should be legislated, perhaps starting with industrial areas or malls that generate the most waste, and waste types like plastic which are not recycled enough.

In the United Kingdom, businesses with an annual turnover of over £2 million (S$4 million) and which handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year are required to recover and recycle specific amounts of such packaging. The exact amount depends on the business activity - for example, whether they are retailers or packers.

In Singapore, no laws mandate recycling, except that condominiums and HDB estates must have recycling bins.

That spells trouble for the handful of recycling companies here, as previous reports have noted. For example, food-waste recycling company IUT Global, which digests waste and powers electricity generators with the methane gas produced, is losing money. And a firm that leases machines to collect and sort bottles and cans has found few takers.

There are no laws that mandate the recycling of cans, bottles and food waste, and this is hampering the industry's growth.

Apart from laws, financial incentives also work. Witness how people would rather sell their old newspapers to the karung guni man than put them in a recycling bin for nothing.

The United Kingdom has a landfill tax of £48 per tonne, and the sum rises every year. It is paid by taxpayers as part of their council tax, and encourages them to cut waste.

Rather than charge a flat rate for waste disposal, public waste collectors here could find a way to charge by volume of waste collected per estate or precinct. This way, residents will have a clear incentive to cut waste.

Apart from laws and monetary incentives, small improvements can help make recycling more convenient.

Recycling chutes in a handful of new HDB blocks have boosted the recycling rate to eight times that of the average block, after just one year. This project deserves to be introduced nationwide.

Madam Suky Leung, 48, lives in one of two blocks in Choa Chu Kang involved in the pilot programme. She appreciates the convenience of having two separate chutes (one for rubbish, one for recyclables) on her floor. Although these chutes are located along the corridor, outside the flat, she finds it a breeze to separate the recyclables from her trash.

She says: 'New flats should have these chutes, it's better for the environment.'

Madam Leung hails from Hong Kong, which she believes has a more environmentally conscious culture. People there, she says, take reusable bags when they shop at supermarkets.

Singapore is also way behind in recycling compared to Japan. There, recycling laws are set by municipal governments, which issue sorting guidelines and govern waste storage.

In 2005, the port city of Yokohama near Tokyo doubled its number of recycling categories to 10. There were teething problems in the densely populated city of 3.6million people at first. Some residents dumped unsorted trash at dustbins in public parks. But community policing efforts helped iron these out. Bags of unsorted trash are left uncollected with a warning note until a resident sifts out his recyclables.

In time, Singapore should aim to be a society where recycling is seen as part of one's basic social duty, and an act of national if not global citizenship, to conserve the finite resources of the Earth.

For now, when it comes to green consciousness, Singapore still has a long way to go. It is a world leader in water-treatment technology, yet the national water agency still has to put up signs reminding people not to toss litter into drains that flow to catchment areas.

Singapore's laws, recycling infrastructure and citizens' behaviour have to play catch-up with its sophisticated incineration plants and complicated recycling machines.

Otherwise, it will remain known for its deep pockets, First World technology - and Third World attitudes.

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IUCN says 30 mangrove species in Myanmar 'endangered'

Than Htike Oo, Myanmar Times 24-30 May 10;

ALMOST one-third of Myanmar’s native mangrove species are threatened with extinction, international and local experts have warned.

A team of experts has proposed that 30 of the 94 mangrove species that can be found along the country’s 3000-kilometre coastline should be included on the updated International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, due for release next month.

Mangroves are a new addition to the Red List and the recommendations were made based on the first ever global assessment on the conservation status of mangroves, which found that one in six mangrove species worldwide is in danger of extinction due to coastal development and other factors, including climate change, logging and agriculture.

The study was undertaken by Global Marine Species Assessment Unit (GMSA), which is part of the Biodiversity Assessment Unit, a joint initiative of IUCN and Conservation International, together with the world’s leading mangrove experts.

The local mangrove species are among 70 worldwide that the Global Marine Species Assessment (GMSA) Unit has proposed be put on the Red List. GMSA is a part of the Biodiversity Assessment Unit, a joint initiative of IUCN and Conservation International, and is made up of some of the world’s leading mangrove experts.

Two of the species – Sonneratia frifithii and Bruguirea hainessii – are in urgent need of protection and accordingly are listed as Critically Endangered, meaning they are the most at risk of extinction, according to an IUCN press release.

Protection of other varieties included on the list – such as Nan Byu (Bruguiera Cylindrica), Kaya Nwe (Acanthus Volubilis), Pin Le Sha (Aegialitis Rotundifolia), Kanazo Ywet Thay (Heritiera Littorea), Hta Wai Mine (Lumnizera Littorea), Lamu (Sonneratia Caseolaris) and Pinle-on (Xylocarpus Granatum) and Kyana (Xylocarpus Moluccensis) – should be “emphasised”, said Dr Maung Maung Than, a technical advisor for local NGO the Mangrove and Environmental Rehabilitation Network.

He said the proposal reflected the newfound recognition of the value of mangroves.

“After the damage caused to the Ayeyarwady delta region by Cyclone Nargis, local people and the Forestry Department (under the Ministry of Forestry) became more aware of the importance of mangrove species and how to conserve them,” Dr Maung Maung Than said.

Cyclone survivors “witnessed a lot of people surviving where mangrove forests are intact”, said U Win Sein Naing, chairman of the Mangrove Service Network.

“Mangrove forests are very important for the welfare of the coastal region. We can see large and overcrowded towns along the coastal region that are prone to natural disasters. Mangroves form wind breaks to protect those people from cyclones and also absorb more carbon dioxide than other plants and help to protect against climate change.

“But in the Ayeyarwady delta, mangrove forests have declined because of human settlements, log and timber extraction for firewood and charcoal and agriculture land extension.”

Both experts believe more intensive work is needed to protect mangrove forests.

“According to the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment, 38,000 hectares of mangrove forests were destroyed by Cyclone Nargis. We can only replant the forests at about 2000 hectares a year,” U Win Sein Naing said.

“Compared to the number destroyed, our conservation measures are not satisfactory, though local and government authorities have shown more interest in conservation,” he added.

Starting from 2008, the Forestry Department leased land to the private sector to grow mangroves in order to rehabilitate mangrove forests in the delta. But Dr Maung Maung Than said it was difficult to gauge whether the program was being implemented successfully.

“The department leases land to plant mangrove forests for 30 years. The leaseholder can sell forest products from these forests such as timber or firewood freely,” Dr Maung Maung Than said.

According to community forestry laws, forest products from the land can be sold within the township tax free.

“People who lease land should really grow mangroves. It is not proper if they lease the land for another purpose,” he said.
He said that protecting the remaining forests from further destruction is as important as replanting mangroves.
“Replanting trees costs money. People can protect the remaining trees and cooperate with organisations in mangrove conservation.”

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Climate Change To Hit Vietnam's Mangrove Forests

Bernama 24 May 10;

HO CHI MINH CITY, May 24 (Bernama) -- The impacts of climate change would severely affect the biodiversity of mangrove forests across the country, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported experts as saying.

Addressing a forum on the impacts of climate change and biodiversity held on May 22, Dr Hoang Nghia Son, director of the Institute of Tropical Biology said that biodiversity was a crucial base for the existence and development of countries around the world but it had been severely affected by climate change.

"Sea levels are expected to rise 1m by the end of this century which will flood up to 12 percent of Vietnam ," VNA quoted him as saying.

"Coastal wetlands will be heavily affected, especially in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta provinces of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau, home to many important wetland areas.

"Eight national parks and 11 nature reserves will be flooded, killing many species of flora and fauna," Son warned.

Dr Le Anh Tuan of Can Tho University's Natural Resources and Environment Department said rising temperatures and sea levels as well as irregular rainfall and a large number of storms and whirlwinds damaged the biodiversity of wetland areas.

"An increase in temperature will cause hundreds of trees to die and increase the threat of forest fires and slow the growth of flora. Fluctuating rainfall will change the biological cycles of flora and fauna and alternate natural flows as well.

"In addition, rising sea levels will mess with the ecosystem and threaten flora through salination, erosion and high tides. "Storms and whirlwinds will devastate coastal zones, destroying forests, degrading water quality and killing species of flora and fauna," Tuan emphasised.

Tram Chim National Park, an endemic park of cajeput trees and birds in the Cuu Long Delta, has recently experienced the impacts of climate change. Nguyen Van Hung, Director of the park, said they were having to fight the spread of harmful species including apple snails and mimosa pigra, along with changes in temperature and rainfall.

"We have seen a decrease in crane numbers due to a lack of tubers called nang, which the crane feed upon, which were destroyed by floods last year. This year, we are faced with severe drought and the risk of forest fires this summer," he said.

Dr Le Van Hue from Vietnam National University in Hanoi and Norwegian NGO Tropenbos International in Vietnam said evidence of climate change had become apparent.

"Climate change has discernibly affected plant and animal populations in recent decades," she said. Experts believe that work to protect biodiversity must be undertaken by the whole society.

Tuan recommended that the National Assembly form new laws on climate change to encourage contributions from decision makers, local authorities, scientists and environmentalists at a grassroots level.

"Every province should have a committee for provincial climate change adaptation to co-ordinate the actions of NGOs, scientists and local authorities and to create a network for information exchange," he said.

Dr Vu Ngoc Long, the Institute of Tropical Biology 's deputy director and director of the Ho Chi Minh City-based Centre of Biodiversity and Development (CBD) said the call and efforts by scientists through the co-ordination of CBD has drawn the attention of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

He believed the invitation to become a member of the organising board of the Asean exhibition on Biology to be held in August on the sidelines of the 21st Meeting of Asean Senior Officials on the Environment was a chance for co-operation.

The ministry's National General Department of Environment will take charge of organising the exhibition.

-- BERNAMA

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Orang utan not under threat, says Malaysian plantations minister

The Star 25 May 10;

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia refutes allegations that its oil palm plantations were wiping out the rainforest and causing the extinction of the orang utan.

“In Malaysia, large tracts of forest are being preserved permanently; for every hectare of oil palm, the country preserves four hectares of permanent reserves which is a healthy balance in terms of the land use policy,” Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said yesterday.

Taking on western environmental groups who say that oil palm plantations were destroying the rainforest, he said the displacement of orang utans cannot be attributed to palm oil development in general.

Speaking at the opening of the International Palm Oil Sustainability Conference hosted by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council here, Dompok said Malaysia was committed to the United Nations Rio Earth Summit 1982 pledge of retaining 50% of total land area under forest.

He said there were laws to ensure that plantations operated in harmony with wildlife, biodiversity and the environment.

He said that a number of areas where higher populations of orang utans and other wildlife were present had been gazetted as wildlife sanctuaries, national parks or forest reserves.

“In addition, the oil palm industry has voluntarily taken steps to be involved in wildlife and biodiversity conservation,” he said, adding that they were involved in efforts to recreate riparian reserves and connect wildlife corridors.

He said Malaysian palm oil has overcome various challenges like dubious health claims by competing oils because successful research had debunked those claims.

Boost to Sabah wildlife centre
The Star 25 May 10;

KOTA KINABALU: A Sabah Wildlife Rescue Centre has been set up at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park here.

It was made possible through a joint initiative between the Sabah Wildlife Department, Shangri-La Rasa Ria and the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC).

A memorandum of understanding was signed by the three organisations at the International Palm Oil Conference attended by 300 local and foreign participants here.

Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Ellorin Angin said the centre would be involved in wildlife rescue and translocation operations throughout Sabah.

“It will also conduct on site wildlife enforcement and monitoring as well as liase with other stakeholders like the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the plantation industry,” he said.

MPOC chairman Datuk Lee Yeow Chor said it would help finance the rescue centre.

“This is an excellent start and demonstrates our commitment to conservation efforts,” he said.

Lee added that the palm oil industry continued to be unfairly blamed for the loss of wildlife habitats and biodiversity.

“Major food producers have been pressured to drop palm oil as the public is being brainwashed into believing that our palm oil is the culprit,” he said.

He said MPOC had cooperated with the Sabah Wildlife Department and NGOs to conduct surveys on the orang utan population.

“The surveys revealed that there is still a sizeable orang utan population,”he said, adding that the industry was committed to taking steps to ensure the long term survival of orang utans.

The conference was opened by Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok who also launched the book, The Best Kept Secrets For Reversing Climate Change.

Local palm oil industry initiates mega wild life sanctuary
Hanim Adnan, The Star 25 May 10;

KOTA KINABALU: As part of an on-going initiative to prove to the world that Malaysia is a responsible oil palm producer, a mega wild life sanctuary involving 100,000ha of rainforest in an area of 300,000ha of contiguous forest zones in Sabah is currently initiated by the Malaysian oil palm industry and Sabah state government.

Malaysian Palm Oil Council chief executive officer Tan Sri Yusof Basiron said the proposed wildlife sanctuary would have 100,000ha of nucleus with rehabilitation and release function for orang utan and other wildlife.

“This (the size of the wild life sanctuary) is over three times the size of Singapore. “There are four million people in Singapore but only 11,000 orang utans in Sabah. This imply that if all the orang utans were to live in the mega sanctuary, they have potentially more land base than the people of Singapore by a factor of 1,350 times!,” said Yusof.

At the same time, Yusof has call for the zoos in New Zealand and Australia to start thinking of releasing orang utans back into the wild rather than imprisoning them in confined spaces under cold and non-tropical climates.

“Of course, they (orang utans) cannot complaint for being imprisoned in the zoos. How can they ...if only they can speak?” quipped Yusof.

He said Malaysia however will need to raise more funds for the mega sanctuary.

“The Malaysia Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund will continue to be ready to match any external funding for this purpose,” he said adding that the Western environment NGOs were also most welcome to make contributions towards this noble effort.

On Monday, a Sabah Wildlife Rescue Centre has been set up at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park in Sabah via a joint initiative between the Sabah Wildlife Department, Shangri-La Rasa Ria Hotel and the MPOC.

An MOU was signed by the three organisations at the IPOSC attended by 300 local and foreign participants here.

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Indonesia seeks 'breakthrough' in REDD-Plus action in Oslo

Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post 24 May 10;

Indonesia is set to make a “breakthrough” in global climate change deals as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono kicks off on Tuesday evening his three-day visit to Oslo for climate and forestry meetings.

Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said Monday in Jakarta the President would specifically seeking to put the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) Plus scheme into real actions by sealing a deal with Norway.

REDD Plus is a scheme in which forestry countries managing to preserve their forests will be given incentives for doing so, and is part of the Copenhagen Accord agreed by countries attending the COP15 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December last year.

“But, although REDD Plus has been included in the Copenhagen Accord, in reality it hasn’t been put into any actions; there’s no implementation of it yet,” Dino addressed a press conference at the Presidential Office.

“President Yudhoyono will meet with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and they’re planned to sign a letter of intent on partnership in forestry sector.

“The partnership will signify the first international support for the implementation of REDD Plus,” he added.

Dino further said that Indonesia and Norway were hoping to be a pioneer, create a model of partnership for the implementation of REDD Plus that could be followed by other countries.

“We want to be a game changer; pushing forward climate change deal process, which has always met deadlocks, to slowly but surely progressing.”

Yudhoyono’s meeting with Stoltenberg is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, as soon as the Indonesian President landed in Oslo.

The President is also scheduled to attend the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference, which will be attended by representatives of some 50 countries.

Indonesia, Norway to Sign $1b Forestry Deal
Camelia Pasandaran& Fidelis E Satriastanti Jakarta Globe 24 May 10;

Indonesia and Norway are expected to sign a $1 billion agreement on the forestry sector at a two-day meeting in Oslo this week, a senior Indonesian official said on Monday.

The Oslo Climate and Forest Conference, to be held on Wednesday and Thursday, is expected to be attended by at least 10 heads of states from countries with rain forests.

The conference aims to come up with a nonbinding framework on the UN-backed carbon trading mechanism known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). The framework will be called REDD-plus Partnerships.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will co-chair the Oslo meeting.

“The Oslo meeting is a very important step in realizing all the promises that have been made by [developed countries] and to sort out how the financing will be determined,” said Liana Bratasida, the environment minister’s assistant for global environmental affairs and international cooperation.

Liana said $3.5 billion in funding had been promised to rain- forest countries by Norway, Australia, France, Japan, the United States and the European Union.

She also said the REDD-plus Partnerships that were expected to be launched at the meeting in Oslo would represent a major breakthrough in climate change negotiations.

“If this can move forward then it might push other negotiations to move forward also,” Liana said of the new framework.

Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said the Oslo meeting would benefit Indonesia because Norway’s promised funding would boost optimism that the country could reach its emission cuts targets.

Indonesia last year made a voluntary pledge to cut its emissions by 26 percent by 2020 and by up to 41 percent if assisted with international funding.

“If we get the funding from Norway, we will channel it for activities on peatland areas, considering that these areas have a bigger impact [in the release of more carbon dioxide],” Gusti said.

The discussions at the conference will include involving governors with peatland areas.

Meanwhile, Dino Patti Djalal, Yudhoyono’s spokesman for international affairs, said they expected pledges on the REDD-plus Partnerships would be increased to $5 billion.

“This funding mechanism, what we call interim REDD-plus Partnerships, will effectively and efficiently coordinate the implementation of the forest and climate change program,” the spokesman said.

Dino said the partnerships would be replaced if the climate change negotiations reached an official agreement on an international mechanism related to REDD-plus.

Yudhoyono will also meet the Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg to discuss bilateral relations and sign a letter of intent concerning cooperation in forestry issues.

Dino declined to provide more details of the agreement.

Indonesian government to use Norwegian aid to save peatland forests
Antara 25 May 10;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government plans to direct climate change aid committment from Norway worth US$1 billion for saving peatland forests in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua, Gusti M Hatta said.

"We will direct it for saving peatland forests and it will be discussed with governors. We are made more optimistic by the aid," the environment minister said here on Monday.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono plans to go to Oslo, Norway on May 27 to attend an international conference on climate change and forests to be attended by representatives from dozens of countries.

Along with Norway prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, the Indonesian president would lead the conference which would discuss mechanism for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) in developing countries.

The conference is aimed at facilitating voluntary partnership between advanced countries and developing countries that have tropical forests with regard to implementing the REDD with a total committment worth US$3.5 billion.

Besides discussing further the Copenhagen meeting that pledged US$3.5 billion for developing countries for 2010 to 2011, Indonesia would also sign a letter of intent with Norway for US$1 billion in climate change funding.

"So far many have already committed to extending climate change funds such as from the US, Japan, Australia, Britain, France and Germany but none of it has been realized," he said.

He said his side had already sought confirmation about it from Australia hoping the aid could be enjoyed by people living around the forests up to 50 percent while only 10 percent would go to the central government and the rest to regions possessing forests.

Regarding the new executive secretary for UN Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC), Christiana Figueres, replacing Yvo de Boer, the minister`s expert staff, Liana Bratasida, said that she is quite good.

"Christiana is from Costa Rica and an environment figure from a developing country in Latin America and therefore will understand fully what the developing countries will need," she said.(*)

Indonesia to set up trust fund to reduce emissions
Aditya Suharmoko, The Jakarta Post 26 May 10;

Indonesia plans to set up a multinational trust fund led by the President's trusted man Kuntoro Mangkusubroto as part of a bilateral agreement between Indonesia and Norway to reduce carbon emissions, a minister said.

Under the letter of intent to be signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg at the latter's guest house in Oslo, Indonesia will receive US$1 billion in grant to preserve its forests.

The grant will be disbursed in phases under some requirements, including establishment of the trust fund and selection of priority forests, said Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan.

"The Foresty Ministry has offered (forests) in Papua, East Kalimantan, Riau and Jambi. But it will be chosen depending on MRV that will be our responsibility. We will select (which forests) together with Norway," he said.

MRV stands for measurable, reportable and verifiable, meaning every ton of emission cuts will be assessed by independent auditors.

Zulkifli said Riau has approximately 700,000 hectares of forests and Jambi 100,000 hectares. He did not mention the scales in Papua and East Kalimantan.

Zulkifli said Kuntoro, chairman of the Presidential Working Unit for Development Supervision and Control, would lead the trust fund, the members of which may include the World Bank or equivalent institutions.

On board the Garuda Indonesia Airbus A 330 airplane from Jakarta to Oslo, Yudhoyono urged the central and local government to manage grants or funds awarded to Indonesia to preserve its forests appropriately.

"Use the funds appropriately without any misuse. There shouldn't be any cheating," he said.

Zulkifli said Indonesia would try to seek grants from other donors, including South Korea, Japan, the US and Germany.

Such grants are different from the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) Plus scheme, which provides incentives for forestry countries that manage to preserve their forests, as part of the Copenhagen Accord agreed upon by parties to the climate change conference who met in Copenhagen last December.

The incentives are expected to reach $4-5 billion after discussions in Thursday's Oslo Climate and Forest Conference, said presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal.

Thursday will see the conference opening session on "A Global Partnership on Climate and Forests: The Way Ahead", followed by bilateral meetings between heads of state and government.

Yudhoyono is set to attend a dinner Wednesday evening for heads of delegation hosted by Stoltenberg to be attended by representatives of about 50 countries at Holmenkollen Park Hotel Rica, where Yudhoyono stay.

The President's entourage also include First Lady Any Yudhoyono, Environment Minister Gusti M. Hatta, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa, Investment Coordinating Board Head Gita Wirjawan.

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Saving Indonesia's forests to maintain biodiversity

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 25 May 10;

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said his office would restore 300,000 hectares of damaged forest per year to maintain biodiversity, which has come under serious threat from deforestation and development.

Minister Zulkifli has issued permits to restore 200,000 hectares of damaged forest in Sumatra and East Kalimantan this year.

“We will also focus on enforcing the law on the illegal trade of species or illicit forest conversion in protected and conservation areas,” he told reporters at celebrations of the International Year of Biodiversity in Jakarta on Monday.

“We hope the huge restoration program can revitalize the previous function of the forest and preserve its biodiversity,” he said.

He said the ministry would prioritize increasing the population of endangered species over the next four years.

“We admit the threats of biodiversity loss are still very high due to among others, economic development, deforestation and forest degradation,” he said.

He said the restoration in Sumatra could protect falling numbers of Sumatran tigers, elephants, orangutans and rhinoceroses.

The three-day celebration of the International Biodiversity Year was jointly organized by the Forestry Ministry and a German-based organization, GTZ.

The minister also launched a national action plan for protected areas, which will be used as a basis for conservation management to promote sustainable development in the country.

The document was drafted by the government and a group of NGOs including WWF Indonesia, Burung Indonesia, Flora Fauna Indonesia, the Nature Conservancy and Conservation International.

The action plan is also aimed at meeting the government’s commitment under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to allocate protected areas both in terrestrial and maritime areas.

The government plans to establish some 10 million hectares of protected marine area in 2010 and 20 million hectares in 2020.

The action plan highlights that Indonesia has 500 protected areas with a total 36 million hectares,
in both terrestrial and marine areas.

The document outlines actions needed to protect biodiversity, including monitoring systems, capacity building and the management of conservation areas.

Indonesia has 12 percent (515 species) of the world’s mammals, the second-highest level after Brazil, and 17 percent (1,531 species) of the total species of birds, the fifth-highest number in the world.

The country is also home to 15 percent (270 species) of amphibians and reptiles, 31,746 species of vascular plants and 37 percent of the world’s species of fish.

The director general of forest protection and nature conservation Darori, said the financial value of biodiversity could be higher than the price of wood products.

He said the government would promote breeding systems to increase populations of species that could be traded under international agreements.

“A number of countries such as China and Taiwan plan to import up to 1 million geckos per year, but we can only provide 100,000. So the demand is still high,” he said.

A scientist at the Nature Conservancy, Wahjudi Wardoyo, said the government needed to apply “development by design” to protect biodiversity.

“Economic development should continue but it must be designed with biodiversity in mind,” said Wahjudi, a former director general of forest protection and nature conservation.

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Are 'ugly' species condemned to extinction?

Meerkats, chimps and pandas: the cute and the furry attract scientists' attention and conservation funding
A new study has found that researchers are biased towards the charismatic, while less lovable threatened species risk being neglected
David Adam and Celia Cole The Observer 23 May 10;

When it comes to a beauty contest, the African manatee, a bloated sea cow that grazes the coastal waters off west Africa, will never win any prizes. But should an unprepossessing mugshot condemn a species to extinction?

According to a new study, rampant bias exists among researchers towards "cuter and more interesting" animals. The meerkat has clocked up more than 100 published studies since 1994. The manatee has been the subject of just 14, and academic neglect may be a vital factor in its currently parlous position. "Scientists are people too," says Morgan Trimble, a conservation scientist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, who carried out the study. "And many of them want to work with the big and furry stuff."

For years, conservationists have wrestled with the problem that high-profile species draw the most attention, and therefore the most money. It is no accident that conservation group WWF is known by its distinctive panda logo.

Supporters of this approach argue that "charismatic mega-fauna" attract much-needed funds for other species too. Sally Wren of the Zoological Society of London argues: "Charismatic species can be used as flagships to help protect areas and reduce threats, the effect of which often also benefits the less compelling species in the same region."

Critics, including the founders of a website called Endangered Ugly Things, point out that some less glamorous creatures fall through the conservation net as a result. "There has been a long-standing debate about the conservation of charismatic species such as gorillas and elephants over others. We wanted to see if this was a deeper problem and if it applied to scientific research and funding," says Trimble. "The bottom line is that there is not enough money to go around and what we choose to learn about could influence what we conserve."

With her University of Pretoria colleague Rudi van Aarde, Trimble surveyed scientific papers published from 1994 to 2008, looking for mentions of almost 2,000 species found across southern Africa. They combined this information with a global list produced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which classifies each animal according to its endangered status.

Writing in the latest issue of the journal Conservation Biology, the scientists say their study shows that: "In the eyes of science, all species are not created equal." They add: "A few species commanded a great proportion of scientific attention, whereas for many species, information that might inform conservation is virtually non-existent."

Threatened large mammals dominated the studies, appearing in 500 times as many published papers as threatened amphibians. Threatened reptiles, birds and small mammals also received much less attention. The most studied animals were chimpanzees, with 1,855 mentions, and leopards, with 1,241 mentions. Even within the relatively well-studied group of threatened large animals, more than two-thirds of scientific effort went on less than a third of species. For threatened reptiles, some 98% of research studied less than a quarter of species.

The scientists, who call such disparities "disconcerting", say: "It is unlikely that these figures represent the relative importance of these animal groups from the perspective of ecosystem conservation... it is time for a proper evaluation of scientific investments."

Trimble said research on animals was skewed for more reasons than the appeal of charismatic species. Meerkats live in complex social groups and chimps are our closest relative. Commercial factors can also play a role. Some of the most studied small mammals draw attention because they are pets, while the three most studied amphibians are also kept as pets. Scientists may also be interested in animals that occur near to them, which may explain why the new study showed that lower-risk species of amphibians and small mammals received more attention than threatened species.

The study suggests skewed research has led conservationists to overlook the extinction of ignored species. Wren says this may be exaggerated. "But it has had a large impact on our response to diversity loss. The less well-known species, which might have been easy conservation wins, have often been neglected as efforts are directed elsewhere."

Colin Butfield, head of campaigns at WWF-UK, said: "There is no point in saving one species when we are losing whole habitats. We would like to see more research looking at the health of entire ecosystems to determine the underlying cause of species' extinction."

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Thousands of rare Saiga antelopes die in Kazakh epidemic

Yahoo News 24 May 10;

ASTANA (AFP) – More than 3,000 endangered Saiga antelopes have died in a suspected epidemic in Kazakhstan, an environmental official said Monday.

So far, 3,271 of the small antelopes have been found dead, an agriculture ministry official, Akhmetzhan Sultanov, told journalists, cited by Interfax-Kazakhstan.

The animals appear to have died from an infectious disease, pasteurellosis, Sultanov said. The often-deadly infection strikes the lungs and intestines, and needs to be treated with antibiotics.

A ministry official said last week that the investigators initially believed the animals had been poisoned.

Saiga antelopes, which have distinctive bulbous noses, are listed as a critically endangered species by WWF, with an estimated population of 50,000.

The Kazakh agriculture ministry puts the country's population at 81,000 antelopes, however.

Saiga migrate between Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Turkmenistan and China.

The number of Saiga fell drastically after the collapse of the Soviet Union, due to uncontrolled hunting and demand for its horns in Chinese medicine.

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Mediterranean Sea Getting Saltier, Hotter

LiveScience.com Yahoo News 24 May 10;

The Western Mediterranean Sea is heating up and getting saltier, a new study finds.

Each year the temperature of the deep layer of the Western Mediterranean increases by 0.0036 degrees Fahrenheit (0.002 degrees Celsius), and its salt levels increase by 0.001 units of salinity, researchers monitoring the sea found. The change is consistent with the expected effects of global warming.

These changes may sound like small beans, but they have been building up at a faster pace since the 1990s, the study, detailed in the April 1 edition of the Journal of Geophysical Research, suggests.

The results show a consistent trend, "but to confirm this accelerating trend, we need to monitor it over the years to come," said study author Manuel Vargas-Yáñez of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography.

The researchers analyzed the temperature and salt levels of the three layers of the Mediterranean Sea: the upper layer (from the surface to 656 feet, or 200 meters, deep with water that enters from the Atlantic); the middle layer (from 656 to 1,968 feet, or 200 to 600 meters, deep with water from the eastern Mediterranean that enters the western basin via the Strait of Sicily); and the deep layer (from 1,968 to the sea bed, or 600 meters and deeper, with water from the western Mediterranean).

"These layers, especially the deep one, take up a huge volume, and raising its temperature each year by one-thousandth of a degree requires an enormous amount of heat," Vargas-Yáñez said.

The team has also observed an increase in the salt level and the temperature of the middle layer of the sea. This has not been clearly observed in the upper layer, "but it can be deduced from the heating of the deep water and from studies done by other teams and our current research projects," Vargas-Yáñez said.

An increase in ocean salinity suggests an increase in the net evaporation of the water - the difference between evaporation and precipitation. When evaporated water leaving the ocean is greater than water entering the ocean as precipitation that means overall less water staying in the sea with the same amount of salt. So the sea gets saltier.

A greater evaporation rate can be due to a warmer ocean, but other factors can come into play, such as the humidity and temperature of the atmosphere, said oceanographer Ruth Curry of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.

Also, the Mediterranean is a closed space, so certain land-use issues such as damming rivers could change how much freshwater is flowing into the ocean and diluting the saltwater.

Scientists are seeing a change in the evaporation-precipitation patterns of the ocean, which is consistent with what's expected under greenhouse gas-driven warming, Curry told LiveScience.

The top layer of the entire ocean has warmed significantly over the past 16 years, according to another study detailed in the May 20 issue of the journal Nature. From 1993 to 2008, the top 2,300 feet (700 meters) of the world's oceans warmed 0.64 watts per square meter.

That's equal to adding the energy from 100 million atomic bombs to the ocean each year during the 16-year period, said John Lyman of the University of Hawaii.

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