Best of our wild blogs: 27 May 10

Any crude on our shores? (26 May)
Sadly, yes. from wild shores of singapore

Oil slicks line East Coast beach, stinking and polluting the area
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

What will happen to all this oil? (Oil spill off Changi East)
from Water Quality in Singapore

Oil At East Coast Beach as at 27 May 2010
from Manta Blog

原油泄漏，海洋生态环境的噩梦 Oil spill, nightmare of our ocean
from PurpleMangrove

What lies beneath ...
from Garden Voices

Coppersmith Barbet: Fledging of a chick
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Raffles Museum Treasures: Crab-eating frog
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

Explore Simple and Cost-Effective Ways to Maximise the Use of Our Existing Recycling Infrastructure from AsiaIsGreen

Read more!

Oil spill off Changi East: Singapore reports

Hetty Musfirah Channel NewsAsia 26 May 10;

SINGAPORE : Parts of Singapore's East Coast beach have been closed to the public after traces of oil from Tuesday's oil spill were found near the shore.

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the affected portion stretches 500 metres near the National Sailing Centre.

The first traces of oil in the area were detected at 3.45pm on Wednesday.

Traces of oil were also found at the SAF Yacht Club, near Changi Naval base in the morning - at around 9am.

NEA has since deployed officers to clean up both sites and is advising the public to stay away from East Coast beach for the time being.

- CNA/al


Parts of East Coast beach closed due to oil spill
Hetty Musfirah, Jessica Yeo Channel NewsAsia 26 May 10;

SINGAPORE : Parts of Singapore's East Coast beach have been closed to the public after traces of oil slick from Tuesday's ship collision were found near the shore.

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the affected area stretched some five kilometres - from the National Sailing Centre to waters near Gold Kist Beach Resort.

The first traces of oil in the area were detected at 3.45pm on Wednesday.

Patches of oil were also found at the coastline between Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Changi Naval Base.

NEA has deployed officers to clean up both sites and is advising the public to stay away from East Coast beach for the time being.

Tai Ji Choong, head of Operations, Environmental Health Department, National Environment Agency, said: "We are monitoring the situation, but we will be engaged here as long as it takes.

"I think we would like to advise the public to avoid the stretch of the beach that has been affected by the oil spill - not to swim there or carry out water activities there.

"Our NEA officers are working now at the beach areas to clean up the contaminated sand. Those sand that have been contaminated by the oil sludge, we actually clear up the sand, then dispose of the sand. At the same time, our guys are also making sure that people don't swim at the beach."

The situation, however, has dampened the spirits of some beach-goers.

"We came for the enjoyment but because of this, we cannot stay here for long," one of them said.

"There (are) ... strong nauseous fumes coming from the water. It's kind of like black water. Doesn't look like you want to go and swim in it," another said.

Containment and clean-up efforts also took place at a rock bund near the SAF Yacht Club. The first traces of oil slick there were detected as early as 9am on Wednesday.

Non-toxic and bio-degradable agents were used to break up the oil. NEA said the area is not accessible to the public, and the clean-up efforts there are to ensure oil traces do not stain the rock bund.

Meanwhile, the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) is working to contain the oil spill at the site of the collision between the Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 and the St Vincent and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier MV Waily.

About 15 vessels and over 120 people were deployed to clean up the spill.

MPA said the weather, tide and wind conditions play an important role in the containment of the oil slick. Traffic in the Singapore Strait remains unaffected.

Members of the public can contact MPA's 24-hour Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325-2489 to report any sighting of oil slick in the waters or coastlines.

Meanwhile, restaurants in the East Coast area said the stench caused by the oil spill is affecting their business.

They said people are avoiding the area after the oil slick moved to parts of the East Coast shore.

Fish farms in the area are using plastic sheets given by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority as barricades to prevent any contamination from the oil slick.

Fish farmers MediaCorp spoke to said they fear the tide may shift the sheets, and thereby affect the fishes.

- CNA/al

Oil slick hits Changi coast
Amresh Gunasingham Straits Times 26 May 10;

Satellite image taken from above Changi Naval Base (rectangular shaped structure) by CRISP. The bright dots are ships and the oil slick is the patches of black around the coast. -- PHOTO: NUS

EFFORTS to clean up the oil spill resulting from Tuesday morning's collision between two large vessels continued onWedneday, as patches of slick reached parts of the Changi coastline early in the morning.

Through the day the coastline between the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Changi Naval Base, between National Sailing Centre and NSRCC-SAFRA Resort, were greeted with patches of oil slick.

Out at sea, efforts were ramped up to clean up the initial 4 sq km area of oil slick dumped 6km off the Changi coastline from spreading inland.

But this did not prevent the slick from reaching the eastern coastline.

As part of the containment efforts, some 19 craft and 120 personnel used bio-degradable dispersents to break up the oil slick into smaller globules and some 3,300 metres of containment booms used to contain the spill, said the Maritime Port Authority.

Oil slick hits shore
Straits Times 27 May 10;

Parts of East Coast beach closed due to oil spill-- ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN A National Environment Agency worker spraying a non-toxic, biodegradable chemical dispersant into the water at the East Coast Park yesterday to break up an oil slick which has hit Singapore?s eastern shores. The oil had spilled out after a collision between two large vessels off the coast on Tuesday.

Slick stains 7.2km of beach
Unpredictable wind and tide conditions make containment difficult
Amresh Gunasingham & Liew Hanqing Straits Times 27 May 10;

EASTERN parts of Singapore's shoreline were polluted yesterday after efforts to contain the oil spill from Tuesday morning's collision between two large vessels off the Changi coast proved futile.

Yesterday morning, the slick had spread westwards to the coastline between Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Changi Naval Base. The oil patches extended 20m out to sea.

By evening, it had spread to a 7.2 km stretch of the East Coast beach, sending beachgoers scurrying from the National Sailing Centre at the far eastern end to the Goldkist Beach Resort chalets near Marine Vista.

Unpredictable wind and tide conditions had made containment difficult, even though the weather was fine, said Mr Lam Wee Shann, deputy director of planning and communications at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

Following the dawn collision on Tuesday, which spilled 2,500 tonnes of crude oil into the sea, rescue personnel raced to clean up an area initially four sq km in area and 6km from the Changi coast.

Some 19 craft and 120 personnel used biodegradable dispersants to break up the oil slick into smaller globules and used some 3.3km of booms to hold in the spill.

But this could not prevent the oil from reaching the eastern shore. Further assessment will be carried out today to determine what more needs to be done to clear up the spill.

Mr Lam was addressing questions at a late press conference yesterday held jointly with the National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks) and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority.

Some 80 cleaners, armed with spades to scoop up contaminated sand, and 36 officers from NEA were involved in a massive clean-up effort along the affected beaches. Efforts will resume this morning.

NEA has closed the affected beaches and put up signs advising the public not to swim, although Mr Tan Quee Hong, director of NEA's pollution control department, said no traces of toxic substances were found in air samples taken yesterday.

He added that the foul odour smelled in some places on Tuesday might have been from the volatile parts of the oil sludge evaporating more quickly than the heavier parts.

Fish farmers and environmentalists are worried about the impact of the pollution on fish stocks and other marine flora and fauna.

However, Mr Wong Tuan Wah, director of the conservation division at NParks, said there has been no dead animal found so far, on either the mainland or Pulau Ubin. But as a precautionary measure, a 1km-long boom has been placed in the sea off Pulau Ubin to prevent damage to nature reserve Chek Jawa's rich biodiversity.

Fish farmers are bracing themselves for the slick to reach their nets, which could deprive their fish stocks of oxygen and kill them. There are 51 fish farms in Singapore, split between the eastern shoreline and Lim Chu Kang in the west. Mr Chow Chan Yuen, 66, who breeds red snapper and lobster, has lowered his nets further from the surface and is pumping oxygen into the cages. 'We are still worried,' he said.

Professor Pavel Tkalich, an oceanographer at the Tropical Marine Science Institute, said if the slick continues spreading, it could eventually reach the Southern Islands and even Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong over the next few days.

'The slick will move back and forth and can gradually spread beyond to the southern islands in the next four days.'

He added that environmental damage to corals and mangroves in these parts would be unavoidable, but unlikely to be significant.

The public has also raised concerns about the smell of kerosene coming from the affected areas, but Mr S. Satish Appoo, NEA's director of environmental health, assuaged the concerns, adding that those affected were probably more sensitive to strong smells.

'Durian could have the same effect on some people,' he quipped.

Additional reporting by Jessica Lim

Beaches closed, boats stained, stranded
Slick from oil spill hits East Coast Park
Grace Chua Straits Times 27 May 10;

AS A slick from Tuesday's oil spill hit the East Coast Park yesterday, beach-goers were told to stay out of the water and boats were stained or stranded on dry land.

By late afternoon, the oil from the collision between Malaysian-registered oil tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 and St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier MV Waily had spread from the SAF Yacht Club next to the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal all the way to the chalets in East Coast Park.

The hulls of boats moored at the yacht club were smeared with the dark, viscous oil, some of which had become trapped within the walls of the square marina.

The club's marketing manager Terence Tan noted that no oil had been seen on Tuesday morning, when the spill occurred; at lunch time that day, some six hours after the spill, only a thin layer of oil was in the water at the club.

But yesterday, receptionists at the club took to wearing face masks to ward off fumes given off by the evaporating oil.

Workers from salvage company Singapore Salvage Engineers were spraying chemical de-greasers in the club's boat launch area to disperse the oil, but Mr Tan said of their efforts: 'It's like bringing a penknife to a gunfight. The big guns are all out at sea, working on the oil spill there.'

The club has told its members that dry-berthed boats cannot be launched. The wet-berthed powercraft cannot go out to sea, for fear their engines will be clogged.

Mr Jonathan Yang, the general manager of yacht charter firm Pure Lust, said he expects to have to cancel this weekend's charter trips on his company's two boats. Each charter brings in about $1,000.

'I never expected this to happen in Singapore,' Mr Yang said.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the first reports of oil slicks at East Coast Park came in by 3.45pm.

By sundown, the pollution had reached the Big Splash water park near Tanjong Katong Road South.

Beach-goers who had hoped for a day by the beach were dismayed.

Miss Agnes Nuubelle, 31, was there with three relatives for an afternoon of fishing, as they do several times a week.

'All the fish will die,' she lamented.

But the slick and strong smell of oil did not stop lorry driver Mohd Nasir Amin, 53, who was there to relax and fly kites with his wife, nine-year-old youngest daughter and five-year-old grandson.

He said he would return to the beach this weekend, though because of the NEA's advisories to stay out of the water, the children would not be able to swim.

'We are here every weekend. It's like our second home,' he said.

His wife, housewife Sufijah Sukaimi, 51, seated on a beach chair and referring to the odour in the air, said: 'Usually, I face out to see and count boats. Today, I'm facing inland.'

For the joggers, cyclists and those on in-line skates, it seemed to be business as usual.

And as of yesterday afternoon, Singapore's north-east coast had not yet been hit. Changi Beach was also clear of debris and oil.

A crude encounter at East Coast
Hetty Musfirah Andul Khamid Today Online 27 May 10;

SINGAPORE - Despite swift action on Tuesday to contain an oil spill out at sea after two vessels collided 13 kilometres off the coast of Singapore, it wasn't enough to prevent the oil slick from hitting the shoreline early yesterday, resulting in parts of East Coast Park (picture) being closed to the public. The first patches of oil were sighted in the waters off Changi Naval Base at 2am yesterday.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said six response craft equipped with dispersants were on site to manage the spill.

Still, oil patches were later spotted at the coastline between Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Changi Naval Base; and by 6pm, they had spread to East Coast Park.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the affected areas include parts of the beach fronting the SAF Yacht Club, National Sailing Club, East Coast Lagoon Food Village, Goldkist Beach Resort and Playground@Big Splash.

Mr Tai Ji Choong, NEA's head of operations for environmental health, said: "We would like to advise the public to avoid the stretch of the beach that has been affected by the oil spill, not to swim there or carry out water activities there."

NEA officers were at the beaches to clean up the contaminated sand. "Sand contaminated by the oil sludge was disposed of. At the same time, our guys are also making sure that people don't swim at the beach," said Mr Tai.

Signs have been put up to advise members of the public to stay away from the affected beaches until the cleaning is complete.

The oil spill has been a dampener for visitors to the East Coast Park.

Several complained of the smell, one visitor describing it as "strong nauseous fumes coming from the 'black' water".

A jogger said the smell made it very difficult for runners to breathe.

NEA said more than 50 workers have been deployed for the cleansing operations which will resume this morning.

Meanwhile, the MPA is working at the accident site to contain the oil spill.

The collision with the St Vincent and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier, MV Waily, damaged the Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3. It was estimated that some 2,500 tonnes of crude oil from the damaged ship could have spilled into the sea.

There is no indication how long the slick will last. The MPA said the weather, tide and wind conditions will play an important role in the containment of the oil slick.

Members of the public can contact MPA's 24-hours Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325 2489 to report any sighting of the oil slick in the waters or coastlines.

Situational Update On Shoreline Oil Spill Clean-Up
NEA media release 26 May 10;

Singapore, 26 May 2010 - The National Environment Agency (NEA) has been closely monitoring the oill spill which took place yesterday morning. Despite the on-going efforts to contain the oil spill, some of the spill has reached our coastline. The extent of the impact is currently minimal, but will require some clean up over the next few days.

As of 6 pm today, the affected areas include the beaches and rock bunds between East Coast Park Carparks B1 to G, i.e., parts of the beaches fronting the SAF Yacht Club, National Sailing Club, East Coast Lagoon Food Village, Goldkist Beach Resort and Playground@Big Splash.

NEA commenced its cleansing operations at 9 am this morning. More than 50 cleansing workers have been deployed for the cleansing operations and they carried out the cleansing works until sunset. The cleansing operations will resume tomorrow at 7 am. Thirty NEA officers have also been deployed at site to monitor the situation and advise members of the public against using the affected beaches.

Signages have also been put up to advise members of the public to stay away from the affected beaches until the cleaning is complete. Members of the public are also advised not to swim at the affected beaches. We will continue to update the public on the situation via advisories through the media.

As part of the inter-agency effort involving NEA, MPA, NParks and AVA, the agencies will continue to ensure that the situation is closely monitored and managed to minimise the impact on the environment and any inconveniences to the public.

During this period, members of the public may come across traces of oil spill that has been treated with the dispersants near our coastline. There is no cause for alarm and they can contact our 24-hour call centre at 1800-CALL NEA (2255632) if they have any queries.

Read more!

Oil spill off Changi East: Malaysian reports

Oil on tanker to be removed
Jassmine Shadiqe and Koi Kye Lee New Straits Times 26 May 10;

JOHOR BARU: Work is under way to transfer the remaining Bintulu light grade oil from Malaysian tanker Bunga Kelana 3, which was struck by a bulk carrier off the Singapore Strait on Tuesday, onto another vessel.

Once this is done, an assessment on the ship's underwater damage would be carried out, MT Bunga Kelana 3 owner AET Tanker Holdings Sdn Bhd said.

The tanker is currently anchored off Changi East in the Strait of Singapore and will move to another place after the assessment is completed.

MT Bunga Kelana 3 collided with bulk carrier MV Waily while travelling from east to west in the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Singapore Strait, 13km southeast of Changi East, at 6.03am on Tuesday.

The collision caused significant damage to the vessel's hull and resulted in a crude oil spill that is now being cleaned up by specialists in 15 boats, using 50 tonnes of dispersant and 4,000m of boom.

Cleaning efforts resumed yesterday morning with an additional 100 men deployed along the shoreline in case the spill reached the Singapore coast, AET said.


AET is also cooperating fully with the Malaysian authorities, including the Johor Department of Environment and Marine Department, who are heading the operations.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's Environment, Safety and Employee Health director Associate Professor Maketab Mohamed said the oil spill would not have a massive impact on marine life as the Bintulu light grade crude oil had low petroleum poison levels.

In Kuala Lumpur, Department of Environment director-general Datuk Rosnani Ibrahim said the department, together with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and Police Air Wing, conducted aerial surveillance of ground and coastal areas immediately after the collision.


So far, no oil spill has been sighted in Malaysian waters.

"However, the department will continue to monitor whether currents are carrying the spill towards Malaysia.

"We are also always in contact with our Singaporean counterparts and they have begun the cleaning process. The owner of the vessel is also involved in operations."

Rosnani said the contingency plan to clean up the oil spill had been well established.

"Resources will be mobilised as and when needed.

"For now, the department needs to constantly monitor the situation so that the spill does not reach our waters."

Containment effort keeps oil spill in Singapore waters
The Star 27 May 10;

JOHOR BARU: The oil spill in the Singapore Strait is not expected to drift into Malaysian waters.

The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority is actively cleaning the spill by sucking the oil into the empty tanks of mt Bunga Kelana 3.

The mt Bunga Kelana 3, a Malaysian-registered tanker, and the bulk carrier mv Waily, which was registered in St Vincent and The Grenadines, collided in the strait — about 13km southeast of Changi East on Monday morning — causing some 2,000 tonnes of crude oil to spill into the sea.

Johor DOE director Dr Zulkifli Abdul Rahman said the clean-up was expected to take more than a week.

“We are in constant contact with the Singapore authorities and our personnel had been put on alert,” he said when contacted by The Star here yesterday.

The Marine Police have deployed three boats to Pengerang waters for security measures.

They are expected to patrol the border between Singapore and Malaysian waters to prevent boats from going into the oil spill area.

The oil spill happened at four nautical miles off the Pengerang waters.

Read more!

Oil spill off Changi East: other reports

Singapore Battles Oil Spill; MISC Shares Decline (Update3)
Yee Kai Pin Bloomberg Businessweek 26 May 10;

May 26 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore is stepping up efforts to contain an oil slick that reached its shores a day after a tanker, owned by a unit of MISC Bhd., collided with a bulk carrier near the world’s busiest container port.

“Patches” of oil have affected part of the coastline between Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Changi Naval Base and between a sailing club and a golf resort, the Maritime and Port Authority said today. The MT Bunga Kelana 3, owned by AET Tanker Holdings Sdn., collided with the bulk carrier MV Waily 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of Changi East yesterday.

The spill, equivalent to 18,325 barrels or enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, amounts to three days of leakage from BP Plc’s damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico. AET is a unit of MISC, the world’s biggest operator of liquefied natural gas carriers. MISC shares fell the most in three months.

“The incident may have marginal financial impact on the group as it is obviously fully covered by insurance,” Ng Sem Guan, a stock analyst at broker OSK Securities Sdn. in Kuala Lumpur, said in a note.

MISC dropped 3.4 percent to 8.13 ringgit in Kuala Lumpur, more than the 0.1 percent decline in the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index. The stock fell for a sixth day, the longest losing streak in five years.

“The incident caused significant damage to the vessel’s hull,” according to AET.

As of 11:30 a.m. Singapore time today, 15 vessels and more than 120 personnel have been deployed and 3.3 kilometers of containment booms used, the Maritime and Port Authority said.

Indonesia, Malaysia

“Joint clean-up efforts by the National Environment Agency and contractors engaged by AET are ongoing,” the authority said on its website. “MPA continues to work with the Indonesian and Malaysian authorities.”

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. It sailed from the east Indian port of Paradip about two weeks ago.

“I should think that they would know very well whether more oil is going to leak or not,” said John Vautrain, senior vice-president at U.S. energy consultants Purvin & Gertz Inc. in Singapore. “This is not like BP’s problem in the Gulf of Mexico. This is not a difficult spill situation.”

BP estimated its 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. Independent scientists have told the U.S. Congress crude was spewing at more than 10 times that rate.

Singapore’s Worst Spill

Singapore’s worst oil spill was in October 1997 when the Cyprus-flagged Evoikos collided with the Thai-registered Orapin Global, a Very Large Crude Carrier. More than 25,000 tons of oil were spilled.

AET is undertaking an “internal transfer” of Bintulu grade crude oil from the vessel, the company said today in an e- mailed statement. The tanker, struck on its port side as it sailed east to west, will be moved after the underwater damage is assessed.

The Malaysia-flagged Bunga Kelana 3, classed as an Aframax 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.

“Double hull does not guarantee there will never be a spill,” said Vautrain at Purvin & Gertz. “Double hull means it takes a bigger collision to create a spill. I shouldn’t think it’ll take too long to clean this up.”

The vessel had a loaded draft of 11.4 meters (37.4 feet) yesterday, compared with its maximum of 14.9 meters, based on transmissions captured by AISLive on Bloomberg. This indicates it was almost fully laden when it departed Bintulu in Malaysia’s Sarawak state on May 23.

“AET is also cooperating fully with Malaysian authorities in readiness of possible clean-up operations along the southeastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia,” the company said.

--Editors: Ang Bee Lin, Jane Lee.

Oil spill reaches Singapore's east coast
Alex Kennedy Associated Press Bloomberg Businessweek 26 May 10;

SINGAPORE: Oil spilled from a tanker collision offshore Singapore fouled parts of a two-mile (3.2-kilometer) stretch of the city-state's coast, authorities said Wednesday.

Officials have deployed oil dispersants, 15 boats, 120 personnel and 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) of containment booms in a bid to keep the oil from Singapore's east coast, a popular beach and park area. The affected area is between a naval base and a sailing center, authorities said.

"Small patches of oil and sheen were sighted at Changi Naval Base," the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said. "Patches of oil slick have also affected part of the coastline."

About 18,000 barrels of light crude oil spilled from the Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 after it collided with the St. Vincent's and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier MV Waily early Tuesday in the Singapore Strait about eight miles (13 kilometers) southeast of Singapore's east coast.

The port authority and the National Environment Agency confirmed local press reports that east coast residents complained of a foul oil smell Tuesday.

"Some of the lighter portions of the oil could have evaporated and caused a smell that was detected by some members of the public," the port authority and environment agency said in a joint statement. It wasn't toxic, they said.

Malaysian coast guard Commander Abdul Hadib Abdul Wahab said Tuesday that any environmental damage would be "very minimal."

The MT Bunga Kelana 3 was built in 1998 and is owned and operated by AET Tanker Holdings (AET), a subsidiary of MISC Bhd. Malaysia's state oil and gas company Petroliam Nasional Bhd. is MISC's biggest shareholder. MISC owns a fleet of 44 petroleum tankers.

Singapore closes beaches as oil spill spreads
Alex Kennedy Associated Press Google News 27 May 10;

SINGAPORE — Singapore closed beaches along 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) of its east coast as an oil spill from a damaged tanker continued to spread Thursday.

Blotches of rust-colored oil floated next to a breaker wall at a ferry terminal while the nearby National Sailing Center, which usually gives daily classes to hundreds of school students, shut its doors.

A pungent stench has now enveloped the eastern coastline — an area that is normally packed on weekends with families, roller-bladers and cyclists enjoying the sand, sea and some of the island's best seafood restaurants.

"The smell was so bad yesterday, it made me nauseous," said Ho Shufen, a manager at the sailing center. "I don't expect anyone would want to come here until the smell is gone."

About 18,000 barrels of light crude oil spilled from the Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 after it collided with the St. Vincent's and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier MV Waily early Tuesday in the Singapore Strait about eight miles (13 kilometers) southeast of the city-state's east coast.

The National Environment Agency said it would take the "next few days" to clean up the coastline and advised the public to stay away from affected beaches.

Officials deployed oil dispersants and 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) of containment booms in an unsuccessful bid to keep the slick from fouling the coast.

Officials at the ferry terminal said the oil spill hasn't affected its services.

Singapore closes popular beaches after oil spill
Roberto Coloma Yahoo News 27 May 10;

SINGAPORE (AFP) – Emergency crews on Thursday rushed to clean up popular public beaches stained by an oil slick on the eve of Singapore's summer school holidays.

A pungent chocolate-coloured sludge marred the seawater and sand in parts of the East Coast Park after crude spilled from a tanker damaged in a collision on Tuesday in the Singapore Strait slipped out of a floating cordon.

Officials said that most of the spill was still far from the shores of the city-state, which has one of the world's busiest ports and expects 11.5 million to 12.5 million tourists this year, more than double its population.

"The main oil slick is largely contained out at sea," a spokeswoman for the Maritime and Port Authority told AFP.

A National Environment Agency advisory said: "The extent of the impact is currently minimal, but will require some clean-up over the next few days."

Signs advised the public to stay away from the affected beaches until the cleaning is complete and the powerful smell of oil served as another warning that the beach was unsafe.

The environment agency said it had not detected any toxic chemicals in the air and there was "no cause for alarm."

It estimated that some 7.2 kilometres (4.5 miles) of beach and rock bunds along the east coast, as well as a canal, had been affected by the slick after wind and tide conditions made containment at sea difficult.

The Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 was carrying nearly 62,000 tonnes of crude when it collided with the MV Waily, a bulk carrier registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

About 2,500 tonnes of crude leaked from a gash on the double-hulled tanker's port side, officials said. Such tankers are designed to limit spillage in case of a rupture.

Emergency crews are using biodegradable dispersants and absorbent material to soak up the oil, while 3.3 kilometres of booms circled the main oil slick in the busy shipping lane straddling Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

A committee that coordinates oil-spill operations among the three neighbours issued a statement Thursday saying quick action "helped to mitigate the impact of this incident" and vowed to "further enhance joint responses in the future."

At one of the most popular spots along the coastal park, two teams of mostly Bangladeshi workers were collecting sludge from the beach with shovels and storing the contaminants in black rubbish bags for disposal.

"The smell (of oil) is not that much today," said park visitor Jenny Goh, who took her son from their nearby condominium to take a look at the damaged beach. "The first day was bad."

The month-long school summer holiday starts on Friday, a public holiday.

On long weekends, Singaporeans, expatriates and tourists normally throng the park for swimming, camping, cycling and barbecues.

Singaporean environmentalists were closely monitoring the situation and preparing to take part in the clean-up if needed.

The government has loaned canvas skirting to offshore seafood farms near the spill site to cover their underwater nets and prevent oil from contaminating their fish stocks.

The collision took place in a busy maritime channel but ship traffic was not affected by the incident and clean-up, port officials said.

Singapore is one of the world's leading ports, with data from the port authority showing the island-nation handled 472 million tonnes of cargo last year, with bulk oil cargo constituting 37.5 percent of the total.

Singapore closes beaches due to oil spill
Reuters 27 May 10;

(Reuters) - Singapore closed most of its eastern beaches due to the oil spilt in nearby waters following a collision between a tanker and a bulk carrier earlier this week, the environmental agency said on Thursday.

The oil slick affected a stretch of more than 7 kilometres (4.4 miles) of eastern Singapore, which include beaches, rock bunds and popular recreational and sailing areas, the National Environmental Agency (NEA) said.

Patches of oil have also affected parts of the coastline in easternmost Singapore, the Maritime and Port of Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.

However, the spill has not spread further on Thursday, the MPA said, adding that shipping traffic via the Singapore Strait was unaffected.

The NEA could not say how long the beaches would be closed, but said cleanup operations were continuing.

The Malaysian flagged aframax MT Bunga Kelana 3 was carrying about 62,000 tonnes of light crude when it was involved in the collision with bulk carrier MV Waily in waters between Malaysia and Singapore on Tuesday, spilling 2,500 tonnes of oil.

But the spill, equivalent to about 18,000 barrels, is dwarfed by the 175,000 barrels of oil that has poured into the Gulf of Mexico since the offshore explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon rig last month.

(Reporting by Harry Suhartono and the Singapore Energy Desk, Editing by Himani Sarkar)

Read more!

$953m diesel plant to open by year-end

Neste Oil expects Tuas facility to meet demand for renewable diesel
Dawn Zeng Straits Times 27 May 10;

SINGAPORE will soon be home to the world's largest renewable diesel plant when Neste Oil's €550 million (S$953 million) facility comes on stream at the end of the year.

Construction is on track and into its final stages of completion, said Neste senior executives at an on-site preview in Tuas yesterday. The plant is over 90 per cent complete with production slated to start in the fourth quarter. Recruitment of more than 100 employees has also been completed.

Mr Petri Jokinen, managing director of Neste Oil Singapore, was confident that the facility would run at full capacity from the get-go and be able to help meet the anticipated high demand for its renewable diesel.

The management noted a key demand driver: the European Union directive on renewable fuels which sets a 10 per cent minimum target on the use of biofuels in transport by 2020. The plant, based on Neste's own technology, will have an annual capacity of 800,000 tonnes.

The Finnish company is setting up a plant of similar scale in Rotterdam which is expected to start up mid-next year, at a cost of €670 million. Neste also has a plant in Porvoo, Finland, producing at 380,000 tonnes a year.

'We see Singapore developing into the Asian centre for biofuels, and Neste Oil's investment here will contribute to this development,' said Mr Matti Lievonen, president and chief executive of Neste Oil Corporation. The Asia-Pacific region is a major source of feedstock for the firm, which sources palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia.

There are concerns that an EU move to give a lower value to savings of greenhouse gas emissions deriving from palm oil could disqualify the commodity as a biodiesel source for use in Europe.

Greenpeace has also levelled allegations at some planters for clearing forests and contributing to global warming.

Neste is reportedly investigating one of its major palm oil suppliers but remains upbeat and estimates the potential market for its renewable diesel to be at least 35 million tonnes in 2020.

'The world needs new and cleaner fuels now, and we are at the forefront of delivering renewable energy with NExBTL, the cleanest renewable diesel fuel available today,' said Mr Lievonen.

Vegetable oil or animal fat is used in the Neste production process and, unlike conventional biodiesel, this renewable diesel is compatible with existing diesel vehicles and logistics systems.

Mr Lievonen's own car runs on Neste Green 100 diesel - a second-generation biodiesel made entirely out of renewable raw materials that the company started putting on trial last month.

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Two new frog species discovered in Panama's fungal war zone

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute EurekAlert 26 May 10;

Trying to stay ahead of a deadly disease that has wiped out more than 100 species, scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute continue to discover new frog species in Panama: Pristimantis educatoris, from Omar Torrijos National Park, and P. adnus from Darien Province near the Colombian border.

In 1989 researchers realized that frogs were dying around the world. Then they identified the cause: a fungal disease called chytridiomycosis. In 2004 Karen Lips, associate professor at the University of Maryland, sounded the alarm that the disease was devastating highland frogs in Central Panama and spreading across the country to the east.

"We are working as hard as we can to find and identify frogs before the disease reaches them, and to learn about a disease that has the power to ravage an entire group of organisms," said Roberto Ibanez, research scientist at STRI and local director of the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project.

Since 2005 research institutions and zoos from Panama and the United States have scrambled to collect healthy frogs east of the infected area—to save them from extinction. The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project unites eight institutions including STRI and the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, along with Panama's environmental authority, ANAM, in a new effort to raise captive frogs in Panama at Summit Nature Park with support from the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center.

While collecting at Omar Torrijos National Park, Lips' team noticed a common frog much bigger than specimens collected elsewhere. Mason Ryan and Tom Giermakowski, from the Museum of Southwestern Biology and the University of New Mexico, compared the frogs' feet and toes with frogs in museum collections, concluding that the bigger frogs were actually a new species.

They named this new species P. educatoris. The species name, educatoris, honors Jay M. Savage, emeritus professor of biology at the University of Miami, who taught several generations of students about tropical frogs. Educatoris actually has a double meaning, because females of this species also nurture and care for their developing eggs.

In 2008, researchers first detected the fungus to the east of the Panama Canal. During a collecting trip in November 2009 to Chagres National Park, even further to the east, researchers were dismayed to find that most of the frogs there were already infected and dying.

On May 20, researchers from the PARC project returned to what they hope are still fungus-free, healthy frog habitats in Darien Province. On an earlier trip organized by members of Eldredge Bermingham's lab at the Smithsonian, another new frog species was collected by researchers from STRI, the University of Panama and the Círculo Herpetológico de Panamá.

Its name is based on ADN, the acronym for the Spanish acido deoxiribonucleico, meaning deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA, in English. "We chose this name to underscore the usefulness of genetic techniques as we identify these new frog species and determine the relationships between tropical frogs that may look very similar," said Andrew Crawford, professor at University of the Andes and research associate at STRI.

These two reports bring the total number of frog species described in Panama and Costa Rica to 197. Nearly 15 percent of these new frogs have been described in the past seven years.

###

The species collection and identification work was supported by Sigma Xi, the American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology Gaige Fund, Idea Wild, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Bay and Paul Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution. Both publications credit Panama's ANAM for research and collecting permits.

STRI, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The institute furthers the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Website: www.stri.org.

M.J. Ryan, K.R. Lips, J.T. Giermakowski. New species of Pristimantis (Anura: Terrarana: Stabomantinae) from lower Central America. 2010. Journal of Herpetology. 44(2): 193-200

A.J. Crawford, M.J. Ryan, C.J. Jaramillo. A new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from the Pacific coast of the Darien Province, Panama, with a molecular análisis of its phylogenic position. 2010. Herpetologica, 66(2), 192-206

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Lorises at risk from illegal trade

TRAFFIC 26 May 10;

Cambridge, UK, 26 May 2010—A study by researchers from Malaysia, Australia and the UK finds that levels of trade in Slow and Slender Lorises is at levels that may be detrimental to their survival. Lories are small, nocturnal primates found throughout Asia.

The study, recently published in the American Journal of Primatology, examined the trade in Slow and Slender Lorises in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Indonesia and found clear cultural differences between countries in the way the animals are viewed.
A Bengal Loris streteched and dried for sale. Lorises are often sold in this way for traditional medicinal uses in Cambodia and Lao PDR © TRAFFIC Southeast Asia

Surrounded by superstition, it is believed in South and Southeast Asia that eating loris flesh can treat leprosy, tonics made from lorises are claimed to heal wounds and broken bones and help women regain strength after childbirth, while in Sri Lanka Slender Loris body parts may ward off the “evil eye” and can be used to curse enemies. Finally, their tears are a secret ingredient in love potions. Every year thousands of lorises are caught to supply such uses.

The animals are also in demand from the pet trade, especially in Indonesia, despite the animals possessing a toxic bite. In humans a Slow Loris bite can lead to anaphylactic shock and even death. As a result, in trade Slow Lorises often have their teeth removed.

“The tendency to freeze when spotted by humans makes lorises particularly vulnerable to collectors. Our study shows that people catch lorises any time they see them, usually while out looking for other animals. This makes the problem of the loris trade a difficult one to tackle,” said Anna Nekaris of the Nocturnal Primate Research Group at Oxford Brookes University, and lead author of the study.

The trade is also illegal: lorises are protected by national laws in every country where they occur naturally and international in Slow Lorises is banned through their listing in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

However, the study found that lorises are traded openly in large numbers at animal markets, especially in Indonesia and Cambodia.

“The open trade in these animals highlights a serious lack in enforcement—laws are ignored by wildlife traders who are obviously not afraid of legal repercussions,” said Chris Shepherd of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, an author of the study.

“This exemplifies the lack of seriousness in dealing with wildlife crimes, which is leading to many species becoming increasingly rare.”

Vincent Nijman of the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group and an author of the paper stressed the importance of continued monitoring of legal and illegal wildlife trade and proper analysis of these data.

“It is very easy for this kind of trade to slip under the radar, despite perhaps thousands of lorises being traded annually. Irregularities in trade, as observed in our studies, indicate that the authorities should be more vigilant and stress the need for improved monitoring and intervention.”

The authors argue that local knowledge and beliefs about lorises should be used when framing conservation policies to protect these, and other threatened wildlife species in Asia.

For further information:
Vincent Nijman, Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, tel: +44 (0) 7795240883. E-mail: vnijman@brookes.ac.uk

Richard Thomas, TRAFFIC Global Communications Co-ordinator, tel: +44 (0) 1223 279068, m + 44 (0) 752 6646 216. E-mail richard.thomas@traffic.org

Notes
The paper by K. Anne-Isola Nekaris, Chris R. Shepherd, Carly R. Starr and Vincent Nijman entitled ‘Exploring cultural drivers for wildlife trade via an ethnoprimatological approach: a case study of slender and slow lorises (Loris and Nycticebus) in South and Southeast Asia’ is published in the American Journal of Primatology.

Link: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123415757/abstract

Slender Lorises occur in India and Sri Lanka. Slow Lorises occur in Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines.

In 2007 Slow Lorises (Nycticebus) were included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) precluding all international commercial trade; Slender Lorises (Loris) have been included in Appendix II since the Convention’s inception in 1975, regulating all international commercial trade in the species.

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Warning to bat eaters

The Star 27 May 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: The Nipah epidemic may be under control but exotic food lovers have been advised to be careful when eating bat meat.

People who catch, kill and clean bats must take precautions to protect themselves from being infected by the Nipah virus, said Prof Dr Tan Chong Tin, the leader of the Nipah Encephalitis Investigating Team during the 1998/99 outbreak.

“They also need to be careful because bats are believed to transmit the SARS virus,” he said during his Merdeka Award Lecture Series “The Saga of Nipah Encephalitis: An Update” yesterday.

Asked if eating bat meat could pose a danger, he said that should not be a problem if it was properly cooked.

However, Dr Tan, said he would not want to create an anti-bats sentiment because bats had a positive ecological contribution.

Bats are also believed to benefit those suffering from asthma. According to an online website, a community in Thailand eats the meat believing it to be good for the libido.

Dr Tan said that the Nipah virus was still a global concern because it had been discovered in many areas of the world like Ghana, Madagascar, India, China and various parts of South East Asia and Australia.

Asked if the virus can still be found in Malaysia, Dr Tan said this was not known because no tests had been carried out since the 1998/99 outbreak.

The outbreak began in vilages near Ipoh and took more than 100 lives.

Nipah still plagues some
Lydia Gomez New Straits Times 27 May 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: The Nipah virus, whose outbreak in 1999 took more than 100 lives and caused the mass culling of almost a million pigs, has recurred in about 10 per cent of its survivors.

Although another outbreak was highly unlikely in Malaysia, this recurrent pattern had been identified over the past 10 years in small villages in India and Bangladesh, said Professor Dr Tan Chong Tin, who led the 15-member team that identified the Nipah virus when it first appeared.

Dr Tan was the joint recipient of the Merdeka Award in the health, science and technology category in 2008 for his work in discovering the new virus and the follow-up study on it.

"We found that the Nipah virus was able to hide in the brain until it was aggravated by certain factors in the environment," he said in his lecture on the update of the Nipah encephalitis at the International Medical University here yesterday.

He said Malaysians had no reason to be alarmed about this because the condition happened to only 300 people who were affected by the virus.

"But this does give us another chance to study the virus and contribute to medical knowledge. It usually reappears within five to six years," Dr Tan said after delivering the talk, which was part of the Merdeka Award lecture series organised by the Merdeka Award Secretariat and Universiti Teknologi Petronas.

The virus, named after Kampung Sungai Nipah, Perak, was found to have originated from fruitbats that used an orchard near a pig farm as their habitat.

The pigs became infected and the virus spread to humans who came in close contact with the animals, mainly pig farmers and their family members.

The Health Ministry had ordered all pigs to be culled, including those in Bukit Pelanduk, Negri Sembilan that were affected by Japanese encephalitis. This resulted in hundreds of pig farmers losing their livelihood.

Dr Tan said most of the Nipah virus survivors did not have medical complications but some had complained of symptoms that indicated they were psychologically affected by the outbreak.

"These were people who earned a lot and lived an easy life. Suddenly, they had to do all kinds of jobs to supplement their income. Some had to plant oil palm trees instead."

He advised those who handled bats to take extra precaution as bats had been known to spread other viruses, including Ebola and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that caused panic in the country in 2003.

"There are more cases in Bangladesh because the people there co-habit with the bats. So, pig farmers are advised to keep their farms far from orchards to prevent infection."

However, there was much left to be discovered about the Nipah virus, Dr Tan said, adding that a general research culture should be instilled among youngsters so that the knowledge could be passed down.

"There should be more research not just on Nipah but also on other diseases. We have to develop a research culture among the youth so that they don't do science just to earn money."

Since Dr Tan and his team discovered the virus more than 10 years ago, research has been conducted in various countries, including Ghana, Madagascar, India, China, Thailand, Cambodia and Australia.

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Indonesia announces two-year moratorium on deforestation

Pierre-henry Deshayes Yahoo News 26 May 10;

OSLO (AFP) – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Wednesday he would introduce a two-year moratorium on deforestation, a large source of income for his country which also contributes heavily to global warming.

"We will ... conduct a moratorium for two years where we stop the conversion of peat land and of forest," Yudhoyono said at a joint press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg a day before an international deforestation conference starts in Oslo.

The decision was part of a deal reached with Norway, which has agreed to contribute up to one billion dollars to help preserve the Indonesian forests.

Together with Brazil, Indonesia boasts one of the world's largest rain forests, which function as global "lungs" that transform carbon dioxide into oxygen.

The country however also accounts for a large portion of the world's deforestation, especially on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

Palm oil producers have especially caught the attention of environmental protection groups.

According to Greenpeace, forests covering the equivalent of 300 football fields are eradicated every hour in Indonesia, which along with Malaysia produces 80 percent of the world's palm oil, used for among other things cosmetics, food and fuel.

A Norwegian negotiator said the moratorium would take effect "immediately."

"There is of course a lot of illegal logging," said Hans Brattskar, who heads up the International Climate and Forest Initiative, launched by the Norwegian government.

"But the conversion of the forests and the peat land into plantations and for industrial use, especially for paper and palm oil production, represents a very large part of deforestation in Indonesia," he told AFP.

"It is therefore important to emphasise the Indonesian authorities' courage in depriving themselves of potential future revenue sources," he added.

In Oslo, President Yudhoyono acknowledged it was difficult to find the right balance between the socioeconomic interests of his people and the fight against climate change.

Norway will begin support for Indonesia's efforts by enabling the country to set up a control mechanism to help fight deforestation, and as of 2014 the Scandinavian country will offer aid contingent on Jakarta's progress.

"If there is no reduced deforestation, we will not pay. If there is reduced deforestation, we will pay," Prime Minister Stoltenberg told the press conference.

According to the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, deforestation is responsible for 17 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all the world's modes of transport combined.

The Norwegian aid to Indonesia will come out of the three billion kroner (460 million dollars, 375 million euros) that the country puts aside every year to fight deforestation around the world.

Norway, which owes its prosperity to its vast oil and gas reserves, has already signed similar agreements with Brazil and Guyana.

President: Indonesia serious about managing its forests
Antara 27 May 10;

Oslo (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia is serious about conserving its forests to contribute to the balance of the environment and climate.

Speaking to the press aboard an Oslo-bound presidential plane on Wednesday, he said the seriousness was reflected by concrete action rather than a mere slogan or plan to maintain the area of the country`s forests.

"Therefore, I hope the central and regional governments will be fully responsible for encouraging the public to take part in ensuring the success of the endeavour. As such, we will be respected by the world community when they help us," he said.

He said developed nations had been committed to providing funds to tropical forest countries struggling to maintain their forests believed to contribute to nature conservation and balance.

"Indonesia has the chance to get contributions from the international community, particularly developed nations under a fund sharing scheme. I prefer to use the term "sharing" and "assistance" because Indonesia is really able to maintain its tropical forests, meaning that we maintain the lungs of the world. It is not merely Indonesia but also the rest of the world which will enjoy the fruit. Therefore, it will be fair if Indonesia uses its resources and budget not only for the environment or forests but also for the people`s welfare," he said.

Given the commitment, Indonesia must prove that its forest conservation efforts were not a mere slogan or plan, he said.

"Now that the developed nations want to contribute to forest conservation efforts by providing grants and not loans we must convince them that we not only have commitment and plan but also are determined to implement what Indonesia and donor countries have agreed upon," he said.

For its part, the head of state called on all domestic elements including the central government, regional governments, the community and the private sector to prove the commitment which would in the end improve the local people`s living standard.

"We build good political tradition that Indonesia is a consistent nation, state and government. Once again whether or not we are assisted, we are obliged to conserve the environment as good as possible," he said.

Yudhoyono arrived here at 07.00 a.m. on Wednesday for a four-day visit during which he will attend an international conference on climate change and forests.

During his stay, the Indonesian leader is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg at 03.00 p.m. to discuss the signing of a letter of intent in the field of forestry cooperation between the two countries.

The cooperation will be the first with Norway in the field of forestry based upon the principles of mutual benefit.

Yudhoyono will attend the conference at the invitation of Prime Minister Stoltenberg with whom he will co-chair the forum.

Representatives from 40 countries will attend the conference including the leaders of Denmark, Guyana and Gabon.

The conference will aim to facilitate voluntary partnerships between advanced and developing countries that have tropical forests with regard to the implementation of the mechanism for reduction of emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries (REDD+).

The meeting is expected to be able to produce an agreement regarding the REDD+ mechanism for immediate implementation.

Indonesia Agrees to 2-Year Freeze on Forest Concessions in $1b Deal
Abe Silangit & Fidelis E. Satriastanti Jakarta Globe 27 May 10;

Oslo. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced on Wednesday that Indonesia would stop issuing new concessions for peatlands and natural forests for two years, effectively imposing a temporary halt on deforestation.

The decision was part of a deal reached with Norway, which has agreed to grant $1 billion to help preserve the Indonesian forests.
“We will conduct a moratorium for two years where we stop the conversion of peatland forest,” Yudhoyono said at a joint news conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.

“Sufficient non-forest lands exist for Indonesia to accommodate the growth of its vitally important plantation industries, a major source of livelihoods,” the Indonesian government delegation in Oslo said.

The agreement will be legally binding once Norway signs a deal with the financial institution managing the fund.

Fitrian Ardiansyah, World Wildlife Fund Indonesia’s climate and energy director, welcomed the move but said it still depended on how the government treated the moratorium. “It could be a good opportunity if those two years were used to review development plans to decide whether programs such as the Merauke food estate are beneficial.”

The massive Merau­ke Integrated Food and Energy Estate in Papua, activists say, will see more than 1.1 million hectares of forests felled. Presidential climate adviser Agus Purnomo said, “we will work it out so that there will be no peatlands converted.”

But Elfian Effendi of Greenomics Indonesia was unconvinced. “I’m sure in the process Norway will be disappointed with Indonesia in keeping the agreement.”

Greenomics said earlier this year that the Ministry of Forestry’s proposed forestry program put about 3.4 million hectares of forests at risk of development over the next 10 years.

Indonesia Puts Moratorium On New Forest Clearing
Sunanda Creagh, PlanetArk 28 May 10;

Indonesia will place a two-year moratorium on new concessions to clear natural forests and peatlands under a deal signed with Norway aimed at reducing greenhouse gases, the government said in a statement.

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday witnessed the signing of an agreement in Oslo under which Norway will invest $1 billion in forest conservation projects in Indonesia.

"In the second phase of the partnership, Indonesia is prepared to suspend for two years new concessions for the conversion of peat and natural forest lands," said the statement issued late on Wednesday after the talks.

"Sufficient non-forest lands exist for Indonesia to accommodate the growth of its vitally important plantation industries, a major source of livelihoods in Indonesia."

The suspension would encourage the development of new plantations "on degraded lands rather than vulnerable forests and peatlands."

Previous concessions already granted to clear forest land are likely to still be honored, since the statement only referred to new concessions.

Palm oil firms such as Wilmar and Indofood Agri Resources have big expansion plans in Indonesia, already the largest producer of an oil used to make everything from biscuits to soap.

Part of Norway's $1 billion will be spent on creating monitoring systems and pilot projects under a U.N.-backed forest preservation scheme called Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD).

REDD allows developing nations to earn money by not chopping down their trees and preserving carbon-rich peatlands, seen as key to slowing climate change because forests soak up huge amounts of greenhouse gases.

The Oslo deal will see a new Indonesian government agency tasked with prioritizing and co-ordinating REDD projects.

"That is very important. There are conflicting claims on land and while we are having this moratorium, this agency can review those conflicts," said a source in the REDD development industry, who asked not to be named.

A separate, additional agency will be formed "to create a national system to monitor, report and verify emissions and emissions reductions," the statement said.

A database of degraded land will also be created.

A vast food estate planned for eastern Indonesia's heavily forested Papua province would still be created following the announcement, Papua governor Barnabas Suebu told Reuters by telephone text message.

"But it will be in the context of this green policy," he said. "The land that will be used for the food estate is of very low value of carbon and biodiversity."

The Indonesia-based Center for International Forestry Research welcomed the deal, which they said could be "a game-changer in the drive to make REDD a reality."

Greenpeace Indonesia called for a moratorium on all forest and peatland conversions, including existing concession permits.

Indonesia has vowed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent from business-as-usual levels by 2020, or by 41 percent with sufficient international support.

(Editing by Neil Chatterjee)

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New Global Alliance Formed to Undercut Illegal Logging

Environment News Service 26 May 10;

WASHINGTON, DC, May 26, 2010 (ENS) - To reduce trade in illegally harvested wood, a global initiative was launched today in Washington that brings together conservation groups, government agencies, corporations and business associations with a stake in promoting legal forest product supply chains.

The Forest Legality Alliance aims to achieve better forest governance and biodiversity conservation by reducing demand for illegally harvested forest products and increasing the capacity of suppliers to deliver legal wood and paper.

"The Alliance seeks to build confidence that imported wood and paper products are legal. Done right, trade supports environmental protection and the Alliance recognizes the role trade plays in protecting our world's great forests," said Craig Hanson of the World Resources Institute, one of the founding members of the Alliance.

"Some companies are not aware of the need to ask questions about the wood they are buying or the consequences of letting illegal wood enter their supply chains," said Hanson, who directs WRI's People and Ecosystems Program.

The Alliance will focus on the capacity for legal trade in the sector as a whole, rather than on the performance of individual companies, and will complement existing initiatives that certify legality and sustainability.

Joining the World Resources Institute, the Environmental Investigation Agency, and the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Alliance are the American Forest & Paper Association, the Hardwood Federation, IKEA, the International Wood Products Association, NewPage Corporation, the Retail Industry Leaders' Association, Staples Inc., and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, WBCSD.

The Alliance will work to ensure that importers and supply chains know and understand emerging new trade policies that target illegally harvested wood.

For instance, in 2008, the U.S. government amended the Lacey Act to prohibit trade within the United States of products made from wood harvested in violation of the laws of a foreign country. With this amendment, the United States became the first country in the world to ban imports of illegal wood and related products.

The European Union is in the final stages of approving a "due diligence" regulation to curb illegal timber entering the European market, and Australia is also considering legislation to prohibit trade in illegal wood.

"From musical instruments to textbooks, legislation in the United States and abroad is fundamentally changing how wood and everything that is made from wood is traded and produced," said Sascha von Bismarck, executive director of the Environmental Investigation Agency in Washington, DC. "Suppliers unaware of these emerging policies could face financial repercussions in addition to reputational risk."

"The Alliance will work to provide businesses and civil society groups the information they need to avoid risks and create change in the world's forests," she said.

Forests currently cover 30 percent of the world's land area but only 10 percent of production forests is independently certified for sustainability, said WBCSD president Bjorn Stigson at the annual PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Forest and Paper Industry Conference in Vancouver earlier this month.

"Forest degradation is one of the most pressing environmental issues, impacting the planet's climate, biodiversity and water resources," Sigson said. "Getting the balance right between economic development and the sustainable management of forests is therefore key for sustainability."

Much of the illegal logging taking place is directly connected to land conversion such as forest clearance for agriculture and ranching.

Illegal logging contributes to deforestation, biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions, deprives nations of public revenue, and can lead to social conflict and human rights violations, the new Alliance said in a statement today.

"Any illegal wood from these activities that makes its way into international trade creates an unlevel playing field for the private sector, allowing a few bad actors to put companies with legal operations at an unfair disadvantage. It also affects poor, rural residents in developing countries who rely on forests for food, fuel, and other benefits," the Alliance said.

The American Forest & Paper Association supported the Lacey Act amendment and is a founding member of the Alliance as part of its Indistrial Advisory Group.

"We are proud to be a part of a global initiative that will aid in the efforts to combat illegal logging," said AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman. "Everyone involved in the international forest products supply chain needs to recognize the importance of sustainable forest management both domestically and in developing countries. We all have a responsibility to protect this way of life for future generations."

As part of the services it provides, the Alliance will develop new online resources that help companies assess the risk of encountering illegal wood, conduct due care, and complete import declarations.

The federal government agency USAID helped in the formation of this new partnership.

"USAID is pleased to be a central partner in the Forest Legality Alliance," said James Hester, director of the USAID's Office of Natural Resources Management. "Eliminating illegal wood from supply chains will help developing country producers compete in developed country markets while maintaining biodiversity in their forests and strengthening forest governance."

The Alliance intends to demonstrate through a series of pilot tests with volunteer Alliance members that compliance with new demand-side requirements can be feasible and cost-effective, and identify practical ways to reduce and mitigate unintended burdens on importers and producers.

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Polar bears face 'tipping point'

Matt Walker, BBC News 25 May 10;

Climate change will trigger a dramatic and sudden decline in the number of polar bears, a new study has concluded.

The research is the first to directly model how changing climate will affect polar bear reproduction and survival.

Based on what is known of polar bear physiology, behaviour and ecology, it predicts pregnancy rates will fall and fewer bears will survive fasting during longer ice-free seasons.

These changes will happen suddenly as bears pass a 'tipping point'.

Details of the research are published in the journal Biological Conservation.

Educated guesses

Until now, most studies measuring polar bear survival have relied on a method called "mark and recapture".

This involves repeatedly catching polar bears in a population over several years, which is cost and time-intensive.

Because of that, the information scientists have gathered on polar bear populations varies greatly: for example, datasets span up to four decades in the best studied populations in Western Hudson Bay and Southern Beaufort Sea, but are almost non-existent for bears in some parts of Russia.

Even more difficult is measuring how survival and reproduction might change under future climatic conditions.

"Some populations are expected to go extinct with climate warming, while others are expected to persist, albeit at a reduced population size," says Dr Peter Molnar of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

However, these projections are essentially educated guesses, based on experts judging or extrapolating how current population trends might continue as the climate changes.

"So we've looked at the underlying mechanisms of polar bear ecology to assist our understanding of what will happen in a warming world," Dr Molnar told the BBC.

Fasting and mating

Dr Molnar, Professor Andrew Derocher and colleagues from the University of Alberta and York University, Toronto focused on the physiology, behaviour and ecology of polar bears, and how these might change as temperatures increase.

"We developed a model for the mating ecology of polar bears. The model estimates how many females in a population will be able to find a mate during the mating season, and thus get impregnated."

Male polar bears find females by wandering the ice, sniffing bear tracks they come across. If the tracks have been made by a female in mating condition, the male follows the tracks to her.

The researchers modelled how this behaviour would change as warming temperatures fragment sea ice.

They also modelled the impact on the bears' survival.

Southern populations of polar bears fast in summer, forced ashore as the sea ice melts.

As these ice-free seasons lengthen, fewer bears are expected to have enough fat and protein stores to survive the fast.

By developing a physiological model that estimates how fast a bear uses up its fat and protein stores, the researchers could estimate how long it takes a bear to die of starvation.

"In both cases, the expected changes in reproduction and survival were non-linear," explains Dr Molnar.

"That is, as the climate warms, we may not see any substantial effect on polar bear reproduction and survival for a while, up until some threshold is passed, at which point reproduction and survival will decline dramatically and very rapidly."

The US Endangered Species Act lists the polar bear as "Threatened".

The latest US assessment of the conservation status of polar bears included the only two previous studies to assess the impact of climate change, but these extrapolated population trends, rather than directly modelling how the ecology of polar bears may alter.

The new study by Dr Molnar's team offers a way to improve these predictions, and suggests the potential for even faster declines than those found by the US assessment.

"Canada has about two-thirds of the world's polar bears, but their conservation assessment of polar bears didn't take climate change seriously," says Dr Molnar, a flaw noted by the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group last year.

"Our view is that the Canadian assessment should be redone, properly accounting for climate change effects.

"The status of polar bears is likely much more dire than suggested by the Canadian report," he adds.

"For instance, for a while we will only see small changes in summer fasting season survival in Western Hudson Bay.

"[But] eventually mortality will dramatically increase when a certain threshold is passed; for example, while starvation mortality is currently negligible, up to one-half of the male population would starve if the fasting season in Western Hudson Bay was extended from currently four to about six months."

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Whales and dolphins - 'resource' or 'right'?

Margi Prideaux BBC Green Room 25 May 10;

New research is showing that whales and dolphins possess intelligence and culture more complex that we had previously assumed, says Margi Prideaux. And, she argues, this raises anew the question of how we should relate to them - including whether it is ever right to hunt them.

Despite long held preconceptions of human pre-eminence, scientists are discovering sophisticated intelligence beyond the boundaries of our own species.

It may surprise us, but dolphins and whales have such qualities.

Is it possible that 2010 could be remembered as the year when we faced our insecurities and embraced other highly evolved species, with all the responsibility that entails?

This year, which is set to be an eventful one, started with a physical clash between whalers and activists in the Southern Ocean.

Perhaps our unfulfilled anticipation of action on climate change late last year made us reach for progress somewhere else - namely biodiversity.

The confrontation between whalers and campaigners sparked a global debate about how we regard other species on the planet.

In this case, it was asked whether whales and dolphins exist as a resource for humans, or whether they have an inherent right to their life, their liberty and their home.

Meeting of minds

In February, the 2010 Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) addressed the unprecedented subject of "intelligence in dolphins: ethical and policy implications".

A panel of three well-regarded academics discussed whether the emerging scientific knowledge about the cultural and cognitive processes of whales and dolphins should influence international policy decisions and ethical considerations for their treatment.

Their conclusions were that yes, it should.

Within days of the AAAS conference, a veteran animal trainer in the US drowned when a male orca dragged her underwater.

Surprisingly, there was not a media or public outcry against the whale itself.

Instead, attention was focused on the appropriateness of keeping this mighty, complex and intelligent species captive for human entertainment.

In March, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) met to discuss the details of a "deal" about the future of whaling activities.

The global discussion then erupted into sharp debate, with some favouring a return to whaling, and others saying such a precedent should never again be set.

Governments in both camps suddenly found themselves under significant pressure from their constituencies, and the political dance for positions began.

At the same time, The Cove - a documentary investigating the annual slaughter of more than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises around Japan - unexpectedly received the Academy Award for Best Documentary 2010, mainstreaming another example of our need to confront our relationship with these species.

By the end of March, a Los Angeles restaurant was closing its doors as a self-imposed penalty for serving whalemeat.

In late April, an unprecedented US Congressional oversight hearing was held to review the education and conservation value of keeping marine mammals in captivity.

The hearing came about through a convergence of important events, including the orca incident, public uproar about the link between the dolphin drive hunts in Japan and the international zoo and aquaria industry, and a timely regulatory review process.

April also marked the second major oil spill in six months seriously to threaten habitats of whale and dolphin populations in different parts of the world.

Setting the agenda

With four eventful months behind us, we now look towards the IWC meeting in June where governments will formally consider the proposal that could usher in the return to whaling.

This meeting will, in some ways, conclude the six-month conversation and set the tone for our relationship with these animals for decades to come.

Will our consideration of whales and dolphins be based on numerical calculations of abundance, or will we recognise them as highly evolved mammals living in complex societies?

The fact that discussion is even taking place indicates we are on the road towards a position of respect.

Many whale and dolphin researchers now agree that they are studying sophisticated, evolved intelligences, born of a differently constructed sense of self; without necessarily needing to be an "intellect" directly comparable to ours.

We now understand that dolphins and whales, in various different ways, have distinct personalities and identities; that they can think about the future, and have the innate ability to learn language.

Much of whale and dolphin behaviour is cultural, learned and passed down through generations.

They have complex decision-making and communications structures, and an independent evolution of social learning and cultural transmission appropriate to the radically different environment they live in.

Decision time

Blinded by the limits of our own imagination, historically we have found it difficult to envisage another entity with capabilities that rival our own.

It has been our own insecurity that impedes our recognition of the impact of our actions on animals that society could otherwise regard as having moral significance.

In so many ways, they are as complex as we are.

Acknowledging that at least some animals are "beyond use" brings forward implications spanning philosophy, law, science and policy.

However, the evidence suggests that a challenge to the status quo is the next logical step.

No-one is suggesting that whales and dolphins be granted a right to vote, to hold a driver's licence, or to receive a free and fair education.

But in this short half-year we have had enough examples posed to evoke a deep and thoughtful global conversation about our collective moral compasses.

Perhaps it is time for us to decide that we believe whales and dolphins do have a right to their lives, their liberty and the protection of their home and family.

Or will we return to a world that accepts whaling? Will whales and dolphins, like the orca in the US marine park, continue to circle pools for our entertainment?

The choice is ours to make.

Margi Prideaux is strategic policy director for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) International

The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental issues running weekly on the BBC News website

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Researchers calculate the greenhouse gas value of ecosystems

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign EurekAlert 26 May 10;

CHAMPAIGN, lll. — Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new, more accurate method of calculating the change in greenhouse gas emissions that results from changes in land use.

The new approach, described in the journal Global Change Biology, takes into account many factors not included in previous methods, the researchers report.

There is an urgent need to accurately assess whether particular land-use projects will increase or decrease greenhouse gas emissions, said Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, a postdoctoral researcher in the Energy Biosciences Institute at Illinois and lead author of the new study. The greenhouse gas value (GHGV) of a particular site depends on qualities such as the number and size of plants; the ecosystem's ability to take up or release greenhouse gases over time; and its vulnerability to natural disturbances, such as fire or hurricane damage, she said.

Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. The most problematic greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2); methane (CH4), which is about 25 times more effective than CO2 at trapping heat but persists in the atmosphere for much less time; and nitrous oxide (N2O), an undesirable byproduct of crop fertilization.

The new approach accounts for emissions of each of these gases, expressing their net climatic effect in "carbon-dioxide equivalents," a common currency in the carbon-trading market. This allows scientists to compare the long-term effects of clearing a forest, for example, to the costs of other greenhouse gas emissions, such as those that result from burning fossil fuels for transportation, electricity, heat or the production of biofuels.

At first glance, biofuels appear carbon-neutral because the plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store the carbon in their tissues as they grow, said plant biology and Energy Biosciences Institute professor Evan DeLucia, who co-wrote the paper. That carbon is released when the plants are used as fuels. These emissions are balanced by the uptake of CO2, so – in theory, at least – no new carbon is added to the atmosphere, he said.

But the full impact of a new biofuel crop should account for all of the greenhouse gases absorbed and released in the process of introducing new crops, he said.

Researchers and policymakers are already in the habit of conducting "life-cycle" analyses of biofuel crops, taking into account many of the greenhouse gas effects of growing the crops and producing the fuel, such as the combustion of fuel in farm equipment, emissions from the processing plant, and emissions from associated land-use changes.

But current methods of estimating the greenhouse gas value of ecosystems – whether for biofuels life-cycle analyses or other purposes – often get it wrong, Anderson-Teixeira said. When considering the cost of replacing a tropical forest with cropland, for example, some may look only at the amount of carbon stored in the trees as a measure of a forest's GHGV.

"What some analyses miss is the potential for that forest to take up more carbon in the future," she said. "And they're missing the greenhouse gas costs – the added emissions that result from intensively managing the land – that are associated with that new cropland."

Current approaches also routinely fail to consider the timing of greenhouse gas releases, DeLucia said.

"If you cut down a forest, all that carbon doesn't go up into the atmosphere instantly," he said. "Some of it is released immediately, but the organic matter in roots and soils decays more slowly. How we deal with the timing of those emissions influences how we perceive an ecosystem's value."

Using the new method, the researchers calculated the GHGV of a variety of ecosystem types, including mature and "re-growing" tropical, temperate and boreal forests; tropical and temperate pastures and cropland; wetlands; tropical savannas; temperate shrublands and grasslands; tundra; and deserts.

"In general, unmanaged ecosystems – those that we are leaving alone, such as a virgin forest or an abandoned farm where trees are re-growing – are going to have positive greenhouse gas values," Anderson-Teixeira said. Managed ecosystems such as croplands or pastures generally have low or negative greenhouse gas values, she said. (See chart.)

The calculations would of course vary as a result of local conditions, the researchers said, and the GHGV does not account for the other services a particular ecosystem might provide, such as flood control, improved air and water quality, food production or protection of biodiversity.

"To understand the place of nature these days, we've got to put a value on it," DeLucia said. "It's got to compete with all the other values that we put out there. This is by far the most comprehensive way to value an ecosystem in the context of greenhouse gases."

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The Energy Biosciences Institute, focused on the development of next-generation biofuels as well as various applications of biology to the energy sector, is a collaboration among the U. of I., the University of California at Berkeley, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and BP, which is supporting the institute with a 10-year, $500-million grant. The EBI has facilities at several locations, including the U. of I. Institute for Genomic Biology.

Editor's note: To contact Evan DeLucia, call 217- 333-6177; e-mail delucia@illinois.edu. To reach, Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, e-mail kateixei@illinois.edu. The paper, "The Greenhouse Gas Value of Ecosystems," is available online.

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Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran top world disaster risk rankings

Yahoo News 26 May 10;

PARIS (AFP) – Bangladesh, Indonesia and Iran are the countries that are the most vulnerable to natural disasters, according to a study released on Thursday.

Asia's twin giants, China and India, join them in the 15 countries that, out of 229, are rated as "extreme" risk.

The Natural Disasters Risk Index (NDRI) is compiled by a British risk advisory firm, Maplecroft, on the basis of disasters that occurred from 1980 to 2010.

It draws on a basket of indicators, including the number and frequency of these events, the total deaths that were caused and the death toll as a proportion of the country's population.

Disasters include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, storms, flooding, drought, landslides, heatwaves and epidemics.

"Poverty is an important factor in countries where both the frequency and impacts of natural disasters are severe," said Maplecroft's environmental analyst, Anna Moss.

"Poor infrastructure, plus dense overcrowding in high-risk areas like flood plains, river banks, steep slopes and reclaimed land, continually result in high casualty figures."

According to the NDRI's figures, Bangladesh has suffered more than 191,000 fatalities as a result of natural disasters in the past 30 years, and Indonesia a nearly equal number, the vast majority of which were inflicted by the December 2004 tsunami.

In Iran, the big vulnerability factor is earthquakes, which claimed 74,000 lives over this period.

India, ranked 11th, lost 141,000 lives -- including 50,000 to earthquakes, 40,000 to floods, 15,000 to epidemics and 23,000 to storms -- while the tally in China, rated 12th, was 148,000 lives, of which 87,000 were lost in the 2008 Sichuan quake.

Three G8 countries are considered "high risk," the next category down from "extreme."

They are France (17th in the overall rankings) and Italy (18th), which were hit by killer heatwaves in 2003 and 2006, and the United States (37th), whacked by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The countries least at risk are Andorra, Bahrain, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Qatar, San Marino and the United Arab Emirates.

Moss pointed to experts' warnings of the impact of climate change on rainfall. Disruption of weather patterns is predicted to lead to more frequent and bigger episodes of drought and flood.

"Our research highlights the need for even the wealthiest countries to focus on disaster risk reduction," she said.

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Extreme droughts in the UK to be 'more common'

Michael McCarthy, The Independent 27 May 10;

Britain is heading for water shortages and crop failures as extreme droughts like that of 1976 become more frequent, experts have warned.

A Met Office study on how climate change could affect the frequency of extreme droughts in the UK has found they will become more common by 2100, and to put the droughts in context, conditions seen in 1976 were used as a benchmark – one of the worst droughts on record.

The Met Office climate model was used to run a number of simulations and in the worst case scenarios, extreme droughts could happen once every decade – making them about 10 times more frequent than today.

Eleanor Burke, climate extremes scientist with the Met Office, said understanding how droughts will affect the UK in the future is vital for plans to adapt to climate change.

She said: "Severe droughts such as the one seen in 1976 have a big impact – causing water shortages, health risks, fire hazards, crop failure and subsidence. Understanding how the frequency of these events will change is therefore very important to planning for the future."

Further research will be aimed at assessing how likely each of the climate model's results is, to give better guidance for people to plan for the consequences of climate change.

While it culminated in the summer of 1976, the drought was actually an 18-month period of below average rainfall starting in May 1975. Only half the normal rainfall fell between June and August in 1976.

Temperatures were 4C above average between June and August across much of southern England, and the bone dry conditions proved a major hazard, with fires breaking out daily. In Surrey, the fire service answered 11,000 calls in five months.

An estimated £500m was lost through crop failure. Dry ground resulted in a surge in subsidence claims on property, with costs amounting to around £60m. A Drought Act was passed and there was widespread water rationing – some rivers, such as the Don and Sheaf in Sheffield, almost dried up.

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