Clean up on the oily 'orphaned' Tanah Merah shore
from wild shores of singapore and wonderful creations
Recce for Changi and Tanah Merah on 22 May
from News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore
Ochraceous Bulbul bathing
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Raffles Museum Treasures: Green tree snail
from Lazy Lizard's Tales
Profiting from nature's portfolio
from BBC NEWS blog by Richard Black
UN News Centre 4 Jun 10;
4 June 2010 – As millions around the globe celebrate World Environment Day, United Nations officials are warning that the incredible variety of life on Earth is in peril and urging everyone to speak out to protect biodiversity.
Rwanda, which is home to over 50 threatened species, is the global host for this year’s celebrations, which will culminate on Saturday with a ceremony at which high-profile figures such as President Paul Kagame and Hollywood actor Don Cheadle will have the honour of naming baby gorillas.
The events in Rwanda are among the thousands that will take place worldwide on 5 June to mark the Day, which this year celebrates the incredible diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, under the theme “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.”
As part of the celebrations, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched an updated report and documentary entitled The Last Stand of the Gorilla. The report warns that unless urgent action is taken to strengthen the enforcement of environmental law and counter poaching, endangered gorillas may largely disappear from the Greater Congo Basin in the next 15 years.
“From frogs to gorillas, from huge plants to tiny insects, thousands of species are in jeopardy,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns in his message for the Day, adding that species are becoming extinct at the fastest rate ever recorded.
He stressed the need to stop this “mass extinction” and raise awareness about the vital importance of the millions of species that inhabits the planet’s soils, forests, oceans, coral reefs and mountains.
“I appeal to everyone – from Kigali to Canberra, from Kuala Lumpur to Quito – to help us sound the alarm. Get involved, speak out. Learn and teach others. Show leadership and help clean up.”
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner noted in his message that the near invisibility in national accounts of biological diversity and of the economically-important services of ecosystems such as forests and freshwaters is short-changing the planet and its people.
“2010 is a year in which this status quo needs to be firmly and decisively challenged in order to halt the loss of species and catalyse a far more intelligent management of the natural world,” he stated.
“This is a central thrust of the Green Economy, an initiative of UNEP and a response to the multiple challenges, but also multiple opportunities at hand. It is gaining resonance and traction across the globe among world leaders, businesses, citizens and the UN system.”
At the UN, Mr. Ban used the occasion of the Day to publicly call on all UN agencies, funds and programmes to become climate neutral and ‘go green.’ A new website has been developed to improve the UN’s communications on its internal sustainability performance.
‘Greening the Blue,’ which was launched on Friday, shows what is happening to make the UN more sustainable and provides advice to staff on how they can contribute. It includes the greenhouse gas inventories of 49 UN organizations, as well as detailed tips and tools for staff in how to reduce their personal carbon footprints.
Other events taking place around the world include tree plantings and beach clean-ups in Africa and environmental film screenings and poetry contests in Europe, as well as the launch of a global campaign to reduce carbon emissions by 10 per cent in a year.
Meanwhile, the Director of the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat, Jan McAlpine, said today that the focus on biodiversity for this year’s celebration of World Environment Day can spur public action to sustain the world’s forests, on which more than 1.6 billion people depend for their livelihoods.
Close to 80 per cent of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity reside in forest habitats, and Ms. McAlpine noted that global recognition on the role of forests is growing. “There is greater awareness of the benefits forests provide in stabilizing climate change, protecting biodiversity and in the livelihoods of billions.”
Torres News Online 5 Jun 10;
Coral bleaching which has severely affected significant amouts of coral in the Torres Strait has been attributed to a combination of warmer than normal sea temperatures and low tides levels, according to a report from the TSRA Land and Sea Managament Unit.
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Reef Studies report, compiled by Andrew Baird (JCU) and Vic McGarth (TSRA), finds most-sensitive species, such as the soft corals and staghorn, will die within the next three to four weeks.
Most-affected colonies of the less-sensitive species will survive, although many will experience partial mortality.
Some of the coral from Thursday Island, Hammond Island and Entrance Island. Photos courtesy of Andrew Baird.
Overall, particularly in areas such as soft corals and Acropora, there will be a significant loss of coral cover and, over time, fish and other species that rely on these species and the structure they provide will be expected to decline in abundance.
Recovery to similar level of cover in these areas, in the absence or further disturbance, is likely to take between five to 10 years.
The earliest evidence of bleaching was from Hammond Island on March 14. This was followed by reports of “a phenomena of a white and yellow discolouration appearing in large areas of soft coral around the Prince of Wales, Thursday and Horn Islands”.
Field surveys were conducted at two sites on Thursday Island - Hospital Point and Quarantine Beach; underwater surveys were conducted at Entrance Island; and aerial survey of the reefs around Thursday Island.
The report says coral bleaching is a stress response that can be triggered by many factors, including high temperature, sunlight (in particular UV radiation) and low salinity or a combination of these factors.
A preliminary examination of predicted tidal heights and satellite records of sea surface temperatures (SST) in the area suggest that both may have been involved in triggering the event.
A long period of calm hot weather in February which also may have contributed to this heating
In addition to this heat stress, low tides in early March occurred in the mid-afternoon potentially exposing corals to high UV.
The report says that, in addition, there were many anecdotal reports of tides being exceptionally low during the middle of the day on some occasions in February and/or March. Low salinity does not appear to have been a factor, because average rainfall over the past few months has been lower than usual.
The most likely cause of the bleaching was higher than normal sea surface temperatures through February and March combined with low tides.
WWF 5 Jun 10;
Shanghai, China: With new research showing that the overall position of the world’s estuaries and deltas is starting to improve, WWF today announced the formation of a World Estuaries Alliance (WEA) to further advance and protect one of the most vital of ecosystems.
“Where the rivers meet the sea has always been one of the most important of habitats for humanity, but we have done enormous damage to the vibrant life in estuaries,” said WWF International Director General James Leape in his World Environment Day announcement of the WEA in Shanghai, China.
“Now, the tide is coming in again. In many estuaries and deltas, species abundance is going up and pollution is going down. Where we have curbed our instincts to clear natural features for development or navigation, fisheries are returning.
“But some estuaries, particularly in the tropics, are not experiencing the same improvements, and the growing impacts of climate change are threatening to undo some of our progress. We need to work together to advance the best thinking in sustainable estuary development and protection.”
According to recently published historical reconstructions, species abundance in 12 temperate estuaries had declined to 25 to 45 per cent of pre-industrial levels by 2000, largely due to human interventions in river systems and estuaries.
Mr Leape today released research commissioned from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) showing that global estuarine species abundance increased by 16 per cent over the 25 years to 2005, with bird species more than doubling and fish populations stable.
The research looked at the abundance of around 500 estuarine species in 110 estuary and delta systems around the world and will support an estuarine health index being included for the first time in the 2010 WWF Living Planet Report, to be released in October.
However, the overall good news masks severe issues in tropical estuaries, with a 43 per cent decline in overall abundance and a 74 per cent decline to 2002 in tropical estuary fish species numbers.
Areas of concern are the construction and use of river and marine infrastructure, with only a small proportion of major world rivers running free. Dams stand in the way of fish and other species migrations and disturb sediment flow patterns to estuaries. There is more difficulty in the maintenance of vital natural systems in estuaries with high populations, particularly where incomes are also low.
WWF will be taking a range of recommendations to the inaugural World Estuaries Alliance conference, starting tomorrow in Shanghai. They include stronger environmental regulation to protect estuarine ecosystems and closer cooperation between engineers and ecologists for the planning and operation of infrastructure in rivers and marine areas adjacent to their mouths.
Better understanding is also needed on the mechanics of estuarine decline and recovery and on the benefits of functioning estuarine systems and biodiversity to human well-being.
Download from the WWF website
... but while Government agencies are more welcoming of activists, the public could take more ownership of green issues, say NGOs, conservationists
Venessa Lee Today Online 5 Jun 10;
HE REMEMBERS it as a suspenseful time, marked by a feeling of dread. Unknown to him then, green activist Dr Ho Hua Chew was about to write a chapter of Singapore history.
In 1988, the Government accepted the proposal by the Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS) - then known as the Singapore branch of the Malayan Nature Society - to preserve Sungei Buloh as a bird sanctuary. It was Singapore's first allocation of land for a nature reserve since independence in 1965.
"When we submitted the Sungei Buloh proposal, there was a great deal of trepidation as to the consequences. We were left on tenterhooks as to the decision for a long while. The positive response came as a big surprise - and relief!" said Dr Ho, then chairman of the NSS' conservation committee.
Interactions between the Government and green NGOs have a comparatively long history, one marked by occasional tension and mutual respect. Conservation activists say this working relationship has evolved over the years into a closer partnership characterised by greater openness.
The NSS, for one, has been involved in several high-profile conservation efforts. In 1992, uncommon waterfowl were found to have settled in two ponds and surrounding wetlands at Marina South.
NSS requested the area be turned into a sanctuary, an appeal rejected by the authorities who cited the need to fill the ponds and marshes to rid them of mosquito infestation. The birds were resettled at Sungei Buloh.
That same year, the society influenced the Government's decision to shelve a proposal by the PUB to allow a golf course to be built in the Lower Peirce Reservoir area. Among other things, NSS had submitted an impact assessment report, Dr Ho recalled.
Over the decades, he noted, there has been more interaction between Government bodies and NGOs. "This wasn't the case in the '80s and even the '90s. (Regarding) the Lower Peirce struggle, things were very tense at the time."
These days, "I feel less tension in the air when dealing with the Government authorities on green issues. They appear to be more willing to listen and get your feedback," said Dr Ho, now a vice-chairman at NSS.
NGOS AT THE CONTROLS
Representatives of NGOs such as NSS and the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) are among those now working with the National Parks Board (NParks) in developing a new Master Plan for the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, "from concept to design to implementation", said Mr Wong Tuan Wah, NParks' director of conservation.
Close collaboration can sometimes result in the NGO taking full control of green projects, said Mr Howard Shaw, the SEC's executive director. "I think that initially, from the Government's standpoint, it was: 'We'll work on projects in collaboration and we'll partially fund you.' Over time, the Government is taking a step back, to say: 'You take ownership'," he said.
For instance, the SEC now administers the Singapore Green Label launched by what was then the Ministry of the Environment in 1992. "It was transferred to our care in 1999. I think it's a sign that the Government wants NGOs to take on a bigger role," said Mr Shaw.
This can translate to NGO involvement in high-level projects. "The level of engagement is huge these days. If you talk about the National Climate Change Committee, we were involved in that", as well as other national projects, said Mr Shaw.
THE CHEK JAWA CATALYST
The number of green groups here has also mushroomed over time. "A lot of these are volunteer-based and very youth-orientated and youth-driven, and that's an encouraging sign," Mr Shaw noted, citing groups such as Eco Singapore.
These burgeoning numbers, conservationist N Sivasothi believes, are the result of the public outpouring of support that helped save Pulau Ubin's Chek Jawa from reclamation in 2001.
"The thing that has changed after Chek Jawa is that you have many more environmental groups. I think it was an awakening for many people," said Mr Sivasothi, who blogs on green issues as "Otterman", and was one of the first to raise awareness about Chek Jawa's biodiversity.
The increased conservation buzz, while encouraging, could bode future problems, said Dr Shawn Lum, current NSS president.
"During this period when many groups - NGOs, government agencies, schools and tertiary institutions - are involved in nature-related activities, there is a greater overlap in activities than ever before. This has amazing potential because collectively, NGOs working with each other and with government agencies can accomplish so much more than the sum of our individual efforts.
"However, if we don't communicate and if there is a lack of trust, we could find ourselves duplicating each others' work and worse, competing for projects and funding."
UNTAPPED GRASSROOTS?
While interactions between the authorities and conservation groups have increased, another key vector has to be considered.
"In 2004, PUB decided we wanted to take a 3P approach towards water management" - where the Ps stand for the public, private and people sectors, said Mr Yap Kheng Guan, director of PUB's 3P network. "Everyone in Singapore plays a part."
But activists interviewed expressed concern that the wider public was not taking greater ownership of green issues that affect all. Said Mr Sivasothi, a lecturer at the National University of Singapore's Department of Biological Sciences: "People may not realise how easy it is to craft an argument about an issue, or to write directly to a civil servant or even a minister."
Mr Louis Ng, director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), thinks "we give too little credit to the Government when it comes to accepting feedback, making changes and forming partnerships with the civil society".
Member of Parliament Cynthia Phua, who is part of the Government Parliamentary Committee for National Development and the Environment, suggested a way for activists to get more ordinary Singaporeans involved.
NGOs, which tend to "work more broadly with the authorities or national agencies", should come down to the grassroots level and work with constituency groups like the Citizens' Consultative Committees), she said.
And more ordinary citizens would get involved, she believes, judging from the interest in her own constituency.
"Increasingly, people are excited about recycling. If they don't have recycling bins, they will ask me for them. And if recycling bins are misused, they will also tell me," she said.
A chat with Howard Shaw, executive director of the S'pore Environment Council
Venessa Lee Today Online 5 Jun 10;
How much do Singaporeans care about saving the Earth, judging from their actions?
You can't generalise but there is a growing fraternity of the converted, the Prius-drivers and the reusable-bag users. This is mainly the English-speaking, highly-educated group, which has been expanding since the early 1990s.
Also, among the young, there's a huge increase in awareness and understanding, even at Primary level. In my daughter's school, every class has an Eco Monitor, someone in charge of doing the recycling.
When I first entered the field in 1996, there were about 20 green groups, or green clubs, in schools. About 15 years down the road, there are slightly more than 200 green clubs, a 10-fold increase.
There's hearts and there's minds. The knowledge is there; it's pervasive - knowledge of environmental issues, climate issues, resource issues.
It's part of the National Education curriculum and the press and various community organisations have played a role as well.
The issue is really the hearts. How many of them are actually doing something about it, pursuing a greener lifestyle? That's the challenge, really. It is on the increase, but at a rate that really needs to be spurred on a bit.
Is the Government leading in terms of green initiatives, and are Singaporeans biting?
I think there has always been an emphasis on the environment. The Garden City is a good example of that, as is the cleaning up of our waterways and the Singapore River.
So the Government has led in this way. They have also adopted certain green procurement policies for the public sector.
One good example is green buildings ... (eventually) Government buildings need to achieve the Green Mark standard.
What about the response to the Government's lead in conservation issues?
If you talk about businesses, I think the MNC (multi-national corporation) community in Singapore has always been a leading sector. A lot of their basic operating policies are governed by their HQs.
In the early days in the mid-1990s, for instance, a big MNC with environmental management standards would come to Singapore and source for suppliers and impose those standards on their suppliers as well.
Property companies are another very good example. Leaders like CDL (City Developments) had the vast majority of green buildings in Singapore, it still has the majority of Green Mark buildings. And people like CapitaLand and Keppel Land are following suit.
When you have anchor tenants like big banks coming to Singapore, they think, where am I going to set up office? The green building has become part of their criteria. They don't want to operate in an energy-thirsty building.
You mentioned MNCs and highly-educated, English-speaking types. What about small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and heartlanders?
I think that is the challenge because that constitutes the majority. We have approached many an SME and the perception is that in going green, the benefits do not outweigh the costs. They say: "Why are you trying to tie more lead weights to my feet? I'm just trying to keep my head above water here."
How would you persuade them otherwise?
I think that it's a matter of implementation, as well as the scale of implementation of green initiatives. They can start with the simple things and often these are things that would actually reduce your operating costs.
We have a green office programme ... it's a checklist of how you can basically save energy, materials, stationery and all that in the administrative environment. It actually suits companies of all sizes. It's a great starting point for SMEs and they get the accreditation of being an eco office.
Do you think a big push on the part of the Government would work?
I think we do this year after year (laughs). It's called Clean and Green Singapore and it's in the month of November. It used to be known as Clean and Green Week.
I don't know of any other country, where, led by the ministry (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources) and National Environment Agency (NEA), they've dedicated one month to environmental promotion and activities to educate the public.
And it's totally a Government-created campaign. It was led by the Government, the public sector ... but it reaches out to the other two sectors, the people and the private sector that now are involved. The 3P model, they call it, which has worked well.
What is the role of NGOs in this?
NGOs very much represent the interests of the people. We were initially set up to create a kind of groundswell in the environmental movement.
One of the side effects of the Government being effective in their job is that we citizens became environmentally pampered.
I don't know of one other country in Asean where you can just drink out of a tap.
Or your garbage, for example. For 90 per cent of the population, it's thrown down the chute and it's handled ... it's out of sight, out of mind.
So we become a bit of a nanny state and we have "nanny" mentality, that nanny will do everything for us. And nanny is of course the Government (laughs).
As a result of that ... people aren't actually taking responsibility for the environment. When I say "people", I mean, the man on the street. A lot of public strategy policy documents, for example, are put online for public comment - but the feedback is often at a very low level.
The NGOs' role is to facilitate the "bottom-up", as opposed to "top-down", movement and also to facilitate and coordinate bigger things, working with the other two Ps - the private and public sectors.
The SEC was restructured from the National Council on the Environment (NCE). Do you think that it's ironic that your origins hark back to the Government?
Government Initiated NGOs, we call them GINGOs (laughs). Someone had to start it. SEC has grown ... we are 100-per-cent independent, although we also work in collaboration with the Government.
SEC was borne out of a Government-initiated society, the NCE, to an independent Institution of Public Character.
But the benefits of the early-day initiation were a credible organisational structure and good alignment with the interests of Singapore towards being a sustainable city-state.
We still have Government representation in an advisory role on our board but that's important, we need to stay aligned.
How do you do your part in being green?
I hate throwing things away, I'm guilty of hoarding and clutter until I find some way to recycle my stuff.
We live in a house, with three generations living under one roof ... energy is a big issue, the use of more natural ventilation, minimising the use of air con.
The writer is a correspondent at Today.
Sharon See Channel NewsAsia 5 Jun 10;
SINGAPORE : "If we save our planet, we save ourselves." - this is the tagline of MediaCorp's fourth Saving Gaia campaign on World Environment Day, which is on June 5.
What started as a documentary series on Channel NewsAsia has grown into a month-long multi-platform campaign on environmental awareness and going green.
For the next three weeks, MediaCorp's television, radio, print and online platforms will air programmes and tips on how everyone can do their part for the environment.
On World Environment Day, the logos and mastheads of MediaCorp's platforms will adopt a green hue.
The search is also on for Singapore's most Gaia-friendly person at the Gaia Life Challenge on June 26 and 27.
Contestants will live in a perspex home for 24 hours and be tested on their Gaia knowledge.
The public can also take part in the Gaia pledge at Bugis Junction.
Viewers can watch out for the following "Saving Gaia" programmes:
· Channel NewsAsia
The Saving Gaia documentary series returns for its fourth season. Viewers will also get their daily dose of green tips from experts on Primetime Morning as well as through the day.
· Channel 5 and 8
MediaCorp artistes will encourage Singaporeans to do their part through a series of green interstitials on easy-to-do recycling, energy and water saving practices.
· okto
Viewers of okto can look forward to Home, a film by famed aerial photographer, journalist and environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand, produced by Luc Besson.
· Radio
All of MediaCorp's radio stations will broadcast their own green tips, facts and contests to get listeners on the green bandwagon. The stations are English language 938LIVE, 987FM, Class 95FM, Gold 90.5FM, Lush 99.5FM, and Symphony 92.4FM; Chinese language Capital 95.8FM, Love 97.2FM and Y.E.S. 93.3FM; Malay language Ria 89.7FM and Warna 94.2FM and Tamil language Oli 96.8FM.
Capital 95.8FM will take the recycling message further with their e-waste recycling event, while Gold 90.5FM takes their listeners on a Green Tour at Gardenasia. Fathers and their kids get in on the action too at the Oli 96.8FM-North West CDC Beach Cleaning cum Family Day.
· TODAY
TODAY will publish a series of environmentally-themed news stories.
· Manja
Manja will share with its readers handy conservation ideas at home.
· Mother & Baby
Mother & Baby helps mums find out if they are eco-friendly in a quiz, and dispenses helpful reduce, recycle and recycle tips.
· xinmsn
Entertainment website xinmsn will carry interviews of celebrities going green.
For more information on the contest, visit http://www.savinggaia.sg/
- CNA/al
Antara 4 Jun 10;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government will not allow development of oil palm plantations on peat land in an effort to increase palm oil production, Agriculture Minister Suswono said here on Friday.
He said the government would focus on increasing the productivity of current plantations rather than conducting expansions.
The agriculture minister said the government had so far produced licenses for the development of 9.8 million hectares of oil palm plantations in the country but so far only 7.9 million hectares had been realized and so 1.9 million hectares more still have yet to be developed.
"No further development of oil palm plantations however will be allowed on peat land or primary forests," he said.
In view of that, he said the planned moratorium of oil palm plantation development in 2011-2013 would not disrupt national crude palm oil production.
The minister said the ban on oil palm plantation development on peat land was effective only for new license holders while those that have held the license before the issuance of the ban could still implement development but must follow the regulation on peat land oil palm plantation development.
Based on the regulation oil palm plantation development could only be carried on less than three meter thick peat lands.
The minister said the productivity of oil palm plantations right now is only 2.5 tons per hectare which is still below that of Malaysia which reaches 4 tons per hectare.
He said if productivity could be increased to equal that of Malaysia national crude palm oil production could increase twice higher than now.
With total oil palm plantations now recorded at 7.3 million hectares Indonesia could produce 21.5 million tons of palm oil. In 2020 the country expects to increase production to 40 million tons.
The minister said the most important thing to do now is finding new markets so that Indonesia would not depend too much on Europe.
He said he planned to go to Helsinki on June 14-15 to conduct positive campaign on palm oil industry in the country.
On June 11-13 he would meanwhile visit Saudi Arabia to among others witness the signing of a cooperation agreement between Savola Group of Saudi and PT Smart of Indonesia.
"Savola plans to import 600,000 tons of palm oil a year from PT Smart," he said.
(H-YH/HAJM/S012/P003)
Indonesia to apply sustainable CPO standards
Antara 5 Jun 10;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government will soon apply Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) standards nationwide to sharpen the competitive edge of the commodity in the international market, an official said.
"I have heard ISPO will be made mandatory. So far, RSPO (Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil) has been applied voluntarily," Deputy Trade Minister Mahendra Siregar said here on Friday.
He said the agriculture minister had completed the initial draft of ISPO. The draft had been distributed among various parties for inputs.
"I hope the process will go on so that the ISPO can be issued in the not too distant future," he said.
For the time being, the government would only encourage palm oil producers to abide by the RSPO, he said.
He said the government and domestic palm oil producers had agreed that the issue of environment and good agricultural practices were something unbargainable.
"We have all agreed on the matter. I am optimistic we can continue to develop palm oil for exports in view of its great production potentials," he said.
The issue of sustainable CPO has turned into controversy since the European Union planned to introduce renewable energy directives.
The EU policy gives preference to imported goods produced by means of environmentally-friendly processes and penalties on those produced by polluting the environment.(*)
Kamrul Hasan Khan Yahoo News 4 Jun 10;
ANDHARUPARA, Bangladesh (AFP) – The wild Asian elephant wrapped its trunk around Parul Chambu Gong's husband and dragged him, kicking and screaming, into the forest.
His badly damaged corpse was recovered some hours later, and the father-of-five joined the list of an increasing number of Bangladeshis killed by wild elephants each year.
"The elephant was so big that I didn't dare get close to it -- it dragged him away in front of my eyes into the forest. He was yelling," 40-year-old Parul said at her house in Andharupara village in northern Sherpur district.
"They damage paddy fields, fruit trees, eat crops, destroy houses and wreak havoc," said Parul, whose husband had been part of a patrol to protect villagers' crops when he died in 2006.
The village, which borders the Indian state of Meghalaya, lies in a major wild elephant migration corridor.
Bangladesh is home to only an estimated 227 wild Asian elephants, but up to 100 more migrate through the country each year, mostly through the north and northeast, according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
As more people in Bangladesh, one of the world's most densely populated nations, settle in the elephant corridor areas, they are more likely to be attacked by confused, angry pachyderms.
There are now hundreds of villages along the densely-forested Indian border and residents of the area say they frequently have to drive away herds of wild elephants that come to raid their paddy fields and fruit trees.
During harvesting season, the villagers form night patrols and use kerosene torches, firecrackers and drums to drive the elephants away, but these efforts are becoming increasingly futile.
Tribal leader Luise Neng Minja said the elephants, which shelter in the forest during the day and come down to villages at night, used to flee but now they are no longer so scared.
"I've seen an elephant snatch a torch from a man with its trunk while we were driving away a herd, and throw the flame on a house setting it on fire," said Luise, 51.
Professor Anwarul Islam, head of Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh (WTB), said it was no surprise the villagers' tactics were failing.
"You cannot imagine how intelligent the elephants are, they are quick to learn human strategies and they find tricks to avoid them," he said.
"They are hungry, so they defy villagers' defenses and attack to eat crops and fruits," he added.
According to a 2004 IUCN study, the most recent data available, 39 people were killed in the study year of 2001-2002, while seven elephants were killed by people in the same period.
Officials say the direct financial losses caused by elephants are estimated at 30 million taka (500,000 dollars) annually, with this figure rising every year.
Wildlife expert and lead author of the 2004 IUCN study, Mohsinuzzaman Chowdhury, said elephants in Bangladesh are reacting naturally to a shortage of suitable habitat.
"Fencing on many parts of the India-Bangladesh border has severely disrupted the elephants' movement, leading to an acute food crisis for elephants," he said.
"Finding a solution will be tough," Chowdhury said, suggesting that preventing ongoing deforestation was also essential.
The government of Bangladesh, however, has done little to reduce the rising problem of human-elephant conflict and settlement of elephant corridors continues unabated.
"An awareness campaign to prevent deaths of villagers has started," said the government's top conservation expert Tapan Kumar Dey. "But otherwise we have a lot more to do."
Gavin J. Blair Reuters 4 Jun 10;
TOKYO (Hollywood Reporter) - The first cinema due to show "The Cove" in Japan has bowed to pressure from right-wing protest groups and pulled the documentary from theaters.
A movie theater in Shibuya, central Tokyo, had planned to start showing the Oscar-winning, anti-dolphin-hunting film beginning June 26.
According to Unplugged, the distributor, Theater N, has been inundated with phone complaints. A small but vociferous nationalist group has been protesting at the distributor's office and outside the home of the president of the company.
The film exposes the sale and slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan.
"It's unfortunate that a few extremists scared one of the Tokyo venues from showing 'The Cove,' but I'm confident that the Japanese people will now be even more curious to know what these few people are trying so hard to hide. The extremists themselves are scared of the truth being known because what they are trying to hide cannot survive debate," director Louis Psihoyos said in a statement.
Unplugged says that at this time other cinemas nationwide still plan to show the documentary this summer.
Dolphin hunt film screenings cancelled in Tokyo
Reuters 5 Jun 10;
TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo screenings of "The Cove," an Oscar-winning documentary about a grisly annual dolphin hunt have been canceled over planned protests by conservatives who say the film is anti-Japanese, the distributor said on Saturday.
The film, which picked up an Oscar for best documentary feature this year, follows a group of activists who struggle with Japanese police and fishermen to gain access to a secluded cove in Taiji, southern Japan, where dolphins are hunted.
Directed by former National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos and featuring Ric O'Barry, a former dolphin trainer from the "Flipper" television series, "The Cove" has prompted activists to threaten street demonstrations.
Planned showings of the film at two cinemas in Tokyo this month have been canceled because of fears the protests might inconvenience movie-goers and others, according to Unplugged, the Japan distributor.
Screenings at one Osaka theater have also been called off, but Unplugged is still in negotiations to show the movie at 23 venues around the country this summer, said a spokeswoman for the company, who asked not to be named.
Unplugged has received threatening phone calls and protesters have gathered outside its offices, she said.
"'The Cove' is absolutely not an anti-Japanese film," Takeshi Kato of Unplugged said in a faxed statement. "I believe a deep and constructive debate is needed about the content of the film."
O'Barry, who is set to visit Japan from June 8, said Japanese film-goers should be allowed to see the documentary.
"It's not right that a small minority of extremists could take this right away from them," he said in a statement. "To do so is a clear threat to democracy."
The film was shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival last year, but has yet to be made widely available to the public.
Japan's government says the hunting of dolphins and whales is an important cultural tradition.
New Zealander Pete Bethune is currently on trial in Tokyo for boarding a Japanese vessel in an attempt to stop the annual whale hunt in the Antarctic.
(Writing by Isabel Reynolds; editing by Ron Popeski)
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