Best of our wild blogs: 23 Aug 10

It's all about increasing.... Numbers!
from Psychedelic Nature

Anatomy of a Coppersmith Barbet’s nest
from Bird Ecology Study Group

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ACRES helping errant zoos do better

Singapore animal welfare group is seeking to improve standard of care and treatment in region
Victoria Vaughan & Grace Chua Straits Times 23 Aug 10;

ORANG utans smoking cigarettes, bears riding bicycles and elephants in chains - these are how some animals live in South-east Asia's zoos.

At a zoo in Malaysia, a bear had its feet tied to bicycle pedals to train it to perform in a circus show.

At another Malaysian zoo, a wounded female macaque was kept isolated in a cage barely big enough for it to move. It also had no water or shelter.

Such conditions cause animals to inflict self- harm, such as pulling out their fur and exhibiting unnatural behaviour like repeated swaying or pacing.

Currently, there are no universal guidelines on animal care and cage sizes. It is up to each zoo and country to ensure good standards of care.

One zoo often cited by animal activists for the substandard living conditions of its animals is the state zoo of Surabaya, Indonesia.

According to Mr Budi Mulyanto, a manager at the zoo, just 2 per cent of the 20 billion rupiah (S$3 million) zoo revenue from gate receipts is spent annually on nutrition supplements and food for the animals.

In Cambodia, the government raided Angkor Zoo in 2007 and shut it down because of poor conditions. All the animals were relocated to a rescue centre.

Singapore animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) is working to improve the situation here, in Thailand and Malaysia.

It conducted workshops for governments, zoos and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) overseas in March to help them monitor conditions and improve animal welfare.

Acres executive director Louis Ng is hopeful that the days of bad zoos are numbered: 'Attitudes of governments and communities are changing. A case of a tiger being drugged and used for photo shoots at A'Famosa Zoo in Malaysia sparked protests and a new law passed at the start of this month gives the government greater powers,' he said, referring to the authorities' ability to regulate zoos.

Following the Acres workshop, four NGOs in Malaysia established myZOO to tackle zoo animal welfare issues there.

In Singapore, Acres has raised concerns about the polar bear enclosures at Singapore Zoo over its small size and the heat from the country's tropical environment, despite the bears' polar habitat.

The zoo said a new enclosure is planned for the polar bears - Sheba, 32 and Inuka, 19 - in the upcoming River Safari. It will be six times bigger than the current one and have a larger pool as well.

The zoo, though, stopped short of granting the NGO's request for the polar exhibit to be phased out.

'One reason we keep polar bears is as an insurance in case something happens in the wild. We can't foresee the future, but it doesn't look positive for polar bears,' explained Ms Fanny Lai, chief executive officer of Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), which runs the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park.

The challenges of animal welfare in zoos are numerous - not least because when it comes to international standards for zoos, there are none.

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Waza) comes the closest, with a code of ethics introduced in 2003. Members which do not adhere to it can face suspensions.

However, membership is voluntary and so far, only one zoo, the Giza Zoo in Egypt, has been suspended due to a combination of non-payment of membership fees and inadequate care of animals.

Waza does not police zoos and with only 253 members of an estimated 3,000 zoos and aquariums worldwide, its reach is limited.

Regionally, the South-east Asian Zoos Association, which is based in Indonesia and has 30 members, aims to protect the 'exhibition, conservation and preservation of the earth's fauna in an educational and scientific manner'. But it, too, does not get involved in raising of zoos' standards.

The Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park are members of both.

Acres, based on guidelines from Waza, puts forward the five freedoms for animals in captivity: freedom from hunger and thirst; from thermal and physical discomfort; from injury, disease and pain; from fear and distress; and freedom to express normal behaviours.

As well as adequate care in terms of feeding and enclosures, these freedoms also mean that circus-style shows, petting sessions and photos with wildlife all go against the grain.

'They turn the animals into entertainment to be laughed at, rather than respected,' said Acres director of education Amy Corrigan.

Often, backstage training for shows involves abuse of animals, such as hitting them to get them to carry out activities they would not normally do.

Elephants going up on their hind legs may be an awesome sight, but it is not a natural one - it causes their anal area to swell, which eventually leads to painful and debilitating hernias.

Zoo architect Ratnakumar Duraisingam from HKS Designer & Consultant has built an enclosure for shows that does not involve human interaction and allows animals to exhibit natural behaviours.

'I wanted to prove there is a way to make NGOs happy and that there can be a compromise,' he said. The show has proven to be a crowd-pleaser at the Khao Kheow open zoo in Chonburi, Thailand, which gets an average of 500 visitors a day.

Orang utans used to break-dance as part of a Singapore Zoo show, but it was phased out in 2003.

It is not just the welfare of animals that is of concern, but that of visitors too.

Cages which have too much access to the animals can lead to accidents, such as 2007's leopard attack at Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

'Some zoos in Malaysia have bear-petting sessions, or photo sessions with fully grown male macaques. Such things are accidents waiting to happen,' said Ms Corrigan.

She pointed to a good practice in Thailand's Chiang Mai Zoo, where souvenir photos are taken in front of a green screen and images of animals are superimposed onto the pictures.

But Ms Lai believes that contact with animals creates conservationists. At the Singapore Zoo, you can have breakfast with orang utans and your photo taken with a snake or a small wild cat.

'If you don't understand them, it is difficult to love them or have affection,' she said.

'If you look at renowned conservationists, it's close contact with the animals in a safe environment, in a way that does not demean the animal, which inspired them.'

So while NGOs and zoos disagree on the finer points, both agree that bad zoos need to be made extinct. But with a lack of laws, the only way that will happen is if visitors vote with their feet and avoid unethical zoos.

Additional reporting by Amresh Gunasingham

From collecting 'beasts' to conservation
Victoria Vaughan Straits Times 23 Aug 10;

ABOUT 11 per cent of the world's population visit zoos and aquariums each year, and they are just those linked to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Waza).

Here, the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park, all run by Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), remain popular attractions.

With current challenges posed to biodiversity through climate change, loss of habitat and invasive species, zoos have shifted focus.

Rather than seeing animals as entertainment, they are increasingly seeking to educate and conserve animals on the brink of extinction through captive breeding programmes.

Waza executive director Gerald Dick said the focus shifted from collections of 'exciting beasts' seen in the 17th century to conservation which began in the 1950s with the work of Swiss Heini Hediger, the father of zoo biology.

'Since the 1980s, we have tried to have a big focus on linking up in-situ (in the wild) field work and the ex-situ (in the zoo) conservation,' he said.

'We have to work together with non-governmental organisations as it is the zoos that have the animals and expertise at working with them as well as the ability to spread the conservation message. A zoo is the only place where you can easily understand that horrible word 'biodiversity',' he said, adding that as more people are living in cities, encounters with nature are getting scarce and zoos can provide that unique sensory experience of nature.

A Waza survey, involving 12 national and regional zoo and aquarium associations, found that the world zoo and aquarium community spends US$350 million (S$474 million) on wildlife conservation each year.

'We have to make clear that zoos and aquariums worldwide provide a valuable contribution to the protection of biodiversity,' he said. 'For some species, like the California condor, zoos have played a crucial role in their survival. Experts from zoos and aquariums contribute enormously to the protection of endangered species, which otherwise would be lost forever.'

The Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park set up a conservation fund last year to support local research. WRS invested $1 million in the fund and will announce the amount raised from funds and donation boxes next month.

WRS' conservation programmes involve the banded langur, the pangolin, the colugo, the firefly and the common palm civet. It is also involved in several in-the-wild projects, including the conservation of Sumatran elephants and the Sre Ambel river terrapin in Cambodia.

Jurong Bird Park has been involved in the breeding and release to the wild of the pied hornbill and the Bali mynah.

WRS chief executive Fanny Lai said the zoo will soon introduce a digital e-learning portal, where information can be downloaded to cellphones to read before or after a visit to enhance visitors' zoo experiences.

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Unchecked migration would see Singapore swell, Haiti halve

Jordi Zamora and Karin Zeitvogel (AFP) Google News 21 Aug 10;

WASHINGTON — Singapore, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia would see their populations triple if everyone who wants to move there were allowed to, a poll released Friday by Gallup shows.

At the opposite end of the scale, the populations of Sierra Leone, Haiti and Zimbabwe would fall by more than half if migrants were allowed to leave at will, the poll found.

Gallup researchers interviewed nearly 350,000 adults in 148 countries between 2007 and 2010 to calculate each country's potential net migration score -- the number of adults who would like to leave a country minus the number who would like to move in -- seen as a proportion of the total adult population.

They found that Singapore's population of 4.8 million would increase by 219 percent, New Zealand's population of four million would rise by 184 percent and Saudi Arabia's population of 26 million would soar by 176 percent if everyone who wants to come in and wants to leave, could.

Switzerland made it onto the list, which was first compiled in 2009, for the first time this year.

Some 800,000 of Switzerland's six million citizens said they would like to permanently leave the country, while some 10 million foreigners said they would move there, given the chance.

The hefty influx of migrants to Switzerland versus the scant outflow from the Alpine country would mean its population would more than double, according to the Gallup poll.

The preferred destination of most would-be migrants is still the United States, although the already large US population -- 300 million inhabitants -- means that the impact is less acutely felt, Gallup said.

The United States is number 14 on the net migration list. If everyone could come into the United States that wanted to, and all those who wished to leave did, the US population would rise by around 60 percent.

At the other end of the list, many countries in Africa and Latin America showed net outflows of population -- although four African countries would gain residents, the poll showed.

They are Botswana, which would see its population increase by 39 percent; South Africa, Zambia and Namibia, which would see rises of 13 percent, five percent and two percent, respectively.

Botswana, which ranked just after the United States and just above Norway on the list, is the world's top producer of diamonds and a leading destination for high-end tourism. It prides itself on being a model of successful democracy in Africa.

At rock-bottom on the Gallup list is Sierra Leone, the west African country that is still struggling to recover from a 10-year civil war that officially ended in early 2002.

If everyone who wanted to leave Sierra Leone could, and anyone who wanted to move there did, the country's population would plunge by 56 percent.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, would lose 51 percent of its population.

Zimbabwe, where life expectancy is around 47 years and 15 percent of the population need food aid, would lose 47 percent; Nigeria -- Africa's most populous nation with a population of 152 million -- and Ethiopia would each lose 46 percent, and Liberia's population would fall by 45 percent.

For Nigeria alone, the poll findings mean that 75 million people want to leave the west African state.

"While Gallup's findings reflect people's wishes rather than their intentions, the implications of what could happen if these desires become reality are serious considerations for leaders as they plan for the future," Gallup said.

Two Latin American countries besides Haiti figure in the bottom 10 of the list: El Salvador would lose 45 percent of its population and the Dominican Republic would lose 43 percent.

The lowest ranked European Union member state on the list is Latvia, which would lose around a quarter of its population of 2.3 million if migrants were allowed to come in and go out as they wished.

"High unemployment, low wages and a rising cost of living have driven many Latvians out of the country," University of Latvia migration specialist Aija Lulle told AFP.

Latvia ranked equally with Iran, and was only marginally better than the Philippines.

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The next big thing for Singapore?

Business Times 23 Aug 10;

After the IRs and the F1 race, and now the YOG, what should be the 'next big thing' for Singapore? How would you propose to raise the excitement level here and overseas, and improve the quality of life in Singapore?

Kowshik Sriman
Managing Director
SAP Singapore

SINGAPORE already has in place world class infrastructure and first world facilities. To me, hosting major events here like Formula 1 racing and Youth Olympic Games is a natural progression in the nation's growth and modernisation. These events and projects like the integrated resorts no doubt help position Singapore as a contemporary developed and sophisticated city state.

FOR the next big thing, I believe Singapore is ready to cultivate what I deem as 'organic growth'. It is time to focus our resources on existing local shows, events and attractions that already have potential to be global brands.

I'm talking about giving full backing to local institutions - especially organisations that serve educational and conservation purposes like Science Centre Singapore, Singapore Zoological Gardens, Singapore Botanical Gardens and National Museum of Singapore - to help them dream big.

Study global best practices and aim to be not just world class, but world renowned like the Smithsonian Institution, Guggenheim Museum, and other instantly recognisable global names.

With support from the public and private sectors, business owners and professionals, as well as the general public, we can bring in world-class exhibits/shows, fund research, set up foundations, and make these places even more of a breeding ground for creativity and innovation than they already are. This way, we build something uniquely Singapore, something sustainable that the whole nation can be proud of and the world would want to come and experience.

Terry O'Connor
CEO
Courts Asia

THE first thing that springs to mind is a joint bid with Asean neighbours to host the 2026 Fifa World Cup with Singapore as the host city for the Final itself.

The idea of co-hosts is not new as Japan-Korea have shown and by using the four cities of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Jakarta as hosts for two groups each, two last 16 games each, one quarter final each, and one each of the semis, third place playoff and Final, it seems that four cities is an ideal number if Fifa could extend the notion of host country to 'host region'. The geographical distances between all four are actually less than some larger countries that have hosted the tournament.

The excitement level that would be generated would be huge and Singapore would be a natural lead for this given the YOG and F1 experience as well as other key developments that will take place over the next 16 years in developing its infrastructure.

The quality of life would be enhanced by the necessary introduction of facilities to co-host the tournament as well as grassroots excitement in the sport. The two obstacles would be the number of countries needed to collaborate as well as the practical issues of which teams get to play in the tournament but these can be overcome with a creative and collegiate bid.

Toby Koh
Group Managing Director
Ademco Security Group Pte Ltd

SINGAPORE is certainly headed in the right direction with the Integrated Resorts, F1 and YOG. I believe sports continues to be a major draw for most people. More world-class sporting events with top-ranked players in boxing, tennis, golf and so on must be brought into Singapore as annual events.

Sports has always galvanised people together and will be reported across the globe on all major media. Enhancing the sporting culture and improving the sporting infrastructure will further enhance Singapore as a great city to live in.

Alternative sports should be also focused on. I strongly suggest the Red Bull Air Race to be brought in. It is visually very exciting and will also serve to draw tourists. How about WWE wrestling? Both would be fantastic spectator sports. Singapore should continue to position herself as the centre of sporting action in the region.

Jerry Tan Soon Huat
Managing Director
Hu Lee Impex Pte Ltd

Live outdoor rock concerts. The tickets are too costly for indoors concerts. If Singapore can have quarterly live rock concerts just like in the West, held in the open field or along the beach, that will be the next big thing for Singapore. We may not really need Western rock bands as there are also a lot of Asian rock bands.

Dora Hoan
Group CEO
Best World International Ltd

THE 'next big thing' I can imagine for Singapore is playing host to the most fascinating 'Economic Olympics' that is, the World Expo. This global event that runs for six months can bring tremendous business opportunities for Singapore as it is known to attract over 70 million visitors, thus bolstering the development of international economy, trade and tourism.

It is also a most exalted showcase of cultural exchanges and innovations. We only need to think of the Eiffel Tower which was first presented at a world expo and became the symbol of Paris. Many inventions that made history such as the telephone and the airplane first broke ground at the World Expo.

I envision the World Expo in Singapore to be one of a kind and not merely an event but a wave of events that will fully leverage on our competitive strengths as a known country brand, an emerging global city-gateway to Asia and the hub to the markets and ideas of the Asia-Pacific region. Likewise, owing to Singapore's enviable status among developed nations and its strategic location at the heart of the developing world, not only will we spur the development of markets and trade but inspire global attention as a convergence point for innovations that may lead to the further advancement of human society.

Lim Soon Hock
Managing Director
PLAN-B ICAG Pte Ltd

I THINK the 'next big thing' for Singapore is to focus on taking the arts to the global level. We can develop a cultural offering that is uniquely Singaporean, leveraging on our cultural diversity and vibrancy of a first-world nation, perhaps exploiting also our idiosyncrasies. F1 and YOG are all about sports and physical endurance, the IRs are all about the economy, so going down the route of the arts can be good in terms of developing the cultural sensitivity of Singaporeans, our EQ, as well as showcase to the world that Singapore is an 'all rounded' country. It can also strengthen the social fabric in that it brings people from all walks of life together.

Countries like China have their Beijing opera or the acrobatic performances; Moscow has its Bolshoi ballet; Europe has musicals like Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables and Japan has its taiko drums. Travellers from all over the world make it a point to view these performances, when they visit these countries.

If Singapore can have at least one of our own creations of a world standard and appeal, it can help draw people to visit us to watch it. It may make sense for Singapore to invest in a trail blazer that will give a quantum leap to the development of the arts on the world stage. This will raise the excitement level here and overseas as well as to improve the quality of life in Singapore.

Tan Kok Leong
Principal
TKL Consulting

SINGAPORE is visible in Asia and around the world due to its decades of economic, social and political successes. It is likely to be equally successful as a centre for harmonising actions of nations in the attainment of common goods such as maintaining international peace and security, solving problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, on climate change and on balancing the world economy.

Singapore perhaps should campaign in the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations to become its Asia Headquarters to promote international diplomacy, to mitigate and minimise international conflicts.

Daniel McConaghy
Vice-President and Managing Director
FICO Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE has delivered on its commitment to emerge as a world class city by bringing in high-profile events such as Formula 1 and the Youth Olympic Games.

Singapore's leaders have proven they can successfully manage risk through a forward-looking approach and informed decision making; these characteristics have helped them execute successful programmes that often have seemed unpredictable or ahead of their time.

Looking ahead, for Singapore to reinvent itself in the reset economy, it will be critical that it broadens its portfolio of world events to include cultural and arts and design-focused events that help showcase its creative and multicultural heritage and build on its positioning as an A-list destination for investment and tourism.

What could complete the picture and help Singapore transition from being seen as a business hub to a World City is promotion of a culture and events that showcase Singapore's unique and unrivalled multicultural and multi-lingual heritage. Together, government, business and Singaporeans can celebrate Singapore's 'internationalism' - raising excitement for visitors and improving our own quality of life by offering the enjoyment of the many distinctive cultural benefits Singapore offers its citizens.

Joshua Yim
CEO
ACHIEVE Group

A FEW days ago, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said that Singapore was a more conservative society years ago and the idea of having casinos in the country was not so culturally acceptable then. But as time goes by, the social fabric of Singapore seems more open and that's why we pressed forward to have casinos in Singapore. I believe we ought to be relevant towards the changing times. Many years ago, bar-top dancing was not allowed but now we have it.

I think if Singapore stages a Mardi Gras parade, it would send a very strong signal to the world that we are a city of the 21st Century that embraces diversity. This is one of the traits of advanced cities in the world and it's time to think about hosting such an event. It may not directly result in economic gains for the country but by embracing diversity, we are demonstrating cultural acceptance. A Mardi Gras parade would also add spice and colour to the city and it is very exciting for Singapore to embrace such a continuum of different events.

Dhirendra Shantilal
Senior Vice-President Asia-Pacific
Kelly Services

BUILDING on the momentum of commercially successful mega events and attractions, we should look to advance our cultural standing in the eyes of the world with significant investments in world-class facilities for the arts. Singapore should aim to create an institution equivalent to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Louvre in Paris or the Guggenheim in Bilbao, which would house premier collections of artistically renowned works of art as well as our local heritage. We should continue to champion prodigious entertainment such as Cirque du Soleil and at the same time elevate our meetings, conventions and exhibitions sector by bidding for events of the highest order.

Such efforts would enhance initiatives currently underway with art schools, festivals and activities to stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of the arts, and promote and cultivate further a rich and contemporary culture that would be key aspects of our identity and social life. Celebrating the pinnacle of human achievement in the arts would augment our quality of life, which would in turn raise Singapore's attractiveness and appeal in attracting top talent and investment.

Liu Chunlin
CEO
K&C Protective Technologies Pte Ltd

AS we reach out for the next level of economic development, or perhaps in order to reach such a level, we need to ratchet up the level of lifestyle excitement. We need to make up for our lack of natural wonders by deliberate attractions. Here I can think quickly of ideas like creating Singapore as a cosmopolitan, global yet Asian tropical city paradise, perhaps like the Monaco of the East.

Towards that, why not build up a cultural centre of excellence. Reinforce the shopping experience to make Singapore a place where one can get anything in the world. We have enough expertise to make Singapore a culinary heaven to pander to every indulgence.

Lastly, after the IRs, F1 and YOG, what is there to stop us thinking of global attractions like the Olympics, World Cup, and so on.

Perhaps it is not a question of how but when. And if hyper excitement, conspicuous consumption and jet-setting are not to everyone's liking, we can be all things to all by also becoming a philanthropic capital of the region, offering fulfilling investment by rich donors for the needs of the region.

Andrea Ross
Managing Director (Singapore)
Robert Walters Singapore

THE one idea that springs to mind would be for Singapore to focus on building a premiership football league. There are a number of talented teams in Singapore which have yet to have opportunities to achieve representation in the European soccer arena. Collaborating with neighbouring countries to gain further support would also reinforce relations.

Should Singapore decide to spend time and resources into putting together a professional world-class soccer league, the end result could very well rival the teams participating in the European Premiership. This in turn would create a huge buzz around the region (with companies looking to invest in sponsorships), thus further contributing towards the Republic's efforts in building careers for footballers locally.

Other avenues to raise the excitement level in Singapore could include hosting the World Cup, as well as exploring the option of having a global/regional movie event such as the Oscars or Cannes Film Festival to potentially bring in film-makers, celebrities and tourists from all over the world.

Besides drawing further international investments, these options could very well be the next big thing in Singapore and contribute towards enhancing the Singapore brand across the globe.

Teng Yeow Heng Michael
Managing Director
Corporate Turnaround Centre Pte Ltd

AFTER IRs, F1 and YOG, the 'next big thing' is the general election to form the next Singapore government. This is the next natural course of major event as the general election is due and in the offing. The impending general election in Singapore will definitely attract worldwide and local attention as well as raise the level of excitement. People will be keenly watching the political development of Singapore in the new era of transformation. The government has successfully led in the transformation of Singapore in launching the IRs, F1 and YOG, the big question is whether the electorate sees this transformation as improving the quality of their lives and benefiting them economically. Do the people endorse the government's efforts by voting them in again in a resounding way? If the voters make the right decision in putting the right political leaders to take charge, it will further raise the level of quality of life in Singapore.

John Koh
Managing Director
WMRC Private Ltd

BESIDES the current YOG event and the annual F1 race, I believe there are many other major global events which Singapore could host to further increase our visibility as a global city that is exciting to live in. Such global events cover all aspects of great city living, which include entertainment, fashion, food & beverage and also in key areas such as technology, healthcare, financial services, and so on.

Marketing the Singapore brand is important as we are still, in many ways, a young nation and engaging in smart co-branding initiatives with top event organisers of the world will undoubtedly raise our profile and awareness in the minds of the global audience.

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Police shoot dead rare leopard in Indonesia

AFP Google News 22 Aug 10;

JAKARTA — A rare Javan leopard was shot dead by police after it strayed into a village in Indonesia, police said Sunday.

Police killed the animal on Saturday after it entered the village near Sukabumi city in West Java province, local police official Ardiansyah told AFP.

"The black leopard made the villagers very anxious. They chased it and it ran towards a police school. Police shot it when it entered one of the classrooms," he said.

Conflict between humans and animals are a rising problem in the massive archipelago nation with some of the world's largest remaining tropical forests, as human settlements encroach on natural habitats.

Conservation official Didi Wuryanto said police should have sought the help of forestry officials to trap the animal and return it to its habitat in Gunung Gede Pangrango national park instead of killing it.

"The leopard might have been lost while chasing its prey or its habitat was disturbed by deforestation," he said.

"There's been no record of the Javan leopard biting humans so it's a pity that it was shot when it could have been saved and released into the forest."

The Javan leopard, which is found only on the country's Java island, is listed as critically endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) "Red List" of threatened species.

The number of mature Javan leopards, which are skilful tree climbers, is "certainly less than 250", the IUCN said on its website.

Senior Forestry Official Defends Police in Killing of Endangered Javan Leopard
Fidelis E Satriastanti Jakarta Globe 24 Aug 10;

Jakarta. If forced to choose between a human life and that of an endangered animal, a senior forestry official says humans win out every time.

Darori, the Ministry of Forestry’s director general of forest protection and nature conservation, was commenting on the killing last Saturday of a rare Javan leopard by police officers in Sukabumi, West Java.

Local police, who said the animal was killed after it entered a classroom, have been criticized for not exercising restraint and seeking the help of forestry officials to trap the leopard.

Darori, however, defended the police, saying officers were right to shoot the animal because it was endangering people’s lives.

“We will investigate the incident, but if an animal enters a village and has the potential to hurt humans, you are allowed to kill it, even if it is an endangered species,” he said.

Darori said the actions of the officers were justified under the regulations dealing with wild animals.

“The priority is to save humans if it appears likely that an animal is going to attack,” he said.

He cited an experience he had while working in Sumatra in 1983, when a trapped tiger was brought into a village, escaped and caused panic.

“We eventually had to get the [police’s] Mobile Brigade to shoot it because the situation was very dangerous,” he said.

“That’s why we need to look more closely at this case to find out what made the leopard stray into the village in the first place before jumping to any conclusions.”

The Javan leopard, which is found only in Java, is included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species.

The number of mature Javan leopards is “certainly less than 250,” the conservation organization said on its Web site.

Darori, however, was quick to add that there were no excuses for illegal hunting or the deliberate killing of endangered species.

“It’s different with illegal hunting when you go out intending to kill tigers to sell their body parts,” he said.

Conflict between humans and animals is a growing problem in Indonesia, which has some of the world’s largest remaining tropical forests, as human settlements encroach further into natural habitats.

Noviar Andayani, country director of the Wildlife Conservation Society, said there were still no strict standards in Indonesia for dealing with conflicts between humans and animals.

“Using our experience working with villagers in conflict areas in Sumatra, we have been setting up simple mitigation procedures,” Noviar said, adding that the noise of traditional kentongans, or wood drums, usually sent tigers back into the forest.

“But I have never heard of any regulation that allows humans to kill animals even if they wander into a village,” she said.

“They are protected animals, so we are supposed to protect them, maybe get help from the conservation agency on the site or get a vet to tranquilize them.”

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Injured sea turtle fighting for its life in Tioman

New Straits Times 22 Aug 10;

ROMPIN: A green turtle (penyu agar) was left battling for its life after it was believed to have been hit by a speedboat in the waters off Pulau Tioman yesterday.

The young turtle, which had a deep cut and a huge crack on its shell, was rushed by a group of tourists to the Pulau Tioman Marine Park Centre for treatment.

Tengku Arif Temenggong (TAT) Turtle Sanctuary co-founder Datin Seri Rowena Baker said tourists had spotted the injured turtle near the island about noon and taken it to the marine park.

She said it was a heart-wrenching moment for the staff at the marine park when they spotted the huge gash, about 16cm long and 10cm wide, across the turtle's shell, which is believed to have been caused by a boat propeller.

"It was very ill and in a debilitated state. The wound was rotten and there were other living organisms inside the wound," she said.

"Based on the severe wounds, the turtle could have been injured more than a week earlier."

Rowena said the staff were trying their best to treat the wounds but she did not rule out the possibility that they would be forced to put the turtle to sleep.

Turtle dies of its injuries
New Straits Times 23 Aug 10;

ROMPIN: The injured green turtle (penyu agar), which was believed to have been hit by a speedboat propeller in the waters off Pulau Tioman, succumbed to its injuries on Saturday night.

The young turtle died at a turtle sanctuary in Kampung Juara on the resort island about 11pm.

Tengku Arif Temenggong (TAT) Turtle Sanctuary co-founder Datin Seri Rowena Baker told the New Straits Times that the turtle was too weak when it was placed in a water container.

The turtle, which had a deep cut and a huge crack on its shell, was spotted by tourists near the island about noon on Friday.

Rowena said she tried to get help from various parties to save the reptile, including a turtle hospital in Greece which had asked the volunteers at the sanctuary to use salt water to clear the wound of other living organisms.

"I'm so sad that we don't have a special facility that can help treat wounded turtles and other aquatic animals in Tioman."

Rowena said she would fly to Tioman with an aquatic veterinarian from Universiti Putra Malaysia to help another injured turtle which was being kept at the Berjaya Tioman Resort.

She said the adult hawskbill turtle (penyu karah), nicknamed "Eva", would need to undergo a surgery to remove a fishing hook which was stuck in its throat.

State Marine Park Department director Izarenah Md Ripin said the department would continue assisting Rowena and her team to save injured turtles including providing logistics services.

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Hand signs that spell illegal sea turtle egg trade in Malaysia

New Straits Times 23 Aug 10;

SANDAKAN: The "OK" hand sign where the thumb and index finger forms an "O" means different here. It means turtle eggs.

Walk along Jalan Pryer here during the day and groups of people standing on the sidewalk will show the sign indicating they have turtle eggs for sale.

The street touts keep the eggs, priced from RM1.50 to RM2 each, in cars parked in the vicinity, staircases or even in boxes on the sidewalk.

When approached recently, a seller claimed the eggs were from the Philippines and boasted of a regular supply if the demand arises.

"If you intend to re-sell them in KK (Kota Kinabalu) I can supply you about 100 eggs at least twice a week," said the seller, who identified himself as Jan.

On the risk of being caught, Jan pointed to a nearby police beat base at the adjacent Jalan Tiga and bragged: "I am still here. The authorities cannot catch us.


"As for the MPS (Sandakan Municipal Council) enforcement officers, they only check the market," he said of the central market located across the road.

Turtles are protected under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 in Sabah and the Fisheries Act 1985, Customs Act 1967 and Protection of Wildlife Act 1972 at Federal level.

In Sabah, two government bodies that oversee the management of turtles are the Sabah Parks and the Sabah Wildlife Department.


The ban includes consumption and sales of the eggs and those convicted under the enactment can be fined up to RM50,000 or five years' jail or both.

State Wildlife Department director Laurentius Ambu said turtle eggs were still sold discreetly in major towns across the state but most of the supply came from a neighbouring country.

"There is no total ban by our neighbours and that is one reason why the eggs could still be smuggled into the state. Our borders are too 'porous' when it comes to detecting the eggs.

"We do enforcement and patrolling but our numbers are small.

"In Sandakan, for instance, there was one time when an off-duty wildlife personnel was pushed into the sea at the market. Not that we feel threatened, but the fact that the turtle egg sellers do not fear us is what we are more concerned about."

Laurentius, however, believes that with cooperation from the police, the local authorities and even the Customs department, the problem could be curbed.

"Our tourism industry and our eco-system are dependent on the survival of the turtles. We need to be more committed in protecting the species."

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Endangered spaces: Can our wildest places survive tourism?

Our wildest places are overrun with tourists. So how can nature-lovers justify visiting them?
Stanley Johnson The Independent 23 Aug 10;

Eco-tourism. Is this now-fashionable concept basically a contradiction in terms – on a par, as cynics might say, with "business ethics" or "compassionate conservatism"? "Adventure travel" is, of course, a concept as old as the hills, even if some of our greatest adventurers, such as Captain Scott, took great pains to proclaim their serious scientific purposes.

Nowadays, much "adventure travel" is given a deliberately green tinge. Organisations like Earthwatch send young (and increasingly frequently old) people to the four corners of the earth to study and protect endangered wildlife of every sort and, yes, to enjoy themselves in doing so.

But just how realistic is it to imagine that increasing numbers of people can visit the wild places of the earth, and the animals, trees and plants that live there, without destroying them?

Oscar Wilde famously wrote that "each man kills the thing he loves". Have we reached, or are we approaching, the limits of sustainable wildlife tourism? Should there be a strict rationing of visitors in sensitive areas? Should "return visits" be banned? Should there be total no-go zones?

There are no easy answers to such questions, but it is important that they should be asked. Take the Galapagos Islands, for example. Historically, British visitors have formed the second largest group. Even with the recession, there were still 14,000 British visitors last year.

When I first went to the Galapagos, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, in 2006, I did ask myself whether it was altogether appropriate to visit, but the sheer excitement of being offered a bite at this incredible cherry won the day.

During that first trip to the archipelago, I spent 10 days on board a 16-berth schooner, sailing from island to island. For me, as for most visitors, the love affair began as soon as I stepped off the aircraft. The astonishing thing about the Galapagos is that you actually do get to see what you hope to see. If you are lucky, you will come across most of the famous birds that intrigued Charles Darwin when he landed there 175 years ago next month. You will see blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds, Galapagos hawks and flightless cormorants. You may swim and snorkel among huge Pacific Green Turtles and white-tipped reef sharks. You will meet giant tortoises well over 100 years old and still going strong.

This relatively benevolent relationship between man and nature didn't always exist. Vast depredations of Galapagos wildlife occurred in previous centuries. Tortoises were captured in their thousands by passing ships. The surrounding oceans were virtually emptied of whales. It is only really since 1959 when the Galapagos was established as a national park and, subsequently, as a World Heritage Site, that a proper framework has been created for safeguarding this paradise. But since then numbers of human residents and visitors have boomed.

When I first visited, some 500 cruise ships were already offering the Galapagos as a destination and some of those ships would be carrying hundreds of passengers. Nor was the problem confined to people on boats. It might not yet have been a backpacker's dream, but when I walked through the main town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, with its agencies offering "Galapagos Adventure Tours", I could see the potential for disaster. An explosion of short-stay visitors might overwhelm the capacity of the authorities to manage. It would also dramatically increase the risk of alien species being introduced.

Even if the authorities had the knowledge and the means to control mass-tourism, would they have the political will? In the early years of the new millennium, the islands had seen a high rate of immigration from the Ecuadorean mainland, and as many as 30,000 people now lived there – most of them involved in the tourist industry. Pressures to increase the ceiling on the number of tourists permitted to visit the islands (then about 120,000) were already being felt.

That initial trip to the Galapagos coincided with the final throes of an Ecuadorian national election campaign. I was in Puerto Ayora, for the eve-of-poll rallies. Pickup trucks, garlanded with slogans, hooted up and down the streets and boats sounded their horns in the marina. The slogans were for jobs, better sewerage, and support for local fishermen. I didn't hear anyone on the islands calling for the authority of the national park to be strengthened and expanded. Or, if they did, I missed it. Yet, without strong political backing at every level, I had serious doubts whether the Galapagos miracle could long survive.

But the island's uniqueness draws visitors back again and again, myself included. I returned to the Galapagos this summer, keen to see it with fresh eyes after being asked to join the Galapagos Conservation Trust as chairman and moderator. My wife and I travelled on board the MV Eclipse, which carries a maximum of 48 passengers. Crucially, from our point of view, there were the three Ecuadorian naturalists on board: Javier, Tommy and Daniel. Day after day, they escorted us to the different sites on land. If we were snorkelling, they led the way, using hand gestures to point to giant starfish, slow-cruising sea-turtles, and marine iguanas plucking seaweed from the rocks, or Galapagos penguins flashing past at speed in search of their prey.

In the evening, as we sat in the lecture room, they elaborated on key themes. "The Galapagos" Javier, told us, "is one of the most important nesting areas for the Pacific Green turtle." As we disembarked, he warned us to stay clear of the areas of the beach above high-water mark where the turtles had already laid their eggs. "There are five important marine turtle nesting sites in the Galapagos," he explained.

For me, this was a profoundly emotional moment. For the last several years I have served as an ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme's Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Within the framework of the CMS, the countries which border the Indian Ocean and the South-east Asia region have already reached an agreement to protect all species of marine turtle. Now the CMS and other bodies are considering what measures can be taken to protect marine turtles in the Eastern Pacific, many of whose populations are under threat. It is clear that the Galapagos, as a key breeding location for marine turtles, will play a vital part in any such agreement. Standing there on the critically important Bachas beach, I truly felt that I was in on the ground floor.

But it's the giant tortoises that are perhaps the most famous of all the Galapagos wildlife. Today it is estimated that the islands' giant tortoise population stands at about 15,000 individuals divided into 11 sub-species. The largest population is on the volcano of Alcedo on Isabela Island.

How are the giant tortoises faring after the depredations of earlier centuries, when whalers, pirates and sailors used to take giant tortoises on board to provide fresh meat and oil? Darwin notes that the crew of the HMS Beagle collected between 600 and 800 tortoises in just a few weeks. The introduction of goats and rats hastened the process of decline.

If you want a poignant reminder, go and visit "Lonesome George" in the grounds of the Charles Darwin Research Centre just outside Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. The tortoise given this nickname, who could be more than 80 years old, is the last of his subspecies, the Pinta Tortoise. While his plight is a poignant reminder of what we risk losing, the giant tortoise breeding programme has been very successful in bringing other subspecies back from the brink.

But the "elephant in the living room" – tourism – remains. On my first visit, the idea of huge people-carriers anchoring off the islands and disgorging boat-loads of passengers had sent shivers down the spine of conservationists around the world. Nor was it clear what benefit to the local economy such visitations would bring. One of the great advantages of a small-scale Galapagos cruise is that a well-equipped vessel carries its own expert guides. And a well-arranged itinerary provides plenty of time for those experts to brief interested passengers on the threats and challenges the islands face. On my second visit, it was Tommy who summarised for us the current situation. He gave us the good news first.

Thanks to a moratorium inspired – in part at least – by a campaign led by the Galapagos Conservation Trust, the menace of large cruise ships has, at least for the time being, disappeared. But what about the explosive growth of other kinds of tourism? In 1991 tourists had numbered 41,000. Annual visitors now number around 170,000.

"Shipborne tourists are not a major threat to the visitor sites. These are relatively well managed," Tommy explained. "The National Park authorities are in strict control of the number of visitors and of their itineraries."

He went on to point out that new guidelines were being introduced. Whereas, in the past, a seven-day circuit of visitor sites, largely confined to the inner islands, had been the norm, in the future it would become the exception. Instead of returning again and again to the same limited number of sites, the tourist vessels would have to range further afield, calling at sites so far infrequently visited.

"The biggest challenge now" Tommy said "is the rapid increase in the number of people coming to Galapagos for reasons other than a wildlife cruise. Whether they are here for two days to cross it off a list of must-see sites, or simply to sit in the sun, their number and their activity is much harder to control." He added that the risk of invasive species remains the biggest threat. The Galapagos islands now have 748 species of introduced plants, outnumbering that approximately 500 species of native plant. "However tough your quarantine measures, there is always a danger."

As Tommy continued his lecture that evening I couldn't help thinking about those amazing giant tortoises, which so attracted Darwin's interest when he visited the Galapagos 175 years ago. How ironic, how banal, it would be, I thought, if the rampant spread of blackberry bushes (now considered to be one of the most serious threats as far as invasive species are concerned) finally caused the demise of the giant tortoise! Clearing the invasive plants is one of the Galapagos Conservation Trust's most important projects. And it wasn't just a matter of ripping the offending plants out. "Most invasive plant species" explains Toni Darton, the chief executive of the trust, "come via people's gardens. That's why we are supporting a project to encourage residents to swap their introduced choices for native Galapagos species."

If I am lucky enough to make a third visit to the Galapagos before I am borne away on the back of a giant sea-turtle I hope to be able to report more good news. The Galapagos, it seems to me, is a kind of test case for managing other vulnerable sites of natural beauty, though few perhaps will rival the Enchanted Isles in terms of their scientific, natural and environmental interest.

I know that many people have been dismayed that Unesco has recently removed the Galapagos Islands from the "most threatened" list of World Heritage sites (in 2007, Unesco mentioned tourism as one of the main threats to the Galapagos ecosystem); but, looked at another way, this is really good news, not bad. It means that solid progress has been made, and that more progress can be expected in the future. Tourism will be an inevitable part of the Galapagos's future but, I hope, it can evolve to a point beyond where we are now, and each visitor can nurture the land they love without destroying it.

For more information about the Galapagos Conservation Trust visit www.savegala-pagos.org. Stanley Johnson's latest book (with Robert Vagg), 'Survival: Saving Endangered Migratory Species', is published by Stacey International at £29.95.

****

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Researchers monitoring Hawaii coral for bleaching

Audrey Mcavoy, Associated Press Yahoo News 23 Aug 10;

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Scientists plan to monitor corals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands next month for signs of bleaching that could harm the reefs.

Corals become stressed and expel the algae that live inside them when temperatures are warmer than normal. This causes corals to lose their color and appear white.

Corals may die if this continues for extended periods, depriving fish of vital food and habitat.

Researchers will be observing coral in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument during September — the hottest month of the year in Hawaii, monument deputy superintendent Randall Kosaki said Friday.

They're due to leave for the remote atolls aboard the research ship Hiialakai in a week, he said.

Kosaki measured surface temperatures of 82 to 84 degrees during another research trip to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands earlier this month. That was very warm, particularly for waters that far north, he said.

Kosaki also noted there's currently a mass of warm water from Southeast Asia that's pushing into the North Pacific.

"It's warm now. If it cools off we might not have a bleaching event. If it stays warm for an extended period we might have a bleaching event," he said.

Bleaching would be likely if temperatures stay higher than normal for more than two to four weeks, Kosaki said.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which are home to 69 percent of the coral under U.S. jurisdiction, had bleaching events in 2002 and 2004.

Warm waters in Southeast Asia have already harmed reefs this year in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

In May, marine biologists working for the Wildlife Conservation Society observed coral bleaching off Indonesia's Aceh province as surface waters in the Andaman Sea peaked at 93 degrees — 7 degrees higher than long-term averages.

Subsequent surveys found 80 percent of the bleached corals had died.

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Global warming may be cause of sharp rise in dengue cases: Malaysian Minister

Ong Han Sean The Star 22 Aug 10;

BENTONG: Global warming and changing weather patterns appear to have led to an “alarming” rise in dengue cases and deaths in the region.

“Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand are seeing an increase in dengue cases, as well. This could be due to the rainy season and global warming.

"The changing weather appears to cause the mosquitoes to breed faster," he said.

As a result, public cooperation was vital in the fight against the disease, he said.

“The ministry cannot fight this war alone. We need the concerted effort of everyone to reduce the number of dengue deaths,” he said.

The death toll from dengue cases this year, as of Sunday, had already hit 100 compared to 67 last year, said Liow.

“During the same period last year, there were 29,183 reported cases. This year, we’re already up to 31,375 cases. The situation now is really alarming,” he told reporters after launching the second Bentong Health Carnival Sunday.

He urged the public to give its full cooperation to the ministry’s gotong-royong programmes to combat dengue.

Dengue fever death toll reaches 100
Halimatul Hamid New Straits Times 23 Aug 10;

BENTONG: The health minister has raised the alarm bells on dengue fever after receiving news of the 100th death of the year.

Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the latest case had raised the number of dengue cases to 31,375. The victim was a 46-year-old man from Kota Baru.

"These are critical times. The total number of deaths has increased by 40 per cent this year compared with the corresponding period last year.

"We reported 29,183 cases with 67 deaths last year," he said at the Bentong Health Carnival yesterday.

Liow urged the public to give its fullest cooperation in gotong-royong programmes, including following the advice of the ministry.

"The ministry has declared a war against dengue, but we cannot do it alone.

"There is a need for concerted effort from all parties."

Liow said he had prepared a paper to inform the cabinet of the worsening situation.

He said the rising trend was also faced by countries like Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam due to the rainy season and global warming.


"An increase of one degree in world temperature will have a double effect on the breeding of mosquitoes," stressed Liow.

During the health carnival, Liow gave away spectacles sponsored by Yayasan Tun Rahah to 86 primary and secondary students in his constituency.

The carnival held at SJK (C) Kampung Perting yesterday was the second to be organised in the Bentong parliamentary constituency.

The first was in Kampung Baru Repas. There will be a similar carnival at SJK (C) Karak and SJK (C) Telemong on Sept 5 and 26 respectively.

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Australia turns to sun, wind and waves for clean energy

* Australia races to capitalise on clean energy sources
* Need to decide carbon price key to plan's success
* Cheap conventional energy may stymie renewable ambitions
Michael Perry Reuters Alernet 22 Aug 10;

SYDNEY, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Australia plans to build the southern hemisphere's biggest wind farm by 2013 as it scrambles to harness its abundance of clean energy sources, such as wind, solar, waves, geothermal and bioenergy, and fight climate change.

Renewable energy now supplies just 6 percent of power in Australia, because it has historically lacked the political and commercial will to pursue big renewable energy projects.

The very sources of its clean energy, its vast outback and 59,736 kms (37,120 miles) of coast, are major obstacles to linking new, remote power sources into the power grid.

Australia's problem is that it has too many energy resources, crucially too much cheap coal, making it the world's largest coal exporter and generating about 80 percent of its electricity through coal-fired power stations.

"It's a blessing and a curse," said Matthew Warren, head of the Clean Energy Council, which represents more than 350 companies in the renewable energy and energy efficiency fields.

"Australia is really at the top of the list, in the scale of the economy and the quality and scale of renewable resources. But the grid issues are significant because we run a very, very large, long and thin grid," said Warren.

"It's like running a grid from Paris to Moscow with sparsely distributed energy demand through that grid," he said.

But Australia has begun to tackle the problem.

Revised renewable energy target laws passed in June promise some A$20 billion of investment in clean energy technologies by 2020, creating an estimated 28,000 new jobs.

On Aug. 12, Australia's largest energy retailer AGL Energy Ltd and New Zealand's state-owned Meridan Energy Ltd announced they would build a A$1 billion wind farm in Macarthur, Victoria. Its 140 wind turbines would make it the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere, generating enough power for 220,000 homes, abating 1.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually or the equivalent of taking 420,000 cars off the road.

Wind generation is cheaper than other forms of renewable energy destined to feed a grid, says Meridan chief Tim Lusk.

"We expect wind farms, and Macarthur, in particular, to make a substantial contribution to Australian (power) retailers meeting commitments under the Renewable Energy Target."

LACK OF CARBON PRICE MAY HINDER CLEAN ENERGY

Australia has set itself a 20 percent renewable energy target by 2020 which the Clean Energy Council believes will be met, despite the lack of a carbon price.

In campaigning for an Aug. 21 election, the Labor government and the conservative opposition are divided over a carbon price, which would force coal power operators to invest in cleaner technology and make renewable energy more competitive.

The lack of a price on carbon could cost the Australian economy and consumers an extra A$2 billion ($1.75 billion) by 2020 due to investment in less energy efficient coal-fired power plants, the Climate Institute think-tank estimates.

"It would be better in the long run if we had a carbon price," said Warren of the Clean Energy Council. "It's the economic tool of choice (to develop clean energy) because it's seen as being the most efficient and most effective.

"Once introduced it creates a core signal to business to change their investment patterns. Without it we are in a second best market. We encourage a more co-operative approach to a carbon scheme as quickly as possible."

But the bipartisan agreement that drove through June's renewable laws does not exist for carbon.

To get the legislation past a hostile upper house Senate, Australia was forced to separate its renewable energy plans from its carbon trading scheme, just as U.S. President Barack Obama was forced to cleave his clean energy initiatives from sweeping climate change legislation to appease Congress.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she is still in favour of a market-based carbon scheme to tackle climate change, but has deferred a decision until 2012, while opposition leader Tony Abbott is opposed to a carbon price.

NO ENERGY SECURITY RISK FOR AUSTRALIA

Renewable energy investment worldwide has boomed in recent years, with some US$190 billion worth of new clean energy in 2008, according to the 2009 Renewables Global Status Report.

Large-scale solar plants have tripled from 2007 to total 1,800 in 2008, with the majority of new plants in Spain, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Korea and Portugal. The United States, the world's biggest wind energy generator, in 2008 installed five times Australia's total wind energy capacity.

In contrast, the Snowy Hydro Ltd complex in Australia's southeast, which consists of 16 dams and seven power stations and which contributes 77 percent of current renewable energy, was built back in the 1950s primarily as a symbol of nation building.

"We do not have energy security issues like the Europeans or even the U.S.," said Warren, referring to Russia cutting off gas to Europe and Washington's push to reduce its Middle East oil.

"That has made it far more attractive (for Europe and the U.S.) to take a more aggressive approach to renewable energy."

Australia did have an opportunity in the 1980s and 1990s to develop large scale renewable energy, but let it slip.

Australian scientists were in the vanguard of renewable energy technology, most notably Shi Zhengrong, who became known as the "Sun King", after leaving Australia to produce solar cells in China.

Shi's Suntech Power Holdings Co is now China's largest photovoltaic (PV) solar panel maker.

While Australia's scientists still work at the cutting edge of renewable technology there has remained an absence of market drivers to expand the country's renewable industry, said Iain MacGill, from the Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets at the University of New South Wales.

"We did have early leads, we were one of the world's larger PV manufacturers and deployers back in the 80s," said MacGill.

"The competition steepened, and it would have taken significant investment and risk to have stayed in the game. But we withdrew from the race and that's a shame."

Still, Australia could switch completely to renewable energy within 10 years by building 12 huge solar thermal power stations and 23 large-scale wind farms, under a "Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan" released in August.

The solar plants would generate 60 percent of the nation's power using Australian technology to store heat in molten salt, which allows them to operate 24 hours a day. The rest would come from 6,500 wind turbines dotted mainly around the coast.

The network would generate 325 TWh of power a year, said the plan produced by Melbourne University, Beyond Zero Emissions environment group and Sinclair Knight Merz engineers.

This ambitious clean energy network is not cheap, costing A$370 billion over the 10 years of the plan. But the plan says the extra power cost to households could be a mere A$8 a week.

"Our long-term global goal is to very substantially reduce our emissions, a goal that will require almost all of our stationary (fossil-fuel) energy to be produced from zero or near-zero emission sources. This report demonstrates we could already be technologically ready to do that," said former Australian environment minister Malcolm Turnbull.

For details of the plan: http://media.beyondzeroemissions.org

SOLAR POWER BARELY TAPPED

Australia, one of the world's highest carbon emitters per head, will be forced to decarbonise its economy as the world tackles climate change and eventually sets a price on carbon.

The new Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) laws will spur early development of clean energy, initially in the wind sector, analysts say. Wind now provides 16 percent of Australia's renewable energy.

"Wind power will produce 50-80 percent of the renewable energy certificates required under the LRET," said Jenny Cosgrove at Wilson HTM Investment Group.

Wilson HTM lists more than 70 wind farm projects with a total capacity of 11,000 MW on the planning boards and expects wind farm growth to average 16 percent a year.

Austalia has the highest average solar radiation of any continent, yet it has barely tapped into solar power, with its largest solar thermal plant producing only 1.5 MW of power.

The government's A$1.5-billion Solar Flagship Programme aims to develop the sector by help funding building and development of large 1,000-MW solar power stations. It has also pledged A$100 million in renewable energy venture capital.

The small Greens party, which is expected to control the balance of power in the Senate after the election, has proposed A$5 billion worth of loan guarantees and a feed-in tariff for large-scale renewable energy developments, similar to the U.S. model which provides a 100 percent guarantee.

"In the context of the global financial crisis, loan guarantees are essential to help renewable energy developers access the finance they need to build baseload power stations," said Greens Senator Christine Milne. (Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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China closes factories as green deadline looms

Allison Jackson Yahoo News 21 Aug 10;

BEIJING (AFP) – China, facing the risk of embarrassment if it misses a looming environmental deadline, has ordered thousands of companies to close high-polluting plants as its leadership vies to retool economic growth.

Beijing has pledged to slash China's energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by 20 percent between 2006 and 2010, as the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter seeks to reduce pollution and clean up its environment.

Official data suggest China is likely to miss the year-end deadline -- potentially causing red faces for top leaders who have trumpeted efforts to curb emissions growth and develop renewable energy.

"It is a gesture to show that the country is trying its best to achieve the target," Andy Xie, an independent economist based in Shanghai, told AFP.

"The leaders need to save face."

Beijing this month ordered 2,087 firms producing steel, coal, cement, aluminium, glass and other materials to close their old and obsolete plants by the end of September -- or risk having bank loans frozen and power cut off.

Authorities in the eastern province of Anhui have reportedly already cut off electricity to more than 500 factories for a month after they failed to meet emission reduction targets.

But only about a dozen factories will be closed entirely, with the rest ordered to shut down specific production capacity, according to the government order.

Tianjin Tiangang Union Iron and Steel Co. in northern China, for example, has been told to close two furnaces while Chaofeng Construction Materials Co., also based in northern China, has been told to shutter two production lines.

The move comes after China in July scrapped preferential power rates for energy-intensive industries, which had reduced their electricity bills by an estimated 15 billion yuan (2.2 billion dollars), according to state media.

Leaders in Beijing have been keen to promote their green credentials.

Ahead of global climate talks in Copenhagen last year, they pledged to reduce China's carbon intensity -- the measure of greenhouse gas emitted per unit of economic activity -- by 40-45 percent by 2020 based on 2005 levels.

China has earmarked 738 billion dollars to invest in developing clean energy over the next decade as it seeks to meet a target of generating 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources -- mainly wind and water -- by 2020.

It will host an extra round of climate talks in October before a UN summit in Mexico at the end of the year, as nations attempt to devise a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, whose binding targets expire in 2012.

"If Beijing fails to hit the 2010 target by a wide margin, its credibility on climate change commitments will be subject to a great deal of international scepticism," said Damien Ma, an analyst with the New York-based Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm.

At the end of 2009, China had reduced its energy consumption per unit of GDP by 14 percent, analysts said. But in the first six months of this year, it rose 0.09 percent -- the first year-on-year increase since 2006.

Striking a balance between maintaining economic growth and reducing pollution is difficult, Australian academic Frank Jotzo told AFP.

"They have got a really big battle at hand with the very rapid expansion of the economy," said Jotzo, deputy director of the Climate Change Institute at Australian National University.

While previous attempts to close high-polluting factories have been less than successful -- new plants often rise from the ashes of the old ones -- the stakes are much higher this time, analysts say.

The central government has been "leaning hard" on local officials, threatening to rescind their promotions if they fail to meet energy reduction targets, said Ma.

"I think the government understands that if it misses the 20 percent target, it will reflect very badly on China's reputation," said Yang Ailun, climate and energy campaign manager at Greenpeace China.

Yang likened the closure of factories to putting a band-aid over China's pollution woes, which have been worsened by decades of rampant economic growth.

"These factories should be phased out but it would be much better for the government to send out a very clear and long-term (energy) pricing signal and then design effective policies in support of that," she said.

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