Best of our wild blogs: 5 Jun 11

Lots of sexangula on Changi!
from wild shores of singapore

110604 Changi Beach
from Singapore Nature

110603 Dairy Farm Road
from Singapore Nature

waterhens @ SBWR May2011
from sgbeachbum

The bottles in my bag
from Otterman speaks

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Dolphins in captivity live longer: Resorts World Sentosa

It quotes report from international group, says animals can provide research data
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 5 Jun 11;

Dolphins in captivity can live twice as long as their counterparts in the wild, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) said yesterday.

The resort also said that the captive dolphins provide valuable information to scientists in the field of marine mammal science.

It shared its views in a letter to The Sunday Times, following calls by activists to release its 25 dolphins, bought between 2008 and 2009. These are to be displayed in the resort's Marine Life Park, expected to open by year-end.

Last week, The Sunday Times reported on efforts to free the dolphins, including a letter to the resort from marine mammal specialist Ric O'Barry, and campaigns by local group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres).

Two of the dolphins died last October from a bacterial infection caused by contaminated soil and surface waters while they were being housed in Langkawi, Malaysia.

The remaining dolphins are currently housed in Ocean Adventure Park in Subic Bay in the Philippines.

In yesterday's letter to The Sunday Times, RWS said its upcoming park will exceed international standards for animal welfare. It noted that dolphins in the wild 'do not enjoy a totally carefree life, but fight for their survival from predators, fishing boats and pollution'.

It said studies show the captive dolphins can live for more than 40 years, double the average lifespan of dolphins in the wild.

This was based on a report by the international Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Acquariums. But checks by The Sunday Times show that this is debated by marine scientists.

RWS also said 'zoos and marine parks have inspired people to illustrious careers in animal care, conservation and veterinary science'. It added that marine parks provide valuable information for scientists to study dolphins' reproduction, physiology and nutritional needs.

It said: 'Deeply personal encounters with the animals - learning about their behaviour, care and needs - have shown great impact on fostering awareness and advancing protection of the species.'

However, Mr O'Barry said: 'Japan has a large number of dolphin parks but that hasn't stopped the country from being one of the worst killers of dolphins.'

The resort noted that there will always be differences in views regarding captive animals in zoological organisations. It said: 'The Marine Life Park shares the same goal as animal lovers, to promote the conservation of dolphins, though we have differing views on the best way to carry it forward.'

RWS also said that it has not received any correspondence from Mr O'Barry, although the latter said that it was sent. The Sunday Times obtained a copy of the letter, which was also addressed to the Singapore Tourism Board.

When contacted, Mr Louis Ng of Acres said zoos have an important role to play in educating the public about animals but dolphins in particular are not suited for captivity.

He urged RWS to fund conservation work to protect dolphins in their natural habitats instead.

'Wild dolphins do not enjoy a carefree life, but they can choose where to go, what to eat, who to socialise with, and they will not be forced to perform if they do not want to.'

Read ACRES' response and more about the issues on ACRES "Save the World's Saddest Dolphins" facebook page

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Resorts World Sentosa: Marine parks contribute to conservation

Straits Times 4 Jun 11;

IN RESPONSE to a Sunday Times article last week (May 29), Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) sent in a reply to The Straits Times Forum 'expressing its commitment to animal welfare.'

The article in question was an appeal from animal activist Ric O'Barry, better known for his documentary The Cove which exposed the dolphin trade in Japan. Mr O'Barry had asked that the dolphins be released into the wild and offered his services in ensuring a smooth transition back to their natural habitat.

The email defended RWS' decision to showcase the remaining 25 wild-caught dolphins as one of the attractions at its Marine Life Park slated to open by end 2011, following the deaths of two dolphins last year.

'Established parks are an important generator of long-term, structured and sustained efforts to advance marine mammal science, which range from field research and water quality studies, to reproduction and physiology, as well as rescue rehabilitation. The Marine Life Park is designed to exceed international standards for animal care and welfare, and is working towards international accreditation in those areas,' wrote Ms Krist Boo, RWS's head of communications.

On the two dolphins bought by RWS that died in Langkawi last October from a bacterial infection Ms Boo said that RWS does not 'take death, or even illnesses, of our animals lightly.'

'We were deeply saddened by the loss of two dolphins to a water and air-borne bacterial infection last year. No medical expense or effort was spared but we could not save them,' added Ms Boo.

For more on the issue see ACRES "Save the World's Saddest Dolphins" facebook page

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Is Resorts World Sentosa sincere about marine conservation?

I refer to last Sunday's article, 'Free the dolphins'.

As a Singaporean and a member of the public, I have to say I am extremely disappointed with the way Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) simply brushed off the plea by Mr Ric O'Barry and the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) to free the dolphins, by making vague statements such as it was 'following international rules on the treatment of marine animals' and that the dolphins were given the 'very best care'.

All the best care and international rules in the world can never replicate the free and open oceans that these wild dolphins used to roam in before they were captured.

Worse still, they are now being confined in small pens and made to perform tricks unnatural to them, for the amusement of humans.

If RWS is indeed sincere in being 'committed to marine research, conservation and education', as it claims, it would not persist in proceeding with its plan to exhibit the captured dolphins in its oceanarium in the face of much public objection.

RWS' claim smacks of hypocrisy in the light of what it has done. It is in fact being irresponsible by encouraging the wild dolphin trade.

It should now do the right thing by releasing the dolphins.

Jill Hum (Ms)

For more on the issue see ACRES "Save the World's Saddest Dolphins" facebook page

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A jolly green giant: Dr Tan Kiat Wee

From a crumbling villa's gardens in Rome to local trees threatened by development, Singapore's curator of nature scours the earth to salvage flora for Singapore's botanical ark
Paul Gilfeather Today Online 5 Jun 11;

WHEN the S$1-billion Gardens by the Bay project finally comes into bloom next year, it will also mark the culmination of a journey which began almost 30 years ago for Singapore parks supremo Dr Tan Kiat Wee.

If the seeds for Singapore's Garden City concept were sown by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, his curator of nature has undoubtedly been Dr Tan, who this week received the President's Award for the Environment, the nation's highest "green" accolade.

Most Singaporeans have probably never heard of him. But his innovations have impacted on the lives of almost every resident: From the world-class Botanic Gardens, to the cross-country park connectors which now stretch to almost 300km, to the super garden on reclaimed land at Marina Bay, he has left his indelible mark on the island.

Indeed, you cannot tell the story of the Gardens by the Bay without dragging a rake over the 67-year-old botanist's monumental contribution.

Dr Tan's fundamental belief is that by providing natural, green and serene spaces, prejudices, differences and cultural divides can be overcome; it belies an empathy with the ordinary, hard-working people of Singapore.

"We are not only dealing with infrastructure but with social structure - as well as a unifying venue for our different races and cultures," he explains.

"The people come to these places and they mingle and mix without their cultural baggage because we provide neutral ground for connecting with nature. And this is so important for a place like Singapore."

Referring to the Gardens' location in the heart of the new downtown by the Marina Bay Financial District, he says: "This is the most precious land we have in Singapore for development. Singaporeans in the heartlands say 'why are you always spending so much money developing land for tourists?'

"But this shows we are investing our resources in the people ... We are designing a state-of-the-art garden as a national park, so people who are maybe not wealthy enough to travel, can still see the kind of botanical offerings in this garden."

These include flora native to the Mediterranean, South America and Africa.

AN EXPECTANT FATHER

Dr Tan, the city's first native-born director of the Botanic Gardens, shelved plans for retirement after getting the go-ahead for his waterfront project in 2005.

He has worked tirelessly for the past six years. He has had to overcome rocketing steel and sand prices, compete with the organisers of the Beijing Olympics for rare plants and watch as the financial crisis of 2007-09 decimated his budget.

In April, some 12 months from completion, he gave Today an exclusive tour of the site and its two giant domes which will house the rare plants and trees which Dr Tan and his team have scoured the planet for. These are living, breathing pieces of an environmental masterpiece.

I was seeing the unfinished project even before Dr Tan's biggest supporter, Mr Lee, whose VIP tour was postponed so more progress could be made.

As we began the tour, he said, only half-joking: "I will drag you though the mud, but I won't do it to him."

Telling the story of the project for the first time, Dr Tan reveals how important the former Prime Minister's support has been. "It is obvious," he says. "If I didn't have that kind of support we could have never got as far as we did. So I'm glad he had the longevity, presence of mind and determination throughout, right up to this project."

As his eyes flash around the site, he examines the dozens of different jobs being done by the 300-strong construction team

He paces around the soggy soil like an expectant father, awaiting the arrival of a new son. And, in a way, that is what's happening here.

Dr Tan possesses many of the qualities you often find in first-rate politicians. It is not clear whether he was born with these attributes or if he developed them as he was plunged into the battle for Singapore's green spaces.

Physically he is short, but his charisma and stocky build contribute to his strong presence. His enthusiasm and agile mind impress; it is hard not be infected by his seemingly permanently sunny disposition. Inside his head, a computer-like brain whizzes at a million miles-per-hour as he talks in quick-fire but softly-spoken sentences.

A BARGAIN AT S$1 BILLION

The bulk of the project is centred on what is known as Bay South. The site will host a giant, horticulturally-themed garden, two giant domes and space-age super trees.

The Flower Dome is designed to give visitors a feel for the four seasons and will feature a host of unusual plants from the Mediterranean and subtropical regions.

The other conservatory will be called the Cloud Forest. This will house exotic plants from the Tropical Montane region, typically found thousands of metres above sea level.

There will be scenic walkways taking visitors 30m above ground and around the man-made Cloud Mountain, which features the world's first indoor waterfall.

A tree-top walk will take people around the 12 super trees, which range from 25m to 50m in height. The super trees will come to life at night with state-of-the-art lighting and projected media, while being covered in exotic ferns, vines and orchids.

The super trees also act as environmental engines for the Gardens. Some are chimneys for air intake, cooling and exhaust and others boast solar panels on their canopies. Dr Tan says considering the technology being used to create the Gardens, including a ground-breaking underground air-cooling system, the project is a bargain at S$1 billion.

I ask him if the thought of what the land might have been used for without his intervention keeps him awake at night. He says: "I know what it was going to be used for ... office blocks and condos." You get the feeling that as well as the bureaucrats, it has been the property and office block developers he has been fighting since returning from the United States in 1983.

Since then he has acted like Singapore's green-fingered King Midas, with everything he touches turning from concrete grey to green. "I got myself into a long distance relay-race. I became a green steward for Singapore," says the Gardens' chief executive.

HOW IT SHOULD BE

"If you look at the whole of Singapore, by the late 1800s, 85 per cent of the city had been scalped for timber and so forth. We had little natural habitat. What has been regenerated came from the pockets of primary forest still remaining and what we went out to get.

"As the city developed we are creating our own environment. You cannot plant forests in the cityscape so very early, we took to heart what Lee Kuan Yew was saying: 'I am going around the world and seeing trees that are beautiful. Why can't we bring them to Singapore?' So, we have been trying to recreate that mantle of nature, the natural heritage that had been ripped.

"We said, 'let's turn Singapore into a botanical ark and later an ecological ark'," said Dr Tan.

The five-year process of building the Gardens by the Bay has seen him travel the world collecting trees and plants from four continents. He would, for instance, hear of an old villa on the outskirts of Rome crumbling and up for development, and race to the site in the hope of salvaging some of the gardens.

On my tour, we take a mini-bus to Bay East to inspect some of these trees still in quarantine beneath a massive road bridge, which acts as a protective canopy. Attached to each tree is a story of adventure to how it was recovered.

Included in the collection are 1,000-year-old olive trees from Spain, which make for a spectacular sight sitting alongside others saved from parts of Singapore.

With a grin from ear to ear, Dr Tan says: "When the Formula 1 racing came, we salvaged all the roadside trees. Throughout Singapore, wherever there were developments we would go in and you will see the big trees that we were able to dig up. We can actually identify the trees and say to each other, 'remember that one was at Upper Cross Street' ...

"But that was not sufficient. My challenge to our staff was 60 per cent must be plants that we don't normally see in our parks and gardens."

There's no doubt Singapore's curator of nature does the job out of love. I ask him if a shortage of public funds ever left him in the position where he paid for trees with his credit card. He smirks and simply says: "Sometimes that is how it has to be."

HISTORY TOLD IN GREENS

Like the Botanic Gardens, the new park will be mainly free, except a still yet-to-be-decided charge for entry to the domed areas. That will pay for the state-of-the-art cool air system that is piped underground to the entire site. It will be open 24 hours a day and include a 30,000-seater outdoor stadium for concerts, as well as restaurants and food courts.

But Dr Tan is determined that the new Gardens also tells the nation's story. "We are explaining the history of Singapore through the plant perspective" he says.

"We began as indigenous races, a bunch of pirates from this region. Then, as it grew as a colony, the colonial plantations tried out different crops like coconut, coffee and nutmeg before they came to rubber. They took in the workers from the surrounding regions, the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians, and that is the immigrant nation that became Singapore.

"So, we have included a colonial garden, then a Chinese garden, a Malay garden and an Indian garden."

Dr Tan's had parents wanted him to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer, an idea he rebelled against. When he was just 16, he was nominated Singapore's sole delegate to the World Youth Forum. He made good use of his short time in the US and secured scholarships which eventually led to a Masters degree and a doctorate from the University of Miami.

He spent nine years learning how to develop botanic gardens before being appointed director of the Orlando Botanic Gardens in Florida. On returning to Singapore, he became the first Singaporean chief of the city's Botanic Gardens.

"I was asked to head this big thing that became the National Parks Board and I really didn't want to because all I was interested in doing at that time was restoring the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which at the time was little more than a park. But in the process of forming the first National Parks Board, saving the natural heritage of Singapore became a priority in my mind as well.

"To me, the epitome of the parks was the nature reserves. To me that was where the battle lines were drawn ... The nature reserves were without question under threat in the 70s, 80s and 90s. But we turned the corner and today, we have actually added to the nature reserves and there is a greater area under the protection of nature reserves than when I first came back in 1983."

It has been, in his own words, quite an amazing journey. He adds, almost poetically: "We were always reaching for the stars when a planet will do. But the planet we have created is truly something."

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Recycling rate to be raised

Channel NewsAsia 4 Jun 11;

SINGAPORE: Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore has aims to raise its recycling rate, from the current 60 per cent to 70 per cent, within the next 10 years.

Over the last 10 years, Singapore managed to increase its recycling rate by 20 per cent to the current 60 per cent, said Dr Balakrishnan.

Speaking on Saturday at the launch of Recycling Week in Tampines, Dr Balakrishnan said while Singapore has made significant progress in recycling in the past decade, more can still be done.

Dr Balakrishnan said commodity prices, materials and resources are becoming more scarce.

He added how Singapore reduces its dependence on them, and the way they are recycled, would be even more critical for the future.

Dr Balakrishnan highlighted ahead of the World Environment Day on Sunday, the importance of education and convenience to improve the recycling culture in Singapore.

"We need to make recycling more convenient and more productive for the ordinary man in the street, so it starts first with education," he said.

"Second, we've got to make it more convenient, so having drop-boxes near our homes or near our offices will make a big difference to changing people's behaviour.

"Specifically for Pasir Ris and Tampines, from next month onwards, we are aiming to have a recycling bin in every single HDB block, and this bin will be collected every single day."

-CNA/wk

Sort your litter with green bin sticker
New labels, to appear in Tampines and Pasir Ris, will tell public what can be recycled
Cheryl Ong Straits Times 5 Jun 11;

Residents in Tampines and Pasir Ris will see something new on their neighbourhood recycling bins next month - labels telling them what can and can't be recycled.

This is in line with a Government target to raise the recycling rate from 58 per cent last year to 60 per cent next year and 70 per cent by 2030.

In addition, each block in areas that also include parts of Aljunied and East Coast will get a bin of its own. Previously, five blocks had to share one.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) hopes that the changes, which kick in from next month, will encourage more residents to recycle their trash.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said the inconvenience of recycling is a major stumbling block for people, even though it is important in a future where resources are scarce.

'We hope that making it more accessible and more convenient will promote recycling as a way of life for residents at home,' he said.

Recycling bins in Singapore tend to be misused. Earlier reports and letters from readers to The Straits Times have highlighted how Singaporeans tend to use recycling bins for any kind of garbage, whether or not the item is recyclable.

Dr Balakrishnan said this problem must be addressed with education, and by reminding people about the financial and social benefits of going green.

'And I think in a place like Singapore, it is even more critical for us to remember that being environmentally conscious is not really just about saving the world,' he said. 'It is really about securing the quality of life and indeed the viability of life for the future.'

He was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of Recycling Week 2011 yesterday, where the new bin labels were announced. It was held in conjunction with World Environment Day today.

HSBC celebrated early on Friday by taking 70 of its staff members' children on a visit to Dairy Farm Nature Park.

Elsewhere in Singapore, the National Parks Board organised nature activities yesterday at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and exhibitions in other parks around Singapore.

The National Library Board is also holding story-telling sessions on environmentalism this week at various branches.

Recycling Week started out as a day-long event in 2004 involving the community and public waste collectors. It became a week-long event last year so more campaigns and activities can be held.

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Heavy rain causes flooding in Singapore

Channel NewsAsia 5 Jun 11;

SINGAPORE: Flash floods have been reported at various places in Singapore due to heavy and intense morning rain.

Callers to the MediaCorp hotline reported flooding in areas such as Cuscaden Road, Hillcrest Road, Eng Neo Avenue, Sennett Estate near Potong Pasir, MacPherson, Toa Payoh and Balestier.

They also reported fallen trees caused by the downpour and gusty wind.

Parts of Orchard Road are also reported to be affected by flooding, especially along the stretch of Tanglin Mall.

National water agency PUB has advised the public to be careful on these roads.

Two lanes along Bukit Timah Road are impassable to traffic.

The Kranji Expressway (KJE) at the slip road towards Woodlands is also impassable to traffic.

Drivers are advised to avoid these roads.

In a statement at 12.15pm, PUB said the flash floods reported earlier along Bukit Timah Road (the stretch from Blackmore Road to Maplewood Road) and Dunearn Road (from Rifle Range Road to Yarwood Road) as well as at Orchard Road (Cuscaden Road - at the Tanglin/Tomlinson Road junction; Tanglin/Napir Road junction) have subsided.

These roads are now passable to traffic.

Heavy rain causes flash floods in Singapore
Channel NewsAsia 5 Jun 11;

SINGAPORE: Intense and heavy rain on Sunday morning resulted in flash floods in various parts of Singapore.

Callers to the MediaCorp hotline reported flooding in areas such as Cuscaden Road, Hillcrest Road, Eng Neo Avenue, Sennett Estate near Potong Pasir, MacPherson, Toa Payoh, and Balestier.

They also reported fallen trees caused by the downpour and gusty wind.

Parts of Orchard Road were also reported to be affected by flooding, especially along the stretch of Tanglin Mall.

Both Tanglin Mall and Forum Shopping Mall were affected with many stores having to close temporarily.

MediaCorp understands that water levels were about ankle-deep.

The ground level and basement of the malls were the hardest hit.

Some shoppers had problems getting to their cars, with most having to wait until they were given the green light to go to the carpark.

When MediaCorp visited the malls, store owners and employees there said that they had been cleaning up for more than two hours.

Earlier, two lanes along Bukit Timah Road and the slip road of the Kranji Expressway towards Woodlands were impassable to traffic.

National water agency PUB said various areas in the central and western parts of Singapore were hit by flooding. It advised the public to be careful on these roads.

Drivers were advised to avoid these roads.

In a statement at 12.15pm, PUB said the flash floods reported earlier along Bukit Timah Road (the stretch from Blackmore Road to Maplewood Road) and Dunearn Road (from Rifle Range Road to Yarwood Road) as well as at Orchard Road (Cuscaden Road - at the Tanglin/Tomlinson Road junction and Tanglin/Napir Road junction) had subsided.

These roads are now passable to traffic.

In Bukit Timah, the management committee of Tessarina condominium told MediaCorp that residents were alerted by a siren on Sunday morning when the Bukit Timah canal burst its banks.

Many drove their cars out of the basement to higher grounds.

The flood barrier at the condominium was also activated as a preventive measure.

The condominium was one of the places badly affected by previous floods.

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Under the Sea, Coral Reefs in Peril

John Collins Rudolf The New York Times 4 Jun 11;

A ghostly pallor is overtaking the world’s coral reefs.

This draining of color results when heat-stressed corals expel the algae they rely on for food — and which are responsible for their bright and beautiful hues. Death often follows.

Reefs have long been under threat from destructive fishing practices, sediment and nutrient runoff, coral mining, reckless tourism and coastal development. Now, scientists say, global warming is accelerating the destruction.

One of the worst episodes of coral bleaching began last spring and summer, and affected reefs in virtually all the world’s tropical waters, from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean.

“In Panama, the bleaching was the most graphic I’ve ever seen,” said Nancy Knowlton, a marine biologist with the Smithsonian Institution. “Everything was just bone white.”

Preliminary assessments suggest that the impact will be the most damaging since the only other known global-scale bleaching event, in 1998 and 1999, when more than 10 percent of the world’s shallow-water corals were killed by heat.

Nearly three-quarters of the planet’s reefs are now at risk of serious degradation, according to a report by the World Resources Institute in February. Another analysis, by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, found that as much as one-fifth of the world’s reefs have been degraded beyond recognition or lost entirely.

By midcentury, virtually all reefs will be at risk, scientists fear, not just from local threats or global warming, but from an increasingly acidified ocean. Much of the carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere ends up in the oceans, where it forms a weak acid, lowering the pH level of the seas. Scientists have long speculated that the rising acidity of ocean waters would inhibit the growth of corals.

Now, a new study by an international research team offers some of the strongest observational evidence linking carbon emissions to reef damage. The study examined tropical corals off the coast of Papua New Guinea located near cool, natural undersea seeps of carbon dioxide. The results showed clearly that as acidity rose, coral diversity and resilience plunged.

“This study proves we must urgently transition to a low-CO2-emissions future or we face the risk of profound losses of coral ecosystems,” said Katharina Fabricius, a coral reef ecologist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science who led the research team.

The prospects for such a low-carbon transition in the near term seem increasingly remote, however. Just days before the study was published, the International Energy Agency released new data indicating that the world’s carbon dioxide emissions had reached a record-breaking 30.6 billion tons last year, despite the continuing effects of the global recession.

Coral reefs, which cover barely 0.2 percent of the ocean floor but contain roughly 25 percent of the ocean’s biodiversity, provide a crucial source of protein for an estimated 500 million people, protect shorelines from tsunamis and tropical storms and attract tourists that sustain coastal economies with tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue.

Even as climate change and changing ocean chemistry loom as potentially existential threats to reefs, many scientists say that confronting local perils such as overfishing is more important than ever.

Reef advocates say significant progress has been made in conservation efforts over the past two decades, including major international and national initiatives to create large-scale marine protected zones and local campaigns to educate coastal communities about sustainable fishing, agricultural and development practices.

These efforts must dramatically accelerate if reefs are to survive the added pressures of accumulating carbon emissions, scientists say.

“If we keep local threats low, coral reefs will be able to get over the climate hump,” said Lauretta Burke, a reef biologist.

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Forests fight back all over the world

The Independent 5 Jun 11;

Woodland density is going up after decades of decline, but concerns about deforestation remain. Andrew Marszal reports on the Great Reversal

Forest density is increasing across much of the world after decades of decline, according to a new study by scientists from the United States and Europe. The change, which is being dubbed the Great Reversal by the authors, has important, has positive implications for carbon capture and climate change.

The research, carried out by teams from the University of Helsinki and New York's Rockefeller University, shows that forests are thickening in 45 of 68 countries, which together account for 72 per cent of global forests. Traditionally, environmentalists have focused their concern solely on the dwindling extent of forested areas, but the authors believe new evidence of more dense forest – made up of more and larger trees – could be crucial in reducing atmospheric carbon, which is linked to climate change.

Forests are often referred to as the planet's lungs, acting as huge carbon sinks that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow and trap large amounts within their biomass and surrounding soil. In countries from Finland to Malaysia, the thickening has taken place so quickly that it has reversed the carbon losses caused by forested areas continuing to shrink during the period studied (1990-2010). In other places, including the Brazilian rainforest and parts of Africa, increasing density has partially offset the toll of deforestation caused by logging and other human activities.

With the Great Reversal, the study's authors believe a tipping point has been reached, with countries now able to pursue policies to boost their forests' thickness and carbon capacities dramatically. Jesse Ausubel, a director at the Rockefeller University and a co-author, said: "The enlarging forests in almost 50 nations studied may signal the start of a welcome and necessary restoration."

Aapo Rautiainen, lead author of the report, and based at Helsinki University, said: "The reversal occurred in Europe much earlier, then a little bit later in North America, and it has now spread to certain parts of Asia. So that is a positive sign."

He hopes policy-makers will take note: "The carbon-storage question is important as there is growing political interest in using forests as a part of climate mitigation policy.... There is a wide range of different ways you can manage forests – density is a decisive factor in carbon storage in addition to area."

Professor Pekka Kauppi of Helsinki University, a co-author of the study, said: "People worry about forest area, and that's quite correct. But if you want to know the carbon budget, it cannot be monitored observing only the changes in area. It is more important to observe this change in forest density."

Commenting on the study, Mette Loyche Wilkie, co-ordinator of the UN's Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 report, confirmed that in some countries "the growing stock per hectare is increasing – and so is the carbon sequestered". She noted that a recent UN report observed this trend occurring "globally". She added that the change was uneven, and most notable in Europe, where forests had grown in density by over 6 per cent in the past decade, and North America.

Environmentalists expressed concerns, however, that much of the increasing density is driven by huge new monoculture plantations. For example, China's ambitious reforestation programme has added three million new hectares (nearly eight million acres) to the country's forests every year over the past decade, but green campaigners believe this is predominantly composed of one species – eucalyptus.

Planted forests are certainly playing a major role. Every year, more than 10 million hectares of forest are planted worldwide, either on newly felled woodland or reclaimed land. Species that grow faster and taller are often preferred, even where this entails importing new species, with the effects on density not seen until these reach "middle age".

Bustar Maitar, who works on Greenpeace's rainforest campaign in Indonesia, expressed concerns over the loss of biodiversity, saying: "There is a carbon capture, but it's mostly the timber plantations. Timber plantations are ecologically quite different from the forest. The solution is to stop cutting down natural forests."

Though the study, entitled A National and International Analysis of Changing Forest Density, does not itself consider biodiversity, the authors concede there is a balance to be struck. "Almost always there are trade-offs. Harmonising with other goals for forests is always difficult," says Professor Kauppi. "They have to serve many purposes – whether it's beauty, like the English countryside where the important priority is the landscape, or biodiversity, or protection, there are many things. It always has to be balanced, but the carbon budget is important."

The report's lead author, Mr Rautiainen, added: "In some regions, of course, the emphasis on monoculture plantations is very important, but there are also possibilities of managing semi-natural or natural forests. You can't directly infer worsening or improving biodiversity from forest density."

While for much of the world thickening forests are a new phenomenon, in Europe this has been occurring since the Second World War. According to a German study in the Forest Policy and Economics journal in 2006, forest density has almost doubled in Western Europe over that time, primarily because of modern, intensive forest management, and the spectacular growth of major plantations.

In the rest of the world, where the thickening trend is only now emerging, the increase is slower, currently at around 1 per cent each decade in South America and parts of Asia and Africa. However, in a country the size of Brazil, which has more than 500 million hectares of already dense forest, even a small shift means millions of additional tons of carbon are trapped in the remaining rainforest.

The authors believe the change is also being wrought by other, less divisive factors, including more sustainable government forestry practices. Concerns over desertification and soil and water protection, together with policies favouring wildlife conservation and forests as recreational spaces, are prompting better woodland management, which allows existing forest to grow thicker in many countries.

There has also been a major expansion of forest-conservation schemes, with 94 million hectares of global forest placed under legal protection since 1990. "If you have a big area of conserved forest you will probably end up with increased density because of conservation alone, because when the forest is not utilised for wood then the trees can grow and become bigger," said Mr Rautiainen. "That is also a part of the increasing density picture, along with the introduction of plantations and the management of other forests."

And in poorer countries economic development has brought changes such as the diminishing use of wood as a household fuel – which exerts a heavy burden on forest resources, and results in shorter rotations of timber crops. Academics have long predicted, based on precedents in the rich world, that a host of such changes – which include the arrival of modern agricultural methods and rising living standards – would reduce encroachment on forests. This study offers early indications that these predictions are coming true, at least in certain regions.

Bizarrely, even some polluting human activities may also be boosting growth. Ms Wilkie said that UN studies suggest "there may also be some increase in the growth rates (and carbon uptake) due to changes in the atmospheric composition or the climate in some countries". According to one study in Nature Geoscience, increased emissions of carbon dioxide and airborne nitrogen may have helped recent tree growth in Europe through increasing fertility, though the effect is uncertain.

Clearly there remain major concerns for environmentalists. Although the report says that the area covered by trees has expanded in Europe over the past decade by 2 per cent, and marginally in North America, deforestation continued globally at a pace of 13 million hectares every year in the past decade.

In Indonesia, rampant exploitation means the rainforest is getting smaller and thinner every year, while environmentalists have little faith in the government's new moratorium on logging, which began on 20 May. There are concerns, too, over a loosening of regulations on logging in the Brazilian Amazon last month.

Things are not always as they seem in the world of global forestry. Last week, at an international summit that his country is hosting on rainforest sustainability, President Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville announced an initiative to plant one million hectares of trees by 2020. But The Independent on Sunday has received a memo from Global Witness suggesting that the country "has already marked out approximately 80 per cent of its forests for industrial-scale logging".

The debate over the benefits of the trend to thicker forests comes as UN World Environment Day, which is marked today, launches a series of events to celebrate the value of the world's forests. Announcements gave no indication of whether the word "forests" included plantations.

"With so much bad news available on World Environment Day, we are pleased to report that, of 68 nations studied, forest area is expanding in 45, and density is also increasing in 45," said Professor Kauppi.

The study is published by the online, peer-reviewed journal PLoS One.

Retreating rainforests

The news from scientists that forests across the world are thickening is certainly welcome. There has been little for environmentalists to celebrate with regard to the rainforest since the birth of the green movement. There is no doubt the pressure applied by activists and a concerned public has contributed to the reversal in forest density decline. However, today's news does not mean the problem of retreating rainforests – due to, for example, unsustainable logging – just disappears. It is essential we do not ease off.

Governments, particularly in poorer countries, remain under intense pressure to tap into the lucrative rewards offered by resource-rich ancient forests. Some countries will be more able to withstand this than others. Where major concessions are granted, there will continue to be disastrous implications for biodiversity and degradation, as well as indigenous populations.

Plantations may bring benefits as well as dangers, but are no substitute for the sustainable management and conservation of natural forest.

Gathering information on the consequences of forest exploitation is expensive – for swathes of the Congo basin there exists no information. But what this Helsinki-Rockefeller study does demonstrate is that, with greater awareness of forest density, forests can be managed to ensure they remain fertile and absorb more carbon dioxide. This can make an enormous contribution to the battle against climate change.

World Environment Day

Hollywood actor Don Cheadle and Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen, Goodwill Ambassadors for the UN Environment Programme, host the World Environment Day Challenge today, to raise awareness of the world's forests. Volunteers running "green" events can register with their preferred host, and the more popular will inaugurate a new forest. Visit wedchallenge.org

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