Best of our wild blogs: 13 Aug 11

Have a Crabby National Day!
from Celebrating Singapore's BioDiversity!

A commentary on Singapore's Natural Landscape
from Nature Spies

Armed and dangerless
from The annotated budak

A Mission on 6 Aug @ Lornie Trail
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Pasir Ris is still alive!
from wild shores of singapore

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Preserve Singapore's heritage and nature spots

Straits Times Forum 12 Aug 11;

IN LAND-SCARCE Singapore, where economic development continues unabated, it is prudent to leave some historic land untouched for the sake of posterity.

Singapore's first public pool in Mount Emily was opened in 1931 and closed after 1982. This landmark area should be added to the present Mount Emily Park.

The Bidadari Cemetery is now defunct and Woodleigh MRT station occupies part of the former site. I do not know what has happened to the tombs of our early pioneers like R.A.J. Bidwell, the architect behind landmarks like the Raffles Hotel, and scholar and community leader Lim Boon Keng.

The Bukit Brown cemetery, which was opened in 1922, will soon be consigned to history books, with the land being used for housing needs. The Land Transport Authority plans to build the Bukit Brown MRT station near the cemetery. The tombs of early pioneers like Chew Boon Lay should be preserved to remind future generations of their invaluable contributions to our nation. A recent trek also revealed to me the rich flora and fauna at this old cemetery.

The KTM railway land has now reverted to Singapore. Other than those parts affected by road widening and housing development, this rich parcel of land should be preserved. The stretch from Yew Tee to Woodlands is a sanctuary for monitor lizards, snakes, tortoises and kingfishers. Any future development will sound the death knell for these species.

The manicured tracks of our park connectors do not seem to attract wildlife, which can flourish only in marshes and swampy areas. I still find mudskippers and horseshoe crabs at the beach near the Kranji Reservoir Park.

Our mangrove swamps should be preserved, otherwise future generations will see such rare creatures only in their textbooks.

Heng Cho Choon

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NUS testing new algae treatment of wastewater

Grace Chua Straits Times 12 Aug 11;

ALGAE can be a problem for waterways, feeding on excess nutrients and clogging water bodies with algal bloom.

But researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) believe they can harness that very growth to treat wastewater, and cut the energy used in treatment by as much as 80 per cent.

That is because wastewater treatment takes a lot of energy, most of it to bubble air through, or aerate, sludge ponds so bacteria can eat the waste.

Instead, associate professors Loh Kai Chee, 47, and Tong Yen Wah, 38, keep the bacteria, but replace the aeration process with algae which produce oxygen. In turn, the algae gobble up the carbon dioxide that the bacteria produce, as well as any waste products the latter do not eat.

Prof Loh and Prof Tong, of NUS' chemical and bioengineering department, started devising their system about two years ago.

They were inspired by a previous government grant call asking for research to improve the energy efficiency of wastewater treatment.

They did not get the grant, but kept plugging away at the system.

Now, they have got as far as a lab-bench experimental setup - a 250ml flask full of algae and an identical flask full of bacteria. The liquids in the twin flasks never mix, meeting only in a reactor where a membrane made of plastic fibres lets the necessary gases through.

So far, they have tested on a high-concentration sugar solution that mimics the concentration of wastewater, but have not yet tried it on real wastewater. That is one of the next steps, explained Prof Loh.

Another would be genetically engineering strains of algae that grow faster and thus consume more carbon dioxide, a project Prof Tong is working on.

After that, scaling up to a pilot or demonstration plant should be straightforward, as the membranes used are commercially available.

They reckon the process could even be a net producer of energy, if the algae are digested at the end of their life to harvest methane gas which is then burned to generate power.

Currently, the sludge left over from wastewater treatment can also be digested for such biogas, which can generate about half of the energy needed to run the treatment process. But Prof Loh and Prof Tong say their system is better because using algae saves energy on aeration.

Their idea did not come out of the blue. The NUS researchers worked with algae for four years, at first trying to get biofuel from it.

In fact, researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York are growing algae in wastewater, both helping to clean the wastewater and harvest the algae for biofuel.

But other research groups trying to use algae for water treatment mixed the algae and wastewater, said Prof Loh.

For that, the strains of algae and treatment bacteria had to be carefully picked so they would not compete with or kill each other.

So the realisation that algae and bacteria could exchange gases and nutrients through a membrane was a 'eureka moment' of sorts, Prof Loh explained.

He said: 'Maybe people were too wedded to the idea that we need the two micro-organisms to be in the same broth, and we need to select them to live with each other.'

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Mexico Marine Life Makes Astounding Recovery

LiveScience.com Yahoo News 13 Aug 11;

To see the world's most thriving undersea wildlife park, head to the southern tip of Mexico's Baja peninsula.

Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP) is the world's most robust marine reserve in the world, according to a new study led by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego.

Results of their 10-year analysis of Cabo Pulmo revealed that the total amount of fish in the reserve ecosystem — the biomass — boomed by more than 460 percent from 1999 to 2009. Citizens living around Cabo Pulmo, which was previously depleted by fishing, established the park in 1995 and have strictly enforced its "no take" restrictions.

"We could have never dreamt of such an extraordinary recovery of marine life at Cabo Pulmo," said Enric Sala, the National Geographic explorer-in-residence who started the study in 1999. "In 1999, there were only medium-sized fishes, but 10 years later it's full of large parrotfish, groupers, snappers and even sharks."

Striking results

The most striking result of the study, the authors say, is that sea creatures at a depleted site can recover up to a level comparable to remote, pristine sites that have never been fished by humans.

"The study's results are surprising in several ways," said Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, a Scripps postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study. "A biomass increase of 463 percent in a reserve as large as Cabo Pulmo (71 square kilometers) represents tons of new fish produced every year. No other marine reserve in the world has shown such a fish recovery."

The paper notes that factors such as the protection of spawning areas for large predators have been key to the reserve's robustness. Most importantly, local enforcement, led by the determined action of a few families, has been a major factor in the park's success. Boat captains, dive masters and other locals work to enforce the park's regulations and share surveillance, fauna protection and ocean cleanliness efforts.

"We believe that the success of CPNP is greatly due to local leadership, effective self-enforcement by local stakeholders, and the general support of the broader community," the authors wrote in their report.

Local impacts

Strictly enforced marine reserves have been proven to help reduce local poverty and increase economic benefits, the researchers say. The national park's marine life recovery has spawned eco-tourism businesses, including coral reef diving and kayaking, making it a model for areas depleted by fishing in the Gulf of California and elsewhere.

"The reefs are full of hard corals and sea fans, creating an amazing habitat for lobsters, octopuses, rays and small fish," said Brad Erisman, a Scripps postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the article. "During some seasons, thousands of mobula rays congregate inside the park and swim above the reef in a magnificent way."

The scientists have been combining efforts to monitor the Gulf of California's rocky reefs every year for more than a decade, sampling more than 30 islands and peninsula locations along Baja California, stretching from Puerto Refugio on the northern tip of Angel de la Guarda to Cabo San Lucas and Cabo Pulmo south of the Bahia de La Paz.

During the 10 years of study, the researchers found that Cabo Pulmo's fish species richness blossomed into a biodiversity "hot spot." Animals such as tiger sharks, bull sharks and black tip reef sharks increased significantly. Scientists continue to find evidence that such top predators keep coral reefs healthy. Other large fish at Cabo Pulmo include gulf groupers, dog snappers and leopard groupers.

The study was published in the journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE.

Hidden Baja Undersea Park Is the World's Most Robust Marine Reserve
ScienceDaily 12 Aug 11;

A thriving undersea wildlife park tucked away near the southern tip of Mexico's Baja peninsula has proven to be the world's most robust marine reserve in the world, according to a new study led by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Results of a 10-year analysis of Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP), published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE journal, revealed that the total amount of fish in the reserve ecosystem (the "biomass") boomed more than 460 percent from 1999 to 2009. Citizens living around Cabo Pulmo, previously depleted by fishing, established the park in 1995 and have strictly enforced its "no take" restrictions.

"We could have never dreamt of such an extraordinary recovery of marine life at Cabo Pulmo," said National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala, who started the study in 1999. "In 1999 there were only medium-sized fishes, but ten years later it's full of large parrotfish, groupers, snappers and even sharks."

The most striking result of the paper, the authors say, is that fish communities at a depleted site can recover up to a level comparable to remote, pristine sites that have never been fished by humans.

"The study's results are surprising in several ways," said Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, a Scripps postdoctoral researcher, World Wildlife Fund Kathryn Fuller fellow and lead author of the study. "A biomass increase of 463 percent in a reserve as large as Cabo Pulmo (71 square kilometers) represents tons of new fish produced every year. No other marine reserve in the world has shown such a fish recovery."

The paper notes that factors such as the protection of spawning areas for large predators have been key to the reserve's robustness. Most importantly, local enforcement, led by the determined action of a few families, has been a major factor in the park's success. Boat captains, dive masters and other locals work to enforce the park's regulations and share surveillance, fauna protection and ocean cleanliness efforts.

"We believe that the success of CPNP is greatly due to local leadership, effective self-enforcement by local stakeholders, and the general support of the broader community," the authors note in their report.

Strictly enforced marine reserves have been proven to help reduce local poverty and increase economic benefits, the researchers say. Cabo Pulmo's marine life recovery has spawned eco-tourism businesses, including coral reef diving and kayaking, making it a model for areas depleted by fishing in the Gulf of California and elsewhere.

"The reefs are full of hard corals and sea fans, creating an amazing habitat for lobsters, octopuses, rays and small fish," said Brad Erisman, a Scripps postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the article. "During some seasons thousands of mobula rays congregate inside the park and swim above the reef in a magnificent way."

The scientists have been combining efforts to monitor the Gulf of California's rocky reefs every year for more than a decade, sampling more than 30 islands and peninsula locations along Baja California, stretching from Puerto Refugio on the northern tip of Angel de la Guarda to Cabo San Lucas and Cabo Pulmo south of the Bahia de La Paz.

In the ten years studied, the researchers found that Cabo Pulmo's fish species richness blossomed into a biodiversity "hot spot." Animals such as tiger sharks, bull sharks and black tip reef sharks increased significantly. Scientists continue to find evidence that such top predators keep coral reefs healthy. Other large fish at Cabo Pulmo include gulf groupers, dog snappers and leopard groupers.

"I participated, back in the 1990s, in the studies for the declaration of the marine park. Frankly, we decided to go ahead because the community was so determined but the place at that time was not in good environmental health," said Exequiel Ezcurra, Director of the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) and co-author of the article. "If you visit the place now, you cannot believe the change that has taken place. And all of it has occurred thanks to the determination of a community of coastal villagers that decided to take care of their place and to be at the helm of their own destiny."

"Few policymakers around the world are aware that fish size and abundance can increase inside marine reserves to extraordinary levels within a decade after protection is established; fewer still know that these increases often translate into economic benefits for coastal communities" said Aburto-Oropeza. "Therefore, showing what's happened in Cabo Pulmo will contribute to ongoing conservation efforts in the marine environment and recovery of local coastal economies."

In addition to Aburto-Oropeza, co-authors include Brad Erisman and Grantly Galland of Scripps Oceanography; Ismael Mascareñas-Osorio of Centro para la Biodiversidad Marina y la Conservación in La Paz, Mexico; Enric Sala of the National Geographic Society and Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes in Spain; and Exequiel Ezcurra of UC-MEXUS at UC Riverside.

The research was funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, International Community Foundation, Moore Family Foundation, Pew Fellowship Program on Marine Conservation, Robins Family Foundation, The Tinker Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation.

Journal Reference:

Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, Brad Erisman, Grantly R. Galland, Ismael Mascareñas-Osorio, Enric Sala, Exequiel Ezcurra. Large Recovery of Fish Biomass in a No-Take Marine Reserve. PLoS ONE, 2011; 6 (8): e23601 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023601

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Bali struggles with the dark side of success

Olivia Rondonuwu Reuters 12 Aug 11;

NUSA DUA, Indonesia, Aug 12 (Reuters Life!) - Construction cranes on beaches, damaged coral, and floating trash in the turquoise waters off Bali are an unfortunate sign of just how successful the Indonesian resort island has been in attracting tourists.

Foreign visitors have been drawn to the unique Hindu culture, art and volcanic landscapes of Bali since the 19th century, but in recent years growing wealth in Asia has spurred new hordes of tourists from around the region.

The island has also used its charm to become a top venue for international conferences and events involving thousands more people, many of which take place in the Nusa Dua resort complex, south of the airport, where international hotel chains such as Westin and Marriott have taken root.

The flood of cash from these conferences, during which room prices surge due to tight demand, is prompting the bulldozing of hills for more resorts in an island that some people already think is far too crowded, with little or no thought given to the limits of the environment.

"What is happening in Bali now is over-exploitation of the tourism industry. A policy of selling it cheap, and exploiting it to the last bit," said Wayan Suardana, the head of local green group Walhi in Bali.

Suardana said old resorts should be renovated and that attention needs to be paid to a host of problems born from the surging success that include a scarcity of electricity and clean water, mounting trash, and traffic jams.

But instead, the local government has given the go-ahead to build a 200-hectare resort to host the 2013 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Jimbaran, a hilly area overlooking a beautiful bay, threatening farmers' livelihood, Suardana said.

In the Nusa Dua area, the small, winding road is misted by dust from construction on developments in at least three adjacent areas and streams of trucks carrying rocks and cement.

Wayan Solo, the administrative head of Benoa -- where Nusa Dua is located -- said two resorts and a villa complex are being built just south of Nusa Dua, with completion set for next year.

TOURISM'S MIDAS TOUCH

Mass-market tourism, which arrived in Bali several decades ago, proved invaluable for the tiny, densely populated island, half the size of Jamaica but with a population of 3.5 million.

With not enough fertile land to go around, tourism provided jobs in hotels, services, manufacturing of things such as souvenirs and furniture, and construction.

Despite some downturns during the political turmoil of the late 1990s and after incidents such as 9/11 attacks in the United States, the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings, and the 2008 financial crisis, tourism is rebounding more strongly than ever.

Some 2.4 million people flew in to Bali in 2009, nearly double the 2005 figure. According to government statistics, the number of arrivals at Bali's airport for the first half of this year is up 10 percent compared to the same period last year.

With its magnificent aquamarine water, white sand beaches, majestic cliffs, and numerous hotels, arid southern Bali has been Indonesia's main tourist magnet for decades.

But the hundreds of hotels have absorbed water in the small island of 3.5 million residents, said Suardana, leaving farmers in the northern part of Bali, which has working plantations of crops such as rice and coffee, chronically short of water.

Still more land is taken out of agricultural commission all the time. Bali's Environmental Agency said 700 hectares of land is converted yearly for hotels, roads and housing, some of it villas for foreigners and wealthy Indonesians.

In addition, the hotels produce growing mountains of trash. Some 13,000 cubic metres of trash arriving at processing plants across Bali per day, but only half is being processed, said Alit Sastrawan, head of the agency.

Lack of monitoring has also meant that trash from big hotels may be dumped on just any available empty land, said Made Suarnata, the head of the Wisnu Foundation, which campaigns for community-based waste recycling.

Perhaps even more serious is damage to one of the island's biggest draws, its pristine waters.

Decades of development in southern Bali have contributed to coral bleaching and beach erosion, adding to damage from an El Nino weather pattern in the late 1990s.

"What used to be a huge reef in Sanur, the natural barrier of Bali, was covered by sedimentation, the result of massive development and reclamation in southern Bali, bleaching and eventually killing the coral," said Ketut Sarjana Putra, a scientist at Bali-based Conservation International Indonesia.

While Sanur's reef is beyond hope, coral is recovering in northwestern Pemuteran and the neighbouring island of Nusa Penida. But something has still been lost, with long-term divers saying fish numbers are sharply lower.

Thinking of the environmental degradation, Suarnata recalled an old Balinese saying, "Merta matemahang Wishya" -- "a blessing that is not managed well can turn to danger."

He added: "The tourism industry has given us good benefits, but if we aren't serious about managing it, with trash piling up across the island and inviting disease, who would want to come?" (Editing by Elaine Lies)

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