Best of our wild blogs: 17 Nov 12

Sluggy on St. John's Island
from wild shores of singapore

REDD+ must consider biodiversity, forest livelihoods to have any chance of success from Mongabay.com news by Rhett Butler

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More areas come under PUB's Active Beautiful and Clean Waters programme

Channel NewsAsia 16 Nov 12;

SINGAPORE: Three more vicinities are set to be transformed by next year under the PUB's Active Beautiful and Clean Waters programme.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said 20 different vicinities have already benefited from the programme which began in 2006.

The programme aims to transform canals and drains into streams and lakes, and serves as focal community points.

One of the projects that will be completed next year includes the Sungei Ulu Pandan project.

Mr Christopher De Souza, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said: "Would it be possible for the ministry to allow the residents and Sunset Way residents that fall within my ward to actually go very close to the water to learn about biodiversity, and to have river life extend to them proximately, and not just visually."

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan replied: "The whole idea of making it attractive and beautiful is to give access. The only caveat I would put is the issue of safety. So for instance if you would recall in the Bishan canal which was converted into a river because it's specially designed to be low-lying and people have access and can even walk across the river.

"However, during times of intense storms, the water can spread out very rapidly along the sides, that's why we've got various alarm systems and markings on the grounds in order to emphasise safety. We have to get a balance between access and public safety."

- CNA/de

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Australia creates world's largest marine reserves

Martin Parry AFP Yahoo News 16 Nov 12;

Australia Friday created the world's largest network of marine reserves, protecting a huge swathe of ocean environment despite claims it will devastate the fishing industry.

The announcement, after years of planning and consultation, will significantly expand the protection of creatures such as the blue whale, green turtle, critically endangered populations of grey nurse sharks, and dugongs.

The scale of the plan, which will cover more than 2.3 million square kilometres (890,000 square miles) in six marine regions, was first made public in June.

Environment Minister Tony Burke said of 80,000 submissions received, the vast majority supported the proposal.

"There are very few countries in the world that are as responsible for as much of the ocean as Australia is. And our oceans are under serious threat," he said.

"There are a range of actions that need to be taken to turn the corner on the health of our oceans. Establishing national parks in the ocean is a big part of that total picture."

Burke added that his decision was important for future generations.

"We need to appreciate that in the years to come we don't want people to only know the magnificence of their oceans through aquariums or by watching 'Finding Nemo'," he said, referring to the animated Disney film.

But fishermen are furious, claiming coastal communities would be ruined, thousands of jobs lost and the Aus$2 billion (US$2 billion) aquaculture industry seriously impacted.

The Australian Marine Alliance, which conducted a cost analysis, claimed 60 regional communities would be affected, 36,000 jobs lost and 70-80 trawler operators displaced, while the cost of seafood imports would soar.

Burke said he understood his decision would have an impact, but claimed it would only affect one percent of the commercial fishing industry nationally.

To compensate, he said businesses hurt by the changes would be able to access Aus$100 million in assistance.

"Even though the new marine reserves have been designed in a way to minimise impacts on industry and recreational users, the government recognises that there will be impacts on some fishers and we will support those impacted," he said.

The Commonwealth Fisheries Association criticised the amount of compensation on offer and Queensland's Fisheries Minister John McVeigh said the plan, which will lock up huge areas off the state's central and north coast, was "madness".

"The impact right across our fishing communities will be enormous," he said, warning of job losses.

"There will be a marked shift to imported seafood -- that will rape fragile reef and other marine environments overseas where there is no proper management."

While some limits will be placed on where energy companies can work, tracts of coast off Western Australia, where Shell and Woodside Petroleum recently won permits, will remain open to oil and gas exploration.

The Australian Conservation Foundation welcomed the initiative, saying it would "go down in Australian history as an economically and environmentally sustainable decision".

But the foundation's Paul Sinclair said more could still be done.

"Although the national marine reserve network is an achievement for Australians to celebrate, there is more work to be done to protect our coastal way of life," he said.

"While the reserve network bans oil and gas exploration in the Coral Sea and off Margaret River in Western Australia, protecting nearby beaches from oil spills, the northwest region, including the Kimberley coast, is still vulnerable."

Australia creates world's biggest marine parks
James Grubel PlanetArk 19 Nov 12;

Australia created the world's largest network of marine national parks on Friday, protecting an area of ocean the size of Western Europe in a move which will prevent oil and gas exploration and commercial fishing in the most sensitive areas.

Environment Minister Tony Burke said the decision would protect 2.3 million square kilometers (888,035 square miles) of ocean, including the tropical Coral Sea off the north Queensland coast and coral reefs off Australia's southwest, and help support endangered sea life.

"We don't want people to only know the magnificence of their oceans through aquariums or by watching 'Finding Nemo'," Burke told reporters.

The new reserves will be established from the Perth Canyon in the southwest to Kangaroo Island off the southern coast, and to the Coral Sea area which surrounds the Great Barrier Reef in the northeast.

The new marine reserves will limit commercial fishing and oil and gas exploration in the most sensitive areas, but won't prevent shipping, tourism or diving.

The decision has angered the commercial fishing industry, particularly from the northern Queensland state, while recreational fishing groups are also angered at the loss of access to some areas.

Burke said the new marine reserves would only affect around one percent of Australia's commercial fishing, and the government would spend A$100 million ($103.28 million) to compensate commercial fishers for the loss of access.

He said most recreational fishing would continue as normal, as the parks were hundreds of kilometers offshore and well out of range for recreational fishing.

But fishing supporters complained that they were being discriminated against.

"The government is discriminating against recreational fishers by allowing divers, tourist operators, container ships and even defense force activities into marine parks, but banning fishing families from catching a fish," recreational fishing foundation director Allan Hansard said.

Earlier this year, a United Nations report said Australia's world-famous Great Barrier Reef was under threat from industrial development and may be considered for listing as a world heritage site ?"in danger" within the next year.

($1 = 0.9683 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by James Grubel, editing by Elaine Lies)

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