Best of our wild blogs: 30 Jan 14

The Tropical Marine Science Institute – a starting point that may soon be coming to an end? from Nature rambles

Two collisions with oil spills near Southern Islands in Jan 2014
from wild shores of singapore

Singapore Green Landscape 2014
from Green Future Solutions

Butterflies Galore! : Large Snow Flat
from Butterflies of Singapore

Little Egret Defaecation
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Read more!

Container ship and barge collide, no injuries reported

Channel NewsAsia 30 Jan 14;

SINGAPORE: A Panama-flagged container ship, NYK Themis, has collided into a barge AZ Fuzhou, at East Keppel Fairway at about 4km south of Marina South.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said it was informed at about 4am on Thursday.

Prior to the incident, MPA's Port Operations Control Centre had informed NYK Themis of the presence of AZ Fuzhou in the fairway.

NYK Themis said one of its bunker tanks sustained damage, resulting in some spillage of bunker fuel.

MPA said it dispatched four of its craft to deal with the spill. Oil spill response companies were also activated to support the clean up efforts.

The two vessels involved in the collision are currently safely anchored and in stable condition.

MPA said no injuries were reported, and port operations remain unaffected. It is investigating the cause of the collision.

- CNA/ac

Two vessels collide near Jurong Island
Channel NewsAsia 29 Jan 14;

SINGAPORE: A Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker, Lime Galaxy, has collided with China-flagged container ship, Feihe, at about 2.7 kilometres south of Jurong Island.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it was informed about the incident at about 6.30pm on Wednesday.

One of Feihe's bunker tanks sustained damage, resulting in some spillage of bunker fuel.

MPA said it dispatched three patrol craft to deal with the spill.

It added that the two vessels involved in the collision are currently safely anchored.

No injuries were reported and MPA said traffic in the port and the Strait of Singapore remains unaffected.

MPA is investigating the cause of the collision.

- CNA/ms

Oil spillage contained after vessel collision near Jurong Island
Channel NewsAsia 30 Jan 14;

SINGAPORE: The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said good progress has been made in containing and cleaning up the oil spillage resulting from Wednesday's collision between Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker Lime Galaxy and the China-flagged container ship Feihe at about 2.7km south of Jurong Island.

It said there has been no further spillage of bunker fuel from Feihe.

However as a precautionary measure, oil booms and an oil spill response craft have been deployed around the vessel.

In total, 10 craft from MPA and oil spill response companies have been deployed as part of the containment and clean up efforts.

- CNA/ac

"Good progress" made in containing oil spillage after recent collisions
Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 30 Jan 14;

SINGAPORE: Two incidents of ship collisions within 24 hours have resulted in oil spills around Singapore waters, but the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said "good progress" has been made in coordinating containment and clean-up efforts.

The first incident occurred on Wednesday evening, between a Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker and a China-flagged container ship.

Lime Galaxy collided with Feihe about 2.7 kilometres south of Jurong Island at 6.30pm on Wednesday.

The Chinese vessel sustained damage to a bunker tank, resulting in some spillage of its bunker fuel. MPA said there has been no further spillage of bunker fuel from Feihe.

Another oil spill occurred early Thursday morning when Panama-flagged container ship NYK Themis collided into a barge, AZ Fuzhou, at the East Keppel Fairway, about 4 kilometres away from Marina South.

MPA said it was informed of the collision at about 4am on Thursday.

The NYK Themis said one of its bunker tanks was damaged, resulting in some spillage of bunker fuel.

MPA said it has deployed 20 craft and sent oil spill response companies to deal with the spill.

Containment booms were used to contain and prevent oil patches from hitting the coastlines.

MPA has advised the public not to be alarmed if patches of oil are spotted around the Southern Islands.

Meanwhile, the four vessels involved in the collisions have been safely anchored.

No injuries have been reported.

- CNA/ms

Collision between Lime Galaxy and Feihe
MPA 29 Jan 14

On 29 January 2014, at about 1830hrs (Singapore Time), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) received a report that the departing Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker, "Lime Galaxy" had collided with the arriving China-flagged containership, "Feihe" at about 2.7 km, south of Jurong Island.

Feihe reported that one of her bunker tanks sustained damage, resulting in some spillage of bunker fuel. Upon notification, MPA immediately dispatched three patrol craft to deal with the spill. Oil spill response companies were also activated to support the clean up efforts.

The two vessels involved in the collision are currently safely anchored and in stable condition. MPA has issued navigational broadcasts to ships to navigate with caution when in the vicinity of the incident site. There is no report of injury, and traffic in the port and the Strait of Singapore remain unaffected.

MPA is investigating the cause of the collision.

Collision between Lime Galaxy and Feihe - Update 1
MPA 30 Jan 14;

On 29 January 2014, at about 1830hrs (Singapore Time), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) received a report that a Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker, "Lime Galaxy" had collided with the arriving China-flagged containership, "Feihe" at about 2.7 km, south of Jurong Island. Prior to the incident, MPA's Port Operations Control Centre attempted to alert the two vessels of their converging courses.

Good progress has been made in containing and cleaning up the oil spillage resulting from the collision. There has been no further spillage of bunker fuel from Feihe. As a precautionary measure, oil booms and an oil spill response craft have been deployed around the vessel. In total, 10 craft from MPA and oil spill response companies have been deployed as part of the containment and clean up efforts.

Vessel traffic in the Strait of Singapore and port waters remain unaffected. Port operations are also not affected.

Members of the public can contact MPA's 24-hour Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325-2488/9 to report any sighting of oil slick in our waters or coastlines.

Contact between vessels NYK Themis and AZ Fuzhou
MPA 30 Jan 14

At about 0410hrs on 30 January 2014 (Singapore time), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) received a report that a Panama-flagged containership, "NYK Themis", had collided into a barge "AZ Fuzhou" , at East Keppel Fairway at about 4 km south of Marina South. The barge was being towed by tug "AZ Carnation" at the time. Prior to the incident, MPA's Port Operations Control Centre informed NYK Themis of the presence of AZ Fuzhou in the fairway.

NYK Themis reported that one of her bunker tanks sustained damage, resulting in some spillage of bunker fuel. Upon notification, MPA immediately dispatched four MPA craft to deal with the spill. Oil spill response companies were also activated to support the clean up efforts.

The two vessels involved in the collision are currently safely anchored and in stable condition. There is no report of injury, and port operations remain unaffected.

MPA is investigating the cause of the collision.

Oil spillage clean-up and containment efforts continue
MPA 30 Jan 14;

Following the oil spillage from two collisions south of Jurong Island and off Marina South on 29 and 30 January 2014 respectively, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has been co-ordinating the containment and clean-up efforts. Good progress has been made since the start of the operations.

A total of 20 craft from MPA and oil spill response companies have been deployed for the clean-up efforts. Containment booms were used to contain and prevent the oil patches from hitting the coastlines and approved oil dispersants are being used to break up the oil patches into smaller globules.

Patches of oil may be spotted in the vicinity of the Southern Islands but the public is advised not to be alarmed. Members of the public who spot any oil patches in our waters or coastlines can also contact MPA's 24-hour Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325-2488/9.

The four vessels involved in the collisions are currently safely anchored and in stable condition. There is no report of injury, and port operations remain unaffected.

Investigations are currently on-going.

Oil spillage clean-up and containment efforts continue - Update 2
MPA 31 Jan 14;

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) continued to coordinate the containment and clean-up of the oil spillage in Singapore's waters following two collisions south of Jurong Island and off Marina South on 29 and 30 January 2014 respectively.

A total of 24 craft and 120 personnel from MPA and oil spill response companies were involved in the effort. Most of the affected areas have been cleaned up, except for minor oil patches in the vicinity of the Southern Islands.

MPA is still monitoring the situation in case there are undetected patches of oil. Response craft and personnel will remain on site in the interim.

Members of the public who spot any oil patches in our waters or coastlines can also contact MPA's 24-hour Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325-2488/9.

Vessel traffic in the Strait of Singapore and port waters remain unaffected. Port operations are also not affected.



Photos of craft from MPA and oil spill response companies carrying out clean-up operations in affected areas, such as the waters off Pulau Seringat.

Read more!

Dry and breezy weather expected to continue for next 1-2 weeks

Channel NewsAsia 29 Jan 14;

SINGAPORE: The current dry and occasionally breezy weather is expected to continue for the next one to two weeks.

In a statement on Wednesday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said slight haze may occur under light wind conditions on a few mornings.

The cool daily minimum temperature is expected to increase slightly to around 23.5 degrees Celsius, which is the long-term average for January and February.

NEA said Singapore is currently in the dry phase of the Northeast Monsoon season, typically characterised by drier and cooler weather and generally windy conditions.

This dry phase has set in earlier than usual this year, leading to fewer rain days and significantly lower rainfall this month.

The last few weeks have also been marked by a spell of cooler-than-normal minimum temperatures.

Since January 14 this year, daily minimum temperatures of between 21 and 22 degrees Celsius were recorded in various parts of the island.

The cooler-than-normal temperatures are due to a surge of cold winds from a high pressure system over China, blowing towards Singapore and the region.

Singapore last experienced a similar spell of cool minimum temperatures during the Northeast Monsoon in early 2009.

The rainfall total for this month so far has ranged from 40 to 125 millimetres across the island, which is 45 to 80 per cent below the long-term average.

At the Changi climate station, 75.4 millimetres of rainfall and five rain days were recorded over this period, compared to the long-term average rainfall of 242.3 millimetres and 15 rain days for January.

For the Lunar New Year holiday period, the weather is expected to be fair and occasionally windy, with the daily temperature ranging between 23 and 31 degrees Celsius.

- CNA/ms

Malaysia: It will be a cool CNY
The Star 31 Jan 14;

PETALING JAYA: There will be no rain in most parts of the country, making it a cooler than usual Chi­nese New Year, according to the Meteorological Department.

Department director-general Datuk Che Gayah Ismail said he expected the weather to persist until early March.

The north-easterly winds from China is contributing to this cooler than usual weather.

This weather is apparently normal during this time of the year.

Che Gayah said that the haze was making the days drier – pollutants from factories and cars are trapped in the air, particularly true in urban areas, creating localised haze.

“There will be no rain for at least five days. Only when it rains will these pollutants be washed away,” said Che Gayah.

The department has issued warnings of strong winds and rough seas for Kelantan, Terengganu, Johor, Pahang, Sarawak, Labuan, and Sabah.

Frost on Mount Kinabalu
Ruben Sario The Star 30 Jan 14;

KOTA KINABALU: The unusually low temperatures in Sabah has sprinkled a layer of frost on the plants on Mount Kinabalu, especially near Panar Laban and Laban Rata at an altitude of just over 3,000m.

In addition, the cold has frozen the water droplets in the mist shrouding the mountain.

“It’s like tiny ice crystals in the air that melt when they touch your skin. It’s magical,” said seasoned tour guide Tham Yau Kong.

Trekkers and staff of the Laban Rata rest house have noticed the frost and ice crystals for the past three to four days.

Tham, who reckons he has trekked up the mountain about 500 times, said he has noticed frost at the peak about 20 times.

“It’s not a new phenomena.

“‘’I am sure the frost is due to the cooler than normal temperatures that we have been experiencing in Sabah for the past two weeks or so,” he said on Thursday.

Read more!

Malaysia: Sun bear carcass and snares found

Isabelle Lai The Star 30 Jan 14;

PETALING JAYA: A Malayan sun bear carcass and several snares were found near the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex (BTFC).

Experts have described the find as clear proof that poaching there continues unabated.

The discovery was made last Thursday by a WWF-Malaysia researcher, who stumbled upon the carcass and snares after checking the jungle trail close to the Gerik-Jeli Highway.

In a joint statement, WWF-Malaysia and Traffic South-East Asia said the carcass was found with a limb still caught in a snare and the animal died “a slow and agonising death”.

Traffic South-East Asia regional director Dr Chris R. Shepherd said poaching for trade was the most chronic threat to Malaysia’s wildlife and questioned the effectiveness of the Belum-Temengor Joint Enforcement Task Force set up in 2010.

The wildlife-rich forest complex has long posed an enforcement challenge as it is a magnet for poachers and wildlife traffickers.

“The rising incidences close to the highway should be warning enough that poachers enjoy easy access to the animals,” he said.

Dr Shepherd called for more frequent joint enforcement patrols which alone could have an impact on the poaching rate.

He called upon the Perak Mentri Besar and state officials to address the problem.

The latest discovery is the third involving sun bears in recent years.

WWF-Malaysia executive director and chief executive officer Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma said snares do not discriminate the choice of victim.

“This time it was a sun bear. Next, it could be a tiger.

“This does not bode well for the BTFC, which is one of three priority sites for tigers in Malaysia,” he said.

Dr Sharma said this was why WWF-Malaysia was strongly advocating a National Tiger Task Force that would ensure better coordinated enforcement.

Between 2008 and 2010, 142 snares were discovered and deactivated in the BTFC by a WWF-Malaysia monitoring unit working with the authorities.

In the same period, Traffic South-East Asia recorded the loss of over 400 animals, including tigers.

Sun Bear carcass and snare find point to relentless poaching in Belum-Temengor Forest Complex.
WWF 28 Jan 14;

28 January 2014, Gerik: The carcass of a Malayan Sun Bear and several snares have been found in jungles near the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex (BTFC) underscoring poaching’s incessant pressure on endangered species in the area.

On Thursday a WWF-Malaysia researcher in the area stumbled upon the Sun Bear carcass and snares after checking the jungle trail close to the Gerik-Jeli Highway, from which several men on motorcycles had been seen emerging earlier.

The rotting Sun Bear carcass was found with a limb still caught in a snare (see photo), where it would have died a slow and agonising death. Four other snares were also found nearby.

WWF-Malaysia and TRAFFIC Southeast Asia reported the matter to authorities for further investigation and action.

This is the third discovery involving Sun Bears in recent years. Four weeks ago, researchers found another Sun Bear in a snare just 250 meters off the Gerik-Jeli highway and it was freed in a two-hour operation by Perhilitan. In 2011, a camera trap in the area captured the image of a Sun Bear without a forelimb, likely lost to a snare.

The wildlife rich forest complex has long been a magnet for poachers and wildlife traffickers and a challenge for enforcement authorities.

From 2008 to 2010, 142 snares were discovered and de-activated in the BTFC by a WWF-Malaysia wildlife monitoring unit working with authorities. In the same period TRAFFIC recorded the loss of over 400 animals including tigers; one of which was famously rescued after several days in a snare in 2009, but later died from its injuries. WWF-Malaysia and TRAFFIC have continued to make such finds in the area including one case in August 2011 involving a dozen snares targeted at large mammals.

The most recent discovery is clear proof that the poaching and illegal wildlife trade in the BTFC has not abated and demands a stronger, more consistent and better co-ordinated response from all authorities in the area.

“A snare does not discriminate in its choice of victim. This time it was a sun bear. Next, it could be a tiger. This does not bode well for BTFC which is one of three priority sites for tigers in Malaysia. It is why we strongly advocate for a National Tiger Task Force that will ensure better coordinated enforcement nationwide. If no urgency is shown in this matter, we will soon have empty forests,” said WWF-Malaysia's Executive Director/CEO, Dato' Dr Dionysius Sharma.

“Poaching for trade is clearly the most chronic threat to Malaysia’s wildlife. The rising incidences close to the highway should be warning enough that poachers enjoy easy access to the animals,” said Regional Director for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia, Dr Chris R. Shepherd.

“The effectiveness of the Belum-Temengor Joint Enforcement Task Force, set-up in 2010 to tackle poaching and trafficking here, has been questionable. More frequent joint enforcement patrols alone could have an impact on the poaching rate, yet this has not been put in place. We urge the Perak Menteri Besar and other state officials to address the problem,” Shepherd said.

Read more!

Indonesia: Environmental Groups Question April Promises of Sustainable Pulp Practices

Ethan Harfenist Jakarta Globe 29 Jan 14;

Jakarta. Indonesia’s second-largest pulp and paper producer Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd. (April) announced a renewed pledge to sustainable practices this week, promising to stop expanding its plantation holdings by the end of this year and halt forest clearing entirely by 2019 in a move greeted with both cautious optimism and disbelief by environmental groups.

“This policy means that within five years April’s mill will be running entirely on renewable, sustainable plantation fiber,” April president Praveen Singhavi said at a press briefing in Jakarta. “We will reach the goal progressively over the next five years — and hopefully before the deadline.”

The Singapore-based April — which runs the region’s largest pulp mill under its Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) subsidiary — announced the move on Tuesday, detailing an ambitious sustainability plan after more than a decade of criticism from environmental and animal rights groups over the company’s activities in the heavily deforested province of Riau, Sumatra.

Under the sustainability plan, April has committed to halting any efforts to establish new plantations by the end of 2014. During this time the company will also double its forest restoration program to 40,000 hectares. Five years later, April has committed to only using plantation wood in its mill, putting to an end more than a decade of relying predominately on mixed tropical hardwood harvested from the province’s existing forests.

The pulp and paper company and its affiliates currently own some 817,000 hectares of land throughout the country, 51 percent of which is suitable for planting. Nearly half of the company’s concession areas lie in Sumatra’s Riau province, an area that witnessed one of fastest rates of deforestation in the world. More than 4 million hectares of forest have vanished in Riau since 1982 — laying waste to vast tracts of forest, destroying valuable carbon-rich peatland and pushing several indigenous species to the brink of extinction.

Much of the blame has been placed on Royal Golden Eagle Group (RGE) and Sinar Mas — two companies with deep ties to the Suharto regime and a host of affiliated companies operating in the pulp and paper and palm oil industry in Indonesia and abroad. Sinar Mas owns one of the largest pulp companies in the world, Asia Pacific Pulp and Paper, and has made a similar pledge to sustainable practices last year. The company’s announcement began with the immediate suspension of all land clearing activities and a promise to only expand on open land and scrubland in future operations.

April was criticized at the time for sticking to its existing policies which, despite corporate claims that they are in the “tree planting” business, resulted in annual clearing of existing forests. In 2012, the company planned to clear some 60,000 hectares of rainforest, according to confidential reports leaked to Greenpeace. RAPP’s massive 1,750 hectare manufacturing complex in Kerinci, Riau, produces some 2.8 million tons of pulp and 820,000 tons of paper per year. Historically more than half of the wood used came from existing forests, not acacia plantations, according to reports by the Center on International Forestry Research (Cifor).

Now, a little over a year later, April has made a similar pledge to ending destructive practices in Indonesia. The move was met with “cautious” optimism by the Wold Wildlife Fund, which applauded the company’s plan to establish an independent advisory board to oversee the progress of the sustainability pledge.

“Given WWF’s longstanding calls for an end to the environmental abuses associated with the pulp and paper industry, April’s Sustainable Forest Management Policy would seem to be demonstrating willingness on the part of the company to transforming its operations,” said Efransjah, CEO of WWF-Indonesia. “If April truly fulfills the entire commitment in the policy, it will lead to a positive contribution to Indonesia’s forests, biodiversity, emission reductions and people.”

But the details of the plan, and the reticence to immediately suspend all land clearing activities in Indonesia, left some wondering what the coming year holds for Riau’s forests. The privately held company declined to detail the status of the nearly 417,000 hectares of plantable land it owns. Environmental groups like Greenpeace worry that April will rapidly expand its land holdings in the coming year only to spend the next five years chewing through wood harvested from existing forests in an ironic preparation for its sustainability goals.

“April’s carefully orchestrated policy announcement is essentially a license to continue forest clearance,” Zulfahmi, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Forest Campaigner, said in a press release. “A glaring weakness is that it would allow its current suppliers to continue to destroy forest and peatlands for nearly a year, and give it another six more years until it would stop using rainforest fiber at its mill.”

The company’s announcement also left out any mention of RGE-owned subsidiaries like Asian Agri and Toba Pulp Lestari — two companies also implicated in destructive practices like the kind of slash-and-burn land clearing that left Singapore choking on haze last year. Under the Ministry of Forestry’s regulations, companies that own both palm oil and pulp divisions can use wood cleared from new palm plantations to feed their pulp mills in an effort to reduce pulp deficits at the nation’s mills. Environmental groups have called for similar sustainability promises to be made by April’s sister companies.

Greenpeace called the move an eleventh-hour effort to retain its membership in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The company’s membership was on the line unless it demonstrated a serious commitment to ending deforestation following a complaint by Greenpeace. But the environmental group criticized April’s response for not going far enough, explaining that a serious commitment to ending deforestation would be the immediate suspension of forest clearing.

“If April were serious about cutting forest destruction from their supply chains then it would look to more progressive players in the forestry sector that have put an immediate moratorium on all forest clearance and peatland development,” Zulfahmi said.

The Pekanbaru-based Forest Rescue Network Riau (Jikalahari) said the company had made and broken similar promises in the past.

“I don’t buy the pledge,” Muslim Rasyid, of Jikalahari, said on Wednesday. “They commit to ceasing using raw materials from nature by 2019 and lower their production so it can match the normal capacity, but I think they’ll break their promise again. They made similar pledges back in 2009 and 2012, but still, nothing’s changed. The pledge is only an act of green washing. The company just wants to create a good image of themselves and save their place in the network of sustainable companies.”

Previous efforts to establish a “greener” image by April have been met with similar criticism. Environmental groups accused the company of using a $17 million peatland restoration project in Riau’s heavily degraded Kampar Peninsula to “greenwash” the continued cutting of old-growth forests. The project, which aimed to restore more than 20,000 hectares of damaged peatland, was drafted in association with Fauna & Flora International (FFI). But April’s continued cutting of forests at the time, as well as the company’s seemingly cozy relationship with the forest ministry, left environmental groups doubting the true impact of the project.

The Ministry of Forestry claims that demand for Indonesian pulp remains strong. The success of April’s sustainability pledge depends on its ability meet demand, ministry spokesman Sumarto explained.

“The market demand for wood is still huge, so Indonesia has the potential to improve,” he said.

The ministry announced plans in 2012 to significantly expand the nation’s pulp capacity in the next decade. The expansion would include the construction of seven new pulp mills and the awarding of concessions in previously untouched forests in eastern Indonesia, according to the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). When asked about the status of this plan, Sumarto instead spoke on the importance of involving local residents in the cultivation of pulp plantations.

Some 70 percent of the nation’s pulp production comes from small farmers, not multinational companies, Sumarto said.

“The forest [ministry] will establish a wood industry with a focus on planted forests,” he said. “This included forests planted by the people. The conditions now show that forests planted by the people have a role [in the nation's pulp industry].”

Nationwide some 40 percent of Indonesia’s forest cover has been converted into plantations that feed a $26 billion a year industry. On average, 6.2 million acres — an area roughly the size of Vermont — of tropical forests disappear annually.

— Additional reporting by Muhamad Al Azhari and Josua Gantan

Read more!