Burning smell, haze could be due to local vegetation fires: NEA

Air quality in Singapore is expected to remain in the Moderate range for the next 24 hours, the National Environment Agency says.

Channel NewsAsia 30 Mar 16;

SINGAPORE: The burning smell detected in some parts of Singapore on Tuesday could have been caused by some local vegetation fires, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said.

The fires and some wind convergence over Singapore in the late afternoon on Tuesday could have also contributed to the deterioration in the air quality in some parts of the island on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, NEA said.

Air quality in Singapore is expected to remain in the Moderate range for the next 24 hours, the agency said. As of 11am on Wednesday, the 24-hour PSI reading was 68-82, in the Moderate range, while the 3-hour PSI reading was 71 and the 1-hr PM2.5 was 17-32 ug/m3.

Fair and warm conditions are forecast for the rest of Wednesday with prevailing winds blowing from the northeast.

While hotspot activities in the surrounding nearby region have been low, there has been a rise in the number of hotspots in the northern ASEAN region which is currently experiencing its traditional dry season, NEA said.

“This could result in an increased concentration of particulate matter such as dust particles in the atmosphere over the region,” it added.

Given the air quality forecast for the next 24 hours, everyone can continue with normal activities, NEA said. Those who are not feeling well, especially the elderly and children, and those with chronic heart or lung conditions, should seek medical attention.

The agency added that it is monitoring the situation closely and will provide further updates when necessary.

NUMBER OF VEGETATION FIRES DOWN: SCDF

In response to media queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the number of vegetation fires in the first three months of the year was lower than the previous two years.

There were 121 vegetation fires between January and March, with 94 in March alone. This compares to 97 of such fires in March last year, and 239 in March 2014.

The largest fire this month occurred on Mar 2 along Yishun Ring Road, SCDF said. The fire involved a thick patch of vegetation measuring about 5m by 10m – less than one-quarter the size of a football field. SCDF officers extinguished the fire using two water jets within an hour.

- CNA/cy

SCDF puts out 94 vegetation fires in March
Today Online 30 Mar 16;

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Civil Defence Force has put out 94 vegetation fires around Singapore in March. The biggest vegetation fire this month broke out on March 2 at Yishun Ring Road that involved an area of about 5 m by 10 m, said a statement by the SCDF on Wednesday (March 30). That fire was put out within an hour.

According to statistics provided by SCDF, there have been 121 vegetation fires this year so far, with most of them happening this month. “Overall, the number of such fires for the first three months of this year is comparatively lower than the two previous years,” the SCDF noted. There were 409 vegetation fires in 2015 and 437 fires in 2014.

The SCDF released this information in response to media queries on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the National Environment Agency attributed the burning smell around Singapore to, in part, vegetation fires.

The NEA also said that hot spots in the the northern part of South-east Asia, which is experiencing a dry season, could also be a cause of the increased concentration of dust particles in the atmosphere.

These factors could have contributed to the burning smell and slight deterioration in air quality, the NEA said.

At 4pm, the 24-hour Pollution Standards Index ranged between 67 and 81. The 24-hour PSI first hit 80 at 10 pm in the southern part of Singapore and at 11 pm in the central part of Singapore on Tuesday night. It has stayed above 80 since for these regions.

The air quality for the next 24 hours is expected to be in the moderate range, according to the NEA. For the rest of Wednesday, fair and warm conditions are forecast with prevailing winds blowing from the northeast.


Hotspots and local vegetation fires could be cause of burning smell
Today Online 30 Mar 16;

SINGAPORE — Hotspots in the northern ASEAN region and local vegetation fires are some factors that could have contributed to the burning smell in Singapore said the National Environment Agency in an advisory sent on Wednesday (March 30).

It noted that there has been a rise in the number of hotspots in the northern part of Southeast Asia that is currently experiencing the traditional dry season. “This could result in an increased concentration of particulate matter such as dust particles in the atmosphere over the region.”

In addition, there were some local vegetation fires reported, and some wind convergence over Singapore in the late afternoon on Tuesday, the NEA said.

“These factors could have contributed to the burning smell and slight deterioration in our air quality in some parts of the island last night and early this morning. NEA is monitoring the situation closely and will provide further updates when necessary.”

The air quality for the next 24 hours is expected to be in the Moderate range, according to the NEA. For the rest of Wednesday, fair and warm conditions are forecast with prevailing winds blowing from the northeast.

At noon, the PSI reading for Singapore ranged from 68 to 82. The 24-hour PSI first hit 80 at 10 pm in the southern part of Singapore and at 11 pm in the central part of Singapore on Tuesday night. It has stayed above 80 since for these regions.

Complaints about the haze are beginning to appear on social media.

One user, @SpikyKelvin, tweeted on Tuesday morning: “Woke up to a HAZY morning here”. Another person, going by the name @morbidshark groaned: “The #SGHaze is back already?! How bad is it gonna get this time”.

Photos are also beginning to appear on Twitter and Instagram. Instagram user @sanyuhesselink posted a photo of the view from Hougang Cape showing a hazy horizon and noted: “this is what happen when you have an inconsiderate neighbour who smokes (burns rainforests) and don’t care about your health or well-being”

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Hard to identify cause of smoky smell in air: NEA

KENNETH CHENG Today Online 30 Mar 16;

SINGAPORE — The smoky smell that has been lingering in the air across the island in recent days may have been brought on by transboundary haze in the region, or fires in Singapore or other sources of localised burning, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday (March 29).

On a regional haze map put up by the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre at 7.30pm, there were scattered hotspots detected over Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Localised, thin smoke plumes were also observed in the vicinity of some of the hotspots.

The centre, which runs a regional collaboration programme among the national meteorological services of ASEAN member countries, reported that “wet weather condition continue to subdue hotspot activities with only isolated hotspots detected in Brunei” in the southern ASEAN region.

Since Sunday, there have been multiple reports from the public, regarding an acrid smell in the air and reduced visibility in some parts of the island, with some making calls to Mediacorp newsrooms to register their observations. From late Tuesday afternoon, there have been reports from various parts of the country, including the Central Business District and Sentosa, of palpable smoky smells in the air and visibly hazy conditions.

The three-hour PSI reading on Tuesday crept up from 69 at noon to 83 at 10pm. And the 24-hour PSI stayed within the Moderate range (51-100) in all parts of the island, registering between 61 and 69 at noon to between 65 and 80 at 10pm.

The NEA spokesperson said that “transboundary smoke haze from forest and peat fires in the region” may be a possible cause, but added that it was difficult to identify the cause or source of such smells because of their “transient nature”.

Such smells, the spokesperson said, are usually — but may not always be — accompanied by higher Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) or PM2.5 readings which measure fine particulate matter in the air. This means there is no strong correlation between PSI or PM2.5 readings and burning smells in the air.

Between last September and October, Singapore experienced a prolonged bout of haze which, at one point, forced the closure of primary and secondary schools for a day.

Singaporeans report 'haze' smell
The 3-hour Pollution Standards Index reading hit 87 at 8pm on Tuesday (Mar 29), the highest level this year.
Channel NewsAsia 29 Mar 16;

SINGAPORE: The 3-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) crept up from Tuesday afternoon (Mar 29) before peaking at 87 at 8pm, the highest level this year. It went down to 83 by 10pm.

However readings of the 24-hour PSI at 8pm was 65-78, still within the Moderate range. When the 24-hour PSI goes beyond 100, it is considered unhealthy.

In response to media queries, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said there are a few possible causes for a burning smell in the air. It could be due to "transboundary smoke haze from forest and peat fires in the region, the occurrence of local fires or other localised sources of burning". It added that smells may not always be accompanied by higher PSI or PM2.5 readings.

The PSI is an index of daily air quality levels and computed on the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the dominant pollutant during haze episodes, along with other pollutants.

"Due to the transient nature of such smells, it is difficult to identify the cause or source of the smells," NEA said, adding that there is no correlation between PSI/PM2.5 readings and burning smells in the air.

According to the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS), scattered hotspots were detected over Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia on Tuesday.

"Localised, thin smoke plumes were observed in the vicinity of some of the hotspots," MSS said on its website, adding that in southern ASEAN, wet weather continued to subdue hotspot activities, with isolated hotspots detected in Brunei.

Last year saw Singapore badly hit by transboundary haze from neighbouring Indonesia for a prolonged period, with the 24-hour PSI hitting the 'Hazardous' and 'Very Unhealthy' range for several days.

- CNA/dl

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Local farm to produce smoked fish to diversify income source

Tie-up with seafood manufacturer comes in wake of 2015 algae bloom
Carolyn Khew Straits Times 30 Mar 16;

Local fish farm Ah Hua Kelong will be producing smoked fish following last year's disastrous algae bloom, which killed 100 tonnes of its stock.

One reason: Fish to be smoked need not be as big as those meant for restaurants and so can be harvested earlier. This means the fish spend less time in the water and are at a lower risk of exposure to an algae bloom.

The farm will sell its smoked sea bass at its outlet - PasarBella in Turf Club Road - soon.

Ah Hua Kelong is believed to be the first to roll out locally farmed smoked fish. This is in a tie-up with local seafood manufacturer Fassler Gourmet.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) - which facilitated the tie-up last November - said that it is exploring this option with other fish farmers.

Mr Teh Aik Hua, owner of Ah Hua Kelong, said that, besides quicker harvests, the smoked fish business will also lower reliance on the fresh fish market as the farm's source of income.

Ah Hua Kelong, set up in 2006, runs two coastal farms - in Sembawang and Changi - and produces 50 to 80 tonnes of fish yearly.

Explaining the quicker harvests, Mr Teh said that fish to be smoked can be harvested and filleted when they are about 1kg, which is about one year after they arrive at the farm as fry.

However, the fish have to grow to at least 3kg - which takes 11/2 years more - before restaurants want to buy them as fish fillet.

Hence restaurant fish are at higher risk of algae blooms, which are unpredictable.

An AVA spokesman said that smoked fish will help to open new markets for the farmers.

Mr Teh pointed out that fish farmers in Singapore have to compete with imports from Malaysia, which are often cheaper due to lower manpower costs and a weaker currency.

Venturing into such products would thus help to diversify the farms' income source.

Last year's algae bloom - between February and March - wiped out more than 500 tonnes of fish from more than 70 farms.

It was the second bloom in two years, the previous one being in 2014.

Factors such as the dry weather and an excess of nutrients in the water can lead to an algae bloom.

While not all algae are harmful, some can suffocate fish, or cause gill damage - as was the case last year.

After last year's incident, some farms put in contingency plans.

These plans include transferring fish from open-net cages to canvas bags equipped with aerators and oxygen pumps, to prevent exposure, in case of an algae bloom.

Blue Ocean Harvest, for instance, has a mechanised system which can quickly deploy canvas bags to contain fishes from the open-net cage.

In Ah Hua Kelong's new venture, the farm will fillet the fish and send it to Fassler Gourmet, which will smoke it in its facility using beechwood log.

Ah Hua Kelong's smoked fish will come vacuum-packed and have a shelf life of six months.

It will be sold in two flavours - chilli crab and teriyaki - at $15 per packet.

The chief executive officer of Fassler Gourmet, Ms Mellissa Chen, said: "Ultimately, it's about helping the industry in Singapore.

"It's meaningful to collaborate with local farms as we understand the challenges they face. "

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What Singapore could face in 2030

Sheryl Lee Straits Times 30 Mar 16;

Imagine a future where borrowers do not need banks, where technology has removed the need for middlemen and made old business models in Singapore obsolete.

Or imagine this nation plagued with environmental problems - heatwave, water stress and soaring food prices as crops fail across Asia - but then taking the lead in regional recovery efforts.

These are just some of the scenarios Singapore could face in 2030, according to a new research report by the CIPD, a professional body for human resources, and the Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI).

The report included four scenarios of life in Singapore in 2030.

"The scenarios are not predictions but they do set out possible ways Singapore may develop in the future based on choices made today," said Dr Wilson Wong, head of Insight and Futures at CIPD.

He said the future is likely to see a combination of these scenarios.

The other two scenarios depict a future where businesses continue to rely on foreign employees, highlighting the importance of professional accreditation, and a Singapore faced with external security threats.

In response to future challenges, Dr Wong said leaders need to think long term. "Marginal issues today will take centre stage in future... environmental issues are not big on corporate agendas, but they are very big globally.

"Business should also invest in developing talent instead of taking 'ready-made' talent from somewhere else," he said.

Ms Wong Su-Yen, chief executive officer of HCLI, said that the four scenarios confirm the need for Singaporeans to be more adaptable and resilient. She highlighted the new Outward Bound Singapore campus mentioned in the Budget as something that would "build adventure and resilience" for the workforce of the future.

"Companies can also help by moving their talent around, giving them experience in uncomfortable new environments and across cultures," she said.

Dr Wong outlined steps such as increasing diversity in the workforce and supporting other ways of thinking to build resilience, as well as encouraging employees to be less risk-averse.

"Uncertainty will be the new norm," he said.

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Malaysia: More Sabah villages going dry

The Star 30 Mar 16;

KOTA KINABALU: The dry spell is causing more villages in Sabah to run out of water, with the number increasing by more than 100 in just two days.

State Natural Disaster Manage-ment Committee head of secretariat Kol Mulliadi Al Hamdi Ladin said the number of villages requiring water to be sent was 316 as at 8am yesterday, compared with 212 on Sunday.

He said the delivery of water by trucks was being handled jointly by the Water Department, Public Works Department, the Civil Defence Department and the respective district offices.

Kol Mulliadi said the northern Pitas district was among the most affected with 44 villages there requiring water to be sent, followed by Tuaran (40), Inanam in Kota Kinabalu (36) and Kota Belud with 25.

He told The Star that some 1,200 boxes of bottled water were ready to be shipped to drought-hit Pulau Banggi within the week.

Arrangements were also being made to send bottled water from Sabah’s northernmost town of Kudat to the island where folks from 16 kampung have made appeals.

Hundreds of Pulau Banggi villagers are now depending on a spring at the foothill of Bukit Serong, some 13km from the island’s main settlement of Karakit, for water.

The island’s water treatment plant was operating at 30% of its maximum capacity of two million litres per day due to a drop in river levels.

As the dry spell shows no sign of easing, other agencies including the Sabah Wildlife Department have taken preventive measures to stop forest and bush fires from breaking out.

Sabah Wildlife director William Baya said the department was temporarily freezing all hunting licences in the state.

“This is a precautionary measure to reduce the occurrence of forest fires that threaten the wildlife as well,” he said.

The likelihood of forest fires increases with the presence of people in the jungle for hunting, William added.

Sabah Fire and Rescue Services Department director Nordin said they were getting up to 200 calls a day reporting bush and forest fires around the state.

“There are many bush fires. They are everywhere and we are doing our best to minimise the damage and prevent casualties,” he said.

The Air Quality Index, however, remained at a healthy level of 49 at 11am on Tuesday, the Department of the Environment reported on its website.

Sabah Meteorological Depart-ment acting director Lim Ze Hui said they expected below normal rainfall until the end of April.

Kedah, Perlis are the hottest states
The Star 30 Mar 16;

KUALA LUMPUR: The highest temperatures yesterday were recorded at 3pm in Kedah and Perlis, with 37ºC in Alor Setar and 36ºC in Chuping, respectively.

The temperature was expected to return to normal in the middle of next month, said Meteorological Department deputy director-general (weather and climate) Alui Bahari.

“The two states usually experience hot weather in March and April,” he said.

Alui said Langkawi had recorded 43 days without rain so far and advised the people to reduce outdoor activities and drink plenty of water to prevent heatstroke.

“During the inter-monsoon season in the middle of next month, west coast states in the peninsula are expected to experience rain or thunderstorms in the evenings,” he said.

The rain and thunderstorms would reduce the heat brought on by the El Nino phenomenon, he added. — Bernama

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Malaysia: ‘Avoid eateries serving shark fin’ -- Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents

NURBAITI HAMDAN The Star 30 Mar 16;

PETALING JAYA: Tour and travel agents have drawn the line when it comes to eateries with shark fin soup on their menus.

“Say it’s a three-star hotel that sells shark fin. We will not take them (tourists) there.

“We will not have functions there. We will not have events there,” Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) inbound vice-president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said.

He said it was the first time MATTA had made such a stand public, although the group had been against the eating of shark fins for years.

Tan said this after the group issued a statement quoting him as calling on the group’s 3,100-plus members to boycott places with shark fins on the menu.

He later clarified to The Star that this call was not a rule, but an advisory.

“The sharks help keep the ecosystem in order. Once the sharks are all gone, then the ecosystem will also change,” he said.

He also added that such a scenario would not be good for dive resorts.

Asked what led MATTA to make this call, he said it was due to Sabah state tourism minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun’s disappointment over the seeming lack of federal action on the matter.

MATTA’s press statement yesterday called on its members and partners to boycott restaurants offering sharkfin on their menus.

Quoting Tan, it said shark fin consumption was no longer in vogue and leading hotel chains such as Hilton, Hyatt, JW Marriott, Le Meridien, Peninsula, Shangri-La, Waldorf Astoria and Westin had stopped serving the dish.

“But in a recent report by the Hong Kong Shark Foundation, a shocking 98% of the 375 restaurants surveyed continue to choose money over environmentally friendly practices.

“If voluntary efforts are ineffective, tourism authorities could compile a list of restaurants that serve shark fin so that tourists could boycott them altogether, and not just the dish,” Tan said in the statement.

According to Tan, European Union countries had already prohibited shark finning since 2003 and by 2013, another 27 nations had joined them.

“Many tourists are environmental conscious and promoting ecotourism would backfire if we continue to allow our sharks to be slaughtered.

Tan said the banning of shark hunting and killing was under the purview of the Government but the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister did not wish to impose such a ban, even if it is for Sabah only.

“If a nationwide prohibition is not practical, the least the Government could do is to introduce it to the states that call for a ban, starting with Sabah.”


Boycott restaurants offering shark fins in their menus
THARANYA ARUMUGAM New Straits Times 30 Mar 16;

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) has called on its members and partners to boycott restaurants offering shark fins in their menus in an effort to conserve sharks and their declining population in Malaysian waters.

Matta inbound vice-president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said the shark population in Sabah had declined by 80 per cent over the past three decades and they were fewer sharks in waters off Peninsular Malaysia.

The sharks found in Sabah, he said, had attracted over 55,000 divers last year, pumping RM323 million to the local economy but cautioned that this annual revenue would be wiped out if the sharks are reduced in numbers.

He said the banning of shark hunting and killing falls under the purview of the Federal Government but the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister does not wish to impose such a ban, even for Sabah.

“European Union countries had already prohibited shark finning since 2003 and they were joined by another 27 nations by 2013.

“The ban on shark hunting and killing will be further delayed if hunters are given greater priority than this magnificent fish species, which plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of nature in our marine ecosystems. “Hence, Matta has called for a boycott of establishments serving shark fins.

The slogan - When the buying stops, the killing can too, is just as applicable here as in other conservation efforts," he said in a statement today.

Tan said shark fins consumption had no longer been in vogue for some time and leading hotel chains such as Hilton, Hyatt, JW Marriott, Le Meridien, Peninsula, Shangri-La, Waldorf Astoria and Westin do not serve it.

However, he said in a recent report by Hong Kong Shark Foundation, a shocking 98 percent of the 375 restaurants surveyed continued to choose money over environmentally friendly practices.

Tan suggested that if voluntary efforts were ineffective in tacking the issue, tourism authorities could compile a list of restaurants that serve shark fins, hence tourists could boycott them, and not just the dish.

“A strategic campaign to raise awareness and educate restaurant operators, locals and tourists would have a rippling effect across society, and ensure that such noble conservation efforts are sustainable. “A simple competition to pick the best slogan for not eating shark fins would generate much interest and publicity, and those enterprising could sell T-shirts with meaningful slogans.”

Tan said the drop in demand for shark fins would force fishermen to look for more sustainable catch or perhaps pull their resources together to build kelongs as many marine fishes sold in the markets are farmed. “These kelongs can also be turned into tourist attractions for day trippers and overnight visitors.”

Tan said the Federal Government could perhaps introduce the banning of shark fins to states that call for a ban, starting with Sabah.

“Tourism is the lifeblood of the state and the fact that it earned RM6.4 billion last year did not come by chance but as a result of great foresight by banning logging 15 years ago.”

“Since 2011, Sabah State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun has been urging the Federal Government to ban shark hunting and killing but to no avail.

“The widespread desecration of our natural resources in the peninsula will continue in Sabah and Sarawak unless the ministry is helmed by someone who is more environmental conscious. “We need to be more caring and shark finning is cruel.

As for the tourism industry, it is like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs,” he added.

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Indonesia: Three Sumatran tigers reported to have attacked villager in Jambi

Antara 29 Mar 16;

Jambi (ANTARA News) - Three Sumatran tigers reportedly attacked a resident of Selampaung Village of Kerinci District in Jambi Province, an official said on Tuesday.

Head of Section I of Kerinci Seblat National Park Agency, Agusman, said on Tuesday that the agency is investigating the report and has deployed its officers to track down the tigers.

"We have received a report that the victim was bitten on his thigh. However, we havent met the victim as yet," Agusman said.

The authority also needs to investigate whether the attack was by tigers or some other big cats, such as leopards.

The victim, identified as Martadinata (43), was attacked on Monday (March 28) at around 02.00 p.m. when he was cultivating his cinnamon field.

He encountered three tigers but only one stormed towards him.

If the attack occurred outside the national park area, the agency will track down the tigers and drive them back to their natural habitat.

"But if the attack occurred inside the Kerinci Seblat National Park, then it is their own habitat. What was the victim doing inside the national park?" Agusman wondered, referring to possible human trespassing.

Moreover, Agusman said the place where the attack took place, there is the harvest season for durian, a local delicacy fruit, and residents often flocked to the area to pick the thorny hard-skinned fruit.(*)

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DiCaprio visits Indonesian jungle to support environmentalists

AFP Yahoo News 30 Mar 16;

Jakarta (AFP) - Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio has visited the Indonesian jungle to help protect a biodiverse area from deforestation.

Fresh from clinching his long-awaited first Oscar last month, DiCaprio spent the weekend in the Leuser ecosystem, on Indonesia's main western island of Sumatra.

The actor, an ardent supporter of environmental causes, was pictured accompanied by local environmentalists and flanked by two critically endangered Sumatran elephants.

The elephants are among a dizzying array of rare animals who live in Leuser's dense rainforests.

DiCaprio said on his Instagram account that his foundation, which supports numerous environmental projects, was backing local groups to establish a "mega-fauna sanctuary" in the area.

He described the area as "the last place on Earth where Sumatran orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants coexist in the wild".

Local green activist Farwiza Fahan, who met DiCaprio on his visit, said the sanctuary was aimed at giving more protection to the area, but the plan was still in the early stages.

Like much of Indonesia's rainforests, the area is under threat from the aggressive expansion of palm oil and pulp and paper plantations, while endangered animals are targeted by poachers and locals who view them as pests.

But the area faces an additional threat after authorities in the province of Aceh -- which includes much of the Leuser ecosystem -- pushed through a plan to open up new swathes of virgin forest for commercial exploitation and lay roads.

The central government in Jakarta, which must approve such locally made plans, has asked Aceh to revise it, but activists claim that local authorities are pushing ahead with it regardless.

DiCaprio, who attended the COP21 climate change talks in Paris last year, has been raising the alarm on global warming since 1998 when he founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

He won the best actor Oscar for his role in the "The Revenant", a film about a 19th century fur trapper filmed under extreme winter conditions in Canada and Argentina.


Actor and Environmental Activist Leonardo DiCaprio Visits Aceh
Ratri M Siniwi Jakarta Globe 30 Mar 16;

Banda Aceh. Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio made a secret visit to Mount Leuser National Park in southeast Aceh on Sunday (27/3).

Along with fellow actors Adrien Brody and Fisher Stevens, the budding environmental activist visited the park’s research facility in Ketambe, where the trio had close encounters with Sumatran orangutans and elephants.

DiCaprio has taken a personal interest in conserving the forests of the Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park through his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. The national park faces constant threats from deforestation, mainly driven by palm oil field expansion.

“We need local, national and international involvement to protect Mount Leuser National Park. The park is one of the oldest national parks in Indonesia and was declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco in 1981,” said Andi Basrul, who runs Mount Leuser National Park.

The national park is also Unesco World Heritage Site and a natural habitat for some critically endangered species, including the Sumatran orangutans, Sumatran tigers, Sumatran elephants and Sumatran rhinoceros.

DiCaprio recently spread the message through his Twitter account, urging participation to boost the conservation efforts.

Sumatra’s unique ecosystem and biodiversity have attracted many activists and award-winning celebrities. As part of an environmental documentary made three years ago, actor Harrison Ford conducted a hard-hitting interview with Indonesia's forestry minister, urging him to take action on illegal logging activities in Sumatra and to adopt more sustainable forestry practices.

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Cambodia rescues half tonne of smuggled tortoises, pythons

Cambodian authorities rescued more than half a tonne of live tortoises and pythons stolen by smugglers, a forestry official said Tuesday, the latest haul in a country with a thriving illegal wildlife trade.

Channel News Asia 29 Mar 16;

KANDAL: Cambodian authorities rescued more than half a tonne of live tortoises and pythons stolen by smugglers, a forestry official said on Tuesday (Mar 29), the latest haul in a country with a thriving illegal wildlife trade.

The animals - 102 elongated tortoises and 17 pythons - weighed a total of 570 kilos.

They were confiscated Monday afternoon from a cargo truck in Cambodia's Kandal province, forestry official Y Sophy told AFP.

"They were being transported to Phnom Penh where they would then be smuggled to Vietnam," he said, adding the creatures were scooped up from Cambodia's Battambang province.

No arrests were made as the truck's driver fled after being pulled over, the official said.

The rescued tortoises and pythons are now with a conservation group that will release them back into the wild.

The elongated tortoise is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

It faces dire over-harvesting for food and Asia's animal trade, which fuels a regional demand for exotic pets and traditional medicine.

Cambodia's black market for trafficked wildlife is enabled by corrupt authorities and weak legislation in a country rich with biodiversity.

- AFP/ec

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Arctic sea ice extent breaks record low for winter

With the ice cover down to 14.52m sq km, scientists now believe the Arctic is locked onto a course of continually shrinking sea ice
Suzanne Goldenberg The Guardian 28 Mar 16;

A record expanse of Arctic sea never froze over this winter and remained open water as a season of freakishly high temperatures produced deep – and likely irreversible – changes on the far north.

Scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre said on Monday that the sea ice cover attained an average maximum extent of 14.52m sq km (5.607m sq miles) on 24 March, the lowest winter maximum since records began in 1979.

The low beats a record set only last year of 14.54m sq km (5.612m sq miles), reached on 25 February 2015.

“I’ve never seen such a warm, crazy winter in the Arctic,” said NSIDC director Mark Serreze. “The heat was relentless.”

It was the third straight month of record lows in the sea ice cover, after extreme temperatures in January and February stunned scientists.

The winter months of utter darkness and extreme cold are typically the time of maximum growth in the ice cap, until it begins its seasonal decline in spring.

With the ice cover down to 14.54m sq km, scientists now believe the Arctic is locked onto a course of continually shrinking sea ice – and that is before the 2016 melt season gets underway.

“If we are starting out very low that gives a jump on the melt season,” said Rick Thoman, the climate science manager for the National Weather Service’s Alaska region.

“For the last few years, we have had extremely low ice cover in the summer. That means a lot more solar energy absorbed by the darker open water. That heat tends to carry over from year to year.”

After this winter’s record ice lows, scientists now expect more than ever that the Arctic will be entirely ice-free in the summer months within 20 or 25 years.

“Sometime in the 2030s or 2040s time frame, at least for a few days, you won’t have ice out there in the dead of summer,” said Dr John Walsh, chief scientist of the International Arctic Research Centre.

Those changes are already evident on the ground. In 1975, there were only a few days a year when ships could move from Barrow to Prudhoe Bay off the north coast of Alaska. Now that window lasts months.

The Arctic will always have ice in the winter months, Walsh said. But it will be thinner and more fragile than the multi-year ice, and less reliable for indigenous peoples who rely on the ice as winter transport routes or hunting platforms.

“It’s not just about how many hundreds of thousands of square kilometres covered by the ice. It’s about the quality of that ice,” Thoman said.

The extent of ice cover is a critical indicator of the changes taking place in the Arctic – but the shrinking of the polar ice carries sweeping consequences for lower latitudes as well.

The bright white snow-covered ice reflects about 85% of sunlight back into the atmosphere, compared to the dark surfaces of the open water which absorb most of the heat energy.

“Basically the polar regions are the refrigerator for the Earth,” said Dr Donald Perovich, a researcher at Dartmouth University. “They are extremely important for being able to keep the Arctic colder, and in turn help keep the rest of the planet colder.”

Since 1980, however, the summer sea ice cover over the Arctic has gone into a drastic decline, from 7.8m sq km to 4.4m sq km in 2012, before rebounding slightly. “It would be as if the entire United States east of the Mississippi melted away plus the states from Minnesota down to Louisiana, past North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. It’s huge,” Perovich said.

This winter scientists said the Arctic freeze stalled early on, across the polar seas. The sea ice extent was exceptionally low both in the Barents and the Bering seas – which in past years has been one of the most prolific producers of ice. And it was thinner, especially in the Beaufort sea north of Alaska, scientists said.

The El Niño weather system produced more warming, and the Arctic saw influxes of exceptionally warm water from the Pacific as well as the Atlantic side.

In any event, Walsh said it was becoming increasingly clear the Arctic would never return to its previous frozen state, even if there are small gains in ice cover in a single year.

“The balance is shifting to the point where we are not going back to the old regime of the 1980s and 1990s,” he said. “Every year has had less ice cover than any summer since 2007. That is nine years in a row that you would call unprecedented. When that happens you have to start thinking that something is going on that is not letting the system go back to where it used to be.”

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