8 Jun 16: Best of our wild blogs

Spongey comeback at Beting Bronok
wonderful creation

Bleaching at Beting Bronok
wild shores of singapore

Birdwatching in Ubin - Green Imperial Pigeon (June 5, 2016)
Rojak Librarian

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Remember Gracie the Dugong? She died

Gracie the Dugong saved off Pulau Ubin in 1998 died two years ago from 'acute digestive disorder'
JUDITH TAN The New Paper 8 Jun 16;

Gracie the dugong is dead.

It died two years ago but it was only yesterday that The New Paper got the confirmation from the Underwater World Singapore (UWS).

In an e-mail reply to TNP, a UWS spokesman said: "The dugong named Gracie at UWS died from complications arising from an acute digestive disorder in January 2014."

There was no additional information.

Gracie was only a baby when it first made headlines in 1998.

It was rescued off Pulau Ubin, where its mother had drowned from being entangled in a fishing net.

A post-mortem revealed that the adult female dugong was lactating and the authorities decided that the suckling calf should be cared for by UWS - the orphaned calf would not have survived in the wild without it mother to care for it.

A dugong is a large plant-eating mammal, often called the "sea cow" for its habit of grazing on seagrass meadows.

Related to the manatee, the dugong has a two-lobed tail, cleft upper lip and arms resembling flippers.

A young dugong remains close to its mother for about 18 months.

Gracie became a local celebrity in 2001. It had its own cove in the display tunnel of UWS and visitors could interact with it at $70 per dive.

It hobnobbed with stars like actor Pierre Png and made its film debut on Animal Planet with former model Nadya Hutagalung.

Gracie celebrated its 12th year at the aquarium in 2009 with a cake made of seagrass.

But in 2014, it disappeared from the public eye. No one seemed to know where it was.

It was last year that British computing science professor Paul Harrald tweeted "What has happened to Gracie the dugong? #wheresgracie?"

Yesterday, we got the answer: Gracie had died.It was only 19.

According to Animal Diversity Web, an online database of animal natural history, distribution, classification and conservation biology at the University of Michigan, dugongs have and average life span of 70 years in the wild.

They are difficult to keep in captivity because of their specialised diet - a specific type of seagrass - which is difficult to grow.

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LTA to put out tender to study direct alignment option for Cross Island Line

Both the direct alignment and skirting alignment options are "being studied and site investigations are essential to help LTA assess their engineering feasibility", said LTA.
Channel NewAsia 8 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority has announced that it will put out a tender on Wednesday (Jun 8) to appoint a specialist for site investigation works for the direct alignment option of the Cross Island Line (CRL).

Works will commence in the fourth quarter of this year, and this will be on top of the site investigation works for the skirting alignment option, which started last month.

"Both alignment options are being studied and site investigations are essential to help LTA assess their engineering feasibility," said LTA.

The findings of the site investigation works will provide LTA with information on the underground soil conditions, as well as provide input for phase two of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which will assess the impact of construction and operations for the two options.

The alignment of the CRL has created some controversy, with the direct alignment option cutting through the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Environmentalists and nature groups have been calling for the protection of the forest area and are concerned about the possibility of the Cross Island Line being built through it.

The direct alignment will run for 2km below the Central Catchment Nature Reserve at a depth of approximately 40m with no physical structures on the surface, while the skirting alignment will run for 9km under homes and businesses, with the need for supporting ventilation facilities on the surface.

A decision will be made on the alignment after the site investigations and phase two of the EIA.

The LTA said that the tender follows discussions with nature groups, residents and other stakeholders, and also takes into account the petition by the Love Our Macritchie Forest movement.

"The National Parks Board (NParks) gave approval for the SI works within the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) to proceed after these extensive public consultations and discussions on the mitigating measures with LTA and the nature groups," it added.

ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The authority said that it is introducing additional mitigating measures to reduce the environmental impact of the site investigation works on the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

This includes scheduling geophysical surveys with one to two rest days in between, engaging a certified arborist to ensure that trees are not damaged during the works, involving nature groups as observers and having NParks officers issue stop-work orders should there be any breach or deviation of agreed mitigating measures or when pollution is detected.

The 50-kilometre Cross Island Line was announced in January 2013 and is slated for completion in 2030.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS ADDRESSED BY MITIGATING MEASURES: NPARKS

In a statement on Wednesday, NParks said that after a "stringent process of review and study" with LTA, it was satisfied that the nature community's concerns had been addressed with additional mitigating measures listed in the EIA.

Among these, NParks said site investigations will take place in existing trails or clearings, avoiding the most ecologically sensitive parts of the CCNR; the magnitude of residual impact will be mostly restricted to small areas; more elaborate safeguards have been put in place to limit the impact of site investigation work; and compliance of the conditions will be closely monitored by a team of NParks ecologists, supported by trained representatives from the nature community.

Full compliance of all the mitigation measures will ensure that any potential residual impact of site investigation work remains limited and short-term," the authority said.

However, it noted that any site investigation work, even with stringent mitigation measures, can add on to the cumulative impact of the many other ongoing activities within the nature reserves, such as jogging and hiking and NParks' own regular maintenance works, leading to the deterioration of the nature reserves over time.

"All such activities can be highly intrusive and potentially damaging to the nature reserves if they are not properly regulated," it said.

Besides stringent regulation of activities, additional efforts to improve ecological connectivity, implement species recovery programmes, and restore and rehabilitate degraded habitat within the reserves are necessary to protect Singapore's national heritage, NParks said.

The agency is exerting a "concerted effort" to strengthen the ecological resilience of the nature reserves, such as by establishing nature parks such as the newly opened Chestnut Nature Park and the upcoming Windsor and Thomson Nature Parks, which relieve the demands of recreational activities within the nature reserves, it added.

- CNA


More measures to reduce environmental impact during site investigations for Cross Island Line
Today Online 8 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be implementing additional mitigating measures to reduce the environmental impact of site investigation works within the Central Catchment Nature Reserve for the proposed Cross Island MRT Line.

These additional mitigation measures, following discussions with nature groups, include:

• Scheduling the geophysical surveys to include at least one to two rest days in between the surveys;

• Engaging a certified arborist to ensure that trees are not damaged during the works;

• Involving nature groups as observers for the site investigation works to reinforce compliance with the mitigating measures; and

• Having NParks officers issue immediate stop-work orders should there be any breach of or deviation from the agreed mitigating measures, or when pollution is detected.

The measures were announced on Wednesday (June 8), alongside the LTA’s announcement that it would be putting out a tender to appoint a specialist for site investigation works for the direct alignment option for the Cross Island Line.

The National Parks Board (NParks) said it has given approval for the LTA to proceed with site investigation works “in view of the series of stringent safeguards, and comprehensive and substantive mitigation measures” that will be implemented. Additional mitigating measures also address concerns from the nature community, said NParks.

LTA Chief Executive Chew Men Leong said the LTA “will work with NParks and the nature groups closely to ensure that all mitigating measures are rigorously implemented”.

The direct alignment option is one of two options that the Government is considering for the Cross Island Line. The matter has drawn intense debate, with a group of volunteers belonging to the Love Our MacRitchie Forest movement being the latest to call for works related to the Cross Island Line to avoid the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Their petition, submitted on Monday, contained signatures, gathered from June 2013 to May this year, of more than 10,000 Singaporeans and residents who support the call for works related to the rail line to avoid the nature reserve, for fear of damage to the forest and wildlife there.

The direct alignment is 4km long, with 2km of the tunnel running beneath the nature reserve and the other 2km outside it, while the skirting alignment is about 9km long. Site investigation works for latter option started last month.

“The tender follows many discussions with nature groups, residents and other stakeholders, as well as takes into account the petition by the Love Our MacRitchie Forest movement,” said the LTA. Site investigation works are expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year.

Findings from the investigations will provide the LTA will detailed information on the underground soil conditions, and provide input to Phase 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which assess the impact of construction and operations for the two possible Cross Island Line alignments.

“The Government’s decision (on the alignment) will be guided by considerations including potential impact on the CCNR, any land and home acquisition that might be needed, transport connectivity, travel times and costs,” said the LTA.


10 new measures to keep forest safe during train tunnel tests
Audrey Tan and Christopher Tan, The Straits Times AsiaOne 9 Jun 16;

Tests to see how a train tunnel can be built under Singapore's protected nature reserve will start soon, but with 10 extra measures to reduce any negative impact on plants and animals.

For instance, the National Parks Board (NParks) - custodian of Singapore's nature reserves - will be empowered to issue stop-work orders if pollution is detected. Nature groups will also get to observe the work as it is carried out in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

These measures, revealed yesterday on the back of talks between the Government and nature groups, are on top of at least nine others announced earlier - such as using enclosures to reduce engine noise and tanks to collect discharge.

Other measures include scheduling at least one rest day in between surveys, and engaging a tree expert to ensure trees are not damaged.

These were spelt out in a tender that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) called yesterday to appoint a specialist to determine the soil profile under the reserve. The tests were initially expected to start in the third quarter, but will now take place in the fourth quarter after extensive talks between the LTA and nature groups.

The groups are pushing for the 50km Cross Island Line to go around instead of through the reserve, where rare animals, such as the critically endangered Sunda pangolin, can be found.

Save time or the forest? That is the question

Nature groups told The Straits Times that they were heartened by the LTA's willingness to accept feedback. But they are still hoping it would reconsider an alternative alignment for the MRT line.

Read their full paper here

"The Nature Society was hoping that soil investigation work in the forests could have been avoided as it involves people going into sensitive parts of the forests," said Nature Society (Singapore) president Shawn Lum. "But now that they are slated to go ahead, at least the impact will be reduced."

The line, to be completed by 2030, links Changi to Jurong, passing through several housing estates. The findings of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) to examine the impact of soil investigation through the forest as well as around it was announced in February.

Another phase of the EIA, which will be completed by year-end, will assess the impact of building and operating the MRT line for both routes. Other factors, including travel time and cost, will also be weighed when deciding which route gets the green light.

SIM University economist Walter Theseira said the direct alignment will cut travel time. "While each commuter might save only a few minutes each trip, when added together, the time savings will be enormous," he explained."The indirect alignment, however, could serve additional areas."

Dr Theseira added that more needs to be done to "compare the economic benefits" of the two.

"While I am quite sure such an analysis is being done internally by LTA, it would go a long way towards assuring the public that the right decision will be made if such an analysis is made public," he said.

Associate Professor Donald Low, an associate dean at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said: "How a choice is framed can have a large effect on how people choose. If the shorter route... was presented as the status quo option, and the longer route was seen as the alternative that would cost $2 billion more and increase travel time by five to six minutes, people are more likely to prefer the shorter route.

"But if the longer route was presented as the original option, and the more direct one as the alternative that would save $2 billion but pose some environmental risks, people are more likely to favour the longer route."

EXTRA MEASURES

•Using access routes mapped out by the National Parks Board (NParks). This restricts any damage to these areas.

•Scheduling at least one rest day between surveys which require workers to go off-trail. Mammal researcher Marcus Chua says this could allow less-sensitive animals to continue using the area.

•Nature groups will get to observe the work.

•Engaging a tree expert to suggest ways to avoid damage to trees by the heavy machinery used to dig boreholes to test the soil.

•Installing a silencer on the drill engine exhaust.

•Conducting trial runs of borehole operations and off-trail surveys outside the reserve, so as to ensure equipment is fully functional and "within the stringent requirements of working within the reserve".

•Allowing a longer period of time before resuming work after heavy rain so as to reduce soil erosion.

•Accessing boreholes on Terentang Trail through the Bukit Kalang Service Reservoir compound, to cut vehicular movement .

•Avoiding works in the rare freshwater streams, which are highly sensitive habitats.

•NParks officers can order immediate stoppage of work if there are breaches of mitigating measures, or when there is pollution.

Read more!

Singapore renews haze assistance package to Indonesia

Singapore remains committed to working with the Indonesian government and other like-minded partners to find more permanent solutions to this regional problem, says the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.
Channel NewsAsia 7 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: The Government of Singapore has renewed its haze assistance package to Indonesia, which it has been offering since 2005 to support the country's fire mitigation efforts. The announcement comes, despite an Indonesian minister saying last month that Jakarta is reviewing cooperation with Singapore in environment and forestry matters.

"This is part of the Singapore Government’s broader commitment to assist the Indonesian Government in its efforts to deal with the land and forest fires in the run-up to the traditional dry season from June to October," said the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) in a news release on Tuesday (Jun 7).

The haze assistance package offered by Singapore this year includes:

- Up to two C-130 aircraft to ferry a fire-fighting assistance team from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)

- A team from SCDF to provide fire-fighting assessment and planning assistance to its Indonesian counterparts

- One C-130 aircraft for cloud seeding operations

- High-resolution satellite pictures of fires and the coordinates of the fire sites

MEWR noted that transboundary haze from land and forest fires has been a perennial problem in the southern ASEAN region for decades, with last year's haze episode being one of the worst and most prolonged in history, impacting health and livelihoods of people in Indonesia and beyond.

"The Singapore Government remains committed to working with the Indonesian Government and other like-minded partners to find more permanent solutions to this regional problem," MEWR said.

Singapore authorities have been trying to get to the root of the problem. Last month, the National Environment Agency in Singapore issued a court warrant in a bid to question the director of an Indonesian firm linked to illegal forest fires that caused the haze last year. Indonesian officials told the media they protested the move, although Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry said no such protest was received at its embassy in Jakarta.

- CNA/ly


S’pore renews haze assistance offer to Indonesia
Today Online 7 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — Ahead of the annual dry season in Indonesia, Singapore is renewing its offer to help combat forest fires with an assistance package that includes C-130 planes, firefighters and high-resolution satellite imagery.

“Every year since 2005, Singapore has offered assistance packages to support Indonesia in its fire mitigation efforts,” the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources said in a statement on Tuesday. “This is part of the Singapore Government’s broader commitment to assist the Indonesian Government in its efforts to deal with the land and forest fires in the run-up to the traditional dry season from June to October.”

The assistance package offered by Singapore this year include:

* Up to two C-130 aircraft to ferry a fire-fighting assistance team from Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF);

* A team from SCDF to provide fire-fighting assessment and planning assistance;

* One C-130 aircraft for cloud seeding operations; and

* High-resolution satellite pictures of fires and the coordinates of the fire sites.

“Illegal and unsustainable land clearing methods, in particular ‘slash and burn’ agricultural practices by irresponsible companies, have been identified as the root cause of fires that result in transboundary haze pollution,” noted the statement. “The Singapore Government remains committed to working with the Indonesian Government and other like-minded partners to find more permanent solutions to this regional problem."

Last month however, media reports said Indonesia would scrap some ongoing and upcoming collaboration projects with Singapore on environment, forestry and haze-related issues as part of a unilateral review on bilateral cooperation that Jakarta was conducting.

Indonesia’s Minister of the Environment and Forestry, Ms Siti Nurbaya, revealed this in an interview with a Jakarta-based environment news portal in mid-May.

She said she would be leading the review herself and existing bilateral collaborations could be broken off following the “substance-based review process.” “Planned bilateral collaborations between Singapore and my ministry, such as those involving haze and forest fire-related issues, are no exception,” she was quoted as saying by the portal foresthints.news.

In an April interview, also with foresthints.news, Ms Siti Nurbaya told Singapore to focus on its own role in addressing the issue instead of “making so many comments”. She said then that the Indonesian government has taken “substantial steps” to prevent land and forest fires, and the ensuing haze that envelopes the region every year, based on decisions made by the Indonesian government, and not because of pressure from other countries, including Singapore.

Then, she was responding to Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli’s statement at a sustainability forum that agro-forestry companies should take full responsibility for fire prevention and mitigation in their concessions, and that there must not be a repeat of last year’s forest fires which caused the haze.

Singapore has issued notices to six Indonesia-based companies that started fires or let their concessions burn, and contributed to last year’s haze that blanketed Singapore and parts of the region. Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) has also obtained a court warrant against the director of one of the Indonesian firms linked to illegal forest fires that caused a region-wide haze for several months last year.


Singapore to continue assisting Indonesia to fight haze this year
AsiaOne 8 Jun 16;

With the dry season approaching in South-east Asia, Singapore has announced it will continue to send a haze assistance package to Indonesia to combat the country's forest fires.

The package this year is similar to last year's, comprising up to two C-130 aircraft to ferry a fire-fighting assistance team from Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), who will be providing fire-fighting assessment and planning assistance to their Indonesian counterparts; another C-130 aircraft for cloud seeding operations; and high-resolution satellite pictures of fires and the coordinates of the fire sites.

Transboundary haze from land and forest fires has been a perennial problem in the region for decades.

Illegal and unsustainable land clearing methods, in particular "slash and burn" agricultural practices by irresponsible companies, have been identified as the root cause of fires that result in transboundary haze pollution, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) said in a statement today (June 7).

Last year's haze episode was one of the worst and the most prolonged in history, and had a major impact on the health and livelihoods of the people in Indonesia and many countries in the region including Singapore.

"The Singapore Government remains committed to working with the Indonesian Government and other like-minded partners to find more permanent solutions to this regional problem," the MEWR said.

Read more!

Malaysian palm oil giant IOI drops lawsuit against green group

Former Unilever and Nestlé supplier says it now aims to comply with the RSPO’s highest level of accreditation by the end of the year
Karl Mathiesen The Guardian 7 Jun 16;

One of the world’s largest producers of palm oil has dropped a lawsuit against the sustainability body that revoked its accreditation.

IOI Group was suspended from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) scheme in April in the face of allegations it was not doing enough to prevent deforestation in Indonesia.

Major buyers, including Unilever, Mars, Kelloggs and Nestlé, immediately moved to drop IOI as a supplier. The company subsequently sued the RSPO last month, claiming it had been “unfairly affected” by the decision.

The lawsuit raised concerns that palm oil companies would be able to bully the RSPO, which is the major tool for cleaning up the notoriously environmentally damaging industry.

On Monday, IOI announced it would be withdrawing the lawsuit.

“Since the filing of the challenge proceeding, IOI has engaged with many of our stakeholders such as customers, NGOs and RSPO to resolve this matter,” said the group’s CEO, Dato’ Lee Yeow Chor.

Chor said IOI had agreed to an “action plan” that would bring it into line with the RSPO’s highest level of accreditation – the Next certification system – by the end of 2016. The statement did not provide details about the plan.

The RSPO said it would not comment on the announcement until the legal case had officially been dropped in a conciliatory hearing scheduled for June 14. The lawsuit was filed in a court in Zurich, where the Roundtable is headquartered.

Eric Wakker, director of Aidenvironment Asia, the sustainability consultancy which filed an official complaint with the RSPO about land clearing at two IOI plantations in 2015, welcomed the withdrawal of the lawsuit but said much still needed to be done to resolve their original concerns.

“Aidenvironment appreciates the work done by IOI staff over the past two months,” said Wakker in a statement. “However, it is too early to say that the requirements set by the RSPO Complaints Panel have been met.”

Greenpeace has previously urged the RSPO to exclude IOI until it had “repaired the forests and peatlands it has destroyed”.

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Indonesia: Agency upset with APP over refusal to submit map

Hans Nicholas Jong The Jakarta Post 8 Jun 16;

The government, through the newly established Peatland Restoration Agency ( BRG ), is working on the restoration of over 2 million hectares of damaged peatland, aiming to reduce the risks of forest fires.

Despite the majority of big companies showing support for the program, one big company allegedly refuses to cooperate.

BRG head Nazir Foead said that APP, part of local conglomerate Sinar Mas Group, had repeatedly rejected the agency’s request for the company to submit its concession map.

“Many companies submitted their data, but one company has been uncooperative and appears to not be serious. I’ll just disclose the name so it is aware of its faults. It’s APP,” he said.

BRG, established earlier this year by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to lead a national effort to restore fire-prone peatland and curb the recurring risk of fires, is preparing a map to identify priority restoration areas and set zonation of peat conservation and cultivation areas.

The map will enable all stakeholders to start working together in restoring land under their control, including concession holders as they are required to restore damaged peatland within their concession areas.

Forest fires shortchanged Indonesia’s economy of US$16 billion last year and catapulted the country past Japan as the world’s fifth-biggest polluter.

A detailed map, including a concession map from companies, will avoid problems in the future as concession maps often overlap with other types of land, such as community land and conservation zones.

“That’s why we are asking big companies to share their data. If there is a gap, we could just check on the field,” Nazir said.

Nazir said he had approached the Environment and Forestry Ministry on the matter and that the ministry said that it had told APP to submit its data directly to the BRG instead.

“I am not representing an NGO. This is a government institution with clear authority from the President. I am surprised that is has yet to cooperate,” he said.

APP sustainability and stakeholder management senior manager Trisia Megawati said the company had mapped its concession using light detection and ranging ( LiDAR ) technology and had submitted the map to the ministry on May 11.

After that, the company had presented the map in front of the ministry’s environmental pollution and damage control directorate general, the Geospatial Information Agency ( BIG ) and the BRG.

“APP is supporting the government’s program in protecting peatland in Indonesia by implementing the principle of coordination, integrity and synchronization with relevant parties, including with the Environment and Forestry Ministry in utilizing existing data,” Trisia said.

However, she refused to comment on why the company refused to submit its map to the BRG and instead submitted it to the ministry.

The ministry’s environmental pollution and damage control director general, Karliansyah, confirmed that he had received the concession map from APP.

However, the ministry had not submitted the map to the BRG because it had just received the map last month.

But if the BRG requested the map again at the ministry, Karliansyah said that he would give the map to the agency.

“Of course we will give it. We have to support the BRG. The government is one,” he said.


APP ‘uncooperative’ in peatland restoration efforts
Today Online 9 Jun 16;

JAKARTA —Indonesia’s Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) has hit out at Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), whose products were pulled off the shelves from supermarkets in Singapore over alleged links to firms responsible for forest fires that caused the haze, saying that the company was being “uncooperative” in providing data as part of BRG’s peatland restoration efforts.

Mr Nazir Foead, who heads BRG, said many firms have submitted data that includes concession maps of their holdings. But APP, one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies, has yet to do so, he said. “Many companies submitted their data, but one company has been uncooperative and appears to not be serious. I’ll just disclose the name so it is aware of its faults. It’s APP,” he was quoted as saying by Jakarta Post.

The BRG was formed early this year, aimed at protecting and rehabilitating 2 million ha of peatland, one of the key sources of fires and haze that has blanketed the region. The agency is drawing up a map to identify areas that needed to be restored or rehabilitated. The detailed map will enable all stakeholders, including companies, to work with BRG to rehabilitate peatland destroyed by fires.

Mr Nazir also told Jakarta-based environment news portal foresthints.news that hundreds of thousands of hectares of burned peatland are located in concessions that fall under APP. “It’s very strange that a business group like APP has failed to cooperate with BRG. It’s almost as if they never even read the presidential regulation that established BRG. One of BRG’s duties is the restoration of the 2015 burned peatlands, many of which are situated in APP-linked concessions,” he said.

The portal also reported Mr Nazir as saying APP apparently wished to control the agency. “I’m sorry, but neither the peat agency nor the Environment and Forestry Ministry is willing to be dictated to whatsoever by APP. We are the ones in government so we call the shots, not APP. They mustn’t even try to dictate to us.”

He suggested that certain companies were not taking the opportunity to engage in dialogue on the information they have about restoration efforts that concern their concessions. “We are not the ones with the data. On the contrary, we are giving companies the chance to share their data regarding their concessions so that peatland restoration efforts involving these concessions can be supported by a set of data from the companies in question,” he was further quoted by foresthints.news.

APP senior manager for sustainability and stakeholder, Ms Trisia Megawati, was quoted by Kompas.com news portal as saying the company has mapped its concession and submitted the data to the Environment and Forestry Ministry ministry on May 11. The company then presented the map to the ministry’s environmental pollution and damage control director-general, the Geospatial Information Agency and the BRG, she added. However, Ms Trisia did not say why the data was submitted to the ministry instead of to BRG.

Transboundary haze caused by widespread fires in Indonesia blanketed the region from September to November last year and affected tens of millions of people. Last year, Singapore’s National Environment Agency sent notices to six companies directing them to put out fires allegedly contributing to the haze. APP was not served a notice, but was asked to provide further information on what it is doing to put out fires on its land concessions.

Major retailers in Singapore removed APP paper products from their shelves last year, after the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and the Consumers Association of Singapore asked retailers to declare they have not procured or used wood, paper and/or pulp materials from the companies accused of causing fires in Indonesia. The SEC has also restricted the use of APP’s Singapore Green Label certification. APP has previously said it followed the guidance set by the Indonesian government and supported BRG to establish ecosystem restoration models. AGENCIES

Read more!

Indonesia: Programme to get farmers to stop burning land sees results

The Fire-Free Village Programme (FFVP) was started by Indonesia’s second biggest pulp and paper company in July 2015. It aims to encourage villagers surrounding its concession areas in Riau to stop burning their land.
Sujadi Siswo Channel NewsAsia 7 Jun 16;

RIAU, Indonesia: A programme to get farmers in Indonesia to stop clearing their land by burning is beginning to show results: Fires in fire-prone villages have been reduced by as much as 90 per cent compared to two years ago.

The Fire-Free Village Programme (FFVP) was started in July 2015 by the APRIL Group, Indonesia’s second biggest pulp and paper company. It aimed to encourage villagers surrounding its concession areas in Riau to stop burning their land.

Farmers in Riau’s Pelalawan district used to clear their land by burning. The method was not only easy and cheap, farmers also believed that it made their land more fertile.

While it took some effort to convince farmers that tilling the land using machines would produce a better harvest, the result proved it. The rice yield doubled compared to when the land was burned.

“The rice yield is very encouraging,” said Rahmat Kamarudin, a farmer in Pelalawan. “If we compare burning and the hand-tractor, we get more from using the hand-tractor.”

However, farmers like Mr Rahmat, who live from hand to mouth, find it difficult to afford a tractor. It is the main reason why they initially rejected any move to disallow them from burning their land.

“At that time, the community was dependent on the rice fields, so one of their arguments would be: 'What would we work the fields with?'" said Edi Arifin, head of the Pelalawan district in Riau.

Through the FFVP, famers were given tractors and were also taught alternative farming methods and fire awareness.

The programme involved nine fire-prone villages. Each village was given rewards of up to US$9,000 to improve infrastructure that would keep the village fire-free.

With fire incidence dropping by 90 per cent compared to 2013, the programme has been extended to 20 villages. This has spurred a number of other forestry and agriculture companies as well as NGOs to form a Fire Free Alliance and replicate the programme in areas where they operate in Indonesia.

- CNA/ek

Read more!

Indonesia: Govt opens global peatland research center in Riau

Rizal Harahap The Jakarta Post 8 Jun 16;

The Peatland Restoration Agency ( BRG ) is turning the Meranti Islands and Bengkalis regencies in Riau into centers of global tropical peatland restoration research. A number of agencies and local and foreign universities have been invited to do research as part of an effort to protect peatland in Riau, which covers a total area of 5.7 million hectares.

BRG head Nazir Foead said implementation of the research center commenced through cooperation with a number of universities and institutions in Japan, such as Kyoto University, Hokkaido University, the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature ( RIHN ), the Japan International Cooperation Agency ( JICA ) and the National Institute of the Humanities ( NIHU ).

At the local level, BRG is cooperating with 11 universities, eight of which are located in provinces on Sumatra and in Kalimantan that have peatland and are prone to forest and land fires.

“The sharing of knowledge is expected to provide the best solution and formulation for peatland restoration,” Nazir said recently on the sidelines of the Peatland Restoration and Fire Prevention joint symposium.

He said universities are special entities involved in social change that have the ability to encourage the restoration of a strong social movement. “Restoration efforts through improved management of peatland, covering ecological, economic and social improvement, need in-depth research as well as joint action from the academic society,” he added.

Riau has been picked as a research center because almost half of the areas targeted by the government for restoration are found in the oil-producing province.

“Of the target of 2 million hectares of peatland to be restored, 900,000 hectares are in Riau, which has the largest peatland area compared to other provinces. That’s why experts and academics are invited to disseminate and apply their knowledge for peatland protection,” said Nazir.

Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi “Andi” Rachman, asked the BRG to focus on developing native peatland commodity crops in accordance with the culture of the surrounding community.

“Sago plants are very suitable and their hydrological area reaches 83,0000 hectares. In addition to restoring peatland, sago also has economic value for the local community,” he said.

Although newly started, he expressed confidence that peatland restoration in Riau, the biggest sago producer in Indonesia, could be achieved in the next five to six years. According to him, Riau is currently able to benefit from 5 percent of its sago production, while the rest is sold to Cirebon, West Java.

“So, now we must think about upstream production. The Riau provincial administration has been making efforts to promote and popularize sago as an alternative staple food and encourage sago-based products, such as noodles, cookies and sago rice,” he said.

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Indonesia is world’s second-biggest plastic waste contributor

Markus Makur The Jakarta Post 8 Jun 16;

Souvenirs: Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti ( left ) inspects model Komodo dragons sold at the Komodo National Park in West Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara.( JP/Markus Makur )

Indonesia produces 260 million tons of plastic waste a year, making it the second-biggest contributor of plastic waste in the world after China, a minister says.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said Indonesian waters would be full of plastic waste in the future if fishermen continued to dump garbage into the sea and urbanites did the same in rivers.

“Garbage dumped into rivers across Indonesia ends up in the sea and piles up. When it gets caught on reefs, fish and shrimp will definitely not lay eggs there,” Susi told a gathering of hundreds of fishermen in Labuan Bajo subdistrict, Komodo district, West Manggarai regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara ( NTT ), on Monday.

Susi expressed admiration for the natural beauty of Flores Island on land in the sea and the friendliness of its people. Yet despite the natural beauty, there was a problem with plastic waste that was not being managed properly.

She said she had arrived at Komodo Airport on Sunday and had the chance to observe West Manggarai regency from the air in a helicopter.

“I saw so much plastic garbage on Labuan Bajo waters. West Manggarai should indeed act as a good example in plastic waste management,” said Susi, adding that a regency bylaw on fines for dumping garbage recklessly was urgently needed in the regency to prevent people from littering.

Susi said garbage in the Komodo National Park had to be managed properly because it was visited by thousands of domestic and foreign tourists, including those arriving on cruise ships, to see Komodo dragons.

“I admire Flores Island and the magical Komodo. Yet, the tourism and fishery sectors have to work in synergy,” the minister said.

Dahlan, a local fisherman, said local people managed plastic waste on West Manggarai waters. He said locals had eventually stopped dumping waste into the sea and rivers, while a number of non-governmental organizations and the regency administration trained people on how to manage plastic waste properly.

“We have been trained to manage plastic waste and frequently remind people to leave behind the bad habit of littering,” he said.

Asma, a local fish employer, said West Manggarai was rich in marine resources, with fishermen in the regency catching fish from January to December.

“What the minister said is very useful for the sustainability of marine resources in West Manggarai,” said Asma, expressing gratitude that she could directly speak to Minister Susi, whom she had previously only seen on television.

Nurhayati, a local creative economy practitioner, said plastic waste had long been in the spotlight and discussed by both local and foreign visitors, as well as ministries in Jakarta and local institutions. Still, people remained oblivious to the need to discard of rubbish properly.

“Plastic waste can always be seen on West Manggarai waters and rivers both in urban and rural areas. Multi-party cooperation is needed to deal with plastic waste,” she said.

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Vietnam: Marine biodiversity conservation needs master plan

VietnamNet 7 Jun 16;

Experts are urging the building of a master plan on preserving marine biodiversity in its true sense to improve the efficiency of the work in the country.

With more than 3,000 kilometres of sea shore and 20 million peoples’ livelihoods dependant on sea and coastal areas, Vietnam has always paid attention to protecting marine biodiversity, both via creating laws and establishing marine conservation areas to protect sea creatures, coastal landscapes as well as the unique features of sea and islands.

The country has created a number of programmes and strategies to the purpose, including a plan on conserving biodiversity in chapter 2 of the Law on Biodiversity in 2008 and the national sea strategy until 2020.

However, Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi, from the National University of Hanoi, Vietnam does not yet have an overall plan on preserving marine biodiversity in its true sense.

More than 11,000 species have been identified in Vietnam’s seas and they live in 20 different types of ecosystems, in six different areas of biodiversity.

Of the known species, 6,000 are seabed species, 2,038 are fish species, 152-528 fish species in coral reefs, 653 seaweed species and 225 shrimp species.

Besides this, more than 1,300 species of animals and plants have been detected on islands.

According to Hoi, the total number of known species is still lower than the real number because investigation and research on sea and coastal biodiversity has not been carried out regularly, especially on small islands.

Coastal ecosystems are seen as “natural infrastructure” in protecting the sea shore, ensuring social security, preventing floods, and fighting climate change and rising sea levels – including tidal waves. That is the reason why the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has sent out a message that investing in coastal ecosystems is an investment for the future.

Despite the huge potential, Vietnam’s marine and coastal ecosystems have been facing adverse impacts caused by social-economic development activities and natural disasters, including climate change and rising sea levels.

In addition, poor infrastructure, a lack of necessary equipment, and preservation officials’ thin role coupled with the complete absence of participation by locals in planning and managing preservation areas, combine to limit the effectiveness of management on marine biodiversity and marine nature preservation.

At present, around 100 species under threat have been included in Vietnam’s Red Book and the IUCN’s Red List on endangered species that need urgent protection.

In order to save endangered species, the planning to preserve marine biodiversity must be implemented ahead of development activities like investment, exploitation and use.

The efforts in the past few years by relevant agencies and scientists in applying the marine space planning method, with the division of marine biodiversity areas has produced initial results.

Scientists have designated marine zones in need of preservation and built a national plan of marine preservation areas until 2020 along with a programme for the management of such areas following their approval.
VNA

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Bleaching 'devastates' Chagos Marine Reserve

Jonathan Amos BBC 7 Jun 16;

The UK's largest tropical reef has been devastated in the global bleaching event now under way.

Up to 85% of the corals in the Chagos Marine Reserve of the British Indian Ocean Territory are estimated to have been damaged or killed in the event.

Scientists say the conditions there are worse than in 1998 - the last major bleaching occurrence.
The problem is caused by anomalously warm water, which prompts the coral polyps to eject their symbiotic algae.

This drains them of their colour and is fatal unless conditions are reversed in a reasonably short time.

Unfortunately for the Chagos, the water has been persistently warm for many months.

"In 1998, the temperature that killed all the corals was probably about 29.5C. Last year, in April, at the beginning of the latest bleaching event, it was 30.5C and down to 25m. And this year scientists have been out and it's the same again," said Prof Charles Sheppard, the chair of the Chagos Conservation Trust.

Prof Heather Koldewey, from the Zoological Society of London and a CCT Trustee, led the expedition. She described what she saw as shocking: "I was there two years ago and it's always an absolute joy to go diving in Chagos because you really get to see what a reef should look like - rich, living corals with abundant fish and other marine life at densities you just don't get in other places. This was very depressing."

Bleaching is happening globally on a huge scale because of the El Nino phenomenon, which sees surface water temperatures spike in many ocean regions.

Reports in the past couple of weeks have highlighted the damage to the famous reefs off Australia and the Maldives.

The big question now is how well Chagos will recover when conditions calm down, which they should do as the El Nino subsides.

The reserve successfully bounced back after 1998, principally say the scientists because it is normally such a pristine environment.

Controversially, the Chagos Archipelago has been maintained relatively population free since the late 1960s, but this has had the effect of limiting the stress factors that can weaken corals.

"This is what makes Chagos such an important reference site for corals worldwide," explained Prof Koldewey.

"This is not an oil spill, this is not coastal pollution, sewage, or overfishing or siltation. If anywhere can bounce back, it is the Chagos Archipelago, and I hold on to that positive point of view."

Prof Sheppard said the hope would be that juveniles in deeper, cooler water will come up to re-invade the reef and re-establish communities.

The Chagos Marine Reserve was established in 2010 and covers an area of 640,000 square kilometres - more than twice the area of the UK.

The zone covered by reef is estimated to be about 60,000-80,000 square km.

Biodiversity catalogued in the reserve includes - in addition to the corals - more than 1,000 species of fish; endangered green and hawksbill turtles; the world's biggest land crab, the metre-spanning coconut crab; and breeding colonies of terns and shearwaters.

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