Best of our wild blogs: 8 Jan 17

Herping Ubin
Herpetological Society of Singapore

Key happenings: Oil spill at East Johor Strait, Jan 2017
wild shores of singapore

Singapore Bird Report-December 2016
Singapore Bird Group

Springleaf Nature Park
My Nature Experiences

Butterfly of the Month - January 2017
Butterflies of Singapore

Night Walk At Venus Drive (06 Jan 2017)
Beetles@SG BLOG

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Damage to Chek Jawa minimal so far

Toh Wen Li Straits Times 7 Jan 17;

Damage to Chek Jawa's ecosystem in Pulau Ubin following last week's oil spill has, so far, been minimal, said the National Parks Board (NParks).

NParks' group director for conservation Wong Tuan Wah said that this was due to oil-absorbent booms - temporary floating barriers - that were set up soon after the spill. There are now two layers of booms protecting Chek Jawa, one of which was added last Friday. These booms absorb oil and serve as a physical barrier.

Still, Chek Jawa was flagged as a priority area in the wake of the spill, due to its rich biodiversity that could be affected by the leaked oil.

Said Mr Wong: "The oil sheen gets into the roots of mangrove trees, and affects their breathing pores."

The oil, he added, would also eventually seep into sand and mud, clogging up air pockets and suffocating creatures such as worms that live in the mud. "When the oil clogs up the holes, there will be a lack of air for marine creatures that live in the mud," he explained.

Yesterday, 15 NParks volunteers at Chek Jawa helped to mop up oil from the coastline in the morning and afternoon, while the tide was still fairly low.

There will be two more cleanup sessions today, at 9am and 1pm.

Last Tuesday, two container vessels collided off Pasir Gudang Port in Johor. This caused 300 tonnes of oil spillage after a bunker tank of one of the vessels was damaged.

Yesterday, the Chek Jawa volunteers were given a briefing before they put on protective jumpsuits, gloves and boots, and headed down to the coastline.

Hard at work under the sun alongside 30 of NParks' contract workers, they used oil-absorbent pads to soak up oil stains from rocks and mangrove trees. They also removed oil-stained seaweed and sand, and, with the help of spades, disposed them in yellow biohazard bags for incineration.

One of the volunteers yesterday afternoon was environmental sciences student Abel Yeo, 23, a nature guide-in-training at Sungei Buloh.

Mr Yeo said he felt a need to do something about the oil spill because of how close the spill was. "If it's closer to home, it affects us more. It affects our water quality, our biodiversity, our food supply."

A spokesman for the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said that as of last Friday, it had issued suspension of sales to 12 fish farms. The suspension will be in place until food safety evaluations are complete.

"Fish available in the market are safe for consumption," the spokesman added.

When The Sunday Times visited the Chek Jawa coast yesterday afternoon, there was a faint smell of petroleum in the air. Dark oil stains were visible on some mangrove roots, rocks and seaweed.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a Friday statement that "good progress has been made in containing and cleaning up the oil spillage". "No new patches of oil have been spotted along East Johor Strait," it added.

It noted that cleanup operations are ongoing at Changi Point Ferry Terminal, fish farms at Nenas Channel, and at Noordin beach on Pulau Ubin's northern coastline.

Oil spill response vessels, containment booms and spill recovery equipment were also deployed.

•Additional reporting by Audrey Tan


NParks volunteers help with oil spill cleanup efforts at Chek Jawa over the weekend
Toh Wen Li Straits Times AsiaOne 8 Jan 17;

SINGAPORE - Cleanup work following Tuesday's oil spill continued on Saturday (Jan 7), with National Parks Board (NParks) volunteers combing Chek Jawa to help mop up oil from the coastline.

Saturday's cleanup efforts at Chek Jawa drew fifteen volunteers, some turning up for a morning session and others for the afternoon one, while the tide was still fairly low.

There will be two more cleanup sessions on Sunday, at 9am and 1pm.

On Tuesday night, two container vessels collided off Pasir Gudang Port in Johor. This caused 300 tonnes of oil spillage after one of the vessel's bunker tanks was damaged.

On Saturday, the volunteers were given a briefing before they put on protective jumpsuits, gloves and boots, and headed down to the coastline.

Hard at work under the sun alongside 30 of NParks' contract workers, they used oil-absorbent pads to soak up oil stains from rocks and mangroves. They also removed oil-stained seaweed and sand, with the help of spades, disposing them in yellow bags for incineration.

The damage to Chek Jawa's ecosystem has so far been minimal.

NParks' group director for conservation, Mr Wong Tuan Wah, said that this was due to oil-absorbent booms were put in place soon after the spill. There are now two layers of booms protecting Chek Jawa, one of which was added on Friday. These booms absorb oil, and also serve as a physical barrier.

Still, Chek Jawa was flagged as a priority area due to its rich biodiversity.

Said Mr Wong: "The oil sheen gets into the roots of the mangrove, and affects its breathing pores."

The oil, he added, would also eventually seep into sand and mud, and affect marine creatures.

One of the volunteers on Saturday afternoon was environmental sciences student Abel Yeo, 23, a nature guide-in-training at Sungei Buloh.

Said Mr Yeo in response to the oil spill: "I always feel, if it's closer to home, it affects us more. It affects our water quality, our biodiversity, our food supply. You feel you need to do something."

Fellow volunteer Soh Lay Bee, a bank officer in her late 30s, said that after hearing news of the oil spill she felt "angry and sad".

"We are part of an environment; I am responsible for the environment. We will just do our best (to help with the clean-up)."

When The Straits Times visited the Chek Jawa coast on Saturday afternoon, there was a faint smell of petroleum in the air. Dark oil stains were visible on some mangrove roots, rocks and seagrass.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement on Friday that "good progress has been made in containing and cleaning up the oil spillage". "No new patches of oil have been spotted along East Johor Straits," it added.

From 10:15 to 11:42

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NYP team develops glowing breakthrough for food farming

JEONG HONGBIN Today Online 6 Jan 17;

SINGAPORE — In a potential breakthrough for food farming in Singapore, researchers have found a way to make plants grow bigger and faster.

Researchers from the Nanyang Polytechnic’s (NYP) School of Engineering, along with 20 students, have developed a film, based on nanotechnology, that can convert sunlight into red and blue wavelengths, the main types of light that plants need for growth.

Known as Nano Glo-n-Grow, the innovation maximises the use of sunlight without the need for additional electrical power.

The NYP researchers’ tests showed that 96 per cent of plants which received light via the nano-coated film showed increased growth. The plants also showed, on average, a 40 per cent increase in leaf area, and a 190 per cent increase in height.

While there are currently methods that use light-emitting diode ( LED) lights in greenhouses to help plants grow indoors without sunlight, they are more costly.

For a 1m-by-1m illumination area, the cost of an LED panel, excluding the electricity bill, ranges from S$80 to S$130. In contrast, a 1m-by-1m nano-coated film costs less than S$20.

So far, NYP researchers have conducted only small-scale experiments using Nano Glo-n-Grow.

They expect the product to be on the market for commercial use in about one to two years.

Local glass manufacturer Singapore Safety Glass has expressed interest in the technology.

While Nano Glo-n-Grow has the potential to greatly enhance productivity and efficiency in agriculture, Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim, 68, owner of Bollywood Veggies farm in Kranji, has reservations about the innovation.

Describing herself as “very old-fashioned”, Mrs Singh-Lim said she wondered how the technology would affect the “freshness and health” of the plants.

However, NYP senior lecturer Dr Hannah Gardner gave the assurance that Nano Glo-n-Grow would not lead to plants developing any defects.

“(The film) is not in the plants or on the plants. It’s placed only on the outside of the greenhouses, so it does not directly affect the plants,” she said.

Chng Jeo Hui, a final-year student pursuing the Diploma in Nanotechnology and Materials Science, was glad to have been part of the research, even though he and the other students did not know what to expect at the start of the project.

“Seeing the plants grow rapidly was very rewarding,” said the 20-year-old. “I could feel the sense of success.”

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Even as more new species are found, Southeast Asia is in the grip of a biodiversity crisis

Southeast Asia’s biodiversity is under serious threat; some parts of the region are projected to lose up to 98 per cent of their remaining forests in the next nine years. It’s also thought to be the world’s most threatened region for mammals.
Alice Catherine Hughes Channel NewsAsia 7 Jan 17;

Rich in wildlife, Southeast Asia includes at least six of the world’s 25 “biodiversity hotspots” – the areas of the world that contain an exceptional concentration of species, and are exceptionally endangered. The region contains 20 per cent of the planet’s vertebrate and plant species and the world’s third-largest tropical forest.

In addition to this existing biodiversity, the region has an extraordinary rate of species discovery, with more than 2,216 new species described between 1997 and 2014 alone.

Global comparisons are difficult but it seems the Mekong region has a higher rate of species discovery than other parts of the tropics, with hundreds of new species described annually.

HABITAT LOSS

Southeast Asia’s biodiversity is under serious threat; some parts of the region are projected to lose up to 98 per cent of their remaining forests in the next nine years. It’s also thought to be the world’s most threatened region for mammals.

Sadly, the region’s fragile biodiversity is frequently forgotten by the global media. It also suffers lower publishing rates than other tropical regions for ecology and biodiversity research. It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that Southeast Asia has some of the highest rates of deforestation on the planet, having lost 14.5 per cent of forests in the last 15 years.

Some areas, such as Philippines, have lost up to 89 per cent of their original forest cover. This loss is rendered especially stark using recent advances in satellite imagery, such as Google Earth timelapse, which shows that many regions have been transformed from pristine forest to agriculture within the last decade or two.

Forest loss is one of the major drivers of species loss in the region, and pulp-paper, rubber and oil palm production are the main drivers of forest clearance. Southeast Asia exports 86 per cent of the world’s palm oil and 87 per cent of the world’s natural rubber. The areas where these grow are projected to expand by more than 4.3 to 8.5 million hectares to meet demand by 2024.

Most new plantations come directly from rainforest clearance, and companies investing in Southeast Asia are ranked as the least sustainable globally. The recently created Forest & Finance initiative has reported that investment in “high deforestation risk” sectors in Southeast Asia was more than US$38.76 billion between 2010 and 2015.

Avoiding these products is practically impossible. At 61.1 million tonnes, palm oil was the most consumed oil globally in 2015, and this figure is rising. Certification aiming to prevent further deforestation and guarantee the sustainability of certified palm oil has also proven difficult, and failed to halt deforestation.

The two initiatives for certification of sustainable palm-oil production and natural rubber – the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and “green rubber initiatives” – have failed to fulfil their commitments to protect natural habitats.

New plantations have continued to drive destruction of natural rainforests, and the species dependent upon these ecosystems for survival. In some cases, the initiatives have ended up using “perverse incentives” which actually encourage deforestation. These include subsidies that facilitate forest clearance by funding conversion of forest to crops, or free provision of rubber seeds to replace natural forests.

DAMS, WETLANDS AND MINING

Deforestation is not the only driver of habitat loss in the region; Southeast Asia also has more dams planned than any other part of the planet. Though often looked at as “green power”, dams lead to a loss of biodiversity and undermine rural economies through the loss of livelihoods.

There are currently 78 dams planned for the Mekong Delta. If built, they are projected to reduce the number of migratory fish by 20 per cent to 70 per cent in the Mekong, in addition to flooding essential habitats and causing regional droughts. The Mekong has the highest freshwater diversity in the world, and the potential extinction of so many species represents a global catastrophe.

Fisheries on the Mekong are also projected to feed more than 65 million people. Declines in fish stocks will have direct implications for incomes and diets across the region.

The drainage of Asia’s wetlands presents a further set of dangers, particularly due to their importance to more than 50 million migratory wading birds that depend on them for migration and breeding.

Around 80 per cent of Southeast Asian wetlands are threatened by conversion to agricultural land or development by drainage. Up to 45 per cent of intertidal wetlands have already been lost. This has so far caused population reductions of up to 79 per cent in some wading species.

Mining is another often overlooked issue that poses a significant threat to biodiversity, especially to karsts (limestone outcrops and caves), which cover around 800,000km² of Southeast Asia. Each of these ecosystems are known to harbour more than ten species not found anywhere else on the planet.

But most of these sites have never been surveyed, and up to 90 per cent of cave species in China are estimated to be scientifically undescribed. Similar rates of unclassification are likely to exist for the rest of the region.

These karst ecosystems are under serious threat. Cement comes directly from karst ecosystems, and between 2011 and 2013 alone, China used more cement (6.6 gigatonnes) than the US has in recorded history. China’s approximate annual usage of 1.5 tonnes per capita amounts to over 60 per cent of the global cement demand annually.

As karsts are under-represented in protected areas – and given the majority of karst-dwelling species are limited to a single site – there is no way of knowing how many species go extinct annually as a consequence.

HUNTING AND TRADE

Another threat to the region’s biodiversity is the illegal wildlife trade. Worth approximately US$20 billion annually, it’s the fourth-biggest illegal trade in the world.

In Southeast Asia, hunting represents the greatest threat to the future survival of many species, with few native mammals of over 2kg surviving outside protected areas. Hunting represents a threat to all species, with high-value species sought and traded by criminal cartels and smaller species traded for medicine, food or sport.

Trade in wildlife in Asia can be grouped into three main types - for medicinal purposes, for status (either in wildlife restaurants or as ornaments) or for the pet, zoo and aquarium trades (principally birds, reptiles and amphibians).

Traditional medicine in Vietnam and China represents a threat to a huge array of species, but most notably the pangolin, which is the most trafficked animal on the planet. Sadly, the use of endangered species in medicine shows little sign of abating.

Whereas celebrities have campaigned for species that are targeted for status and ornamentation, such as elephant ivory, many other animals and plants have failed to get the attention needed to prevent over-exploitation. And a number are now facing extinction.

The pet and zoo trade in wildlife, especially for reptiles, amphibians and birds, have recently received attention, as many species formerly thought to be captive-bred are now known to be wild-caught. They have suffered serious population declines as a result of exploitation for trade.

The unique biodiversity of Southeast Asia is under threat because of some of the world’s highest rates of habitat loss, as well as direct over-exploitation of species. Even when forests remain intact, they are being steadily emptied of their biodiversity through hunting.

Though dedicated researchers and conservationists are working to prevent these issues, Southeast Asia will see the extinction of many endemic species in the coming decades. The question of how many will remain depends on the success of conservation and sustainability interventions.

This article first appeared in The Conversation. The author Alice Catherine Hughes is an associate professor in Landscape Ecology & Conservation at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Malaysia: In Terengganu, floods drain RM355mil so far

The Star 8 Jan 17;

KUALA TERENGGANU: The floods that hit the state since last week have not fully receded. But the state government has already incurred about RM354.55mil in losses.

Terengganu state secretary Datuk Wan Nawawi Wan Ismail, who is also the state disaster committee chairman, said the bulk of the damage was to road infrastructure. It alone amounted to RM350.23mil.

“Damage to the state roads was about RM228mil while that to federal roads was close to RM122.25mil,” he said.

“The state government will need a huge amount of money to repair all the infrastructure,” Wan Nawawi said during a briefing when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak visited two evacuation centres in the state yesterday.

Wan Nawawi said the state would also need an additional RM245mil to repair damages to hill slopes near state and federal roads, and the drainage systems.

He added that the state government would submit a request to the Federal Government to approve an allocation of RM625.65mil to carry out repairs and upgrading works.

Farmer Nik Mohd Fazrul Fahmi Nik Man said he lost RM26,000 after 1,000 pepper plants and chillies he grew on his 0.6ha land were damaged due to the floods.

“I have invested a lot and every sen from my savings has gone down the drain,” he said.

The floods have receded in many parts of the state with many evacuation centres, especially in Besut, Hulu Terengganu and Kemaman, closed.

However, floodwaters upstream have flooded houses in Kuala Nerus, Kuala Terengganu, Dungun and Marang.

As of 6pm yesterday, the worst-hit district so far was Kuala Nerus with 742 evacuees, followed by Kuala Terengganu (461), Dungun (100) and Marang (39).

Four schools – SK Kampung Las, SK Kompleks Gong Badak and SK Bukit Guntong (both in Kuala Nerus) and SK Banggol Peradong here – are being used as evacuation centres.

State Education, Science, Technology and Transformation Committee chairman A. Latiff Awang said the closure of the four schools would involve 509 students and 42 teachers.

He also called on the state Education Department to conduct an evaluation on the losses incurred by all schools due to the floods.

In Kota Baru, 11 schools will still be closed today due to floods, according to a statement by the State Education Department, Bernama reported.

It said six of the schools were located in Pasir Mas and five in Tumpat.

The schools closed in Pasir Mas district are SK Sri Rantau Panjang 2, SK Gual Tinggi, SK Gual To’ Deh, SK Bakong, SK Gelang Mas and government-aided religious school Diniah Bongor.

The five schools closed in the Tumpat district are SK Simpangan, SK Bendang Pak Yong, SMA Nurul Huda Kajang Sebidang, SK Teluk Jering and SK Padang Mandol.

Some of the schools were closed due flooded roads.

Others were because the schools remain flooded and the premises were being used as evacuation centres.

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Indonesia: Land Degradation, Deforestation Leads to Critical Watershed Water Levels

Edy Sujatmiko Jakarta Globe 7 Jan 17;

Jakarta. The Ministry of Public Works and Housing has warned at least 22 regional agriculture watersheds have dropped to critical level, prompting concerns it has caused flooding.

The watersheds, used to conserve water for irrigation purposes, are facing a critical shortage amid a spotty rainy season and environmental factors.

“Currently, 22 watersheds across the country are in critical condition, resulting in flash floods in a variety of areas,” Public Works Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said, as reported by state news agency Antara on Friday (06/01).

Adang Saf Ahman, irrigation director at the ministry, said the watersheds are spread over 131 river basins across the archipelago.

He said the dry season had led to a decrease in water levels, but the expected rainy season influx had not occurred, causing fluctuations.

The minister attributed flash flooding in West Nusa Tanggara and across Java as being caused by the watersheds and poor management.

"The cause is conversion of forest land into areas of industry and agriculture, such as farmer planting in the water catchment area," Basuki said.

He urged residents to conserve water catchment areas by reforestation and a slowing down of land conversion.

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