Best of our wild blogs: 10 Aug 17

Pulau Tekukor, the other side of our Marine Park
wild shores of singapore

Forest fires, hots spots and underlying issues
People's Movement to Stop Haze

Malaysia’s East Coast Rail Link a double-edged sword for environment, wildlife
mongabay.com

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Guided walks on wildlife bridge spanning BKE to be stopped until further notice

Audrey Tan Straits Times 10 Aug 17;

SINGAPORE - Guided walks on a wildlife bridge that is otherwise off limits to members of the public will not be continued by the National Parks Board (NParks).

A notice on NParks' website showed that the guided walks have been postponed "until further notice", and that the website will be updated if the guided walks resume.

The decision not to continue the walks was made so as to limit human impact on the bridge, which spans the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE). Members of the public are not allowed on the bridge outside of these walks.

Mr Wong Tuan Wah, NParks' group director for conservation, told The Straits Times that the board has detected the use of the eco-link by animals such as the pangolin, slender squirrel, common palm civet and various species of birds and snakes.

"In order not to affect the animals' movement patterns and to allow more animals to adapt to and use the eco-link, subsequent walks have not been scheduled. We are continuing to monitor the animals' movements," he added.

The $16 million Eco-Link@BKE, which connects the Central Catchment and Bukit Timah nature reserves, was opened in 2013.

Human access to the ecological bridge was restricted - to allow vegetation to grow and to let wildlife get used to the bridge without human disturbance - until November 2015, when NParks announced that it would conduct eight guided walks.

The walks, which were capped at 20 per tour, aimed to help people learn about the different kinds of animals that use the link, as well as interesting facts about both nature reserves.

NParks conducted eight such walks on four dates between the end of 2015 and January 2016, and these were attended by about 160 participants.

The Eco-Link@BKE aims to help the shy, elusive denizens of Singapore's forests move between vegetated areas in the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment nature reserves.

The ability to move between one forest area and another is important for animals, especially in Singapore.

This is because the island's nature areas are fragmented by urban development, unlike in countries that have rolling acres of forests. Being able to move from forest to forest will help animals feed and breed without becoming isolated.

However, human encroachment could prevent the shy, elusive animals from using it, which is why people are not allowed to visit the bridge as they would any other park or nature reserve.

However, NParks' Mr Wong said the board has found members of the public trying to visit the eco-link on their own.

"We have issued advisories to remind them not to do so. We would like to urge visitors to play their part in the conservation of our native biodiversity by refraining from entering restricted areas, so as to allow rare native species to establish themselves. There are many designated trails in the nature reserves from which biodiversity can be observed, and we advise visitors to stay on them. This will also prevent visitors from getting lost," he said.

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Learning about Singapore on a walking trail at Pulau Ubin

LIM MIN ZHANG, THE STRAITS TIMES The New Paper 10 Aug 17;

For the past four years, teacher Tan Huili's family spent National Day watching the parade at home.

But this year, Ms Tan's young family of four, together with her parents-in-law, woke up as early as 6am to catch the bumboat to Pulau Ubin.

They were among more than 100 families who took part in a walk to celebrate Singapore's birthday.

"Visiting such places gives us a sense of rootedness and identity," said Ms Tan, 35, whose children are aged four and seven.

During the event, organised by the Siglap division of East Coast GRC with the National Parks Board, some 520 Siglap residents, many with children aged 12 or younger, learnt about the early years of Singapore's independence.

Taking part in activities at six stations along a 2.6km round-the-island trail, they found out about the challenges Singapore faced in the past.

For example, at Teck Seng's Place, one of the conserved landmarks on Pulau Ubin, they learnt about the 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire, a key event that led to the Government's shift to the public housing programme.

They were also treated to traditional food such as gem biscuits, ice lollies and jagung urap, or steamed corn with coconut shavings.

Limousine driver Melvin Koh, 31, who was with his wife and their eight-year-old boy, said: "It was something new for my son, and an interesting and meaningful experience, especially on National Day."


More than 100 young families visit Pulau Ubin to learn about nation building
Lim Min Zhang Straits Times 10 Aug 17;

SINGAPORE - More than 100 young families celebrated National Day at Pulau Ubin on Wednesday morning (Aug 9) with lessons from the early years of Singapore's independence.

Some 520 Siglap residents, many with children aged 12 or younger, took part in activity stations along a round-the-island trail. They learnt about challenges Singapore faced in the past, such as racial riots and the need for water conservation.

For example, at Teck Seng's Place, one of the preserved landmarks on Pulau Ubin, participants were taught about the Bukit Ho Swee fire of 1961, which was a key event that led to the Government's shift to the public housing programme.

They were also treated to traditional food such as gem biscuits, ice lollies, and jagung urap, or steamed corn with coconut shavings, at the station.

Some of the participants had woken up as early as 5am to catch the 10-minute bumboat ride to the island.

The whole trail was 2.6km long and included six stations.

The event was organised by grassroots leaders and volunteers from the Siglap division of East Coast GRC, in collaboration with the National Parks Board.

Chairman of the organising committee and businessman David Tan, 50, one of the more than 200 volunteers involved in running the event, said: "Even though this was hard work, we felt it was worth it to have these activities to gel the older and younger generations together, regardless of age."

Limousine driver Melvin Koh, 31, took part in the trail with his eight-year-old son and 31-year-old wife.

Mr Koh said: "It was something new for my son, and an interesting and meaningful experience, especially on National Day."

Another parent, teacher Tan Huili, 35,went with six other family members- her husband, his brother, her parents-in-law and her two children, aged four and seven.

"It was my children's first time in Ubin. They were disappointed not to see any monkeys and wild boars, but they enjoyed walking on the mud and gravel trails, which was something they never did in mainland Singapore."

Adviser to East Coast GRC Grassroots Organisations Maliki Osman joined the families in the morning's activities, which ended with an observance ceremony to commemorate 50 years of national service (NS).

Fourteen father-son pairs who had both done NS were given recognition packages for their contributions. The Siglap residents also stood up to give a salute to thank past and present servicemen.

"The whole day's celebration is really about looking back and reflecting, and not just celebration, but also asking ourselves what it means to be a Singaporean," said Dr Maliki, who is also Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs.

"Hopefully, the younger generation will then say, 'I have a role to play in making Singapore succeed' in the many years to come."

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Malaysia: Selangor forest fires brought under control; over 100 hectares scorched

Bernama New Straits Times 10 Aug 17;

SHAH ALAM: Two fires which have burned more than 100 hectares of the Raja Musa Forest Reserve in Bestari Jaya and the Kuala Langat Utara Forest Reserve have been brought under control.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Mohd Sani Harul said the fire in the Raja Musa Forest Reserve was spotted at about 6.30pm last Sunday.

“The fire started on idle land and strong winds drove it to the forest reserve. The blaze on 110 hectares has been put out,” he said in a statement.

The operation to extinguish the fire involved 49 personnel from various security agencies, he said.

The fire at the Kuala Langat Utara Forest Reserve was spotted at 12.40pm on Aug 3 and involved 9.9 hectares.

It was brought under control on the same day, Mohd Sani added.

"However, on Aug 7, thick smoke was detected about 200 metres from the previous spot. The fire has been brought under control and work is ongoing to put it out,” he added.


Bomba battling two large fires in Selangor forest reserves
The Star 10 Aug 17;

SHAH ALAM: Two large fires in the Raja Musa Forest Reserve in Bestari Jaya and the Kuala Langat Utara Forest Reserve near here have been brought under control and efforts are ongoing to extinguish remaining flames.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Mohd Sani Harul said Wednesday that the fire in the forest reserve was spotted at about 6.30pm last Sunday and involved 120 hectares.

"The fire started on idle land and strong winds drove it to the forest reserve. The blaze on 110 hectares has been put out," he said in a statement.

The operation to extinguish the fire involved 49 personnel from various security agencies, he said.

He also said that the fire at the Kuala Langat Utara Forest Reserve was spotted at 12.40pm on Aug 3 and involved 9.9 hectares.

It was brought under control on the same day, he added.

"However, on Aug 7, thick smoke was detected about 200m from the previous spot and involved 28.17 hectares. The fire has been brought under control and work is ongoing to put it out," he said. – Bernama

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Malaysia urges Indonesia to keep a lid on haze during SEA Games

Today Online 9 Aug 17;

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s sports minister has urged Indonesia to ensure that haze from raging forest fires does not affect the South-east Asian Games (SEA Games) this month, a report said Wednesday (Aug 9).

Malaysia will host the major multi-sport event from August 19-30, with thousands of athletes from across the region descending on the capital Kuala Lumpur to take part.

However there have been fears that choking smog from the fires in neighbouring Indonesia could float over Malaysia during the games.

The haze is an annual problem caused by slash-and-burn fires started to clear land for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations. It often blows over Malaysia and Singapore, causing flight cancellations, school closures and soaring rates of respiratory illness.

Malaysian Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin played down fears that the games would be affected by haze, saying he did not believe there was currently a threat and Indonesia had improved efforts to tackle the problem.

But he said Jakarta still needed to take precautions.

“I hope Indonesia will be able to control this problem so it does not affect (the games),” he was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times newspaper.

“I believe they will be embarrassed if it does affect the SEA Games as they, too, are competing here.”

The blazes normally peak in September and October.

But there has already been an early spike on Indonesia’s western island of Sumatra — one of the main areas hit by blazes each year — with dozens of people treated for lung infections and some schools closed in Aceh province last month.

Indonesia’s national disaster agency says there are currently about 160 “hotspots” across the country. These are areas detected by satellite that are either on fire or intensely hot and likely soon to go up in flames.

This is significantly lower than the number in 2015, when huge fires triggered a weeks-long environmental catastrophe that sent haze billowing as far as southern Thailand, causing thousands to fall ill and sending diplomatic tensions soaring. AFP

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