Best of our wild blogs: 25 Feb 19

Singapore Bird Report – January 2019
Singapore Bird Group

Flora and Fauna of Tampines Eco Green Park
Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

16 Mar (Sat): TeamSeagrass joins Celebrating Singapore Shores at Berlayar Creek
TeamSeagrass

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Singapore’s farming revival: 'Tech is the only way to go'

CYNTHIA CHOO Today Online 24 Feb 19;

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s agriculture sector is no longer what it once was.

But far from being a sunset industry facing obsolescence, the sector is actually in the midst of a rejuvenation, fuelled by cutting-edge science and technology, and given fresh relevance by the urgent need to boost food security amid rapid climate change.

Local farmers say they are doing their best to adopt the latest technologies to raise their efficiency and productivity, and forming collaborations with partners who can help them scale up their operations and go global.

Venture capital firms, known more for betting on the next Alibaba or Grab, are starting to get in on the action, investing in innovative agrifood tech start-ups.

While the sector is fast becoming a hive of innovation, farm operators and experts say more can be done to support its future growth: The nurturing of young Singaporeans to ensure a pipeline of agritech talent and the promotion of local produce among consumers.

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Saving water less of a concern for younger residents: Study

Tee Zhuo Straits Times 25 Feb 19;

SINGAPORE - A culture of saving water has become watered down here, going by a government study.

A focus group study by national water agency PUB and government feedback unit Reach revealed that younger Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) appear to be less concerned about the sustainability of the country's water supply than older residents aged 55 and above.

The findings were released ahead of a new campaign to get Singaporeans to save water.

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Malaysia: Dry spell to last until end of March

New Straits Times 25 Feb 19;

THE sweltering heat that enveloped many parts of the country is expected to last until the end of next month.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department said the hot weather was a normal occurrence that marked the end of the monsoon sea son.

This will be accompanied by low rainfall, with temperatures expected to soar between 34°C and 36°C instead of the normal range of 32°C and 34°C.

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Malaysia: Tawau firefighters save beached dolphin

ABDUL RAHEMANG TAIMING New Straits Times 24 Feb 19;

TAWAU: Firefighters rescued a dolphin that was stranded at the beach near Bha Zhong commercial centre here at noon.

The 1.7m adult sea mammal was found by the public.

District Fire and Rescue chief Sharudy Delamin said they were alerted at 12.05pm and had despatched seven officers, machinery and emergency medical service van.

He said the dolphin was trapped in shallow water.

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Malaysia: Illegal plastic recycling plants - 'Operators shifted to other states'

Dawn Chan New Straits Times 24 Feb 19;

SHAH ALAM: THE authorities are hot on the heels of illegal plastic recycling factory operators who have taken the move to “decentralise” their activities following a major crackdown in Selangor.

In the past year, numerous massive coordinated enforcement operations mounted by the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry (MESTECC) and joined by the local authorities, as well as about six to seven agencies, including Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) and the Department of Environment (DoE), have forced operators to shut down their illegal businesses in Selangor and move elsewhere.

Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said there was information that the illegal operators that imported plastic waste from countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand had shifted their operations to other states throughout the country.

It is learnt that there are now such activities in Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Johor.

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Indonesia: 100 soldiers flown to Riau to help fight land, forest fires

Antara 24 Feb 19;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - A company of 100 soldiers from the Army`s Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) arrived in Riau province on Sunday to help fight forest and land fires in Rupat Island.

The soldiers will join the province`s forest and land fire control task force in combating forest and land fires on the island, the Wira Bima military resort command said in a press statement.

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