Best of our wild blogs: 30 Mar 19

All islands cleared of asbestos and open to the public
wild shores of singapore

The Butterfly Legs
Butterflies of Singapore

Singapore Bird Report – February 2019
Singapore Bird Group

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St John's Island, Pulau Hantu cleared of asbestos: SLA

Channel NewsAsia 29 Mar 19;

SINGAPORE: All asbestos removal works on St John’s Island and Pulau Hantu have been completed, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) announced on Friday (Mar 29).

SLA also added that the campsite on St John’s Island will reopen in June.

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New maritime heritage trail offers insights into past and present

Euodia Chi Straits Times 30 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE - As visitors stepped into the Fuk Tak Chi Temple, they were greeted by an intricate model of a boat with Chinese characters wishing seafarers a safe journey painted on its sail.

Originally a shrine set up by Confucianists and Taoists to give thanks for their safe journey to Singapore, it was converted to a museum in 1998.

Located on Telok Ayer Street, the area is replete with temples, mosques and shrines set up by immigrants after their journeys across the sea. One of these, the Nagore Dargah Shrine, was built in memory of Shahul Hamid who was believed to have miraculously saved sailors in distress as the Saint of Nagore in southern India.

Today, the shrine serves as an Indian Muslim Heritage Centre.

These places form part of the Singapore Maritime Trail 3: Our Legacy, a free guided walk which was launched on Friday (March 29) by Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and for Culture, Community and Youth.

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Malaysia: Water rationing has started in Kota Tinggi

Some 10,000 households in Kota Tinggi are experiencing water ration. - NSTP/ADI SAFRI
Rizalman Hammim New Straits Times 29 Mar 19;

JOHOR BARU: Water rationing has started for some 10,000 households in Kota Tinggi.

The decision to impose scheduled water supply was taken after the operations of the Lok Heng and Sungai Gembut water treatment plants were affected due to the prolonged dry spell.

The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) said the Lok Heng plant was operating at a minimal level.

This because the water levels at Sungai Sedili Kecil have dropped below the critical level.

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Indonesia threatens to quit Paris climate deal over palm oil

Reuters 27 Mar 19;

JAKARTA (Reuters) - A senior Indonesian minister warned on Wednesday Southeast Asia’s biggest economy could consider exiting the Paris climate deal if the European Union goes ahead with a plan to phase out palm oil in renewable transportation fuel.

Indonesia, the world’s biggest palm oil producer, has lashed out at the EU after the bloc classified palm oil as a risky crop that caused significant deforestation and ruled that its use in renewable fuel should stop by 2030.

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Indonesia: Apusan forest's illegal logging is death warrant for rare animals

Antara 29 Mar 19;

Malang, E Java (ANTARA) - Extensive illegal logging in the Apusan preserved forest, Tambakrejo Village, Malang, endangers the existence of rare animals, including the hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) and Javan leaf monkey (Trachypithecus auratus), an environmental non-governmental organization Profauna Indonesia stated.

"Damage caused to the Apusan forest, which comes under Perhutani's management, is estimated to reach 200 hectares, of the total 500.20 hectares of the preserved forest area," Coordinator for the Lowland Forest Conservation Program of Profauna Indonesia Erik Yanuar stated here on Friday.

Yanuar noted that the forest served as a habitat for varied species of wild and protected animals.

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