NEW Publication: Wild Animals of Singapore

‘Wild Animals’ is the most comprehensive account of Singapore’s wild animals ever produced in one volume. Almost all terrestrial vertebrates currently occurring are described and illustrated in brilliant habitat photographs, all taken in Singapore.

A total of 180 species are covered, including 38 mammals, 87 reptiles, 25 frogs and toads, and 30 freshwater fishes. There are additional chapters on how and where to find wildlife in Singapore, as well as a revised checklist of all non-avian vertebrates ever recorded in the country, including those extinct, introduced or of indeterminate status.

With images contributed by 28 local photographers, project coordination by Nick Baker and Kelvin Lim and generous sponsorship by Aabar Petroleum Investments, this publication is truly a team effort.
Profits from the sale of this book go to the Vertebrate Study Group of the
Nature Society (Singapore).

The book will be available from 29 March at $25 from Nature Society (Singapore) and $29.95 from Nature's Niche.

Read more!

NEW Publication: Marine Debris 101

NOAA Marine Debris Program Web Education Site - "Marine Debris 101"
Ocean Conservancy e-newsletter 29 Feb 08;

Marine Debris 101 Program LogoNOAA has a new educational section of its website created to inform the public on general information about marine debris, including its sources, impacts and solutions.

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration has worked with its partners to create an Internet-based educational campaign for marine debris awareness and prevention located on the homepage of the NOAA Marine Debris Program website.

Products, tailored to specific audiences such as beachgoers, fishermen, boaters, and students, include an expanded photo database for use by the general public as well as a fun Children's Activity Book. There is also a section designed especially for educators, with a curriculum designed for students K-12.

Visit the NOAA Marine Debris Program website to experience Marine Debris 101 and learn more about the Program: http://www.marinedebris.noaa.gov/

Read more about marine debris facts and what you CAN do to make a difference!

The International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (ICCS) supports the Ocean Conservancy's work on marine debris in Singapore. Visit their blog and website to find out more about what you can do in Singapore.

Read more!

NEW publication: A world without biodiversity? in the IUCN magazine, Jan 08

World Conservation magazine, January 2008
a magazine of the IUCN

This issue's theme is "A world without biodiversity?" How can we expect to tackle poverty and climate change if we don’t look after the natural wealth of animals, plants, microorganisms and ecosystems that make our planet inhabitable?

Other featured articles include...

Doctor Nature
Cures for AIDS and some cancers could be at our fingertips if we did a better job of looking after biodiversity, says Eric Chivian

Bioprospecting: securing a piece of the pie
The commercial use of biodiversity has become a highly contentious area of policy. Sarah Laird and Rachel Wynberg say the arguments are far from being settle

Keeping it clean
Chief Executive of Air New Zealand Rob Fyfe explains why the company has such a high stake in protecting the environment

Talking diversity
Luisa Maffi explains how cultural, linguistic and biological diversity are interlinked

Food heroes
Local communities have conserved the diversity of agricultural species for thousands of years. Supporting them is key to achieving global food security, says M.S. Swaminathan

Read more!

NEW publication: Every crab in the world in a book!

from the raffles museum news blog

The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology
Supplement No. 17
Systema Brachyurorum: Part I.
An Annotated Checklist of Extant Brachyuran Crabs of the World

It is a great privilege to announce that the Systema Brachyurorum has been published by the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. This 286-page work contains 6,793 valid species and subspecies, 1,271 genera and subgenera, 93 families and 38 superfamilies, making it the most comprehensive to date. And with references as recent as January 2008, it is also the most up-to-date.

This work has taken three of the leading lights of the field (Peter K. L. Ng, Danièle Guinot and Peter J. F. Davie) the better part of a decade to produce, and we are proud to be part of the team that brought this work to fruition.

Links to more about the making of this book.

Read more!

NEW Publication: Field Guide to the Mammals of South-east Asia

Message from Nature's Niche

The new A Field Guide to the Mammals of South-east Asia by Charles Francis is now available. Nearly 500 species are illustrated in 72 top quality colour plates with distribution map and full description for each species.

The book includes Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia, this is the first time ever that we have a modern field guide to the mammals of our area, including the bats. All nature enthusiasts should have a copy.

The price at the Botanic Garden Shop is $93.60, members of the Nature Society of Singapore enjoy 5% discount.

Read more!

NEW Publication: Seagrass-Watch newsletter

International Seagrass-Watch's last newsletter for the year is now online.

Read a roundup of TeamSeagrass Singapore's work on our very own seagrasses! As well as establishing Seagrass-Watch in central Viet Nam. There's also articles about researching the diets of turtles and polychaete worms (with photos of Singapore's own humble worms!)

More on the teamseagrass blog

Read more!

NEW publication: Gardenwise July 07

Gardenwise July 07 now available online
A magazine of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, check out this issue which features orchids!

Read about "An Extinct Orchid Re-discovered", "An Endangered Orchid in Singapore" and "Edible Orchids". And the intriguing "Naked Tree".

With lots of gorgeous photos!

Read more!

NEW Publication: Seagrass-Watch e-bulletin

Seagrass-Watch website 16 Nov 07
A monthly e-bulletin of news about seagrasses around the world

This month, the articles include:

PTP, MNSJ Moot Idea To Gazette Pulau Merambung (Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia)
Developments at Sungei Pulai, Johor which right opposite our TeamSeagrass Tuas monitoring site.

Seagrass survey in Klong Tub Lamu (Thailand)
This seagrass population is the only population that survived the tsunami.

and more...

Seahorses released into Sydney Harbour (Australia)
Scientists: Revise mining law to prevent marine degradation (Philippines)
Call for action to save Wales marine life (United Kingdom)
Climate change already affecting Bay, experts say (Seven Valleys,PA,USA)
Seagrass restoration in Florida Bay restores boat grounding sites (St. Petersburg,FL,USA)
Marawah is UAE's first biosphere reserve (Dubai,United Arab Emirates)
CBBF honors unsung heroes (Corpus Christi, TX, USA)
Channel deepening is good for the environment: Premier (Victoria, Australia)
Government releases management plan for Shoalwater Islands Marine Park (Western Australia)
Opponents lash out as bay dredging gets OK (Victoria, Australia)
Seagrass habitats crucial to fish production in Corner Inlet (Victoria, Australia).

Download the PDF file and subscribe to the bulletin

Read more!

NEW Publication: SEC's Elements now online

Packed with articles about our green groups and environmental issues facing Singaporeans today, Elements 2007 Issue 3 is now online

The cover story for this issue is "Going Beyond Green", tracing the journey of environmental groups in Singapore in the eyes of November Tan. It's a great article sharing about the changes in the community since Chek Jawa.

November herself is active in conservation work and runs many fascinating blog including the Pulau Ubin Stories blog, the leafmonkey blog and Environmental News Archive blog.

Another fascinating read for me was "A Walk on the Wild Side". With the Chek Jawa boardwalk now completed, the Green Volunteers Network (GVN) and the Naked Hermit Crabs (NHC) have come together to conduct guided walks for the public . Grant Pereira from GVN and Ron Yeo from NHC shared what’s in store in these guided walks and their thoughts about the future of Chek Jawa.

Ron Yeo is a very active nature guide and volunteer for the shores. He also leads the Naked Hermit Crabs and his tidechaser blog is a colourful and information-packed tour of many aspects of nature in Singapore. Grant Pereira is the infamous man behind the Green Volunteers Network.

There are MORE interesting articles too:

"Sustainable Fishing - Where's the Catch" where you get a primer on fishing terms such as 'Bottom trawling', 'Cyanide fishing', 'By-catch' and 'Dolphin-friendly label' (I was dismayed to learn that dolphin-friendly isn't all that friendly after all).

There's also an interview with A/P Simon Tay, Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs, who shares on issues such as "What are some of the greatest environmental challenges facing Singapore today?" and "Do you think a more active and vibrant civil society in Singapore will create greater environmental activism?"

So go to the SEC website and download the magazine (PDF) for yourself!

Elements is a magazine of the Singapore Environmental Council and was put together by indomitable Liang Xinyi.

Read more!