Climate Witness: Chris Kong, Malaysia
on WWF - Climate Witness stories
Mad lesson on Birds
an upcoming activity on the Cicada Tree Eco-Place blog
Camping on our shores
on the wild shores of singapore blog
Peregrine Falcon mobbed by a crow
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog
Great and Rhinoceros Hornbills’ new playground
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog
Antsy
on the annotated budak blog
Straits Times Forum 27 Mar 09;
I REFER to Wednesday's article, 'Pack them in, build them up'.
I am both shocked and dismayed by Professor Edward Glaeser's short-sighted and highly flawed opinion that a population of 6.5 million would be essentially beneficial for Singapore. His notion that there is nothing unhealthy about living in skyscrapers does not take into consideration the many Singaporeans who wish Singapore would lose its tag as a concrete jungle and focus on creating a city with more 'green spaces'.
He also welcomes the addition of more 'smart people', whom he defined as a typical man in his 40s with children, without considering whether these individuals would be able to assimilate into Singapore culture with no accompanying problems which are already plaguing many immigrants here.
He also mentioned that a city with high density would also serve people's needs but he has conveniently forgotten that the basic human need of privacy, comfort and space would be severely compromised in public spaces if the population hit 6.5 million.
As it is, many of my peers have expressed a sincere wish to emigrate, not because of the high cost of living or the stressful lifestyle. It is primarily because they are appalled by how Singapore has been transformed into a city where it is difficult to find a seat on the MRT on a weekday afternoon, or seek peace and solace even in the suburbs, when Sembawang Mall is now as crowded as Plaza Singapura. Homes are getting smaller and more expensive, and people feel blessed to secure a seat in a foodcourt at any time of the day.
Prof Glaeser also claimed that packing individuals close together in smaller homes would reduce transport costs and energy usage, but this is overly simplistic and short-sighted. There is every possibility that smaller homes may use more energy if more time is spent on home entertainment.
Prof Glaeser's view that a city with high population density would reduce transport cost is also problematic as recent research shows that individuals living in residential zones which are overly crowded have a higher tendency to travel out of their residential area to seek leisure arenas that are 'less congested' and where they are 'less scrutinised' than in flats built in close proximity to each other.
Prof Glaeser's comments are certainly not representative of most Singaporeans who seriously wish for a less crowded living environment.
Robin Chee
Thriving density? Be wary of potential pitfalls
Straits Times Forum 27 Mar 09;
I REFER to the report on Wednesday, 'Pack them in, build them up'. Professor Edward Glaeser of Harvard University suggests that a population of 6.5 million in a densely built-up city could give Singapore a thriving density attractive to 'smart people' who would generate new jobs and a 'creative buzz'. In turn, this buzz would spur new growth, making Singapore an even better place to live and work, for natives and foreigners alike.
On this rosy feedback cycle, seemingly loaded with an infinite chain of goods, I suggest caution: Beware of possible pitfalls of this model.
The first lies in the possibility of overcrowding. Beyond the obvious speculations of ever more crowded hawker centres, trains and roads, a thriving density cannot be automatically assumed, even with a 6.5 million population on an island as small as Singapore. A thriving density must be deliberately encouraged and designed, or it will turn into overcrowding. A thriving density is the result of people interacting with other people, people wanting to interact with other people; while overcrowding is by default, people brushing by other people.
A thriving density fosters social understanding and productive interaction, culminating in greater social solidarity. On the other hand, overcrowding exacerbates alienation and unproductive competitiveness, consequently turning into open conflict.
Common sense tells us that, while skyscrapers may provide the vertical solution to the problem of overcrowding, they are least ideal to foster a thriving density, since vertical use of skyscrapers via elevators tends to compartmentalise lives, minimise social interaction and reduce chance meetings.
The second pitfall lies in the unqualified emphasis on 'smart people'. No one would deny that Bernard Madoff or the many Wall Street financial wizards who have exacerbated the current financial crisis are 'smart people', or part of the creative class. Yet 'smartness' or creativity without morality, scruples or responsibility - as the current crisis has demonstrated - is a liability rather than a benefit to society.
From what is happening in the world today, being satisfied with a mere 'creative buzz' is likely to alarm many, while trying to foster a 'moral creative buzz' is likely to reassure, and intuitively attract post-financial crisis workers, investors and citizens.
This model of a densely built up, creative city growing on its own dynamics is nevertheless very seductive. But as with any other model to be pursued on a practical level, one should be wary of its potential pitfalls.
Jeffrey Chan
Today Online 27 Mar 09;
The more you save on energy consumption, the more you will gain. With this principle in mind, South-West CDC decided to introduce an ECo Challenge where a minimum 10 per cent energy savings will earn the low-income household a free energy efficient appliance.
Some 500 Institute of Technical Education student volunteers will act as energy auditors under the ECo Energy Auditors scheme.
They will assess households’ energy consumption and teach them how to reduce their electricity usage. The 1,000 low-income households expected to benefit from this initiative will also receive free installation of an energy efficient lighting system for one lighting point.
This scheme is part of the South-West district’s 10-year sustainability plan which aims to achieve win-win savings for both the environment and residents. 938LIVE
More than half polled don't know when it is
Teh Jen Lee, The New Paper 27 Mar 09;
SINGAPOREANS seem to be in the dark about Earth Hour, if a poll of 110 people is any indication.
With only two days left before Earth Hour this Saturday, those who know about it may have yet to see the light behind the exercise.
Earth Hour, an international initiative to switch off non-essential lighting from 8.30 to 9.30pm on Saturday, has been well broadcast.
But The New Paper poll showed that the majority (56 per cent) did not know when it is supposed to take place.
Among those who have heard about the initiative, there were some who either did not know the exact details - which means they would not be able to join in the effort - or did not care.
Among those who knew when it was, two-thirds said they had planned to join in the symbolic effort to counter global warming. Out of the 110 polled, this translates to just 30 per cent.
There were those who were simply didn't care, like student Kelvin Wong, 19: 'I'm not doing anything about it. I know it's inconsiderate but I'm not bothered.'
Then there are those who question whether the event would make a real difference (see Street Talk).
Mr Joshua Chong, 30, a programme coordinator, said: 'I don't think there's anything special about Earth Hour. It raises awareness, yes, but I won't be doing anything special.
'What real difference can that one hour make anyway? There's very little real impact, so there's little point in it.'
It appears that corporate entities are taking to the Earth Hour initiative in a more concerted way than individuals.
The organiser of Earth Hour, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), said over 300 companies are taking part, a leap from the few companies which took part last year.
Big names that have pledged their support include Canon Singapore, CapitaLand, Sentosa Leisure Group and National Geographic Channel.
The Canon Singapore billboard on Orchard Road will be switched off during the hour, while National Geographic is doing a channel blackout of its programmes. It will instead flash environmental facts on its screen.
But not all is lost on the community and individual front.
On Saturday, ECO Singapore, a group that advocates sustainable lifestyles for youths, will send out more than 1,200 student volunteers to engage 30,000 households all over Singapore for Earth Hour.
How will the students overcome apathy among the people they encounter?
Mr Wilson Ang, founder of ECO, said: 'The point is not to try and change people overnight, but to encourage them to take that first step. Last year, we had a similar exercise and it was so meaningful that about half of those involved have come back this year to lend a hand.'
Ms Carine Seror, WWF Singapore's director of corporate responsibility and Earth Hour campaign manager, was content with the results of our poll.
'Of course, it can always be better, but given that this is the first year that Earth Hour has been officially endorsed by the Government, the results are not too bad.
'At least half of the people have heard about Earth Hour and they know when it is. This is a huge achievement for us.'
She added: 'Earth Hour has brought the issue of climate change closer to people. From awareness to action is always a struggle. The poll shows that we still have a lot of work to do, until one day when 100 per cent of the population switches off all non-essential lighting.'
Additional reporting by Audrey Tan, Bernice Huang, Darren Foong, Joanna Hor, Michelle Tay, Pearly Tan, Han Su-Ying, newsroom interns
It's time to power off for the Earth
Teh Jen Lee, The New Paper 27 Mar 09;
IS EARTH Hour about switching off lights for an hour, or about switching on your mind to think of how to reduce carbon emissions every day?
The organisers of Earth Hour have said that it's a symbolic initiative.
The next step is to consider how to make Earth Hour an effective tool in the urgent fight against climate change.
How? Have more Earth Hours - from an hour annually to an hour every month.
Then, with greater awareness, have it once a week and, finally, turn it into an daily habit to think about which lights and electrical appliances we really need on.
As what one student, Miss Joyce Leong, 21, said in our poll: 'I always turn off non-essential lights at home. For me, it's Earth Hour every day!'
The thing about environmental problems is that they require a daily, concerted effort to have any positive impact.
During Saturday's Earth Hour, I will be switching off my room light and making sure I've no appliance on stand-by. Then I'm heading to a green concert outside Simei East Point Mall with my father.
It may be a small gesture, but therein lies the power of Earth Hour.
The threshold for action is low because the action is very simple - just turn off the light if you don't need it.
That's why, according to the Earth Hour website, 2,712 cities, towns and municipalities in 83 countries have already committed to support this initiative.
And about candles, if people light 10 candles in place of switching on their lights, this would defeat the purpose of the exercise and result in more carbon dioxide emissions.
Ms Carine Seror of WWF Singapore listed the following recommendations:
Use bee wax or vegetable wax candles
Keep your party simple and do not create unnecessary waste
Power your event with green energy or offset its carbon emissions (for example, by supporting the planting of trees or using energy-efficient light bulbs)
On Saturday, let there be no light.
What a big turn-off
To mark Earth Hour, more than 10,000 people and 450 firms and malls will switch off their lights for one hour tomorrow
Frankie Chee, Straits Times 27 Mar 09;
Singapore will be in the dark tomorrow night, but it is all for the cause of a brighter future.
More than 10,000 people and 450 companies, hotels, malls and schools will switch off their lights for an hour at 8.30pm, as part of the global Earth Hour energy conservation effort.
At least 2,700 cities in 84 countries have committed to mark Earth Hour, an initiative by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to raise awareness of climate change issues and which was launched two years ago.
If you are out and about tomorrow night, you will encounter the unusual sight of Singapore landmarks such as Zouk nightclub and Royal Plaza on Scotts hotel, and malls including The Cathay, Wisma Atria and Tangs Orchard all blacked out during primetime.
Diners at Royal Plaza on Scotts' restaurants will eat by candlelight, moviegoers at Cathay's cinemas will find the passageways dimmer than usual, shoppers at Tangs will browse darkened window displays and about 30 per cent of store lights will be switched off.
At Zouk, Earth Hour puts clubbers in the shade: Unnecessary lighting such as the colour wash on the club's exterior, a fibre-optic installation in its foyer, a plasma wall and the exterior lighting at Wine Bar will be switched off.
Downtown, the lights at Suntec City's distinctive Fountain of Wealth and the logos on its mall and office towers will be turned off.
Individuals are also doing their bit. Undergraduate Darren Tan, 21, has told his mother to switch off the lights in their private apartment in Potong Pasir during Earth Hour.
He says: 'Green awareness is now more apparent - everyone is more aware and conscious of it. And as I grow older, I become more conscious of it too.'
Hospitals are also getting in on the act. Alexandra Hospital will turn off the lights in its wards, along some corridors and on the facade of its building.
The hospital's chief executive, Mr Liak Teng Lit, says: 'It is after visiting hours and the patients are supposed to be sleeping.
'The hospital believes in the cause. Energy shortages and global warming will be big problems and these are caused by the population. We have to do something about it.'
Beverage company Coca-Cola Singapore, whose factory at Tuas operates non-stop, will turn off its sign and the factory's external lighting fixtures as well as those in its administrative building. But the lights in its production and warehouse areas will stay on for the safety of staff operating machinery.
Some places are going beyond the one-hour shutdown to show that they are keen greenies.
Take, for example, the Hong Leong Group conglomerate. Apart from shutting off the lights at 25 buildings, including the Millennium & Copthorne hotels and Hong Leong Finance, the company is encouraging staff to sleep without air-conditioning at home and hotel staff are roping in guests to participate as well.
Electricity in Alexandra Hospital's administrative offices was turned off between noon and 1pm every day this week, while about 40 per cent of its cafeteria lights have been turned off from 10am to noon and 2 to 8pm since Monday.
Coca-Cola embarked on a staff awareness drive about Earth Hour, with regular bulletins sent out weekly and a staff suggestion scheme on cutting down energy consumption.
It is also switching to energy-saving induction bulbs in its warehouse, which, based on its calculations, should result in a whopping 42,240 kilowatt-hour (kwh) reduction in energy usage monthly.
The average energy consumption of a four-room HDB flat is 348kwh a month, while that of a landed property is 1,108 kwh a month.
According to Singapore Power, a 100 watt bulb will use 0.1kw per hour, at a cost of 1.8 cents for the period.
During Earth Hour last year - when Singapore first took part - 50 million people in 370 cities participated.
This year, the initiative seeks to sign up one billion people on its website and will present this figure to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.
The meeting will determine government policies and actions to combat global warming, replacing the Kyoto Protocol.
WWF Singapore's director for corporate responsibility, Ms Carine Seror, tells Life!: 'With this one hour, we can't save or change the world. But it shows world leaders we care about the planet and that it's time to take some real action.'
Today Online 27 Mar 09;
TO BUILD up Singapore’s expertise in designing sustainable buildings, a new course has been rolled out by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the University of Nottingham.
Called the Master of Science in Sustainable Building Design, it is a first-of-its-kind postgraduate course, and comes under the Singapore Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) Professional Conversion Programme.
There will be 60 students and they will receive up to 90 per cent of Government funding for their course fees.
The 2-year part time course will be based on an inter-disciplinary approach to sustainable design and comprises six compulsory modules and one dissertation.
The new course would be good news to 100 green building practitioners and graduating students surveyed by BCA Academy. More than 90 per cent of them felt the need for such training opportunities, while most believed that there will be high demand for such courses.
The course will be conducted at BCA Academy’s Braddell Road campus, and classes will be delivered by academic staff from the University of Nottingham and University of Nottingham Ningbo, China. The first intake will start in September. 938LIVE
Jamie Lee, Business Times 27 Mar 09;
KEPPEL Land expects to save up to $4 million in annual energy bill from completing six Green Mark certified projects.
The property arm of conglomerate Keppel Corporation also aims to achieve at least Green Mark Gold rating from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) for all its developments.
'In its commitment towards going green, the company has gone beyond the statutory requirement and pledged to achieve a minimum Green Mark Gold certification for all new projects,' Keppel Land says in its first sustainability report.
The Green Mark Gold is ranked third out of four certifications available.
Under BCA criteria, new buildings are assessed on energy and water efficiency, as well as environmental quality and protection. The buildings are then ranked according to points tallied.
Keppel Land also said its overseas projects will be developed to meet similar international benchmarks.
With the completion of the six Green Mark projects, Keppel Land expects to see savings of $3-$4 million (depending on the cost of electricity), or a total annual energy reduction of almost 18 million kilowatt/ hours - enough to power 3,000 Singapore homes for a year.
Keppel Land's Green Mark certified projects here include Ocean Financial Centre, phase one of the Marina Bay Financial Centre commercial development and Reflections at Keppel Bay.
The certifications were given last year.
Keppel Land's Ho Chi Minh City condominium project the Estella was also certified as Green Mark in 2008.
The company has put in place energy-efficiency measures at its office buildings, including Bugis Junction Tower, Equity Plaza, Keppel Bay Towers and Prudential Towers. And based on energy audits, total annual savings could exceed $1 million.
The moves follow BCA's decision to focus on greening existing buildings, which are significant energy guzzlers.
Yahoo News 26 Mar 09;
PARIS (AFP) – Around a billion people living in the world's major cities are being invited to turn off their lights at 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday for "Earth Hour," described as the biggest mass campaign to demand action on climate change.
The Empire State Building, the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Acropolis in Athens and the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan are among the buildings whose illuminations will be switched off for an hour, the organisers said on their website (http://www.earthhour.org/)
More than 200 buildings in Paris will be dark for an hour, including the Louvre, Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Paris Opera House, according to the French branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The Eiffel Tower will be plunged into darkness for five minutes and scrap a display of flashing lights scheduled for 9:00 p.m., Paris city hall said.
Earth Hour was launched by WWF in 2007.
Last year's event drew a claimed participation of 370 cities in 35 countries. Last week, the organisers said that 1,189 would be taking part this year.
People are being invited to provide blogs and short video clips (http://12seconds.tv/earthhour) on the ways of spending an hour in the dark.
The campaign has been backed by the United Nations, whose secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, last week described it as a "a clear message... (for) action on climate change" in the runup to a crucial meeting in Copenhagen.
The December conference aims at crafting a new global pact on curbing emissions of greenhouse gases and providing help for poor countries bearing the brunt of climate change.
Earth Hour 2009: A Billion to Go Dark Saturday?
Ker Than, National Geographic News 26 Mar 09;
Starting in New Zealand's remote Chatham Islands, thousands of cities, towns, and landmarks around the world will start to go dark for Earth Hour on Saturday evening.
Up to a billion people worldwide are expected to participate in this global voluntary blackout by switching off their lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time.
The movement, sponsored by the conservation nonprofit WWF, is designed as a symbolic gesture in support of action against global warming.
Now in its third year, Earth Hour has been attracting some high-profile advocates.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently pledged his support for Earth Hour, saying it has the potential to be "the largest demonstration of public concern about climate change ever attempted."
Secretary-General Ban urged people to participate as a way of letting politicians know that they expect progress at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December, when world leaders will meet to draft a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol.
Other big names endorsing Earth Hour 2009 include actors Edward Norton and Cate Blanchett, musicians Alanis Morissette and Big Kenny, and the band Coldplay.
Landmarks at Night
Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 with about two million participants.
By 2008 the event had spread to nearly 400 participating cities in 35 countries and 50 million participants. (See before-and-after pictures of Earth Hour 2008.)
As of press time, more than 2,800 cities, towns, and villages in 84 countries worldwide are expected to take part in Earth Hour 2009.
World landmarks such as the Empire State Building, the Las Vegas strip, the Eiffel Tower, Rio de Janiero's statue of "Christ the Redeemer," Athens's Acropolis, Egypt's Great Pyramids, and Rome's Colosseum will also slip temporarily into darkness.
"Sometimes it takes a while for a good idea to get out there, and this year we're really hitting our stride," said WWF spokesperson Leslie Aun.
Earth Hour: Energy Saver?
While Earth Hour is important as a symbolic gesture, it would be even more valuable if the energy savings of the event were known, said Mary-Elena Carr, associate director of the Columbia Climate Center in New York City.
"The issue is whether it goes beyond a 'really cool' event and leads to anything tangible," Carr said.
"If there was an idea of how much energy was being saved, people could take measures to lower their energy use in a systematic and practical way."
Unlike in previous years, WWF is not releasing energy-savings estimates for this year's Earth Hour.
"We think the value of Earth Hour is the lights going off," WWF's Aun said, "not the energy savings."
Bernama 26 Mar 09;
KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 (Bernama) -- The government should create greater public awareness of environmental issues and to provide better public transport to address the threat of global warming.
Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia (CETDEM) chairman Gurmit Singh said the public could help protect the environment by using public transport and this would definitely reduce carbon emissions compared with driving their personal cars.
"The government can promote the use of public transport using the same concept in its campaign to use electricity economically so as to avoid energy wastage," he said at the Climate Change Forum, here, Thursday.
The forum was organised by the British High Commission in collaboration with the Chevening Alumni of Malaysia.
Gurmit said high carbon gas emissions were not due to electricity usage but fuel consumption.
"Our studies have shown that if consumers use public transport instead of personal transport, it will cut down carbon emissions by about one quarter," he said.
Apart from that, he said, the public and private sectors should show continuous commitment to preserving and protecting the environment by conducting more research and development on climate change.
"Currently, there is not enough support in creating environmental awareness from the two sectors to ensure Malaysia does not contribute to high carbon gas emissions," he added.
-- BERNAMA
National Geographic News 26 Mar 09;
As the smallest known frog species in the world's second largest mountain range, this new amphibian is easy to miss.
But scientists searching the Andes mountains' upper Cosqipata Valley in southern Peru, near Cusco, spotted the coin-size creature--a member of the Noblella genus--in the leaf litter of a cloud forest between 9,925 and 10,466 feet (3,025 and 3,190 meters).
Photograph courtesy Alessandro CatenazziAndrew Wight, Brisbane Times 27 Mar 09;
The chief chemical investigator into the Exxon Valdez has vindicated the Queensland Government's response to the oil spill in Moreton Bay two weeks ago.
Dr Jeffrey Short, a 30-year veteran of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said Premier Anna Bligh was right not to order the immediate deployment of dispersal planes after the 230-tonne spill, which occurred after containers lost in rough seas from the Pacific Adventurer pierced the hull.
"In your case (Moreton Bay), the high winds and high seas at the time would have made dispersant or booms ineffective, so I don't think you could have helped that," Dr Short told brisbanetimes.com.au from his home in Washington DC.
Dr Short played a key role in the 1987 spill, in which the Exxon Valdez poured 40 million litres of oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska, resulting in the death of seabirds, seals and other wildlife.
While the Exxon Valdex spilled much more oil than the Pacific Adventurer, Dr Short urged the State Government to heed the lessons of the past.
Tourism could be affected if proper care wasn't taken,Dr Short said.
"After the Exxon spill, no one wanted to come to Alaska.
"Even places hundreds of kilometres away were deserted by tourists.
"The main lesson that we learnt from Exxon Valdez was that you really don't want the oil to get to the shore and once it does, every moment is vital."
Dr Short said it was preferable for oil to wash up on beaches.
"The oil that's on the open sand beaches isn't going to last very long," he said.
"The tides govern how much flushing occurs. A tide of a couple of metres is quite a lot of flushing.
"Most of the oil was removed from the beach in the first few years after the (Exxon) spill."
Dr Short also said it was fortunate little oil had made its way into freshwater marshes or mangroves on Moreton island.
"If the oil gets into the root systems of mangroves, it can't be gotten out," he said.
"This oil is quite toxic to fish eggs. With bunker oil , it has a higher density and it's just buoyant enough to get floated onto the beach and when they mixed with any sand at all, the oil sinks in.
"The oil gets into crab burrows, kills the crabs and then forms this plug that stays in there."
Dr short said the oil from the Exxon spill lasted much longer than predicted.
"Even years later, the oil is still there, still causing toxic effects."
Meanwhile, an independent panel of scientists, chaired by Australian Institute of Marine Science CEO Dr Ian Poine, is also satisfied with the government's handling of the clean-up so far.
Maritime Safety Queensland head Captain John Watkinson said the panel has vindicated their approach.
"They've given an endorsement of the work presently being undertaken and they're going to continue to monitor that progress of operation," he said.
Katharine Houreld, Associated Press 26 Mar 09;
DIANI, Kenya (AP) — Plastic fishing nets — some bought for poor fishermen with American aid money — are tangling up whales and turtles off one of Africa's most popular beaches.
One recent victim was a huge dappled whaleshark that bled to death after its tail was cut off by fishermen unwilling to slash their nets to save it. In another case, divers risked their lives to free a pregnant, thrashing humpback whale entangled in a net last summer.
Both incidents occurred off Diani beach, which is popular with American and European tourists.
The fishermen have traditionally used hooks and hand lines to haul in their catch, which they then sold to hotels full of tourists. But the use of plastic nets has become increasingly common as growing populations have competed to catch shrinking supplies of fish, marine biologist David Obura said.
In 2003, USAID began a four-year project worth $575,000 to improve the lives of coastal communities. It worked on a project with a Kenyan government agency that included providing freezers for the fishermen to store their catch, along with boats and nets.
But the plastic nets are destroying the very ecosystems that the fishermen depend on and the tourists come to see, said Daniel Floren, who runs a local diving school.
Officials, experts and even the fishermen themselves acknowledge the nets are killing wildlife and coral.
"Without the reefs, there will be no diving. If we have nothing to show, I'll have to shut up shop," Floren said.
The aim of the U.S. project was to help lift local people out of poverty, said Robert Buzzard, a USAID official involved in the initiative. But there were no studies to show how the kind of equipment supplied might affect the marine life.
"There weren't environmental assessments year on year," Buzzard acknowledged, saying USAID was "partly" responsible but also was dependent on local organizations to provide information.
The project did not provide the type of nets or long fishing lines — which catch fish without entangling other marine life — that fishermen requested, said Isaak Mwachala, head of one of the local fishermen's associations.
"When they were going to the shop where these nets are sold, they didn't bring us with them ... but when (the nets) are already here we can't refuse them," he said.
Buzzard said he did not have records of Mwachala's request, but said it was possible it had been made.
When Mwachala and his friends head out to sea, they often throw miles (kilometers) of plastic net onto the reef. The money they earn pays school fees for one man's child, hospital bills for another's. But along with the haul of colorful fish, the nets threaten turtles, whales, whalesharks and dugongs — large marine mammals related to manatees.
The fishermen, who say their old hook-and-line method never caught turtles or whales, practice conservation where they can.
After Floren offered small payments last year, they brought him more than 70 turtles snarled in fishing nets over a two-month period. It was not possible to say how many of them were trapped in nets funded by USAID. He managed to cut free and release all but a dozen. But the pregnant, entangled humpback whale last September was much harder.
It took Floren and two other divers three tense hours to cut her free, all the while risking panicking the whale and becoming entangled in the mesh themselves if she suddenly fled to the deep sea. A rare dugong and another humpback mother whale were freed a month later in the northern town of Malindi.
The huge dappled whalesharks that migrate down the coast are also at risk. Volker Bassen, founder of the East African Whaleshark Trust, said about half a dozen have become entangled in the type of nets funded by USAID since he founded the trust four years ago.
He said most marine animals are trapped by nets left on the reefs overnight to catch lobsters for the tourists.
"The nets that USAID bought are made of nylon, which doesn't rot. Even if it washes away, it remains in the sea and continues to kill marine life for decades," he explained. "It turns into a ghost net."
The nets are still destructive even if just used during the day and hauled in at night. The stones they use to weigh down the nets scrape over the delicate corals in time with the current, snagging the nets along the bottom and leaving scraps of blue nylon entangled in their wake. Onboard the boat bought with USAID funds, the men casually tossed chunks of the coral they'd pulled up over the side of the boat.
The fishermen interviewed by The Associated Press agreed that their livelihoods depended on preserving the seas and were interested in trying long lines if they were provided.
But Buzzard said USAID's involvement with the fishermen's group had been finished for a year and a half, and there were no plans to replace the nets. Buzzard said a colleague had been sent to speak to local conservationists who had complained about the nets.
"Those concerns are valid," he said. But "this project is finished ... Every project we do, we learn from."
Still, providing only one group of fishermen with new equipment would not be enough to save the marine life, said Obura, who specializes in studying coral reefs.
In addition to the growing groups of poor fishermen crowding onto the reefs, huge European and Asian trawlers much further offshore are overfishing the deeper coastal waters, he said.
"The fishermen have the strong sense that there are other, richer fishermen out there raping and pillaging the seas and so why shouldn't they?" he said.
Fisherman Mohammed Khamis said the nets provided with USAID funds have increased the fishermen's average daily earnings from $4.50 to $7 — still less than a tourist pays for a fish fillet at an expensive hotel.
Khamis knew the nets could be destructive, but had three sets of school fees to pay totaling $460 a year and no other options for work in a country riddled with corruption and poverty. He says he could not afford to sacrifice his children's future for a turtle's.
"If someone has a family, they have to look for school fees, sickness, everything," he said. "We don't eat these turtles and we don't want to catch them but the extra fish is paying my children's school for their future."
Yahoo News 26 Mar 09;
PERTH, Australia (AFP) – A baby whale rescued after a mass beaching on Australia's west coast died Thursday after coming back ashore, leaving just three of the mammals alive, authorities said.
A group of 11 long-finned pilot whales were lifted onto trucks by cranes fitted with giant slings and driven to a safe harbour for release after they beached at Hamelin Bay, south of Perth city, on Monday.
Almost 90 of the whales and bottlenose dolphins came ashore, and most perished before they could be moved.
Of the 10 who made it to sea just three were still alive Thursday, with a baby whale becoming the seventh to die after re-beaching.
"We have had a report of a juvenile whale being washed up on the beach just east of Augusta," said John Carter, of the environment department.
"That one unfortunately didn't make it," he told AFP.
Authorities would continue aerially monitoring beaches in the area to ensure the survivors, who were believed to have made it to deeper water, did not return to shore, Carter said.
More than 400 whales have stranded around southern Australia and Tasmania in the past four months, including a mass beaching of almost 200 on King Island.
In November, more than 150 pilot whales died after beaching themselves on Tasmania's west coast and in January, 48 sperm whales died on a sandbar at the north of the island.
The phenomenon of whale strandings and the causes remain the subject of scientific debate.
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