Videos: Slugs on our shores
from Psychedelic Nature
a secretive pit viper @ SBWR
from sgbeachbum
111127 Little Sisters Island
from Singapore Nature
Pink-necked Green Pigeon eating sea apple leaf
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Preserving Singapore’s ‘Green Spine’
from the Wall Street Journal Blog by Shibani Mahtani
Potential Campaign Strategy for Bukit Brown
from AsiaIsGreen
Conservation is actually a selfish thing
from Nature rambles
Joanne Chan Channel NewsAsia 1 Dec 11;
SINGAPORE : Farms in Singapore are moving towards the target of producing 15 per cent of fish consumed locally.
Efforts by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to boost productivity has seen the percentage of locally-farmed fish rise to seven per cent, up from 4.5 per cent two years ago.
Singapore gets its baby fishes or fry from Taiwan or China. They are flown in and bred to maturity in a local fish farm.
But this also means production is being subjected to seasonal constraints in the source countries.
Alawn Koh, business development manager at Rong-Yao Fisheries, said: "When it comes to the winter months, there is no fry production due to unfavourable conditions up there. So with AVA's assistance, we are then able to assure a consistent supply."
He was referring to a programme by the AVA that aims to close that gap in the supply chain, by helping local farms spawn their own fry.
Following intensive research into the correct diet and spawning methods, AVA had successfully bred the first batch of fry at Rong-Yao Fisheries in July.
The eggs from the brooding stock are harvested and brought to a hatchery on another island, where the fingerlings would grow to 1.5 to two inches before being brought back to the fish farm.
The fingerlings will be bred for another four to five months before they are harvested for the supermarkets.
The first batch of locally-bred golden pomfret is expected to hit local tables and restaurants in May next year.
AVA hopes that local production of the golden pomfret will rise from 20 tonnes this year to 80 to 100 tonnes next year - equivalent to 350,000 golden pomfrets.
Rong Yao's Mr Koh also expects the quality of golden pomfret to be better with locally-produced fry.
He said: "Fry that come in from China and Taiwan...it is a long flight, by the time they reach here, there may be some effect (on quality). With local fry production, the distances are shorter, we are able to monitor, we are able to assure the quality with AVA's assistance.....we are definitely hoping for better survival rates."
Having a secured local source also strengthens Singapore's food supply resilience.
Wee Joo Yong, assistant director of aquaculture technology at the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, said: "In the event that there is a supply disruption from external sources, then our local consumers will have some degree of assurance that we can still depend on local production."
Meanwhile, a new branding campaign has been introduced to distinguish locally-farmed fish from foreign imports.
Seah Kian Peng, CEO of NTUC FairPrice, said: "Local fishes which are grown here, they will be fresher. Price is a consideration, no doubt, but we have to start somewhere. I think if we want prices to come down, (consumers have to) buy more of them."
- CNA/ms
Local fish supply to get a boost
AVA's effort results in commercially viable batch of golden pomfret fry
Lin Wenjian Straits Times 1 Dec 11;
SINGAPORE'S supply of fresh fish has received a boost since the successful spawning of pompano or golden pomfret fry recently.
The effort in local waters by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in July was the first time results had been achieved here on a commercially viable scale.
The batch of fry is now at Rong-Yao Fisheries, and the harvest is likely to land in supermarkets by April or May next year.
This transfer of technology is part of AVA's efforts to help farmers increase their productivity, and it is giving similar assistance to other fish farms.
At a press conference yesterday, AVA said it hopes local pompano production will rise thanks to the initiative.
Last year, local fish farmers produced about 4.4 tonnes of golden pomfret using fry imported mainly from China and Taiwan. The figure is expected to reach 80 to 100 tonnes by next year now local fry is available.
Prices of the popular fish, commonly served steamed or baked in households, are seasonal, but are typically between $10.90 and $12.90 a kilogram.
Mr Seah Kian Peng, chief executive of supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice, said locally harvested fish cost a bit more than imported ones as there is less supply.
However, he added: 'With greater awareness and stronger demand, local farmers will have greater incentive to produce. The supply will increase, which will in turn drive prices down.'
FairPrice started selling golden pomfret from local farms two months ago, in addition to other locally bred varieties such as grey mullet and milkfish, which have been offered since 2008.
Fish from local farms now account for 10 per cent of all fish sold at the chain. It reported a 50 per cent rise in sales of local varieties compared with last year, indicating good demand.
Rong-Yao's business development manager, Mr Alawn Koh, said it is using locally bred fry in addition to imported fry to ensure a consistent supply.
He explained: 'Supply from Taiwan and China is disrupted during the winter months in December as conditions then are not favourable for production.'
Ms Wee Joo Yong, an assistant director at AVA's aquaculture technology unit, said Singapore now has a reliable 'Plan B' to maintain a ready supply of fresh fish.
She added: 'Local production plays a crucial role in ensuring a resilient food supply. We aim to achieve some degree of self-sufficiency in key food items like fish. If external supplies are disrupted, there is some assurance that consumers can still depend on local production.'
Singapore has 119 coastal fish farms, which produce 7 per cent of the fish consumed locally - up from 4.5 per cent in 2009. AVA wants to raise the figure to 15 per cent eventually.
With increased supply, housewife Loi Siew Yan, 64, hopes to see cheaper buys come Chinese New Year next month.
'Everything is more expensive - it will be good news if fish prices come down.'
S'pore-bred pomfret to be in stores soon
Joanne Chan Today Online 2 Dec 11;
SINGAPORE - Expect to see Singapore's first batch of locally-bred golden pomfret at supermarkets and restaurants come May next year, as the authorities continue in efforts to boost productivity at local fish farms and improve food security.
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) hopes that local production of the golden pomfret will rise from 20 tonnes this year to 80 to 100 tonnes next year - equivalent to 350,000 golden pomfrets.
Singapore fish farms have made headway towards producing 15 per cent of the fish consumed in Singapore by 2015, with the percentage now at 7 per cent from 4.5 per cent two years ago.
To improve the productivity of farms breeding golden pomfret, the AVA introduced a programme to produce "fry" - baby fishes - in Singapore, instead of importing them from Taiwan and China. It successfully bred the first batch of golden pomfret fry at Rong-Yao Fisheries in July, after intensive research into the correct diet and spawning methods.
Imported golden pomfret fry is subjected to seasonal constraints but, with the AVA's assistance, Singapore farms are assured of a consistent supply, said Mr Alawn Koh, business development manager at Rong-Yao Fisheries.
The eggs from the brooding stock are harvested and brought to a hatchery on another island, where they grow to 1.5 to 2 inches before being brought back to the fish farm. The fingerlings will be bred for another four to five months before they are harvested for the supermarkets.
Mr Koh expects the quality of golden pomfret to be better with locally-produced fry: "Fry that comes in from China and Taiwan ... it is a long flight, by the time they reach here, there may be some effect."
Local fry means shorter transport times and better ability to monitor the quality of the fish, he said.
Added Ms Wee Joo Yong, assistant director of aquaculture technology at the AVA: "In the event that there is a supply disruption from external sources, then our local consumers will have some degree of assurance that we can still depend on local production."
Meanwhile, a new branding campaign called "SGfish - Fresh in Singapore" has been introduced to distinguish locally-farmed fish from foreign imports.
Said NTUC FairPrice chief executive officer Seah Kian Peng: "Local fishes which are grown here, they will be fresher. Price is a consideration, no doubt, but we have to start somewhere."
Lydia Tomkiw Jakarta Globe 1 Dec 11;
An endemic Sulawesi large hanging parrot, found nowhere else in the world. Indonesian and American scientists have discovered new species hidden in the mountains of Sulawesi. (Photo courtesy of ICBG Sulawesi Project)
It takes six hours to drive from Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi to the town of Kolaka, and then another three hours to reach the Mekongga mountain range region, where a team of Indonesian and American scientists begin their trek — the real start of their epic journey.
“If you get in there [the Mekongga mountain range], there is no guarantee you can get out,” said John A. Trochet, a field ornithologist at the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology at the University of California, Davis. “That’s the truth.”
Since 2009, scientists from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the Ministry of Forestry and the Bandung Institute of Technology have collaborated with American scientists from the University of California’s Davis, Berkeley and San Francisco campuses to survey one of the world’s most biodiverse areas.
Their destination, however, is not an easy one to reach.
“We have to cross a river six times and then it’s a very steep climb to the remnants of an old logging road,” said Trochet, who has broken a finger and hurt his ankles on past treks.
“We follow the logging road, and in many places it’s a wall on one side and a vertical drop on the other,” he said. “In many, many places the logging road has washed away over the years. It’s just very difficult.”
Sometimes more than 80 porters must assist the scientists with their equipment and all of the samples they collect as they head up and down mountains.
“The reason this project is so big is because we are doing everything from plants to birds to microbes,” said Alan T. Hitch, assistant curator at the same institution at UC Davis. “These expeditions in modern times don’t really exist anymore.”
A wealth of new species
It has been about 80 years since the last extensive survey of the area was conducted.
“There are so many insects that are undescribed and so many undescribed microbes,” said Rosichon Ubaidillah, head entomologist at LIPI.
Despite difficult conditions and weeks of Indomie on the menu, the scientists smile with excitement as they describe expeditions that may be among the last of their kind.
Several trips have yielded samples from different elevation classes, many of which still need to be identified.
“Potentially on the vertebrae side, we have at least a few new species of frogs, definitely a new species of bat, probably a couple new species of shrews, and maybe a new subspecies of rodent,” Hitch said.
More than 1,500 vertebrae specimens have been collected, he said, and fish and lizard discoveries may also be classified as new species.
On the plant side of the expedition, 109 species have been collected including a new orchid and a new begonia species.
“This is a new record for us, said Elizabeth Widjaja, a member of the botany division at LIPI, who has potentially found a new genus of bamboo. “For scientific purposes it is very important.”
In addition to the discovery of the Garuda wasp, named after the national symbol of Indonesia, there have been new discoveries of a bright blue sawfly, a long-tongued bee, and numerous flies and tiny wasps, which scientists are currently in the process of describing.
“We estimate that there might be as many as 100,000 different insect species in the region we’re working in, perhaps half of which are new to science, waiting to be discovered and described,” Lynn S. Kimsey, an entomology professor and the director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis, wrote in an e-mail to the Jakarta Globe.
Indonesia’s national collection has gained three species of birds from the expeditions. And that’s only the beginning.
“Out of 80-odd different species of yeasts that we’ve isolated, 37 of them are new to science,” said Kyria Boundy-Mills, a curator at the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection at UC Davis.
Cures in the making
Although studies are still in their infant stages, scientists are excited about their potential yields.
“We are finding potential activity in the plants and microbes that we are collecting in Mekongga — things that have potential for anti-cancer activity, potential effects on the nervous system, they might be new pain relievers or things for treating addictions,” Boundy-Mill said. “We are finding some very good candidates.”
But the scientists worry about protecting the watershed area, as well as the plants and animals of Sulawesi, which, as Trochet put it, “are to a tremendous degree found nowhere else.”
“This area has been logged. It is definitely not pristine rain forest,” Hitch said.
Logging officially stopped in the early 1990s and the area became protected forest, but illegal logging still occurs.
“We have to ask the local people not to go to the forest and do logging again,” Elizabeth said.
Rosichon added that establishing profitable industries in cocoa and coconut plantations could help the region turn away from illegal logging.
“For the people there, it’s easy to just go to the forest and take something from there. We would like to develop an effective biodiversity conservation strategy,” Rosichon said.
Mining interests in the area are also raising concerns.
“Local mining is already open,” Elizabeth said. “Not in the area we visited, but after that on the way to Lasusua. It belongs to Antam [mining company].”
A rise in mining activity could threaten Sulawesi’s biosphere.
“We worry about that [mining],” Rosichon said, adding that the government recently released new regulations to stop the mining in 2015.
“The mining is getting crazy … They are trying to get more and more raw material before they have to stop.”
Despite threats to the region, Rosichon remains optimistic, and the team hopes to approach the government in Jakarta with a proposal to create a larger protective area.
“Hopefully the research from this project will contribute significantly to the broad range of issues, not only for the knowledge of biodiversity in the area, but for conservation and sustainable use of the resources in Sulawesi, and also for the whole country,” Rosichon said.
Grant funding for the project from the US National Institutes of Health will end in 2013.
The scientists are hoping to expand the scope of their research past 2013 with additional grant funding.
“Why should Mekongga be special? The prospect of other areas having similar riches is extremely high,” Trochet said.
Tuoitrenews 1 Dec 11;
Misty Moss Frog. Photo: Jodi j. L. Rowley/Australian Museum
Australian and Vietnamese scientists have discovered two small moss frogs of the genus Theloderma on Kontum and Lang Bian plateaus in the Central Highlands.
Based on analysis on morphology and atom genetics, the two frogs are identified as Misty Moss Frog (Theloderma nebulosum) and Cloaked Moss Frog (Theloderma palliatum).
The Cloaked Moss Frog is named after its ability to change from a dull, mottled brown to a bold, high-contrast pattern while the Misty Moss Frog is named after its mist-shrouded habitat on Kon Tum Plateau in Vietnam.
Some features that make the new species different from other frogs are their body length (under 3cm), absence of vomerine teeth, wrinkles on their skin, brown backs and eyes with two colors, and absence of webbed feet on the first two legs, said Thuy Duong, a local scientist.
According to scientist Jodi Rowley of Australian Museum, one of the people finding the new species, Southeast Asian amphibians are both poorly known and highly threatened.
“That's the biggest reason that my colleagues and I spend weeks searching the montane forests of the region, discovering and documenting the amazing diversity of the amphibians found there,” Rowley wrote in his blog.
“It's a vital first step towards amphibian conservation in the region,” he said.
The Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative says geoengineering could be 'plan B' for climate change
Hanna Gersmann guardian.co.uk 1 Dec 11;
More research on the risks and governance of geoengineering the planet's climate by reflecting sunlight into space is needed, a grouping of science bodies and a green NGO have said, as the end of the first week of UN climate talks nears.
Concern about such techniques is significant and so more dialogue and research is needed on the risks and benefits, said the Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative, a coalition formed in March 2010 of the Royal Society, Italian-based academy of science for the developing world Twas, and US non-profit, the Environmental Defence Fund.
Various techniques for combating global warming by reducing the amount of the sun's energy reaching the earth have been proposed, from huge space reflectors in orbit to stratospheric aerosols released in the upper atmosphere. A UK-backed plan to test the mechanics of inserting such aerosols, using a hosepipe attached to a giant balloon, was postponed in September and the so-called Spice project was criticised by scientists writing in Nature earlier this month.
Steven Hamburg, the chief scientist for the Environmental Defence Fund and co-chair of the SRMGI, said: "Solar radiation management might sound, at first, like something from science fiction – but it's not. There are already serious discussions beginning about it, and that's why we felt it was urgent to create this governance initiative. Solar radiation management could be a Plan B to address climate change, but first we must figure out how to research it safely. Only then should we even consider any other steps."
The SRMGI's co-chair, John Shepherd, said: "Unless the apparent lack of political will to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions changes soon, geoengineering may be needed and SRM methods could be used in unregulated and possibly reckless ways by individuals, corporations or individual countries. "
He added: "We must also work outside our national borders, bringing together interested parties from around the globe to debate the issues of geo-engineering, agree appropriate governance structures and ensure that any research is undertaken in a safe, transparent and socially acceptable manner. The question of whether solar geo-engineering will prove to be helpful or harmful will largely depend on how humanity can govern the issue and its political implications, and avoid unilateral action."
But Silvia Ribeiro, the Latin American director of the ETC Group, which campaigns against geoengineering, said: "This report is dominated by scientists engaged in geoengineering research in the UK, US and Canada. They are advocates for more research, several of them have claimed patents and have significant financial, institutional and professional interests in the field of geoengineering research. There are the same familiar names that we have seen in a whole series of recent reports: John Shepherd or David Keith."
In September, Shepherd wrote in the Guardian that research would be "sadly necessary". In October, David Keith of Harvard University, a member of the SRMGI working group, and founder and president of Carbon Engineering, a geo-engineering company with 10 employees funded with around $6m (£3.8m) by Bill Gates, wrote a study that said the public strongly reported research into solar geoengineering. Some 72% of the 3,105 participants in the UK, US and Canada said they somewhat or strongly supported general research when asked: "Do you think scientists should study solar radiation management?"
Ribeiro went on: "Solar radiation management technologies are high-risk and extremely dangerous and they should be treated under international law like nuclear weapons – except, unlike nuclear weapons, we have an opportunity to ban their testing and their proliferation them before the technology is fully developed, rather than trying to prevent their proliferation after the fact. This is where we should be looking to for guidance on governance. We need to ban these technologies, not facilitate their development."
The SRMGI said a ban on geoengineering would not work: "A moratorium on all SRM-related research would be difficult if not impossible to enforce. The range of SRM research runs from computer simulations and laboratory studies right up to potentially risky, large-scale experiments in the real world. While most SRMGI participants were comfortable with low risk research, there was much debate over how to govern any research outside the lab," said the coalition's report, published on Thursday.
Geoengineering could save Earth -- or destroy it
Arthus Max Associated Press Yahoo News 2 Dec 11;
DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — Brighten clouds with sea water? Spray aerosols high in the stratosphere? Paint roofs white and plant light-colored crops? How about positioning "sun shades" over the Earth?
At a time of deep concern over global warming, a group of scientists, philosophers and legal scholars examined whether human intervention could artificially cool the Earth — and what would happen if it did.
A report released late Thursday in London and discussed Friday at the U.N. climate conference in South Africa said that — in theory — reflecting a small amount of sunlight back into space before it strike's the Earth's surface would have an immediate and dramatic effect.
Within a few years, global temperatures would return to levels of 250 years ago, before the industrial revolution began dumping carbon dioxide into the air, trapping heat and causing temperatures to rise.
But no one knows what the side effects would be.
They could be physical — unintentionally changing weather patterns and rainfall. Even more difficult, it could be political — spurring conflict among nations unable to agree on how such intervention, or geoengineering, will be controlled.
The idea of solar radiation management "has the potential to be either very useful or very harmful," said the study led by Britain's Royal Society, the Washington-based Environmental Defense Fund and TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world based in Trieste, Italy.
Environmentalist Silvia Ribeiro, of the Canada-based ETC-Group, said geoengineering should be outlawed before it gets off the ground.
"Solar radiation management technologies are high-risk and extremely dangerous and they should be treated under international law like nuclear weapons — except, unlike nuclear weapons, we have an opportunity to ban their testing and their proliferation before the technology is fully developed, rather than trying to prevent their proliferation after the fact," she said.
The final report grew out of three days of talks in a quiet country retreat last March, the climax of a yearlong dialogue spanning experts in 22 countries.
It was prompted in part by the failure of a 20-year U.N. negotiating process to take decisive action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels, responsible for climate change.
"The slow progress of international climate negotiations has led to increased concerns that sufficient cuts in greenhouse gas emissions may not be achieved in time to avoid unacceptable levels of climate change," the report said.
But geoengineering is not an alternative to climate action, said John Shepherd, a British oceanographer from the University of Southampton who was a lead author of the report.
"Nobody thought this provides a justification for not reducing carbon emissions," Shepherd said in a telephone interview from London.
"We have to stick with Plan A for the time being, and that could be a very long time indeed," he said. "This would buy time for people to make the transition to a low-carbon economy."
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change foresees temperatures rising as much as 6.4 degrees Celsius (11.5 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100, swelling the seas with melted glacial water and disrupting climate conditions around the globe.
Releasing millions of tons of sulfur dioxide in the upper atmosphere would mimic the cooling effects of a volcanic eruption, lowering global temperature about 0.5 Centigrade (0.9 Fahrenheit), which can last for a year or two when it occurs naturally.
But deliberately tinkering with nature to counter global warming can only be a stopgap measure, and is fraught with danger, the report said.
Action such as spraying sulfur into the air or brightening clouds with sea water to reflect more sunlight would have to be sustained indefinitely because "there would be a large and rapid climate change if it were terminated suddenly," the report said.
Hazy skies could alter weather patterns and agriculture, replacing one source of climate change with another.
Years of study are required to calculate the environmental impacts, but the bigger questions are political.
Who would decide where and when to conduct experiments, and where to set the global thermostat? What would happen if a country acted on its own without an international agreement? Would it discourage efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions?
Notions of manipulating the climate to impede global warming have been on the fringe of scientific discussion for some time, but is moving increasingly toward the mainstream.
In the United States, a group of 18 U.S. experts from the sciences, social sciences and national security unveiled a report in October urging the federal government to begin research on the feasibility and potential effectiveness of geoengineering.
"The United States needs to be able to judge whether particular climate remediation techniques could offer a meaningful response to the risks of climate change," said that report sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Shepherd said the 65-page Thursday's report was intended to start the conversation.
"No government asked us to do this. The U.N. didn't ask us," he said.
"I hope it can be continued in a more formal and mandated framework, because eventually somebody will have to take some decisions."
(AFP) Google News 1 Dec 11;
GENEVA — Rising sea levels and droughts associated with climate change threaten to force vast shifts of populations, yet states have so far been slow to react, the Global Migration Group (GMG) warned Thursday.
The body, made up of 14 United Nations agencies, the World Bank and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said urgent action was needed to deal with potentially major population movements resulting from changes to the global climate.
Rising sea levels could lead to a loss of territory on small island countries and droughts and desertification would likely force large numbers on the move.
"While there is mounting evidence that climate change has the potential to contribute to substantial movements of people, the response of the international community has so far been limited at best," said a GMG statement.
"The GMG calls on the international community to recognize that migration and displacement induced by environmental degradation and climate change require urgent action."
The statement was adopted by the group following a meeting in Paris on November 15 and presented on Thursday in Geneva, currently hosting the fifth Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).
The GMG urged states to adopt "human rights and human development-oriented" measures to improve the lives of those exposed to the effects of climate change and increase their resilience to it.
"In the long term, states may wish to review existing legal instruments and policy framework to identify possible new solutions to the situation of those who move in relation to climate change," the group said.
Among its recommendations the GMG suggested immigration policy could take into account environmental factors.
croc undercover @ SBWR
from sgbeachbum and plantain squirrel breakfast @ SBWR
Butterfly Portraits - Yellow Flash
from Butterflies of Singapore
Ubin's Scorpions and Many Other Critters
from Macro Photography in Singapore
Tanah Merah: return of the crabs
from wild shores of singapore
Green Drinks: Environmental implications in redeveloping Bukit Brown
from Green Drinks Singapore
Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 30 Nov 11;
SINGAPORE: The dolphins at the heart of the controversy surrounding Resorts World Sentosa's Marine Life Park (MLP) will play an important role in educating the public on conservation, said the park's vice-president Peter Doyle.
The MLP, which opens next year, will be home to 25 dolphins. Their captivity has been the subject of controversy in recent months.
Mr Doyle said conservation begins with education, and the dolphins are an integral part of the process.
He announced an initiative under which students in Singapore will get a hands-on experience with marine life at the MLP.
The programme is a collaboration between Resorts World Sentosa and Sea Research Foundation's (SRF) Mystic Aquarium in the United States.
Mystic Aquarium is known for its educational programmes and marine animal research.
The JASON Project, a multi-media and science programme by SRF and National Geographic Society, will also provide content for the programme.
The JASON Project was founded by acclaimed oceanographer Dr Robert Ballard, who also discovered the RMS Titanic more than 70 years after it sank.
Mr Doyle, who announced the initiative to more than 250 principals and educators from some 70 schools on Wednesday, said: "Zoos and aquariums are an integral part of the conservation initiative and aquariums with marine conservation are critical. Conservation begins with education.
"We've got facilities, state-of-the-art animal hospitals and a team of professionals. And we're developing programmes which give people a chance to learn hands-on experiences which take it to the next step because people remember more from what they experience.
"Aquariums are huge proponents of education, conservation and research and that's exactly what we're going to do here."
The MLP said the programmes will be aligned with the developmental needs of the student population, which stands at about half a million. For example, younger students will learn about the conservation of the horseshoe-crab species unique to the region. Older students will learn about their mangrove and mudflats habitats.
Other programmes will include becoming 'researchers for the day' - where students get to take blood samples from marine animals - as well as guided tours. The curriculum will be an enhancement to classroom learning, with teachers working with MLP to plan lessons for their classes.
- CNA/fa
Students to get exposure to marine life at Resorts World Sentosa park
Programmes for schools will be offered by Marine Life Park
Amelia Tan Straits Times 1 Dec 11;
ABOUT 250 science teachers and principals were at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) yesterday, not for theme-park rides, but to find out how their students can benefit from the Marine Life Park there.
The park will be rolling out education programmes targeting students from preschool to tertiary level when its opens next year.
It will be home to about 150,000 marine animals, including 25 dolphins which animal activists have been lobbying to release back to their natural habitat.
Yesterday's talk at RWS introduced the educational offerings, which include internships and guided aquarium tours.
RWS has inked a three-year partnership with Sea Research Foundation, a United States-based non-profit organisation, to work on a marine environmental curriculum for students.
Teachers interviewed said they were excited by the possibilities to expose students to a variety of marine life and research projects, and to get them to learn more about professions such as veterinarians and marine biologists through internships.
The teachers said the dolphin issue may be raised by their students and they see it as a way to spawn a discussion on conservation.
In recent months, there has been public debate about whether it is appropriate for RWS to showcase the dolphins caught in waters off the Solomon Islands, near Papua New Guinea. They are now housed at Ocean Adventure in Subic Bay in the Philippines.
Ms Ng Oon Hui, who teaches cell and molecular biology and biochemistry at the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, said: 'The students may ask questions about the dolphins.
'One way we can address their questions would be in getting them to see for themselves how the dolphins are treated at the park. And they can decide how they feel about the issue.'
The director of Ngee Ann Polytechnic's school of life sciences and chemical technology, Mrs Tang-Lim Guek Im, said: 'The hands-on experience that our students have in marine life is currently on a small-scale and ad hoc basis.
'The park will be able to offer a structured programme to help our students learn more about marine life.'
The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) recently filmed a video of trainers introducing basketballs and hula-hoops to the dolphins at Ocean Adventure.
It approached RWS for an explanation as the latter had said before that it had no plans for animal shows.
RWS replied that balls and hoops encouraged play activities among dolphins in zoological environments and reiterated that it had no plans to feature animal shows.
Marine Life Park to roll out educational programme
Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 30 Nov 11;
SINGAPORE: Singapore students will be able to gain a unique insight into marine life through an internationally- acclaimed curriculum at Marine Life Park (MLP), which opens next year
This is a three-year collaboration between Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), where the MLP is located and Sea Research Foundation's (SRF) Mystic Aquarium.
Contents for the curriculum, which is still in its planning stages, will come from the Mystic Aquarium, known for its educational programmes and marine animal research.
It will also come from the JASON Project, a multi-media and science programme by SRF and National Geographic Society.
The JASON Project was founded by acclaimed oceanographer Dr Robert Ballard, who also discovered the RMS Titanic, more than 70 years after it sank.
Vice-president of MLP Peter Doyle, who announced Wednesday the initiative to more than 250 principals and educators from some 70 schools, said the programmes will be aligned with developmental needs of the student population, which stands at about half a million.
For example, younger students will learn about the conservation of the horseshoe-crab species unique to the region.
Older students will learn about their mangrove and mudflats habitats.
Other programmes will include becoming "Researchers for the day", where students get to take blood samples from marine animals.
The curriculum will be an enhancement to classroom learning, with teachers working with MLP to plan lessons for their classes.
"All of our programmes will be focused on Singapore and Southeast Asia. That's really our key message," Mr Doyle said.
MLP will be home to 25 dolphins, whose captivity has been the subject of controversy.
Mr Doyle said conservation begins with education and the dolphins are an integral part of the process.
"Zoos and aquariums are an integral part of the conservation initiative. And aquariums with marine conservation are critical," he said.
"Conservation begins with education, so we've got facilities, we've got state-of-the-art animal hospitals and we've got a team of professionals.
"And we're developing programmes which give people a chance to learn hands-on experiences, which takes it to the next step, because people remember more what they experience.
"Aquariums are huge proponents of education, conservation and research and that's exactly what we're going to do here."
- CNA/wk
Channel NewsAsia 30 Nov 11;
SINGAPORE: The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is drawing on strong public interest for bold and fresh ideas on ways to develop the Malayan railway land that was returned to Singapore in July 2011.
It has launched an Ideas Competition "Journey of Possibilities" to address the challenges and issues in turning the Rail Corridor into an extraordinary trail that can be enjoyed by all.
The URA said the challenge is to develop visionary and compelling ideas for the Rail Corridor, along five key issues identified after extensive engagement with the public.
These are bio-diversity and sensitive development; inclusiveness, accessibility and resolving conflicts; community ownership, pride and sense of well-being; heritage and great Ideas for a public space.
The URA said since the return of the former railway land, the Rail Corridor project has garnered widespread public interest.
It said feedback has shown there are many more people out there who would like to make tangible contribution.
The competition covers a 25.3km stretch from Kranji coastal mudflats in the north to Tanjong Pagar district in the south of Singapore, as well as a 1.9km stretch of former Jurong Line which spurs off from the main line near Bukit Timah Railway Station to Ulu Pandan Canal.
There are two categories: Open, which is for all interested participants and Youth Challenge, for secondary school students.
For the Open category, three cash prizes -- S$2,000, S$1,000 and S$500 -- will be awarded.
Three cash prizes -- S$1,000, S$500 and S$250 -- will be awarded for the Youth Challenge category.
An exhibition of selected entries, including all award-winners, will be held after the competition.
Those who're interested in the competition, which runs until 9 March 2012, can register via the Rail Corridor Ideas Competition site.
- CNA/wk
Ideas wanted on how to develop railway corridor
Grace Chua Straits Times 1 Dec 11;
HAVE an idea on what to do with the former Malaysian railway land?
The Government yesterday announced a competition for the best proposals to develop the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu corridor, which was returned to Singapore in July.
Winning ideas will be part of an exhibition, to be held after the competition, while the most useful ones could be part of a design brief to help companies create a masterplan for the area.
Those taking part in the competition can focus on any or all of five key issues. They are:
Biodiversity and sensitive development: The 26km stretch from Kranji to Tanjong Pagar is home to native plants, animals and birds.
Inclusiveness, accessibility and resolving conflicts: For example, cyclists and joggers may want to use a section of the land at the same time.
Community ownership, pride and sense of well-being: The land slices through housing estates such as Commonwealth, and residents might use it as a personal and community space.
Heritage: The former stations at Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah are slated for conservation and the railway itself is historically significant; these aspects could be preserved and celebrated.
Great ideas for a public space.
There is also a youth category aimed at secondary schoolchildren. Their proposals need not focus on any specific aspect.
'They could be wide-ranging, reflecting the interests and aspirations of the younger generation, and how the Rail Corridor could be especially meaningful to them,' said the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Three top prizes of $2,000, $1,000 and $500 will be awarded in the open category.
The equivalent in the youth challenge category will be $1,000, $500 and $250.
Competitors can submit drawings, sketches, diagrams and photographs, with accompanying written narratives.
Since last year, civic groups have been campaigning to keep the tract of land a continuous, uncut stretch, citing its historic, natural and cultural value.
They are working with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and other government agencies to form a consultation group and organise competitions, talks and events.
For example, an exhibition on the Rail Corridor is being held at the URA Centre in Maxwell Road until tomorrow and at various venues thereafter.
For more details on the competition, see www.ura.gov.sg/railcorridor/ideas_comp/register.html
Clarissa Oon Straits Times 1 Dec 11;
WITH some creativity, a compromise solution can be found to the debate raging over the fate of the historically significant and wildlife-rich Bukit Brown Cemetery.
The controversy began in September when the Land Transport Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced plans to build a road cutting through the cemetery to ease traffic congestion on nearby Lornie Road.
It sparked calls from historians, nature conservationists, descendants of those buried there and many heritage lovers to preserve the cemetery containing about 100,000 graves, including those of distinguished local pioneers and their families.
About 5,000 of the graves will have to make way for roadworks due to start in 2013, while the rest will be untouched for 30 to 40 years until the future Bukit Brown housing estate is developed. The URA revealed for the first time recently that the area marked for long-term residential use will have a mix of private and public housing.
But if you think about it, pockets of the verdant cemetery can actually be kept as parks and memorials embedded in the future housing estate.
This hint of a compromise can be found in a 'personal reflection' on the cemetery penned by the Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin on his Facebook page, which reveals a little more than his official remarks. He has promised to find alternative ways in land-scarce Singapore to keep Bukit Brown's heritage alive.
'If we are not pantang (Malay for superstitious), I can see small clusters of cemetery parks amidst development. Some prominent tombs can be relocated to other places,' he wrote earlier this month.
But compromise in itself is woefully incomplete if the documentation of the affected graves becomes a rushed job. It will be done by a team of volunteers, led by a specialist who was appointed by the government only last month.
The example that comes to mind is the bulldozing of the sprawling Bidadari Cemetery in the Upper Serangoon area between 2001 and 2006, after which a memorial park was created to honour 20 of the famous dead. However, there was no systematic documentation or photography of the multi-religious cemetery, which held more than 130,000 tombstones, each a repository of valuable information on the dead, their families and diverse cultural and religious belief systems.
Aside from being a pressing and complex conservation issue, Bukit Brown offers two lessons for state-society relations - the need for the authorities to be more transparent about redevelopment plans, sooner rather than later; and the need for both sides to accommodate each other's concerns.
The URA can make available, in a timely fashion, more information than is currently contained in its Concept Plans and Master Plans. Members of the public can give feedback on these plans, which are regularly updated, and are the main source of information on how different parts of Singapore will evolve physically in the medium to long term.
While Bukit Brown was zoned for residential use in the 1991 and 2001 Concept Plans, there is no way of knowing from that piece of information alone the time frame for the cemetery's redevelopment, much less when roads or MRT lines will intrude into the cemetery.
Each Concept Plan sets out very broad guidelines for land use and transport over the next 40 to 50 years, based on population projections.
It is the Master Plan which translates these guidelines into a statutory land-use blueprint for the next 10 to 15 years. As of the last Master Plan in 2008, Bukit Brown remains zoned as a cemetery.
While the sharing of more detailed information on redevelopment is not always possible as it could lead to profiteering on the housing market, that argument does not hold for cemeteries.
Instead, such advance notice would help resource-strapped heritage groups like the Singapore Heritage Society to focus their attention and work with the Government on alternative proposals for conservation.
When it comes to engaging experts and the public on specific areas rich in history and culture, the Rail Corridor is a good act to follow. That is the long strip of former Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway land which reverted to Singapore on July 1. Right off the bat, the National Development Ministry has been engaging the public and interest groups on what to do with the land, and their input will go into the 2013 Master Plan. That is a fine example of engagement that allows accommodation.
Old places and spaces are never just about the past; they strengthen our rootedness to the land.
I can think of no better way for the Ministry of Education to be teaching values, such as filial piety and social responsibility, than for our children to see that we have kept the graves of forefathers who contributed so much to this land.
Currently, no grave has made it to the list of gazetted national monuments, as the upkeep of a grave is seen to be the responsibility of a family rather than the state. But if parts of Bukit Brown Cemetery are to be preserved, Singaporeans must ask themselves if the graves of important pioneers could be considered national monuments.
In more ways than one, Bukit Brown is the start of a national conversation.
Straits Times Forum 1 Dec 11;
IN MONDAY'S letter ('Let's be practical on land use'), Mr Ang Chin Guan praised the Government for good urban planning, and said Bukit Brown Cemetery and Rochor Centre should make way for the infrastructural needs of future generations.
However, the interests of future generations may not solely have to do with economic development.
Granted, new roads will ease traffic congestion now, but 50 years on, there will be more vehicles utilising the roads, and our grandchildren will take the 'shorter travelling time' for granted. Is this the kind of legacy we should bequeath to them?
We do not know for certain what our future generations want, but with the current sense of confusion on what being a Singaporean means, we need to provide physical spaces to create shared memories for them.
If we base our demolition of landmarks solely on economic development, we would be failing to give them a proper sense of identity, since shared memories shape who they are.
Our future generations will have no first-hand memories of first-generation nation-builders, other than from the annual National Day Parade and their textbooks. We need to give them physical landmarks, to tell them that their industrious forefathers lived, worked and died in Singapore.
This kind of experience can be gained only if we conserve Bukit Brown Cemetery and avoid knocking down old urban landmarks unless they are near collapse.
The assumption that our future generations only want more cars and condos reflects on our short-sightedness. We must also tell them that being a Singaporean does not mean just aspiring to material needs.
Aloysius Foo
Let's be practical on land use
Straits Times Forum 28 Nov 11;
TWO road projects to ease traffic congestion have raised the hackles of conservationists because they involve using part of the Bukit Brown Cemetery ('New road to ease Lornie Road jams'; Sept 13) and the relocation of all residents living in an old urban landmark, Rochor Centre ('More than 500 homes to make way for highway'; Nov 16).
I am glad that long-term practicality has triumphed over other issues. While the governments of other countries are striving to fulfil their citizens' short- term needs, the Singapore Government is planning for 30 to 40 years ahead, keeping in mind the needs of our children and grandchildren, when many of our current leaders will no longer be around.
Conservation and filial piety are cited for arguing against clearing Bukit Brown Cemetery, which is largely for future housing needs and partly for road building. The very critics who push hard for government flexibility are themselves being inflexible.
If the Government is not prudent, there is no guarantee that our grandchildren will have proper housing.
Show filial piety to parents when they are around, and care for the future needs of our children and grandchildren.
Let us be practical - Bukit Brown should be developed and Rochor Centre should make way for the North-South Expressway.
Ang Chin Guan
New expressway: 'Consider the bigger picture.'
MR JEREMY TEO: "While I understand Ms Wendy Yuen's concerns ('Much to sacrifice for North-South Expressway'; Forum Online, Nov 19), we should consider the bigger picture. Singapore must constantly improve its infrastructure to attract more foreign investments, which will translate into more jobs. Preservation of buildings, especially those without much historical value, should not be the first priority when we are a land-scarce nation. Sacrifices have to be made for Singapore to become a First World country with a world-class transport system."
Singapore venture bucks chilli crab convention
Avelyn Ng Today Online 1 Dec 11;
SINGAPORE - In the land where consuming a meal of chilli crab tops the must-do list for many visitors, one company wants to put lobster on the menu instead. Better known as a Western luxury, lobsters are now grown and farmed in crab-hungry Singapore.
LOBS Harvest, a farm set up at Pulau Ubin early last year, recently clinched S$400,000 in a dollar-for-dollar investment by the SPRING Startup Enterprise Development Scheme (SPRING SEEDS), and Shinagawa LASIK, a private LASIK eye surgery clinic with links to Japan.
It is the brainchild of Mr Seah Yew Chai (picture), who has a background in marine science under the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore, and Mr Foo Wei Young, who has experience in shipping at PSA.
Far from just another fish farm, the pair set out to develop a sustainable and challenging business. "We decided on lobsters since it is the hardest to grow and it is less of a commodity. We wanted to be sustainable so we buy in baby lobsters which other farmers do not want and grow them to maturity," said Mr Seah.
Roadblocks
Harvesting lobsters brings lucrative margins, but the mortality rate is high. The baby lobsters are brought in as small as one inch in length. One of the biggest challenges for LOBS Harvest is keeping them alive. According to Mr Foo, 30 to 40 per cent of the baby lobsters are dead on arrival, after being transported from suppliers in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Another hurdle is widening the acceptance of consuming lobsters by the public. "I feel the challenge lies in the low consumption in Singapore. Many Singaporeans still think of lobsters as a Western food and most go for crabs instead. What we are doing right now is trying to open up a market from scratch," said Mr Foo.
According to Mr Seah, about S$700 million worth of lobsters are consumed in Singapore every year. Of that, live lobsters account for S$100 million and frozen goods take up the rest.
LOBS Harvest aims to tap at least 30 per cent of the "live" market which could bring S$30 million in revenue annually.
Exports
With the highest consumption in Europe and the largest suppliers in countries such as Australia, competition can be stifling.
"Lobster is a seasonal product and the supply may not always be there. Prices will also fluctuate due to external factors such as weather and economic conditions," said Mr Seah. "What differentiates us is that, through growing them, we ensure consistent supply throughout and we keep them at a fixed price," he explained.
He added that this reliability is the main reason the company is winning long-term orders from major Japanese restaurants.
LOBS' recent funding is a milestone towards a much loftier dream - to build a bridge between Europe and Australia.
Mr Foo, who specialises in transportation, sees Singapore as an ideal shipping hub located between the two continents. There are also plans to expand to Japan and China.
Plans ahead
LOBS is aiming to improve transportation to reduce the baby lobster mortality rate and is also in the midst of developing remote-sensoring technology to boost productivity. This is a surveillance tool able to detect variables such as change in water parameters and feeding behaviour.
The company has plans to sell the technology once it is perfected. In a business plan presented to SPRING SEEDS, the businessmen describe plans to have the prototype ready by early next year at the latest.
Depending on the company's progress, SPRING SEEDS may inject up to another S$800,000.
"We are friendly with the neighbouring farms and we help each other out. The competition is not here but elsewhere," said Mr Seah.
Posts
visitors since Nov 07