CNY Day 2: St John's Island
from wonderful creation and wild shores of singapore
蛇年快乐！Happy new snake year! - I'm back! :)
from Psychedelic Nature
Big Sisters in the year of the water snake
from Peiyan.Photography
Black Baza feeding on praying mantis
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Pity the pangolin: little-known mammal most common victim of the wildlife trade from Mongabay.com news by Jeremy Hance
Vinita Ramani Mohan Today Online 12 Feb 13;
I was appalled to read that the Land Transport Authority proposes to build a Cross Island Line by 2030 that will cut across the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (“Nature group concerned about impact of MRT line”, Feb 4).
The catchment area encloses parks and reserves that are protected under the Parks and Trees Act. What clauses permit the construction of such a line?
A viable public transport system is vital in a city where cars are unaffordable. But the catchment area is also integral to providing Singaporeans with much-needed space for recreation, community building and family bonding. The proposed line would disrupt this.
The Government has been trumpeting that we are not merely a “garden city”, but a “city in a garden”.
However, along with the Parliament passing the White Paper, which projects a population of up to 6.9 million in 2030, citizens like myself doubt whether we will be living in such a city in the coming decades.
A significant population increase and deforestation would make us no different from any other polluted, overcrowded city. The only difference is that we would have no rural outback or hinterland to which to retreat.
Natalie Heng The Star 12 Feb 13;
Proposed regulations will limit the types of snakes which can be kept as pets.
FENG shui experts have foreseen that 2013 will be a year of peace and prosperity but on the other hand, things do not seem to be in favour of this year’s zodiac animal, the Snake.
The reptiles are widely traded but to what extent, no one knows for sure because very little of the trade in Asia is regulated, according to Chris Shepherd, deputy director of wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC South-East Asia.
“There are hundreds of species of snakes in Asia, and the vast majority of them are not protected by national laws,” he says.
Trade figures supplied by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) show that around 298,000 pieces of snake skins, 406 live snakes, 12,508kg of meat and 82 snake products were exported in 2011.
However, these figures only refer to species listed as “tradable” (which includes pythons, cobras and rat snakes) under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
There are hundreds of other species of snakes – file snakes and sea snakes (traded for skins) as well as others traded for meat and as pets – for which the trade is completely unregulated, says Shepherd.
“For example, there are indications that Malaysia may in fact, have a huge trade in sea snakes (to make shoes, handbags, belts and other leather goods). They are not protected (nationally), neither are they listed on CITES. It’s just a free-for-all.”
New controls
That the extent of so much trade remains largely unknown is one of our biggest problems, according to Shepherd.
And as trade is increasing, species are likely to decline. “There is very little funding for organisations like ours to do research on snake issues,” he says.
It is still early days, but new regulations being drafted under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 could mean better controls over the snake trade.
The draft Pet Shop Regulations 2012 will only allow a small number of snake species for sale as pets by local shops: reticulated python, blood python, Burmese python, ball python and boa constrictors (except species listed as “totally protected” in the Act).
Trade in these species will require a licence, and can only be conducted within a licensed premise, on the condition that traders keep a record of all trade conducted. Violators of these rules may be fined up to RM100,000 and jailed for up to five years.
Perhilitan law and enforcement director Burhanuddin Mohd Nor says the proposed regulations is to discourage trade in wildlife and lessen public demand to keep wildlife, especially within an urban setting. It also aims to encourage respect for wildlife as potentially dangerous animals.
“The draft regulations are aimed at creating awareness and instilling a sense of responsibility among the public who own wildlife as pets,” he says.
There have, in the past, been cases of pet owners releasing their unwanted animals into the wild, after having either tire of them or finding that they were too hard to handle.
Burhanuddin says the impact of such introductions into the wild can be devastating, so the department is taking a precautionary approach to prevent them from happening.
The proposed regulations have created unrest amongst Malaysia’s growing community of reptile hobbyists and have, in fact, served to consolidate the group.
Mohd Nazri Hassan Basri, 46, says he founded the Malaysian Association of Reptiles and Exotic Animal Keepers (Marak) in response to the proposed regulations, apart from promoting responsible pet-keeping.
He thinks the regulations will do more harm than good. “It is hampering our efforts to develop the hobby because it will mean many snakes can no longer be bought legally from pet shops.
“It punishes responsible pet owners by making it difficult to acquire these pets legally, and may push hobbyists underground. There are people breeding with the intention of selling.
“Recent trends see some people doing this with reticulated and Burmese pythons, and sugar gliders.”
He says Marak, which has yet to be registered, wants hobbyists to be responsible. “That’s why we encourage people to buy from established breeders. Sometimes, when you go to pet shops, you don’t know where they get their animals from.”
Another group formed last June with the specific purpose of lobbying against the legislation is the Association of Zoo Operators, Breeders, Entrepreneurs and Rearers of Wildlife Malaysia (P4PHM), which unites an otherwise segmented wildlife industry under one voice.
Along with the Malaysian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (Mazpa), it was one of the organisations consulted by Perhilitan during the drafting of the regulations.
“We (P4PHM) are all very saddened by the regulations. We agree with the rationale behind banning venomous snakes such as cobras, sea kraits or vipers because of the risk factor towards the hobbyists.
“However, there are many other non-venomous snakes, such as mangrove snakes, dog tooth tree snakes, whip snakes and paradise tree snakes (which cannot be traded under the Pet Shop Regulations 2012) that are harmless,” says a representative of the 3,700-strong group.
It has appealed to the government to consider allowing trade in non-venomous snakes. It also says that the proposed regulations will effectively restrict hobbyists from keeping many native snake species as pets.
“We understand that the main motive of the regulations is to control illegal trafficking of wildlife, but we have to understand that illegal players don’t abide by the rules, and will still go underground at the end of the day.”
P4PHM also notes that of the five snakes allowed to be sold as pets under the proposed regulations, three – the reticulated python, boa constrictors, and Burmese python – should only be reared by experienced handlers.
Stemming illegal trade
Technically, species listed as “protected” (in Schedule One) in the Wildlife Conservation Act can be traded or owned so long as one gets a permit or licence from Perhilitan.
However, pet owners must supply a receipt of purchase issued by a licensed trader (which lists the trader’s updated stock list) to Perhilitan, in order to obtain a licence to keep the animal.
In effect, by restricting the number of snakes species that can be sold in pet shops, the new regulations will make it difficult for hobbyists to legally own protected species.
Traffic thinks the new regulations will encourage legal trade and more effective enforcement over illegal traders.
Its legal officer Shenaaz Khan says that despite the existence of legitimate pet owners who are merely interested in owning an exotic pet, such ownership can be abused.
“A pet shop is in no position to ascertain what the acquisition of exotic pet is truly for. These regulations appear to be implicitly designed to curb the illegal trade in wildlife for which many pet shops and zoos serve as fronts.”
P4PHM, however, thinks that pet owners can play a role in conservation, and points out that captive breeding enables the perpetuation of a species, which might be facing threats in the wild.
If someone’s pet snake reproduces, the owner simply has to report its offspring to Perhilitan, which will add it to the original licence (if the animal is a protected species).
Traffic, however, does not believe captive breeding is a viable solution to the problems faced by endangered wildlife.
For one thing, it can be difficult to know if someone is going beyond just being a hobbyist, and using the premise of legal ownership to disguise illegal trade activities.
“In many cases animals are being caught from the wild and then passed off as captive-breds,” says Shenaaz.
“Therefore, in restricting the trade as a whole, there will be fewer places for those engaging in illegal trade activities to hide.”
Groups seek justice for animals
The Star 12 Feb 13;
PETALING JAYA: Wildlife conservation groups have called for the mandatory fines to be imposed on the wildlife trader who was convicted for possession of tiger skins and bones, and African elephant tusks.
Mohd Nor Shahrizam, 30, was sentenced by the Alor Setar Sessions Court to a total of 60 months – 24 months for possession of eight tiger skins, another 24 months for keeping 22 whole tiger bones, and 12 months for the nine tusks – but because the judged ordered the sentences to run concurrently, he would only be in jail for 24 months.
To top that, no fines were imposed.
A wildlife prosecution officer in Kedah has been reported as saying that the prosecution planned to appeal to seek a fine.
Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (Mycat) said that a mandatory fine – the minimum being RM100,000 – would be in accordance with the Wildlife Conservation Act, which involves the keeping of tigers or their parts.
“Yet, Mohd Nor Shahrizam, found guilty on two charges under this clause, was not fined. Not even the minimum RM200,000 he should have been slapped with in this case,” said the group.
“So it’s 24 months for 22 tigers. A little over a month in prison for each tiger that Malaysia has lost forever,” said Mycat.
The group said the judgment was like “the blow of a sledgehammer” to those in enforcement and conservation who had been toiling to keep tigers from the brink of extinction.
Mycat said it also wanted to see authorities “dig deeper” into the case, alleging that Mohd Nor Shahrizam was only part of a larger criminal trafficking network.
“Will Malaysia ever join the ranks of countries like India, Nepal and Indonesia, which have taken down some of their countries’ biggest wildlife smuggling rings?” it said.
The group urged that the authorities fight harder to ensure protection and justice for the last 500 tigers for the sake of the country’s wildlife and image.
Mohd Nor Shahrizam was caught with the items when the Department of Wildlife and National Parks raided his house in Kampung Sungai Dedap, Kota Sarang Semut, last February.
Judge Mohd Rosli Osman granted the defence a stay pending an appeal and ordered that Mohd Nor Shahrizam’s bail, initially set at RM70,000, be raised to RM80,000.
Dept wants wildlife trader to pay dearly
Nuradilla Noorazam New Straits Times 21 Feb 13;
APPEAL AGAINST LIGHT SENTENCE: Man who possessed endangered animal parts only jailed 2 years
KUALA LUMPUR: THE Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) has requested an appeal to be filed against the light sentence imposed on a wildlife trader for possession of tiger skins, bones and elephant tusks.
A Perhilitan spokesman said the two years' jail imposed on Mohd Nor Shahrizam, 30, by the Alor Star Sessions Court recently was too lenient and disproportionate to his crimes.
"We have submitted a request for an appeal against the sentence as it does not include any fine against the culprit.
"By right, those caught with possession of tiger body parts face a mandatory, minimum fine of RM100,000, and mandatory imprisonment. However, in this case, the culprit was only jailed and not even ordered to pay the minimum fine as prescribed in the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010," the spokesman said.
It was reported that wildlife conservation groups were outraged that the court had only jailed Nor for a total of 60 months -- 24 months for possession of seven tiger skins, 24 months for keeping 22 whole tiger bones, and 12 months for having nine elephant tusks.
However, because the judge ordered the sentences to run concurrently, Nor would only be in jail for 24 months. He was caught with the wildlife body parts in Kampung Sungai Dedap, Kota Sarang Semut, Kedah.
Malaysia Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MyCAT) had described Nor's conviction as a "featherlight sentence".
The group urged for the mandatory fine to be imposed and for a deeper investigation into the case as it is believed to involve a high-profile international trafficking ring.
The tiger population in Malaysia is estimated to be just around 500, compared with the 1950s when 3,500 were estimated to roam the jungles.
Records showed that wildlife traders were usually let off with relatively light sentences.
Last year, four men were acquitted after killing a tiger in 2010, despite the fact that all four had admitted to the offence.
Another high-profile case involved international wildlife trafficker Anson Wong Keng Liang, who successfully reduced his jail sentence from five years to 17 months after an appeal.
Syed Azhar The Star 12 Feb 13;
KOTA BARU: The aerial view of Kuala Krai and Gua Musang in Kelantan’s southern region shows areas of rampant land clearing and wanton destruction of virgin forests.
According to a Kelantan-based non-governmental organisation, Young People against Corruption (Ombak), the devastation covers at least five hills between Kuala Krai and Gua Musang.
“The pictures and video show that in some places, land has been cleared for logging far more seriously than the case of Lojing in Gua Musang.
“Many hills have been stripped clear of trees,” said Ombak president Wan Khairul Ihsan Wan Muhammad. The NGO went on a helicopter ride to check the area last Friday.
He said the environmental ruin, stretching to the Pahang-Kelantan and Kelantan-Perak borders, could not be seen from human settlements and roads.
He estimated that thousand of hectares of forest reserve land or land earmarked for logging activities had been cleared.
Describing it as “rape of the forested hills”, he said logging was being done in the middle of forest reserves stealthily to avoid public detection.
“Forests are cut down in the mid-section, leaving a buffer zone of trees that are untouched as a smoke screen to cover up the action.
“Bertam is one of the areas. Thousands of hectares have been logged or converted into commercial plantations.
“They cannot be seen from the road but are very visible from the air.
“This also explains why the colour of the Kelantan river is constantly murky like teh tarik,” he added.
Wan Khairul Ihsan also claimed that active logging was going on in Kuala Betis, Lojing, based on video evidence of logs being stacked up and waiting to be brought out from the area despite the recent denial by senior exco member Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah.
“We have all the proof to show the rampant land clearing activities and serious environmental degradation and polluted rivers.
“We are identifying the affected areas through the use of global positioning system coordinates and if the state government wants evidence we are prepared to show them,” Wan Khairul added.
“The problem is real and it is causing serious environmental problems not only to the rivers but is also destroying the forest ecology,” he added.
New Straits Times 12 Feb 13;
GUA MUSANG: A panther attacked an Indonesian worker who was spraying insecticide at an oil palm estate at Felda Perasu here on Sunday.
Alip Abil, however, was lucky to escape death as a co-worker came to his aid. He was rushed to the hospital, where he received 50 stitches.
Alip, 33, said he had gone to the estate with six others. Upon arriving, they split up to work in different parts of the estate.
"It was 8.30am and I had just started spraying the insecticide when an animal suddenly jumped on my back. I thought it was a wild boar and put up a fight but the pain was unbearable and I shouted for help," he said at the workers' kongsi.
Alip said his friend, Nuraidi Marsudi, 26, rushed to help while the other five ran off.
"Only when Nuraidi told me that it was a panther did I realise that I was struggling with a ferocious animal. This news frightened me further, as I believed I was facing certain death.
"But I was lucky as Nuraidi reacted quickly by taking a sharp stick and prodding the panther's mouth, forcing it to release me.
"It then turned on Nuraidi. Since he had a sharp stick, the panther did not put up a fight and left the area.
"I was semi-conscious when they took me to Gua Musang Hospital. I am glad that I am still alive after the attack."
Nuradi said the panther became aggressive when he poked it with the stick. However, it decided to leave soon after.
He said the panther was as big as a large goat and that it was knee-high in height.
There have been frequent sightings or attacks by tigers in Kelantan, but an attack by a panther is rare.
Alister Doyle Reuters 10 Feb 13;
(Reuters) - The high seas that cover almost half the Earth's surface are a treasure trove with little legal protection from growing threats such as over-fishing and climate change, according to a new international group of politicians.
"High levels of pillage are going on," David Miliband, a former British foreign secretary, told Reuters. He will co-chair the Global Ocean Commission, which will start work this week and give advice to the United Nations on fixing the problems.
Over-fishing and environmental mismanagement cost the world economy $50 billion a year and about three-quarters of world fish stocks are over-fished or fished to the maximum, according to World Bank and U.N. data.
"The hidden depths are a treasure trove, and a treasure trove that we neglect or raid at our peril," Miliband said of the high seas, the area beyond national limits that stretch 200 nautical miles from coasts.
His co-chairs will be former Costa Rican president Jose Maria Figueres and Trevor Manuel, a minister in the South African cabinet in charge of planning.
The commission will include ex-cabinet ministers from nations such as Chile, Australia, Indonesia, Canada and Nigeria, as well as business leaders and Pascal Lamy, head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It will produce advice in 2014.
Miliband said vast areas of the oceans, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, were "a neglected area of global governance" despite a 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The Commission says the high seas are under severe and increasing threat from over-fishing, damage to habitat, climate change and ocean acidification caused by a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
SEABED MINING
There are some regulatory mechanisms - the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority was set up in 1994 to control mining of deep-sea deposits such as nodules rich in manganese, iron, aluminum and copper.
And a 2001 U.N. pact seeks to control stocks of fish such as highly migratory tuna, sailfish, swordfish and sharks. Regional fisheries management groups also try to oversee the high seas.
But the Commission says tougher rules and "future-proofing" are needed - to take account of emerging risks and technologies that could make mining or oil and gas drilling more feasible in the ocean depths, perhaps down to 5,000 meters (16,400 feet).
The drilling group Transocean says one of its oil and gas drillships in 2011 set a world record by drilling in the seabed off India at a depth of 3,107 meters.
"The global ocean is essential to the health and well-being of each and every one of us," Figueres, the former Costa Rican head of state, said in a statement.
"It provides about half of the oxygen we breathe and absorbs about a quarter of our carbon dioxide emissions; but we are failing to manage it in ways that reflect its true value."
Miliband said the 1982 UNCLOS pact had not properly anticipated, for instance, that giant trawlers could stay at sea for weeks, freezing and processing fish before returning to port.
Ole Kristian Fauchald, a law professor at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Oslo, said possibilities for change included limiting the use of "flags of convenience" that let fishing vessels register in nations that are lax in imposing U.N. rules.
And ports could be stricter in refusing access to ships pillaging the high seas. Cutting subsidies to fishing fleets would also help, despite a lack of progress at the WTO, he said. U.N. studies estimate subsidies at up to $34 billion a year.
(Reporting By Alister Doyle; Editing by Stephen Powell)
Latest Green Jobs in Singapore [4 - 10 Feb 2013]
from Green Business Times
CNY Day 1: Big Sisters Island
from wonderful creation and wild shores of singapore
Equatorial Spitting Cobra
from Monday Morgue and Happy Lunar New Year!
Straits Times and AsiaOne 11 Feb 13;
When Singapore gained independence in 1965, its population stood at 1.9 million and its land area was 582 sq km.
Today, there are 5.3 million on this island of 710 sq km. The latest White Paper on Population plans for up to 6.9 million people by 2030, with land area growing to 760 sq km.
Through the decades, as Singapore grew, some physical spaces changed forever even as new ones were created.
How did this affect citizens' sense of space and quality of life? Jessica Cheam speaks to five to find out.
People need the space to dream
Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
Born in: 1974
Occupation: Writer; former teacher and civil servant
Lived in: Pasir Panjang, Bedok, Marine Parade, Toa Payoh
I remember in 1997, the first Starbucks opened and I was excited. It was heralding the arrival of Singapore as a global city, that we were considered affluent and cosmopolitan enough for Starbucks to set up shop.
I also recall in primary school, memorising the fact that the population of Singapore was two million. At that time, it seemed like a lot, but now it seems so small.
At some point in the last five to 10 years, we got crowded.
We also have a lot more commercial space now, in the form of shopping malls, offices. We need more community spaces where people can hang out and do their own thing. And it should be a place that everyone can have access to, at little or no cost.
The national library, for example, is beautifully built and well-ventilated on the ground floor. The cafes are cheap and I see retirees who sit there all day to talk. We need more of these spaces.
In our eagerness to develop, we also forget that there is value in leaving things alone. People may not want to move, they want to live and die in the same place, and they want to have a sense of belonging. Bonds and community ties break whenever people are forcibly relocated, or when physical spaces are destroyed.
Most of my years growing up were spent at school and playing and cycling with my brother and other children in the large compound of Normanton Park.
We moved to Pasir Panjang and the area was quite industrial. But we had West Coast Park, and I recall that even till the 1980s, I could spot Malay fishermen coming home in their boats from a day at sea. We would go jogging with my father, and families would enjoy the big open spaces, fly kites.
But slowly, more and more of the park was lost to port activities. Now, what's left is a much smaller version.
I remember during those schooling years that the buses and trains would be empty in between peak hours. You had your personal space and it didn't feel hectic. Now, it feels like it is crowded no matter what time of the day, unless it is late at night.
Singapore is a lot more built-up now, and it's nice that we have great parks. We've proved that we can live in the tropics, in an urban environment and it's still green. Our public housing is also something to be proud of - it's reliable and liveable.
But we have to reinvent urban living further if we have to share our limited space with even more people. We do not have a hinterland and people cannot go to the countryside and find cheaper areas to live.
Now, to some extent there's a crisis of faith in the system, since our infrastructure broke down or choked in the last few years.
I don't know what's the optimum population, but I think each person just wants to have enough space to live, do things like find the right person, job and home.
It's not a bad thing having foreigners in Singapore. The issue is more about absolute numbers. People get territorial when resources are scarce. If the 5.3million here were all native-born Singaporeans, we'd still be grumbling, just about each other.
It's the numbers that are creating tension. The more we squeeze on this island, the more people will want to claim space for themselves. When there isn't enough physical and, importantly, intellectual and spiritual space for individuals to breathe, they will start fighting for what little space there is.
Thinking about Singapore's future, I feel it's not about how many parks are within walking distance of a home.
It's about whether you even have the time or inclination to go to the park. Do you have the freedom and space to dream about the world beyond the stresses of daily life? Do you care about the stranger next to you on the bus, train, at the hawker centre?"
Population growth feels like too much, too fast
Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh
Born in: 1977
Occupation: Senior editor Economist Intelligence Unit, local author
Lived in: Bendemeer, Upper Serangoon, Balestier, Alexandra, Bukit Timah
The years of my childhood had a kampung feel. There were fewer big brands, fewer cars and more open green spaces where we could play football.
The 1990s were etched in my mind as the decade of the MRTs. Suddenly, MRT stations and trains were everywhere. The CTE tunnel was built and the North opened up.
My church, Mar Thoma, was demolished for the CTE - one of many buildings that made way for Singapore's development.
I recall the expansion of Changi Airport, the building of Tuas, and the ERP gantries being erected. It reflected Singapore's fast pace of development.
At the same time, I was also aware of the efforts to preserve certain parts of Singapore, for example, the shophouses, which have architectural and historical significance.
The other great thing Singapore has done is to keep our city green, with trees and parks.
It was around the mid-1990s, just as Singapore was approaching four million people, that I felt parts of town were getting crowded.
Queues were starting to form on public transport, some people started pushing on trains. This has got worse in recent years as infrastructure has struggled to keep up.
Of course, there have been many benefits from Singapore opening its doors to migrants. There is a vibrant diversity in our culture and food, adding a certain buzz to Singapore.
I feel my own life has improved with Singapore's cosmopolitan make-up. I love meeting new people, learning about their cultures and ways of thinking.
But as Singapore's population crossed into 5 million, it feels like it is too much and too fast.
Some here are feeling that it's easier for people to come here than for us to go to other countries, so we're at a competitive disadvantage.
Ideally, we could have a world with open borders, where anybody can live and work in countries seamlessly, but we don't.
I enjoy the new bars and restaurants that have opened up across Singapore, creating new community spaces.
But on the other hand, there seem to be parts of Singapore no longer frequented by locals, as enclaves of foreigners form. In some way, it has become a mosaic instead of a melting pot.
We also cannot build Singapore up such that the whole island looks like Manhattan. This might be the nature of a global city, but Singapore has to be both a city and a country.
To give the planners the benefit of the doubt, I think Singapore could go up to the projected 6.9 million if we plan well and with technological innovations. But the key thing is keeping things affordable for citizens.
Singapore's achievements in economic growth in the past decades have also led to greater inequality and we have to address it.
Our Singaporean identity is also changing as we know it. It is changing into one of a global city's hotchpotch identity.
Maybe this is our destiny, but we should savour the memories while we can.
Need to strike live-work-play balance
Tai Lee Siang
Born in: 1963
Occupation: Group managing director of architecture firm Ong&Ong, president of the Singapore Green Building Council, former president of the Singapore Institute of Architects
Lived in: Old Airport Road, Beach Road, Bukit Timah Road
It was some time in 2011 - when the two integrated resorts opened - that I physically felt that our sense of space had changed.
I could no longer walk into restaurants on a weekend without reservations, and traffic jams became a regular feature.
Now, I spend more time eating at home instead of restaurants. I try not to enter the Central Business District or Orchard Road during peak hours.
My family also started exploring places less frequented by people - some of these behavioural changes are good as we find new ways of enriching our lives.
With more people, I also feel that Singaporeans are now less inward looking and more outgoing in character.
The Singapore of old was a country very different from what it is today. Beach Road used to face the sea directly and I recall the smell of the sea while walking along the road.
Bukit Timah, where I used to live, was a wooded, low-density housing area with many bungalows. The old Singapore was a charmer - tranquil and free in spirit - but it was also filthy, with rubbish lining the streets and canals. Today, we enjoy a clean and efficient environment, although space is scarce.
I remember Nicoll Highway for its unique three-segment road, with the middle road that was reversible depending on peak flow. Further down the road near Fort Road was the famous Katong Park - a tiny seafront park popular with young families for picnics. I also fondly remember the unusual fenced-up swimming pool at the seafront of Changi Swimming Club. The reclamation of East Coast has completely wiped out these places.
Perhaps we should have left a waterway to mark the original shore line.
The turning point for me, marking the urbanisation of Singapore, occurred in the 1980s, when the OCBC Bank skyscraper rose from rows of dilapidated shophouses. It seemed to point a way into the future, from which there could be no turning back.
As Singapore went into the 1990s, tall buildings sprang up. I remember my first high-rise condominium project as an architect - The Bayshore - in the east. We were all concerned that it would be very uncomfortable from a spatial point of view. Today, this is history and we are coping with density many times higher.
I feel it's impossible for any successful city to cut itself off from foreigners. A great city is one that provides hope, opportunities and livelihoods. New York, London and Shanghai are such great examples.
If a city wishes to remain in isolation and maintain its "integrity", it will soon run the danger of irrelevance and obsolescence. Maintaining social harmony among locals and foreigners is the more important issue.
Our planners are facing a huge challenge as planning is long-term in nature and implementation takes decades. Unfortunately, shorter economic cycles and global competition demand shorter-term masterplans and planners must be nimble and make changes, where necessary.
Our quality of life now needs to be defined in the context of high-density living. We can no longer dream of living on the ground with a large garden setting, like in a low-density environment. What is the alternative?
It is important to balance the three elements of live, work, and play in such an environment. We need to find new inventions that will fundamentally change the way we live and the way we plan our cities.
The White Paper is a great starting point for a debate. We should harness its energy and use it to shape a great city. We should put aside our differences, selfish goals and myopic views to ask ourselves what kind of nation we will want to have in 2030.
The key question to ask is not whether we can house 6.9 million people. Instead, it is: What kind of 6.9 million people do we want to be?
If it is a progressive society like our National Pledge says we are, we can overcome all obstacles.
Are we using the right planning parameters?
Wee Yeow Chin
Born in: 1937 Occupation: Retired, former NUS associate professor of botany, founding president of the Nature Society Grew up in: Cairnhill Road, MacPherson Road, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
I STUDIED at the University of Malaya and spent many years in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Area in the 1960s and 1970s. It was very lush then; the nature reserve today has dried up somewhat due to increased temperatures.
As Singapore rapidly developed from the 1960s to the 1980s, nature reserves, especially the mangrove areas, were slowly released for development. We lost many wild areas such as Senoko and Khatib Bongsu, which were home to many birds and wildlife. We managed to save Sungei Buloh and got it gazetted as a nature reserve.
In the 1990s, the National Parks Board began creating parks all over the island, and this was a good thing. Previously inaccessible wild nature spots became accessible as NParks put in amenities such as paths, toilets and lights, so more people could enjoy them. Overall, I think our sense of space has been supported by the pockets of nature spots all over the country. People could use these areas for leisure or recreation.
I feel we have to take a balanced approach to conservation. The Bukit Brown and Bidadari (cemeteries) are not a big deal from that perspective, as the plants there are not important and can be regrown. But one of these days, if the planners start looking at our land banks and want to release our catchment areas, that's when we are in danger. We need to protect these areas which are truly rich in biodiversity and reflect our history.
My days as a child was spent playing among giant fruit trees and running freely in many open spaces. Home was a house on Cairnhill Road.
After the Japanese Occupation, my family of six moved to the MacPherson area. During my schooling years then, in the 1950s, I joined the Scouts and we went hiking all over the island, like in Pasir Panjang and Tanah Merah, as there were plenty of wild areas.
I remember pitching tents with my friends along the coastline, where we would camp underneath coconut trees that provided shade.
As Singapore developed, however, many of these wild areas disappeared and, along with them, hiking spots.
Over the decades, my family and I have enjoyed a relatively high quality of life. Even as Singapore crossed the population threshold from 2 million to 3 million in the 1990s and then 4 million, we were comfortable.
But some time in the mid-2000s, it began to get crowded. It was crowded on the roads and in hospitals. I'm unable to find parking space when going to Tan Tock Seng for medical check-ups. Waiting time has also increased. The profile of nurses began to change, from locals to foreign faces. Some are good, some are not so, and have problem communicating as they don't speak English.
Now we stand at 5.3 million, we should ask ourselves: Is there no end?
I support former civil servant Ngiam Tong Dow's suggestion that we should be a "second-upper" city. Why do we have to be the first? We don't need to be the best in everything.
The young might leave, but they will always come back. If they see a home that gets overpopulated, why would they want to return if they feel like an alien in their own country?
My own son is in the United States and has settled there. My daughter still lives with me.
When home prices are high, and people cannot afford to buy their flats and it takes a long time to pay off the mortgage - that's when our youth will begin to feel like their quality of life is going down.
Singapore can keep its buzz by attracting quality people, allowing the arts and culture sector to grow, to make the country vibrant. I'm sure there's an optimum population for Singapore but I'm not an urban planner. Are we using the right planning parameters?
We have enough leisure and nature spots, but sometimes we can provide it and parents still won't take their children there. I see some children yell when a butterfly flies near them and it's sad because there is just not enough exposure to nature in our society.
Same home but different environment
Faizah Jamal
Born in: 1960
Occupation: Nominated MP, adjunct lecturer at Republic Polytechnic, former lawyer.
Grew up in: Kampong Glam
I live in a shophouse in Kampong Glam that has been with my family for four generations.
My grandfather bought it when he arrived from South Kalimantan to seek business here as a diamond trader. I'm fortunate that my family kept it, and my daughters are the fourth generation to live in it, so we have a strong sense of home and our roots.
My daughters recognise the heritage value of where they are. It used to be a multiracial residential area with people living and working in their shophouses. As kids, we played with our jumping ropes along the five-foot-ways of the shophouses while our parents worked. Even though it's the same house, things around us have changed.
The whole area underwent a transformation and is largely commercial today, where there are many offices, shops, bars and restaurants. Today, my family is the only one who stayed on.
In the 1980s, when I left law school, I joined the Nature Society and began exploring Singapore's nature spots, which were still abundant then. We would go bird-watching and hiking, sometimes venturing out to Johor to climb its mountains.
We would go to Kranji and Punggol for bird watching. I remember taking bus service 80 to the Punggol jetty, where the famous seafood restaurant used to be. It was a beautiful road, lined with trees and near the sea. It was painful to see those areas disappearing as Sembawang and Punggol new towns were developed.
But as Singapore developed, the city also gained a new buzz and vibrancy. It was exciting.
Overall, I would say I enjoy a high quality of life. I have a good job and my daughters are doing well.
But this buzz in the past few years has grown into a noise. The noise level has grown through the decades, perhaps because we live in the city centre.
Our weekends now are spent avoiding the crowds as much as we can, staying at home or going on outdoor walks such as at the Southern Ridges.
It was in the past decade that I began to physically feel the increase in our population. In 2002, I conducted nature tours and noticed more foreign children. On public transport, I began to hear many different languages.
In some ways, opening our doors to people from all walks of life was beneficial to Singapore. Some of my closest friends are foreigners. But at some point, the absolute number of people on this island began to show.
Our planners have provided good leisure spots with great amenities and they are accessible. But I remember going to the East Coast - one of my favourite haunts - one weekend a few years ago at eight in the morning. I was surprised at how it looked like a refugee camp, with hordes of people asleep in the open along the coast. It is a popular camping spot, but it struck me then that the numbers were suddenly quite overwhelming.
The sense of space has diminished most acutely on public transport, where people are now standing cheek by jowl.
I'm not an urban planner or business owner, and I do understand they have concerns about Singapore's future. But we do have to plan, so that we can manage the numbers on this island.
It is also important to keep certain nature and historic sites, as people are yearning for an emotional connection to something physical, in this place they call home.
Our ministers have said we should be prepared for slower economic growth. This is not a bad thing. We should stop and take a breather; things will also become clearer when we stop to take time to think. We're too rushed at the moment.
This is true of our Government, and true of individuals here too.
6 years after the mass mortality event
from Chek Jawa Mortality and Recruitment Project
Balls! At Berlayar Creek
from wild shores of singapore
lousy golfers @ keppel club - Feb2013
from sgbeachbum
A Close Encounter With a Hornbill @ Pulau Ubin
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature
Butterfly Mimicry and some recent findings
from Butterflies of Singapore
Pink-necked Green-pigeon collects nesting material and Black-naped Oriole takes nectar from Callistemon sp. from Bird Ecology Study Group
Science Daily 7 Feb 13;
Fishing communities living on the islands of Indonesia's Karimunjawa National Park have found an important balance, improving their social well-being while reducing their reliance on marine biodiversity, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Western Australia.
Over the past 5 years, the Government of Indonesia has turned Karimunjawa National Park -- a marine paradise of turquoise seas and mangrove-ringed islands in the Java Sea just south of Borneo -- into a model of co-management for the country, largely by increasing community participation in park governance and providing economic incentives such as the development of ecotourism and business enterprises to reduce fishing pressures.
The study now appears in the online version of Marine Policy. The authors include: Stuart J. Campbell, Tasrif Kartawijaya, Irfan Yulianto, and Rian Prasetia of the Wildlife Conservation Society; and Julian Clifton of the University of Western Australia.
"Community involvement in the management of fisheries in Karimunjawa has had a significant impact on improving the sustainability of these resources," said Dr. Stuart Campbell, lead author on the paper. "One outcome has been the stabilization of reef fish biomass in some areas since the zoning regulations have taken effect. Another important outcome has been the improved socioeconomics and political power of participant communities, the key to any successful endeavor in sustainable development."
Karimunjawa National Park covers some 1,100 square kilometers of sea surrounding a total of 27 islands with a resident population of 9,000 people. The protected area was among the first in Indonesia to be recognized as critical for the conservation of the region's marine biodiversity. The coastal reef systems provide numerous fish species with spawning aggregation sites, important for the long-term conservation of commercially valuable species. The islands contained in the park provide valuable nesting sites for both sea turtles and seabirds.
In 2006, a study by WCS and others revealed that Karimunjawa's natural resources were under threat from overfishing, with the park's coral reefs and fish biomass in poorer condition than marine protected areas where community and traditional management systems were in place.
Since that time, the Karimunjawa National Park Authority has increased community participation in the management of Karimunjawa's natural resources. Villages now have institutions to address and resolve stakeholder conflicts. Incentives provided to communities have promoted awareness of and support for fishing regulations (which include closures to protect spawning fish sites) and gear restrictions designed and implemented by community members themselves.
The economic incentives of the new plan have decreased dependency on the park's natural resources, and the incorporation of user-rights by coastal communities into spatial planning helps eliminate unsustainable, destructive fishing. Most importantly, the communities and government officials work in tandem to enforce the rules of the park, prohibiting banned gear and catching and prosecuting fishers who illegally fish in the park.
"This co-management model is ideal for both marine conservation and local empowerment," said Dr. Caleb McClennen, Director of WCS's Marine Program. "The current plan's economic, legal, and participatory incentives have created a self-perpetuating system of exclusive access rights for local communities, who in turn support and enforce the protected area's policies and regulations."
This study was generously supported by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
Journal Reference:
Stuart J. Campbell, Tasrif Kartawijaya, Irfan Yulianto, Rian Prasetia, Julian Clifton. Co-management approaches and incentives improve management effectiveness in the Karimunjawa National Park, Indonesia. Marine Policy, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2012.12.022
Singapore Biodiversity Zodiac - Year of the Snake
from Darwinian Left. Of all things evolved
High power
from The annotated budak
Posts
visitors since Nov 07