Learn to Say ‘NO’
from Zero Waste Singapore
7 Dec, 9 am : Bukit Brown, Our Singapore Story
from a.t.Bukit Brown. Heritage. Habitat. History.
Butterflies Galore! : Dingy Line Blue
from Butterflies of Singapore
New organization works to raise the profile of the world's littlest bear
from Mongabay.com news by Jeremy Hance
Von Schrenck's Bittern
from Monday Morgue and Team flocks to collect dead birds for research
Hamzah Jamaluddin New Straits Times 3 Dec 13
ON ALERT: Police warn of more evacuations if wet spell continues
KUANTAN: THE first wave of flooding began in Pahang yesterday with more than 200 people evacuated here and in Rompin, Maran and Pekan.
As of 8pm yesterday, Maran was the worst hit with 90 people from Kampung Chendong, Kampung Bak Bak and Kampung Ulu Luit relocated to relief centres when their villages were flooded due to heavy rain since Sunday morning.
Another 77 people from seven villages in Rompin were evacuated.
Among the villages affected were Kampung Pertat, Kampung Kurnia, Kampung Pianggu and Kampung Kerpal.
Rompin police chief Deputy Superintendent Ahmad Johari Jahaya said the villagers were evacuated from 10am when floodwaters rose to more than a metre.
He advised people in flood-prone areas and along the river banks to be on alert as heavy rains were expected to continue over the next few days.
A state police operations centre spokesman said another 51 flood evacuees were from Kampung Padang Rumbia, Pekan while a family of eight in Kampung Chendor, Cherating near here were evacuated when their home was partially submerged.
A family of nine sought shelter at the Sungai Lembing police station when their home was badly affected by the floods.
"More people are expected to be evacuated as flood water is rising in several areas including the town area and Sungai Lembing," he said.
Among the affected areas here are Taman Pelindung Perdana, Taman Bukit Sekilau and Beserah.
Traffic was reduced to a crawl in the town centre when water rose to 0.5m at several stretches.
The Sungai Charu bridge at Km28 of Kuantan-Sungai Lembing road was closed to all vehicles when the river overflowed and part of the road caved in early yesterday.
In Johor, a downpour for the past 48 hours caused flash floods in several districts, leading to more than 691 victims being evacuated.
The victims are from housing estates in low lying areas in Segamat, Kluang and Mersing.
A Malaysian Metrological Department spokesman said more shelters would be opened if it continued to rain and the situation worsened.
Mersing recorded the highest number of evacuees with 260 victims from 64 families, who are seeking shelter at two centres at Sekolah Agama Air Papan and SK Tenglu.
Number of flood-affected rises in Johor
Desiree Tresa Gaspar The Star 3 Dec 13;
JOHOR BARU: The number of flood victims statewide has risen to 1,452, with the hardest hit area being Mersing.
State welfare director Khadijah Abdullah said in Mersing alone, 14 flood relief centres have been opened.
"Other than Mersing, six flood relief centres have also been opened in Segamat, two in Kluang and one in Kota Tinggi," she said when contacted Tuesday.
She added that a total of 354 families including children, babies and the elderly were being taken care of by welfare officers at the respective centres.
Flood situation worsens in Pahang
The Star 3 Dec 13;
KUANTAN: The flood situation in Pahang has worsened with more than 5,000 people in flood relief centres in four districts by Tuesday morning.
A spokesman at the Pahang police headquarters said the four districts were Rompin, Kuantan, Pekan and Maran.
"In Rompin, 2,595 victims from 23 kampungs have been placed in six centres," he said when contacted.
He said in Pekan, six kampungs were inundated, forcing 341 people to move to the centres, while in Kuantan, 23 kampungs were affected, causing 1,824 victims to be relocated to 23 centres.
In Maran, nine kampungs were hit, resulting in 633 victims having to take shelter in seven relief centres.
The situation is expected to worsen further following incessant rain since the past two days.
The spokesman also said that the Sungai Charu bridge at KM28 Jalan Sungai Lembing-Kuantan was closed to all traffic after the water level rose to nearly one metre at the stretch. - Bernama
Jakarta Globe 2 Dec 13;
A coalition of activist groups has praised Indonesia for signing an international treaty on mercury emissions, but emphasized that the country has much to do to reduce the use of the highly toxic metal across the archipelago.
“We have to stop importing mercury and Indonesia must set a mercury-reduction target immediately in the national implementation plan,” said Yuyun Ismawati, a representative of BaliFokus.
On Oct 10, government representatives from 139 countries agreed to adopt the new mercury treaty, named the Minamata Convention on Mercury, in Kumamoto, Japan. As of today, 94 countries, including Indonesia, have signed the treaty.
The true extent of mercury poisoning was first found in Minamata. A local chemical factory dumped the metal into the city’s bay for more than 30 years, contaminating local seafood. After years of eating fish and shellfish, residents began to exhibit the signs of what is now called Minamata disease.
While the use of mercury in modern gold mining is a thing of the past, opportunist prospectors in Indonesia and other countries frequently rely on the metal to increase yield. A UNEP study showed that small-scale gold mining was identified as the single biggest source of mercury emissions around the world, while clandestine gold mining in Indonesia by small groups accounted for 57.5 percent of the country’s emissions, equivalent to 195 tons per year.
Mercury is imported into Indonesia through legal channels for use in light industrial and medical applications, but a black market exists for the self-employed gold trade. Yuyun said illegal mercury imports in 2012 were valued at around $31 million, traded illegally in as many as 850 locations across the country.
“It is so shameful that Indonesia is the top importer of the illegal mercury of the world,” said Nur Hidayati, head of advocacy and campaigns at environmental watchdog Walhi.
Gatot Sugiharto, coordinator of Community Green Gold Mining (CCGM), said that communities involved in gold mining would be broadly supportive of a program to implement non-mercury techniques. He emphasized, however, that the threat of criminal charges for miners would drive many away from engaging in the initiative.
Rossana Dewi from the Gita Pertiwi Foundation emphasized the human health consequences of mercury entering the food chain.
“When the food chain is contaminated, our food will be unhealthy and unsafe, risking the quality of life for our future generations,” Rossana said.
Henri Subagiyo, the director of Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), said that the government must ensure that it put in place a system that made polluters responsible for reparations backed by adequate law enforcement.
Mark Kinver BBC News 2 Dec 13;
Tiny particles of waste plastic that are ingested by shoreline "eco-engineer" worms may be negatively affecting biodiversity, a study says.
So-called microplastics may be able to transfer toxic pollutants and chemicals into the guts of lugworms, reducing the animals' functions.
An estimated 150 million tonnes vanishes from the global waste-stream each year.
The findings have been published in the academic journal Current Biology.
"We are losing a large volume of plastic and we know it is going into the environment and the assumption being made by policymakers is that this material is non-hazardous, it has got the same ranking as scraps of food," explained co-author Mark Browne, an ecologist from the US-based National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.
"The research we have done really challenges that," Dr Browne added, referring to the findings of lab work carried out by colleagues at Plymouth University, UK, led by co-author Prof Richard Thompson.
"Our findings show that the plastic itself can be a problem and can affect organisms.
"Also, when particles of plastic go into the environment what you find is that they accumulate large quantities of pollutants that are banned. So you have these particles themselves but also a load of nasty chemicals."
Important role
The team found that the tiny bits of plastic, which measure 1mm or smaller, transferred pollutants and additive chemicals - such as flame-retardants - into the guts of lugworms (Arenicola marina).
This process results in the chemical reaching the creatures' tissue, causing a range of biological effects such as thermal stress and the inability to consume as much sediment.
Dr Browne explained that this had consequences for the surrounding ecosystem.
"If the animals are not able to eat as much then there is a change in the function of the organisms and there is an impact on the semblance of the species found in an area," he said.
He added that the worms had earned the nickname "eco-engineers" as a result of their ability to eat organic matter from the sediment and prevent the build-up of silt.
"Through that process, it produces burrows and changes the whole assemblage of animals that live around it," Dr Browne observed.
"This is quite considerable because if you look at the total biomass of a shoreline, about 32% can be made up from these organisms."
He told BBC News that it was the first study of its kind to highlight the toxic risk posed by microplastics to marine organisms.
"For about 40 or 50 yeara, we have been finding very large concentrations of chemicals in animals. Then they started to find animals with larger concentrations of pollutants and plastics, so researchers began to establish this correlation.
"But no-one had actually shown whether chemicals could transfer from plastic when they are eaten by animals and accumulate in their bodies and reduce important functions that maintain their health."
Rudy Fernandez The Philippine Star 2 Dec 13;
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna , Philippines – Man-made and natural disasters continue to destroy the dwindling mangrove forests in the country.
Mangrove forests were damaged when Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated several provinces in Eastern Visayas on Nov. 8.
Mangroves also served as among the battlegrounds between government troops and members of the Moro National Liberation Front during the siege in Zamboanga City last September.
Records from the Philippine Forestry Statistics show that the country has only 247,362 hectares of mangroves left out of around half a million hectares about a century ago.
The Mimaropa region (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) has the biggest mangrove area at 57,600 hectares.
Eastern Visayas, particularly Leyte and Bohol, which were hardest hit by Yolanda, has around 40,000 hectares of mangrove forests.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had reported that mangroves in the country have been depleted to around 35 percent of the total forests.
The Los Baños-based DENR Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau said that mangroves serve as breeding, feeding and nursery grounds for fish and crustaceans.
Susanna Twidale PlanetArk 2 Dec 13;
The U.N.'s carbon offset market is likely to remain "in a coma" for years, project developers said, after countries failed to agree on measures to encourage demand at last week's climate talks in Warsaw.
Investment under the U.N.'s $315 billion Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has ground to a halt as the value of the credits they generate has plunged 95 percent in five years to around 0.30 euros, crushing profits that investors count on to set up carbon-cutting schemes in the developing world.
"As a tradable commodity, it's in a coma and will be unless and until a 2015 agreement wakes it up," said Jorund Buen, co-founder and partner at consultancy and project developer Differ.
CDM credits can be used by companies and governments to help meet emission targets, but prices have crashed as industrialized nations delay setting new emission reduction pledges, while registered projects pump out more offsets at minimal additional cost.
The Warsaw talks were meant to advance a global climate accord to be agreed in 2015 and come into force after 2020, but no major nation offered to set or deepen emission targets, while Japan scaled down its 2020 goal.
The talks ended on Saturday with a recommendation that countries announce plans for contributions on post-2020 emission targets "by the first quarter of 2015 for those in a position to do so", which developers said was too weak to stimulate demand.
The text agreed by almost 200 nations "expressed concern" over the state of the CDM market, but measures that could have helped prop up the scheme were removed as developing nations insisted richer nations set emission targets first.
A proposal that parties should consider setting a minimum price for CDM offsets was deleted, as was a suggestion to invite financial institutions such as the Green Climate Fund to consider buying the credits.
The Green Climate Fund is designed to help channel up to $100 billion a year to developing countries by 2020 to help pay for projects to cut emissions and prepare for the effects of climate change such as rising sea levels and droughts.
Gareth Phillips, who chairs an association of project developers, said the Warsaw text was unlikely to trigger significant demand for CDM credits but added he was encouraged that the high level talks were beginning to address the issues facing the market.
POSITIVE STEPS
In the absence of new targets, several European nations firmed up pledges in Warsaw to pay a premium over market rates for a handful of CDM projects in the world's poorest countries to keep the scheme alive.
Also analysts said some hope for future CDM demand could come from a Warsaw statement clarifying that the units can be used by countries without legally binding emission targets to meet pre-2020 voluntary goals.
"With time this could bring some extra demand for CDM credits. We have seen a trend where some regional schemes accept credits predominantly generated within the same country, most recently Mexico and Korea," analysts at Thomson Reuters Point Carbon said in a note published on Wednesday.
Mexico is expected to launch a tax on carbon emissions in 2014 that allows companies to pay using carbon credits sourced from within the country.
South Korea is due to launch an emissions trading scheme in 2015 and has said its companies will be able to use CDM credits under the scheme if they come from domestic projects.
"For the most optimistic, this is the first sign of a life for CDM after 2020. If this is made more concrete ... it could lead to new investment in the last half of (the decade)," Point Carbon's Frank Melum said by email.
(Reporting By Susanna Twidale; editing by Jane Baird)
Silent Voices in the Wilderness
from Butterflies of Singapore
Morning Walk At Upper Seletar Reservoir And Venus Drive
from Beetles@SG BLOG
Sex and the Birds: 7. Ostriches and polygamy
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Mating of a pair of Collared Kingfishers
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Butterflies Galore! : Bamboo Tree Brown
from Butterflies of Singapore
Internships, student field assistant opportunities – see Ecotax from The Biodiversity crew @ NUS
Commemorative Statue of Alfred Russel Wallace
from Raffles Museum News
The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement No. 29
from Raffles Museum News
Video: the conservation drone revolution
from Mongabay.com news by Rhett Butler
Need to look beyond headline numbers; dollar value could be attached to Singapore’s forests, say OSC dialogue participants
Neo Chai Chin Today Online 1 Dec 13;
SINGAPORE — Distinguishing the different types of green spaces, putting a dollar value to old trees and forests, and getting the environment to be part of Singaporeans’ day-to-day concerns.
These were among the suggestions made by participants at an Our Singapore Conversation session organised by the Nature Society Singapore and Young NTUC yesterday (Nov 30). Moderated by Nominated Member of Parliament Faizah Jamal, it was attended by about 50 people including nature lovers, pre-school teachers and sports enthusiasts. The session aimed to delve into an Institute of Policy Studies survey on the OSC — conducted in January and reported in August this year — finding that 60 per cent of 4,000 respondents preferred the preservation of green spaces over infrastructural development.
Some participants felt that the different types of green spaces — such as nature reserves, urban parks and green roofs — should not be “lumped together”. Whether forested areas are fragmented should also be taken into account, one participant said.
According to a study by National University of Singapore researchers published in 2011, 56 per cent of the island is covered in vegetation, with 29 per cent consisting of spontaneous green areas and 27 per cent consisting of managed green areas like parks and golf courses. Secondary forest and scrubland make up the bulk of spontaneous vegetation, while primary forest, mangroves, freshwater swamp forests and freshwater marshland make up less than 2 per cent of Singapore’s vegetation.
Some participants preferred parks and manicured spaces, but others felt primary forest was most valuable. Noting that some quarters of society want less green space in order to monetise the land through housing or retail, the participants suggested putting a dollar value to forests here.
In increasing biodiversity, it is important to protect not only the nature reserves, but also outlying woodlands, said Nature Society Council member Ho Hua Chew. This is to cater to wildlife like some migratory birds that cannot fly extremely long distances and need “stepping stones”, as well as birds like the black-winged kite that are suited to grasslands.
Also discussed was how to make information on the environment and wildlife more easily understandable for the general public. Noting the short attention spans today, final-year Singapore Institute of Technology student Christine Neo wondered what information would be “most essential” to communicate to the masses. Ms Neo, 24, who is majoring in illustration and planning a final-year project on how Singaporeans define nature, said she found out about Saturday’s OSC dialogue through Facebook.
Ms Faizah said a report from the session will be prepared and submitted to OSC committee chairman Heng Swee Keat and to relevant Government agencies. It could also be submitted as feedback to the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Draft Master Plan 2013.
Razor TV AsiaOne 30 Nov 13;
SINGAPORE - Earlier this year, Singaporeans balked at the idea of having 6.9 million people on our tiny island. But some experts, including Dr Parag Khanna, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, has said that Singapore can fit 8 million or more by 2030.
That is, if urban planning plays its part in spreading out the load.
"There is a much more physically devolved Singapore in which the towns play a much stronger role, in which there's much more local economic activity and vibrancy, in which everyone is not cramping down into Orchard or CBD every single day. And that Singapore can most certainly accommodate a couple million more people."
Dr Khanna was speaking at The Straits Times Global Outlook Forum on Friday.
Population aside, he said that Singapore is also on its way to becoming a leading info state, using technology to canvas information and public opinion.
"As part of the national conversation here, people were creating stories about certain towns and areas within Singapore, and even geo-coding their emotions through various iPhone apps. There are all sorts of ways to harness these technologies."
In an earlier dialogue, The Straits Times correspondents and economic experts discussed key issues affecting Asia, including increased tension between China, Japan and the United States after Beijing unilaterally established an air defence identification zone over the East China Sea.
Peh Shing Huei, deputy news editor, The Straits Times:
"For Beijing, having this air defence zone is an useful experiment to a certain extent. If this air defence zone over Diao Yu Dao or Senkaku, should pay off in terms of a weak response from the Americans, then that would very much embolden the Chinese government when it comes to Taiwan going forward.
But of course, as we have seen with the B-52 bombers, that experiment has kind of failed and um.. pretty much a miscalculation."
The Straits Times Global Outlook Forum is now in its second year. Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam was the event's guest-of-honour.
Saifulbahri Ismail Channel NewsAsia 30 Nov 13;
SINGAPORE: Singapore's latest green initiative -- the Tengah Nature Way -- will be launched next year.
It will be Singapore's fifth and longest park connector, spanning 13 kilometres.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made the announcement at the opening of the Botanic Gardens Heritage Museum on Saturday.
Tengah Nature Way will run along Bukit Batok estate. It will pass through Bukit Batok West Ave 2, 3 and 5, until Old Jurong Road.
Mr Lee said: “Tengah Nature Way will connect the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment Reserves with the SAFTI live-firing area so that animals can go across and people can walk along the route too.
“We will choose plants to specially complement the natural forests on both sides and we will make a special effort to attract birds, butterflies and other animals so that we can all enjoy nature at our doorsteps."
Mr Lee assured that despite development, people can always be in touch with nature, and the park connector network is a popular way to make Singapore greener.
There are already nature ways at Admiralty, Kheam Hock, Tampines and Yishun.
In addition, plans for the Tengah Nature Way will involve the community. It will be a joint effort between NParks and South West Community Development Council, and will involve grassroots organisations, schools and residents.
NParks said as the nature ways may pass through residential estates, cooperation of residents is needed to plant suitable plants and trees.
NParks aims to create over 60 kilometres of nature ways by 2015.
Mr Lee said Singapore may not have large parks island-wide, nor can it preserve every single green area, but it is determined to keep its green lungs and natural spaces as the city develops.
Poon Hong Yuen, CEO of NParks, said: "One of the major challenges of realising the City in a Garden vision is space. Space is limited in Singapore, so we have to be very innovative about how we go about things. For example, park connectors make use of greater space to give an illusion of space.
“We do have to think out of the box to see how we can green Singapore, and conserve nature in the best possible way."
At the opening of the Botanic Gardens Heritage Museum, Mr Lee planted the final tree in a year-long series of activities to commemorate 50 years of greening Singapore.
He said it is important to preserve the gardens as part of the country's heritage.
The Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Museum features interactive exhibits and panels. Visitors can learn more about the rich history of the 154-year-old gardens and Singapore's greening journey over the past five decades.
Nature volunteers were also given recognition for their commitment.
Tan Teck Chye, an NParks volunteer who received a 10-year service award, said: "I lead a small group of people on nature walks, for example at Sungei Buloh, Chek Jawa, even Botanic Gardens. Along the walks I will introduce to them the animals and the plants that we come across, share with them about the balance of nature, and the importance of nature."
NParks said it has seen a growing interest in nature volunteerism.
To date, there are more than 1,000 active volunteers, 25 per cent more than last year.
- CNA/fa/xq
New attractions at Singapore Botanic Gardens from Saturday
Melissa Chong Channel NewsAsia 30 Nov 13;
SINGAPORE: Visitors to the Singapore Botanic Gardens can expect two brand new attractions on Saturday.
The first is a Heritage Museum, which explores the rich history of the 154-year-old gardens.
Visitors will see old lab equipment and field notes, and learn about early methods for rubber tapping which were pioneered by the Botanic Gardens. The Herring-bone method was a major breakthrough for the rubber industry. It allowed for higher yields while limiting the impact on the tree.
There is also an interactive map, which marks the gardens' expansion since 1859 to future developments until 2014.
Just next door, the CDL (City Developments Limited) Green Gallery celebrates Singapore's greening journey over the last 50 years.
It presents visuals of the future of the country's Destination Parks, scheduled for opening from 2015. These include upcoming slides at Admiralty Park which will be carved out of slopes, and new boardwalk connectors at Jurong Lake Park.
Three parks - Admiralty Park, Jurong Lake Park and East Coast Park - were identified earlier to be redeveloped thematically to attract Singaporeans from all over the island. They are estimated to be completed by 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively.
The CDL Green Gallery is also the nation's first zero-energy gallery - powered entirely by solar panels.
It is also the first building in Singapore to be built with 'hempcrete', a material which can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The vertical green walls on the building are also expected to be a haven for butterflies.
Poon Hong Yuen, chief executive officer of the National Parks Board, said: "The UNESCO bid part of it talks about the importance of people, the community owning the bid, and the community actually feeling that the heritage status of the gardens is very important.
"So this museum will go a long way in inculcating the feeling among the community for the gardens."
The cost of both the Heritage Museum and Green Gallery was over S$2 million, supported by City Developments Limited.
- CNA/ms
NParks sees more active volunteers in 2013
AsiaOne 30 Nov 13;
SINGAPORE - The National Parks Board (NParks) saw a 25 per cent increase in the number of active volunteers in the past year, signifying a growing interest in volunteering for biodiversity conservation.
Today, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong presented 10-year service awards to NParks' volunteers in recognition of their long-term commitment.
According to a statement released by NParks today, 1,000 volunteers serve on a regular basis. More than half of the new volunteers were involved in the Comprehensive Marine Biodiversity Survey (CMBS), a national initiative to take stock of Singapore's marine life.
PM Lee also highlighted plans to involve the community in making Singapore greener and richer in biodiversity, including the launch of public planting for Tengah Nature Way in the first quarter of next year.
The launch will be a joint effort between NParks and South West Community Development Council, involving grassroots organisations, NGOs, schools, and residents.
PM Lee was also the Guest-of-Honour at the opening of the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Museum and Living in a Garden exhibition.
Apart from giving out awards, he also planted the 1963rd tree in the 1963 Commemorative Tree Planting initiative. The event marked the end of a year-long series of activities and events held to commemorate 50 Years of Greening Singapore.
Mr Poon Hong Yuen, NParks' Chief Executive Officer, said, " As we commemorate 50 Years of Greening Singapore and look to the future, we encourage more people to join us in creating a greener and more endearing City in a Garden."
Eileen Poh Channel NewsAsia 30 Nov 13;
SINGAPORE: Residents in Yuhua will see more green features in their ward next year.
It will pilot the HDB's Greenprint programme to encourage sustainable and eco-friendly living in existing public housing estates.
For a start, construction of underground pipes for a pneumatic refuse collection system will commence early next year.
In the system, waste will be sucked through underground pipes to centralised collection areas.
Works to install solar panels, vertical greenery and secured bicycle parking facilities will also begin during the same period.
By mid-year, HDB will kick off the construction of green roofs at nine low-rise blocks.
In the last quarter of 2014, lifts at 18 blocks will be made more energy-efficient through the Elevator Energy Regeneration System.
Grace Fu, second minister for environment and water resources, said: "Most importantly, it is to get residents excited about changing their habits, about recycling more, about reducing their consumption, about taking the greener form of commuting. I think this will be really important and significant for this project."
Ms Fu added that while residents may have to make some adjustments to their lives, the overall benefits will outweigh the inconveniences.
She said: "For example, when it comes to the pneumatic collection system, definitely nothing bulky can go in, and at certain times of the day, you may not be able to use the chutes. So there will be some adjustments.
“But I think the overall benefits will outweigh these adjustments because you are talking about not having someone to push the rubbish trucks across the car park, you are talking about a much cleaner environment, probably not a lot of food waste left dripping on the floor."
Ms Fu was speaking at the launch of the HDB's Green Homes Package exhibition on Saturday, where she also presented awards to five companies and individuals for their ideas to encourage green living.
The projects will each receive up to S$100,000 from the Greenprint Fund for test-bedding.
The five ideas are mini parks at covered spaces of HDB void decks, lightweight retractable solar panels at open areas such as car parks and basketball courts, solar-powered street lights with mosquito killer and motion sensor function, more energy-efficient lighting at common corridors, and community farming.
A site at Jurong East Street 21 has been identified for the trial implementation and it is expected to take a year.
HDB said it may replicate the ideas in other towns.
In another green initiative, residents can get 10 to 30 percent savings on electrical appliances under the HDB's Green Homes Package programme.
The discount comes in comparison to the selling prices of the items at major retailers.
The programme aims to encourage the use of energy-efficient appliances in homes.
Some of the appliances under the scheme include air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, LED televisions, fans and lighting.
The discount will be available for six months.
Residents can visit the Green Homes Package website to order the discounted appliances.
- CNA/fa/xq
Macon Ramos-Araneta Manila Standard 1 Dec 13;
A RECENT British study showed that mangroves are the best natural defense against storm surges, similar to the one that devastated the Eastern Visayas region last month, according to Senator Cynthia Villar.
“They are the most effective tool against storm surges, more effective than seawall or cemented fences,” said Villar, citing a 2012 study conducted by the University of Cambridge.
The study showed that “mangroves slow the flow of water as the surge moves inland and reduce the waves riding on top of the surge, lowering water levels and reducing damage behind the mangroves.”
“They are the most effective tool against storm surges, more effective than seawall or cemented fences,” said Villar.
The planting of mangrove trees will be part of a comprehensive program of environmental protection being prepared as a reaction to the devastation brought about by Yolanda, said Villar who has been opposing the reclamation around the 175-hectare Las Piñas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, a protected area included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
“The inclusion of no-build zones in coastal areas in this program is a step in the right direction. I also suggest that this program include a moratorium on reclamation because reclaiming of lands could lead to the destruction of natural marine barriers like mangroves,” Villar said.
She welcomed the signing of an executive order delegating to the National Economic Development Authority the approval of any reclamation project.
The senator, whose advocacy includes environmental protection, has welcome the directive of President Noynoy Aquino to put up more mangrove forests in coastal areas all over the country as a natural barrier against deadly storm surges.
She also asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to not only concentrate on areas hardest hit by Yolanda-spawned storm surges but also in other coastal areas.
“We have seen how the storm surge flooded Roxas Boulevard and caused damage to hotels and other establishments in the area. This means urban areas like Metro Manila are as vulnerable as any coastal area in the country,” she said.
“Our action should now be definite because these storm surges, as experts tell us, are not new. We hear of records dating as far back as 1897 where 7,000 lives were lost and in 1912 where some 15,000 died in the Visayas due to typhoon and tidal waves. The experts also tell us that storm surges will be more frequent because of climate change,” she added.
The senator also urged the government to implement the National Greening Program under Executive Order No. 26, which mandates the planting of 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of land, including mangrove reforestation.
She pointed out that we have lost 75.6% of mangroves in the past 82 years. We all know that a thriving mangrove cover is one of the best indications of a healthy environment or if nature can still support life in an area.
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