A Quiet Morning @ Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill Park
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature
4 Lessons on Visual Storytelling from Chai Jing’s Documentary on Smog in China
from Green Future Solutions
Fishes dying at Sungei Buloh?
from wild shores of singapore
Carolyn Khew The Straits Times AsiaOne 4 Mar 15;
AFTER a plankton bloom at the weekend wiped out almost all their stocks of fish, some farmers in Changi are looking at moving to sites with stronger tide conditions.
Others told The Straits Times they planned to invest in more costly closed containment systems that would be protected from such blooms, which can suffocate marine life.
The weekend incident was a blow to farms still trying to recover from a similarly devastating bloom a year ago. One of them, Ah Hua Kelong, went online to appeal for donations to help it meet its daily running costs.
Mr Frank Tan, chief operating officer of Marine Life Aquaculture, which produces about 200 tonnes of seabass and threadfin annually, said he had planned to move to two sites - one on Pulau Tekong and the other on the Southern Islands - following last year's incident, which wiped out 20 tonnes of his fish.
Last Saturday's bloom killed 120 tonnes of his fish.
"We spent the past year rebuilding our business and were planning to move only in about a few years' time.
Yesterday, he was still busy directing staff to bag and remove the dead fish.
Following the authorities' warnings, he had managed to save a few hundred adult fish by moving them to an offshore site located near his Changi farm.
Mr Tan said he will be ready to move in one to two months. He estimates the tides at Pulau Tekong to have a water flow rate three times stronger than those at Changi, so stronger support structures need to be built for the farm.
Fin Fisher owner Timothy Hromatka, 42, is not discounting a move to Pulau Tekong, but estimates he would need $500,000 to do so.
"Tekong is farther away (from the mainland), and this means higher operational costs."
The smell of rotting fish was strong around the fish farms, located near the Lorong Halus jetty, yesterday as workers continued to dispose of the dead fish.
As of October last year, home-grown farms contributed about 7 per cent to the industry, producing fish like sea bass and grouper as well as lobsters.
Plankton blooms are caused by factors such as warmer weather and a neap tide, when the high tide is at its lowest.
Some farmers such as Mr Malcolm Ong, chief executive of The Fish Farmer, who is in his 50s, are looking at farming under controlled conditions to protect their stocks from such unpredictable blooms.
But another farmer, Mr Simon Oh, in his 60s, said the systems can be challenging to install. He lost all 35 tonnes of his pomfret last week.
"I have no funds to restart my business, much less invest in such equipment," he said.
Additional reporting by Isaac Neo
Fish supply, prices in supermarkets unaffected by plankton bloom
CAROLYN KHEW Straits Times 5 Mar 15;
With local produce accounting for less than 10 per cent of their supply, supermarkets still have plenty of fish even after a devastating plankton bloom over the weekend killed more than 300 tonnes of stocks at farms in Changi.
Dairy Farm, which owns both Cold Storage and Giant supermarkets, said neither its supply nor price is affected as it practises "diversified sourcing", buying fresh fish from countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
About 10 per cent of Giant's fish supply comes from local farms while Cold Storage buys a "minimal" amount, said a spokesman. Local farms supply species such as grey mullet, golden snapper and golden pomfret, she said.
Home-grown produce makes up just 5 per cent to 10 per cent of FairPrice's fish, and less than 5 per cent of Sheng Siong's.
"Most of the local fish farms do not have the required facilities to transport live fish directly to our chain stores. So, at the moment, most of our live fish comes from Malaysia," said a Sheng Siong spokesman. The supermarket chain buys about 500kg of fresh fish daily from local farmers, mainly milkfish and mullet.
FairPrice and Sheng Siong said they are still buying local fish and reassured consumers that they are safe to eat. Overall, local fish farms contribute about 7 per cent to Singapore's supply.
The unexpected plankton bloom, the second in as many years, affected Changi farms located off Lorong Halus jetty most badly, with some losing almost all of their fish stock overnight. Plankton blooms can be deadly as they suck oxygen from the water, suffocating other marine life.
One farm alone, Marine Life Aquaculture, lost 120 tonnes of threadfin and seabass.
Another, Kelong FC116 in Pasir Ris, appealed for funds on crowdfunding website Indiegogo yesterday to keep operating after losing more than 20 tonnes of fish. It is the second farm to look for help online, following in the footsteps of Ah Hua Kelong.
Between Saturday and last night, Ah Hua Kelong had managed to raise more than $16,000.
Marine life has also been found washed up along the shores of Pasir Ris Beach and near the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Extension.
Dr Diana Chan, course manager for the diploma in veterinary technology at Temasek Polytechnic's School of Applied Science, said the concentration of farms in Changi and their close proximity to each other could create a situation in which water cannot flow freely.
A plankton bloom is caused by various factors like warm temperatures and high nutrients leading to lower levels of dissolved oxygen. It happens worldwide, including in countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines, say experts.
Associate Professor Federico Lauro from the Asian School of the Environment at the Nanyang Technological University said the micro-organisms can double every three to four hours.
"With a better understanding of the many factors leading to a bloom, scientists should be able to provide risk assessment tools for the conditions leading to a bloom. We are just not at that stage yet."
Still, farmers can brace themselves for such eventualities by employing systems to monitor dissolved oxygen and nutrient levels, said Mr Chan Wei Loong, programme chair of Republic Polytechnic's diploma in marine science and aquaculture.
Even though when a plankton bloom occurs is "anyone's guess", a trained person will know how to read this information and be prepared for it, he said.
PATRICK LEE The Star 5 Mar 15;
PETALING JAYA: Quarrying at Perak’s Gunung Kanthan by cement giant Lafarge Malaysia has alarmed green groups, who say work has encroached close to “sensitive” areas.
According to a source, a small hill within the limestone mountain’s southern area was cut down in January.
He expressed concern that rocks from “Area B” where the hill was located would be strewn along the adjacent “Area C”, causing fears that quarrying there would follow.
Gunung Kanthan, which is home to many endangered species of flora and fauna, is divided into several sections with “Area C” and “Area D” located in the south.
Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) president Henry Goh, who confirmed that quarrying had been conducted on the hill, cautioned that the removal of forestry there would have damaging effects on Area C and Area D.
The Star previously reported the discovery of two new flora species in Area C, which is also home to nine species that are on Malaysia’s Red List of Endangered Plants.
Goh said Lafarge Malaysia had assured him that both Area C and Area D would not be affected.
He also claimed that temples embedded in or around the mountain had received evacuation notices.
Goh said a biodiversity report by Universiti Malaya, commissioned by Lafarge Malaysia, had not been revealed.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has highlighted its concerns to Lafarge chairman Bruno Lafont in France.
“We are concerned to learn that a road is being blasted immediately adjacent to Area C,” IUCN Species Survival Commission chairman Simon Stuart wrote in a Feb 13 letter.
He stated that Google Earth images showed the forested valley next to Area C “is being filled with rubble”.
It was learnt that Lafarge Malaysia had yet to meet the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) which wanted to preserve Areas C and D.
Speaking to The Star, Lafarge Malaysia vice-president Mariano Garcia maintained that Area C and Area D were out of the mining plans.
He said the biodiversity report on Gunung Kanthan was completed before Christmas.
Garcia said he did not know of the said evacuation notices, but said monks and temple staff had entered the quarry site and verbally abused his workers.
He also said Lafarge Malaysia had been trying to meet FRIM to no avail.
“It has been very difficult ... (FRIM) refuses to work with us,” he added.
The Jakarta Post 5 Mar 15;
Persisting forest and land fires in regencies across Riau have led to deteriorating air quality, bringing the pollution rate to a dangerous level in the province’s northern areas on Wednesday.
The province’s Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) reported that air pollution standards index (ISPU) equipment indicated that air quality had reached an alarming level of 300 on the pollutant standards index (PSI) Wednesday morning.
Thick haze blanketed Bengkalis regency in the morning, creating smog that reduced visibility at the Bengkalis seaport to less than 1 kilometer.
The haze was said to have been caused by land fires on Padang Island in the Meranti Islands regency, sent southward by winds at a speed of between 9 and 39 km per hour.
Antara news agency said that port authorities declared an alert status due to the conditions.
Air pollution, however, improved later in the day, with air quality recorded at 84 PSI, or medium level.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said that Terra and Aqua satellites had detected 86 hot spots in a number of regions in Riau on Wednesday.
“Data from 7 a.m. on March 4 shows that the 86 detected hot spots are among 96 hot spots across Sumatra,” head of the BMKG’s Pekanbaru office, Sugarin, said.
Of the 86 hot spots, 55 were indicated to be fires, with a reliability of 70 percent.
The Riau provincial administration has declared an emergency status for forest fires in Riau, where slash-and-burn agriculture practices are believed to be the culprit behind the annual disaster.
Between January and March this year, no less than 379 hectares were affected by fires, according to data from the Riau Emergency command post.
Most of the hot spots were detected in the northern part of the province. A total of 36 hot spots were recorded in Bengkalis, 16 in the Meranti Islands, 12 in Pelalawan regency, eight in Siak regency, six in Rokan Hilir, three in Kota Dumai, two each in Rokan Hulu and Kampar and one in Indragiri Hilir regency.
Since Tuesday, the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) has created artificial rain south of Bengkalis and north of Siak regencies. The operation will be focused on the eastern coast of the province over the next few days, especially in peat areas in Bengkalis, Siak, Pelalawan and Dumai regencies.
The cloud-seeding method has been chosen to help solve the difficulty of reaching the locations of the fires.
The Riau administration has created an action plan for forest and land fire mitigation and prevention, which is aimed at freeing the province from the disasters that have been taking place for the past 17 years.
The action plan includes the designation of peatland as a protected area, canal blocking to maintain the wetness of peat, document evaluation and environmental licensing for plantation and forestry companies to prevent and mitigate forest and land fires, law enforcement against companies disobeying audits and the establishment and provision of incentives for fire-aware communities in fire-prone areas.
In Jakarta, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has asked all parties to remain alert.
The minister said that according to the BMKG, Indonesia would be influenced by weak El Nino weather patterns until June, resulting in lower intensity and frequency of rain. Among the prioritized fire prevention and mitigation provinces are Jambi, Riau, South Sumatra, West and Central Kalimantan.
Megan Rowling PlanetArk 5 Mar 15;
Deaths, economic damage and other negative impacts from disasters have caused losses equivalent to 42 million life years annually since 1980, a measure that is comparable to the burden of tuberculosis worldwide, the United Nations said.
More than 90 percent of the total "years" lost in disasters between 1980 and 2012 were in low and middle-income countries, representing a serious setback to their development, the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) said.
"If these figures show that disaster loss is as much a critical global challenge to economic development and social progress as is disease, they also show that it is a challenge unequally shared," the UNISDR said in a report on Wednesday.
Bina Desai, UNISDR policy and research coordinator, referred to the number of years lost due to disaster-related deaths, injuries, economic damage and other losses as an "opportunity cost".
"It is lost time that could otherwise be invested in development and social progress," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
In particular, risk from recurring, smaller disasters rather than huge one-off events drives poverty through destruction of homes, water supplies, infrastructure, and health and education facilities, the report said.
Yet 10 years after governments signed up to a global plan to tackle disasters, known as the Hyogo Framework for Action, disaster risk "has not been reduced significantly", it said.
"We are playing with fire," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement.
"There is a very real possibility that disaster risk, fueled by climate change, will reach a tipping point beyond which the effort and resources necessary to reduce it will exceed the capacity of future generations."
Governments will meet in Japan from March 14 to 18 to adopt an updated version of the framework, still being negotiated.
GROWING THREATS
Disaster risk is already making it hard for many countries to afford the capital investment and social spending they need to develop sustainably, the report said.
Growing global inequality, increasing hazard exposure, rapid urbanization and overconsumption of energy and natural resources threaten to drive risk to dangerous and unpredictable levels with systemic global impacts, it warned.
Expected losses from disasters caused by earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones and river flooding worldwide are estimated at $314 billion per year, or almost $70 for each person of working age, according to the report.
This includes only damage to commercial and residential properties, schools and hospitals, Desai said. The figure would be even higher if it included other hazards such as drought, and other sectors like utilities and agriculture.
"This is not what will happen in terms of losses on an annual basis - it is what countries should prepare for," Desai said. "But you can reduce these risk levels."
Global annual investment of $6 billion in managing disaster risk - only 0.1 percent of the $6 trillion per year that will be required to build infrastructure over the next 15 years - would result in total avoided losses of $360 billion, the report said.
"For many countries, that small additional investment could make a crucial difference in achieving the national and international goals of ending poverty, improving health and education, and ensuring sustainable and equitable growth," it added.
Measures to reduce the risk of disasters include rules that strengthen buildings and prevent construction on floodplains, urban drainage, early warning systems and insurance schemes for small farmers.
(Editing by Tim Pearce)
Dead fish update: How are Pasir Ris mangroves?
from wild shores of singapore
Dead fish update: a dead monitor lizard among the fishes
from wild shores of singapore
Chan Yoke Meng: Photographer with a mission
from Bird Ecology Study Group
NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 4 Mar 15;
SINGAPORE — Laboratory tests of a seawater sample taken off Pasir Ris have zeroed in on the type of algae that wiped out massive quantities of farmed and wild fish in recent days.
The species of algae behind the mass fish deaths off Pasir Ris likely belongs to the Gymnodinium group. It is suspected to be Gymnodinium mikimotoi, according to the experts at DHI Water & Environment, but the exact species can only be confirmed through further genetic tests. Gymnodinium mikimotoi, also known as Karenia mikimotoi, is not toxic to humans, but has been associated with massive kills of wild and farmed fishes in Japan and Korea.
TODAY commissioned the laboratory test yesterday (March 3) using a water sample provided by a fish farmer operating off Pasir Ris. The sample was taken last Saturday when most affected fish farmers reported the sudden deaths of their stocks.
The test showed concentrations of the algae at 88,529 cells per millilitre – a “very, very high” concentration, according to Dr Hans Eikaas, head of environmental technology and chemistry at DHI, a not-for-profit group offering consultancy and water-modelling services.
Concentrations above 10,000 cells per millilitre are considered a full algal bloom by any international standard, he said. Seawater in normal conditions contain 200 to 300 cells per millilitre and comprise 100 or more different plankton species. Dr Eikaas said the algae bloom was the main cause of the fish deaths, with the algae likely clogging up the gills of the fish.
But ammonia in the seawater probably magnified the scale of fish deaths. Ammonia is a waste product of fish, and is also produced when bacteria decomposes organic matter without oxygen. More ammonia is produced when water is warm, and when there is more organic matter, such as when algae dies. In gas form, it is toxic to fish and can cause convulsions and death, said Dr Eikaas.
Water rich in ammonia and nitrogen is advantageous to algae in the Gymnodinium group. Warm water, which the Republic has seen in recent weeks, also stresses fish out. These factors mean “multiple blows” dealt to the marine life, Dr Eikaas said.
“I would assume ammonia building up could have caused sub-lethal toxicity to the fish – mainly, their gills get inflamed. Then algae doubles every 24 hours… (and the deaths) appear like a sudden event,” he explained. The algae would have taken about a week to bloom to the level shown in the lab test, he added.
If the suspected species is indeed the Gymnodinium mikimotoi, the algae is not known to cause any effect to humans who have eaten affected fish, Dr Eikaas said. Associate Professor Lim Po Teen of the University of Malaya’s Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences said nutrient-rich coastal waters from human activities are believed to be the triggers of algal blooms. Another source of the problem is the introduction of algae species through ships’ ballast water. Efforts to mitigate harmful algal blooms so far include setting up perimeters at aquaculture farms and reduced feeding of farmed fishes, he said.
Dr Eikaas said the recent harmful algal bloom is a natural occurrence that is almost impossible to prevent, but with a monitoring system and simulation forecasting programme, it is not impossible to get a heads-up on. “With regular daily monitoring, we should have had several days’ lead time on this,” he said.
According to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in the United States, Gymnodinium mikimotoi is associated with recurring blooms off the coasts of Japan and Korea and are associated with massive fish and shellfish kills. Blooms have also been reported in Australia, Denmark, Norway and Scotland.
Farmers contacted yesterday said they have spent recent days clearing dead fish from their farms. Some expressed hope that the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority would provide financial assistance, while others said they would relocate if given the chance. Fish farmer Simon Ho said his entire stock of over 30 tonnes of silver pomfret was wiped out. Marine Life Aquaculture chief operating officer Frank Tan said the company’s offshore operations lost 120 tonnes of four-finger threadfin and sea bass. The company had previously identified two sites – near the Southern Islands and Pulau Tekong – as possible areas to move to, but Mr Tan said that with different conditions such as bigger tidal waves, a move would entail a change of operations and re-investment.
Mass fish deaths: Supermarkets take measures to ensure safety of supply
Alice Chia Channel NewsAsia 4 Mar 15;
SINGAPORE: Fish harvested from local farms are largely supplied to supermarkets. With the recent mass fish deaths, some supermarkets have stopped selling fish harvested from local farms temporarily. Some are also taking measures to ensure the fish supplied are fresh.
Sheng Siong supermarket, which imports 5,000kg of live fish every month, said that quality control measures for fish harvested from local farms are the same as those for imported fish.
If there are problems with the stocks, they will be returned to the supplier, a representative said.
"If there are problems with the fish, their eyes will be red and swollen, and their bodies will be injured," said Mr Wong Nee Kook, manager of the seafood department at Sheng Siong Group.
Meanwhile, NTUC FairPrice said it has spoken with the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and requested that local fish farms ensure that supplies are safe for consumption. FairPrice said it will closely monitor the supply of fish as well.
The supermarket chain said that locally-bred fish make up less than 10 per cent of its total fish stocks. Channel NewsAsia understands that AVA will also conduct checks at supermarkets.
- CNA/dl
NURBAITI HAMDAN AND HEMANANTHANI SIVANANDAM The Star 4 Mar 15;
PETALING JAYA: Water levels at the Gemencheh Dam in Negri Sembilan and several rivers in Johor have dipped, threatening the supply of treated water to several areas.
Water Services Commission chairman Datuk Ismail Kasim said the level at the Gemencheh Dam had fallen to 93.9m – below the critical level of 95m – putting the water reserve at only 19.23%.
The dam provides raw water to the Gemencheh treatment plant which supplies to consumers in Tampin and Rembau.
“Currently, the plant only produces 20.5mil litres per day compared to capacity of 45.5mil litres per day,” he said in a statement here yesterday.
Ismail said the state government – through its water supply operator Syarikat Air Negri Sembilan Sdn Bhd (Sains) – had resorted to procuring 9mil litres per day of treated water from Malacca for 5,300 user accounts in Tampin and Batang Melaka.
He added that Sains was also planning to provide 18mil litres of treated water per day from the Sawah Raja plant in Rembau as well as build a pump and pipe station with a capacity to pump 54mil litres of raw water per day from Sungai Jelai in Johol to Gemencheh Dam.
“The construction of the station has started,” he said, adding that this was expected to be completed before December.
The level at several rivers in Johor had also reportedly fallen, with Sembrong Kiri River in Kluang reaching the critical mark while the Sungai Lebam Dam had been put on the alert list.
The Sembrong Kiri River, which provides raw water to the Sembrong Timur treatment plant, has decreased from 32mil litres per day to 26mil litres per day. It supplies water to Kluang.
“The state water operator, SAJ Holdings (SAJH), is monitoring the situation and is trying to redistribute the supply from other nearby systems. If the situation worsens, water rationing will be considered,” he said.
The Government, said Ismail, was also in the midst of building Sungai Kahang Dam to tackle water shortage in Johor and it was expected to be completed in June 2017.
The state government, through SAJH, was also in the midst of increasing the capacity of the Sungai Kahang water treatment plant for Kluang residents.
“On Monday, the water level at the Sungai Lebam Dam was 11.55m with the critical level at 12.27m with a reserve of 47.04%,” he said, adding that the treatment plant was still operating as usual.
In Kuala Lumpur, Deputy Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the Federal Government was working hard to finalise the restructuring of the Selangor water supply agreement.
“The minister (Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili) had said the Government is optimistic that the main agreement can be finalised by Monday. So far, we are on track.
“Only one or two items have yet to be resolved but we are confident,” he told reporters after attending the Chinese New Year open house hosted by Tenaga Nasional Berhad at its headquarters in Bangsar yesterday.
The transfer of water assets should have been completed in mid-January but this had been extended twice with the latest deadline being next Monday.
Channel NewsAsia 4 Mar 15;
JAKARTA: Mr Jusuf Kalla, Vice-President of Indonesia, on Tuesday (Mar 3) took to task neighbouring countries' complaints about the haze.
“For 11 months, they enjoyed nice air from Indonesia and they never thanked us. They have suffered because of the haze for one month and they get upset,” The Jakarta Globe quoted Mr Kalla as saying.
He also said foreign demand and foreign technology was to blame for the fires. “Somebody once told me that Indonesia must restore its tropical forests, and I told him: ‘Excuse me? What did you say? Do you know who damaged our forests?’”
The haze which spreads over Singapore and Malaysian skies is caused by forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The number of "hotspots" in the region grew almost 58 per cent in the past year, from 18,129 in 2013 to 28,580 in 2014. Last year, there were 12 days in which the Pollutants Standard Index went into the "unhealthy" territory in Singapore.
In response, Singapore's Ministry of Environment and Water Resources enacted the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act last August, allowing regulators to prosecute those in neighbouring countries responsible for causing severe air pollution. Indonesia also ratified the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution last September, 12 years after it was established in 2002.
- CNA/es
Indonesia's Vice-President Jusuf Kalla criticises neighbours for grumbling about haze
Straits Times 5 Mar 15;
JAKARTA - Cabinets may change but Indonesian leaders remain touchy when it comes to the haze brought on by forest fires.
Yesterday, in an echo of seasons past, Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla rapped neighbouring countries for complaining about the haze, and asked them instead to be grateful for the clean air they enjoy for the rest of the year.
"For 11 months, they enjoyed nice air from Indonesia and they never thanked us," he said.
"They have suffered because of the haze for one month and they get upset," Jakarta Globe quoted him as saying on Tuesday.
It was a flashback to 2013, when Mr Agung Laksono, a minister in the previous government, hit out at murmurs from Singapore, which was shrouded by the haze.
"Singapore shouldn't be like children, in such a tizzy," he said.
Some days later, his colleague Jero Wacik warned Malaysia and Singapore not to "tell stories to the world".
These remarks prompted then President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to apologise for the haze.
In a reference to that, Mr Kalla said Indonesia has repeatedly apologised for the forest fires that lead to hazy conditions in Singapore and Malaysia.
Losses to Indonesia due to the fires are also substantial, the Globe said. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said economic losses from the fires and haze recorded from Feb 26 to April 4 last year were estimated at US$1.6 billion (S$2.2 billion).
This week, fires caused haze in Indonesia's Riau province. Regional wind patterns were, however, blowing the haze away from Malaysia and Singapore.
Last year, Indonesia ratified the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which says countries have to cooperate in taking measures to prevent, monitor and mitigate the haze by controlling the sources of fires, in exchanging information and technology, and in helping one another manage outbreaks.
But weak law enforcement in the country means fires continue to burn and often spread uncontrollably during the dry season.
Singapore's Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources enacted the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act last year, to give regulators the legal right to prosecute those countries responsible for causing severe air pollution.
Mr Kalla had previously deflected blame for the forest fires, saying it was foreign demand and foreign technology that caused it. "Somebody once told me that Indonesia must restore its tropical forests, and I told him, 'Excuse me? What did you say? Do you know who damaged our forests?' " he said.
- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/indonesias-vice-president-jusuf-kalla-criticises-neighbours-grumblin#sthash.cXBks407.dpuf
Pollution readings far exceed WHO guidelines; situation could worsen
TAN HUI YEE Straits Times 4 mar 15;
Haze hit unhealthy levels in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai yesterday as dry-season fires shroud the region in smoke.
It is an annual scourge in northern areas of the country from January to April as Thai farmers, as well as those in Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia, torch the land to clear scrub or agricultural waste.
The growth of contract farming has also exacerbated the problem.
During this period, Doi Suthep - Chiang Mai's landmark peak - can disappear from view while thousands of locals seek treatment for breathing ailments.
Yesterday, the Pollution Control Department's monitoring stations in Chiang Mai registered elevated 24-hour average readings of particulate matter of up to 10 microns in size (PM10).
At 2pm, there were up to 175 such particles per cubic metre of air, beyond Thailand's acceptable standard of 120 or the World Health Organisation's guideline of 50.
These unhealthy readings were also registered in the northern provinces of Lampang, Tak, Nan, Lamphun, Phayao and Mae Hong Son, which had the worst reading at 232.
Local media reported that Mae Hong Son ordered the closure of its airport yesterday due to poor visibility.
If weather conditions are unfavourable, the situation could worsen in the coming days, said Mr Jongklai Worapongsathorn, director of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Chiang Mai office.
"The big concern is the westerly wind blowing from Myanmar, which carries the haze across the border," he told The Straits Times.
"Satellite observation shows a lot of 'hot spots' within the country, and if the wind continues blowing in this direction, the situation could escalate within this week... The (PM10 reading) could be over 200 or even close to 300, like in recent years."
The Thai government has had little success with its attempts to control open burning and encourage agricultural waste to be ploughed into the soil instead of being burnt.
Fires are also causing haze in Sumatra's Riau province that is adjacent to Singapore, and are being worsened by a lack of rain over the past month.
Efforts are under way to fight fires in Bengkalis and Rokan Hilir districts in the province.
In Bengkalis, the number of hot spots declined to three yesterday from 15 in mid-February, according to Mr Herman, a villager and firefighting volunteer.
Regional wind patterns meant the haze was blowing towards the south-east, away from Singapore and Malaysia.
Mr M. Ali, secretary of Sepahat village in Bengkalis district, said sluice gates have been built in eight canals in the area to provide water to douse fires.
He praised the efforts of the military, police, Forestry Ministry officers and local volunteers.
"Fires emerge there, they move already. Very quick action."
tanhy@sph.com.sg
Additional reporting by Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja in Jakarta
Kyle Plantz PlanetArk 3 Mar 15;
Satellite data suggests forest loss is accelerating Photo: Bruno Kelly
A view is seen from the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) in Sao Sebastiao do Uatuma in the middle of the Amazon forest in Amazonas state January 10, 2015.
Photo: Bruno Kelly
Satellite images suggest tropical forests from the Amazon to the Philippines are disappearing at a far more rapid pace than previously thought, a University of Maryland team of forest researchers say.
The annual rate of deforestation from 1990 to 2010 was 62 percent higher than in the previous decade, and higher than previous estimates, according to a study carried out of satellite maps covering 80 percent of the world's tropical forests.
The new study questions the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) assessment, which suggested that the rate of deforestation actually decreased 25 percent from 1990 to 2010.
Until now, "the Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) report of the United Nation's FAO was the only one available source to estimate long term forest change and its trends," said Do-Hyung Kim, lead author of the study that is expected to be published in Geophysical Research Letters.
"However, the FAO report has been criticized for inconsistency in its survey methods and the definition of what is a forest. Our result is important in that we are providing a satellite-based alternative for the FRA," he said.
The FAO assessment has been based in large part on self reporting from tropical forest countries, Kim said. In contrast, Kim and his University of Maryland colleagues analyzed 5,444 Landsat images from 1990, 2000, 2005 and 2010 to assess how much forest was lost or gained 34 countries, which account for about 80 percent of tropical forest land in the world.
During the 1990 to 2000 time period, the annual net forest loss across all the countries was 4 million hectares (about 15,000 square miles or 40,000 square kilometers) per year, according to the study.
From 2000 to 2010, the net forest loss increased 62 percent to 6.5 million hectares (about 25,000 square miles or 65,000 square kilometers) per year - an area of forest clearing the size of Sri Lanka each year.
BIGGEST LOSSES IN LATIN AMERICA
The study found that tropical Latin America showed the largest increase annual net forest losses - 1.4 million hectares (about 5,400 square miles or 14,000 square kilometers) per year from the 1990s to the 2000s. Brazil topped the list with an annual 0.6 million-hectare loss (about 2,300 square miles or 6,000 square kilometers) per year.
Tropical Asia showed the second largest increase in deforestation with 0.8 million hectares (about 3,100 square miles or 8,000 square kilometers) lost per year, led by countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Tropical Africa showed the least amount of annual net forest area loss, but still saw a steady increase due to cutting primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar.
The U.N.'s Forest Resource Assessment reported during the same time period that there was a 25 percent decrease in deforestation in tropical forest countries.
SATELLITES OF 'LIMITED VALUE'
However, Rodney Keenan, a University of Melbourne forest science researcher who participated in the FAO's last forest assessment, said the agency's report might not be as flawed as it seems.
"The Kim study uses automated remotely sensed imagery only," he said. "This gives a picture of one aspect of forest change, while ground estimates and management information give other perspectives," such as whether land without trees is set to be reforested.
"Most experts consider that relying on remote sensing alone, as these authors have done, is of limited value in understanding forest dynamics and management," he said.
Keenan agreed that both approaches could be considered "complementary" and the new study presents "interesting new data".
However, Kim said the Forest Resource Assessment missed deforestation that is obvious in satellite images. For example, the FRA reported no change of deforestation rates in 16 of 34 countries looked at in both studies, including Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The new study, however, found increasing deforestation in those countries, he said.
Drivers of increased deforestation include an increase in urban population, logging and growth of agriculture, according to research from NASA.
Deforestation contributes about 10 percent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions that drive global warming, studies suggest, which has led to a range of efforts to reduce the problem.
The UN-led Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) effort, for instance, helps channel money from richer nations to poorer tropical forest ones in exchange for efforts to protect tropical forests.
Satellite imaging is one way to hold countries more accountable for their deforestation, Kim said. He noted that "as deforestation accelerates, we can project climate change will also accelerate."
Keenan said better understanding where and why deforestation happens can help "explore the opportunities to reduce (forest) conversion."
"Reducing deforestation, increasing forest area and sustainably managing our forests can be an important contribution to action on climate change," he said.
The FAO is set to issue an updated forest assessment in September at the World Forestry Congress.
(Editing by Laurie Goering)
Thousands of dead fishes still washing up; with otter surprise!
from wild shores of singapore
Pangolins Rise Symposium – 9 March Mon, 445pm @ LT12, NTU
from biodiversityconnections
21 Mar (Sat) Workshop: The Butterflies of HortPark
from Cicada Tree Eco-Place
Call for volunteer Site Captains to coordinate coastal cleanups in Singapore – deadline: 15 March 2015!
from News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore
Scarlet Pygmy ovipositing
Bird Ecology Study Group
Red Army
from Saving MacRitchie
Posts
visitors since Nov 07