Mass coral bleaching at Terumbu Pempang Tengah
wild shores of singapore
Mass coral bleaching at Pulau Semakau East
wild shores of singapore
Common Scarlet (Crocothemis servilia) @ Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Monday Morgue
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Best of our wild blogs: 24-25 Jul 16
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Malaysia’s largest marine park opens in Sabah
The Star 25 Jul 16;
KUDAT: Sabah has launched the Tun Mustapha Marine Park, the country’s largest marine park and it is now part of the massive Coral Triangle.
This marine park spreading almost 890,000ha from Kudat, Pitas and Kota Marudu will see the conservation and rehabilitation of marine lives, is just a step away from achieving a 10% conservation on seafront and marine lives by 2020.
The Coral Triangle is a marine area located in the western Pacific Ocean.
It includes the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Coral Triangle is named for the staggering number of corals (nearly 600 different species of reef-building corals alone) that nurture six of the world’s seven marine turtle species and more than 2,000 species of reef fish.
The Coral Triangle also supports large populations of commercial tuna, fuelling a multi-billion dollar global tuna industry but is at risk due to non-sustainable fishing and other marine activities.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who made this announcement at the Kudat Festival, said that the gazetting of the Tun Mustapha Marine Park was proof of the government’s commitment to protect the environment.
He added that such a move would benefit villagers as more tourists would be interested to visit Sabah.
This, he said, would generate more tourism revenue for the government and more business opportunities for the people.
“Tourism is among the main sectors for Sabah and the country, and that is why it is important for us to ensure that our natural resources are protected for generations to come,” he said.
Musa also said that other countries were interested to learn Sabah’s conservation efforts and policies.
Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Masidi Manjun, who was also present at the event, said the state’s main development agenda “is to see a balance with nature and conservation”.
“Sabah is pro-conservation, we want to make sure there’s a balance between physical development and the environment,” he said.
Masidi said Sabah must ensure that it looked after its resources and ensure the people continue benefit from it via the tourism industry.
“We want the locals to give their cooperation to the state and Sabah Parks,” he added.
Six Sabah marine parks to become shark sanctuaries
The Star 25 Jul 16;
KOTA KINABALU: Six of the marine parks under Sabah Parks will be gazetted as shark sanctuaries in an effort to protect the species.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Masidi Manjun made the announcement in the wake of the recent slaughter of sharks off Sabah’s Mabul island.
The incident which went viral on social media caused an uproar among netizens.
He said the move to gazette might be able to help protect the population of sharks around Sabah as the state government was not able to legally ban shark hunting and finning.
However, he said the initial approach would be more educational than imperative.
“We want to start the creation of shark sanctuaries by educating the people so that they feel that they have ownership of the programme,” Masidi said.
He explained that education was more important because in the end, the success or failure of a programme depended on how much the people felt that it belonged to them.
He added that he wanted the locals and fishermen to be with the government in making the initiative a success.
“We want them to understand that they can continue to hunt according to their traditions and way of life but to leave enough for conservation,” explained Masidi.
Tun Mustapha Park, Malaysia's largest marine park, officially launched
AVILA GERALDINE New Straits Times 24 Jul 16;
KUDAT: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman launched Tun Mustapha Park (TMP), Malaysia's biggest marine park, here today.
The park, spanning approximately 898762.76 hectares, promises better marine protection and conservation in this part of the world.
It was declared a protected area under the Sabah Parks Enactment 1984 by Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sabah Tun Juhar on May 19.
Speaking to the local community and tourists, Musa said the success of the gazettement was part of the state government's efforts in advancing the people's socio-economy through various sectors. "This is a historical event for us.
With the establishment of this large marine park, Malaysia's commitment in the Convention of Biological Diversity, United Nations Environment Programme to protect at least 10 per cent of the marine and coastal area can be achieved by 2020."
Present at the launch of the TMP were State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun and assistant minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming, and State Special Tasks Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang.
In 2003, the TMP was proposed by the Sabah government shortly after it was recognised as a globally-significant priority marine conservation area.
The marine park is located off the districts of Kudat, Kota Marudu and Pitas right up to the Balabac Strait.
It is also is situated within the Coral Triangle which is a six million sq km marine area that directly sustains and protects more than 120 million people in coastal communities across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.
With its declaration, the size of protected marine parks in Sabah now stretches to about two million hectares along with the Tun Sakaran Marine Park and the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park.
Meanwhile, Masidi said the six marine parks under Sabah Parks would be part of a sanctuary in an effort to protect the shark population.
"We will start the initiative of the creation of a shark sanctuary by educating the people so they too have ownership of the programme.
"I must admit that one of the reasons why there seems to be an apparent failure in wildlife protection is perhaps we have not done enough to educate the village folks on conservation.
"I believe the people need to feel passionate enough to be part of the system; that is what we need to emphasise in the enforcement of the shark sanctuary in all marine parks in Sabah."
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Malaysia: Tackle pollution in drainage system first
The Star 25 Jul 16;
PETALING JAYA: River pollution should be tackled upstream where the drains are, said Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) River Engineering and Urban Drainage Research Centre director Prof Dr Nor Azazi Zakaria.
Dr Nor Azazi said it would be pointless cleaning rivers if drains flowing into them continued to be dirty.
“There needs to be a sustainable design to trap and collect rubbish from flowing downstream. Clean drains mean clean rivers.
“The Government has also spent so much to maintain our rivers and to collect rubbish. We need to re-look our enforcement measures to overcome this.
“If rubbish keeps being dumped into drains and rivers, it would affect a river’s stability – the riverbed, river capacity and equilibrium would all be influenced adversely.
“Secondly, it will also affect water supply downstream and the aquatic life in the river,” he said.
Dr Nor Azizi said it was high time the Government seriously considered including the environment in the school curriculum, starting from the lower levels.
He said that awareness programmes such as the “Love Our River” campaign need to be run professionally to ensure they can be measured and improved on.
The “Love Our River” campaign is carried out by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) to encourage public awareness, empathy and care for rivers and includes concerted efforts to clean up rivers nationwide.
It was launched in 1993 to educate the public on the importance of rivers and the environment while highlighting the critical state of pollution of the rivers.
The Malaysia Environmental Quality Report 2014 showed that based on the 473 rivers monitored by the Department of Environment, 186 rivers (39%) were slightly polluted and 43 rivers (9%) were polluted in 2014.
This is an increase of the 173 rivers (36.6%) slightly polluted and 25 polluted rivers (5.3%) the previous year.
An average of 2,200 tonnes pollute rivers monthly despite campaigns
MANJIT KAUR The Star 25 Jul 16;
IPOH: Every second, someone is dumping rubbish into Malaysian waterways and an average of 2,200 tonnes of rubbish is being collected every month from traps built across rivers in the country.
In just the upper part of Sungai Klang, which includes Sungai Gombak and Sungai Batu, a total of 21 tonnes of rubbish is collected monthly.
The rubbish is collected from 11 trash screens built across rivers, and from 500 gross pollutant traps built in drains to prevent rubbish from flowing into rivers.
“This means that every day, people along the upper areas of Sungai Klang are throwing 700kg of rubbish into drains and rivers,” said Malaysian Water Partnership (MyWP) vice-chairman Datuk Hanapi Mohamad Noor.
“Despite numerous programmes and campaigns by the authorities, including the ‘Love Our River’ campaign launched more than 10 years ago, not much progress has been achieved,” he said in an interview.
“The campaign was to create public awareness and sensitivity towards the need for cleaner rivers. Yet, the responsibility is always left to the authorities without much support from the people,” he said.
Hanapi, who is a former DID River Basin Management Division director, said Sungai Klang was not the most polluted river but still significant as it flows into the Kuala Lumpur city centre.
Malaysians, he said, must understand that trash thrown onto roads or other public spaces would end up in the drains and rivers after the rain.
Hanafi said adequate funding for maintenance of drains and preservation of rivers had always been a problem.
The cleaning of rivers was not a one-off programme but should be carried out throughout the year, he said, adding that this meant that there was a need for an annual budget of about RM100mil yearly to clean the rivers in Malaysia.
As for the laws, he said they were adequate in dealing with litterbugs but there was a lack of enforcement.
“Singapore is seen to be successful in maintaining a cleaner environment, including the drains and rivers due to its strict enforcement of laws,” he said.
In Malaysia, he said 97% of water used for domestic, industrial and irrigation purposes came from surface water in rivers and reservoirs.
Hanapi cautioned that water supply to users would be affected if rivers were seriously polluted, since the upper section of intake points of water treatment plants, and operation for the plants would have to be closed then.
This, he said, had happened several times in Sungai Langat in Selangor when the river at the water supply intake points was found to be polluted with ammoniacal nitrogen.
“If more people realise that the water they are drinking comes from rivers, they may think twice before polluting it. The cost for water treatment can get really high. This could even lead to higher water tariffs,” he added.
Hanapi said the amount of rubbish that ended up in rivers was actually higher because not all rivers were installed with rubbish traps or log booms.
This also excludes the garbage that is collected by local authorities from drains, he added.
Plastic and polystyrene clogging up Klang River
ROYCE TAN The Star 25 Jul 16;
KUALA LUMPUR: A horrendous stench greets those who go near the log boom at the downstream of Sungai Batu, one of the tributaries of the Klang River.
What’s worse is the sight of the log boom where heaps of rubbish are collected, made up mainly of plastic bags and bottles and polystyrene containers.
A check by The Star recently found a kayak, motorcycle helmets, footballs, tree branches, tin cans and many others.
According to a spokesman from the Drainage and Irrigation Department’s (DID) Klang River basin office, this was a common sight at the log boom.
“We have even found things like sofa sets, mattresses, refrigerators, washing machines and motorcycle frames.
“Many take the easy way out by dumping everything into rivers, even though they know very well that this will pollute our rivers.
“This log boom itself (in Batu River) traps more than a tonne of rubbish monthly. It’s worse during the rainy season because more garbage gets washed into the rivers,” he said.
A log boom is a barrier placed in a river that is designed to collect or contain floating garbage.
Last year, 205 tonnes of rubbish were collected just from the Klang River and its many tributaries – 75 tonnes from gross pollutant traps (GPT), 60 tonnes from log booms and trash rakes and 70 tonnes from manual cleaning.
From January to April this year, 85 tonnes of rubbish have already been collected.
The spokesman said river cleaning was done using various methods such as installation of river traps like gross pollutant traps, log booms and trash rake, manual cleaning and the use of manpower and machineries.
He said GPTs were provided at the downstream end of drains or engineered waterways which discharge to sensitive rivers, water quality control ponds or urban lakes to reduce sediment load, litter, oil and chemicals.
“In the Klang Valley, the River of Life (RoL) project was initiated to transform the Klang-Gombak River corridor in Kuala Lumpur into a vibrant and liveable waterfront generating economic value.
“This project is focused on cleaning up and beautifying the polluted rivers in the Klang Valley.
“This initiative is led by DID with the support of 26 agencies across four ministries, including local authorities such as Selayang Municipal Council, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council and DBKL.
“DID has exceeded its target by completing the construction of 369 gross pollutant traps, log booms and trash rakes,” said the spokesman.
He added that the Government had allocated RM3bil since 2011 for the project until 2020.
The Government had also allocated RM114mil to rehabilitate rivers under the “One State One River” programme from 2006 to 2007.
Ministry: Work together in cleaning Sg Klang
The Star 26 Jul 16;
KUALA LUMPUR: The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry is calling on the Selangor state government and local councils to work together in cleaning up Sungai Klang.
Following a front page report by The Star that 21 tonnes of rubbish is collected monthly from the Klang Valley’s biggest river, minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said he wanted to keep its waters clean.
But the ministry’s will alone would not be enough, he said, noting that the Federal Government only had jurisdiction of 8km of the 120km river.
“The local councils must work with us. They cannot rely on my ministry alone because water resources and the river are under the state purview.
“This is why we are inviting Selangor to work together with us to make the river a river of life. If not, waste from domestic and industries will continue to pollute it,” he said.
Malaysian Water Partnership vice-chairman Datuk Hanapi Mohamad Noor said that as many as 700kg of rubbish was thrown into drains daily which eventually find its way into Sungai Klang.
This despite the “Love Our River” campaign that was launched more than 10 years ago.
The Malaysia Environmental Quality Report 2014 showed that based on the 473 rivers monitored by the Department of Environment, 186 rivers (39%) were slightly polluted and 43 rivers (9%) were polluted in 2014.
This is an increase of the 173 rivers (36.6%) slightly polluted and 25 polluted rivers (5.3%) the previous year.
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Malaysia: 60 wild elephants detected along Gerik-Jeli highway
BERNAMA New Straits Times 23 Jul 16;
GERIK: Users of the East-West Highway from Gerik-Jeli may at times be faced with a panic situation when they come across wild elephants roaming, and a large number of them crossing the highway.
According to the Perak Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) director Noor Alif Wira Osman, the wild elephants were from the Royal Belum State Park and Temenggor Forest Reserve here.
Noor Alif said there are more than 60 elephants in the area, which is equivalent to about 70 per cent of the big eared animal’s population in Perak.
“Five small groups of elephants were detected roaming along an 80-kilometre stretch of the road.
Normally, wild elephants will roam in the early morning, and late at night, depending on the weather,” he told Bernama here recently.
According to Noor Alif, although a 200m wildlife crossing (viaduct) had been constructed at KM157 of the route, wild animals including elephants still roamed in the area or sneaked onto the highway.
He also reminded the public, especially motorists to not panic when coming across wild animals on the road and honk at them, but instead give them way to cross the road. --BERNAMA
Drivers warned not to honk at elephants crossing roads
The Star 24 Jul 16;
GERIK: Users of the East-West Highway between Gerik and Jeli have been warned against approaching or honking at wild elephants crossing the road.
Perak Perhilitan director Noor Alif Wira Osman said these wild animals were from the Royal Belum state park and the Temenggor forest reserve.
“There were five small herds detected moving near a 80km stretch of the highway. They will normally wander in the early morning and late evening,” he said yesterday.
Noor Alif said although a 200m viaduct had been built at KM157 of the East West Road from Gerik to Jeli, elephants continued to wander along the highway.
Noor Alif reminded the public not to panic if they should come across the elephants.
“They should also not come out of their cars and approach the animals or throw any objects at them,” he said.
The Royal Belum state park is the third largest after Taman Negara in Pahang and the Crocker Range Park in Sabah, and is known for its endangered wildlife species, such as Sumatran rhinos, elephants, tapirs and primates. — Bernama
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Indonesia: Riau’s Zamrud forest named newest national park
Haeril Halim and Rizal Harahap The Jakarta Post 23 Jul 16;
The government on Friday celebrated World Environment Day (WED) by officially opening Zamrud National Park in Siak regency, Riau. The park aims to conserve the remaining forest and ecosystem against industry in the region, home to nearly 3 million hectares of palm oil and timber plantations for pulp and paper companies.
The decision of the Environment and Forestry Ministry to upgrade the status of the 31,000-ha peatland forest, which has two lakes inhabited by endangered species such as gold arowanas, from a wildlife reservation to a national park aims to ensure it is not converted for industrial use in the future.
In his speech for the event themed “Go Wild for Life”, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said massive industrial expansion in the forests of Riau had damaged the ecosystem and that the government would work to harmonize industrial and environmental policy.
“If the environment is exploited on a large scale for economic purposes, that will harm the environment. There must be harmony between the two,” Kalla said, adding that the environment needed to be preserved for the future of the Earth.
His comments were in line with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s pledge to impose a moratorium on new oil palm plantation licenses in light of severe deforestation, especially in Kalimantan and Sumatra.
Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said the new status of the Zamrud forest would protect it from unlawful activities such as illegal logging and plantation encroachment.
“The existence of the Zamrud National Park is a boon for environmental sustainability,” Siti said.
Around 5.7 million ha of Riau’s total 9 million-ha area are peatland forest prone to annual fires.
The province made headlines in 2015 after being blanketed in choking smog for several months, causing respiratory problems in hundreds of local people and trillions of rupiahs in state losses from disruptions to economic activity. The haze also polluted neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.
Friday’s event was the first time the government has held WED celebrations outside of Jakarta. Also on Friday, the Environment and Forestry Ministry gave out dozens of awards to local administrations, such as Surabaya and Surakarta cities, for their environmental achievements, a WED tradition.
“Zamrud is now the third national park in Riau after Bukit Tiga Puluh and Tesso Nilo national parks,” Siak Regent Syamsuar said, adding that the proposal to increase Zamrud’s status to national park had been submitted in 2002.
Zamrud, the regent claimed, is the only national park boasting pristine forest.
“The forest at Giam Siak Kecil has been destroyed by encroachment. If encroachers run out of room there, they will certainly move on to Zamrud. Even now, certain parties are attempting to claim land on the periphery of Zamrud. It is just a matter of time. That’s why we need to start protecting it now,” Syamsuar added.
He added that the deforestation at Tesso Nilo park in Pelalawan regency should serve as a lesson for the government.
“We strove to convince the Environment and Forestry Minister to grant national park status to Zamrud forest. If Zamrud forest is damaged, there’ll be no more forest in Siak,” the regent said.
Zamrud forest is home to 38 types of bird, of which 12 are endangered, as well as endangered mammals such as Sumatran tigers, deer and tapirs.
On Friday, the ministry freed three eagles and 56 gold arowanas in Zamrud to mark the conservation efforts.
Zamrud also contains major gas resources, which are currently being exploited by PT Bumi Siak Pusako and PT Pertamina Hulu.
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Philippines: Red tide engulfs Samar, Leyte bays
The Standard 24 Jul 16;
TACLOBAN CITY—The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has expressed alarm over the red tide phenomenon in Eastern Visayas that has already killed two children.
BFAR’s regional office said that red tide toxins found on May 27 in Irong Irong Bay in Tarangnan, Samar and Cambatutay Bay in Catbalogan City have spread to nearby Maqueda Bay, Villareal Bay and Carigara Bay.
Maqueda Bay is a major source of mussels for residents of Jiabong, Catbalogan City, Motiong, Paranas, Pinabacdao, Hinabangan, San Sebastian, and Calbiga in Samar. The area has been shipping shellfish to Manila for export.
Another rich source of shellfish is Carigara Bay in Carigara, Barugo, San Miguel, Leyte, and Capoocan towns in Leyte province.
BFAR regional director Juan Albaladejo said that a family of seven from Cagutsan village, Sierra Island in Catbalogan City were brought to the Samar Provincial Hospital and later to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center after consuming penshell locally known as “sarad.”
An 11-year-old girl from the family died due to paralytic shellfish poisoning on July 17.
On July 20, another family from San Andres village also in Catbalogan consumed mussels for dinner bought from a village market. Two of their children were hospitalized after suffering severe stomach pain.
A five-year-old boy succumbed to dehydration at the Samar Provincial Hospital the same day.
The fisheries bureau asked local government units to assist in the information drive and enforcement of shellfish ban, which strictly prohibits consumption, trading, and transport of shellfish gathered from infested bays.
“It’s unfortunate that these incidents happen despite effort to warn the public starting from the onset of red tide recurrence,” Albaladejo said.
“We reiterate our public advisory to refrain from eating, harvesting, marketing, and buying shellfishes and Acetes specially from affected bays until such time that the shellfish toxicity level has gone down below the regulatory level,” he said.
Fish, squid, shrimp and crab are safe to eat “provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking,” according to BFAR.
In the last quarter of 2015, Eastern Visayas region was hit by what the BFAR described as the biggest red tide bloom that has not been seen in the region for more than three decades.
Red tide spreads in Samar, Leyte
Restituto A. Cayubit Manila Bulletin 27 Jul 16;
Tacloban City, Leyte – Several bays in Samar and Leyte are infested with red tide, prompting the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Regional Office 8 based here to warn the public against consuming shellfish harvested by the contaminated waters.
BFAR-8 Regional Director Juan Albaladejo told reporters two children in Catbalogan City were killed reportedly after eating shellfish gathered from the waters near the city.
Albaladejo told reporters the red tide or harmful algal bloom was first observed on the last week of May in Iromg-irong Bay of Tarangnan, Samar. It has since spread to neighboring Maqaueda Bay which covers the city of Catbalogan and the Samar towns of San Sebastian, Hinabangan, Calbiga, Paranas, Motiong, Jiabong,Pinabacdao, and Villareal Bay.
He said the red tide has also reached Carigara Bay in Leyte and Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar.
Samples of shellfish gathered from Matarinao Bay last July 22 showed a reading of 65 toxins per 100 grams of shellfish meat, way above the safe limit of below 49 toxins per 100 grams of shellfish meat.
The toxins produced by the algal bloom can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Albaladejo warned the public not to gather and eat shellfish, crab, shrimp and squid from the infected bays.
He said fish from the same areas are safe for human consumption as long as the gills and innards are removed and the fish is washed properly.
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Best of our wild blogs: 23 Jul 16
Seagrass meadows next to the Changi Boardwalk, with otter
wild shores of singapore
If you have a masked fruit bandit in your roof & wish to remove it, what should you do?
Life of a common palm civet in Singapore
TECH TARIK 2016 – Oceans Exploration
Neo Mei Lin
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Indonesia calls on neighbours to help tackle forest fires
Saifulbahri Ismail Channel NewsAsia 23 Jul 16;
JAKARTA: Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Friday (Jul 22) reiterated his call to neighbouring countries to help Indonesia tackle forest fires.
"If they want, let’s work together for common interest. In the past, Singapore, and Malaysia has helped - that’s good. Don’t just blame (Indonesia). It’s not that we like (the situation), no," said Mr Kalla during his visit to Siak regency, Riau province, on Friday as reported by online news portal detik.com.
Mr Kalla was in Riau, one of the provinces badly affected by the forest fires last year, to commemorate World Environment Day. The massive forest fires devastated more than two million hectares of land causing toxic haze to blanket parts of Indonesia and the region.
This year, fewer hot spots have been detected, and the Indonesian government attributed this partly to better efforts in anticipation what caused the fires, and containing them early.
“Do we really like the haze? No, right? But it was because of natural occurrences, and acts of people. What is important is that we are working hard. We are trying to restore the peatlands, we are providing all the necessary equipment,” said Mr Kalla.
He pointed out that helicopters are on stand-by at the airports, and the government is ready to deploy the military, police and local communities to fight the fires.
“As I’ve always said, the neighbouring countries must be fair. If the situation is good, they get good air, but if the situation is bad, we go through the bad times together. The first to get it is the people in Riau, Jambi. They suffered more than over there (the region),” said Mr Kalla.
The outspoken vice president has denounced neighbouring countries several times in the past for complaining about the haze caused by forest fires in Indonesia.
However, Indonesia’s efforts in tackling forest fires came into question when 15 out of 18 companies suspected of being responsible for the forest fires last year got off the hook with the law.
On Thursday, detik.com reported that the district police in Riau will be stopping investigations on the 15 companies due to the lack of evidence.
“It does not fulfil the elements of intent nor negligence, so we decide to stop investigating the cases,” said Senior Commissioner Rivai Sinambela, Director for Special Criminal Investigation, Riau police district.
Commissioner Rival said that the fires happened on land which have conflicting ownership with the community, and not on areas belonging to the companies.
In 2015, police began investigations on 18 companies suspected of causing forest fires, but only three went to the courts. The three companies PT Langgam Inti Hibrindo, PT Palm Lestari Makmur and PT Wahana Subur Sawit were eventually acquitted.
- CNA/ec
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Malaysia: Animal accidents are avoidable
BERNAMA New Straits Times 22 Jul 16;
KUALA LUMPUR: Recent reports have indicated that there are more than 1,914 animal deaths on our roads and highways since 2011.
According to the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), in the last 15 years, Malaysia has lost around 60,000 species of animal life forms a year as a result of natural areas being cleared to make way for development-logging, plantations, housing and various other human exploits.
The rapid development is a major cause of concern for the habitat protection in our country. Almost every other day, monkeys, monitor lizards and iguanas are victims of vehicles on the highways, with their carcasses being repeatedly flattened on the roads.
Development has encroached into the livelihoods of our primates. Such animals who have lived for eons in the deep forests are coming out to urban areas in search of food since development has stolen their homes and sources of food for their livelihood.
The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) Conservation and Biodiversity confirmed that 378 foxes, 170 wild boars, 65 leopards and 33 tapirs were also fatal victims of such incidents, with many more unaccounted for as their numbers are unknown.
Our tigers, hornbills, elephants, tapirs, foxes, whales, dolphins and even insects must be protected and nurtured.
NGO’s like MNS and WWF have tirelessly put in great effort on a wide range of issues like the Kuala Muda coast in Penang to national issues in the Belum -Temengor Forest Complex, Endau-Rompin and Taman Negara as some examples of where our policy and advocacy have succeeded in ensuring effective conservation of our wildlife.
They are also working closely with the Federal and State agencies on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Over 750 bird species have been recorded within the country’s political boundaries in various habitat types or ecosystems ranging from the lush, evergreen tropical rainforests to even man-made environments such as urban parks and fruits orchards. There are about 37 species which are highly vulnerable to be extinct.
Insects, or rather commonly known as bugs, are also aplenty. Most people hate bugs. They bite or sting, cause allergic reactions, transmit germs, and perhaps leave a little hole here and there among our belongings.
They may be small and insignificant, and nice to squish. However, human culture is largely connected or influenced by insects as thousands of years ago they were greatly associated in aspects of symbolisms, religion and philosophy, right up to literature, medical and therapeutic value, art and entertainment; all unmatched by any other group of animals on the planet.
Insects plays a major role for life on Earth. They are cleaners and decomposers, pollinators, food producers and food themselves, amongst others, whilst humans use them for medicine and food, art, dye and jewellery.
The Kuala Selangor Fireflies Protected Area (Restricted Activities) may be the country’s first insect habitat protection programme. We need more gazetted of such protected areas to show our commitment towards nature.
I was made to understand that there are massive plans for development within the restricted area along the coastal area which will have a direct impact on the “Berembang” trees - the home of the fireflies.
Though there are several detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA) studies for almost all development projects, very few are being enforced today.
These reports must be studied immediately and carefully, and implemented to avoid abuse and neglect of the ideas, plans and locations for such areas.
There should be more road signs to highlight wild animal crossings; transverse bars to reduce the crossing of the animals on our highways; well-maintained high quality fencing to prevent animals from getting onto the roads; viaducts on the highway which are hot spots for wild animals and speed breakers at strategic locations to reduce the collision between vehicles and wildlife.
The Malaysian Highway Authorities is tasked with improving and maintaining the laws in the area of road safety.
It must involve the cooperation of state governments, local authorities, government agencies and stakeholders with the ultimate aim of reducing vehicle-animal crashes through several approaches such as more underpasses and overpasses, better fencing, plantings and combinations of all.
A sustainable action plan must be devised by the government with the concerted support of the NGO’s and all related agencies to produce affirmative plans what will ensure that we will not lose the wonderful natural habitats which is our national asset.
Malaysia is the twelfth richest mega-centre for biodiversity in the world and we have over 185,000 types of animal species and 15,000 of flowering plants.
Unfortunately, our biodiversity is under threat and we are listed under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Data list.
Malaysia tops the list under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. To address this, I think the government, the NGOs and every citizen of our nation must embark on initiatives that preserve the flora and fauna species as per the IUCN guidelines.
Environmental awareness must be made as syllabus in all our schools curriculum, to educate especially our future generations.
The Malaysian mind set, attitude and commitment towards using our natural resources must be done wisely. It is not just the government’s role to protect the habitats. It is the responsibility of everyone.
NGO’s are struggling to fulfill the increasing demands of development without any sustainability in the road map of development. Species protection is the key to advocating the conservation of these habitats as it will allow for flora and fauna to thrive in their natural environment. -- Bernama
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Malaysia: Two-metre high flood waters engulf parts of Klang Valley
ZAHRATULHAYAT MAT ARIF New Straits Times 22 Jul 16;
KUALA LUMPUR: A severe thunderstorm today saw homeward-bound motorists caught in gridlock after several areas were inundated by flash floods.
The 4pm downpour, which lasted more than two hours, triggered flash floods in several areas of the Klang Valley.
These included Jalan Cheras, Kampung Cheras Baru and Jalan Lapangan Terbang in Subang.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director Mohd Sani Harul said they received reports of metre-deep flood waters, but noted that no injuries were reported.
Mohd Sani said the department first received a distress call between 4pm and 5pm as the water level almost reached up to a metre deep near the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.
The flash floods brought traffic to a standstill.
"Traffic slowed to a crawl for several hours, especially near the exit to the New Klang Valley Expressway," he said, adding that traffic conditions were back to normal by about 9pm.
Mohd Sani said the motorcycle lane along the Federal Highway near Subang Jaya was flooded between 4.30pm and 5.30pm. “The floodwaters were about a metre high.
Water from Sungai Damansara also overflowed there,” he said.
In Kampung Cheras, flood waters reaches up to two-metres in depth due to the failure of flood control pumping stations.
Meanwhile, stagnant water and poor drainage in Jalan Cheras headed towards Kuala Lumpur caused flash floods at 6.10pm.
"Firemen established that poor drainage led to the flash flood," he said.
Meanwhile, a City Fire and Rescue Department spokesman also cited that the construction of the mass rapid transit (MRT) system as a contributing factor.
Storm triggers flood chaos
The Star 23 Jul 16;
PETALING JAYA: Thunderstorms wreaked havoc in several locations in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, causing flash floods that led to traffic snarl-ups.
Strong winds and downpours were reported yesterday near the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang with flood levels rising up to thigh-high.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director Mohd Sani Harul said the flash floods occurred between 4pm and 5pm.
“It resulted in traffic slowing to a crawl for several hours, especially near the exit to the New Klang Valley Expressway,” he said.
Several motorists took to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
User @adrianashrmaine tweeted: “Subang airport to Glenmarie takes two hours.”
Another user, Khairun Nisa Ismail speaking as @putrikulon, bristled: “Shah Alam to Subang to Sungai Buloh. It took two hours. Omg terok giler traffic (traffic is horrible).”
Mohd Sani said a motorcycle lane along the Federal Highway near Subang Jaya was also flooded between 4.30pm and 5.30pm.
“The flood was about a metre-deep in the low-lying area. Sungai Damansara also burst its banks there,” he added.
Meanwhile, stagnant water and poor drainage in Jalan Cheras heading to Kuala Lumpur caused a flash flood at 6.10pm. A Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department spokesman also cited the mass rapid transit (MRT) construction as a contributing factor to the situation.
Separately, a team of firefighters removed a wall that collapsed at SK Taman Seri Rampai in Kuala Lumpur.
The spokesman said the wall had collapsed last month and needed to be removed to prevent schoolchildren from falling into a drain.
KL roads choked with traffic after heavy rain and flash floods
P. DIVAKARAN The Star 22 Jul 16;
PETALING JAYA: Several areas in Kuala Lumpur are experiencing unusually slow traffic after flash floods and heavy rain in the city on Friday afternoon.
According to Star Traffic's twitter account @mytraffic, traffic as at 5pm is slow along most main roads in and around Kuala Lumpur.
It was reported that traffic at 4pm was backed up along the East West Link (E37) from Seputeh to Taman Desa, possibly due to flash floods in the area.
Meanwhile, stagnant water caused problems for motorist on Besraya near the CIMB bank from the Pandan Jaya LRT station to Pandan Indah.
As at 4.45pm, however, the water level at both these areas had receded although traffic was reported to be moving slowly.
Heavy traffic is also reported around Jalan Syed Putra (from Mid Valley to the Kuen Cheng High School) and at Jalan Sultan Iskandar (from the Parliament building to PWTC).
Motorist are also being advised to expect delays along the Kerinchi Link from the Pantai toll headed towards the city via the Federal Highway.
The SMART tunnel remains open to traffic along both decks.
Flash floods and traffic chaos after Klang Valley thunderstorm
NADIRAH H. RODZI The Star 22 Jul 16;
PETALING JAYA: An afternoon thunderstorm wreaked havoc in several areas in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, causing flash floods that led to traffic mayhem in the Klang Valley.
Strong winds and heavy downpours were reported Friday near the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang with floodwaters reaching thigh-high.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director Mohd Sani Harul said the flash floods occurred between 4pm and 5pm.
“It resulted in traffic to slow to a crawl for several hours, especially near the exit to the New Klang Valley Expressway," he said.
Several motorists took to Twitter to vent their frustrations over the traffic mayhem.
A user with the tweet handle @adrianashrmaine tweeted: “Subang airport to Glenmarie takes two hours.”
Another user, identified as Khairun Nisa Ismail with the tweet handle @putrikulon, said: “Shah Alam to Subang to Sungai Buloh. It took two hours. Omg terok giler traffic (God, the traffic was horrible).”
Mohd Sani added that the motorcycle lane along the Federal Highway near Subang Jaya was flooded between 4.30pm and 5.30pm.
“The floodwater was about a metre high. Water from Sungai Damansara also overflowed there,” he said.
Meanwhile, stagnant water and poor drainage in Jalan Cheras heading towards Kuala Lumpur caused a flash floods at 6.10pm.
A KL Fire and Rescue Department spokesman also cited construction of the mass rapid transit (MRT) as a contributing factor.
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Indonesia: Over 40% of Riau's Forests Have Been Cut Down -- NGO
Ratri M. Siniwi Jakarta Globe 22 Jul 16;
Jakarta. The Indonesian arm of the World Research Institute's Global Forest Watch has revealed that over 40 percent of Riau's forests have been cut down for concessions since 2001, ranking it as the province with the highest level of deforestation in the country.
"You can see from the map that over the years, tree cover loss in Riau has accumulatively grown since 2001," WRI Indonesia member Hidayah Hamzan said in Jakarta on Thursday (21/07). He added that 75 percent of the province was once covered by forests.
However, on the bright side, GFW's maps – which are freely available for public access – also showed that tree cover has increased in Riau in recent years, making WRI Indonesia hopeful for the future of the province's forests.
"There are a number of replanting, restoring and regenerating activities in the area. Although some tree cover loss is near protected areas [such as the Tesso Nilo National Park], we must ensure and warn forest rangers about possible deforestation in those areas," Hidayah said.
Global Forest Watch recently launched a map to identify and predict forest fires around the world, including Indonesia, to help companies see improvements or law-breaking issues happening in their concessions.
They have also added the new Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) alert system for Kalimantan's forests to act as a warning system and to spot potential fires almost in real time by using satellite data.
Users are able to see recent tree cover loss data, as the map is updated weekly. They can also subscribe to alerts on the website. GLAD alerts have been installed for Kalimantan, with the WRI hoping to expand the system throughout the archipelago.
Another recently added feature Global Forest Watch has on their maps is the commodities palm risk tool, which indicates and analyses each mill's risk of unsustainability and legality, helpful for businesses to learn about more sustainable methods.
Together with global consumer goods company Unilever, it is part of an initiative that would help businesses to move towards sustainable supply chain commodity practices by using deforestation-free palm oil.
"We're working together with our global partner Unilever, who is committed to be deforestation-free by 2019, and they help us by giving us input of what data companies need to move towards a sustainable development," WRI Indonesia deputy director Andika Putraditama said. "Palm oil is the most problematic commodity, and we want to change that."
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Indonesia: 'Riau One Map' a Platform for Sustainable Forest Management
Ratri M. Siniwi Jakarta Globe 22 Jul 16;
Jakarta. Following the goals of the government's "one map" policy, World Research Institute Indonesia recently initiated the Riau One Map to encourage sustainable forest and land management in the province.
The campaign will take four years, with members of the research institute facing an uphill battle in collecting, gathering, preparing, consolidating and delivering data, while at the same time keeping negotiations transparent.
Currently, an indicative map of Riau's open land and forests has been compiled by REDD+ — an international effort to reduce carbon emission — but a definitive map still has a long way to go.
Nirarta Samadhi, WRI Indonesia Director, stressed that the end goal is not to create the map, but to create a credible platform allowing relevant stakeholders to talk about the issues faced in land and forest management in the province.
"We must open up a communication platform which promotes transparency. This will help reduce conflict and identify the problems faced by each stakeholder," Nirarta said on Thursday (21/07).
According to the director, a transparent platform will help determine land borders and land redistribution – a common conflict between the private sector and government when fires break out in unregistered lands – which can help increase revenues, he claims.
"We can increase non-tax base revenues considerably, by 60 percent to 300 percent," Nirarta claimed.
The research institute has chosen Riau as the location of this pilot project because of numerous, problematic land-related cases in the province, with deforestation levels and carbon emissions higher than in other provinces in the country.
According to Nararta, government authorities have their own land and forest maps containing different data, which stresses the need for a single map for Riau.
The Riau One Map will be freely available to the public after four years. If all things go well, WRI Indonesia will expand the One Map project to South Sumatra and Papua by 2018.
Many experts believe forest and peat land fires in Indonesia are likely to start up again when the rainy season ends. They say not enough has been done yet to head off the risks.
Slash-and-burn clearance of land — much of it to plant oil palm, and trees to make pulp and paper — is the main culprit fueling the fires that smolder deep underground in peat. They have pushed up pollution levels, disrupting daily life from Indonesia to Singapore and Malaysia.
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