Best of our wild blogs: 25-26 Nov 16

#throughthegrapevine: A Pioneer’s Journey
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2017 Jumping Spiders Calendar
Macro Photography in Singapore

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An appetite for giving: Helping companies to donate leftover food

Lim Jia Qi Channel NewsAsia 25 Nov 16;

SINGAPORE: Pork ribs, roast beef, pastas and cold cuts - all this leftover food from restaurant LeVeL33's buffet used to be tossed out with the garbage.

But in July this year, the upmarket establishment in Marina Bay decided to put the uneaten food to a better use, giving it away to the Hiding Place, a drug rehabilitation halfway house in Choa Chu Kang.

“(We) believe in zero wastage (and) sustainability, with the highest priority in giving back to those who are disadvantaged,” said a spokesperson from LeVeL33.

Every Saturday, the excess from the restaurant’s brunch buffet is packed into small containers and picked up by Hiding Place staff. The food is usually enough for about 20 people.

While some people may reject such food as leftovers, the beneficiaries at The Hiding Place see it as a welcome treat.

“Every week, we get this food and we are really blessed because it is very fresh. Frankly speaking, this is part of a luxury for us ... because all this is very good food,” said Satiyan Sankaran, 62, as he scraped up the last bit of food that was left on his plate.

“Even when we are in Singapore, in a rich country, there are still people who don’t have such luxuries that we are having and I want to thank the various establishments for giving us this food,” Mr Sankaran added.

But while LeVeL33 is putting excess food to better use, statistics suggest that its strategy is not being widely adopted. Over the past decade, the amount of food waste generated in Singapore has increased by about 45 per cent to 790,000 tonnes in 2015. And only 13 per cent of it was recycled and the remaining 87 per cent was disposed of.

MORE COMPANIES DONATING PERISHABLE FOODS

Nevertheless, a trend seems to be developing - more companies are donating excess perishable food to those in need via charities and non-profit organisations.

In 2014, Marina Bay Sands (MBS) started giving dry food such as bread to Food from the Heart, which distributes food to those in need. And since May, the hotel started giving away unserved food from its banquets to the less fortunate via the Food Bank Singapore.

“The largest segment of our waste stream is food waste. If you can develop solutions around that, it makes really good sense for your business,” said Kevin Teng, MBS’ executive director of sustainability. So far, the hotel has donated about 500kg to 800kg of banquet items.

Before it started to make the donations, MBS wanted to ensure it could do so without the food spoiling. It now blast chills items before they are passed on for distribution. “We spent nearly a year doing it in-house and taking microbial tests for the food. I think liability is absolutely a concern, but we can take measures and methodical steps to minimise it as best as possible,” Mr Teng added.

Besides MBS, the Food Bank Singapore has also seen more partners contributing to its Food Rescue Project, which collects cooked food from restaurants and eateries and distributes it to the needy. Started last year, the programme currently has about 12 partners such as online supermarket RedMart and Hilton Singapore.

In recent months, BreadTalk has also jumped on the bandwagon, donating its unsold bread to Food from the Heart.

But charity organisations hope that more food establishments can be persuaded to come forth to donate.

NOT ENOUGH FOOD DONATIONS

“With the amount of food that is going around, it's definitely not enough,” said Anson Quek, executive director of Food from the Heart. The organisation, which redistributes bread and non-perishable food items, has so far collected about S$700,000 worth of food items this year, to support 25,000 beneficiaries. The group hopes to expand its network and support 50,000 beneficiaries by 2018.

“There are about 105,000 HDB households living with a gross household income of less than S$1,500. So, if you multiply (that) by four, you are talking about half a million people living under those conditions. We are just touching the surface,” said Mr Quek.

But Mr Quek noted that many companies still have the mindset that their brand would be affected if anything happens to those who are given leftover food.

“Some organisations are concerned that if their food is given out to the recipients and if anything happens after consuming it, such as food poisoning ... it will tarnish their brand image,” said Mr Quek.

Co-founder of the Food Bank Singapore Nichol Ng agreed, saying that many companies are worried about their brand.

"It’s not just about after people eating and then getting diarrhoea. We have met businesses - some local brands, large brands - (and) the owners actually said ‘Can you ensure that your drivers do not let people know that I’m donating food to you?’ Because they equate food donation to excess food to lousy business,” said Ms Ng.

To assuage concerns and streamline the process of food donation, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) launched a guide in October that outlines steps for companies who wish to donate their unsold and excess food to charity organisations.

TAX REBATES AND GOOD SAMARITAN LAW TO INCREASE FOOD DONATION

Mr Quek pointed out that the guide is a first step towards reducing food waste at the national level but having a so-called Good Samaritan law in Singapore would encourage more companies to give away their excess food.

Currently, the United States and Panama are among the countries that have such laws, which protect donors from civil and criminal liability arising out of food donations.

“It gives the donors a sense of assurance. And if I donate food, it's out of goodwill and I will not be penalised in the event if there is any incident. It's one way to encourage food donors to come forward,” said Mr Quek.

Crowne Plaza’s senior distribution and relationship marketing manager Aileen Yong said the hotel would consider donating its excess cooked food if there was a similar law in Singapore. “If there is a law like that, we may consider because we also want charities to benefit from the extra food that we have,” she said.

“Because of the food safety regulations, we try not to distribute food outside of the hotel. We are concerned that if they bring the food out of the hotel, if they leave it under the sun for too long, if the food is spoilt and if they are not aware, it might cause a health risk,” she added.

Having a Good Samaritan law would alleviate some of those concerns, but Ms Ng said having some tax incentives would be more effective to get companies to donate food.

“What will really push people is if there is a tax rebate for donations which include food. So now for all donations in dollars, there is a 250 per cent tax rebate. So, if we have that, I think food donations will increase drastically,” she said. “Because on the companies’ balance sheets, their profit and loss, instead of treating the food as a complete write-off, they can look at it as a donation.”

Mr Quek urged companies who are hesitant to donate their excess food to participate in their food distribution activities.

“For companies who are not sure about food donation, participate in our food distribution. Go down to the ground to see who are the beneficiaries so they know where the food goes to. It will give them peace of mind.”

For Mr Sankaran, he is grateful to LeVeL33 and other companies for their generosity. "This is all good food ... we are really blessed and thankful," he said.

- CNA/jq

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Monsoon season to start in late November

Channel NewsAsia 24 Nov 16;

SINGAPORE: The monsoon season is expected to start in late November, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) and PUB in a joint statement on Thursday (Nov 24).

The northeast monsoon season is common in the southern ASEAN region and comprises of a wet and dry phase. The wet phase – from December to January – is characterised by short-duration moderate to heavy thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon, and extending into the evening on some days.

There is an average of 18 days of rain in December and 13 in January, the agencies said.

There may also be two to four episodes of monsoon surges – periods of prolonged, widespread, moderate to heavy rain lasting between two and five days, occasional windy conditions and cooler temperatures.

In contrast, the dry phase from February to March typically brings less rainfall and drier weather conditions.

During the northeast monsoon season, MSS said it will issue heavy rain warnings when intense rain or prolonged monsoon rain is expected, in addition to regular weather forecasts and warnings.

Members of the public can monitor the risk of flash floods at PUB’s website.

PREPARING FOR FLASH FLOODS

In preparation for the monsoon season, officers from PUB have distributed advisories to around 600 residents and shop owners in low-lying and hotspot areas. The advisories have tips the public can take to protect their belongings and premises against possible flash floods.

About 100 major construction worksites have also been checked to ensure that the rains around the sites are free-flowing. PUB added that it is working with agencies and town councils to ensure drains and canals across Singapore are kept functioning effectively.

The National Environment Agency has also increased the frequency of its checks and clearing of drains.

Drainage improvement projects are currently on-going at 76 locations. Drainage improvement works to the Sunset Way outlet drain are expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2017, while works at Kallang River – between Bishan Road and Braddell Road - are expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2018.

PUB added that it also has plans to start drainage upgrading at 26 locations by year-end.

- CNA/ek

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Higher energy standards for refrigerators from December 2017

Channel NewsAsia 25 Nov 16;

SINGAPORE: Energy standards will be raised for refrigerators being sold in Singapore starting next December, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Friday (Nov 25).

The Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for the appliance will be raised by between 5 and 13 per cent, depending on the refrigerator category. The number of ticks indicates the relative energy efficiency of the product.

The least energy efficient refrigerator models within the 1-tick band that do not meet the enhanced MEPS will be phased out. These models represent about 15 per cent of all refrigerator models currently available in the market. Sales of the remaining 1-tick models that meet the enhanced MEPS can continue.

The move will help households save on energy costs and increase the supply of more energy efficient refrigerators in the market, the agency said, adding that refrigerators account for about 18 per cent of total household electricity consumption.

Households that use a three-tick refrigerator instead of a one-tick model can save an estimated S$75 in electricity bills each year, it noted.

NEA said that since the introduction of mandatory energy labelling in 2008 and MEPS for refrigerators in 2011, the average efficiency of refrigerators has improved by about 26 per cent, resulting in more than S$18 million in annual energy cost savings for households, or the yearly electricity consumption of around 14,000 homes.

These measures have also led to a total carbon abatement of about 0.03 MT - equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of close to 9,000 cars, it added.

- CNA/kk

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Foldable bicycles, PMDs allowed on public transport from Dec 1 as part of 6-month trial

Kenneth Lim Channel NewsAsia 24 Nov 16;

SINGAPORE: Owners of foldable bicycles and personal mobility devices (PMDs) like e-scooters and hoverboards may bring these items on board buses and trains from Dec 1 this year, as part of a six-month trial, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Thursday (Nov 24).

The devices, however, have to be within the size criteria of 120cm x 70cm x 40cm. Measuring charts will be set up in in train stations and bus interchanges islandwide. These are similar to sizing charts used in airports to measure the sizes of carry-on bags.

Currently, foldable bicycles are only allowed on buses and trains during off peak hours, and only smaller ones of up to 114cm x 64cm x 36cm are permitted.

Rules and guidelines include:

• Foldable bicycles/PMDs must be folded at all times in the MRT/LRT stations, bus interchanges/terminals and on trains and buses.
• Motorised PMDs must be switched off when brought on board trains and buses.
• Wheels of foldable bicycles/PMDs are to be wrapped up if they are dirty or wet.
• Protruding parts likely to cause injury or damage property are to be covered up or retracted (e.g. handle bars and bicycle pedals).
• Only one foldable bicycle/PMD is allowed on a bus at any one time.
• Foldable bicycles/PMDs are not allowed on the upper deck of a bus or on the staircase leading to the upper deck.
• Commuters should not ride their foldable bicycles or PMDs within the MRT/LRT stations and bus interchanges/terminals.

Guidelines:

• Commuters should be responsible for the safe carriage of their foldable bicycles/PMDs and should hold or carry their foldable bicycles/PMDs.
• Foldable bicycles/PMDs should not block the aisles and doors or impede commuters’ movement at any time.
• When travelling by train, commuters with foldable bicycles/PMDs should use the first or last car, which is usually less crowded.
• Commuters with foldable bicycles/PMDs should use the wide fare gates at MRT/LRT stations where they are available
“They (the PMDs) should fit the stipulated dimensions so they are not too large and they wouldn't cause too much inconvenience to the other commuters,” said Tan Shin Gee, director of LTA’s Active Mobility Unit and Policy. “We've also put in place other rules to ensure the safety of commuters - such as these cyclists or PMD users, they would have to fold their devices and they will have to either carry them or wheel them along once they enter the public transport system."

With the trial, LTA said it hopes to encourage more people to take public transport, and for commuters to incorporate cycling, or PMDs in their daily commute. This comes as personal mobility devices are seen as possible solutions to the “first mile-last mile” problem facing Singapore and other dense urban cities.

Commuters Channel NewsAsia spoke to had mixed feelings about sharing train or bus space with the devices.

"I don't think it's advisable actually,” said Lynn Kang, a 60-year-old freelancer. “It will take up a lot of space. As you can see, the trains are very crowded, so with these bulky items, I don't think it's convenient."

Another commuter, student Vihanga Karunathilake, said: "As long as they keep in mind to not disturb other people and they stay in the space - it's alright.”

Ultimately LTA said the trial’s success depends on “the co-operation of everyone." For example, commuters with foldable bicycles or PMDs are advised to board the next train or bus if the first one is too crowded.

The pilot was first announced by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Jul 20 at the Walk Cycle Ride SG Symposium. The transport authority added will use the feedback gathered during the trial to further refine the rules surrounding personal mobility devices.

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Upholding rules in the sharing economy

N. CRAIG SMITH Today Online 25 Nov 16;

In July this year, a West Hollywood rape victim sued Uber Technologies over allegations that the ride-hailing company — which pitches itself as “the safest ride on the road” — had been negligent in conducting background checks on its drivers.

It was not the first time an Uber driver has been accused of rape, nor was it Uber’s first brush with the law. In July last year, the firm settled a lawsuit with a San Francisco couple after one of its drivers struck and killed their six-year-old daughter. In June this year, a French court ordered the company to pay €800,000 (S$1.2 million) for running an illegal car-hire service, after taxi drivers rioted in the streets in protest that non-traditional car services were violating transport regulations and threatening their livelihoods.

In fact, since the launch of its ride-hailing app in 2011, Uber has spent millions of dollars fighting a barrage of lawsuits from governments, drivers, passengers and competitors across the globe. It has been challenged on issues of safety, regulatory breaches, labour rights and business taxes, from the way the company vets its drivers, to how it advertises.

In its defence, Uber has insisted that it is not a transportation company, but merely an online platform connecting customers with independent contractors, therefore responsibility for many of these issues lies with its drivers.

growth of a new economy

As part of the new “sharing economy”, Uber and similar tech-based firms such as Airbnb, TaskRabbit and BlaBlaCar leverage the ease of data-sharing available in the Internet age and a sense of trust in online communities. They provide ways for people to share their underutilised possessions, holding out a promise of increased sustainability and democratisation of the workplace; redefining the way people do business and, as the name suggests, holding promises of mutual benefits and responsible actions.

Along the way, many of these companies, like Uber, have gained a competitive advantage by sidestepping regulations, taxes, permits and sundry charges that competitors in traditional businesses face. As their revenues — and the number of complaints against them — increase, questions are mounting as to whether these firms really are just technological platforms facilitating transactions for individual businesspeople, or whether they should be seen as real-world companies with the same responsibilities as transport companies, hotels and employment agencies.

The world’s most successful start-up

It would be difficult to argue that, in business terms, Uber has been anything but a success. In the seven years since its inception, the firm has grown from an implausible Silicon Valley start-up to become one of the most highly valued, privately held companies in the world, with operations in over 500 cities and US$10 billion (S$14 billion) in equity funding.

Uber’s disruptive technology has been successful and effective in prompting taxi companies to clean up their act by bringing new efficiencies to the industry.

As the company expands into each new city, potential customers and driving partners seek it out, giving the firm the legitimacy — and some say, the arrogance — to start operations with little heed to regulations governing the transport sector.

But Uber’s aggressive business tactics have come under fire. There are allegations, for example, that the company encouraged its drivers to make bogus calls ordering thousands of rides to jam up the services of an online competitor; elsewhere, rivals have accused the firm of intentionally cutting fares low enough to drive taxi services and other car companies out of business.

Airbnb, a peer-to-peer homestay network, also has been accused of ignoring laws and responsibilities, and berated for facilitating hotel-like operations in residential neighbourhoods. A 2014 report by the State of New York’s Attorney General noted that more than 70 per cent of the company’s New York City rental listings were unlawful.

Last month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a Bill imposing large fines on homeowners who advertise through Airbnb. Aside from the concerns of traditional hoteliers and a loss in tax revenues, other reasons advanced for restricting Airbnb are the problems of noise and other forms of disruption brought by short-term tenants in residential buildings. The firm has also been condemned for including properties located in illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine among its rental listings.

Mutual benefits and responsibilities in a sharing economy

Critics say that, as well as driving traditional competitors out of business, the very nature of the new sharing economy — whereby larger companies with bigger networks become more attractive to customers — is creating monopolies in which one or two platforms rule entire markets.

The sheer size of these companies, the profits being made and the effort that goes into promoting their brands make it difficult for the likes of Uber and Airbnb to continue passing themselves off as passive intermediaries. It has been argued that these companies and their venture-capitalist backers are taking advantage of the positive symbolic meaning of ”sharing”, while siphoning off too much value (albeit on paper as of yet).

As large for-profit players, it would be fair to say these industry giants are more than just platforms and should be held to greater account for the services operating under their names. However, whether they bear the same responsibility as that of, for example, a taxi service and its responsibility to its drivers, is open to question.

Control and flexibility

The sharing economy is not completely unchecked, being controlled, to a certain extent, via decentralised monitoring — whereby users rate their Uber driver or Airbnb host. However, it is becoming evident that this is not enough, and there remains a role for regulatory bodies to ensure that the economic successes of organisations within the so-called sharing economy are not based on their ability to avoid taxes, standards and laws.

Regulators must evolve along with the new “sharing” business model and look at introducing different terms such as “on-demand-economy”, “access-economy” or “peer-to-peer economy” as well as the appropriate regulatory constraints. They should preserve the value created through innovation — surely few would wish to go back to pre-Uber taxi services — yet also protect, with suitably nuanced regulations, those smaller organisations that are more akin to the idea connoted by the term “sharing economy”. This approach would give regulators the flexibility to differentiate between “Uberised” firms and other smaller organisations and non-profit activities that operate under a similar umbrella.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

N. Craig Smith is the INSEAD Chair in Ethics and Social Responsibility at INSEAD and a specialist professor at the INSEAD Corporate Governance Initiative. This piece first appeared in INSEAD Knowledge.

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Bankers can do their part for the earth: Forum

NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 25 Nov 16;

SINGAPORE — In an out-of-the-box move towards cutting the use of energy and raw materials last year, consumer, health and lighting products company Philips began offering “lighting as a service” to Schiphol airport in the Netherlands.

The airport would pay for the light it used, and Philips would remain the owner of the fixtures and installations, which were designed to last longer and with components that can be individually replaced.

The Philips case reflects a move towards a circular economy, and bankers and financiers have a role to play in such efforts, said banker Herry Cho at the Responsible Business Forum yesterday.

In a circular economy, resources are redesigned, recycled and reused as they are returned to the industrial supply chain.

New business models entail changes in cash-flow models and risk allocations, said Ms Cho, ING’s director of capital structuring and advisory in Asia, and its Asia sustainability lead.

“For example, if you just sell lighting, the ownership of this product transfers from producer, from inventory, to the buyer,” she said during a discussion on responsible consumption and production.

“But if the producer continues to own and provide it as a service, suddenly you have a growing balance sheet on this side, you have increasing need for working capital and you have contracts that have to be relied upon, from the financier’s viewpoint. These are all real issues, and solutions need to be found in order to facilitate funding of circular economy,” Ms Cho added.

For small farmers who require financing, financiers can also help by linking them with large companies. The farmers may then secure contracts to supply to the large companies, and financing can be offered to the farmers at reasonable rates.

Food wastage and the culture of consumption were other topics raised at the discussion, facilitated by United National Environment Programme’s, programme management officer (agriculture, food systems) James Lomax.

Other panellists included representatives from Marina Bay Sands (MBS), food services giant Sodexo, and the Cambodian government.

The amount of food the world needs to produce in the next 40 years is equivalent to what it has produced in the previous 8,000 years, said Mr Roshith Rajan, Sodexo’s Asia-Pacific corporate responsibility lead.

Calling food waste a growing inefficiency, he said it is generally a problem at the post-harvest level for developing countries, and at the consumer level for developed countries.

MBS sustainability head Kevin Teng said the integrated resort manages food waste through five anaerobic digesters, and is also piloting a composter. Consumers and banquet attendees can help venues to do better planning and manage waste by RSVP-ing to event organisers, he said.

Asked about reconciling the need for economic growth with a circular economy, the panellists said there has to be sufficient demand from the public for change to take place.

As an example of how things are changing, Ms Cho cited how Shanghai’s municipal government took out gross domestic product growth as a key performance indicator from last year.

Instead of focusing on just growth numbers, Shanghai officials have been told to focus on “quality” and “efficiency” and the city’s contribution to the country, according to media reports.

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Govt unveils support measures for marine and offshore engineering firms

The Government will take on 70 per cent of the risk-share for both financing schemes
ANGELA TENG Today Online 25 Nov 16;

SINGAPORE – As the latest data showed output from the marine and offshore engineering industry almost halved last month, the Government on Friday (Nov 25) announced targeted measures to help companies in the sector which it said is going through a “unique and prolonged slowdown”.

Enhancements have been made to trade development agency International Enterprise (IE) Singapore’s Internationalisation Finance Scheme (IFS) while enterprise agency Spring Singapore’s bridging loan has been re-introduced for companies in the sector. The schemes aim to facilitate marine and offshore engineering companies’ access to working capital and other financing.

The bridging loan will help Singapore-based marine and offshore engineering companies finance their operations and bridge short-term cash flow gaps. Eligible companies will be able to borrow up to S$5 million each, with a loan tenure of up to six years. The maximum loan quantum for each borrower group is S$15 million.

Meanwhile, the maximum loan quantum under the IFS, which provides project and asset financing support for companies, will be raised to S$70 million per borrower group from the current S$30 million per borrower group for marine and offshore engineering companies.

“These measures will help to address the intensifying financing challenges faced by the marine and offshore engineering industry in recent months, as it experiences a unique and prolonged slowdown,” IE, Spring and the Ministry for Trade and Industry said in their joint statement.

The one-off measures are targeted at stabilising the marine and offshore engineering sector, as it copes with the prolonged weakness in oil and gas prices amid the slowdown and uncertainty in the global economic environment, according to the statement. The Government will take on 70 per cent of the risk-share for both the bridging loan and IFS.

At the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises’ 30th anniversary dinner on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam warned that the marine and offshore engineering sector is going through a deep and long downturn.

“It will have to restructure, and there will be inevitable downsizing. But this additional Government support is aimed at helping the many viable companies in the marine and offshore engineering industry with core capabilities that should be preserved for the long term,” he said.

Commenting on the support measures, Mr Ho Meng Kit, CEO of the Singapore Business Federation said: “It is uncommon for the Government to target financial support for a specific sector. That it is doing so now for the marine and offshore engineering sector reflects the gravity of the situation and the importance of this sector to Singapore.”

“The bridging loan scheme will help local companies in the sector deal with their immediate financing needs. Hopefully this additional facility will allow more companies, particularly the smaller ones, to meet their tight cash-flow needs in the short term.”

“The enhanced IFS signals Government support for the industry to pursue growth opportunities internationally.

“This is a needed development as our companies must look for growth in new markets and new sectors. The industry should view these latest Government measures as providing some welcome relief, but they are not the silver bullets that will solve the industry’s woes,” he added.

Plagued by the low oil price environment, which curtailed rig-building activities and demand for oilfield and gasfield equipment, the marine and offshore engineering sector suffered a 46.9 per cent slump in output in October from the same month a year earlier, data from the Economic Development Board (EDB) showed on Friday.

This was an acceleration of the 31.7 per cent and 29.5 per cent declines in September and August, respectively, bringing the cumulative performance for the first 10 months of this year to a 31.5 per cent contraction, the EDB data showed.

Despite the dismal performance of the marine and offshore engineering sector, Singapore’s overall industrial production rose 1.2 per cent last month from October a year earlier, although this was sharply lower than the revised 7.7 per cent expansion in the previous month.

The increase in output was driven mostly by the electronics and biomedical manufacturing clusters, which expanded by 24.6 per cent and 11.3 per cent, respectively.

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Malaysia: Sabah ‘conservation area will be four times Penang island size’

RUBEN SARIO The Star 26 Nov 16;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is piecing together a conservation area that will eventually become a key biodiversity zone about four times the size of Penang island.

State Forestry Department director Datuk Sam Mannan said the Kuamut Forest Reserve would be expanded by 14,000ha as part of efforts to realise this massive conservation area that was an important habitat for orang utan and other wildlife.

“It is like piecing together the parts of a jigsaw puzzle. It will eventually be assembled,” he said yesterday.

On Thursday, the Sabah state assembly passed an amendment to the Forests (Constitution of Forest Reserves and Amendment) Enactment 1984.

The amendment, tabled by Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Ellron Angin, will see Class 1 totally protected forest reserves being increased from 1.26 million hectares to 1.35 million hectares.

The area for Class VI virgin jungle reserves has also been increased from over 106,000ha to more than 107,000ha as well as wildlife forest reserves from nearly 138,000ha to over 139,000ha.

However, the amendment will also provide for the removal of over 19,400ha of land from the existing forest reserves.

The department, said Mannan, was assembling a complex of protected areas comprising Kuamut, Ulu Segama, Dermakot and Segaliud Lokan forest reserves as well as the existing Maliau Basin and Danum Valley conservation zones.

The addition of areas, he said, was aimed at protecting water catchment areas in Sabah’s interior Keningau and Tambunan districts.

“We did this at the request of the villagers who wanted to ensure water supply to areas was sustainable by protecting the forests around them,” he said.

While some of the areas to be added had been logged about 20 to 30 years ago, these had since been regenerated, such as that in the northern Kota Belud district, said Mannan.

The removal of over 19,400ha, he said, was to correct some anomalies such as village land gazetted in the past as forest reserves.

“Some of the affected land were also titled properties and we had to remove these from the forest reserves,” he added.

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Malaysia: Turtle hatchery releases 5,000th batch of hatchlings

The Star 25 Nov 16;

KOTA KINABALU: A turtle hatchery at Pulau Mabul near the diving haven of Sipadan is celebrating a milestone with the release of the 5,000th batch of hatchlings recently.

The eggs were collected from 66 turtle nests and brought to the hatchery run by dive operator Scuba Junkie and the Sabah Wildlife Department.

Wildlife Department officer Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar said the hatchery’s milestone was remarkable, given the declining numbers of sea turtles worldwide.

“Pulau Mabul is known for the abundance of turtles seen by divers and snorkellers, even though green turtles are listed as endangered and hawksbill turtles as critically endangered on the IUCN (International Union on Conservation of Nature) Redlist.

“The fact that so many hatchlings have been released from this one hatchery is a great boost for turtle conservation and illustrates how important this area is for sea turtles,” Mohd Soffian added.

He said the hatchery programme was an example of government, business and local communities working together to safeguard the Semporna sea turtle populations.

Scuba Junkie currently has three honorary wildlife wardens (HWWs) trained by the department to safeguard endangered species such as sea turtles.

On Pulau Mabul, if a nesting turtle is discovered, the HWWs are contacted to relocate the nest to the hatchery and after about two months, the hatchlings are released into the sea.

The person who notifies Scuba Junkie of the nesting turtle is given a reward of RM1,000 per nest to encourage the local community to effectively act as rangers on the island.

“It is mutually beneficial for turtle conservation and the local community who are rewarded for their efforts in aiding the conservation programme,” Mohd Soffian said.

In addition, a recent nest within the grounds of SK Mabul prompted Scuba Junkie to make a separate RM1,000 donation to the school to help support marine conservation education for the pupils.

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Indonesia: Heavy rains cause harvest failures, landslides

Ganug Nugroho Adi, Arya Dipa and Wahyoe Boediwardhana The Jakarta Post 25 Nov 16;

Aftermath: A West Java Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) officer examines a house hit by a landslide in Nyalindung district, West Bandung regency, West Java, on Wednesday. At least five landslides have occurred in the regency in the past week, displacing more than 100 families.(JP/Arya Dipa)

Bad weather in a number of regions over the last few days has caused problems ranging from harvest failures and unstable soil to floods and landslides.

In Central Java, tobacco farmers on the slopes of Mount Merbabu and Mount Merapi in Klaten and Boyolali regencies have suffered losses of up to hundreds of millions of rupiah because of harvest failures caused by rough weather.

Many have been forced to sell their land and livestock to cover loans as well as to fund the planting of vegetables as the tobacco season has ended.

Sunardi, one such farmer, said he had planted 7 hectares of tobacco in Cepogo, Boyolali, and had so far harvested very little of the crop, and none of what had been harvested had been sold because of its poor quality.

“It contains too much water. I don’t know what to do with it,” said Sunardi, adding that the harvest was simply being stored in a warehouse.

He said farmers in the region had counted on a big factory in East Java to buy their tobacco, but this year the factory did not buy the commodity because of the decline in quality.

Another farmer, Marsono, who experienced something similar, said that a hectare of tobacco needed some Rp 50 million to cultivate, all funded by loans.

Farmer Rasiyem of Solodiran, Manisrenggo, Klaten, said that this year’s harvest was the worst in the last five years as it could not be sold at all. “I have sold three of my cows to cover the loans to plant tobacco in a 250-square-meter field,” she said.

Separately chairman of the National Commission to Save Clove Cigarettes’ (KNPK) Klaten branch, Aryanta Sigit Suwanta, estimated that the total losses experienced by tobacco farmers in Klaten amounted to over Rp 10 billion.

“Tobacco farmers in Boyolali, Klaten and Temanggung, I think, are experiencing the same. This year’s harvest is really a disaster for tobacco farmers,” he said.

In West Bandung regency, West Java, heavy rains have left the soil in a number of regions unstable.

Head of the western region soil movement division of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) Agus Budianto said most of the unstable soil occurred on hillsides. “All because of the heavy rainfall,” Agus said.

He said the PVMBG had mapped the soil movement potential across Indonesia, and the reports had been distributed to all regencies and cities throughout the country.

He said the regions categorized as prone to soil movement should not dig into hillsides to develop roads or convert forests into plantation areas.

“The soil will easily become loose and highly moldy, such that when there is extreme rain the soil will become unstable,” he said.

In East Java the main road connecting Trenggalek and Ponorogo regencies was reopened on Thursday morning after being closed for three days as a result of landslides following several days of heavy downpours over the region.

Head of the vigilance division of East Java’s Political and National Unity Agency, Eddy Supriyanto said that two units of heavy equipment had been deployed to clear the debris from the road.

The road surface at Kilometer 16, in Tugu district, Trenggalek regency, was covered in debris from the landslide, causing traffic congestion in both directions for up to five kilometers.

“Rain was still pouring during the clear-up and workers had to be extra careful in removing the debris from the road,” Eddy said.

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Indonesia: Police foils attempt to smuggle 1,300 birds in Batam

Antara 23 Nov 16;

Batam, Riau Islands (ANTARA News) - The Water Police of Riau Islands on Tuesday foiled an attempt to smuggle around 1,300 birds of magpie family from Malaysia to Nongsa, Batam District, Riau Islands Province.

The spokesperson of Riau Islands Police Office, Adjunct Senior Commissioner S. Erlangga, gave this information here on Wednesday.

The birds were smuggled from Malaysia to Nongsa, Batam using a speedboat, and later the suspect transported these on a minibus.

"However, while the officers raided and secured the evidence, the suspect managed to escape," Erlangga noted.

The police confiscated the 40 PK speedboat and around 1,300 magpies caged in cardboard boxes.

Around 100 birds were found dead while the rest have been deposited with the Animal Quarantine Office of Batam Center.

The authority is investigating the case to track down the suspect and others involved.

Magpie commands a high value in the animal market in Batam.(*)

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