The most adorable snake in Singapore mangroves!
Celebrating Singapore Shores!
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5 things you need to know about how the carbon tax works
Aqil Haziq Mahmud Channel NewsAsia 16 Feb 18;
SINGAPORE: Starting next year, the Government will impose a carbon tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as part of its commitments under the Paris climate agreement,
Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said in his Budget speech last year that the tax will create a "price signal" to incentivise industries to reduce emissions.
It will also create "new opportunities" in green growth industries such as clean energy, he added, pointing out that revenue from the tax will help to fund measures by industries to reduce emissions.
The tax will affect 30 to 40 large emitters, defined as those that emit 25,000 or more tonnes of greenhouse gases annually. The Government is looking at charging between S$10 and S$20 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions.
The final price will be announced in the Carbon Pricing Bill, which will be introduced in the first quarter of this year.
While the tax will not apply directly to households, Mr Heng expects a "modest" trickle-down effect on consumers. The idea is for power generators to pass on the cost of the carbon tax, experts said.
The National Climate Change Secretariat has said that for the average household living in a four-room flat, the tax translates to an increase of S$1.70 to S$3.30 per month in electricity tariffs.
So, here's what you need to know about how the carbon tax works:
1) FACILITIES MUST SUBMIT EMISSIONS REPORTS
The bill states that facilities which emit more than 2,000 tonnes but less than 25,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually must continue to submit an emissions report, in line with the Energy Conservation Act.
"Taxable facilities" which emit more than 25,000 tonnes every year must submit an emissions report that is verified by an independent third party and based on a monitoring plan.
Once the carbon tax kicks in next year, facilities will have to monitor their emissions for a year before submitting their emissions report by Jun 30, 2020. Emissions reports must be submitted by Jun 30 each year.
2) 'TAXABLE FACILITIES' MUST DEVELOP MONITORING PLAN
The monitoring plan must state how a facility ensures the quality of data required for computations in the emissions report. If required, the plan must also be independently verified.
The monitoring plan must be submitted by Dec 31 each year.
3) FACILITIES MUST CORRECT INACCURACIES IN REPORTS, PLANS
If the authorities find that an emissions report or monitoring plan is inaccurate or incomplete, they can direct the facility to rectify the document and resubmit it.
If the facility discovers an inaccuracy, it must notify the authorities as soon as possible. It should also describe the circumstances that led to the error and how it will be corrected. Where applicable, it should give an estimate of the greenhouse gases represented by the error.
Those who intentionally provide inaccurate information to dodge taxes can be fined triple the evaded amount, on top of a fine capped at S$10,000, and/or jailed up to three years.
4) 'TAXABLE FACILITIES' WILL PAY CARBON TAX IN CREDITS
"Taxable facilities" can buy carbon credits from the National Environment Agency (NEA) at a fixed price throughout the year. At the end of an assessment year, the credits are used to pay tax levied on their total greenhouse emissions.
The price of the credits will be determined closer to the date of implementation.
This system gives the authorities the flexibility to adopt other methods if and when needed, such as linking Singapore’s carbon pricing framework to that of a bigger jurisdiction.
Taxes must be paid by Sep 30 each year. Those who fail to pay the carbon tax can be fined triple the amount of outstanding tax. The first carbon tax is expected to be paid in 2020.
5) FACILITIES CAN APPLY FOR DEREGISTRATION
All facilities can apply to be deregistered if their greenhouse gas emissions fall below certain thresholds for three consecutive years.
But if they can prove that they have made “significant and substantial changes” to processes that will lower emissions "considerably" below these thresholds, they can apply for deregistration the following year.
NEA will approve such applications on a case-by-case basis.
Source: CNA/hz
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Indonesia: Fire ravages tens of hectares of peatland in West Kalimantan
Antara 15 Feb 18;
Pontianak, W Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - A fire has razed tens of hectares of peatland areas in Pasir Village, Mempawah District, West Kalimantan Province, since Tuesday night (Feb 13).
Commander of the Mempawah District Military Command 1201/Mph Lieutenant Colonel Anom Wirasunu noted on Thursday that military personnel had attempted to put out the fire to prevent it from spreading shortly after it broke out.
"We had been at the scene on Wednesday for around four hours, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time. The smoke there was thick due to the land fire," he noted.
He said peatland areas in several parts of Mempawah District are prone to fire, particularly when the temperature is high.
The fire was spotted in three different places in Mempawah Hilir, according to the survey conducted by a joint team of personnel assigned to put out the fire.
"In just one of the three places, some 30 hectares of land have caught fire," he noted.
Several plots of land of dragon fruit and pineapple plantations belonging to local residents had caught fire in Sebukit Rama Hamlet in Mempawah District.
Although efforts to extinguish the blaze were undertaken since Tuesday evening, the fire has spread to other peatland areas at Sebukit Rama.
"Yesterday, we tried to put out the blaze using a fire truck and a robin portable fire extinguisher. (However, today), we have three robin portable fire extinguishers and a fire truck," he added.
Reported by Teguh IW and Aries Zaldi
(T.S012/B/KR-BSR/O001)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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Indonesia: Dramatic decline in Borneo's orangutan population as 150,000 lost in 16 years
Fresh efforts needed to protect critically endangered animals from hunters and habitat loss as population more than halves
Ian Sample The Guardian 15 Feb 18;
Hunting and killing have driven a dramatic decline in the orangutan population on Borneo where nearly 150,000 animals have been lost from the island’s forests in 16 years, conservationists warn.
While the steepest percentage losses occurred in regions where the forest has been cut down to make way for palm oil and acacia plantations, more animals were killed by hunters who ventured into the forest, or by farm workers when the apes encroached on agricultural land, a study found.
Researchers estimate that the number of orangutans left on Borneo now stands at between 70,000 and 100,000, meaning the population more than halved over the study period which ran from 1999 to 2015. Without fresh efforts to protect the animals, the numbers could fall at least another 45,000 in the next 35 years, the conservationists predict. The real decline could be worse, because the prediction is based only on habitat loss, and does not include killings.
The bleak assessment of the state of the Bornean apes comes from an international team of conservationists who compiled one of the most comprehensive reports yet on the animals, which in 2016 were declared “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“I expected to see a fairly steep decline, but I did not anticipate it would be this large,” said Serge Wich, a co-author on the report at Liverpool John Moores University. “When we did the analyses, we ran them again and again to figure out if we had made a mistake somewhere. You think the numbers can’t be that high, but unfortunately they are.”
The researchers studied 16 years of ground and helicopter surveys that recorded the numbers and locations of nests that orangutans built in the trees from branches and leaves. The nests have long been used to infer the sizes of orangutan populations because the animals themselves are so elusive.
Writing in the journal Current Biology, the team describe how the decline in nests from 1999 to 2015 points to the staggering loss of 148,500 orangutans in Borneo. The conservationists identified 64 separate groups of orangutans on the island, but only 38 are thought to comprise more than 100 individuals, the minimum that is considered viable for a group.
The forests of Borneo are being fragmented by new plantations and building projects and the associated loss of trees led to falls in local orangutan populations of up to 75%, the study found. In the dense forests, orangutan numbers fell by 50%. While that is a lower rate, it amounts to more animals because most of the apes live in these areas. “This is the biggest chunk of the loss,” said Maria Voigt at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig. “More than 70% of the orangutans lost are in the forest.”
Hunters in Borneo tend to enter the forest to find pigs and deer, but if they encounter a large orangutan, they can take the animals for food. Female orangutans are occasionally killed for their young, which are sold on as pets. Far more of the apes die when they venture on to plantations, and into people’s gardens, where they are shot or killed with machetes. Last week, authorities on Borneo found the body of a male orangutan bearing machete scars and wounds from 130 airgun pellets.
“We need to work with people to help them understand that orangutans are not dangerous and that it’s illegal to kill them,” Wich said. One approach that might work, he said, is to have Indonesian and Malaysian role models raise awareness of orangutans through social media.
“We know this decline has been largely due to hunting, and if we can turn that around, these orangutans could, over a long period, bounce back. When you lost the habitat, it’s gone forever, but the forests are still there. If we can stop the hunting and killing, we can reverse the trend.”
Emma Keller at WWF said: “Orangutans are disappearing at an alarming rate. Their forests homes have been lost and degraded, and hunting threatens the existence of this magnificent great ape. Immediate action is needed to reform industries that have pushed orangutans to the brink of extinction. Consumers can make a difference through only supporting brands and retailers that buy sustainable palm oil.”
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China confirms first human case of H7N4 bird flu
AFP Yahoo News 15 Feb 18;
Hong Kong (AFP) - China has confirmed the first human case of H7N4 bird flu, prompting Hong Kong to issue a health warning for those travelling to the mainland during the busy Lunar New Year holiday.
The strain was identified in a 68-year-old woman from the eastern province of Jiangsu who was admitted to hospital after falling ill on December 25 but had since recovered, according to China's National Health and Family Planning Commission.
"She had contact with live poultry before the onset of symptoms," Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection said late Wednesday after being informed of the case by Chinese authorities, who said the virus genes were of avian origin.
The world's first human cases of bird flu were reported in Hong Kong in 1997, when six people were killed by the H5N1 strain of the virus. Hundreds more have died worldwide in subsequent outbreaks, especially of highly-virulent strains like H7N9.
The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city is a high-risk area for the spread of communicable diseases because of its high population density and busy regional and international transport links.
"Travellers to the mainland or other affected areas must avoid visiting wet markets, live poultry markets or farms," the Centre for Health Protection warned after the H7N4 strain was reported by China.
Authorities in China and Hong Kong did not provide further details on the H7N4 strain found in the woman, such as its virulence. An outbreak of this type of bird flu hit chickens in New South Wales, Australia, in 1997, according to World Health Organization records.
Hong Kong authorities are already battling a deadly flu outbreak, and were forced to shut down kindergartens and primary schools early for the Chinese New Year break.
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Pangolin trade still flourishing despite ban
UNEP 15 Feb 18;
Pangolins are small mammals that only move around at night. Hardly a zoo has been able to keep one alive. And yet, they sit above the elephant and rhino as the most illegally trafficked animal in the world.
Pangolins are amazing: With shiny scales and pointy heads, they look like miniature dinosaurs; baby pangolins ride around on their mothers’ tails; they slurp ants with 25cm-long tongues; and they can curl up into an armoured ball that foxes any predator – except humans. Being so elusive, not much more is known about them.
Pangolin researchers meeting in January 2017 in Singapore concluded that increased demand from China for pangolins has led to "great declines" in populations across Cambodia, Viet Nam, and Laos.
“Pangolins have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, but growing human populations and greater wealth across China have increased demand,” says the Worldwatch Institute. “Pangolin fetuses, scales, and blood are used in medicine, the meat is considered a delicacy, and stuffed pangolins are sold as souvenirs.”
All eight (four Asian and four African) species of pangolins are now prohibited from international trade thanks to greater protections they won at the 2017 conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which UN Environment hosts.
However, new research based on cross-border pangolin seizures shows that a combined minimum of 120 tons of whole pangolins, parts and scales were confiscated by law enforcement agencies from 2010 to 2015. On average pangolins weigh about 5 kilograms, so that’s a lot of pangolins.
The research was published in December 2017 by TRAFFIC and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and titled The Global Trafficking Of Pangolins: A comprehensive summary of seizures and trafficking routes from 2010–2015. It highlighted the truly global nature of the trade: 67 countries/territories were implicated, including those not home to pangolins.
Smugglers were said to be using 27 new global trade routes, and Europe (especially Germany and Belgium) was identified as a major transit hub, mostly for African pangolins being transported to Asia. However, the Netherlands was reported as a destination for large-quantity shipments of body parts and scales from China and Uganda, respectively.
The report’s findings underscore the highly mobile nature of smuggling networks, with traffickers quickly shifting from commonly used routes after a short period and creating many new routes each year to evade enforcement efforts.
17 February is World Pangolin Day. Find out how the UN’s Wild for Life campaign is working to protect pangolins and other species threatened by the illegal wildlife trade.
The Environmental Investigation Agency says there has been a significant growth in the trade of African pangolin species, especially for scales, in the last few years.
In November 2017, China announced the seizure of 11.9 tons of scales from a ship in Shenzen, the world’s largest ever pangolin seizure.
“This report shows that while enforcement efforts are absolutely critical, we must give as much priority to tackling the demand that drives illegal trade,” says UN Environment wildlife communication expert Lisa Rolls.
“World Pangolin Day on 18 February is an important awareness-raising moment. We need to get the word out there to educate consumers who may not be informed about the impacts of their purchases and to try and prevent new users. We are asking people to join the Wild for Life campaign for Pangolin Day and spread the word!”
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Best of our wild blogs: 15 Feb 18
Marine conservation in Singapore: a look at general legislation protecting the Sisters’ Island Marine Park
ELSA@NUS Law
Heart our mangroves!
Celebrating Singapore Shores!
A month of Pesta Ubin in 2018!
Pesta Ubin 2018
23 Jun (Sat): Basic Mountain Biking Skills Session by Mountain Bike Association (Singapore)
Pesta Ubin 2018
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Walk on the wild side in Sentosa
Hidden amid the bustling hotels and modern attractions is a quiet world of century-old trees and creatures that delight nature lovers
Audrey Tan Straits Times 14 Feb 18;
Snazzy bars dot its beaches. Luxurious hotels fan out across the island. An integrated resort boasting a casino and theme park sits at the entrance of Sentosa, welcoming people to the State of Fun.
This is how the resort island located south of mainland Singapore describes itself.
But Sentosa has a different kind of luxe as well - the kind that speaks of the richness of the natural world, which is more in line with its name. Sentosa, after all, means tranquillity in Malay.
Earlier this month, to mark World Wetlands Day on Feb 2, photojournalist Kua Chee Siong and this reporter visited Sentosa to experience the natural wonders thriving on the island - including its only mangrove patch, located in the middle of Serapong golf course.
The mangrove patch is just one of eight different types of habitats on the 500ha island.
Sentosa is also home to rarer habitat types, such as rocky seashores and coastal forests which are fast disappearing on the mainland.
Hidden within their folds are rare specimens of flora and fauna, including a tree that is the last of its kind in Singapore.
While preening peacocks and cheeky macaques are commonly sighted on Sentosa, the island has a lot more to offer visitors.
MANGROVES
During our visit, Sentosa Development Corporation's (SDC's) senior executive for environmental management Tammy Lim, 32, told us a rare great billed heron native to Singapore, for one, had been spotted at the 1.5ha mangrove patch.
To get there, we rode in a buggy across the golf course and tried not to disturb the golfers.
But wildlife is unpredictable.
The bird, which can grow up to 1.2m tall, did not show up that day.
We did see a flock of more than 10 grey herons which are commonly found in wetland habitats.
Even though the mangrove patch is in the middle of a golf course, one of the herons appeared to be building a nest there. It was holding a twig as it flew overhead.
Mangroves once used to cover Singapore's coasts. But today, they are among the rarest habitats here, covering less than 1 per cent of the country's total land area.
While muddy mangroves may not be as attractive as colourful coral reefs, they are as important.
They support a large diversity of life, serve as fish nurseries and help with coastal protection, as they reduce erosion from wave action.
In 1819, the total area of mangrove forests in Singapore was estimated to be 75 sq km. But a 2010 scientific study by Singapore researchers showed that this had been whittled down to 6.59 sq km - just 0.95 per cent of Singapore's total land area - due to various factors, including urban development and land reclamation.
Most of the mangrove forests that remain are found along the northern coast, in places such as Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and offshore Pulau Ubin.
Naturalist Ria Tan, who runs the wildsingapore.com blog, said the "mangrove haven" on Sentosa is likely to be Singapore's largest patch of the rare, native bakau pasir mangrove trees.
The bakau pasir (Rhizophora stylosa) is native to Singapore, and is considered one of the most hardy mangrove tree species.
Singaporean mangrove expert Jean Yong, who is an eco-physiologist at the Australian Research Centre for Mine Site Restoration, said the Singapore Strait - the body of water south of Singapore - is characterised by sea and rocky substrate.
These are harsher conditions compared with the mud and stiller waters of the Strait of Johor up north, said Dr Yong.
"This is why only the resilient Rhizophora stylosa can establish and thrive in the south," he told The Straits Times.
A few other bakau pasir trees can be found in places such as Pulau Ubin, the Western Catchment, Pulau Pawai and Berlayer Creek.
There are also some growing on Pulau Semakau.
But Dr Yong said these had been replanted using propagules from Indonesia, adding: "The patch growing in Sentosa's golf course represents the last bastion of a sustainable and healthy population of the original bakau pasir for Singapore."
SENTOSA'S SENTINELS
Before it was developed into a resort island in the 1970s, Sentosa was known as Pulau Blakang Mati - which means "the island behind death" in Malay. It was a fishing village, a military base and even a prisoner-of-war camp during the Japanese Occupation.
Throughout its history, nature has had to battle with the forces of development.
The island was once covered with rainforests. Today, the protected nature areas make up about 40ha in total - less than 10 per cent of Sentosa's total land bank.
Still, living relics of the past thrive.
Trees, some of them more than a century old, lie within the two designated nature areas on the island - Imbiah and Serapong.
These witnesses of the island's evolution have guardians.
As director for environment management, Ms Grace Lee, 49, leads SDC's conservation team of three.
She is fiercely passionate about nature, reeling off facts about the trees, shrubs and flowers we encountered during our visit.
Pointing to a heritage tree at the foot of Mount Serapong, she said the Bhesa robusta -usually found in primary rainforests - dates back more than a century. There are 26 heritage trees on Sentosa.
Said Ms Lee, whose background is in horticulture: "Heritage trees on Sentosa can be found not just in nature areas. They are also scattered in the open areas on Sentosa. Our job is to protect them, so future generations get the chance to see them."
Plants are also a passion for another member of Sentosa's conservation team, senior arborist Daniel Seah, 63. He has been inspecting the trees on the island for the past 40 years. He even did his National Service on Sentosa, serving as a combat engineer in the barracks on Mount Serapong in 1971.
He explained how he came to make the study of trees his life.
He said: "During my army days, the only comfortable place to lie down was under a tree.
"When the sun was hot, when I was building bridges, the only place to lie down was under the tree."
We spotted other unique plants in Sentosa, like the dragon blood tree (Dracaena maingayi) which bleeds a crimson red sap used in traditional Chinese medicine for pain relief and to heal wounds.
A number of these trees can be found in Sentosa, including at the bustling Imbiah Walk.
There was also the Fagraea ridleyi. The tree on on the island is the last of its kind in Singapore, and is one of the plants that the SDC is targeting to restore through its species recovery programme.
The Straits Times is not revealing the exact location of the tree to help protect it.
WEIRD, WONDERFUL WILDLIFE
Sentosa has plenty of accommodation options for humans, but it is also home to many animals.
At low tide, sea creatures such as hairy crabs and snails can be seen emerging from their hideouts at their rocky shore habitat, next to the luxury Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa.
There is also a "condominium" of swiftlet nests on Sentosa.
In other parts of the world, these nests are harvested for the birds' nest delicacy, which command extremely high prices.
But in Sentosa, the more than 200 birds are safe, as their nests are located in a part of the island inaccessible to the public.
Mr Alan Owyong of the Nature Society (Singapore) Bird Group said the flock on Sentosa is the largest nesting flock of swiftlets in Singapore.
Over the years, at least 110 species of birds have been recorded on the island, he said.
In comparison, there are 392 species of birds listed in last year's bird checklist of Singapore.
Mr Owyong said: "This is quite a good number, although development has reduced the number of species we see in recent years."
Geographically, Sentosa's position south of the mainland has made it a good stopover point for migratory birds making their way down south to Indonesia to escape the winter chill in the north, said Mr Owyong.
Last December, a few species of migratory cuckoos, such as the chestnut-winged and Indian cuckoos, were spotted around a particular tree at Sentosa's Fort Siloso.
Sentosa is a microcosm of Singapore, and faces the same challenge of balancing conservation and development.
And just like how nature areas on the mainland are nestled within the nooks and crannies of urban areas, the habitats on Sentosa are just a stone's throw from the bustling attractions.
Many of them can be explored for free.
Yet, many people may not know they exist.
The next time you visit Sentosa, take the opportunity to soak up the essence of a natural world sitting right in the midst of modernity.
With the large variety of walking and cycling trails on the island, you could find yourself taking a closer look at all the nature areas the island has to offer.
26: Number of heritage trees that can be found on Sentosa island.
110: Number of bird species recorded on the island.
40: ha Size of the protected nature areas on the island, which is less than 10 per cent of Sentosa's total land bank.
FREE NATURE ACTIVITIES ON SENTOSA
HERITAGE TREE TOUR
Learn about some of the 26 carefully conserved heritage trees on the island from Sentosa Development Corporation's officers.
WHEN: The last Saturday of every month, 10am to 11am.
WHERE: Sentosa Nature Discovery, Imbiah Lookout.
HOW TO SIGN UP: Register and find out more at nature@sentosa.com.sg
BIRD WALK
What types of birds can be found on Sentosa? Learn more from the avian experts at the Nature Society (Singapore).
WHEN: Twice a year, 8am to 10am.
WHERE: Sentosa Nature Discovery, Imbiah Lookout; Imbiah Nature Area; Siloso Skywalk.
HOW TO SIGN UP: Get updates on the walks at www.sentosa.com.sg/ State-Specials/Events/ Sentosa-Nature-and-Bird-Walk
BIODIVERSITY WATCH CITIZEN SCIENCE PROGRAMME ON SENTOSA
Do your part for science by helping to spot and take notes on four types of animals - herons, garden birds, butterflies and dragonflies.
This is a programme organised by the National Parks Board (NParks).
Sentosa has collaborated with them to include nature spots on the island.
WHEN: Twice a year for each animal group.
WHERE:
•Serapong mangrove (Heron watch )
•Imbiah Nature Area or Skywalk (Garden bird watch)
•Siloso Eco Pond (Butterfly watch)
•Serapong/Ficus/Siloso/ Palawan Eco Ponds
•Siloso Spring (Dragonfly Watch)
HOW TO SIGN UP: Find out more on NParks' website at www.nparks.gov.sg/ biodiversity/community-in-nature-initiative
SILOSO HEADLAND INTERTIDAL PROGRAMME
This year is being celebrated around the world as the International Year of the Reef.
Sentosa will be conducting free guided walks along the Tanjong Rimau rocky shores in the later half of the year.
Learn more about the critters that can be found in this habitat on these tours.
WHEN: May to August.
WHERE: Siloso headland.
HOW TO SIGN UP: Details will be announced later.
Check Sentosa's website for more information.
WALKING, CYCLING TRAILS
Those who prefer to explore the island in their free time can do so along its multiple walking and cycling trails.
There are six walking trails in Sentosa that add up to a total of about 7.5km.
They are the Sentosa Boardwalk Trail, Resorts World Sentosa Trail, Merlion Trail, Imbiah Trail, Coastal Trail and Palawan Trail.
The Marang Trail and the Southern Ridges are now connected to the Sentosa Walking Trail via VivoCity and HarbourFront.
There are signboards to guide guests along the trails.
There are also three cycling routes stretching 12km.
For more information on Sentosa's cycling tracks, visit www.sentosa.com.sg/ Plan-Your-Visit/ getting-around
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Indonesia: Rare Javan leopard spotted in Bromo Semeru National Park
Antara 14 Feb 18;
Lumajang, E Java (ANTARA News) - A critically endangered black Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) was spotted on the camera trap installed by the rangers at the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) in Lumajang District, East Java.
"The camera traps have been set in several spots at the national park, and the devices have recorded the presence of a big Javan leopard," the chief of the conservation area, Budi Mulyanto, said in the district, Wednesday.
The Mounts Bromo, Tengger, and Semeru are homes for the protected animal, but the national park authority has not yet found out the total population of the species in the wild.
Mulyanto stated that the authority was yet to conduct a comprehensive survey to count the animal population.
"According to the rangers` observations and the images recorded by the camera trap, there are only 10 Javan leopards left at the national park," he noted.
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Javan Leopard has been listed as a critically endangered animal, and based on the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the animal is not allowed to be traded in any form (Apendiks I).
"In accordance with the Law No.5 Year 1990 on the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation, the Javan Leopard is part of the protected wild animals," he noted.
The Government Regulation No.7 Year 1999 also has called on people to stop hunting and trading this critically endangered species.
In order to protect the Javan leopard, the national park authority will regularly check the animals` footprints, while intensively supervising the records.
"The rangers will regularly patrol the national park to prevent Javan leopard trophy hunting," he added.
In mid-2015, the TNBTS rangers recorded an image of a Javan leopard in the state-owned plantation sites at Coban Trisula.
According to the data retrieved in 2015, some 38 protected wild animals, including 24 birds, 11 mammals, a reptile, and two insects, have inhabited the national park.
Some protected mammals that were captured by the camera including, Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica), Javan leopard (Panthera pardus), Ebony leaf monkey (Trachypithecus auratus), as well as other species, namely Hystryx branchyura, Laricus sp., and Muntiacus muntjak.
Reported by Zumrotun Solichah
(UU.KR-GNT/A/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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Indonesia: Conservationists warn of danger of air rifles to orangutans
N.Adri The Jakarta Post 14 Feb 18;
Conservation activists have warned the government about the danger air rifles pose to wildlife in Indonesia, following the recent discovery of an orangutan killed with hundreds of shots in the Kutai National Park in East Kalimantan.
“This incident is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) director Jamartin Sihite on Tuesday.
At least 130 shot wounds, several cuts and bruises were found on the body of the East Kalimantan orangutan discovered by the national park’s rangers last week.
A doctor performing a necropsy on the orangutan found no fewer than 72 air rifle projectiles in the head of the endangered species.
Sihite said it was time for the government to tighten rules on the ownership of air rifles.
Although the projectiles released from an air rifle would not instantly kill an orangutan, they could severely wound the animal, he went on.
He said small caliber bullets could kill birds and small mammals, such as slow lorises, pangolins and monkeys.
“Possibly there has been a much sharper decline in the number of birds in the national park than we have [assumed] all this time. Such a rapid decline may also affect protected species, such as slow lorises,” said Sihite.
Ownership of guns, including air rifles, is regulated in National Police Chief Regulation No. 8/2012, which stipulates that anyone wanting to buy a gun must obtain a permit from the National Police. (ebf)
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Indonesia: Sumatran elephant found dead with five bullet wounds in chest, head
The Jakarta Post 14 Feb 18;
A female Sumatran elephant was found dead on Monday in Way Kambas National Park in Lampung, one of the species' 25 fragmented habitats on Sumatra island.
Way Kambas National Park is also home to critically endangered Sumatran tigers, Sumatran rhinos and endangered Asian tapirs.
"We strongly denounce illegal poaching and ask for your prayers for the immediate capture of the perpetrator," Way Kambas National Park agency head Subakir told kompas.com on Tuesday.
Forest patrol officials found the body of the elephant, believed to be 20 years old, with five bullet wounds in its chest and head, and suspected that it had been dead for two days before being found.
The discovery in Lampung has further highlighted the fragile lives of Sumatran elephants. Scientists believe the elephants are at risk of becoming extinct within decades, due to rampant poaching to supply the illegal ivory trade as well as a dwindling habitat due to deforestation for plantations.
It came just one month after a male Sumatran elephant believed to be around 10 years old was found dead with its tusks removed in a community plantation inside the Mount Raya protected forest in South Sumatra.
In last December, a pregnant elephant was found dead in an oil palm plantation in Aceh, Indonesia's westernmost province on Sumatra island, in what authorities suspected was a deliberate poisoning.
The elephant was carrying a fetus of 13 months gestation and was due to give birth in about six months.
In total, there are only an estimated 2,400 Sumatran elephants left in the wild on Sumatra island. The species was given critically endangered status by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2012 after assessing that 69 percent of its habitat had been lost over more than two decades. (mos/ahw)
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