Going green a PR stunt in Singapore?

Still lots of paper, disposable cutlery wasted
Letter from Phillip Keng Hong, Today Online 25 Feb 08;

Singaporeans' support on climate change issues may just be academic. From my experience, the number of changes many companies have implemented is negligible.

No business can claim it is environmentally-friendly when it has yet to take the first step of conducting a business review to factor in its cost to the environment. The "environmental-friendly" label has largely been a public relations stunt.

Financial institutions have not done enough to reduce paper wastage. For example, both DBS and United Overseas Bank insist that their customers must receive mailed statements, citing that it is a Monetary Authority of Singapore requirement.

The archaic rules of the Singapore Exchange still require shareholders of listed companies to receive mailed copies of annual reports, when such information is already available on the Internet and is easier to archive.

At Changi Airport's staff canteen (a food court also open to the public), disposable cutlery is used, unlike at other food centres. Fast food restaurants have a similar practice and seem resistant to change. Shouldn't disposable cutlery be totally prohibited for dining-in patrons?

There also seems to be a lack of recycling bins at most shopping centres. Ikea gets the kudos for being one of the most environmentally-friendly companies but its restaurant has yet to cease the use of disposable cutlery totally.

While teaching students about the environment, schools do not take into consideration the amount of resources used in projects. The Ministry of Education should have a list of guidelines for schools, for instance on the practice of double-sided printing. Lessons on reducing carbon footprints would be more meaningful when students can see their lessons in action.

Ditto for our country's biggest employer, the Singapore Civil Service. I would be interested to know if it has a list of environmentally-friendly practices and measures to ensure their implementation.

The inter-ministerial committee on sustainable development, recently formed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, shows the Government's resolve to address climate change issues head on. If it embarks on an educational approach, it should be directed at those whose policies/actions will have trickle-down effects.

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Is Kusu Island Auntie Ah Meng's 'Mum'?

Tay Shi'an, The New Paper 25 Feb 08;

FOR the last 60 years, she has been taking care of the famous Da Bo Gong (Merchant God or God of Prosperity) temple on Kusu Island.

And that may not be the only Singapore icon Madam Shim Choy Yeng, 78, is linked to.

She and her late husband, Mr Seet Hock Seng, may have been the original owners of Ah Meng, the much-loved orang utan who died of old age in the Singapore Zoo earlier this month.

According to the zoo, back in 1971, eight orang utans including Ah Meng, were confiscated from homes and given to the zoo after a crackdown on those who illegally kept wildlife as pets.

Ah Meng, who was 48 when it died, was 11 then.

Neither the zoo nor the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has written records of who and where Ah Meng was taken from.

But one of the officers involved in the crackdown is certain it had been confiscated from a family on Kusu Island.

Mr Madhavan Kannan, 60, head of the AVA's Centre for Animal Welfare and Control, was then an officer with the Primary Production Department – the AVA's predecessor.

He recalled going to Kusu Island in the early 70s with three fellow officers to confiscate an orang utan there – after they had received a tip-off from a member of the public.

"It was a pet kept on the temple premises. There was a male caretaker and a woman," Mr Madhavan told The New Paper on Sunday.

He said the man told him the orang utan's name was Ah Meng. "They agreed to surrender her, but they were sad to part with it," he said. "But as they knew it was going to the Singapore Zoo and that they could see it there, they felt comforted."

He remembered the orang utan clinging on to the officers like a baby and refusing to let go.

For decades, the Seets have been the only family living on Kusu Island. The temple has been passed down the family for generations.

When contacted by The New Paper on Sunday, Madam Shim confirmed her family had kept an orang utan as a pet back then.

But was the primate Ah Meng?

Madam Shim said while she could not be totally sure, she did not rule out the possibility.

She is uncertain as the family had named their orang utan Datuk (grandfather in Malay). The name came about because even though it was young, the orang utan had an "old person's face".

But neither Mr Madhavan or Madam Shim's family can shed light on how Datuk could have been eventually renamed Ah Meng.

Madam Shim's late husband bought the orang utan from a man on a passing ship some 40 years ago.

His daughter, Madam Cecelia Seet, 50, said: "My father was an animal lover. We had up to 12 dogs, parrots, and a goat. If you had given him an elephant, he would have kept it too."

The family claimed they did not know then that keeping an orang utan – an endangered species – was illegal.

Madam Shim's son, Mr Seet Nan Hua, 58, said: "Datuk was naturally smart. It would drink milk out of a cup instead of a plate, then make a face and make us laugh."

FRIENDLY

Madam Seet: "It was very friendly, and it knew how to comb its hair."

Pointing to a tree on the temple premises next to a turtle enclosure, Mr Seet said: "We would chain it to the tree in the day, for fear of scaring the devotees. At night, we let it free."

But after two years, some visitors complained about it and tipped off the authorities.

Madam Shim said: "The day Datuk was taken away, the children couldn't stop crying."

Even though the family was told that Datuk would be kept in the zoo, they still feared it might be put to sleep.

Mr Seet said: "We went down to the zoo to see if it was really there.

"But there were so many orang utans, and they all looked the same."

SAD MEMORIES

After two visits, the family didn't go back as it was too inconvenient to travel from the island. They didn't want to dig up sad memories, Madam Seet said.

Zoo curator Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, 57, had looked after Ah Meng from the day it arrived at the zoo until the day it died.

He said he remembered a middle-aged couple visiting the zoo with a teenage girl and feeding Ah Meng.

"But it was more than 35 years ago – I can't remember their faces," he said. He didn't ask them for personal details about their lives.

But he remembered the family telling him that the orang utan's name was Ah Meng.

The zoo had wanted to change the name to an Indonesian one to better suit her roots. Ah Meng was born in Sumatra, Indonesia.

But since it responded well to the name Ah Meng, they left it at that.

Madam Seet said that the family had lost all the photographs they had of their orang utan.

But Madam Shim said she did follow Ah Meng's death in the news. She said: "They did the funeral very nicely. She was happy and had a good life, that's what matters."

...OR ARE YOU THE ORIGINAL OWNER?

THE long passage of time, coupled with the lack of formal records, has made Ah Meng's past before it became a celebrity at the zoo a mystery.

Madam Shim Choy Yeng and her family are not the only ones who could possibly be AhMeng's former owners. Ah Meng was among eight orang utans confiscated from homes and given to the zoo in 1971.

Zoo curator and long-time employee Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, better known as Sam, 57, recalls that about 17 orang utans came to the zoo under similar circumstances during that period.

Over the years, he said, several other families have come forward to claim the zoo's former grand dame as theirs.

All of them, like Madam Shim and her family, had seen their pet orang utans confiscated during that period and taken to the zoo.

Just yesterday, it was reported that Australian oil rig worker Paul Carter had claimed in his new book, Don't Tell Mum I Work On The Rigs, that Ah Meng spent 15 years serving cocktails on an oil barge that plied South-east Asia's waters.

He wrote that the crew was forced to give her up to the zoo when the ship was sold to new owners in the 1970s.

Do you think you or your family could be Ah Meng's former owner? Do you have pictures of the orang utan from all those years ago?


RETIREE CLAIMS HE'S ORIGINAL OWNER
Ah Meng? That's my 'Frankie'
Tay Shi'an, The New Paper 12 Mar 08;

SINGAPORE's most famous orang utan has been gone for a month.

But even after her death, Ah Meng is still causing waves.

Who is her original owner?

Three weeks ago, The New Paper ran a report on whether Madam Shim Choy Yeng, 78, and her late husband, who live on Kusu Island, may have been Ah Meng's original owners.

Now, another person thinks he used to own the Singapore icon.

Retiree Yeo Cheng Siah, 71, said he kept an orang utan and a bear as pets for about 10 years – from the 1960s to the early 1970s – before they were both taken away by the authorities.

The former pig farmer's relatives contacted The New Paper after our earlier report.

Ah Meng died of old age in the Singapore Zoo on 8 Feb.

She was 11 when she and seven other orang utans were confiscated from homes and then given to the zoo in 1971.

Neither the zoo nor the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has written records of who and where Ah Meng was taken from.

So for years, families who had their pets taken away have been wondering if the zoo's former star was their long-lost pet.

Mr Yeo is one of them.

He said he bought his orang utan in the early 1960s when he was living in a kampung in Kallang with his parents and eight siblings.

He recalled: 'My friend's uncle was a merchant who sailed the seas, and he bought (the orang utan) for me. I paid him $100 for it.

'It came to me in a basket. That time, it was very, very small, and had very little hair on its belly.'

His family named the orang utan Frankie, but realised later it was female after it grew breasts.

But they continued calling it Frankie anyway, as the name had stuck.

Two to three years after he bought Frankie, Mr Yeo, an animal lover, also bought a baby bear, which he kept in a cage, for $100.

MOVING HOUSE

When the family moved to a farm in Jalan Lembah Bedok, near Bedok Reservoir, they brought the animals with them.

Mr Yeo's wife, Madam Ngo Kee Ngan, 60, said Frankie, which they kept chained to a tree, was adorable and obedient.

Mr Yeo added: 'It was friendly to everyone, even strangers.

'If you held out your hand, it would take it and follow you to the well to take its bath.'

Frankie was also very strong, and broke its lock several times. But it never ran away or disturbed the neighbours, said Mr Yeo.

'Once, it ran to my sister's room and slept on her bed with her.'

Mr Yeo would also walk around town with Frankie on his shoulders, making him an instant hit with the children.

Madam Ngo said: 'At my father's provision shop, many children would surround it and play with it.'

Mr Yeo's nephew, Mr Tan Yeow Lang, 45, a taxi driver, said: 'I was about 8 then and I remember shaking hands with it.'

Mr Yeo said he went to the authorities to get Frankie back after it was taken away but to no avail.

A few months later, he and a friend went to the zoo to visit the orang utan.

But he stopped going after that.

'We had already given it up, no point going again,' he said.

'I also didn't think it could recognise us anymore.

'If I knew it would became famous, I would have gone to the zoo every month to take a picture with it. Then people would know it's mine.'

Read more!

Butterflyfish may go extinct

ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
Science Alert 25 Feb 08;

A beautiful black, white and yellow butterflyfish, much admired by eco-tourists, divers and aquarium keepers alike, may be at risk of extinction, scientists have warned.

The case of the Chevroned Butterflyfish is a stark example of how human pressure on the world’s coral reefs is confronting certain species with ‘blind alleys’ from which they may be unable to escape, says Dr Morgan Pratchett of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.

In a study published in the journal Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology Dr Pratchett and Dr Michael Berumen of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA) warn that the highly specialized nature of the feeding habits of this particular butterflyfish – the distinctively patterned Chaetodon trifascialis - make it an extinction risk as the world’s coral reefs continue to degrade due to human over-exploitation, pollution and climate change.

“The irony is that these butterflyfish are widespread around the world, and you’d have thought their chances of survival were pretty good,” Dr Pratchett said today.

“But they only eat one sort of coral – Acropora hyacinthus – and when that runs out, the fish just disappear from the reef.”

The team found it hard to believe a fish would starve rather than eat a mixed diet, so they tested C. trifascialis in tank trials on a range of different corals. The fish grew well when its favourite coral was available – but when this was removed and other sorts of corals offered, it grew thin, failed to thrive and some died.

“We call these kinds of fish obligate specialists. It means they have a very strong dietary preference for one sort of food, and when that is no longer available, they go into decline. We still don’t have a satisfactory scientific explanation for this, as it seems like rather a risky tactic in evolutionary terms – but it must confer some advantage provided enough of its preferred food is available,” Dr Pratchett says.

The A. hyacinthus coral, which the butterfly fish feeds on, is itself highly vulnerable – to attacks by plagues of crown-of-thorns starfish (thought to be triggered by humans releasing excess nutrients onto the reef as sediment, fertilizer or sewage), to storms and to the coral bleaching caused by the heating of ocean surface waters to 32 degrees or more, which is thought to be linked to global warming.

“Although extremely widespread, the Chevroned butterflyfish may be at considerable risk of extinction following ongoing degradation of coral reefs around the world, because the coral itself is exceptionally vulnerable," Dr Pratchett explains.

“It is estimated that up to 70 per cent of the world’s coral reefs are now badly degraded, which usually involves the loss of this particular coral – and, when it goes, the C. trifascialis also disappear from the reef."

“To make matters worse, butterflyfishes are one of the main families of coral reef fishes being targeted by aquarium collectors. However, the specialized coral-eaters are clearly not suitable for keeping in aquaria - and often die because they cannot obtain their main food source.”

A previous case where a coral-dependent fish vanished was that of Gobiodon; a specialized coral-dweller known only from one site - Kimbe Bay in Papua New Guinea - which was thought by scientists to have possibly become extinct after its habitat was destroyed.

Researchers consider that such extinctions are likely to occur as part of the global mass extinction of species now taking place, and that marine ecosystems may be particularly vulnerable in that small changes in habitat or water quality can have a big impact on their species.

Dr Pratchett and Dr Berumen say theirs is one of the few studies so far to consider the evolutionary and ecological basis of dietary versatility, and has implications for the fate of specialised feeders throughout the animal kingdom.

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Getting a handle on the plastic bag problem

Georgina Smith, The Guardian 23 Feb 08;

The campaign against plastic bags has been gathering steam in the UK, while China recently announced that it would ban the use of some bags and force consumers to pay for others. But how are other countries tackling the problem? Georgina Smith reports

There is an old Chinese expression: if you want to correct something that others do, you should first correct it yourself. It's an expression the Chinese government can claim it is following in its efforts to tackle one of the country's most significant litter problems: the plastic bag.

The issue of flimsy plastic bags may seem trivial on the list of environmental challenges facing one of the world's emerging superpowers, but its ramifications are more than aesthetic. Discarded plastic bags disrupt waterways, clog sewers, and choke soil.

So, as one of its new year's resolutions, China has pledged to put a stop to its 3bn-a-day habit, and ban the use of free and flimsy plastic bags by introducing levies. As of June this year, plastic bags must be paid for, and they will be banned from all public transport, airports and scenic places.

Plastic is fantastic. It's versatile, durable, waterproof, convenient and very, very cheap. But with all benefits of plastic bags come a long list of nagging problems, and the most problematic of all is their sheer persistence.

Depending on the thickness, plastic bags take between 20 and 1,000 years to break down in the environment. They release toxic gases when they burn; they create stagnant pools which can become a breeding ground for malarial mosquitoes; and they suffocate or disrupt the indigestion of animals that accidentally consume them.

So, how easy is it to regulate a blanket ban on something so integral - yet so destructive - to modern living? And does it work? In Europe, good waste management has meant that the menace of the plastic bag has not been unleashed as it has in the developing world. China's situation is perhaps better reflected by experiences on the continent of Africa.

In South Africa, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a ban is already working. Before action was taken to curb the problem, consumers in South Africa got through 8bn plastic bags a year. The problem was so bad that plastic bags became known as the "new national flower", competing with the protea - the true national flower - for the limelight.

South Africa's answer was to ban the manufacture, trade and commercial distribution of plastic bags with a thickness of less than 30 microns (0.03mm). Anything below 30 microns can blow away in even a light wind, and cannot be easily recycled. Increasing the thickness of plastic bags has been found to have a positive impact on littering.

A levy is in place, and the penalties for non-compliance are tough: fines and even imprisonment.

Before regulation in South Africa, the cost of producing, delivering and distributing plastic bags was hidden in food prices, so even if customers did not want a bag, they would pay for it. Now they can make the choice - and UNEP reports that consumers have benefited from lower food prices as a result.

But bans have not been so successful everywhere. In Bangladesh, serious and repeated flooding, which resulted in major loss of life, was reportedly linked to drain blockages caused by plastic bags. The floods prompted the government to impose a ban on the sale and use of polythene bags in the capital city, Dhaka, in 2002. But no results are available on its success, suggesting there has been little evidence of a positive outcome on the streets.

In Kenya, roughly 82% of plastic bags used each year end up on the streets or in the sewage system. No outright ban has been considered, and even levies have been opposed by those who say it will kill an industry that supports thousands of people.

In Somaliland, regardless of a ban prohibiting the importation, production and use of plastic bags since March 2005, a UNEP report suggests that both importation and local production continue.

Yet even when there are alternatives such as paper bags or boxes available, consumers continue to opt for the plastic bag. It seems that we are addicted. It remains to be seen whether China can kick the habit, or find a truly fantastic - and biodegradable – plastic bag.

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How it happened: The catastrophic flood that cooled the Earth

Yahoo News 24 Feb 08;

Canadian geologists say they can shed light on how a vast lake, trapped under the ice sheet that once smothered much of North America, drained into the sea, an event that cooled Earth's climate for hundreds of years.

During the last ice age, the Laurentide Ice Sheet once covered most of Canada and parts of the northern United States with a frozen crust that in some places was three kilometres (two miles) thick.

As the temperature gradually rose some 10,000 years ago, the ice receded, gouging out the hollows that would be called the Great Lakes.

Beneath the ice's thinning surface, an extraordinary mass of water built up -- the glacial lake Agassiz-Ojibway, a body so vast that it covered parts of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North Dakota, Ontario and Minnesota.

And then, around 8,200 years ago, Agassiz-Ojibway massively drained, sending a flow of water into the Hudson Strait and into the Labrador Sea that was 15 times greater than the present discharge of the Amazon River.

By some estimates, sea levels rose 14 metres (45 feet) as a result.

How the great flood was unleashed has been a matter of debate.

Some experts suggest an ice dam was smashed down, or the gushing water spewed out over the top of the icy lid.

Quebec researchers Patrick Lajeunesse and Guillaume Saint-Onge believe, though, that the outburst happened under the ice sheet, rather than above it or through it.

In a study appearing on Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience, the pair describe how they criss-crossed Hudson Bay on a research vessel, using sonar to scan more than 10,500 kilometres (6,000 miles) to get a picture of the bay floor.

In the south of the bay, they found lines of deep waves in the sandy bed, stretching more than 900 kilometres (562 miles) in length and some 1.7 metres (5.5 feet) deep.

These are signs that the bay's floor, protected by the mighty lid of ice, was swept by a mighty current many years ago but has been still ever since, they say.

In the west of the bay, they found curious marks in the shape of parabolas twisting around to the northeast.

The arcs were chiselled as much as three metres (10 feet) into the sea bed and found at depths of between 80 and 205 metres (260 and 666 feet).

The duo believe that this part of the bay had icebergs that were swept by the massive current.

The bergs' jagged tips were trapped in the sea bed and acted like a pivot. As the icebergs swung around, other protruding tips ripped arc-like tracks on the bay floor.

Also presented as evidence are deep submarine channels and deposits of red sediment that stretch from land west of Hudson Bay right across the northwestern floor of the bay itself -- both point to a current that swept all before it.

"Laurentide ice was lifted buoyantly, enabling the flood to traverse southern Hudson Bay under the ice sheet," the study suggests.

Previous work suggests the flood was so huge that it affected climate around the world.

The influx of freshwater into the North Atlantic reduced ocean salinity so much that this braked the transport of heat flowing from the tropics to temperate regions.

Temperatures dropped by more than three degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in Western Europe for 200-400 years -- a mini-Ice Age in itself.

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Fairtrade fails to tackle poverty, report says

The Telegraph 24 Feb 08;

The multi-million pound Fairtrade industry has been accused of failing to help the world's most impoverished farmers as Britain's second biggest sugar firm announced plans to convert its entire range to the scheme.

A report by the Adam Smith Institute claims Fairtrade products do not aid long-term economic development and often fail to help the poorest farm workers.

Consumers spent more than £290 million a year on Fairtrade goods in 2006 and sales of products bearing the distinctive black, green and blue logo have continued to soar.

They are likely to rise further after the sugar company Tate & Lyle said it would convert its entire operation to Fairtrade-certified farmers. Under the scheme, 40 per cent of the cost of each bag of sugar will now go back to Belize, where it will be shared by farmers, cane mills and community projects.

But the report, named Unfair Trade, has sparked a row over the scheme's effectiveness in tackling poverty. It claims that paying farmers for their produce sustains uncompetitive farming methods rather than encouraging modern techniques. The institute also says the payment structures put in place by the Fairtrade Foundation, which operates the Fairtrade label, unintentionally encourage farms in developing countries to take on labourers only during harvest time rather than employing them full-time.

In addition, it claims that just a fraction of the Fairtrade premium paid by consumers actually reaches the producer, while retailers pocket the rest.

The Fairtrade Foundation, however, insists it ensures farmers are paid a better wage than they would normally receive and this helps them to improve the lives of their families and the local community.

Tom Clougherty, policy director at the Adam Smith Institute, said: "At best, Fairtrade is a marketing device that does the poor little good.

"At worst, it may inadvertently be harming some of the planet's most vulnerable people. There is nothing wrong with being concerned about the working conditions, wages and environment of workers, but we don't believe Fairtrade is the most effective model.

"They make assumptions about agriculture in the developing world - that they must be small farming cooperatives, but this is just not sustainable if countries are to develop."

He said free trade was a more effective strategy for reducing poverty, as it encouraged countries to industrialise and develop more efficient farming practices.

The report also claims Fairtrade is actually failing to operate in countries that suffer from the lowest wages.

Mexico, for instance, is the largest Fairtrade coffee producer in the world, with 51 certified organisations, while Ethiopia has just four and Rwanda 10.

The institute also says the Fairtrade Foundation has tried to monopolise the so-called ethically branded produce market by persuading organisations, schools and towns to declare themselves Fairtrade at the expense of other ethical brands such as Cafe Britt.

There are more than 300 Fairtrade towns and cities across the UK, where councils are required to pass a resolution to support Fairtrade and ensure such products are readily available in shops.

Fairtrade is one of the ­fastest-growing retail sectors in Britain, with sales soaring by 46 per cent between 2005 and 2006. More than 3,000 products are Fairtrade-certified including coffee, tea, chocolate, fruit, vegetables and cotton.

The Fairtrade Foundation, which will launch its Fairtrade Fortnight promotion this week, claims more than seven million people in 58 countries benefit from the system.

The organisation said: "This is a cynical attempt to undermine our pragmatic approach to trade. Fairtrade products cost the consumer no more than ordinary products in many cases, yet we ensure farmers receive a higher price. We also work with other ethical brands such as those in the organic movement."

Other charities remain divided over Fairtrade. While Oxfam said it supported the brand, others criticised it.

Ceri Dingle, director of educational charity WorldWrite, said: "Fairtrade is much more about satisfying the Western consumer's guilt. No country has ever become a successful economy by being a farm - they need to industrialise."

Read more!

Jakarta Green Monster protects wetlands

The Jakarta Post 24 Feb 08;

The existence of wetlands in a metropolis like Jakarta is crucial to the wellbeing of the city and its residents. Wetlands nurture wildlife, absorb excess rainwater and provide a natural laboratory and a recreation area.

Jakarta's wetlands has shrunk to less than 6 percent of the city area, and will keep diminishing unless serious action is taken to stop its destruction.

Among the consequences of wetlands destruction are unseasonable droughts and floods, which claim victims and cause ailments like skin diseases and respiratory infections. Yet the continuing housing developments in the wetlands reveal that public awareness on this unique ecosystem and its social and health benefits remains low.

Realizing the seriousness of the issue, several environmentalists backed by the Fauna and Flora International-Indonesia program set up in 2006 Jakarta Green Monster (JGM), a non-governmental organization to save the wetlands of Jakarta.

The JGM aims to create a sustainable, healthy environment in the capital while promoting wetlands conservation and encouraging public participation in environmental conservation. It works closely with the local community, local authorities and relevant institutions like the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) of Jakarta, as well as the Jakarta government.

The continuing existence of the native mangrove forests in Muara Angke is in everyone's interest.

"We encourage people to make the most of nature, develop accessibility such as the newly built bridge at Muara Angke Wildlife Reserve and launch campaigns to love nature. When people love Angke, they will care for its wellbeing," said Frank Momberg, the Asia-Pacific regional director of development at Fauna and Flora International.

JGM presently bases its activities at the Muara Angke reserve. At only 25.02 hectares, it is the smallest wildlife sanctuary in Indonesia, yet it is unique and no less important.

"Among our activities, we facilitate and educate local communities to manage their waste, monitor water birds and river water quality, and guide schoolchildren and the public to explore Muara Angke wildlife," said Hendra Aquan, a JGM volunteer.

"Waste is a big problem for Jakarta in general, and for Muara Angke in particular. Jakarta produces about 6,000 tons of waste daily; 58 percent comes from household waste, 15 percent from industries and 15 percent from other sources," Hendra said.

"Of household waste, 65 percent is organic waste. So the role of housewives in waste management is very significant. We therefore work closely with them in areas around Angke, educating and supervising them on this issue," he added.

An ideal Muara Angke -- one that is clean and lush, and where wildlife thrives and people live in harmony with nature -- is still far from reality; but the JGM is taking concrete steps towards realizing this dream for the benefit of all Jakartans.

-- Ani Suswantoro

Jakarta Green Monster
Kompleks Laboratorium Pusat
Universitas Nasional
Jl. Harsono RM No. 1
Ragunan, South Jakarta
Tel: (021) 79800981
www.jakartagreenmonster.com

JGM event reminds all to care for Jakarta's wetlands
Ani Suswantoro, The Jakarta Post 24 Feb 08;

Wetlands are natural areas that occur between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in which water covers the soil or is present near the surface all year round or during certain periods of time.

Wetlands spread from montane to coastal areas, and possess a rich and unique ecosystem with vital functions, but sometimes their invisible values are not revered. Wetlands possess value as an alternative source of income for local people, as a recreational site and a natural laboratory, and as a source of water. They are also key areas for the prevention of floods.

The survival of wetlands in Indonesia is facing serious threats from uncontrolled logging, coastal reclamation, infrastructure development, pollution and the encroachment of non-indigenous species. Poor understanding among the public as well as government officials of the benefits wetlands provide have contributed to their rapid destruction.

Jakarta needs its wetlands to maintain a healthy, sustainable life in the capital. Jakarta Green Monster (JGM), a non-governmental organization focusing on wetlands conservation, commemorated World Wetlands Day on Feb. 2 to raise people's awareness on the unique ecosystem.

Themed "Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People", the event was held at the Muara Angke Wildlife Reserve in North Jakarta, and involved a photography competition for the public, as well as a feature writing contest for senior high schools, waste recycling contest for junior high school students and a drawing contest for elementary school students. The waste recycling category saw the largest number of entrants at about 40 students, while the others drew 35 entries together.

"The contest for waste recycling, which is crucial in environmental protection, is open to groups of three," explained a committee member at the event. "Writing is a very powerful way to convey our ideas on wetlands conservation campaign. Pictures are self-explanatory in presenting facts, and drawing is an interesting activity for children. These are why we chose these kinds of competitions."

"The Mangrove Forest is My Playground" was the theme of the drawing contest.

"I just know this reserve is a nice place to play," said Abdurrahman, the first-place winner from state elementary school SDN Kapuk Muara Pagi.

"But it's a pity that we must obtain a permit to visit," his mother added.

The second-place winner was Dwi Yuniarwati from SD Ragunan 10 Pagi, and Ea Syifa from SD Ragunan 7 Pagi placed third.

"I didn't win, but I still like playing here," said Aditya, a drawing contestant.

In feature writing, Ozora Kharunia from LabSchool Kebayoran placed first, Herdiman Harianto from Tarakanita 2 in Pluit, North Jakarta, came second, and Khusnul Khotimah from YMIK I Manggarai of South Jakarta placed third.

Meanwhile, the waste recycling contest, conducted under a shady pidada tree (Sonnieratia caseolaris) was the most hectic of the day. All students were busy making their recycled creations, such as a water purifier made of plastic jerry cans filled with gravel, sugar palm fibers and sand, bookcases of instant noodle cartons and even toy robots from water bottles and biscuit tins.

The eventual winners were Mitzy, Vania Chinka and Irwan Surya from Santa Maria junior high school in Juanda with their unique creation: a water wheel made from an old bicycle tire and discarded cans.

Chesa Razky, Shella Syahira and Achmad Bima from Global Islamic School, Condet, were in second place with recycled paper made from shredded newspapers. Nurul, Rubi and Rahmah from Bogor's Insan Kamil junior high school took third place with pencil cases and accessories made from water bottles and instant noodle wrappers.

Originality, usefulness and usage of only waste materials were the criteria for winning.

The XS Project and the Dipepi Free Food Gang, two environmental community service groups, also took part in the event. The XS Project exhibited and sold their popular shopping bags, pencil cases and handbags made of plastic waste from Rp 35,000-80,000 each. The items are created and assembled by orphans and scavengers.

Meanwhile, Dipepi shared their ideas and tips on publishing opinion pieces.

"We don't need to contact a publisher to express our views on the environment, social or political matters. We can issue our own (publication) by reproducing our writing. We just require a little money for photocopying expenses," said Ika of Dipepi.

The enthusiasm of youths involved in the event was an encouraging sign for the future of Jakarta's wetlands.

"Environmental issues are included in the curriculums of many senior high schools, such as Tarakanita 3 and Manggarai in Jakarta, Bogor's Pertiwi Elementary School and several schools in Ciawi," said JGM coordinator Enny Sudarmonowati.

"Jakarta Green Monster is also very active in promoting wetlands conservation in Jakarta, specifically in Muara Angke Wildlife Reserve through radio stations like Suara Metro, Delta FM and Utan Kayu. As for publications, we expose Angke in the inflight magazines of Garuda and Batavia (airlines)," she added.

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Fires in the Riaus

Fired gutted protected forest in Tanjungpinang
Antara 23 Feb 08;

Tanjungpinang (ANTARA News) - The only protected forest in Tanjungpinang, capital of Riau Islands Province, was destroyed by fire at 16:00 on Friday.

The fire had been put out in three hours by fire fighters of the city and Bintan district, Tanjungpinang City Police Chief Adjunct Commissioner Imam Widodo told Antara.

However, the cause of the fire was still unknown.

The forest covered 10 hectares of land.

The fire fighters could easily put out the flames as the forest has abundant water sources.

Residents living near the forest panicked when they saw smoke in the air blanketing their homes.

Some of them were ready to leave their homes to safer places, but cancelled their plan because the flames were already put out. (*)

Haze engulfing Bukittingi growing thicker
Antara 23 Feb 08;

Padang, West Sumatra (ANTARA) - Haze engulfing West Sumatra city of Bukittinggi in the last four days as the result of forest fires in neigbouring Riau province had become thicker, a report said.

Several residents in the tourist resort city told Antara here on Friday that the increasingly thick haze has also affected the vision of motorists.

Junaidi, a Metereology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) staff member in Tabing, Padang, said the haze came from Riau province.

Recently, two hotspots were spotted in the forests in Pesisir Selatan district and two forest fires broke out in Padang city, he said.

The local authority had also extinguished a hotspot in Bung Hatta ptotected park.

In the meantime, the BMG in Pekanbaru city said the number of hotspots in Riau had been increasing by 300 percent.

The NOAA 18 satellite in its latest observation said that the number of hotspots in Riau had inreached from 10 to 34. (*)

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Sri Lanka coral reef fisheries destroyed by organized crime: officials

Submarine Mafia
Lanka Business Online 23 Feb 08;

Feb 23, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka's coastal fisheries and coral reefs are being destroyed by a rapid rise in dynamite blasted 'fishing', with the lucrative practice now exploding into an organized crime involving big money, officials said.

Dyanamite fishing is a destructive way of killing fish by setting off explosives underwater so that the resulting shock waves kill fish in a vast surrounding area.

Dynamite Mafia

Though first started by some fishermen in isolated areas a few decades ago, the practice is now being bank-rolled by a rapidly growing mafia from outside the traditional fisher community.

Traditional fishermen and officials say the 'dynamite mafia' has now perfected a system which they put into practice with assembly line precision.

Underwater photos obtained by LBO from an eyewitness, shows the entire crime sequence in action.

First a small boat goes over a fishing ground unobtrusively dropping primed sticks of dynamite.

Sometime later a second boat comes and drops scuba divers nearby who stealthily start collecting the dead fish in gunny bags.

A boat then comes again to pick up the gunny bags.

Officials say the practice is now spreading beyond the coastal waters.

"In the early days it has been done by the small scale fishermen," Champa Ameresinghe, a marine biologist from the National Aquatic Resources Development Agency (NARA) told ETV's Money Report program.

"Now it is like an organized crime. They do it in the open sea also. For example in the Puttalam area and the Kalpitiya area they even use it on encircling nets when they cannot control the school.

"Only about half the fish is collected."

In the coastal areas especially from Beruwala to Hikkaduwa dynamiting among the coral reefs is now being bank-rolled by businessmen from outside the traditional fisher community.

Dangerous Game

Most fishermen are too scared to speak openly, fearing reprisals from the dynamite mafia. But some are willing to take the risk after seeing their livelihoods being destroyed.

"Around 10 to 12 boats come each day from Weligama, Midigama, and Mirissa and drop dynamite," says W M Gunapala, a traditional fishermen from near Galle.

"After they drop not a fish is left in the whole area. Not a creature comes near the shore then, leave alone fish."

The percussion destroys the internal organs of fish and other marine fauna killing them instantly.

"Everything – fish, other marine animals, fish eggs – is destroyed," says C D Nagahawatte from Sri Lanka's fisheries ministry office in the southern coastal town of Galle.

"It's like a bomb," explains Amerasekera. "All internal organs are damaged."

Coral polyps die in blast sites. Divers say blasted areas could be easily recognized from the dead coral and lifeless barnacles.

Criminal Attraction

There are stiff penalties for dynamite fishing which was outlawed in Sri Lank in 1996.

"Any wrongdoer caught will be fined 100,000 rupees and his goods will be confiscated," says Nagahawatte.

"For a second offence he will be given a jail sentence of up to five years."

But the practice is continuing and gaining ground. The current high price of fish is another magnet for business interests to make a quick buck.

"The price is good and a lot of fish can be caught unlike when using a net to fish," observes Dharmasena Jayasekara, another traditional fisherman from near Galle.

Knowledgeable persons say that a person who helps in a dynamite boat can earn 3,000 rupees a day compared to 500 rupees for a diver or fishing boat. Even inexperienced labourers could now earn more than an experienced fisherman.

Though some fishermen allege that police is turning a blind eye, everyone agrees that law enforcement authorities have a genuine problem to find cash to hire boats and patrol the seas or even act on tip-offs.

Increasingly larger volumes of fish that is now turning up on shop counters and supermarkets are now actually dynamited fish.

Officials say an experienced person can easily identify dynamited fish from the air bladders that have burst and eyes that have come out. Other signs to look out for are bloodshot eyes, and bloodshot areas in the belly of the fish.

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Caribbean Sea one of world's most polluted

Aretha Welch Trinidad&Tobago Express 23 Feb 08;

It is one of the most damaged seas on planet earth. The Caribbean Sea, the second largest in the world, is one of the most polluted seas in the world according to the first ever global study on sea pollution caused by human activity.

Oil spills, over-fishing, pollution from ships and climate change is killing substantial marine life. Oyster and seagrass beds, mangroves, fisheries and coral life are all disappearing; trawlers kill hatchlings by the thousands; birds and whales are struck by ships in what used to be open water but is now playing grounds for wealthy yatchies and oil companies.

The research findings of the global study were published in the February 15 issue of Science magazine.

The study was conducted at the National Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) in Santa Barbara, California.

Other seas said to be suffering the same fate as the Caribbean Sea are the North Sea, the South and East China Sea, the seas along the east coast of North America and the Mediterranean Sea.

Kim Selkoe, a research scientist and co-author of the study working out of Hawaii said over 80 percent of the world's seas are fished and young aquatic life has no where to hide from the nets and harpoons of marine based entrepreneurs.

"The other really surprising thing to me, from what our fishing data showed is that 80 per cent of the world's ocean is fished. There's nowhere left for the fish to hide...fishing boats are just really everywhere," she said.

Locally, the Cropper Foundation, a local non profit organisation which has done and published extensive research on the Caribbean Sea, has shown the clear link between the ecosystem and the economy, demonstrating that while the ecosystem is being destroyed, so too are certain economies.

The shortage of seafood and the depletion of the fisherman's source of income is just one economic side effect of the Caribbean Sea's degradation.

In the project report for the Caribbean Sea Ecosystem Assessment, the foundation found that "despite their significant value to the current and future well being of these (Caribbean) states, the ecosystem goods and services provided by the Caribbean Sea are under threat."

For environmentalist Prof Julien Kenny, pollution is the price to be paid for industrialisation.

"Even with education of the people, half will comply and half will continue to pollute. Pollution is one of those things you expect as countries become more industrialised," Kenny said in a brief interview with the Sunday Express.

"Significantly lessening pollution means changing human behaviour and that's a very hard thing to get done," he added.

Some activists believe the fight to save the earth starts with legislation to govern the countries' coastal areas and for better policing of local waters.

The Cropper Foundation notes that "the Caribbean Sea is used and impacted by many states which lie outside the geographical boundaries ... through leisure, trading and transportation activities," and that despite the formulation of fisheries legislation in all of the islands, "unregulated exploitation of limited fish stocks has continued unabated."

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Kenyan wildlife park bush fire rages for second day

Jack Kimball, Reuters 23 Feb 08;

NAKURU, Kenya (Reuters) - Using branches to beat back flames, Kenyan rangers and residents struggled for a second day on Saturday to control bush fires that have engulfed a third of one of the nation's best-known wildlife parks.

At least 100 local citizens joined wildlife officials to help put out the fire, which was accidentally started in a nearby village and has already destroyed large patches of the 188 square km Lake Nakuru National Park.

"We just heard people screaming from afar and we knew it was about the fire, so we came immediately to put it out," said Dorcas Kafiri, running towards the fire with a branch in hand.

She, like other villagers near to the park, jumped through a fence to come and help.

Hundreds of workers, soldiers and policemen battled the main blaze for 12 hours on Friday, largely containing it. But fresh fires broke out on Saturday morning.

The blaze at one of Kenya's most popular destinations is another hit to the ailing tourism industry, which has seen declining numbers and profits since a post-election crisis that killed more than 1,000 people.

Lake Nakuru park, normally teeming with U.S., European and other tourists driving around in four-wheel-drive vehicles, has been virtually devoid of visitors since the December 27 vote.

When the fire began, grass parched from a recent lack of rain made fertile fuel. A Reuters reporter saw blackened hills with plumes of smoke behind and fringes of flames moving forward.

Most famous for the hordes of flamingos that gather on its lake shore, the park in central Kenya is home to 450 species including white rhinos, giraffes and lions.

"This was definitely an accident. It was not an act of arson," said senior warden Charles Muthui, saying a woman from a nearby village started the fire while burning wood. Winds then quickly carried the blaze into the park.

"Tourists don't want to see fires, they want to see animals," Muthui said at the park entrance.

Despite the fire, baboons wandered unperturbed around other parts of the park, while some groups of gazelles even trotted over the scorched earth. Rhinos lounged next to a creek.

Game wardens said the fire appeared to have largely spared the wildlife, although a reporter saw a charred turtle.

(Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Caroline Drees)

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Encyclopedia of Life to be published online

Jonathan Leake, The Sunday Times 24 Feb 08;

SCIENTISTS are to release the first draft of an Encyclopedia of Life detailing everything known about all living organisms, from the aardvark to the zebu.

When complete the project will detail all 1.8m known plant and animal species. Each will have its own web page in an online archive that will include photographs, genetic information and distribution maps.

This week will see the release of the first 30,000 pages of the project, which will focus on fish, amphibia, large mammals and birds.

It is regarded by the scientists as a triumph but just a small percentage of the likely final total. “This is a great event,” said Lord Robert May, a former president of the Royal Society who is an adviser to the project. “It will help us to sort out all the different species and create a single consistent database.”

Scientists have long dreamt of creating a comprehensive encyclopedia listing all known life, but the volume of data accumulated over 250 years of research left everyone who tried it in despair.

However, the advent of Wikipedia and its revolutionary use of so-called “mash-up” software, to aggregate vast amounts of data from disparate sources, showed researchers how they could achieve their dream. The Natural History Museum (NHM) of London, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington are just three of the many centres pouring data into the encyclopedia. About 2.5m pages of ancient academic journals, drawings and photographs have been scanned into computers ready for publication.

One possibility is that the finished encyclopedia could also include links to video clips taken from television programmes. This weekend the project won the approval of Sir David Attenborough, the maker of programmes such as Life on Earth and the current Life in Cold Blood. “This is a hugely welcome project and long overdue,” he said.

The science of classifying the natural world began with Carl Linnaeus, who published his famous Systema Naturae in 1735. He had promised a classification of every known living thing but by the time he reached his 13th and final edition in 1770 and his original 11 pages had expanded to 3,000, it was still incomplete.

Since then scientists around the world have continued to catalogue and research individual species. But data and specimens were often left buried so deep in academic libraries and archives that they were inaccessible to most researchers.

Graham Higley, head of the NHM’s library and information services, organised the international conference that kick-started the Encyclopedia of Life project. He has been overseeing the scanning and digitisation of millions of pages of scientific records held at the museum.

“Identifying species correctly is critical. Cataloguing species and monitoring concentrations of known species or their appearance in new locations is vital, for example, to monitor the impact of climate change,” he said.

The Encyclopedia of Life is one of a number of initiatives aimed at recording every last detail of life on Earth. All are at least partly driven by the knowledge that many species could soon be sent into extinction by habitat destruction, climate change and exploitation. One scheme is the Frozen Ark project, also based partly at the NHM, which aims to store deep-frozen DNA from endangered animals. Kew Gardens is attempting a similar project to conserve the world’s plants in its millennium seed bank in West Sussex.

"Encyclopedia of Life" Takes Shape: 30,000 Species
Alister Doyle, PlanetArk 26 Feb 08;

OSLO - About 30,000 species of creatures and plants have been listed in a draft "Encyclopedia of Life" that may aid understanding of issues from human ageing to disease, scientists said on Monday.

The free Internet encyclopedia (www.eol.org) aims to eventually list all 1.8 million known species of life in a $100 million, 10-year project begun in 2007.

The first draft, with 25 fully completed entries including text, pictures and video, is due to be launched at a conference in Monterey, California, on Wednesday. A further 30,000 have less detailed information.

"Our major message to the world is 'Here's our first attempt at putting together this encyclopedia, please give us our feedback, your criticisms, your comments'," James Edwards, executive director of the project, told Reuters.

Edward Wilson, a Harvard biologist whose call for a portrait of life in a 2003 speech helped spur creation of the encyclopedia, said: "This thing is taking off like a big booster rocket. ... It is already galvanising research."

The encyclopedia has been dubbed a "macroscope" -- helping to identify big patterns often overseen by scientists working in narrow fields.

Researchers into human ageing, for instance, often study a small range of creatures such as fruit flies or worms in laboratories to try to untangle why organisms age.

"We'd like to look across a group of organisms, a family of flies, for example, for the extremes," said Edwards.

Flies with unusually short or long life cycles could be compared to classic laboratory fruit flies for molecular or genetic clues to ageing. Such information across similar species is not now readily available.


LOW-COST, EFFICIENT

Or a developing country facing an outbreak of a new mosquito-borne disease or an invasion of crop-eating beetles could consult the encyclopedia to uncover breeding and feeding habits of the insects to work out ways to stop them.

"I'd hope that within 12 months we'll start to see papers written that could not have been done without the existence of the Encyclopedia of Life," said Jesse Ausubel, chairman of the project at the Rockefeller University in New York City.

He said scientists might, for instance, study hundreds of thousands of species to test Cope's Rule, which states that creatures tend to get bigger over geological time. Horses are an example -- their ancestors were dog-sized.

"The Encyclopedia of Life allows the low-cost efficient assembly of lots of databases that individual researchers would never be able to get together," he told Reuters.

He likened the current lack of an encyclopedia to trying to study a language without a dictionary. "The very fact of assembling all these species is a revolution," he said.

The project is led by the US Field Museum, Harvard University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Missouri Botanical Garden, Smithsonian Institution, and Biodiversity Heritage Library -- a group that includes London's Natural History Museum, the New York Botanical Garden and the Royal Botanic Garden in Kew, England.

(Editing by Mary Gabriel)

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