Follow South Korea: Seal rubbish chutes, use pre-paid bags

Letter from Sim See Hwee, Straits Times Forum 29 Sep 08;

I READ with interest how condominiums must have recycling facilities in their compound ('Condos to have recycling facilities', Sept 17). What also caught my attention was the sticker on the recycle container stating, 'Paper only'.

I wonder if all this will work. Without a system whereby we take ownership of our rubbish, it is hard to implement recycling at home.

Many residents of condos and high-rise HDB flats, with the convenience of rubbish chutes and in the privacy of their own home, will just throw rubbish down the chute without sorting it out.

Many of those in landed property do not care about their rubbish, leaving their rubbish bin outside, dotting the street and creating an unsightly view.

One solution is the South Korean way - seal all rubbish chutes in high-rise buildings and use pre-paid rubbish bags. Residents must buy bags (in place of paying conservation charges), in different colours for different types of rubbish, and take them to rubbish collection area themselves.

Experiments with a rubbish suction system in HDB estates are obviously moving in the wrong direction - not changing people's behaviour, but taking the easy way out by doing it for them.

Another lesson, from Taiwan: All rubbish must be kept at home, and taken out only when the rubbish truck comes. The crux here is ownership of rubbish. Once people are allowed to put rubbish outside, they feel relieved of ownership and no longer care about it. In Taiwan, they call it the 'rubbish must not touch the ground' concept - from home to the rubbish truck, it must not touch anywhere in between.

On recycling paper, there is no problem. Every morning in my condo, the cleaners fight to collect old newspapers - which they call 'brown gold' - which they sell for extra income.

Our rubbish management system needs a drastic revamp if we aim to be the regional hub in recycling and environmental technology.

Read more!

Sea turtles are back off California, noshing on jellyfish

David Perlman, San Francisco Chronicle 28 Sep 08;

Endangered leatherback sea turtles, unseen off the central California coast only two years ago, have returned and are once again gobbling their favorite food: huge jellyfish that are swarming by the zillions from Monterey Bay to Point Arena.

The leatherbacks were spotted during a month-long survey cruise aboard a government research vessel and repeated aircraft observations. Researchers said they were seen diving for meals close to shore and snacking now and then in deeper waters much farther out.

"We're getting a better understanding of the leatherbacks and their coastal habitat here after several years when the population was much lower than usual - and after we observed none at all in 2006," said Scott Benson, chief scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's leatherback survey mission based in Monterey County at Moss Landing.

Benson led teams of specialists aboard the NOAA research ship David Starr Jordan that carried sonar gear to scan for the jellyfish while crew members tagged the leatherbacks with temporary tracking devices - simple devices attached to their shells with suction cups - to record their enigmatic diving and feeding behavior.

The rare and little-known leatherbacks have been around during 100 million years of evolution, and their migration patterns are amazing: They nest and lay their eggs in the sandy beaches of Indonesia and the Solomon Islands, then swim 7,000 miles across the Pacific to their feeding grounds along the California coast. But in the past 25 years, more than 90 percent of the leatherback population has vanished, Benson said.

The abrupt decrease is largely because of egg-hunters raiding their nests, commercial long-line fisheries whose hooks can ensnare the turtles as "bycatch," and most recently the erosion of many nesting beaches because of small rises in the sea level caused by global warming, said Michael Milne of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, an environmental group based in Marin County.

The huge abundance of jellyfish (Chrysaora fuscescens), commonly known as sea nettles, is apparently caused by increased upwelling of nutrients like krill and plankton from just above the sea floor this year, Benson said.

Spotters aboard the NOAA Twin Otter aircraft found six leatherbacks "surrounded by miles of jellyfish" - along with humpback whales and large ocean sunfish - off the San Mateo County coast and in the midst of regular cargo shipping lanes leading to and from the Golden Gate. In one case, a leatherback was observed swimming among the jellyfish only 5 miles west of Benson's home in Moss Landing, he said.

Another leatherback that was equipped with a more permanent satellite tag a year ago had returned to the same area this year, apparently after spending the winter a few hundred miles south of Hawaii along what Benson called "Jelly Lane."

During one segment of the cruise off Pescadero, the mission's trawling team of jellyfish specialists encountered huge hauls of the creatures, including one weighing 24 pounds with a bell 21 inches across and tentacles "taller than any of our scientists," the team reported.

Hungry as they are, leatherbacks don't eat the jellyfish's transparent globular bells - it's the viciously stinging tentacles they love, and Benson and his colleagues found themselves "covered with stinging jellyfish slime" whenever they hauled any of the turtles aboard, he said.

Although the survey found most of the leatherbacks feeding amidst the jellyfish no more than 30 miles from shore, the ship did venture as far out as 150 miles, and even there, Benson said, the turtles were feeding amid an abundance of jellyfish.

Eddies of cold and warm water there attracted the jellyfish, Benson said, "and it made the area a fast food stopover for the turtles - a good place for a quick snack on the way in toward the coast after that 7,000-mile swim."

Read more!

Shrimpers in Thailand plan greener future

Walailak Keeratipipatpong, Bangkok Post 29 Sep 08;

Thailand should run more environmentally friendly shrimp farms and produce higher quality shrimp under a new development roadmap for the industry.

The 2009-11 strategic plan is aimed at encouraging farmers to grow at least 5,000 rai of mangroves per year and to use seaweed in shrimp ponds to absorb waste and residue.

Thanwa Jitsanguan, a vice-president for special projects at Kasetsart University, said the goal was to combine sustainable industrial development with environmental protection.

"Sticking to a safe environment concept is good for farmers themselves," he said.

Farmers typically use shells to clean shrimp ponds, but seaweed could earn more income. Enlarging mangrove plantations would help address the industry's negative image as having destroyed mangroves over the past two decades.

Niwat Suteemechaikul, the director-general of the Fisheries Department, said more hygienic production and a "green" concept would be strong points the industry could use to promote its products abroad, given growing concern about food safety.

He also promotes export diversification to reduce business risk. "In fact, we want to reduce dependence on the US market and cut the share of Thai shrimp going to the US to less than 50%."

Even with the slowing economy, US buyers are expected to take most of the country's estimated 370,000 tonnes of shrimp exports this year.

Under the second roadmap, Thailand plans to produce about 500,000 tonnes of shrimp per year and to expand export markets. The new export structure could be closer to 40% to the US, 20% to Japan and 17% to Europe.

In 2007 the US took 52.1% of Thailand's total shipments of 349,418 tonnes of shrimp products, Japan 18.1% and the EU 9.54%. Russia, the Middle East, China and Asia are expected to play a greater role in the future.

In addition, the industry could explore niche markets and move up the value chain, producing organic shrimp, "bio-secure" products and shrimp-related food such as dumplings.

Mr Niwat _ known as "Mr Shrimp" in the industry for his work to promote the sector _ said the country should launch marketing campaigns in markets such as Britain, Germany, South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries.

He said the first roadmap, launched during the Thaksin Shinawatra government, would continue its programmes to encourage farmers to export chilled shrimp directly to end-users such as restaurants and hotels in Asia, many just a two- or three-hour flight away.

"Under this strategy, customers will receive fresh products while farmers bypass middlemen and gain greater income," Mr Niwat said, adding that such food service exports could reach 30,000 tonnes a year.

But he said that one missed target has been the goal to raise value-added products to 65% of exports, although improvements have been made.

This year, processed shrimp shipments are expected to account for 54.5% of total exports, with the rest being raw -- a modest increase from the 50.5:49.5 breakdown seen in 2006 when the first plan was adopted.

Read more!

Malaysia's United Plantations Awarded International Certification For Responsible Practices

Manik Mehta, Bernama 27 Sep 08;

The American Palm Oil Council (APOC) announced that a Malaysian oil palm plantation has received the first ever certification as the first plantation to adopt the strictest standards of sustainability for its palm-oil production.

A US based association representing the Malaysian palm-oil industry, APOC was set up to inform the American public about the benefits of palm oil used in food applications, biofuel, soaps, candles, etc, and is also said to be the worlds only international association formed to codify sustainable industry practices

"Palm-oil producers in Malaysia, along with the Malaysian government are committed to preserving the countrys natural resources and biodiversity," said Mohd Salleh Kassim, the APOC executive director.

"We want our customers here in the US to know that palm oil purchased in Malaysia is produced in a responsible, environmentally-friendly manner … the announcement is a great step forward in providing our international consumers with the documentation to back up our commitment to sustainable practices," he said.

Malaysia-based United Plantations Bhd was awarded the "Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oils (RSPO) Certificate of Conformance to RSPO Principles and Criteria".

Dedicated to promoting the growth and use of sustainable palm oil, the RSPO defines sustainable palm oil as production "comprised of legal, economically viable, environmentally appropriate and socially beneficial management and operations".

As a qualification for the RSPO award, United Plantations participated in thorough investigations of its nine estates, six mills and conservation areas; interviews with management, staff and workers regarding management systems and social amenities; and a meeting with 150 of the company's stakeholders to ensure that the plantation fulfilled each of the RSPO criteria.

"Much emphasis has been given to developing their commitment to sustainable palm oil," observed David Ogg, an assessor, in the RSPO Assessment Report for United Plantations.

"There is a clear commitment to RSPO by top management and by the staff and workers in the field."

The assessment team also highlighted United Plantations biodiversity and environmental conservation efforts in their report which applauds the establishment of the United Plantations "Lagoon Nature Reserve", a planting project of "rare and endangered Malaysian species", as the APOC calls it.

The lagoon contains 18 tree families, 50 species and more than 2,000 trees, which will create a natural forest system and provide a seed bank for future prorogation.

The report also refers to the plantations enforcement of "zero-burn policies" --- which means that land cannot be burned for the cultivation of palm oil - and its research to improve palm-oil seeds so that they maximize the yield thereby minimising the land and plants needed.

The RSPO certification of United Plantations is a "clear statement", according to the APOC, that "Malaysia is serious about sustainability".

Several other Malaysian palm-oil plantation companies are expected to be certified in the near future, the APOC said.

-- BERNAMA

Palm oil firm becomes first to win eco-certification
mongabay.com 28 Sep 08;

United Plantations, a Malaysia-based palm oil producer, has become the first oil palm plantation firm to be certified for adopting the strictest standards of sustainability for palm oil production, according to Bernama.

After inspections across its its nine estates, six mills and conservation areas and interviews with managers and employees by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oils (RSPO), an industry-driven sustainability initiative, the firm was awarded the "Certificate of Conformance to RSPO Principles and Criteria". United Plantations has implemented "zero-burn policies" as well as measures to reduce pollution and the use of fertilizers and pesticides. The firm has also set aside areas of high conservation value, according to RSPO.

The news comes as the palm oil industry moves to improve its environmental performance in response to harsh criticism from scientists and activists who say that oil palm expansion is driving deforestation and putting endangered species at risk. A recent study showed that more than half of oil palm expansion in Malaysia and Indonesia between 1990 and 2005 occurred at the expense of forests, while other research has found that oil palm plantations contain up to 80 percent less biodiversity than logged forests and are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions when established on peatlands and in tropical rainforests.

Now that RSPO-certification has become a reality, some expect producers to seek a pricing premium for "greener" palm oil. Consumer giant Unilever — one of the world's largest consumers of palm oil — has already committed to buying only certified palm oil by 2015.

Read more!

'Unnecessary' dam project threatens rarest wildlife in Cambodia

Michael McCarthy, The Independent 28 Sep 08;

One of the world's rarest reptiles, the critically-endangered Siamese crocodile, is gravely threatened by a proposed dam in an unspoilt region of Cambodia, British conservationists warn.

Construction of the Chay Areng dam in the Cardamom mountains will wipe out a fifth or more of the remaining population of the crocodiles, which stands at fewer than 200 individuals in the wild, according to Fauna and Flora International (FFI), which is based in Cambridge.

It will displace hundreds of indigenous people from their homes, and do enormous damage to the wildlife in a valley which alone holds more than 30 globally threatened species of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and amphibians, ranging from tigers, Asian elephants and pileated gibbons to the white-winged duck, the yellow-headed temple turtle and one of the world's rarest and most prized freshwater fish, the Asian arowana.

Furthermore, says FFI, an economic assessment showed that the 120ft dam, which is being promoted by a Chinese power company, is not necessary for Cambodia's future electricity demand and is in effect surplus to requirements. FFI is calling on the Cambodian government to cancel the scheme.

Were it to go ahead, the Siamese crocodiles would be the most notable casualties of the project in wildlife terms. The stocky, 10ft-long reptile, which feeds largely on fish and snakes, is extinct over 99 per cent of its original range, with tiny remaining groups in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam apart from Cambodia, where the Areng river habitat is the most secure and significant breeding site in the world, harbouring between 40 and 50 individuals.

If the Areng river is dammed, says FFI, this fragile population will be seriously reduced or wiped out. The inundation will destroy vital lakeside nesting areas, shallow feeding zones, sandy basking areas along the river, and essential lakeside burrows used for shelter. The organisation also fears that the 1,000-plus Chinese workers who will be brought in to build the dam will begin poaching the other wildlife in the valley, saying that this has happened in similar schemes elsewhere.

The whole range of the Cardamom mountains in western Cambodia has hitherto been one of the best unspoilt areas of montane rainforest in South-east Asia, having been protected from exploitation for decades by the region's wars. FFI says it is "the untouched jewel in the crown of Asian biodiversity".

But now it is being opened up, especially by the Chinese, who are offering to build hydropower and other generating infrastructure for the Cambodians in exchange for a future share in the country's untapped natural resources, which include oil and gas. Many of the rivers of the Cardamom range have dams proposed for them, and one, at O'Som, is already going ahead.

FFI says its recognises that Cambodia needs more electricity and some of it will come from hydropower. But it says that a 2007 report, the Master Plan Study of Hydropower Development in Cambodia, commissioned by the Japan International Co-operation Agency and the Cambodian Ministry of Mines and Energy, identified 10 priority sites that would be sufficient to meet the projected national demand – and significantly, these did not include the Chay Areng.

"The Areng dam is unnecessary and surplus to requirements," said Jenny Daltry, a senior conservation biologist with FFI. "Hundreds of households of an indigenous people, the Khmer Daeum, will be displaced and have to move. These are people who have been there for hundreds of years and who really do live in harmony with nature and have set up their own protected areas in the forest, and six villages of them will go, and possibly seven.

"In wildlife terms, it will be a disaster. The crocodiles, which represent at least a fifth of the world's population in the wild, will disappear and there will be catastrophic damage to other wildlife.

"It is still up to the Cambodian government to approve or reject the proposal from the Chinese company and we strongly feel it should be rejected."

Read more!

8 Ways to Green Your Paper Use

Trey Granger, LiveScience.com Yahoo News 28 Sep 08;

We may talk of a paperless world, but paper still makes up 35 percent of our solid waste. Even though new paper can be created by growing more trees, that doesn't mean we can't be smart about the paper we use. Here's eight ways to optimize your paper use for the environment's sake:

1. Save Those Boxes

Many of your larger purchases will come in a cardboard box that you can't wait to get rid of. While you may not have a need for the plastic packaging (you can find a location to recycle plastic using Earth911), the box can definitely come in handy for:
Wrapping gifts Shipping packages Moving

The beauty of cardboard is that it can be collapsed into a flat sheet for easy storage under a bed or in the back of a closet. All you need to create a "new" box is some tape.

2. Recycle Your Mail

No matter how many mailing lists you unsubscribe from, you're still going to have paper to dispose of after reading your mail. Almost all of it can be recycled as mixed paper, so why not set up a bin for your letters, catalogs and multi-color advertisements?

Two mail-related products you may wonder about are envelopes with plastic windows and stapled paper. Both are most likely accepted in your area, because when paper is recycled these elements are filtered out. Find out where to recycle mixed paper in your area using Earth911.

3. Pay Bills Online

You can reduce the amount of mail you need to recycle in the first place by signing up to receive statements via email. You'll decrease paper use, save money on stamps and have easy access to your information online. Plus, payments posted online send you an email confirmation so you can feel confident about avoiding late fees.

4. Print Double-Sided

Computer paper has two sides; how many are you printing on? If you have a laser printer at home, you can change the setting to double-sided printing and copying. Otherwise, consider printing documents one page at a time and printing the second page on the back of the first. It may take you more time, but you'll also have less paper to buy.

5. Buy Recycled

Paper recycling is only beneficial if a market is generated for recycled content. Guess what: you generate that market by buying recycled content paper. In the case of newspaper, you're buying recycled without even knowing it. For computer paper, the higher the recycled content, the better for the environment (100 percent recycled is available at most office supply stores). Ask about recycled content paper at you're local copy store as well.

6. Get a Library Card

If buying recycled content paper is green, renting paper is neon green. The library may seem out of date with internet access and national book chains, but it's a great way to reuse paper. You can also find newspapers and magazines at the library, and sometimes even textbooks. If you decide to get rid of books, find book reuse and recycling locations using Earth911.

7. Make Paper Bag Book Covers

With more cities placing restrictions on the use of plastic bags, paper bags may be your packaging of choice. Well, these bags have many reuse options to keep them out of the trash, including covering your hardcover books. This also protects your books from damage and food stains. Plus, once you're done with the cover you can still recycle the bag with the rest of your paper.

8. Recycle Phone Books

How many phone books do you have stacked in a pantry, closet or garage? You can use Earth911 to find a location that will recycle telephone directories into new white and yellow pages, as well as insulation material and the aforementioned grocery bags.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 28 Sep 08

Another new record from East Coast Park: a clam
on the wild shores of singapore blog

TeamSeagrass Orientation
looking to the future and sharing thoughts about being on the team on the teamseagrass blog

Butterfly of the Month: The Common BlueBottle
on the Butterflies of Singapore blog

Little Grebe: Piggybacking chicks
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Shadows Of Their Former Glory
a reef on the Caribbean on the Malaria, Bedbugs, Sea Lice, and Sunsets blog

Read more!

SM Goh says challenge for Tianjin Eco-City is to attract investors

Maria Siow, Channel NewsAsia 27 Sep 08;

TIANJIN: With initial progress underway at the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City project, Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong says what needs to be done is for policy measures to be either tweaked or put in place.

While saying that Singapore had chosen the right site for the bilateral flagship project, Mr Goh acknowledged that the challenge right now lies in attracting investors.

Mr Goh said his visit to the Tianjin Eco-City site allowed him to visualize what the area would soon look like - a place where residents enjoy a good and leisurely lifestyle, alongside vibrant economic activities such as financial services, research and development, and education.

Mr Goh said he is overwhelmed by the scale of China's vision, the boldness and the determination of the Chinese in realizing the Tianjin Eco-City dream.

To get the project going, Mr Goh said what is important is to put in place incentives and remove restrictions.

He said, "There are three harmonies we're talking about, people with people, well we can achieve that. But people with environment, that's in fact the whole purpose of the eco-city, we can achieve that.

“So the challenge will be people and the economy... we have some ideas on how to attract the activities that we want, financial services, research and development, education, but in the end, can we attract them to come over here, that's the challenge for us."

Agreeing, Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu said the eco-city must have more than just a pro-environment living area.

She said, "I think increasingly the challenge is to be economically competitive as well. So I think it's now time to re-focus on the policy side of it, how to make this place attractive to investors, and to create jobs for the people here."

Turning the Tianjin Eco-City from dream to reality involves more than just the physical dimensions. It also involves the software of ensuring the city's long term sustainability and viability, and having endorsement from China's highest leadership might just be the extra touch that is needed to distinguish the Singapore flagship project from other similar eco-cities in China.

Mr Goh also attended the opening plenary session of the World Economic Forum.

At the session, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao noted that in view of the global financial crisis, China's greatest contribution to the global economy would be to ensure that it remains economically vibrant.

Turning to the recent milk powder scandal, Mr Wen said that China will revamp the country's entire food industry so as to ensure greater trust and credibility in Chinese products.

- CNA/yt

Top leaders from Singapore and Beijing break ground for eco-city
Tracy Quek, Straits Times 29 Sep 08;

TIANJIN: After 17 months of painstaking preparation and planning, Singapore and China yesterday began construction of their flagship eco-city, with a ground-breaking ceremony attended by top leaders from both countries.

Singapore's Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao were at the event to launch the project, which both sides hope will show the way forward for other environmentally-friendly cities in China.

The two leaders, who first endorsed the bilateral venture last April in Beijing, were all smiles when they met for brief talks at the eco-city's administrative building before the ceremony.

'I remember that it was little more than a year ago when the idea was just brewing. From then to its implementation, the progress has been very fast,' said Mr Wen. The Chinese Premier, who signed a formal agreement setting the project in motion with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last November in Singapore, yesterday called the project a new highlight in bilateral ties.

The development of the city will be overseen by the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Company, a 50-50 joint venture between a Chinese consortium led by Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding Company and a Singapore group led by the Keppel Group.

In his address, Singapore's National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said the project was 'timely and significant' coming at a time when 'the world faces serious challenges in balancing protection of the natural environment with the pursuit of economic growth'.

SM Goh and Mr Wen, along with senior officials including Tianjin party secretary Zhang Gaoli, the city's Mayor Huang Xingguo and Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Jiang Weixin - 'broke ground' with shovels as confetti rained on a specially constructed stage.

Work will now begin on the first 4 sq km plot, an area roughly the size of Jurong East Town in Singapore. The start-up area will be developed in three stages over the next three to five years.

And within 15 years, at a cost of around 50 billion yuan (S$10 billion), the eco-city will spread across a 30 sq km site. About 350,000 people will eventually live in the township, which is intended to show how eco-friendly living can be balanced with vibrant economic activity.

Speaking to reporters yesterday at the end of his five-day visit to China, SM Goh said the global financial crisis would not affect the construction of the project.

He disclosed, however, that he had asked Premier Wen to consider lifting restrictions on offshore loans for the project. This would make it easier to bring in, for example, potential partners from the Middle East, who 'may want to have their own funding from outside'.

Mr Goh said Mr Wen's presence at the ceremony showed the importance of the project to Beijing's top leaders at a time when the world is looking at the impact of China's growth on the environment.

'If China is being criticised for not taking into consideration the environment, China can point to one eco-city which it is embarking on, and later on to many other such cities,' added Mr Goh. Singapore, in turn, gains from stronger political ties.

And Mr Goh said there should be no fear of competition from other eco-city projects being built elsewhere in China, although he said the aim should still be to make this one the best. 'In the end are we special, and the most outstanding? I think let's try to do that,' he said.

Mr Goh left China for home yesterday.

About eco-city in northern China
Straits Times 28 Sep 08;

Area: 30 sq km at the northern end of Tianjin's Binhai New Area.

Time-frame: Developed over next 15 years to house 350,000.

Current work: Building begins on a 4 sq km start-up area to house 85,000 people.

Plan: Three stages over next three to five years starting with Stage One, a 110ha plot. Infrastructure to be completed late next year.

Features: Residences,a business park, schools, clinics, shopping malls, parks and a light rail.

Oversight: Joint venture, the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Company, will oversee overall development. Keppel Group heads the Singapore consortium.

The ‘intangibles’ that matter
Projects like these will help keep Singapore economy flying: SM
Lin Yanqin, Today Online 29 Sep 08;

FOR most Singaporeans, the transformation of this vast expanse of prawn farms and salt flats into a thriving green city may not mean much — but projects such as these in China are vital to Singapore’s future.

“For example, without embarking on such projects, I don’t think China will consider a Singapore-China FTA (free trade agreement),” said Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, after the ground-breaking ceremony of the 50 billion yuan ($10.4 billion) Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city project with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

“There is already an Asean-China FTA ... Why should China pay attention to Singapore and sign a separate FTA?They have made concessions for Singapore because we are helping them in certain areas, so these are the intangibles leading to tangible results for Singapore.”

And building up this China wing stands us in good stead in times like these, with the global economy slowing and its financial markets in turmoil.

“We are, of course, affected, but not so terribly affected,” said Mr Goh. “China is not our only wing, we are also actively building up an Indian wing, because an aeroplane cannot fly on one wing alone. This is where we hope to keep Singapore’s economy flying.”

Wrapping up his five-day visit to China, the Senior Minister highlighted Mr Wen’s presence at the ceremony. “China is a very big place, to get the premier to come down for the ground-breaking for a 30-sq-km project ... shows the importance of the project to him and to the central government,” said Mr Goh, who had first raised the idea of an eco-city with Mr Wen 17 months ago and was visiting the site for the first time.

With the eco-city to develop over the next ten to 15 years, such projects give future Singapore leaders the chance at a sustained relationship with China,Mr Goh added.

A Middle-EastERN partner in Tianjin?

He was confident the market turbulence would not affect the long-term progress of the Tianjin project, as issues such as demand for office space would only arise five to 15 years down the road.

Mr Goh has suggested to Mr Wen that China open up to offshore financing.

“China is fearful of a flood of funds from the rest of the world and putting pressure on inflation,” he said.

“But we are trying to bring another partner,probably from the Middle East, into the project, and of course, these partners would like to offer equity financing plus perhaps loans. We are also thinking of some Islamic banking and financing for certain aspects of this project.”

In future, there could also be third-party developers on the land who would want to bring in their own funding from outside, he noted.

The Chinese were “very flexible”, he added, and the Tianjin government would put up a case for such offshore financing.

Did the three to five year development deadline for the Start-Up Area seem tight? Mr Goh said it was important to show “a beginning”, to keep interest going.

Like Mr Wen, he was amazed by the speed at which the eco-city has progressed.

Infrastructure for stage one of the Start-Up Area — which will have residences, offices, and amenities — is slated for completion by the end of next year.

The 2,000-odd residents of the land on which the eco-city will be built, will be relocated within the city where they can find jobs.

With Tianjin located in the Bohai region — earmarked by China as the next economic centre after Shenzhen and the Pudong New Area in Shanghai —Mr Goh was confident the eco-city was well placed for success.

Also present yesterday was National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong, and Minister of State for National Development Lee Yi Shyan.

Read more!

Sharks attack each other in world's biggest aquarium in Dubai

Shark fights in one of the world's biggest aquariums are threatening the opening celebrations of Dubai's flagship new mall.

Richard Alleyne, The Telegraph 26 Sep 08;

More than ten percent of the sharks in Dubai Aquarium's 10 million-litre aquarium have been killed in attacks that have marred the build-up to its grand opening on Oct 30.

Sand Tiger sharks have killed at least 40 smaller reef sharks and been aggressive towards divers working on final preparations in the giant tank.

The aquarium features the world's single largest school of sharks and the world's largest viewing platform. It is the centrepiece of the new 12 million sq ft Burj Dubai Mall.

Built to showcase one of the world's most diverse and exotic collections of marine animals, the aquarium is home to more than 33,000 living specimens.

A total of 85 species is represented, with over 400 sharks and rays considered the main attraction.

But the concentration of such a large number of sharks in a relatively small space has led to what some might have considered predictable problems for the Dubai Mall's management.

General manager Yousuf Al Ali admitted the world's most feared ocean predator had caused teething problems.

"It is inevitable that aquatic species die – sometimes out of natural causes or out of injuries inflicted by bigger fish species," he said.

"Sand Tiger sharks, by nature, are fish-eating. However, all sharks and other animals in the Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre at The Dubai Mall are currently on a monitored feeding schedule in order to subdue their naturally opportunistic behaviour and appetite."

Meanwhile divers carrying out tasks in the tank have also been attacked by the naturally aggressive sharks.

Several have had their equipment damaged and experienced minor injuries due to the behaviour of the sharks, according to UAE daily Khaleej Times.

Mr Ali said: "During the stages of setting up the aquarium, two cases of minor injuries were reported and were immediately attended to by the on-site medical team."

The aquarium features a 270-degree acrylic walkthrough tunnel designed to give shoppers close encounters with some of the most diverse marine life on the planet.

At this rate they might get ringside seats at the world's greatest shark fight.

The mall which will have more than 1,200 shops will house the world's largest gold market (Souk) with 220 retail stores and will be adjacent to a 12-hectare artificial lake.

There will also be two major department stores, 150 food and drink outlets and a 440,000 square ft fashion island.

The centre sits alongside the world's tallest building -- Burj Dubai which is 626 metres high.

Dubai Ice Rink, the world's largest indoor Gold Souk and The Grove, the region's first indoor-outdoor streetscape with a retractable roof.

It also has eight hotels.

Read more!

Newport Aquarium Sends Sharks to Dubai Aquarium

Newport Aquarium Sends Sharks Overseas
local12.com 28 Sep 08;

The Newport Aquarium is packing up 11 nurse sharks and sending them overseas. The sharks are going to an aquarium in the largest mall in the world in Dubai.

All the animals were acquired from or donated by pet stores or home hobbyists who could no longer properly care for the sharks. Newport Aquarium officials have overseen the care of the animals for more than three years at its auxiliary warehouse location in Newport. The sharks were on display at one time at the Aquarium but were moved out to make room for other species.

The sharks will be shipped to the Dubai Aquarium at The Dubai Mall. It is one of the largest indoor aquariums in the world.

The sharks were put into eight large shipping containers and will travel to Chicago on two tractor trailers. Tomorrow, they'll be flown to Dubai, by way of Taiwan.

Usually light yellowish brown to dark brown, nurse sharks have flattened bodies and broad, rounded heads with two conspicuous barbels between the nostrils which are used to help find food. The mouth is filled with rows of small, serrated teeth for crushing hard-shelled prey.

Generally slow and sluggish, nurse sharks spend much of their time resting on the ocean's bottom. Because this shark can pump water over its gills, it does not need to swim in order to breathe. If it must move, the nurse shark may even use its large front (or pectoral) fins to "walk" along the ocean floor.

Female nurse sharks, averaging 7½ to 9 feet and 165 to 230 pounds, are slightly larger than their male counterparts. Nurse sharks are common in tropical and subtropical coastal waters on both sides of North America.

Nurse sharks are often found in the pet trade, although they quickly outgrow any but the largest hobbyist tank. It is important for amateur collectors to know how to properly care for this or any animal before purchasing.

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Sabah resort takes shark's fins off its menu

Daily Express 27 Sep 08;

Kota Kinabalu: At least one resort here has started the ball rolling to prevent sharks being cruelly mutilated for their prized fins at sea.

In doing so, it has become the first tourism establishment in the State - and perhaps the nation - to implement a previous Federal Minister's call (Science, Technology and Environment Minster Datuk Azmi Khaled) to government agencies and departments to stop serving shark's fin soup at functions.

Gayana Eco Resort will refrain from serving shark fin soup at its recently-refurbished Alu Alu Seafood Restaurant.

"Killing sharks and throwing them away just for their fins is a despicable and shameful practice that must be stopped," said Nilakrisna James, spokesperson and PR Consultant for the resort.

Internationally renowned marine scientist and zoologist Dr Mabel Manjaji Matsumoto, in a dinner talk on "Sharks and Rays of Sabah" at the resort, Thursday, said some 100 million sharks are killed yearly for their fins.

Of the estimated 2,000 species of sharks and rays worldwide, it is believed that in Sabah alone there are 36 species of sharks and 42 species of stingray, with some of the latest species found in the Kinabatangan region.

The talk, which was organized by Gayana Eco Resort's Marine Ecology Research Centre (MERC) to create awareness of the marine biodiversity in Sabah and the threats to our unique and endangered marine life.

Meanwhile, Nilakrisna, who is also the Organising Chairman of Sabah Law Association's Sub-committee on Environment and Climate Change, suggested that the Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI) at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) give the public more insight into threats to Sabah's marine life through the media.

"The BMRI at UMS should also be allowed to participate more proactively in the Kinabatangan Corridor of Life committee under the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment. We are aware of threats to terrestrial life forms as a result of development and plantations but more must be known of the threats to the aquatic life forms which for the most part are just as rare and endangered," she said.

She hoped the Education Department would also hold such talks for school children "as habits such as consumption of shark's fins should be stopped early in life."

"The children who study in Sabah must understand and appreciate the gifts and unique biodiversity that we have here.

"The fact is we have at our doorstep the most incredible educational experience that you won't get anywhere else on earth. That puts us on par with developed nations and we should capitalize on this opportunity and be proud of it."

Director of MERC, Alvin Wong, was satisfied with the good turn out, saying that in the past one would rarely see more than 20 persons at such talks. "With over 50 environmental enthusiasts at this talk, I am optimistic that the function MERC plays in this society will eventually bear fruit.

Propagation and restoration of life are at the heart of what we do at MERC but to achieve full awareness and success, there is a time factor in building up momentum," he said.

Set on its mission in achieving eco-certification, Gayana Eco Resort was recently declared by the Mayor as a "litter free resort" and announced its vision to be Asia's No.1 Luxury Eco Resort.

Gayana Eco Resort, first resort certified as litter free
The Borneo Post 27 Sep 08;

KOTA KINABALU: The City Hall has achieved another milestone in its Litter Free City campaign with the certification of Gayana Eco Resort as the first “Litter Free Resort” in the state.

The certification was presented by mayor Datuk Illiyas Ibrahim, who also presented the highest 5-Star Toilet rating certification to Alu Alu, a Chinese seafood restaurant, and Macac international dining restaurant.

City Hall has to date also certified Kg Cenderamata II Likas as Litter Free Village, St Francis Primary School and SMK Perempuan Likas as Litter Free Schools, HSBC as Litter Free Bank and City Hall as Litter Free Office.

Illiyas said since the launch of Grand Scale Anti Litter Campaign in May, the campaign had seen ‘very positive results with endless cleanliness campaigns’ both on mainland and at sea.

“The level of cleanliness in Kota Kinabalu City has greatly improved and the City is far cleaner than it was before the campaign,” he said, during the Certification of “Litter Free Resort” and “5-Star Toilet” Status at Gayana Eco Resort here yesterday.

Illiyas added that the resort also aimed to get an “eco-certification’, working on its composting programme as well as setting up its recycling program with the help of DBKK and the Buddhist Tzu Chi Merit society.

“It is our hope that every resorts in the City and every other establishments would come forward and support us to rid the City from habit of littering,” he said.

Also present were DBKK director-general Datuk Dr Chua Kim Hing and Gayana Eco Resort general manager Scot Toon.

Illiyas also said that DBKK also organised a one-month Toilet Cleanliness Campaign at their office beginning September 17 to October 17, to transform the mindset of City Hall’s office staff about toilet cleanliness.

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Prison for Chinese farmer who faked tiger photo

Yahoo News 27 Sep 08;

A farmer who caused an outcry after faking a photo of an endangered South China tiger was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Saturday, state media reported.

Zhou Zhenglong, 54, was convicted of fraud at a court in north China's Shaanxi province, and was also fined 2,000 yuan (300 dollars), Xinhua news agency said.

Zhou said he took the photo of the rare animal in October last year, stirring up much excitement in China as the tiger was thought to be nearly extinct in the wild.

He was awarded 20,000 yuan by the provincial forestry department for the feat, Xinhua said.

But experts subsequently revealed the snaps were fake after doubts began to emerge online about their veracity, as some netizens found an old poster with a photo of a tiger which looked like Zhou's picture, Xinhua said.

Police later arrested him after finding an old tiger poster that Zhou allegedly borrowed from a farmer in another village last September to produce his photos, the agency reported.

They also found a wooden model of a tiger claw that Zhou allegedly used to replicate the paw print of a South China tiger on snow, Xinhua said.

The last wild South China tiger sighting was recorded in 1964.

Experts believe no more than 20 to 30 of the big cats remain in the wild, and none has been spotted in decades.

The animal, whose traditional range is southern and central China, is one of six remaining tiger subspecies.

Three other subspecies, the Bali, Java, and Caspian tigers, have all become extinct since the 1940s, according to the US-based Save The Tiger Fund.

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