Best of our wild blogs: 21 Mar 09

Raphismia bispina (Bispina Skimmer)
a rare mangrove dragonfly from Pulau Semakau on the Creatures Big & Small blog

Blooming pigeon orchids
on the wonderful creation blog

More about our Morula fusca
on the wild shores of singapore blog

Footage of shark finning
on the Southern Fried Science blog

Red-legged Crake taking a bath
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Yellow Bittern in camouflage mode
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Outstared
on the annotated budak blog

Upcoming: Fun at Lower Pierce Reservoir with Leshon Lee on the Fun with Nature blog

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Whale sharks and dolphins at Sentosa: ACRES

Don’t snatch them out of the wild

Letter from Louis Ng
Founder and Executive Director
Animal Concerns Researchand Education Society (Acres)
Today Online 21 Mar 09;

I REFER to the report "Petition to stop captivity" (March 13) and the Marine Life Park statement issued on Jan 9.

The main issue should not be whether the dolphins or whale sharks that Resorts World at Sentosa plans to acquire are listed as “endangered” or “least concern” or “vulnerable”.

How endangered these species are is important, but what Acres feels is most important is the individual animals that will be and are affected by Resorts World at Sentosa’s decisions.

According to news reports, 18 dolphins have already been snatched from the wild and are currently in the Philippines for training. Catching dolphins from the wild is a terribly invasive process — stop and think for a moment how frightened these dolphins would be.

I doubt the dolphins care that they will be looked after by a team of professionals and experts. We hope that the resort owner will change their plans before a whale shark is similarly captured.

Acres remains committed to maintaining our dialogue with Resorts World. They have taken the progressive step of leaving sharks fin off their menus, recognising the importance of protecting wild marine life. Acres sincerely hopes they make a moral and similarly progressive decision of not gambling on the lives of dolphins and whale sharks and cancel their plans to acquire these animals.

It really is not just about simply abiding to regulations, but about maintaining the moral integrity of the company.

More about the issues with lots of links on the wild shores of singapore blog.

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Earth Hour Sabah: Endless blackouts, so no need to switch off lights

Daily Express 21 Mar 09;

Kota Kinabalu: The call for people in Sabah to switch off their lights for an hour at 8.30pm come March 28 in support of action on global warming may not be necessary - at least to one dedicated environmentalist.

"In Sabah, we already have been practising it for years and against our will," said Datuk Wilfred Lingham in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the sudden blackouts that sometimes results in going without electricity for hours.

"In Tanjung Aru, it can happen any time. Last Sunday it was more than two hours, on Tuesday about one hour and it occurred again two days ago during breakfast.

"So the call is no big deal to Sabah, rather, it appears to be a joke," he said, commenting on the "Earth Hour" call to Malaysians in Sabah by visiting WWF Hong Kong marine biologist Dr Lindsay Porter.

"Every now and then politicians coming over will pledge to do something.

"I've been surviving this long but there is no improvement. But I support the spirit. In fact Sabah should take the lead role (in the one-hour campaign as the population has been 'voluntarily' managing without adequate power all the while)," he said.

On March 28 (Saturday), beginning at 8.30pm, cities and towns in about 60 countries across the world will turn off their lights for one hour in response to WWF-Malaysia's Earth Hour 2009 Project. The aim is to send a strong message to world leaders to commit themselves to reducing the "green house effect" that has led to global warming.

Meanwhile, Sabah Environment Protection Association President Wong Tack said he had instructed members in Tawau, Lahad Datu, Sandakan, Semporna, Sipitang, Kota Kinabalu and all towns across Sabah to send short messages to at least 5,000 households to switch off their lights at the stipulated time.

"We are appealing to as many people as possible to participate in this event," he said. "We are at a very crucial juncture in human history terms of challenge where we should do everything we can to revert climatic instability before it is too late."

Wong pointed to Sepa's slogan which reads "Towards a Low Carbon and No Waste Society."

Omar Kadir, Chairman of the Malaysian Nature Society Sabah Branch, said his committee would meet to work out some action plans of its own.

"MNS has a big following at the national level and since Earth Hour is a WWF-Malaysia initiated, we are putting in efforts to support it by spreading the word," he said.

"Definitely it serves as a wake-up call to conserve energy which in turn translate into less fossil fuels burnt, such as coal, oil and gas and in turn translate in a small way to reduce emissions of green-house gases.

"The event reminds especially people who don't take global warming seriously to start thinking serious about its serious consequences," Omar said.

Omar said one of the biggest threats of global warming is on coral reefs such as Sabah's oceanic iPulau Sipadan which is essentially held together by living corals on a 2,000ft volcanic stump.

"When corals die and disintegrate this mushroom-shaped diving wonder may collapse and the next generations of Malaysians may not se it any more," Omar said.

Recent studies carried out by Australian scientists found ocean pH value had dropped from 8.2 to 8.1 which translates to a disturbing increase in seawater acidity by about 20 to 30 per cent and as a result, sea shells are decreasing in weight because their ability to calcify has been reduced.

The full consequences on the world's tropical coral reefs are yet to be determined but it is adding worries to a host of problems facing mankind.

Earth Hour was started in Sydney on March 31 where more than 2 million households switched of their lights for an hour.

Last year, it spread to 370 cities and towns in 35 countries with an estimated participation of 50 to 100 million people. This year, the target is to take it to 1,000 cities and possibly participation from one billion people.

Cynics may say this is not going to make any difference. But organizers argue that the point is not necessarily Earth Hour but what the world does after Earth Hour.

It may be prudent to mention here that the idea is only to switch off the lights and not appliances like refrigerators - much less medical equipment necessary to sustain human life.

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Earth Hour set to be bigger here this year in Singapore

Over 300 organisations, 3,000 people will switch off lights on March 28
Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 21 Mar 09;

THE world is marking the fight against climate change next week, and Singapore has caught the bug in a big way.

More than 300 organisations and 3,000 individuals here have pledged to switch off their lights for an hour next Saturday night to mark Earth Hour, a global initiative by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to raise awareness on climate change issues.

Famous local landmarks such as the Merlion, the Singapore Flyer and the Esplanade will 'go dark' to lend their support. The prime shopping district of Orchard Road will also be blanketed in darkness, with landmarks such as Wheelock Place, Paragon Shopping Centre and Wisma Atria switching off their facade lights and other external lighting.

The observance of Earth Hour, which was first initiated in Sydney two years ago, has spread around the world, and this year, 1,800 cities in 80 countries have committed to switch off their lights for an hour.

In Singapore, participation has also ballooned from last year, the first time Singapore took part, when only 'a few dozen organisations' had signed up, said the WWF.

A three-member team started making preparations last September in a concerted effort to target buildings in the business district and the prime shopping belts of Orchard Road and Marina Bay this year.

Said the campaign manager for the event here, Ms Carine Seror: 'It really is a snowball effect...One individual can make the difference by choosing to switch off the lights at home.

'Others might hear about it and this gets people to think and talk about the issues out there and take action.'

Earlier this year, Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar pledged his support for Earth Hour. 'Earth Hour is a laudable initiative...It is a reminder that each of us can make a difference by making small changes to our habits and lifestyles,' said Professor Jayakumar, who leads a ministerial committee to tackle climate change.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Development are two of the 13 government agencies slated to participate by switching off lights in their buildings.

This symbolic gesture will take place at 8.30pm - based on each participating country's local time - on March 28. It is a cumulative show of solidarity to demonstrate how working together can make a difference in the fight against climate change.

Said Ms Seror: 'The key message we want to get across is that climate change is an issue that goes beyond switching off your lights for an hour. It is about the small changes each individual can make in his everyday life, which can have an important effect.'

Other corporations such as software giant Microsoft and the National Geographic Channel are spreading the green message regionally.

Microsoft will display banners across its social media network - which reaches 1.5 million users in Singapore and approximately 13 million people in South-east Asia - in the run-up to the event.

'We believe in Earth Hour's central message - that one person can make the difference...The supreme example of this is Mahatma Gandhi,' said Mr Craig Law-Smith, Microsoft's South-east Asia marketing director, Online Services Group.

On March 28, National Geographic Channel will impose a 'channel blackout' of programmes and will instead run factoids on environmental issues across its South-east Asia and Hong Kong channels.

Developer CapitaLand has pledged that 106 of its properties in the region and Australia - 29 from Singapore, including Raffles City and Plaza Singapura - will switch off their facade lights.

The Hong Leong Group, which includes property giant City Developments, has taken the project a step further. Apart from 25 hotels, buildings and offices switching off their lights, 2,000 employees have even agreed to 'sleep naked' - that is with the air-conditioning switched off.

Individuals have been equally enthusiastic in their support for Earth Hour. More than 3,000 people here have signed up on the campaign's website to go 'lights off' at home.

One such individual is Mr Justin Chai, 22. 'What I found meaningful was the idea that although our impact as individuals is limited, the message is significant if we come together collectively,' said the third-year mass communication student at Nanyang Technological University.

The organisers have also adopted an official ambassador for Earth Hour Singapore, television presenter Nadya Hutagalung, to spread the message.

Climate Change is a topic she holds close to heart, said the former model who took on the role for free.

'Looking at the bigger picture, government legislation has been greatly effective as a medium of change,' she said. 'But for the man in the street, what is the point of making huge gestures when the little things that we do every day are not making a difference?'

Highlights of this year's Earth Hour
Straits Times 21 Mar 09;

EARTH Hour is a symbolic initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

It is an annual event aimed at getting individuals, households and businesses around the world to turn off their lights and electrical appliances for one hour to increase awareness about climate change and conservation.

Next Saturday at 8.30pm local time, people around the world will be encouraged to turn off their lights for an hour. More than 1,800 cities in 80 countries have committed to switching off their lights during Earth Hour this year.

The WWF aims to reach 1 billion people to illustrate the world community's support for action on climate change.

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights. Last year, 50 million people took part.

The Four Seasons Hotel Group will be pulling in its 35 hotels around the world to participate in the 'longest candlelight dinner' - entertaining dinner guests at its restaurants by candlelight.

A host of activities are planned at Wisma Atria along Orchard Road.

The Astrological Society of Singapore will be holding a star-gazing party, and shoppers can look through telescopes and learn about the stars. There will also be outdoor performances by Samba Masala, a youth percussion band from the Singapore Management University.

Ms Amy Lim, general manager of YTL Pacific Star, Wisma Atria's property manager, said: 'We will create a strong visual message when lights on Singapore's premier shopping street are turned off on a busy Late Night Shopping Saturday.'

AMRESH GUNASINGHAM

More links See the Earth Hour Singapore blog for a wide range of events organised by NGOs for Earth Hour.

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150 chemical firms to get MOM checks after Tuas accident

Safety enforcement officers to zoom in on companies' risk management plans
Jermyn Chow, Straits Times 21 Mar 09;

THE island's 150 chemical companies will come under the close scrutiny of the Manpower Ministry's safety enforcement officers after last month's industrial accident which killed four workers and injured one.

Yesterday, its workplace safety and health commissioner, Mr Ho Siong Hin, said that the checks, which start next month, will zoom in on companies' risk management plans to see if they are followed properly.

Mr Ho said in a statement that checks will also include whether companies themselves have reviewed those plans to make sure that they are robust enough.

To complement the enforcement checks, a safety forum will be held at the end of this month to go over what happened in that accident and others, with the aim of arming companies to protect workers' lives.

The forum will be conducted by the industry-led Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council.

In last month's accident, five workers were cleaning a heat-exchange unit at Chemic Industries in Tuas View Loop when a small quantity of nitric acid, used in the process of cleaning, leaked.

MOM's preliminary investigations found that a 'chemical reaction' could have generated heat and gases, which caused acid to spew from the flange joint of the heat-exchange unit.

At the same time, large amounts of toxic fumes were emitted.

The victims - four Indian nationals and a Malaysian - suffered severe burns to their faces and upper bodies. The Indian workers later died.

Chemic Industries had been hired by Alva-Laval Singapore to clean a heat-exchange unit.

Work there has ceased while investigations are ongoing.

Last month's industrial accident dented Singapore's efforts to lower the number of workplace deaths here.

The number of deaths for every 100,000 workers here fell from 4.9 in 2004 to 2.8 last year.

But Singapore is still some way from its 2018 goal of fewer than 1.8 deaths for every 100,000 workers.

The accident prompted the WSH Council to send out an e-mail alert earlier this month urging chemical companies to relook how they hire sub-contractors and how these smaller companies handle toxic substances.

WSH Council chairman Lee Tzu Yang said: 'Customer chemical companies should also ascertain if competent supervision is provided by their sub-contractors when carrying out the work.'

The safety council highlighted that companies should ensure that hazardous chemicals are handled properly by competent personnel who are well briefed and kitted up with protective gear.

To spread the safety message, the safety council is also working with the chemical industry bodies here to reach out to more than 500 companies under their purview, including the sub-contractors.

President of the Singapore Institution of Safety Officers, Mr Edwin Yap, cheered the Government's move to engage all chemical companies, big or small.

At the same time, he suggested that the authorities could relook and improve current work practices to avoid future slip-ups.

'The chemical industry is riskier than other industries, as one accident can potentially kill many people, so extra precautions when handling toxic chemicals may be needed.'

jermync@sph.com.sg

What happened
THE accident happened when five workers were cleaning a heat exchanger unit (pictured left, in background). The Manpower Ministry's preliminary findings are:

# Concentrated nitric acid was pumped into the heat exchanger to clean it.

# A chemical reaction was triggered inside the metal unit, which generated heat and gases.

# Pressure built up from within the unit, causing the toxic mixture to spew.

# Toxic fumes were also emitted.

# Four workers died and one was hurt.

Full stop-work order at Chemic
Today Online 21 Mar 09;

FOLLOWING a chemical spill last month that killed four workers and left one injured, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will be inspecting workplaces that use hazardous chemicals, to ensure compliance with safety requirements.

This includes checks on whether companies have reviewed their risk assessments and safe work procedures for robustness.

In a statement on the preliminary findings after the accident at :Chemic Industries on Feb 27, MOM noted that Chemic Industries was engaged as a subcontractor byAlfa Laval Singapore to clean a heat exchanger owned by :Invista Singapore Fibres.

The workers were pumping nitric acid into the heat exchanger to remove some residual polymer. During this cleaning process, a chemical reaction could have occurred, generating heat and gases, and causing pressure to build up inside the heat exchanger.

As a result, the contents of the heat exchanger, which included a mixture of nitric acid, were forced out. Toxic fumes were emitted. :The mixture splashed onto the workers, causing chemical burns. :

Following the incident, MOM issued a full stop-work order at Chemic Industries. Work has not recommenced, said MOM on Friday, “as we are still conducting checks on all its work processes”.

Going forward, MOM detailed three points that workplaces should take note of. These involve the “highly hazardous” nature of nitric acid and similar chemicals, which call for “extreme care and measures”; the regulatory controls on such chemicals; and what constitutes safe use.

For instance, companies licensed to handle these chemicals must employ a competent person to take overall control and implement proper risk management — including ensuring that workers are well-briefed on the hazards and emergency response plan, before starting work.

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Setback for Singapore's carbon ambition?

Trading volumes down, companies polluting less
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 21 Mar 09;

THE tough economic environment is set to put a spanner in the works for Singapore's ambition to be Asia's carbon trading hub.

Carbon experts in Singapore said this week the price of carbon - now trading around 10 to 12 euros per tonne from its high of 30 euros - has been depressed along with crude oil prices this year on lower trading volumes, as companies are polluting less amid the worsening recession.

Also, the scheduled opening early this year of the Singapore Mercantile Exchange (SMX) - a commodities futures exchange that was due to offer carbon trading - has been delayed.

A spokesman for SMX, which will trade futures contracts in energy, metals and agricultural products, told The Straits Times that demand will determine whether the exchange will eventually offer carbon trading.

'Carbon credits could be one of the products which may be offered,' said the spokesman.

London-based fund manager Climate Change Capital's head of carbon finance, Mr Michael Brown, said there are fewer buyers of carbon credits as companies pollute less, and the tight credit situation worldwide has led to less financing of carbon credit projects - such as in renewable energy, which cuts emissions - which are in turn traded on a global carbon trading market.

Singapore still has a long way to go to realise its carbon hub ambition as there is no liquidity in Asia's carbon market at present, said Mr Brown on Wednesday, at a carbon workshop organised by the British High Commission.

Governments may also have to offer incentives to kick-start a carbon market in Asia, perhaps by requiring heavy industries to buy credits, he suggested.

However, Mr Shane Spurway, head of carbon banking at Fortis Bank, said in a separate interview that opportunities do exist to invest in good carbon credit projects despite the tight credit market.

The global carbon market grew significantly in both volume and value last year, bucking the downturn which has depressed most global commodity trading.

Carbon trading shot up 83 per cent last year over 2007. The market's total value for last year was estimated at US$125 billion (S$191 billion), more than double that of 2007, he said.

Both experts are optimistic that United States President Barack Obama's support for a cap-and-trade system will boost the global carbon market.

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Pink elephant is caught on camera

Rebecca Morelle, BBC News 20 Mar 09;

A pink baby elephant has been caught on camera in Botswana.

A wildlife cameraman took pictures of the calf when he spotted it among a herd of about 80 elephants in the Okavango Delta.

Experts believe it is probably an albino, which is an extremely rare phenomenon in African elephants.

They are unsure of its chances of long-term survival - the blazing African sunlight may cause blindness and skin problems for the calf.

Mike Holding, who spotted the baby while filming for a BBC wildlife programme, said: "We only saw it for a couple of minutes as the herd crossed the river.

"This was a really exciting moment for everyone in camp. We knew it was a rare sighting - no-one could believe their eyes."

Documented evidence

Albino elephants are not usually white, but instead they have more of a reddish-brown or pink hue.

While albinism is thought to be fairly common in Asian elephants, it is much less common in the larger African species.



Ecologist Dr Mike Chase, who runs conservation charity Elephants Without Borders, said: "I have only come across three references to albino calves, which have occurred in Kruger National Park in South Africa.

"This is probably the first documented sighting of an albino elephant in northern Botswana.

"We have been studying elephants in the region for nearly 10 years now, and this is the first documented evidence of an albino calf that I have come across."

He said that the condition might make it difficult for the calf to survive into adulthood.

"What happens to these young albino calves remains a mystery," said Dr Chase.

"Surviving this very rare phenomenon is very difficult in the harsh African bush. The glaring sun may cause blindness and skin problems."

However, he told BBC News that there might be a ray of hope for the pink calf as it already seemed to be learning to adapt to its condition.

Dr Chase explained: "Because this elephant calf was sighted in the Okavango Delta, he may have a greater chance of survival. He can seek refuge under the large trees and cake himself in a thick mud, which will protect him from the Sun.

"Already the two-to-three-month-old calf seems to be walking in the shade of its mother.

"This behaviour suggests it is aware of its susceptibility to the harsh African sun, and adapted a unique behaviour to improve its chances of survival."

He added: "I have learned that elephants are highly adaptable, intelligent and masters of survival."

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Rare Fuzzy Rodent Found in Peru

National Geographic News 20 Mar 09;

It seems even isolated mountain mice like to have a wash before getting their picture taken.

This recently bathed rodent is among four unexpected species likely new to science that were found high in the Peruvian Andes, scientists with the nonprofit Conservation International announced Thursday.

Expeditions between 2005 and 2008 in Peru's Cordillera Blanca, or White Range, also uncovered two new species of beetle and a rare wetlands plant.

The newfound mouse is a member of the Akodon genus, which includes many South American field mice.

Found at elevations between 9,449 feet (2,880 meters) and 15,528 feet (4,733 meters) above sea level, the new mouse is unique to some of the world's highest forests.

The roughly 3.5-inch-long (8.8-centimeter-long) mouse primarily eats insects and seeds, making it a vital player in the region's ecosystem, researchers say.

Globally, it's very rare to discover new mammal species, added team leader Constantino Aucca, president of the Association of Andean Ecosystems. (Related: "First New Mammal Found in Europe in 100 Years.")

"This is the best thing that has happened in this region in the past 10 to 20 years," Aucca said.

"Everybody's calling me a lucky guy!"

—Victoria Jaggard

Photograph courtesy ECOAN

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Africa's first recorded bird extinction 'in four years'

Nora Schultz, New Scientist 20 Mar 09;

The modest plumage of the Sidamo lark may not catch the eye, but the bird could achieve the worst sort of fame – as the first contemporary African bird to go extinct, a new study warns.

The lark is adapted to Ethiopia's "rangeland" – the savannah of native grasses that traditionally covered large parts of east Africa, but is now rapidly disappearing. If the rangeland goes, so will the lark, says Claire Spottiswoode from the University of Cambridge.

"Rangeland degradation is often overlooked by conservationists, but it is not just the birds that suffer from the change in land use. The native people, the Borana pastoralists, also rely on intact rangeland to support their nomadic lifestyle," she says.
Inaccurate estimates

Spottiswoode and her team became interested in the Sidamo lark after a BirdLife International report estimated that only 1600 to 2000 individuals of this little known bird were left on Ethiopia's Liben plain, occupying an area of 760 km2.

However, once the team began to map the vegetation and count larks along transects, they quickly discovered that the population is actually much smaller.

Changes to traditional ways of life mean that much of the rangeland has disappeared. In areas where the Liben plain has been overgrown by bush, converted into farmland or destroyed by overgrazing, the team rarely found Sidamo larks. They conclude that the range of the bird is now down to only 35 km2 and that the remaining patch hosts 250 adult larks at best.

"If the situation does not improve rapidly, this species will be gone in four years or even sooner," says Spottiswoode, who is calling for the bird's status to be moved to critically endangered on the IUCN Red List
Local help

The Sidamo lark seems to be dependant on grassland 5 to 15 centimetres tall. Away from the Liben plain, there is no similar vegetation for over 200 km, meaning the lark has nowhere else to go. "It's effectively like living on an island, and that's where most extinctions happen," says Spottiswoode.

Africa may have been spared bird extinctions so far because there are still relatively few such severely fragmented habitats. Rangelands, however, are now being lost far beyond the Liben plain, and along with the Sidamo lark, other species are also threatened, including the Ethiopian bush-crow and the white-tailed swallow, Spottiswoode says.

This May, the researchers are planning to revisit the Liben plain to discuss conservation plans with the local communities. Spottiswoode is hopeful that support will be forthcoming, because many of the local pastoralists would prefer to revive their traditional lifestyle. This would include burning the shrubs that encroach on the rangeland and restricting agricultural expansion to make it a feasible option once again for the pastoralists to sustain their cattle herds by roaming larger areas of rangeland.

Journal reference: Animal Conservation (DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00246.x)

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Indonesia's Sinar Mas defends palm oil expansion

Aloysius Bhui, Reuters 20 Mar 09;

JAKARTA, March 20 (Reuters) - Sinar Mas Group, one of Indonesia's top palm oil growers, denied on Friday accusations that its activities were damaging the environment and said it would stick to plans to expand its plantations.

Greenpeace activists have targeted Sinar Mas in a recent campaign for contributing to deforestation in Indonesia, which is blamed as a key source greenhouse gas emissions in the Southeast Asian country.

"We should have been arrested if we had ever been involved in deforestation," Gandi Sulistiyanto, a managing director of Sinar Mas Group, told Reuters.

He said the company only opened up new plantations in degraded land that had been farmed on or previously logged and not rainforest.

Sinar Mas Group owns publicly-listed PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources Tbk (SMART) (SMAR.JK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which runs its palm oil business, and Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), which operates the pulp and paper business.

Bustar Maitar, Greenpeace Southeast Asia forest campaigner, accused Sinar Mas of destroying forest areas.

"We are facing the greatest threat to humanity -- climate chaos, yet still companies like Sinar Mas can continue to destroy forests and peatlands, rather than protecting them for future generations," Maitar said in a statement.

As of the end of September, SMART managed 127,124 hectares (314,100 acres) of planted oil palm, according to the company.

It produced 410,314 tonnes of crude palm oil in January-September last year, against 509,095 tonnes in all of 2007. [ID:nJAK279457]

The group has earmarked a $100 million palm expansion this year and is not planning to pull back the plan.

"We are still a growing company. We (Indonesia) are still competing with Malaysia to become the world's top producer of palm oil. So we must keep planting," Sulistiyanto said.

He said the current financial crisis may slow down the expansion but would not stop the firm from planting in new areas.

According to Greenpeace, Sinar Mas has 200,000 hectares of unplanted concessions in rainforest in Indonesia and plans to acquire an additional 1.1 million hectares, mainly in Papua.

Sulistiyanto said the firm was currently focused on managing the 11,000 hectares that it has planted with oil palm in the past 14 years in Papua.

"Everybody is eyeing Papua because of its huge land but we haven't got any more concessions there," he said.

Indonesia, the world's top producer of palm oil -- used in a wide range of products, from soap to biodiesel -- is expected to produce 20.25 million tonnes of palm oil in 2009, up from 18.8 million in 2008, the industry association has estimated.

Annette Cotter, campaign manager for the forests campaign in Greenpeace Southeast Asia, has urged Indonesia palm growers to squeeze far higher yields from existing plantations rather than open up more land. [ID:nJAK381772]

Indonesia yields only about 2 tonnes per hectare from its plantations, or just a third of the 6 to 7 tonnes in countries such as Malaysia with better estate management practices. (Editing by Ed Davies and Valerie Lee)

Read more!

Campaigners cheer Amazon victory

Yahoo News 20 Mar 09;

LONDON (AFP) – Campaigners fighting for the land rights of the Amazon rainforest's indigenous groups celebrated Friday their victory in Brazil's Supreme Court, saying it came as a "tremendous relief".

The court upheld the integrity of a vast native reserve, paving the way for the eviction of white farmers who have resisted leaving, in a 30-year dispute over the rights of native groups to lands in Brazil.

In a 10-1 vote Thursday, the tribunal's judges reaffirmed the borders of the Raposa Serra do Sol reserve and ordered the rice farmers' expulsion.

London-based Survival International, which has campaigned for more than twenty years for the reserve, said the ruling was a blow to state politicians who backed the rice farmers, and the Brazilian military.

"This ruling will come as a tremendous relief not only to the 20,000 Indians who live in Raposa, but to the hundreds of thousands of others across the country," said Fiona Watson, Survival's campaigns coordinator, who has visited the reserve several times.

"At the heart of the case was a very simple principle -- should Indians who have lived on the same land since time immemorial be able to continue living there peacefully, or should the farmers and landowners who are so powerful in South America be able to push them off in the name of development?

"Thankfully the court has come down decisively on the side of the Indians, and also rejected the army's shameful propaganda that Indian reservations somehow represent a threat to the country's sovereignty."

Christine Halvorson, programme director of the Rainforest Foundation, a British charity founded by musician Sting, told AFP the verdict marked a "tremendous victory" for the people of Raposa along with indigenous people across Brazil.

But, she added: "The decision also brings with it 19 conditions that will have an impact on the future demarcation of indigenous areas and indigenous control and management of their land.

"Those may spell a step backwards in terms of indigenous rights. There is a danger flag because of those conditions, but overall it's wonderful news."

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Calls for tourists to kill Northern Territory crocs

Nick Calacouras, Northern Territory News news.com.au 20 Mar 09

TOURISTS could soon be allowed to hunt crocodiles with the Northern Territory Government renewing a push to allow safaris to help cull the predators.

The government is expected to increase the crocodile cull in the rural area, following the death of 11-year-old Briony Anne Goodsell in Lambells Lagoon, reports the Northern Territory News.

Tourism Minister Chris Burns said he still supported calls for crocodile safari hunting. This has renewed calls for crocodile safaris to help with the cull.

"When I was Environment Minister, I was front and centre, lobbying Canberra to have very limited croc safaris," he said.

"I'm still a supporter of that."

The previous federal government knocked back several applications for the Territory to set up a croc safari.

Dr Burns suggested a new application could be made to the Rudd Government as part of the latest review of crocodile management.

Environment Minister Alison Anderson said the government remained in favour of croc safari hunting "particularly as an enterprise opportunity for traditional owners".

She promised to pursue the issue with Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett.

Mr Garrett's office said no proposal had been lodged for a crocodile safari. But spokesman Ben Pratt said the minister would consider an application under the legislation if one was lodged.

Ms Anderson said crocodile safaris would not solve the problem of increasing interactions between humans and crocodiles in the rural area.

"Management in these more densely populated areas requires a range of strategies, including monitoring, removal and community awareness."

She said those strategies would be set out in the updated Crocodile Management Plan, to be released soon.

The previous federal government stopped international hunters from shooting crocodiles in 2005 by banning export of trophies – skin and skulls.

However, the death of Briony Anne Goodsell's has prompted the NT Government to implement tighter controls of the crocodile population, recently estimated to be the highest in Australia at more than 80,000.

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