Mercury Poisoning, The Dark Side Of Colombia's Gold Boom

Diana Delgado PlanetArk 14 Jul 10;

Colombia's gold bonanza has a dark side, U.N. experts said on Tuesday: mercury poisoning spreading from miners to the population of a northwest state where they use mercury to extract the precious metal, U.N. experts said on Tuesday.

Colombia is one of the world's top mercury polluters, as 50 to 100 metric tons of mercury are lost annually in the process of capturing gold while soaring prices push miners and artisans to extract ever more of the yellow metal, analysts say.

"As prices of gold have been increasing, more artisanal miners are mining and processing gold using mercury which is accessible, easier and cheaper to use," said Marcello Veiga, an adviser to the U.N. industrial development arm.

The Andean nation is the world's No. 1 mercury polluter per capita from artisanal (small-scale) mining, Veiga said. "The number of artisanal miners in Colombia is also increasing."

Miners have used mercury to separate gold for decades, but part of it is lost in the process, contaminating rivers and soils. The environment ministry currently allows mercury but may soon forbid it, with a few exceptions.

In northwest Antioquia state, they use the most damaging process, adding around 120 grams (4.2 ounces) of mercury to 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of ore, without condensing or capturing the mercury, Veiga said.

As a result, mercury levels in some urban areas of Remedios, Segovia and Zaragosa can be 1,000 times higher than the levels accepted by the World Health Organization, he said.

"Around 15 kidney transplants are carried out in Remedios every year ... because mercury vapor stays in the kidneys, damaging them," Veiga said, citing data from the Remedios department of health.

50 TONNES OF MERCURY

Antioquia -- the country's largest gold producer, according to the energy ministry -- has about 15,000 to 30,000 artisanal miners producing between 10 and 20 metric tons of gold per year.

But the miners are releasing 50 metric tons of mercury annually in the municipalities of Remedios, Segovia, Zaragosa, El Bagre and Nice, where 90 percent of the population depends on gold mining or jewelry for their livelihood, Veiga said.

Colombia is experiencing a gold boom with more than 40 companies exploring for the metal and production likely to grow over the next two years to around 3 million troy ounces (93.3 kilograms) of gold, the mining regulator says.

The United Nations calls for a gradual elimination of mercury in mining as miners switch over to use of centrifuges, which allow for greater gold extraction than mercury.

"With the centrifuge, small miners can produce twice as much gold than using mercury without affecting their health or the environment," said Monica Roeser, who leads the Global Mercury Project in Colombia for the United Nations.

Studies of children have detected attention deficit disorders, memory and language problems in Segovia and Remedios, the project has reported.

Among miners, mercury exposure can be linked to memory loss, language issues and chronic headaches, researchers say.

"We don't know how many people may have died from mercury pollution because neither doctors nor nurses have instruments to analyze whether mercury is in the urine," Veiga said.

(Editing by Todd Eastham)

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Best of our wild blogs: 13 Jul 10

Born to be wild
a campaign to raise funds for ACRES

Make a date with the Crabs - Saturday, July 24th
from Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

Best wildlife hot spots in Singapore
CNNGo reader Grace Cheng shares her favorite wildlife sanctuaries in Singapore, dispelling the myth that it's all concrete and glass in this island nation

Still slick
from The annotated budak

Checking Changi for oil spill effects: cucumber suprise!
from wild shores of singapore

Update of Kranji Reservoir Adoption Programme (May 2010)
from Happenings at the Kranji Marsh

Cyrene in the dark
from wonderful creation and Psychedelic Nature

Who are the dancing queens?
from Psychedelic Nature

Birds feeding on alate termites
from Bird Ecology Study Group

七月华语导游 Mandarin guide walk@SBWR II
from PurpleMangrove and part III

Paying for nature: putting a price on 'ecosystem services'
from Mongabay.com news

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Businesses 'profit from investing in nature'

Richard Black BBC News 13 Jul 10;

Businesses can and should take a key role in stemming biodiversity loss around the world, a report concludes.

The latest report from The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Teeb) project argues that many sectors have a stake in protecting nature.

A survey by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) finds that in some nations, more than half of CEOs see nature loss as a challenge to business growth.

The UN-backed Teeb project presents its latest results in London on Tuesday.

The first Global Business of Biodiversity symposium, held at the Excel Centre in London's Docklands, will hear that about half of European and US consumers say they would stop buying products from companies that disregard biodiversity concerns.

"Better accounting of business impacts on biodiversity, both positive and negative, is essential to spur change in business investment and operations," said Joshua Bishop, chief economist of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and co-ordinator of the Teeb for Business report.

"Smart business leaders realise that integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services in their value chains can generate substantial cost savings and new revenues, as well as improved business reputation and license to operate."
Mining for positives

Among the "smart companies" to be discussed at the symposium is Rio Tinto, a mining conglomerate whose reputation (like others in the field) has been criticised on environmental and human rights grounds.

In 2004, the company adopted a "Net Positive Impact" (NPI) commitment on biodiversity.

This sees it working with environment organisations to protect important areas from direct mining impacts and putting funds into conservation to "offset" damage caused.

Another is the agribusiness giant Syngenta, which recently launched Operation Pollinator, a scheme to restore important bee habitat.

The scheme is seen as a potential contribution to curbing the ongoing bee decline in Europe and North America.

One recent study put the global value of insect pollinators at $189bn per year - a classical example of the kind of "ecosystem service" that nature provides for free, and that humans would have to pay to replace if the natural system broke down.

There are others. The World Atlas of Mangroves, published on Tuesday, puts the value of mangroves at up to 9,000 per hectare per year.

Items in the credit column including protection from storms, habitat for young fish, and carbon storage.

Teeb has calculated the annual value of forest loss around the world at $2-5 trillion.
Plants and machinery

Teeb, and the UN Environment Programme to which it is affiliated, argue that this kind of analysis makes nature protection a good investment for businesses.

Consumer opinion could be another factor.

A recent Ipsos survey found that in countries possessing high levels of biodiversity, awareness of biodiversity decline was correspondingly high, rising to 90% in Brazil.

Among business leaders, the PwC survey found that more than half of CEOs in Latin America see declines in biodiversity as a challenge to growth.

But the figure drops to 20% in Western Europe, and just 15% in the UK.

And only two of the world's largest 100 companies see biodiversity and ecosystem loss as a strategic issue.

"Businesses need to start thinking about ecosystems as an extension of their asset base, part of their plant and machinery, and appreciating the value they deliver," said Jon Williams, PwC's partner for sustainability and climate change.

Teeb's leader, Deutsche Bank economist Pavan Sukhdev, believes companies will find it easier to invest in biodiversity protection once a mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (Redd) becomes established through the UN climate convention.

Many countries favour a variant called Redd-Plus where issues such as biodiversity and forest peoples' rights would be protected.

"We can move to a stage where big companies and countries are able to say 'we're meeting 20% of our emissions targets' or whatever it might be through investing in green carbon," he told BBC News.

"Then we can look at other issues, such as the forest's water storage function for local people, for example.

"So it won't be a market in the classical sense but it will be a mechanism, and companies investing would be able to see whether their investments bring about things such as an improvement in water availability or an increase in the tiger population or whatever it might be."

Teeb will produce its final report for October's meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Japan, which will see governments examining the reasons why they have failed to live up to their 2002 pledge to curb nature loss by 2010.

Sustainable management of biodiversity key to business: TEEB
TRAFFIC 13 Jul 10;

London, UK, 13 July, 2010—More than 80 percent of consumers surveyed said they would stop buying products from companies that disregard ethical considerations in their sourcing practices, according to a recent survey highlighted in the latest study for business by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) project.

The report also found rising awareness among consumers about biodiversity loss, with 60 percent in America and Europe and 90 percent of those surveyed in Brazil aware of the problem.

“Sustainable sourcing is becoming the principal reason why some consumers chose one product over another and businesses should take note,” said Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC.

“Sustainable harvesting lies at the core of TRAFFIC’s mission, and has been central to the development of various conservation initiatives, such as the FairWild Standard for harvesting of wild plants.”

The TEEB study also found that business leaders in biodiversity-rich developing economies were concerned about losses of “natural capital.”

Over 50 percent of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) surveyed in Latin America and 45 per cent in Africa regarded declines in biodiversity as a challenge to business growth. In contrast, fewer than 20 percent of their counterparts in western Europe shared such concerns.

The “TEEB for Business” report indicates that scrutiny of big business and its impacts on the world’s natural capital is likely to intensify as better evaluations and assessments come to the fore.

“Better accounting of business impacts on biodiversity—both positive and negative—is essential to spur change in business investment and operations,” said Joshua Bishop, the TEEB for Business report co-ordinator and Chief Economist of IUCN.

“Smart business leaders realize that integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services in their value chains can generate substantial cost savings and new revenues, as well as improved business reputation and licence to operate.”

The TEEB for Business report is available at www.teebweb.org.

The TEEB project is hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme and supported by the European Commission; the German Federal Environment Ministry; the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; UK Department for International Development; Norway’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs; The Netherlands’ Interministerial Program Biodiversity; and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

Green Goes Mainstream: Biodiversity Is Climbing the Corporate Agenda
UNEP 13 Jul 10;

Companies with 'Net Positive Impact' on Biological Diversity are Winners in Resource-Constrained World

One in four global CEOs sees biodiversity loss as a strategic issue for business growth: Latin American and African CEOs are most concerned about impacts of biodiversity loss on business growth prospects—European CEOs are least concerned

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) for Business Report

13 July, 2010 -
Business leaders in biodiversity-rich developing economies are concerned about losses of 'natural capital', a new report to be launched Tuesday highlights.

Over 50 per cent of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) surveyed in Latin America and 45 per cent in Africa see declines in biodiversity as a challenge to business growth. In contrast, less than 20 per cent of their counterparts in Western Europe share such concerns.

The findings, compiled by a study of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), indicate that those corporate chiefs who fail to make sustainable management of biodiversity part of their business plans may find themselves increasingly out of step with the market place.

Another recent survey, also spotlighted in the TEEB report for business, shows rising interest among consumers with 60 per cent of those surveyed in America and Europe and over 90 per cent in Brazil aware of biodiversity loss.

Over 80 per cent of those consumers surveyed said they would stop buying products from companies that disregard ethical considerations in their sourcing practices.

The "TEEB for Business" report indicates that scrutiny of big business and its impacts on the world's natural capital is likely to intensify as better evaluations and assessments come to the fore.

The UK-based consultancy TruCost, on behalf of the UN's Principles for Responsible Investment, is set to publish a study on the activities of the world's top 3,000 listed companies, estimating that their negative impacts or 'environmental externalities' total around US$ 2.2 trillion annually.

Pavan Sukhdev, the TEEB Study Leader and also head of UNEP's Green Economy Initiative said: "Through the work of TEEB and others, the economic importance of biodiversity and ecosystems is emerging from the invisible into the visible spectrum. It is clear that some companies in some sectors and on some continents are hearing and acting on that message in order to build more sustainable, 21st century businesses".

The report, entitled "TEEB for Business" and part of a suite of reports being launched in the UN's International Year of Biodiversity, calls for companies to embrace concepts such as 'No Net Loss'; 'Ecological Neutrality' and ultimately 'Net Positive Impact' on the environment.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP which hosts TEEB, said: "We are entering an era where the multi-trillion dollar losses of natural and nature-based resources are starting to shape markets and consumer concerns. How companies respond to these risks, realities and opportunities will increasingly define their profitability; corporate profile in the market-place and the overall development paradigm of the coming decades on a planet of six billion, going to over nine billion people by 2050".

Julia Marton-Lefevre, TEEB advisory board member and Director General of IUCN, which coordinated the TEEB for Business report, urged companies attending the 1st Global Business for Biodiversity Symposium at the Excel Centre in London on 13 July to back new and transformational policies such as those outlined in the report.

"Together governments and business, in both developed and developing economies, can show leadership by establishing networks of committed corporations across all sectors dedicated to achieving a 'Net Positive Impact' on biodiversity and ecosystem services".

The TEEB report cites the case of the multinational mining giant Rio Tinto as one company that has committed itself to achieving Net Positive Impact on biodiversity. In association with leading conservation experts the company has developed new ways of assessing the biodiversity values of its land holdings, and has begun to apply biodiversity compensation or 'offset' methodologies in Madagascar, Australia and North America.

Other companies with similar commitments on biodiversity include Walmart (Acres for America initiative), Coca Cola (water neutral by 2020) and BC Hydro (no net incremental ecological impact).

In addition to minimizing and mitigating adverse impacts, business can also generate revenue from conserving biodiversity and delivering ecosystem services. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries all depend on healthy ecosystems to ensure healthy profits.

The tourism sector has a major stake and role to play in conserving biodiversity. Realising its reliance on the biodiversity rich but fragile coral reefs, Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd in Tanzania has invested over US$ 1.2million to establish a marine park to protect the corals surrounding Chumbe Island. The company actively supports park management as well as its own resort facilities.

The "TEEB for Business" report, which will form part of a final TEEB synthesis report to be launched at a meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010, calls on professional associations to develop new accounting and reporting tools for business.

The measurement and valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in business is improving. The report recommends that accounting professions, financial reporting bodies and others should accelerate efforts to develop common standards and metrics to enable business to assess and disclose their biodiversity impacts and responses in annual reports.

Joshua Bishop, the TEEB for Business report coordinator and Chief Economist of IUCN, said:

"Better accounting of business impacts on biodiversity – both positive and negative - is essential to spur change in business investment and operations. Smart business leaders realise that integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services in their value chains can generate substantial cost savings and new revenues, as well as improved business reputation and license to operate."

In another recent report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, business leaders expressed their vision of a sustainable future, which include "prices that reflect all externalities: costs and benefits" (WBCSD Vision 2050).

Steps in this direction are already being taken, as evidenced by the growth of markets for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Market data compiled by Forest Trends and the Ecosystem Marketplace showed:

• The certified agricultural products market was valued at over US$ 40bn in 2008 and may reach up to US$ 210bn by 2020.

• Biodiversity offsets, such as wetland mitigation banking in the United States or 'bio-banking' in Australia, are predicted to rise from US$3 billion in 2008 to US$ 10 billion in 2020.

• Bio carbon/forest offsets including REDD are expected to rise from just US$21m in 2006 to over $10bn in 2020.

Starting today, businesses can show leadership on biodiversity and ecosystem services by:

1. Identifying their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity and ecosystem services

2. Assessing the business risks and opportunities associated with these impacts and dependencies

3. Developing BES information systems, set targets and report results

4. Taking action to avoid, minimize and mitigate BES risks

5. Integrating BES actions with wider Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives

6. Engaging with business peers and stakeholders to improve guidance and policy

7. Grasping emerging BES business opportunities

The TEEB for Business report will be launched at the first Global Business of Biodiversity Symposium on 13 July at the Excel Centre, London. http://www.businessofbiodiversity.co.uk/

Notes to editors:

The TEEB for Business report is available at www.teebweb.org

The lead authors and editors of the TEEB for Business report include staff from Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), Earthmind, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The survey of CEOs and their attitudes to biodiversity loss was carried out by Price Waterhouse Coopers.

The survey of consumer attitudes to biodiversity and business was carried out by global market survey company IPSOS.

The TEEB project is hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme and supported by the European Commission; the German Federal Environment Ministry; the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; UK Department for International Development; Norway's Ministry for Foreign Affairs; The Netherlands' Interministerial Program Biodiversity; and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

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HDB buys $2.3m solar panels as part of sustainable housing initiatives

Channel NewsAsia 12 Jul 10;

SINGAPORE: 3,000 residential units will have solar panels installed in their precincts by year end.

The precincts include Jurong, Aljunied, Telok Blangah, Bishan, Ang Mo Kio and Jalan Besar.

This initiative comes under phase two of HDB's solar capability building programme.

Under it, the HDB made its single largest purchase of solar panels to date by buying them from Renewable Energy Corporation at about $2.3 million.

The decision follows a drop in the price of solar technology.

Since 2008, the price of Solar PV modules has dropped by up to 55 per cent, from $5.17/Watts-peak down to $2.33/Wp.

Working with American consultancy Camp, Dresser & McKee, HDB will also embark on a study in Punggol.

The study aims to develop a set of Key Performance Indicators in the areas of water, energy and waste reduction.

An Urban Systems Model, which supports planning decisions by simulating performance against sustainability objectives will also be developed.

The results are intended to help HDB's overall planning process.

Tay Kim Poh, CEO, HDB, says: "When we are able to put in place the renewable energy in the form of solar panels it will help to reduce energy consumption within the HDB estates.

The solar energy will help to offset the energy consumption in the common areas - and that will save money for the town councils which will eventually translate into savings for the residents as well."

- CNA/ir/jm

HDB makes $2.3m solar panel purchase
To be mounted on 30 blocks in Q4, panels save $40,000 per year per precinct
Melissa Tan, Business Times 13 Jul 10;

THE Housing Development Board (HDB) yesterday announced a $2.3 million purchase of 4,348 solar panels from Norwegian energy firm Renewable Energy Corporation. This is the largest solar panel procurement in Singapore to date.

These new solar panels, to be produced at REC's plant in Tuas, will be installed in Q4 this year in six precincts across Singapore: Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Aljunied, Jalan Besar, Telok Blangah and Jurong. The installation will cover about 3,000 residential units, or about 30 HDB slab blocks.

The total energy-producing capacity of these panels is nearly 1MWp (megawatt peak). A watt peak is a measure of power output commonly used in relation to photovoltaic solar energy devices.

According to HDB, one block's solar panels can generate enough energy from one day's sunlight to power all of its common area services - like corridor lighting and lifts - for that entire day. These consume around 600 kWh each month on average. The excess energy goes back into the power grid. 'That will save money for the town councils, which will eventually translate to savings for the residents as well,' said HDB chief executive Tay Kim Poh.

In total, the solar panels are expected to produce 170 MWh of energy each year - 'a total savings of about $40,000 per year per precinct', according to a HDB spokesman.

The planned installation is part of HDB's Solar Capability Building Program, which is fully funded by the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Sustainable Development. The committee has set aside $31 million for HDB to install solar panels in 30 precincts over the next five years.

HDB's pilot solar panel installation was in Serangoon and Wellington in December 2008, and since then the price of solar panels has dropped by more than half from $5.17 per Wp to $2.33 per Wp. It is currently in the process of installing solar panels in Tampines, Bukit Panjang, Marine Parade and Tanjong Pagar.

HDB will also collaborate with American environmental engineering firm Camp Dresser & McKee to study the development of Punggol Town as 'Singapore's first eco-town', Mr Tay said.

HDB blocks to harness power from the sun
Solar panels will help power common-area services for 3,000 flats
Esther Teo Straits Times 13 Jul 10;

SOLAR panels will be installed at 30 HDB blocks in six precincts across the island, in a $2.3 million initiative announced yesterday.

The roof panels will be able to power all common-area services, such as lighting, lifts and pumps.

The green initiative will allow the precincts - Jurong, Aljunied, Telok Blangah, Bishan, Ang Mo Kio and Jalan Besar - to each save about $40,000 a year, the HDB said yesterday.

Installation of the panels - they will cover a total area 1.5 times the size of a football field and serve about 3,000 flats - is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year.

Each block will have about 150 of the panels, which measure 1.8m by 1m and should last for 20 years or more.

Housing Board chief executive Tay Kim Poh said that as the largest developer in Singapore, HDB could play a leading role in supporting efforts towards sustainable development.

'We see a lot of potential in developing clean, renewable energy; and particularly solar energy, given our extensive coverage of HDB blocks all over Singapore,' he added.

Solar panels were installed in Serangoon North and Wellington Circle in pilot projects in 2008.

But since then, the price of producing solar energy has dropped by more than half, said Mr Tay, making it the right time to carry out more testbedding projects.

However, residents should not expect lower service and conservancy charges, as the HDB says that any savings will be used to defer rising energy costs.

Norwegian company Renewable Energy Corporation was awarded the contract in an open tender, and will produce the panels in its Tuas plant.

The initiative announced yesterday marks the second phase of the Solar Capability Building Programme, which was first approved by the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Sustainable Development in April last year.

Under the programme, 30 HDB precincts will be funded with $31 million over five years for solar panel installation.

The expertise developed could eventually be exported to other tropical countries, the HDB said.

The first phase of the installation was carried out in Tampines, Bukit Panjang, Marine Parade and the Tanjong Pagar in January.

That has achieved net zero energy usage for common services.

Mr Tay said these installations had helped the HDB better understand how to install and maintain the panels.

The HDB also announced a collaboration with engineering consultancy Camp Dresser and McKee yesterday.

They will develop a modelling tool to come up with indicators that can measure performance in areas such as water and waste reduction on sustainability environmental targets in Punggol.

Research and development will be carried out to further enhance Punggol's potential as an eco-town for the tropics.

'The short-term benefits reaped from the Punggol project will help to achieve long-term results in... future planning and design processes,' the HDB said.

Test runs for solar panels to be carried out in six more HDB precincts
Surekha Ahgir Yadav Today Online 13 Jul 10;

The long-term goal of making solar power a part of sustainable public housing across the island here has reached its next milestone - with the Housing and Development Board's largest single purchase of solar panels.

The HDB announced yesterday it has purchased $2.3-million-worth of solar photovoltaic panels from Norwegian firm Renewable Energy Corporation.

Some 3,000 homes will have solar panels installed by year-end.

The panels will be installed in six precincts across the island. Jurong, Aljunied and Bishan, Ang Mo Kio Jalan Besar and Telok Blangah were selected for their geographic spread and the ability to collect varied data.

This initiative comes under the second phase of HDB's solar capability building programme, and will extend the presence of solar energy testing from the four existing towns of Tampines, Bukit Panjang, Marine Parade and Tanjong Pagar.

HDB CEO Tay Kim Poh said the future expansion of such solar panels across Singapore will depend on the results of these tests and on the cost. This purchase decision follows a drop in the price of solar technology.

The solar panels will generate sufficient energy to power all the common areas in a residential block - such as corridor lighting, lifts and pumps. It is estimated the total savings would be about $40,000 per year per precinct.

Mr Tay said using solar energy will help to offset energy consumption in the common areas and that will save money for the town councils, which will eventually translate to savings for the residents as well.

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Raising the bar for poultry

Business Times 13 Jul 10;

NICHOLAS YEO reports on a homegrown firm whose rearing technique includes playing Mozart to chickens as they roam the compound

POULTRY rearing is hardly an industry that one would associate with land-scarce Singapore, yet a homegrown company has defied the assumption that agriculture is a sunset sector by re-inventing itself.

Kee Song Brothers Poultry Industries Pte Ltd gave a new twist to the chicken commodity through the launch of 'Sakura' chickens a couple of years back.

The discovery of the tenderer, lower fat 'Sakura' chicken came about partly through the help of NTUC FairPrice. A professor from Kyoto approached NTUC FairPrice with the technology to rear a US breed of chickens. At that point, Kee Song was the only poultry farmer with a rearing and processing facility so naturally, NTUC FairPrice paired Kee Song and the professor up. The process of developing the product took about two years and cost RM1.5 million ($650,000).

Prior to this, Kee Song had already thought about improving the quality of the average chicken.

'We wanted to differentiate ourselves from the market,' said managing director Ong Kian San. 'The older people were saying that the quality of chicken available today had dropped, and was unlike those available in the past. We wanted to regain that standard.

'As we owned our own rearing farm, we could control the type of chicken the farm reared. This was unlike our competitors, who contracted from professional farms. This gave us our edge,' he said, of the company's farms in the Yong Peng region of Johor, Malaysia. These farms, scattered around the area, add up to a total of 200 hectares.

What makes the Sakura chickens special is the rearing technique.

'Our chickens live in ventilated areas and they get to listen to Mozart's symphonies whilst roaming the compound!' said Mr Ong, emphasising the quality of life for the chickens. 'This way, the chickens will also build up their immunity and thus fend off infections that may come our way. In any case, there's no contact with wild birds and we are in strict compliance with AVA (Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority) regulations.'

The chickens are also given a lactobacillus compound in their feed. In addition, lactobacillus is sprayed around the compound. Because of the tender quality of the meat and lower fat content, Sakura chickens are able to command a price of about $8.60 a bird, which is about 30 per cent more than for regular chickens.

Sales of the Sakura chickens have been encouraging, which prompted the company to introduce its latest range, the Imperial Cordyceps chickens. These are fed with cordycepin which is derived from the cordyceps fungus. At $16.80 a bird, these chickens are considered the top of the range because of the health benefits associated with cordyceps, which is regarded as immunity-boosting in traditional Chinese medicine, as well as having 27 times more collagen content than a regular chicken.

According to Mr Ong, Sakura and imperial cordyceps chickens now account for about 50 per cent of his company's total sales, with the remaining contributed by regular chickens branded under the 'Lucky' name. They are distributed only at NTUC FairPrice supermarkets, wet markets and restaurants at the moment, but Mr Ong hopes to reach out to more markets as consumer awareness grows.

'People are getting converted; sales are picking up,' he said. 'People are beginning to appreciate the benefits of Sakura chicken. Our customers are more executives, those who are more health conscious.'

Currently, the Singapore production facility allows for 2,000 to 4,000 chickens to be processed per hour and sales have amounted to over 700,000 chickens a year. This makes up about 15 per cent of the market share locally, according to Mr Ong.

Kee Song's products are currently marketed by some advertisements but mostly by word-of-mouth. Kee Song also sponsors events connected to its products and holds cooking classes to demonstrate the best ways of using its products at various community centres.

'We believe the product should sell by itself; after customers have experienced the benefits, I trust they'll be converted.'

When asked about future plans, Mr Ong said: 'We intend to expand around Asia and in some parts of Europe.'

He noted that the Europeans prefer the breast meat of chicken; however, this is typically 'dry and tough'. But what sets the Sakura chicken apart is the tenderness of its breast meat.

'This is our selling point,' he said.

What needs to be done now is to obtain an export licence and to ensure that all the standards and regulations are met.

As for China, 'it's a huge market; we are now looking at ways to expand there', said Mr Ong. 'We are open to joint ventures, opening our own farm there or franchising our technique. I believe there's room in the Chinese market for our products.'

'Of course we're worried about the possibility of infringement of our patent, but China is too big a market to ignore.' he said. 'Just look for a ring around the chicken's ankle. That's our trademark!'

Laying the foundations for growth
Business Times 13 Jul 10;

KEE Song Brothers was founded in 1970 by Ong Kian San's father. Back then it was a small operation where father and sons sold the chickens they reared to wet market vendors. In 1987, the operation was incorporated as Kee Song Brothers Poultry Industries Pte Ltd. Since then there has been no looking back and the company constantly repositions itself to suit the times, employing new technology through biotechnology to enhance its poultry products.

Despite this active approach in updating technology, the corporate structure remains traditionally family-orientated. The chairman is Mr Ong's older brother, Kee Song, after whom the company is named. The director in charge of Malaysian operations is another older brother, Kian Huat, and the finance director is his older sister, Yong Xian.

Today the staff count stands in excess of 300, from five over 30 years ago. Still, the company did face some challenges. The biggest came in 2006, when there was a huge flood at the rearing farm in Yong Peng, Johor. 'We almost gave up!' said Mr Ong. The flood cost the company thousands of dollars in losses. But Kee Song persevered and now it is reaping the fruits of its labour. 'We have about 15 per cent of Singapore's chicken market share - one of the largest today,' Mr Ong said.

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'Serious lack of wildlife law enforcers' in Malaysia

New Straits Times 13 Jul 10;

MEMBERS of parliament expressed concern over the lack of enforcement officers to properly enforce the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 once it is passed by Parliament.

They feel there is no point in having a range of punitive measures and provisions for the protection of flora and fauna if there are insufficient wildlife enforcement officers.

Datuk Ismail Kassim (BN-Arau) ticked off the ministry, telling it to study its staff strength before proposing any new laws that require more manpower.

Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) also lamented that the ministry had failed to study the implications of a shortage of enforcement officers when it came up with this act.

"There is a lack of enforcement officers. Most of the time, the enforcement officer is a clerk, office boy, manager and enforcer all rolled into one," he said while debating the bill.

In agreeing with Bung Mokhtar, Datuk Ismail Abdul Muttalib (BN-Maran) demanded to know the current number of wildlife enforcement officers nationwide.


Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah (BN-Lenggong), citing as example his constituency, said the Wildlife Department had an annual budget that allowed it to capture a maximum of only five wild elephants. "They cannot do anything if there are more wild elephants due to the lack of budget."

He suggested that a ruling be made requiring companies that open up forests for logging or plantation activities contribute to a special fund for conservation efforts.

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Tiger countries meet in Indonesia to map rescue

Yahoo News 12 Jul 10;

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AFP) – Representatives from 13 "tiger-range countries" met in Indonesia on Monday to draft a global recovery plan ahead of a summit in Russia in September.

"We're gathering here because we share concerns about the sustainability of tigers," Indonesian Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said in an opening address to delegates on the resort island of Bali.

"It is alarming that out of the nine tiger subspecies in the world, only six are remaining."

The plan to be drafted in Bali will be used as the basis for discussion at a "tiger summit" in St. Petersburg from September 15 to 18.

"In Indonesia alone, only the Sumatran tiger still exists, while the other two subspecies have become extinct," the minister said, referring to Javan and Balinese tigers which were wiped out in the 1980s and 1940s respectively.

He blamed a "lack of law enforcement" for the continuing losses of Sumatran tigers, which number only about 400 in the wild.

Several are killed every year by poachers and villagers who compete with them for dwindling forest resources.

WWF says the global, wild population of tigers of all species has fallen from about 100,000 to an estimated 3,200 over the past century.

Countries invited to attend the St. Petersburg summit are Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The pre-summit talks in Bali from Monday to Wednesday will hear details of each country's tiger protection plans and funding proposals.

Indonesian conservation official Harry Santoso said ahead of the talks that Jakarta would ask for more than 175 million dollars in foreign aid to implement its plan to double the Sumatran tiger population by 2022.

The plan focuses on mitigation of human-animal conflict and better law enforcement, including stiffer penalties, to stop poaching and forest destruction.

Human-animal conflicts are a rising problem in the massive archipelago as forests are destroyed for timber or to make way for palm oil, forcing animals such as elephants and tigers into closer contact with people.

World Bank tiger initiative director Keshav Varma said the trade in tigers and tiger products is growing despite an increasing awareness among governments that the species was on the brink of extinction.

He said poachers and illegal traders were "better equipped" than ever before with weapons and communications technology.

"They have become more sophisticated and there is a bigger market, not only for traditional medicine but now people want more tiger product for fashion," he told reporters.

"Unfortunately countries have not done enough to stop these people."

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Don’t feed elephants in Bangkok

The Star 13 Jul 10;

BANGKOK: You can still feed elephants in Thailand's bustling capital - but it could cost you.

Bangkok authorities said Monday anyone caught handing bunches of bananas or sugar cane to the hulking beasts - proffered by their handlers to make money - faces a 10,000 baht (RM1,025) fine.

Thailand has about 2,400 domestic elephants. There is little demand these days for the animals' traditional skills in logging and other labor, so owners sometimes loan them for begging from tourists and locals in major cities.

"The ordinance is issued to prevent untidiness or danger toward properties and lives of Bangkok residents," said Manit Techa-apichoke, deputy director of the City Law Enforcement Department, adding there had been cases of elephants hurting people and falling into drains.

Friends of the Asian Elephant, a Thai nongovernment group which cares for injured or mistreated elephants, called the fines a good start.

"I've been asking for them to do this for 15 years," said its founder, Soraida Salwalla, adding that she hoped other Thai cities would follow suit. "It's not the total solution, but it's a help."

Previously, mahouts - as elephant handlers are known - and their accomplices were fined for bringing an elephant into Bangkok, but those feeding the animal escaped punishment. Typically a tourist would pay 20 baht ($0.62) for the privilege of handing a bunch of fruit or vegetables into the elephant's trunk.

Manit said those caught feeding the animals would be fined, though they may be warned first.

He said authorities had caught 30 elephants in Bangkok the past four months, but none since the new ordinance took effect July 1, although handlers were finding ways to circumvent the crackdown.

"Mahouts have adopted a new tactic of using baby elephants and taking them from place to place on a pickup truck," he said.

"They now work in the suburbs, instead of camping right in the heart of the city as they used to."

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U.S. Eyes Geothermal For Exim Bank's $1 Bln Indonesia Credit

Sunanda Creagh PlanetArk 13 Jul 10;

Part of a $1 billion credit facility backed by the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Exim Bank) for Indonesia should be used to help develop clean energy projects such as geothermal power, a senior U.S. official said on Monday.

The U.S. Exim Bank announced in late June it had pre-approved 11 Indonesian banks to receive funds under the scheme, which aims to make credit available to public and private sector businesses under low or fixed-interest rates.

"Indonesia must continue on its growth path and if it does, business as usual is not a viable option," Walter North, mission director for USAID in Indonesia, told a Jakarta conference of clean energy developers and investors.

"The US Export Import bank, for example, is going to provide financial support of over $1 billion for credit facilities in Indonesia, including for geothermal."

He told Reuters the fund was meant to boost U.S. investment in Southeast Asia's largest economy and that he would like to see geothermal project developers take advantage of the credit facility.

"My sense is that it was an eligible use and one we would like to see used to extent possible," he said.

Indonesia and the U.S. in April signed a new agreement broadening the types of protection offered to U.S. overseas investors by the Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC), which insures against certain risks, including political risk.

U.S. companies currently have $18 billion worth of investment in Indonesia, which boasts the potential to produce an estimated 27,000 megawatts of electricity from geothermal sources.

U.S. energy major Chevron Corp is among firms that have bid for a geothermal power project in Indonesia, as the country seeks to boost erratic power supply and cut its greenhouse gas emissions.

However, geothermal energy production is expensive and struggles to compete in Indonesia, where fossil fuels are heavily subsidized.

(Editing by Neil Chatterjee)

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Natural gas a 'bridge' fuel, says energy firm

Growing global interest in cleaner fossil fuel
Jessica Cheam Straits Times 13 Jul 10;

NATURAL gas will be the 'bridge' or transition fuel as the global economy moves from fossil fuels to renewable and alternative energy over the next century, said Chesapeake Energy Corp executive vice-president Marcus Rowland yesterday. The company is the third-largest natural gas producer in the United States.

Speaking to The Straits Times during a visit to Singapore, Mr Rowland said the long-term growth prospects of the energy source is reflected in the investor interest the company has received recently.

Natural gas is a fossil fuel containing mostly methane, which burns more cleanly than other fossil fuels - it emits 44 per cent less carbon dioxide than coal. Singapore relies heavily on natural gas, which powers 80 per cent of its energy needs.

Sovereign wealth funds from Singapore, China and South Korea and two private equity firms last month agreed to invest a total of US$900 million (S$1.25 billion) in New York-listed Chesapeake. Out of this, Singapore's investment firm Temasek Holdings has injected a total US$600 million, disclosed Mr Rowland, who is also the firm's chief financial officer.

Mr Rowland said yesterday that energy firms are increasingly wooing Asian investors as the region's appetite for resource investments appears unquenchable. And as the world population increases and emerging economies develop, energy prices will only go up in the long term, he noted.

Even in the US, demand is set to rise as dirtier fuels such as coal get replaced. Natural gas accounts for 23 per cent of US electricity generation, while coal still provides 50 per cent, he said.

'Countries like China and India are aggressively investing in resources because as energy prices rise around the world, their investment becomes a natural hedge against that.'

Natural gas is trading at about US$4.50 per 1,000 cu ft, a sharp drop from the US$14 levels it traded at in 2008, just before the world financial crisis, he added.

'Prices won't go back to those levels for a long time, but it has potential for growth as demand for the fuel grows. The fuel is abundant at reasonable prices and as the world moves towards renewables and other technologies, it will be a bridge fuel - here to stay for at least the next five generations.'

Chesapeake, with annual revenues of more than US$7 billion, started talks with Asian investors only six months ago but has managed to raise US$1.5 billion in capital from investors in the region in that short time, said Mr Rowland.

Most of the capital raised went towards paying the company's debt, accrued from the aggressive expansion over the past five years in shale gas sites.

Mr Rowland was in town to speak to Singapore-based banks in order to extend the firm's credit facilities into the region. The firm is shifting its focus into oil and natural gas liquid production to complement its natural gas business.

Compressed natural gas, for example, is regarded by industry analysts as having tremendous potential. Besides being relatively safe to transport, it also reduces the environmental impact.

In the longer term, the company may also look into exporting liquified natural gas (LNG) as demand around the world increases. Singapore, for example, is building a $1.5 billion LNG terminal in a bid to diversify its energy sources.

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Cash for Conservation: Threats and Promises of Paying Communities for Their Biodiversity

With global biodiversity continuing to decline, conservationists have started paying people to leave forests, watersheds and wildlife intact
Brendan Borrell Scientific American 12 Jul 10;

EDMONTON, Alberta—Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda is one of the largest expanses of montane rainforest in East Africa. It is also one of the most endangered: poaching, forest fires, mining and human settlements are all threatening to tear apart this key water catchment in one of the continent's most densely populated countries.

Last year, a group of ecologists at the University of East Anglia (U.E.A.) began a radical experiment: offering cash payments to communities who help conserve it. Week by week, rangers patrol the area and count snares, tree-felling, mining and other destructive activities; the communities with the fewest infractions will grow richer in the next two years.

Sounds like an ethical minefield? Payments for environmental services, or PES, is one of the most controversial areas of conservation. Large environmental organizations have been criticized for long ignoring, and sometimes exacerbating, the plight of the world's poor. But over the last decade, The Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and other organizations have helped launched PES projects to protect, for instance, watersheds in South America and Africa. Furthermore, PES is going to play an even bigger role as the international community debates schemes to pay countries for the carbon stored by avoiding deforestation, an approach taken by the U.N. Development Programme called REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries).

The issue took center stage this week here at the International Congress for Conservation Biology when Neil Burgess, a conservation biologist at the University of Copenhagen who has worked with the WWF in Tanzania, projected a cartoon that conservationists there used depicting a montane landscape with and without PES. "When you have a payment scheme in place where industries are providing money back to resources and catchments, everything is nice and the sky is blue and everybody is smiling," he said facetiously, describing the cartoon. Without PES, the forest is being cut down and the topsoil is running off hills. "Everything is going to shit, basically."

Well, that's the theory. The ReDirect Rwanda project is unique in that it is a controlled experiment to test the effectiveness of PES. "The promise of PES is a big promise," says Nicole Gross-Camp, a U.E.A. ecologist monitoring the project, "and there has not been a rigorous examination of it to achieve both its conservation and development objectives." One of Gross-Camp's colleagues had calculated that the forest around Nyungwe provides about $25 worth of forest products to every household each year.

Armed with a $1.25-million research grant from the European Research Council, the ReDirect Rwanda team calculated they could afford to pay about four "cells" surrounding the park that contain between 300 and 2,000 households each. Then, each of those "cells" is paired with a control "cell" that is not getting paid; by comparing the adjacent forests, Gross-Camp and her colleagues hope to assess whether the payments are actually working. "The question is whether we can reduce people's impact on the park without making their situations [economically] worse," she says.

But no matter how successful ReDirect is, there are still enormous hurdles to scaling up PES schemes and finding voluntary partners that purchase their environmental services through direct payments or development efforts. Burgess has seen how a deal brokered by the WWF has Coca-Cola and a municipal water company in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, paying local communities to protect their watershed, but he doubts such schemes can be self-supporting, especially in areas with few downstream users. "You can't have two or three vehicles going up and down mountains to distribute $200," he says, referring to the transaction costs of manually distributing payments in regions where bank accounts are uncommon.

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Africa's national parks failing to conserve large mammals, study shows

Populations of zebra, buffalo and lion have fallen by an average of 59% since 1970, according to research
David Adam guardian.co.uk 12 Jul 10;

Africa's extensive network of national parks is failing to stem the decline of large mammals, according to a new study that highlights biodiversity loss across the continent.

Populations of large mammals such as zebra, buffalo and lion have declined by an average of 59% since 1970, according to the research, which collated data from parks including popular tourist safari destinations such as the Masai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania.

The study warns that urgent efforts are needed to better protect the animals and secure the future of the parks, which draw millions of tourists each year and provide much-needed income.

Ian Cragie, a conservation scientist at the University of Cambridge who led the study, said: "Although the results indicate that African national parks have generally failed to maintain their populations of large mammals, the situation outside the parks is undoubtedly worse. Many species like rhino are practically extinct outside national parks."

The team of scientists, including experts from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the United Nations environment programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge, compiled population records of 69 key species, including lion, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra and buffalo, inside 78 protected areas across Africa from 1970 to 2005. More than half the records came from aerial surveys, the most accurate but also the most expensive way to monitor.

The results show an average decline of 59%, though the results varied significantly from region to region. Eleven parks in west Africa were the hardest hit, with a decline of 85%. Mammal species populations across 43 protected areas in east Africa fell by more than half, while those in 35 reserves in southern Africa showed an increase of 25%. The scientists say they cannot break down the results to show the change in numbers in individual parks because of confidentiality agreements with data providers.

Publishing the results in the journal Biological Conservation, the scientists say: "Protected areas are the cornerstone of global conservation efforts but their performance in maintaining populations of their key species remains poorly documented. These results indicate that African protected areas have generally failed to mitigate human-induced threats to African large mammal populations, but they also show some successes."

The scientists say the severe decline in animal populations in west Africa is probably down to the lack of money and people needed to police the parks, high rates of habitat degradation and the growing bushmeat trade. Southern African parks are better funded and have more staff, which has contributed to their success.

Jonathan Baillie, the director of ZSL conservation programmes, said: "The results are far worse than we imagined, but the increasing population trends in southern Africa provide hope and demonstrate that protected areas can be very effective for conserving large mammals if properly resourced."

The scientists caution that the results do not indicate a blanket failure of the parks to protect the animals as intended. The study does not assess populations outside the parks. "One important implication of this is that while we say overall there have been large population declines inside protected areas, we are not able to say that protected areas are having no effect in mitigating the effects of human activities on biodiversity, because the rates of decline could be more extreme outside."

Animals such as wildebeest that migrate or have very large home ranges can spend significant time outside the protected areas, where they are known to be more vulnerable, the scientists add. This means the declines found in the study may reflect changes outside the protected areas as well as inside.

Despite the severe losses, the study showed that the rate of decline has slowed over time, which could indicate that management of the protected areas has improved in recent times.

Africa's Game Parks Rapidly Losing Animals, Study Finds
Tim Cocks Reuters 14 Jul 10;

Africa's game parks have lost well over half of their big mammals, such as the lions and buffalos that draw millions of tourists each year, to rampant hunting and farming since 1970, a study has found.

The continent-wide study by specialists, including from the London Zoological Society and U.N. environment program (UNEP), late Monday found big mammal populations inside national parks declined 59 percent between 1970 and 2005.

"These results illustrate that African PAs (protected areas) have generally failed to mitigate human-induced threats to African large mammal populations," the report in Biological Conservation journal said.

Elephants and rhinos were not included in the study because of special trade restrictions relating to them.

"It's perhaps not (surprising)," UNEP spokesman Nick Nuttal said Tuesday. "Africa has undergone a large population increase since that period of time. There's incredible pressure from hunting for food."

Another pressure was conversion to agricultural land.

Nuttal said a comparative study would be needed on wildlife loss outside national parks to determine if they'd at least managed to slow the decline of mammal populations.

At a wildlife conference in 2002, governments around the world agreed to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, but no government had achieved that target, Nuttal said.

African leaders are increasingly becoming aware of the economic value of the animals in their parks -- especially the "big five" mammals -- lions, rhinos, elephants, leopards and buffalos -- that are favorite tourist attractions. But tackling poachers in the vast stretches of savannah, woodland or forest that parks protect has proved tough.

(Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

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