$300,000 Needed to Help Save Last of Javan Rhinos

Fidelis E. Satriastanti Jakarta Globe 8 Sep 10;

Jakarta. An international partnership is seeking to raise $300,000 in a race against the clock to ensure the survival of the last estimated 48 Javan rhinoceroses in Indonesia — all found within Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten.

Operation Javan Rhino started on June 21 and is an initiative of the International Rhino Foundation and Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI).

Its goal is to create 4,000 hectares of expanded habitat to encourage population growth in the national park, a rare patch of wilderness on the western tip of one of the world’s most densely populated island.

“Having all the eggs in one basket isn’t a good thing for any species,” Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, told the Jakarta Globe.

“With the help of the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, Save the Rhino and the Indonesian government, we have committed to improving the available habitat for Javan rhinos to increase and spread out the population.”

The project is supported by the Ministry of Forestry, which allocated land for it inside the national park.

However, all the improvements needed for the expanded habitat — specifically to help protect the species from the threat of extinction by a single natural disaster or introduced disease — will be shouldered by the nongovernmental organizations.

Widodo Ramono, executive director of YABI, told the Globe that $650,000 was needed for the two-year project, with $350,000 so far having been secured from the NGOs’ own resources.

“This funding is all purely coming from the NGOs; there is no special allocation from the government,” he said. “But they have already provided the land and the human resources, so everybody is doing their bit.”

Widodo said it would take two years to physically prepare the rhinos’ habitat near Mount Honje. The money for the project will be used to improve water and food sources, build guard posts and electric fencing, construct patrol routes and hire rangers to patrol the area.

Additionally, 60 camera traps donated by the Aspinall Foundation in January will be used to gather data about how many rhinos remain in Ujung Kulon.

Adhi Rachmat Hariyadi, site manager for WWF Indonesia’s project in the park, said the cameras were crucial to keeping track of the rhino population.

“So far, from the videos we have analyzed, we’ve identified 27 individual rhinos and extrapolated a maximum of 47 animals in the park, which still needs to be confirmed by surveys on the ground,” he said.

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No documents on the transfer of Anson Wong's Bengal tigers

The Star 9 Sep 10;

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Government wants a probe on why convicted wildlife trafficker Anson Wong’s two Bengal tigers were transferred to another location without any proper documentation.

State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said there were “no documents” on the transfer of the tigers to a private location near the Teluk Bahang Forest Reserve on July 29 last year.

“Last year, we asked the state Wildlife and National Park Department (Perhilitan) to reveal details of the special permit and licences it issued to Wong but so far we have not seen the official documents of transfer,’’ he said.

The endangered tigers, previously kept at the Bukit Jambul Hibiscus, Orchids and Reptile Farm in Bukit Jambul, will eventually be housed in a reptile garden at the forest reserve.

Current Perhilitan director Noor Alif Wira Osman, who has gone on leave, will be transferred to another state effective Oct 1.

Phee said the state would arrange for a meeting with the new director to get to the bottom of things and stressed that it had never dealt with Wong.

Ninety-five boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle were found by baggage handlers in Wong’s check-in suitcase during his transit through KLIA from Penang on a flight bound for Jakarta.

Chua criticises mild penalties for smuggler
The Star 9 Sep 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has criticised the mild punishment given to “Lizard King” Anson Wong.

Through his Twitter account yesterday, Dr Chua said Wong should have been given a heftier fine and jail sentence, and that most Malay­sians were not sensitive enough about protecting the country’s flora and fauna.

In another update about 15 minutes later, he said: “Perhilitan Depart­ment is grossly understaffed, enforce­ment is weak.”

Perhilitan detained Wong for smuggling 95 endangered boa constrictors without a permit at KL Inter­national Airport on Aug 26.

Wong, who was on transit from Penang to Jakarta when he was caught, was sentenced to six months’ jail and fined RM190,000 by the Sepang Sessions Court on Monday.

The International Trade in En­­dangered Species Act 2008 carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 for each animal smuggled, and provides for a maximum sentence of seven years’ jail for illegal wildlife trafficking.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers has filed an appeal against the sentence.

Penang airport probes into inside job in snake fiasco
New Straits Times 9 Sep 10;

GEORGE TOWN: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) yesterday defended its security at the airport here after a wildlife trafficker slipped nearly 100 boa constrictors into a plane.

Authorities at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport arrested Anson Wong Keng Liang on Aug 26 when they found 95 boa constrictors, together with other snakes and a turtle, in his bag.

The bag had broken open on a conveyer belt at the KLIA while on transit to Indonesia.


MAHB senior general manager of operations Datuk Azmi Murad said the airport's security was of international standards and comparable with that of all airports in the world.

He said it had launched an investigation into the incident, but had yet to lodge a police report.

It is understood that MAHB is looking into the possibility of an inside job as no security officer had detected the snakes despite them going through scanners at the airport.


"We fulfil all international requirements.

"We have never compromised the safety of our passengers and aircraft," Azmi said.

"We will investigate the matter and get to the bottom of things."


Wong, 52, had served time in the United States nine years ago for animal trafficking. He was on Monday fined RM190,000 and sentenced to six months in jail for trying to smuggle the endangered species without a permit.

However, some people said his sentence was too light.

State police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob said police would not investigate the matter as no one had lodged a report.

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Rope in orang asli to curb poaching, says Malayan Nature Society

The Star 9 Sep 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: The orang asli in Malaysia are the “best eyes and ears” for enforcement officers of the Government to help reduce wildlife poaching, said academician Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Mustaffa Babjee.

The Malaysia Nature Society (MNS) member said proactive action should be taken to get Malaysia’s indigenous people to be part of the nation’s nature conservation efforts.

“They know the forests well enough compared to others and they are the best ‘enforcers’ in keeping wildlife safe,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Due to encroachment by poachers, Dr Ahmad said the orang asli could be tempted easily when money was involved.

He also said the orang asli were animal lovers and were well-suited as eco-tourist guides.

“We should give them the needed training to take part in eco-tourism,” he added.

He said there was lack of public awareness on the impact and importance of biodiversity even though Malaysia was listed 12th in the world in terms of mega biodiversity.

Its rapid rate of depletion on flora had also caused concern.

Dr Ahmad said public should be educated on the importance of preserving nature.

Dr Ahmad added that MNS would host a two-day international conference themed “Challenges and Solutions for Tropical Biodiversity” from Oct 8 to discuss the current status and trends in Malaysia’s tropical biodiversity.

For more information, log on to www.mns.my.

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Great Apes Protected As EU Restricts Animal Testing

Pete Harrison PlanetArk 8 Sep 10;

Primates, including mankind's closest relatives -- chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and orangutans -- have gained new protection after the European Parliament backed a clampdown on animal testing.

"The use of non-human primates should be permitted only in those biomedical areas essential for the benefit of human beings, for which no other alternative replacement methods are yet available," a new EU law said.

The strongest protection was given to the "great apes," although sustained public pressure has already ensured none have been used in European Union research in eight years.

Less stringent measures were brought in to protect the 12,000 other smaller primates, such as macaques, used in EU labs each year.

The revision of the 25-year-old rules had originally envisaged a more complete ban on primate research, but were heavily contested and lobbied by industry.

Researchers argued primates were indispensable for work to find cures for diseases including HIV, Alzheimer's Disease, cancer, hepatitis, malaria, multiple sclerosis and tuberculosis.

In theory, great apes can be used in such research, but in practice license applications face rigorous EU scrutiny.

Researchers said a fair balance had been found.

"Today's agreement should bring direct and tangible animal welfare benefits and allow essential medical research to continue in Europe to deliver the new and innovative treatments," said drug industry group EFPIA.

Some 12 million vertebrate animals are used each year in experiments throughout the 27-nation EU -- half for drug development and testing, a third for biology studies and the rest for cosmetics tests, toxicology and disease diagnosis.

Around 80 percent are mice and rats and primates account for around a tenth of 1 percent or about 12,000 animals.

Researchers will have to keep files on the history of each individual primate, dog or cat to ensure their welfare needs are met. They will also be obliged to use alternatives to animal testing whenever they are available.

Government authorities will be required to perform inspections on laboratories, some of them snap checks.

Animal rights campaigners gave the rules a mixed welcome, saying they represented business as usual for laboratories in Germany and Britain, but might lead to improvements in eastern Europe.

"This directive also sends a challenge to other countries such as the United States where chimps are still used in significant numbers," said campaigner Wendy Higgins of the Humane Society International.

(Reporting by Pete Harrison)

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Kremlin eyes forest management reform after fires

Reuters AlertNet 8 Sep 10;

MOSCOW, Sept 8 (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday he would consider radically reforming Russia's forest management, currently under the control of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, after the worst forest fires in 30 years.

More than 50 people died and about 2,000 families were left homeless this summer after wildfires ravaged thousands of hectares in central Russia during the country's worst heat wave in decades.

Critics blame the new Forest Code that was passed by parliament in 2006 on the orders of then president Putin, Medvedev's mentor. The law disbanded a centralised system of forest protection, making a large part the country's forests a legal no man's land.

"I have made the decision to hand over the Federal Forestry Agency directly to the government," he told officials at a meeting. "But if this proves insufficient, I reserve the right to radically change the structure."

Medvedev criticised Putin's Forest Code by saying that around 13 percent of forests were left totally unprotected, and promised a new service to protect forests will be set up, which would reverse the most disputed part of the Forest Code.

"We need to analyse in the most careful manner the legislation and the structure -- or structures -- that will manage (the forests)," he said.

Medvedev also pledged to crack down on regional governors who prove unable to manage their forests. A mechanism will allow the Kremlin to deprive the regional officials of the powers to control forests and sack officials for their failings.

The Russian budget lost at least 12 billion roubles ($388.5 million) due to the wildfires, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said last month, though experts estimated the overall damage to the economy could top $14 billion.

Russia's forests cover 809 million hectares, 22 percent of global forest resources, or twice the size of the European Union landmass, and are vital for producing oxygen amid global climate change.

(Writing by Alexei Anishchuk; editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)

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Record Hong Kong air pollution sparks protest

Reuters 8 Sep 10;

(Reuters) - Roadside air pollution in Hong Kong hit record highs in the first six months of the year, hurting public health and economic competitiveness compared with Asian rivals, activists and lawmakers said Tuesday.

The city's air quality hit "unhealthy" levels about 10 percent of the time between January and June, the highest level in five years, said environmental group Friends of the Earth.

The government advises people with heart or respiratory problems to avoid lingering in traffic-heavy places when the air pollution index goes into "unhealthy" territory.

"Think of the health cost and also the disincentives to tourists and to people investing and setting up companies in Hong Kong," said legislator Audrey Eu who joined green activists in unfurling a big black banner over a roadside monitoring station at the heart of Hong Kong's Central financial district.

Health experts estimate poor air has cost the city HK$1.18 billion (US$151 million) in healthcare bills and lost productivity, along with 3.8 million visits to the doctor, this year.

"The bad air and pollution is actually giving Hong Kong a bad name and deterring people from coming," added Eu, who was among a coalition of lawmakers urging the government to do much more to resolve the problem including accelerating the phasing out of diesel buses and imposing stiffer fines.

Hong Kong's air pollution soared off the charts to unprecedented highs in March when sandstorms from northern China cloaked the city in dust.

A survey by Mercer Consulting ranking the quality of life of 221 cities, found air pollution weighed heavily on Hong Kong, a business gateway to China, knocking its ranking to 71, far below Singapore at 28.

"Hong Kong's always been rated lower than other neighboring cities ... it's due mainly to our air quality problems," said Edwin Lau, director of Friends of the Earth.

"The government seems to have done a lot of things, but I would say they've only been tinkering on the edges," said Lau, referring to a recent law to ban idling engines.

He noted, however, that imported pollution from China's vast industrial hinterland of the Pearl River Delta, across the border from Hong Kong, had shown mild improvement over the past year given a push to phase out older, more polluting industries there and other emission-reduction measures.

Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department had no immediate response when contacted by Reuters, but earlier noted that while roadside pollution had peaked, overall atmospheric pollution levels actually fell in the first six months.

(Reporting by James Pomfret and Tan Ee Lyn in Hong Kong; editing by Chris Lewis)

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Mining the Truth on Coal Supplies

A view that the world’s leading electricity fuel—and major contributor to climate change—is running out
Mason Inman National Geographic News 8 Sep 10;

No matter how bad coal might be for the planet, the conventional wisdom is that there is so much of it underground that the world’s leading fuel for electricity will continue to dominate the energy scene unless global action is taken on climate change.

But what if conventional wisdom is wrong?

A new study seeks to shake up the assumption that use of coal, the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, is bound to continue its inexorable rise. In fact, the authors predict that world coal production may reach its peak as early as next year, and then begin a permanent decline.

The study, led by Tad Patzek, chairman of the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and published in the August issue of Energy, predicts that by mid-century, the world's coal mining will supply only half as much energy as today.

The idea that the world will face "peak coal" as soon as 2011 flies in the face of most earlier estimates and analysis.

The London-based World Coal Institute, an industry group including the largest international coal producers, says "the use of coal will rise 60 percent over the next 20 years," and that "coal will last us for at least 119 years." And the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in its most recent international outlook, projects that coal consumption for electricity will grow more than 50 percent by 2035 unless policies are put in place to stop the growth of greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the Patzek study paints a far different picture—and not because people will use up the last of the coal in the ground. Rather, the world will finish off the coal that is easy to reach and high-quality—the coal that produces a large amount of energy per ton, the new study says. What remains will often be of lower quality, and progressively harder to dig up and bring to where it is used.

The study's prediction for the time of the peak—actually a peak in the energy produced by global coal production—may not turn out to be exactly right, Patzek said. “I’m not saying that on July 1, 2011, there will be a peak."

But the main thrust of the study is stark: “We are near or at the peak right now,” he said.

Economic Costs

If true, this could have a vast impact on the world economy.

Coal-fired power plants supply 40 percent of the world's electricity, and energy for two-thirds of the world's steel production.

"If we are right," Patzek's study said, "major restructuring and shrinking of the global economy will follow."

Many countries are counting on coal to continue powering their economies for decades to come.

“The United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal,” said President Barack Obama earlier this year, referring to estimates that the United States has the largest coal reserves of any country. Citing the huge stores and the need for clean energy, Obama made the remark at the launch of a task force to study how to deploy technology to “clean up” coal, through carbon capture and storage technology, in the next 10 years.

However, Patzek argues that the reserves estimates of the United States and other countries overstate how much coal is actually practical to mine and use.

"In my study, I disregard completely these [reserve] estimates," Patzek said. "They're not credible."

"The only estimate that's credible,” he argued, “is what actually comes out of the mines, and how you project that into the future."

For instance, the study notes that estimates of Illinois’ proven reserves are still high—second only to Montana in the United States—even though coal production has declined to a little more than half of what was produced there 20 years ago.

But there are numerous reasons for that drop, including the fact that Illinois coal is high in sulfur. Electric utilities have shifted to buying lower-sulfur coal from the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana, despite its lower heat content, as a way to meet federal regulations for control of acid rain.

Other analyses that have taken the shift to lower-quality coal into account have concluded that reserves are robust, including a 2007 assessment of U.S. coal research and development needs, organized by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Despite what the panel admitted were “significant” uncertainties in reserve estimates, the NAS concluded there was sufficient coal to meet the nation’s needs at current rates of consumption for more than 100 years. That study said the United States had about 270 billion tons of coal reserves, plus more than 1,500 billion tons of “resources”—known deposits that are not currently economical to produce, but that may be possible to develop later.

“It is safe to conclude that the U.S. is not running out of reserves,” said Raja Ramani, a mining engineer at the University of Pennsylvania and co-author of the NAS paper. “I do not see 2011 as the peak year of coal production.”

However, the NAS admitted that its 2007 estimates of coal reserves were based upon methods and data that had not been reviewed or revised since the early 1970s. The NAS called for a coordinated government and industry initiative to determine the magnitude and characteristics of the nation’s recoverable coal reserves.

Will Coal Follow Oil Curve?

Patzek's study uses a version of a method developed by the legendary father of “peak oil” theory, Marion King Hubbert, to analyze coal reserves. Hubbert, at the time a Shell Oil petroleum geologist, used prior production history to correctly predict 15 years in advance that U.S. oil production would peak in the early 1970s.

Hubbert's method, a controversial one, assumes that production follows a bell-shaped curve over time.

When there are many different oil wells or coal mines operating independently, the sum of all their production tends to follow such a bell curve over time—starting off small, rising to a peak, and then dropping again as the resources are depleted.

Oil in the United States has followed this pattern, as has coal in the United Kingdom.

Patzek's study, “A global coal production forecast with multi-Hubbert cycle analysis,” modifies Hubbert's method to allow for several bell curves, to reflect the development of coal mines in different parts of the world and the use of different technologies.

Patzek's study is not the only one to conclude that the reserve estimates are often too high. In recent years, chemical engineers at Newcastle University in Australia, the electrical engineer David Rutledge at the California Institute of Technology, and a German nonprofit called Energy Watch Group all have estimated that coal production would most likely peak in the next couple of decades.

One of the most important questions involving the peak coal studies is what they mean for climate change policy. Patzek’s study notes that its projections would mean that carbon emissions from global coal production would decline by 50 percent by 2050. That’s significantly below most of the carbon emissions scenarios produced by the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Patzek’s paper opens with a swipe at the IPCC scenarios, saying they are “based on economic and policy considerations that appear to be unconstrained by geophysics.”

But the paper concludes with an appeal that climate action advocates could only applaud—a plea for using less energy and more efficient electricity generation.

“The global community should be devoting its attention to conservation and increasing efficiency of electrical power generation from coal,” the paper said. “Immediate upgrades of the existing electrical coal-fired power stations to new, ultra supercritical steam turbines that deliver [greater efficiency than current power plants] are urgently needed.”

The paper underscores the different drivers behind the push for a new path forward on energy—the call is much the same, whether the worry is too much coal or too little.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 8 Sep 10

Joseph Lai: A Heart for the Earth
from wild shores of singapore

Sunbirds and Doves
from Trek through Paradise

Breakfast with a Milky Stork
from Life's Indulgences

Rambutans
from Ubin.sgkopi

Read more!

Pasir Ris beach still polluted

NEA warns swimmers that waters remain too contaminated with bacterium in faeces
Grace Chua Straits Times 8 Sep 10;

FOR the third year in a row, picnickers hoping to swim in the waters off Pasir Ris Beach will be disappointed, as the area off the north-eastern shore is still too contaminated by a bacterium found in faeces to swim safely in.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) gave the water there a 'fair' rating in its annual update on beach water quality yesterday, after finding too many samples containing unsafe levels of the enterococcus bacterium, which can cause gastro-intestinal illnesses like vomiting and diarrhoea if swimmers come into contact with it.

The bacterium is found in animal and human faeces, and the problem appears to be the proximity of smaller sewage treatment plants in Tampines and Changi which discharge the effluents into the area. Water treatment agency PUB said the currents off Pasir Ris Beach were not strong enough to carry the discharge out and disperse it at sea.

Some older sewage pipes may also be leaking untreated sewage.

In a study last year, the NEA also said that other sources of contamination could be moored vessels and animals in the area.

Pasir Ris has received the same rating since 2008.

It may come as small comfort to know that waters there have not actually degraded, but that more stringent World Health Organisation guidelines have been in place since that year, said the NEA.

It advised the public not to swim in Pasir Ris until the next water quality review in August next year, as works are ongoing to phase out the sewage treatment facilities nearby.

Upgrading works are also being carried out to connect sewage pipes to a modern treatment facility in Changi, with its deep-water discharge pipe.

In contrast, the recreational beaches at Sentosa, Seletar Island, Sembawang Park, Changi and East Coast Park passed water quality tests with flying colours.

In water samples collected from Pasir Ris, 7 per cent contained more than 200 enterococcus bacteria per 100ml of water, exceeding World Health Organisation benchmarks.

Only beaches with not more than 5 per cent of such samples are suitable for swimming, wakeboarding and other activities involving full-body contact or immersion.

Prior to 2008, the NEA had used a different bacterium type called faecal coliforms as a water quality measure, but enterococcus was found to be a better indicator of health risks.

At the drab and rocky Pasir Ris Beach yesterday, no one was swimming though a few people were wading.

None of the 10 beachgoers asked knew about the pollution and no-swimming advisory.

University student Lewis Tan, 20, said: 'The water looks okay, but now that I know, we're not going into the water.'

Another beachgoer, a 16-year-old student who wanted to be known only as Ashwin, pointed out that the uninvitingly murky water put people off swimming anyway.

Dr Ole Larsen, director of the DHI-NTU research centre studying water and environment issues, noted that enterococcus was an indicator of faecal contamination.

'There are many more people in Singapore than there are wild animals, so that's probably the best place to look,' Dr Larsen said.

He added that the highest numbers of bacteria tend to be found in sources that come from land, so sources farther offshore, such as Pulau Ubin or military training island Pulau Tekong, are unlikely to be the culprits.

PUB said it had started making plans to phase out the area's sewage treatment plants and mend the sewerage network in 2007.

By next year, about 23km of ageing sewers in the area will be repaired.

And by 2012, the sewerage network will be extended, doing away with 39 older sewage treatment plants.

Besides the PUB measures, the NEA is also working with the Maritime and Port Authority to make sure ships moored offshore do not discharge sewage directly into the water.

NEA advises public to refrain from swimming at Pasir Ris beach
S Ramesh Channel NewsAsia 7 Sep 10;

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) has issued its annual water quality review of the six recreational beaches for this year and Pasir Ris beach continues to be graded as "fair" in this area.

NEA has thus advised the public to refrain from swimming at Pasir Ris beach until the next review in August 2011.

The water quality of Sentosa Island, Seletar Island, Sembawang Park, Changi and East Coast Park beaches are again graded "very good" or "good".

NEA said they are suitable for primary contact activities.

In the latest grading for Pasir Ris beach, seven per cent of the collected samples had enterococcus counts greater than 200 per 100 ml, compared to eight per cent in 2009.

Enterococcus is a type of bacteria found in the faeces of human and warm blooded animals.

According to a study released by NEA in 2009, Pasir Ris beach's water quality is affected by various possible sources.

Among them is minor leakage from older sewers, moored vessels, animals, as well as discharges from small-scale sewage treatment plants that presently serve the more remote areas in Pasir Ris.

The low beach water currents are not effective in diluting and dispersing the discharges.

To help improve the water quality at Pasir Ris beach, PUB has an ongoing plan to extend the sewer network and phase out the 39 sewer treatment plants in the Halus/Tampines, Changi and Selerang areas by 2012.

PUB is also carrying out a sewer rehabilitation programme for aging sewers in this area, under which 23 kilometres of sewers will be rehabilitated by 2011.

NEA said it would continue to closely monitor the water quality at Pasir Ris beach and inform the public of the updated beach gradings in our next annual review.

-CNA/wk

Pasir Ris beach still unsafe for swimming
Esther Ng Today Online 8 Sep 10;

SINGAPORE - Two years on, it is still not safe to swim at Pasir Ris beach.

The water there is contaminated with enterococcus - a type of bacteria found in the faeces of human and warm-blooded animals. And it is expected to stay this way for at least another year.

In its annual review of Singapore's six recreational beaches, the National Environment Agency (NEA) assessed the water quality off Pasir Ris beach as "fair": Some 7 per cent of samples collected had enterococcus counts greater than 200 per 100 millilitre, compared to 8 per cent last year.

Pasir Ris beach was first classified as unsafe for swimming in 2008, when the NEA rolled out a new grading system on recreational water quality for beaches which was based on World Health Organisation guidelines revised in 2003.

The NEA said in its latest review that possible sources for the contamination include minor leakage from older sewers, moored vessels, animals, as well as discharges from small-scale sewage treatment plants in the remote areas.

The NEA noted in a statement that the "low water currents in the concave part of Pasir Ris beach are not effective in diluting and dispersing the discharges".

To help improve the water quality at the beach, the PUB will extend the sewer network and phase out the 39 sewage treatment plants in the Halus/Tampines, Changi and Selerang areas by 2012.

It also has an ongoing sewer rehabilitation programme for ageing sewers in this area - 23 km of sewers will be rehabilitated by next year.

Work on the phasing out of the sewage treatment plants and sewer rehabilitation are both on schedule, said the NEA.

Meanwhile, the public is advised not to swim at Pasir Ris beach until the next review in August.

Since August 2008, signs have been put up along the beach to advise beach-goers against swimming in the waters.

Pasir Ris resident Khaled Talib, 46, felt the undesirable water quality was a "pity". He said: "As a result, residents here are not maximising the full use of the beach."

Under the NEA's latest review, beaches at Sentosa, Seletar Island, Sembawang Park, Changi and East Coast Park were graded "very good" or "good" for the third time in a row.


Shops at Pasir Ris beach see drop in business after NEA report
Ng Lian Cheong/Alvina Soh Channel NewsAsia 11 Sep 10;

SINGAPORE : Shops at Pasir Ris beach are seeing a drop in business, with people avoiding the area.

This follows the National Environment Agency's annual water quality review that showed it is still not safe to swim at Pasir Ris beach.

Empty tables, closed shops and barely-occupied beaches were a common sight at Pasir Ris beach this week.

Businesses, including shops and snack stores, have been affected.

Snack store owners said they earn about S$100 per day, a drop of 20 per cent from the previous week.

Shops renting out rollerblades also reported a lack of customers.

However, shop owners are optimistic. They said they expect business to pick up eventually. - CNA/ms

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Why ban kayakers from reservoir?

Straits Times Forum 8 Sep 10;

BEFORE Marina Bay reservoir was created, it was possible for anyone with his own boat to enjoy paddling at Kallang Basin. Now, it is no longer possible because PUB has banned private kayakers from Marina Reservoir. Similarly, PUB has banned kayaking at the previously accessible Punggol and Serangoon rivers - both slated as future reservoirs.

When Marina Reservoir was announced, it was presented as an exciting venue for water sports, especially non-polluting paddling sports like kayaking. After it was opened, paddlers who had long enjoyed its waters on their private kayaks were banned from it.

I believe the risk assessment of Kallang Basin/Marina Bay as a suitable kayaking venue has not changed after the building of the barrage. How is it more risky now for private kayakers to paddle there, when we have been doing it for over 20 years without incident?

Some organisations like Water Venture and even privately owned dragon boat teams are still permitted to do kayaking/boating in its waters.

A regulatory approach to managing recreation activities in Marina Reservoir - and other waterways - would be much more appreciated than an outright ban. In any case, a ban is hardly enforceable over such a wide area.

According to PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters programme, our reservoirs are no longer just water catchment areas but also important outdoor recreation areas that enhance urban living. If so, the creation of more reservoirs should not reduce our recreation space.

Sim Cher Huey


Kayakers not banned from reservoirs
Straits Times Forum 11 Sep 10;

PUB, the national water agency, thanks Mr Sim Cher Huey for his letter on Wednesday ('Why ban kayakers from reservoir?').

PUB does not ban kayakers from our reservoirs. In fact, since 2005, it has been actively promoting water activities at our reservoirs as part of our efforts to inject life and vibrancy into our reservoirs, and to encourage the public to bond with water. Members of the public can enjoy kayaking activities at various reservoirs.

PUB has worked with partners such as the Singapore Canoe Federation and People's Association to open kayaking centres at Bedok Reservoir, MacRitchie Reservoir, Jurong Lake and Lower Seletar Reservoir. Members of the public can also try their hand at sailing at Marina Barrage.

PUB works closely with the operators to ensure that water activities are conducted in a safe and proper manner. As a public agency, PUB has the responsibility to ensure that water activities conducted in the reservoirs are safe for all users as well as ensure the security of our reservoirs, which contain vital installations and equipment.

Water is sometimes discharged via certain channels when the reservoir level is too high, causing rapid flow of water. If individual kayakers are allowed to kayak outside the designated areas without any supervision, reservoir operations may be affected and the kayakers may put their lives at risk.

Kayaking centre operators ensure that members of the public are briefed on safety regulations and they do not venture outside the designated areas. The operators also keep the life vests and kayaks in good condition and track the number of kayaks out on the waters so that all individuals are accounted for.

Tan Nguan Sen
Director, Catchment and Waterways
PUB, the national water agency

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How Singapore Zoo is ensuring survival of endangered animals

Straits Times 8 Sep 10;

I REFER to the letter ('Polar bears and zoo's green contradiction'; Sept 1) by Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) executive director Louis Ng, which argued that polar bears Sheba and Inuka should be moved out of Singapore.

First, both mother and son polar bears were born in captivity, with Inuka being the first polar bear to be born in the tropics at Singapore Zoo close to 20 years ago.

Both bears have neither the necessary skills nor training to be released into the wild.

Sheba is now 33 years old, which is eight years above the average lifespan of a polar bear in captivity and almost double the longevity of a polar bear in the wild (15 to 18 years).

Second, we would like to reiterate that Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) has been consulting the Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee (Awec) and adhering to its recommendations.

It was Awec's strong recommendation in 2006 - under the chairmanship of Professor Tommy Koh - that the polar bears should remain here, considering their age, familiarity with their keepers and environment, and the uncertainty of whether other facilities would be able to provide the same high level of care.

It was also at this time that WRS started the conceptualisation of the Frozen Tundra exhibit at River Safari, as an upgrade to the polar bears' habitat.

All through this process, WRS had continued to upgrade their existing habitat, with new air-conditioners, misting fans and net shades.

On Mr Ng's point about the carbon footprint of the polar bear enclosure, we would like to highlight that WRS will be using currently available green building technology to ensure that energy use and carbon emissions are kept at minimal levels.

Environmentally friendly and energy-efficient cooling towers will be used to cool the new habitat, and independent experts will be assessing the construction of River Safari when it is built.

In fact, it is worth noting that all our parks are the first zoological institutions in South-east Asia to achieve both ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications, which indicate compliance with the highest standards in environment, health and safety.

Established and well-run zoos play an important part in ensuring the survival of endangered animals such as the polar bears. WRS remains deeply committed to running world-class wildlife institutions and ensuring the long-term survival of earth's biodiversity.

Fanny Lai (Ms)
Group CEO
Wildlife Reserves Singapore

Sheba and Inuka thriving well in Singapore
Straits Times 8 Sep 10;

I APPRECIATE the views expressed in the letter ('Polar bears and zoo's green contradiction'; Sept 1) by Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) executive director Louis Ng.

In 2006, the Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee (Awec) undertook an extensive review of whether we should keep the polar bears, Sheba and Inuka, in Singapore. After careful consideration, the committee decided it was against the best interests of the bears to be released into the wild or moved out of Singapore Zoo.

First, the natural habitat of polar bears is extremely resource-sparse, and cubs are trained from a young age to swim and travel vast distances to hunt for prey. Having been raised in captivity, both Sheba and Inuka do not have the necessary skills or knowledge to hunt for their own food. In addition, climate change has caused the melting of the ice caps, resulting in more wild polar bears dying of starvation. Both bears will not be able to survive the introduction into such a harsh environment.

Other options were also considered, namely to relocate Inuka to a different zoological institution after the passing of Sheba. We recommended that Inuka should remain here and not be sent to a temperate country because it would cause him more stress, with the move having its own share of risks.

On the one hand, logic prevails that Arctic animals should reside in temperate climates. On the other hand, Sheba, who is 33, has lived eight years past her average lifespan, and Inuka, who was born here, will be 20 years old by end 2010. This shows that they are thriving well in this environment.

Nevertheless, Awec will continue to keep an open view. With new discoveries in veterinary science, as well as improvements in captive animal breeding and management around the world, there will be a need to assess the situation again.

Captive habitats provided by wildlife institutions have enabled polar bears to successfully reproduce and raise their young as in the case of Sheba and Inuka.

We are glad that Wildlife Reserves Singapore has decided to move the bears to their new enclosure at the River Safari, which will serve as a better living environment. We believe both of them will continue to be provided with the best care and facilities here.

Professor Leo Tan
Chairman
Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee

Conservation the catchword for zoos today
Fanny Lai for the Straits Times 8 Sep 10;

OVER the years, I have visited more than 200 zoos and aquariums. They range from the world's oldest zoo - in Vienna, Austria - to an exotic zoo built on the volcanic slopes at the source of the Amazon River in Banos, Ecuador, and a conservation-focused zoo in the Bronx, United States.

I have also seen many bad zoos that should be closed down and whose owners should be prosecuted. I once saw a tiger at a well-known zoo being kept in an old office with a wooden door and glass window. I have observed a heavily-sedated lion being used for tourist contact; the poor lion could not walk on all fours. In another zoo, I learnt of monkeys being traded as food in the zoo's backyard.

Only 10 per cent of the estimated 3,000 zoos and aquariums in the world are members of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Waza). All Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) parks - Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo - are Waza members. They were the first zoological institutions in South-east Asia to achieve both ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications, which indicate compliance with the highest standards in environment, health and safety.

What puzzles me is that zoos remain popular attractions, with 650 million visitors worldwide annually, though many of them do not meet even the most basic of standards.

Does it have to do with society's low expectation of zoos?

History has shown that humans instinctively desire to control the beasts around them. Some 5,000 years ago, Egyptian pharaohs kept hippos, hartebeests, elephants, giraffes, baboons, cheetahs, leopards and monkeys. A Chinese emperor built a 'Garden of Intelligence' to keep deer and birds, and Admiral Cheng Ho returned from Africa with giraffes and zebras to please his ruler.

Today, in some societies, zoos remain places for the exhibition of exotic animals to satisfy the curiosity of people - a circus to entertain people at the expense of the animals. But good zoos today have evolved into places for conservation and education.

At WRS, we have changed our mission from providing recreation to promoting education; from captive breeding to habitat conservation; and from animal husbandry to animal science advancement.

We welcomed 3.6 million visitors last year, of which 250,000 were students using our parks as living and learning classrooms. Living animals are powerful tools to help bond children with nature.

For formal education, we work with the Ministry of Education to complement mainstream classroom lessons, and we subsidise student admission fees. We conduct workshops for teachers, and sponsor seminars for zoo educators in Asia.

We increased the learning opportunities in our parks by replacing commemorative plaques with educational material for children. We weave engaging stories about the animals at feeding sessions, and conduct tours of our rescue, nutrition, and health care and research centres. We publish educational magazines and have revamped our animal presentations to reinforce a conservation message.

True respect for wildlife can be stimulated only by learning about animals in their natural habitats. We design our exhibits with minimal confinement to let people respect our animals in their natural habitats. We adhere to, and in most cases surpass Waza's standards of animal welfare and ethics, and requirements for enclosure size, features and amenities. WRS is also at the forefront of developing animal enrichment activities to expose our animals to generous doses of mental and physical stimulation.

WRS parks are renowned for breeding critically endangered animals and the study of South-east Asian rainforest animals. To help revive the endangered wildlife populations, we use our experience in breeding critically endangered animal species and releasing them into the wild. Our collection acts as insurance in the event that wild populations go extinct. We succeeded in reintroducing the oriental pied hornbill, which was believed to be locally extinct in 1991. Today, a healthy population of 80 birds thrives.

Our parks have also taken on the roles of official wildlife rescue centres to help reduce incidences of illegal wildlife trade. We have rescued, rehabilitated and repatriated more than 20,000 wild animals. We have also trained staff from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to identify and handle endangered wildlife.

The role of zoos has changed. We have to be an active player in the conservation of our ecosystems. We have to be the catalyst in promoting a sustainable lifestyle to preserve our biodiversity. We have to instil a respect for wildlife and turn people into active conservationists.

However, our progress will be constrained by problems: The number of threatened species is greater than what zoos can accommodate. Zoos have limited financial resources and success in maintaining large populations of endangered animals. Zoos cannot conserve wild behaviour and fully replicate natural habitats. Some zoo visitors just want to have fun and are not ready to learn.

We need time and commitment, and public as well as private support, to realise our vision.

The writer is the group CEO of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

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Indonesian man caught smuggling birds, ant larvae into Singapore

Kimberly Spykerman Straits Times 8 Sep 10;

AN INDONESIAN man was busted on Sunday afternoon at the Singapore Cruise Centre for attempting to smuggle in birds and dead ant larvae when he did not have a permit to do so. Their intended destination was a bird shop in Telok Blangah.

The 49-year-old tourist was stopped at the arrival hall by officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) when he seemed visibly flustered after being directed to undergo checks on his hand luggage.

Opening the heavy cardboard boxes, officers found 16kg of dead ant larvae in eight pallets wrapped in newspaper.

Ant larvae are a controlled item and cannot be imported without a permit. Dead ant larvae are usually used to feed birds.

The sound of faint chirping then drew the officers' attention to the man's sling bag.

Inside were 11 live birds stuffed into small boxes pierced with holes. They included five mata putehs, three shamas, two flycatchers and one leaf bird. A permit must also be obtained to import birds.

The man admitted to trying to smuggle in the items and was referred to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) for further investigations.

According to the ICA, smuggling of plants, animals and food has gone up by 44 per cent to 3,900 in the first six months of the year, from 2,700 over the same period of time last year.

Overall, contraband smuggling arrests in the first half of the year have peaked at 33,100, a record high for any six-month period.

Importing live birds without an AVA permit is a violation of the Animals and Birds Act, for which the man could be jailed a year and fined $10,000. For importing the dead ant larvae without an AVA permit, which is an offence under the Plant Importation Rules, he could be jailed three years and fined $10,000.

ICA thwarts man's bird-smuggling plans
Channel NewsAsia 7 Sep 10;

SINGAPORE: The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers thwarted a man's plan to smuggle birds using his sling bag.

ICA officers on Sunday inspected hand-carried boxes of an Indonesian traveller when they thought they heard faint chirping.

Further inspection showed the 49-year-old man's sling bag had 11 birds peering through the several small boxes they were in.

Officers also found 16 kilogrammes of ant larvae.

The Indonesian claimed he intended to sell the contraband items to a bird shop in Telok Blangah and has been referred to the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) for investigations.

ICA said the importation of live birds without an AVA permit is a violation of the Animals and Birds Act, which carries a maximum penalty of S$10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

-CNA/wk

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