Sumatra has 38 hot spots

Antara 13 Oct 10;

Padang, W Sumatra (ANTARA News) - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Tabing, Padang, said Sumatra has 38 hot spots in the north and south of the island.

"Our finding was based on monitoring by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) on October 11, 2010," Head of the Tabing BMKG Budi Iman Samiaji said here Tuesday.

The hot spots, he said, were spread from Riau, South Sumatra, to Jambi provinces.

However, he said, the hot spots were not dangerous to West Sumatra.

Budi said he has not found any hot spots in West Sumatra. "Thank God, I have not found any hot spots," he added.

Budi hoped the constant rains showering West Sumatra in the last couple of weeks, would extinguish any emerging hot spot.

He also called on the people not to burn the forests because this will only destroy the ecosystem and endanger the people. (*)

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Warm temperatures hit Caribbean coral reefs

UPI 12 Oct 10;

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- An unexplained sea temperature rise has caused a major coral bleaching and die-off event in the western Caribbean, U.S. researchers say.

Scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and divers first found coral bleaching in July in waters off Panama followed by an extensive bleaching event in September, an institute release said Tuesday.

During this time, seawater temperatures were measured at 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit, well above the seasonal average of about 82 degrees.

The warming event is affecting the entire Caribbean coast of Panama and has also been reported at sites in Costa Rica, Smithsonian scientists said.

Coral reefs contain photosynthetic algae called zoxanthellae, and bleaching occurs when corals lose their color as a result of the loss of their algal component caused by increased water temperature or other stress factors.

Bleaching impairs vital functions of the coral such as reproduction and growth.

Smithsonian scientist Hector M. Guzman says the hurricane season may be part of the current problem by causing low water circulation in the southwestern Caribbean and thus creating a "warm pocket" of water along the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica.

Smithsonian reports regional sea temperature rise and coral bleaching event in Western Caribbean
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute EurekAlert 12 Oct 10;

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Bocas del Toro Research Station and Galeta Point Marine Laboratory are reporting an anomalous sea temperature rise and a major coral bleaching event in the western Caribbean. Although the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, issued an advisory in July announcing above-average sea surface temperatures in the wider Caribbean region, there had been no clear indication of increased sea temperatures in Panama and the western Caribbean until late August-early September.

Scientists and local dive operators first noticed coral bleaching in the waters surrounding Isla Colon in Panama's Bocas del Toro province in July. Smithsonian staff scientist Nancy Knowlton and colleagues documented an extensive bleaching event in late September. Station personnel recorded an extreme sea water temperature of 32 degrees C. Normal temperatures at this time of year are closer to 28 degrees C. This warming event currently affects the entire Caribbean coast of Panama from Kuna-Yala to Bocas del Toro and has also been reported at sites in Costa Rica.

An extensive coral reef monitoring network in Panama, established over a decade ago by staff scientist Héctor M. Guzmán of STRI and partially funded by the Nature Conservancy, consists of 33 sites along both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the Isthmus, with 11 sites in the Bocas del Toro area. As of Oct. 3, 95 percent of the seafloor at the Bocas del Toro sites had been checked for bleaching. Coral mortality was limited to shallow areas near Isla Colon and a semi-lagoon area in Bocas del Toro, which is considered to be particularly vulnerable to bleaching as water circulation there is slow and temperatures tend to rise quickly. Researchers expect to have a complete report of the state of the coral reefs in several weeks.

Coral polyps, the tiny organisms that make up a coral reef, contain photosynthetic algae called zoxanthellae. Coral bleaching occurs when corals lose their color as a result of the loss of their algal component, which is caused by increased water temperature or other stress factors. Bleaching impairs vital functions of the coral such as reproduction and growth.

With prolonged warming, corals begin to die releasing great quantities of mucous resulting in increasingly turbid waters. Oxygen levels may fall as bacteria and fungi proliferate. Anoxic conditions affect fish and coastal productivity. STRI has monitored the water column to a depth of 20 meters at 23 sites. "Dissolved oxygen dropped to less than 3 milligrams per liter at 10 meters and nearly zero milligrams per liter at the bottom," said STRI technician Plinio Gondola, who recorded the measurements. It is still not clear if temperature rise is directly related to bleaching and anoxia at this site.

The images show ocean temperatures in September 2009 and in 2010. Increasing intensity of orange towards red indicates warming on a regional scale. The final outcome of this event is uncertain. A similar event in 2005 in the wider Caribbean included intense bleaching in Panama. However, mortality was less that 12 percent in this zone and reefs have been relatively resilient. In Guzman's opinion, hurricane season may be enhancing the current problem, resulting in low water circulation in the Southwestern Caribbean and thus creating a "warm pocket" of water along the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica.

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The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. www.stri.org

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Mumbai hopes tubes can protect coastline from encroaching seas

Darryl D'Monte Reuters AlertNet 11 Oct 10;

MUMBAI (AlertNet) - Around a third of the coastline north and south of Mumbai, India's financial capital and most populous city, is vulnerable to severe flooding from extreme weather and rising sea levels, according to a study that has yet to be published.

The number of people living in the Mumbai urban agglomeration will touch 28.5 million by 2020, making it the biggest city in the world, according to the Washington-based Population Institute.

As much as 14 percent of the 720 km (450 miles) coastline - with Mumbai roughly in the centre - is "highly" vulnerable, and 16 percent "moderately" vulnerable, according to the Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Services.

"The Indian ocean rim is predisposed to natural disasters," says the centre's T. Srinivasa Kumar. "A rise in the sea level due to a storm surge could lead to coastal flooding in a low-lying area or in an open creek or river mouth."

In July 2005, Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra state, was hit by an unprecedented cloudburst - 944 mm in 10 hours - which shut down much of the city and took around 400 lives, besides causing millions of dollars of damage to property.

Just over half the population of Greater Mumbai, some 8 million people, live in slums, the highest proportion for any metropolis in the world. They have tended to squat along the coast and estuaries, leaving them exposed to hazards from flooding and sea level rise.

Mumbai residents know only too well that if torrential rain is accompanied by a high tide, the floodwater cannot escape and backs up into the city.

'NO MORE LAND TO MOVE TO'

Shirish Karlekar, a geographer from SP College in Pune, some 150 km (90 miles) inland from Mumbai, has been monitoring changes along the coast from just north of Mumbai to the southernmost tip of the state's coast for 20 years. In that period, the average sea level has risen by 5 to 6 cm.

On December 29 last year, the high tide rose by 4 cm near Ratnagiri town, which lies around 200 km (125 miles) south of Mumbai and is the home town of many Mumbai immigrants. Karlekar says the increase on the same day in 2008 was just 2 cm.

"In recent years, the sea level has risen at a much faster pace than in the early years of our study," he explains.

The ever-higher tides have led to salt water penetrating as much as a kilometre inland, damaging mangroves, eroding beaches and filling creeks with sand.

Sadanand Tandel recalls how the waves first entered his village of Deobagh (meaning God's garden) in coastal Sindhudurg district during the 1978 monsoon.

Since then, his village has lost 32 hectares (79 acres) of land, mainly valuable coconut groves.

"In the 1980s, the sea was more than 300 metres from my house and more than 1,000 casuarina (pine) trees were planted to protect the coast between my grove and the sea," Tandel said. Nonetheless, the sea threatens just 40 m from his doorstep today.

Tondawli village, 20 km (12 miles) to the north, has lost 40 hectares (100 acres), including some 500 coconut trees and space for drying fish.

Lakshmi Kochrekar, who tends a coconut plantation and isn't sure of her age, has had to rebuild her house twice due to the rising tides.

"I have no more land to move to now," she complains.

Village elders in this region say the sea's very behaviour is changing. Patterns of erosion and deposition are different.

While tides are eroding the coast more rapidly, debris is being deposited on an unprecedented scale in other areas.

"We have a saying that that the sea brings back whatever it takes," says Shridhar Wadekar, an elderly villager. "But for the past two years, I have been waiting for it to bring back my rice farm."

VULNERABLE REAL ESTATE

While poor communities along the coast are the first to have been hit, the super-rich of Mumbai are likely to be affected too. Consultants Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj recently noted that Mumbai accounts for 40 percent of the $100 billion in Indian construction projects underway.

Property in Mumbai is astronomically expensive because the 100 sq km (39 square mile) island city is located at the southern tip of a peninsula and cannot expand. Coastal multi-storey apartments are in the greatest demand, with high-end apartments now selling for as much as $7 million.

Mumbai also has the highest proportion of land reclaimed from the sea of any old city core in the world. The reclamation was led by rampant speculation during the British Raj in the 18th Century and was only halted by environmentalists in the 1970s. The filling has already caused severe erosion of properties in the northern suburbs as the displaced ocean bites elsewhere along the coast.

After the 2004 Asian tsunami, which impacted only India's deep south, Mumbai authorities erected three-metre-high walls along shallow-water fishing village coasts to the north of the city, even though the villages had been unaffected.

Environmentalists criticised the Canute-like gesture as both ineffectual and a thinly-disguised attempt by officials to line their pockets from sea wall contracts.

TUBE TECHNOLOGY

The latest protection project being undertaken by the Maharashtra government uses "geo-textile tubes", which it says are an eco-friendly method of arresting erosion by keeping sand in place. The tubes are already being used in Kerala and Goa.

The tubes - hollow plastic pipes - will be submerged and placed over sand-filled coconut fibre bags to form a semi-circle, creating an artificial bay. It is hoped marine creatures will be able to get a toehold on the resulting reef-like structure.

The state has identified 72 km (45 miles) south of Mumbai - one tenth of the total length of the coast - as subject to high erosion, and it plans to protect the plantations and fish drying grounds of coastal villagers in this area.

The Asian Development Bank is providing loans to cover $104 million of the total project cost of $179 million. The state government will lend $58 million, and the remaining $17 million will come from private investors, who are looking to sell the tubes, particularly if the technique is replicated elsewhere in the state and in the rest of India.

Yet experts warn the technology must be deployed with care. P.K. Das, an architect and activist who has helped "nourish" a strip of eroded beach in midtown Mumbai with Dutch technology that uses partial barriers to stop sand erosion, says that if the geo-textile tubes are too large, they can interfere with the natural movement of sand and tides.

The state should first conduct modeling experiments to establish sand movement patterns, Das says. Otherwise the tubes could act like dams, arresting natural processes.

"Sand is never static," he explains.

Darryl D'Monte, former editor of The Times of India in Mumbai, heads the Forum of Environmental Journalists of India and is the founding President of the International Federation of Environmental Journalists. He is based in Mumbai.

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Farmers urge action against global 'land grab'

Ella Ide Yahoo News 12 Oct 10;

ROME (AFP) – Farmers from the developing world called on governments this week to curb a global land rush in which millions of hectares of their terrain are being taken over by foreign private investors.

"Generations in Africa have lived off family farming," Hortense Kinkodila, a farmers' representative from Congo Brazzaville, said on the sidelines of talks on the issue at the UN food agency FAO in Rome this week.

"We're really angry that people come and grab our land and take away traditions that have sustained us for years," she said.

Renaldo Chingore from Mozambique said: "What's been happening in Mozambique is a disaster for rural communities.

"International companies are kicking farmers off the land, and moving them to areas that are not fertile," he said.

"Land-grabbing has led to riots, as local peasants are no longer able to produce food for themselves and the community," he added.

Driven by recent food, energy and climate crises, investors from richer nations have been buying up vast tracts of land in poorer countries to meet demand for bio-fuels, crops and mining resources.

A World Bank report last month said there had been a dramatic increase of investor interest since 2008, with reported large-scale farmland deals amounting to 45 million hectares (111 million acres) in 2009 alone.

Land buyers come from countries like Britain, China, the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and South Korea and half of the deals are done in Africa, with Ghana, Madagascar and Sudan among the most targeted states, officials said.

Activists at the UN World Food Security meeting said a "land-grab" was underway in the developing world that was driving up prices, forcing the eviction of local farmers and fuelling corruption.

But while the World Bank admitted there were significant risks for vulnerable populations in large-scale land purchases, the bank's private sector arm said it would continue to invest.

Analysts at the bank stressed agribusiness deals could help countries with underused land get access to technology, raise employment levels and create conditions for sustained development.

The report pointed to successful projects in Peru, where auctions of 235,000 hectares have brought in almost 36 million euros (50 million dollars) of investment over the last 15 years.

But experts on land deals slammed large-scale acquisitions as exploitative.

"Those in favour of land grabbing in poor countries often claim that it makes good resource of areas that otherwise lie empty and unused," said Ian Scoones, from the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Sussex.

"But this simply isn't true," he added.

"Nomads, shifting farmers, and small-holders have their livelihoods disrupted and it's going to be a long-haul process to try and find a way to secure the rights of local farmers and seek legal redress to common property," Scoones said.

Critics say investors have made deals in secret, evicted people from their land without proper compensation and failed to get projects off the ground or create the number of jobs promised.

"Often it is the speculatory deals which end up displacing peasants and disrupting the lives of locals, especially if the project then doesn't go ahead and no actual benefits are seen," said Scoones.

According to a Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) report, many such projects only create "a tiny fraction of the employment opportunities that farmland may offer under labour-intensive family farming."

To minimise the risks to smallholders, the FAO has proposed voluntary guidelines on responsible governance of land which it hopes will help in the fight against corruption and exploitation.

But critics are not convinced everyone will abide by the rules.

"Voluntary codes of conduct are all very well when you're working with the good guys, but not everyone is driven by a commitment to civic morality," said Scoones.

"So as well as the carrot, we need to use the stick", he said.

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UN panel says $100 bln climate aid goal feasible

* Climate aid goal "challenging but feasible", Norway PM
* Penalties on carbon emissions to be a major source
* Report to be submitted to U.N., public in early November
Reuters AlertNet 12 Oct 10;

OSLO, Oct 12 (Reuters) - A U.N. advisory group agreed on Tuesday it would be tough but feasible for rich nations to raise a planned $100 billion a year from 2020 to help poor countries combat climate change, Norway's Prime Minister told Reuters.

Jens Stoltenberg, who co-chaired a final meeting of top experts in Addis Ababa on Tuesday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, said higher penalties on carbon emissions had to be a main source to raise the cash.

"We have concluded that it is challenging but feasible, achievable to raise the $100 billion," Stoltenberg said in a telephone interview to the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit.

Rich nations agreed at the Copenhagen summit in December 2009 to aim to raise $100 billion a year from 2020 to help poor nations curb their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to likely impacts such as floods, droughts, mudslides or rising seas.

But they did not agree how and no nations have made firm long-term offers of cash.

The U.N. advisory group, appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in March to come up with ideas, will publish a final report in early November. Stoltenberg said the group would make recommendations but this would not be a full-blown plan.

"This will not be a blueprint with an exact formula of how exactly to raise $100 billion," Stoltenberg said.

"We will provide some analytical work, some guidelines and narrow down the different options which we believe are the most realistic and most viable," he said.

"Carbon pricing has to be one of the major sources of finance," he said, adding there were many different options, such as taxes on emissions or via carbon markets.

He declined to give exact details of sources of funds. Suggestions have also included more expensive plane tickets or taxes on bunker oil.

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Best of our wild blogs: 12 Oct 10

Crimson Sunbird confronting its own image
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Hit me baby one more time...
from The annotated budak

Changi still alive!
from wild shores of singapore

Shop Wise, Save Lives
from My Itchy Fingers

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Fish culture leading Singapore food resilience efforts

Esther Ng Today Online 12 Oct 10;

SINGAPORE - The future of food resilience in Singapore is being increasingly underpinned by the advances made in fish culture.

Four out of 11 projects approved by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) went to commercial fish farm Barramundi Asia, which currently operates aquaculture sites off Pulau Semakau and, in future, off Pulau Senang.

Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan said yesterday that targets for fish supply look promising. Singapore, he said, has a good aquaculture industry, good base stock for fish farms and clean waters.

Barramundi Asia is one of the 11 successful applicants that accepted AVA's Food Fund, a $5 million initiative launched in December last year to provide funding for projects with potential to contribute to Singapore's food supply and to support efforts to secure food from different sources.

Most of the projects involve upgrading the capabilities of local farms.

Barramundi's first project under the funding, which begins this month, will place large round cages in open waters off Pulau Semakau and have the space to produce 200 metric tonnes of fish compared with the 80 metric tonnes from its current square cages, its spokesperson told MediaCorp.

Its other projects include a site evaluation for deep water fish farming in high currents off Pulau Senang, an automatic feeding system at its open water fish farm off Pulau Semakau and an automating fish sorting, grading and vaccination process. The latter will reduce the use of unskilled labour and improve productivity.

With the funding, Barramundi hopes to produce 3,000 metric tonnes of fish each year by 2012 - up from 500 metric tonnes currently.

The Inter-Agency Committee on Food Supply Resilience had recommended that Singapore strengthen its resilience in six key food items: Rice, chicken, pork, fish, eggs and leafy vegetables.

In the next five to seven years, Singapore aims to increase egg production to meet 30 per cent of local consumption, up from the current 23 per cent, fish to meet 15 per cent of local demand, up from 4 per cent, and leafy vegetables to meet 15 per cent of local demand, up from 7 per cent.

Other successful Food Fund projects include Seng Choon Farm and United Engineers' initiative to reduce odorous air emissions from its poultry farm and Aquaproduce's feasibility study into finding a seafood source in Vietnam through long-term procurement contracts.

Mr Mah, who toured Seng Choon's new premises in Lim Chu Kang yesterday, told reporters that egg producers were on track to meet the national target.

The AVA received 48 applications by the closing date in March, of which 24 were successful but two applicants turned down its offer of funding.

Eleven applicants have yet to accept the offer.

Farmers get money to hatch growth plans
11 farms tap Food Fund for their projects; AVA doubles funding to $10m
Jessica Lim Straits Times 12 Oct 10;

VEGETABLE farm Koh Fah Technology Farm in Sungei Tengah hires 25 workers to pack vegetables by hand into bags. Next month, a new automated system will free many of them to work in the fields.

The machine, costing a six-figure sum, is expected to increase productivity by 16 per cent from the current 115 tonnes of vegetables each month, said Mr Dave Huang, who manages the family-owned business.

This and 10 other projects from local farms are some productivity-boosting ideas that are getting funding from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority's (AVA) Food Fund.

The fund, which the AVA doubled to $10 million yesterday, is used to support farmers and companies here, particularly those that produce essential food items such as fish, eggs and leafy vegetables.

The idea is to either encourage them to develop their capabilities to increase production here or help them import more from other countries.

Farms and firms can also use the money to pay for studies to see if they should invest in overseas food zones and contract farming, or source food from places that are not major exporters to Singapore.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, who visited egg producer Seng Choon Farm in Lim Chu Kang yesterday, said the fund was set up in anticipation of 'volatility in the food supply situation'. The amount in the fund was doubled, he said, due to good response.

'Hopefully we can encourage more local investors and farmers to come in and help us diversify (our food sources),' he said, adding that he hoped to see more fish farmers apply. 'If they are successful and need more money, I think we can try to provide that as well.'

AVA's chief executive officer Tan Poh Hong said the fund is likely to be topped up in the coming years. She also said the authority expects to make another call for applicants next year. The fund was launched last December and attracted 48 applicants: 11 accepted funding amounting to about $5 million. Another 11 are pending acceptance by the firms. Twenty-one were rejected, two declined funding and three withdrew their applications.

Ms Tan said applications were rejected because the firms did not meet financial guidelines or did not target the increased production of essential food items.

Those which declined found that funding arrangements did not suit them.

The Food Fund is part of a larger push to ensure that Singapore's food supply remains stable. In 2008, a committee was formed to study trends in global food supply and devise long-term strategies to keep food flowing in. The inter-agency committee - comprising members from the National Development, and Trade and Industry ministries - recommended the establishment of the fund.

Eventually, Singapore hopes to meet its goal of raising local production of fish from 4 per cent of domestic demand to 15 per cent; eggs from 23 per cent to 30 per cent; and leafy vegetables from 7 per cent to 10 per cent. The Republic imports 90 per cent of the food consumed here.

Mr Malcolm Ong, 46, the owner of Metropolitan Fishery Group off Lim Chu Kang, will be using money from the fund to install oxygen pumps and a monitoring system for oxygen levels.

The owner of the 2ha farm currently employs farm-hands, who ensure oxygen-rich water by churning up water in his farm with his speedboat's propeller.

'We cannot use such simple methods if we want to expand,' he said, adding that output can now be increased from 350 to 1,000 tonnes over the next two years. 'Without the fund, we risk losing millions if something goes wrong, and first we'll have to raise enough money.'

Such oxygen systems, he said, cost a few hundred thousand dollars. He declined to say how much he received, as he had signed a confidentiality agreement.

At egg farm Chew's Agriculture, an automated feeding system and feed-mixing system will help to raise daily production from 250,000 eggs to 400,000 eggs over the next two years. At Seng Choon Farm, suction devices to reduce odour will be installed on the farms.

Up to 70 per cent of each project is funded and the amount awarded depends on factors such as the firm's financial position, its proposal and track record.

The AVA is also working with the Jilin City municipal government on a $32 million deal to establish and maintain a disease-free zone - crucial for agricultural production and food processing - in the Jilin Food Zone in China. The plan is for pigs to be bred and farmed there, with the pork processed and then exported to Singapore.

AVA doubles funding support to farms to S$10m
Hoe Yeen Nie Channel NewsAsia 11 Oct 10;

SINGAPORE: The government has doubled its support for farms to S$10 million, under the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority's (AVA) Food Fund.

The aim is to ensure import-dependent Singapore doesn't lose out when global markets turn volatile.

Singapore currently imports about 90 percent of its food.

So far, 11 projects have received funding.

Egg production has gone high-tech at Seng Choon Farm - from the mixing and distribution of chicken feed to the collection and packing of eggs.

Farming is a labour-intensive venture, and in Singapore, that means it's expensive too.

Automation lowers costs, while at the same time, ensures that the product remains free from human contamination.

Soon, the farm will install a system to treat its waste and turn it into high-grade fertiliser for export.

"It will help us to bring in additional revenue. This revenue will help us lower our overall production costs, and improve on our sustainable farming practices," said Koh Yeow Koon, MD of Seng Choon Farm.

The project is one of 11 that have received funding from AVA. Another 11 are pending acceptance.

Two other projects, to do with vertical vegetable farming, were approved by AVA but the applicants declined to take up funding.

In total, 48 applications were submitted before the closing date in March this year.

It said due to strong response, total funding has been doubled from the initial S$5 million.

The Food Fund is part of Singapore's effort to reduce reliance on imports.

"If we can get prepared and it will take us some time to ramp up, but I think it will put us in a stronger position to secure safe supply of food in the future," said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan.

About 23 per cent of eggs consumed in Singapore are produced locally, and the AVA's aim is to increase that to 30 per cent.

But eggs aside, the broader aim is also to increase local production of fish to 15 per cent of consumption, and for leafy vegetables to 10 per cent of local consumption.

Fish farms will also get funding to automate the feeding process, and to monitor the water quality.

Applicants may receive up to 70 per cent of funding.

Application for the fund has now closed, and AVA has not indicated when it will open a new round of applications.

A technical working group has been formed to review progress made, and AVA said it expects regular audit reports from the farms.

There are 72 land-based food farms in Singapore, which produce anything from bean sprouts to dairy cattle.

Besides this, there are 109 sea-based farms where food-fish, molluscs and other seafood are reared.

Aside from the Food Fund, the government has also been working on diversifying its food sources.

Recent efforts include developing a food zone in China's Jilin province, and increasing the number of contract farms in Indonesia.

AVA said its priority is to ensure a steady and safe supply in six key items that feature strongly in the average Singaporean's diet. They are eggs, chicken, pork, rice, fish and leafy vegetables. - CNA/wk/ls

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NUS to launch 'green' degree

Environmental Studies course starts next year; talks to set up research institute in Suzhou
Leow Si Wan Straits Times 12 Oct 10;

IN A sign that environmental issues are gaining importance here, a new undergraduate programme in environmental studies will be launched by the National University of Singapore (NUS) in the latter half of next year.

Fifty to 100 students will get to enrol in this four-year direct honours programme - the first new undergraduate course to be introduced by NUS in five years - and graduate with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree.

The programme, which aims to produce what are called 'green-collar workers', will comprise two years of a broad-based curriculum with modules in subjects such as law, chemistry and geography, before offering specialisations in the final two years. The two available options are currently Environmental Biology and Environmental Geography.

Speaking to about 360 NUS staff, students and other invited guests at the school's annual State of the University address held yesterday, NUS president Tan Chorh Chuan said the new programme is an example of how the 105-year-old institution is creating 'highly multi-disciplinary courses' to make its education offerings more flexible.

Besides the new course, Professor Tan also announced that the university is 'in advanced discussions' to set up an NUS research institute in Suzhou Industrial Park.

The institute, which will pursue research in areas such as finance, water and environmental sustainability, will also support NUS and Singapore start-ups in the Chinese market and offer some training opportunities for Chinese students.

Staying relevant and responsive to a competitive landscape was a key theme in Prof Tan's speech.

Drawing from analogies about how Manaus in Brazil - the original centre of the rubber boom - failed to compete against rubber plantations in South-east Asia, Prof Tan added that NUS' strategy has to be 'distinctly anti-potoo'. The potoo is a bird found in north Brazil known to stay absolutely still as a response to the external environment.

'The best way for us to respond to the educational challenges of the future is to drive ourselves forward, to stay well ahead of the curve,' he said.

Over the past 10 years, he added, the university had carried out 'transformative measures' to broaden its education, initiated curricular reforms and forged global education programmes.

Professor Tan Eng Chye, deputy president (academic affairs) and provost of NUS, also provided updates on University Town (UTown) in his address. He said the building of these residential colleges and accompanying facilities, such as an educational resource centre, was on track.

Meanwhile, industry players are looking forward to NUS' new degree programme.

The executive director of the Singapore Environment Council, Mr Howard Shaw, said: 'There is a growing demand for what we call green-collar workers, who are specialists in the environment field and who are responsible for putting policies into practice throughout business operations.

'NUS' new programme will definitely help to meet this demand.'

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New hub for eco-friendly firms

Straits Times 12 Oct 10;

ONE does research in the field of water, environment and health. Another specialises in large-scale thermal solar panels. A third delves into areas such as water treatment.

These cutting-edge clean-technology companies will be neighbours in the new CleanTech One (CTO) building, launched by JTC Corporation and the Economic Development Board yesterday.

The seven-storey, 37,500 sq m building will be the first of 25 expected to be constructed in CleanTech Park in Jurong - the region's first eco-business park.

CTO will cost an estimated $87 million and is expected to be completed next year. Tenants can move in starting from 2012.

Sinomem founder and chairman Lan Weiguang said expanding in Singapore makes sense because of the Republic's ability to bridge the gap between China and the rest of the world. The top membrane separation and purification solutions supplier for China's pharmaceutical and fermentation industries, Sinomem employs more than 1,500 people in China and 12 people here.

Solid Asia chief executive Peter-Jurgen Husnik said the advantages of being based in Singapore are the ability to conduct safe business, government support for research, and a secure intellectual property framework. The firm has more than 20 years of experience in large-scale solar thermal systems, which provide air-conditioning and heating through solar energy.

Mr Tom Foster, managing director of Danish firm DHI, which does research in water, environment and health, said the company's move to CTO was timely because it had been thinking about expanding. It employs more than 1,000 staff worldwide, and plans to expand its Singapore office to 160 people, up from 125.

Mr Foster added that the rent at CTO is 'competitive'. The monthly rent for lab space is $25 per sq m, while office space is $22 per sq m. Four other clean-tech firms have confirmed their tenancies, bringing occupancy to 50 per cent.

Speaking at the launch, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran said CleanTech Park is set to play a major role in the development of the clean-tech industry here. He added that this was in line with the Economic Strategies Committee's recommendations earlier this year, which indicated that the clean-tech industry has significant potential to generate sustainable value for Singapore.

JTC chairman Cedric Foo said CTO will boost Singapore's position as a clean-energy hub. The industry is expected to contribute $3.4 billion to gross domestic product by generating some 18,000 jobs by 2015.

DARYL CHIN

CleanTech One achieves 50% occupancy rate
May Wong Channel NewsAsia 11 Oct 10;

SINGAPORE: The upcoming CleanTech Park in Jurong West is attracting strong interest.

Industrial landlord JTC said the first phase of the eco business park - CleanTech One - has already achieved a 50 per cent occupancy rate.

The building is part of a total of 25 buildings which will make up the entire CleanTech Park.

The new eco business park will occupy a land of about 50 football fields and will only be fully completed by 2030.

One of the key aims of the park is to provide a one-stop place for cleantech companies to interact and collaborate in different research and development projects.

CleanTech One is expected to be completed by December next year, and tenants can move into the two-towered building by early 2012.

The construction cost of CleanTech One is about S$87 million. The 37,500 square metre building will occupy a 1.5-hectare site.

A unique feature of CleanTech One is that it also incorporates renewable energy and green facilities as part of its design and operation.

JTC chairman Cedric Foo said: "By locating here at CleanTech One, companies can demonstrate their commitment towards green technologies. This strong brand association cannot be replicated elsewhere in Singapore."

There are hopes that CleanTech Park will become a model of sustainable features for other industrial parks.

Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran said: "We have made good progress in building up a strong cleantech ecosystem comprising world-class R&D centres, testing and certification services, and multipliers such as various venture capital funds and incubators.

"These institutes and initiatives serve to complement (one another) to create a dynamic environment for advancement in clean technologies".

Some of the key tenants in CleanTech One include the Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, SOLID Asia, one of the world's leading specialists in all applications of solar thermal energy, and Sinomen Technology, a membrane solution provider.

One of the tenants, DHI, a water environment technology company, will move a majority of its current facilities from Pandan Loop to CleanTech One.

DHI Water & Environment's Southeast Asia's regional manager, Tom Foster, said: "So, (the) 3,000 square metres which we've committed, which is about 40 per cent more than what we presently have in our existing office building, gives us the opportunity to expand our research and developments here in Singapore.

"We're probably planning to expand our research by 40 per cent or so in human capital; it's probably an increase of something in the order of S$1.5 million of (our) own funding at the moment to maybe S$2 million of own funding come 2012, when we plan to move in here.

"And the ability to mix and to cooperate with the other companies here, I think, it's a tremendous opportunity to foster the research and development of sustainable technologies in Singapore."

One of the key aims of the park is to provide a one-stop place for cleantech companies to interact and collaborate in different research and development projects.

- CNA/wk/al

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New Mongoose-Like Carnivorous Mammal Discovered in Madagascar

ScienceDaily 11 Oct 10;

A new species of small carnivore, known as Durrell's vontsira (Salanoia durrelli) has been identified by researchers from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Natural History Museum, London, Nature Heritage, Jersey, and Conservation International (CI).

The small, cat-sized, speckled brown carnivore from the marshes of the Lac Alaotra wetlands in central eastern Madagascar weighs just over half a kilogramme and belongs to a family of carnivores only known from Madagascar. It is likely to be one of the most threatened carnivores in the world.

The findings are outlined in the latest issue of the taxonomic journal Systematics and Biodiversity.

The carnivore was first seen swimming in a lake by researchers from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust on a field trip surveying bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis) in 2004. After briefly examining the animal, the team suspected they had witnessed a new species and so took photographs. By examining brown-tailed vontsira (Salanoia concolor) specimens in the Natural History Museum's collections, Museum zoologists confirmed the animal was a new species. The brown-tailed vontsira is the closest relative of the new species, which zoologists named in honour of the conservationist and writer Gerald Durrell, who died 15 years ago.

Fidimalala Bruno Ralainasolo, a conservation biologist working for Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust who originally captured the new carnivore, commented: "We have known for some time that a carnivore lives in the Lac Alaotra marshes, but we've always assumed it was a brown-tailed vontsira that is also found in the eastern rainforests. However, differences in its skull, teeth, and paws have shown that this animal is clearly a different species with adaptations to life in an aquatic environment. It is a very exciting discovery and we decided to honour our founder, the world renowned conservationist Gerald Durrell, by naming this new species after him. However, the future of the species is very uncertain because the Lac Alaotra marshes are extremely threatened by agricultural expansion, burning and invasive plants and fish. It is a highly significant site for wildlife and the resources it provides people, and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is working closely with local communities to ensure its sustainable use and to conserve Durrell's vontsira and other important species."

Paula Jenkins, Natural History Museum zoologist said: "We know very little about the small mongoose-like vontsiras because they are poorly known and rarely seen or studied in the field. This research is a fantastic example of the importance and relevance that Museum collections have for contemporary scientific research. Though people may know that museums such as the Natural History Museum hold reference collections, few people are aware how critical these collections are to our understanding of the world today."

Stephan M Funk of Nature Heritage, formerly at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and co-author of the paper, said: "Population genetics and evolution of the Durrell's vontsira and related species remain badly understood, highlighting the importance of future research. More important, however, is the protection of the wetlands around Lac Alaotra, which remain highly threatened."

The habitat of Durrell's vontsira has been suffering from a number of threats over the past decades, from introduced fish to silting and pollution from fertiliser and pesticides. While the conservation status of the new species remains to be formally evaluated, it is likely to be threatened as a result of small population size, restricted distribution and the impact of habitat degradation.

Remarkably, Lac Alaotra hit the headlines only a few months ago when the extinction of the Alaotra grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus) was announced. Now a new species has been described from the very area where the last Alaotra grebe was seen.

Frank Hawkins of Conservation International, co-author of the paper describing the species, said: "This species is probably the carnivore with one of the smallest ranges in the world, and likely to be one of the most threatened. The Lac Alaotra wetlands are under considerable pressure, and only urgent conservation work to make this species a flagship for conservation will prevent its extinction."

New carnivorous mammal species found in Madagascar
Victoria Gill, BBC News 11 Oct 10;

A new species of carnivorous mammal has been discovered in Madagascar.

The mongoose-like creature has been called Durrell's vontsira (Salanoia durrelli) in honour of conservationist Gerald Durrell.

Scientists found the creature in the wetlands of Lake Alaotra, the largest lake in Madagascar.

Its marsh habitat is under pressure from invasive species and pollution, and the team thinks it could be one of the world's most threatened mammals.

They describe the cat-sized animal for the first time in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity.

A team from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust first saw the mammal swimming in the lake during a field trip in 2004. Suspecting it might be a new species, they photographed it so their zoologist colleagues could examine it more closely.

A team then returned to the site in 2005, caught one of the animals and took detailed measurements and blood and tissue samples.

During the same expedition, the scientists sent one dead specimen to the Natural History Museum in London.

There, zoologists were able to compare the creature with its closest relative, the forest-dwelling brown-tailed vontsira, and finally confirm its identity.

Durrell's vontsira and the brown-tailed vontsira are similar but have very different colouring, explained the Natural History Museum's Dr Paula Jenkins, a member of the research team.

"In addition, we found obvious differences in the structure of the skull and teeth... the size and shape of the pads on the paws clearly distinguished this animal from the brown-tailed vontsira, which is a forest-dwelling animal found in eastern Madagascar.

"It was indeed a distinct new species and the specimen we have in the museum is now recognised as the holotype (the specimen from which the species takes its name) so it is available to scientists for research in the future."

'Incredibly rare'

The discovery of mammal species is uncommon and finding a new carnivore species is "particularly unusual", Dr Jenkins added.

"Durrell's vontsira is incredibly rare," she said.

"We know of only two animals in the wild. It has only been found in the wetlands of [Lake] Alaotra in Madagascar, so it lives in a very small area and is consequently vulnerable to the pressures on this threatened habitat."

The researchers still know very little about the animal's behaviour and biology.

They think it may be a mongoose-like creature specifically adapted for an aquatic or semi-aquatic environment.

Professor John Fa, chief conservation officer at Durrell, told BBC News: "If that is the case, it's very interesting indeed; mongooses normally live in arid or forested areas.

"We think it feeds on fish and small mammals in the lake and if it's a mongoose that catches fish - that's very unusual."

The scientists hope to return to the lake to carry out a more detailed, systematic trapping study, and possibly to tag and follow the small mammals to see if their habitat is confined to the lake.

"This just shows how much biodiversity Madagascar is still throwing at us," Professor Fa added.

Since 2006, new mammal species found in this biodiversity hotspot have included three new species of mouse lemur (Microcebus jollyae, M. mittermeieri and M. simmoni) and a bat (Scotophilus marovaza).

But the last carnivore discovered on the island was Grandider's vontsira (Galidictis grandidieri), described in 1986.

It is classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List.

The team also included researchers from Nature Heritage in Jersey and Conservation International (CI).

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Japan warns on pace of biodiversity loss

Yahoo News 11 Oct 10;

TOKYO (AFP) – Japan warned Monday that the diversity of life on Earth was being lost at the fastest rate ever seen, at the opening of a UN conference on the safe use of modern biotechnology.

The five-day meeting in the central Japanese city of Nagoya comes ahead of a major international conference on biodiversity next week and was to consider how genetically modified organisms are threatening plant and animal species.

The talks, which include more than 190 countries and NGOs, are expected to agree that a country can seek compensation for damage to biodiversity caused by imports of genetically-modified organisms from other countries or companies.

"The loss of biodiversity is developing in the fastest pace ever," Japanese Farm Minister Michihiko Kano said at the opening of the talks.

"It is our responsibility to carry over a rich biodiversity to the next generation," he said.

The meeting comes ahead of a conference of the 193-nation Convention on Biological Diversity from October 18 in Nagoya due to discuss how to pay for the "equitable sharing" of the benefits from natural resources.

The biodiversity talks will also discuss a fresh target of preserving animal and plant species that are disappearing mostly as a result of human activity.

Species under threat include 21 percent of all known mammals, 30 percent of known amphibians and 12 percent of known birds, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Scientists warn that wildlife habitat destruction is destroying ecosystems that give humans "environmental services" such as clean water and air and are vital for climate control and food production.

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Indonesian Ministers Blame Heavy Rain and Quake, Not Loggers, for Flash Flood in Wasior

Dessy Sagita,Banjir Ambarita & Susilo Wardhani Jakarta Globe 11 Oct 10;

Jakarta. A top government minister on Monday said last week’s flash flood that hit Wasior in West Papua and killed more than 140 people, was not caused by massive illegal logging in the area, but was the result of intense rainfall.

Agung Laksono, the coordinating minister for people’s welfare, told a press conference in Jakarta that there was no large-scale logging in the area.

He said though it was highly likely that some individuals cut down trees in the area without permits, there was no evidence of illegal logging being conducted by a corporation.

“The flood happened because rain of very high intensity poured relentlessly for a few days. The National Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency [BMKG] has said that extreme weather is to be expected.”

Several environmental organizations have said unchecked illegal logging on the mountains near Wasior was to blame for the flash flood.

Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta, speaking at the same event, said only around 1 percent of land had been converted in Wasior since 2000, which meant that no major impact had been made on the land as a result of illegal logging.

“I know we can see many logs in Wasior, but they’re probably only for household use,” he said. Gusti said the Wasior area had become unstable after an earthquake on Oct. 4, and this made it unable to withstand the effects of the torrential rain.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said separately on Monday he would visit Wasior directly to confirm whether or not the flood was triggered by illegal logging. He is scheduled to leave for Wasior on Wednesday and stay there until Friday.

“As far as I’m concerned, the last illegal logging case handled by the police happened not too far from the flood location, but we will see directly at the site,” he said.

Agung said the government was looking for a safe area to relocate the thousands of people who have been left homeless or had houses severely damaged by the flood.

“Currently, the regional government of West Papua and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) are looking for a safe location for a proper new resettlement area,” he said.

Agung said Wasior was not suitable for habitation because of its geographic location, being too near to a forest reservation.

He said West Papua authorities were thinking of building a resettlement south of Wasior, in Raseei, a 30-minute drive from the disaster site.

La Abidin, an Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) official, said on Sunday survivors were forced to seek refuge in damaged homes and buildings because the government had focused more on recovering bodies.

He said the survivors were vulnerable if more floods hit the area.

Agung said the government would immediately start the reconstruction and the rehabilitation program once the emergency response period had ended on October 18th.

He said the government would soon decree that the post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction program was the responsibility of all ministries and so they must each set aside part of their budgets for the programs.

As of Monday, 145 people had been found dead while 103 remained missing following the Oct. 4 flash flood.

Minister: Almost impossible illegal logging behind Wasior flood
Antara 12 Oct 10;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said it was almost impossible that illegal logging had been the factor behind the recent flood in Wasior, Teluk Wondama, West Papua.

"According to me the initial cause of the flash flood was high intensity of rains," he said here on Monday.

He said based on satelite images of 2000 and 2009 it was seen that forest coverage in the area had dropped just one percent.

"Besides that one must know that forests in Wasior are natural reserves so that they are protected tightly and monitored closely so that it is almost impossible that a forest concession holder is operating there," he said.

He admitted that it was not impossible that tree felling had occurred but it must have been not on a big scale but just by individuals and not by big companies.

He said the region had been hit by an earthquake before the flood occured so the earth there had become unstable.

Because of the earthquake the earth structure there had changed and some of it had covered the river making the water in the river to overflow.

"So this has happened because of a natural phenomenon. If land clearing has really occurred it must not have been too significant," he said.

According to the latest data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency up to 145 people had been found dead after the flood. (*)

Indonesia Probes Illegal Logging Role In Papua Floods
Olivia Rondonuwu PlanetArk 12 Oct 10;

Indonesian officials and forestry experts are to investigate claims that illegal logging contributed to floods that have killed at least 145 people, the Forestry Ministry said on Monday.

This comes ahead of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's visit to the flood-wreaked district in Papau province this week. Recent floods have left more than 700 injured and 123 missing and flattened houses and civil infrastructure in Wasior district, in the western half of Indonesia's easternmost Papua province. Over 4,300 people have been left homeless.

"We want to know the causes of the disaster and we want to know whether illegal logging was the cause or not," said Masyhud, a Forestry Ministry spokesman, who, like many Indonesians, has only one name.

Indonesia has struggled to curb widespread illegal logging of its forests, which exacerbates damage caused by flooding.

Conservationist group Greenomics said in a statement that a logging 'mafia' was partly to blame for the floods.

Forests are cleared in resource-rich Papua to make way for mines, plantations or local infrastructure but its remoteness, vastness and system of semi-autonomous government have made monitoring difficult.

Krystof Obidzinski, a scientist at the West Java-based Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), said that between 2000 and 2008, 2300 hectares (5,683 acres) of forested land were logged in the flood-affected district and 26,800 hectares of primary forest were thinned or disturbed to make way for housing, small-scale agriculture and infrastructure.

"Most of the deforestation has occurred outside of the logging concessions," he said.

(Sunanda Creagh)

‘No More Logging Around Wasior’
Fidelis E Satriastanti, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Banjir Ambarita
Jakarta Globe 12 Oct 10;

Jakarta. After denying that the deadly flash floods in Wasior, West Papua, were caused by illegal logging, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan on Tuesday said he planned to reclassify existing forest concessions near the district into conservation areas.

Forest concessions are essentially production forests, where concession holders are allowed to carry out commercial logging.

Conservation concessions, on the other hand, will allow private holders to earn money through the carbon trading mechanism in exchange for preserving the trees.

Based on ministry data, there are 22 active forest concessions in West Papua, none of them located in Wasior.

“We are planning to change these production forests into conservation areas so that these [concession] holders will shift to carbon trading,” Zulkifli said.

At least 145 people were killed, hundreds were injured and thousands of homes were damaged when torrential rains triggered landslides in Wasior and caused a river to burst its banks on Oct. 4.

More than 100 people are still missing.

Activists have blamed illegal logging for the disaster, a charge that has been denied by the government.

Zulkifli said it was impossible that the floods were caused by illegal logging because the district was classified as a reserve.

“Wasior is already a nature reserve area which is the highest status for conservation,” he said.

“Besides, the area itself is very dangerous because [the landscape] is too steep,” he said.

He added that his previous statement that illegal logging caused the flash floods was misquoted by the media.

“I did say that there is still illegal logging but that’s in West Papua, not in Wasior, because there are no forest concessionaires and no illegal logging there,” he said.

“The flash floods were caused by the land textures that were too steep and intense rains.”

However, legislators from Papua accused the government of lying when they denied illegal logging contributed to the disaster.

Paskalis Kossay, a Golkar lawmaker, said the government should not forget the protests in 2001 and 2002, when angry villagers assaulted the Papua offices of three logging companies, resulting in the death of five police officials, three employees and an unknown number of villagers.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said he would visit Wasior today to see for himself whether illegal logging caused the flash floods.

The local lawmakers, frustrated by what they deemed to be the government’s slow relief efforts, also demanded that the site be declared a disaster area.

Ishak Mandacan, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said the latest reports revealed that more than 2,000 victims were staying at a local port without enough food or a decent place to rest.

Siti Romlah, a worker at the Manokwari health center, said evacuees in Manokwari have begun contracting diarrhea, respiratory illness and malaria.

“From the 1,078 people currently housed at the military base in Manokwari, 535 are now ill, as much as 172 contracted respiratory illnesses while others are suffering from malaria and skin diseases,” Siti said on Tuesday.

The lack of health facilities and poor sanitation at the location was exacerbating the situation, she said.

Ishak said he had requested his party leaders devote more attention to helping the victims but had not received a response.

“On the contrary, I was asked to give Rp 15 million [$1,700] as contribution for the Democrat anniversary celebration.”

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