Malaysian Wildlife Dept looks for rescued tiger cub's mother

The New Straits Times 26 Oct 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: Mup, the 3-month-old tiger cub that was rescued from the illegal wildlife trade last week, may have been caught from the wild in Malaysia.

However, authorities have been unable to pinpoint its exact location.

The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) is trying to locate where the cub was caught in order to find its mother and possibly other cubs, too.

Tigresses usually give birth to a litter of two to three cubs. For the first six to eight weeks, the cubs survive solely on their mother's milk.

By 16 months, tiger cubs would have become fully developed canines, but they only begin to kill on their own around 18 months.

It is understood that Mup would have been forcefully taken from its mother as juveniles only leave their parents when they are between 11/2 years and 3 years old.

Mup was rescued on Oct 15 when Perhilitan officials raided a couple's premises in Simpang Chini-Tun Razak Highway in Pekan following a public tip-off. The couple had wanted to sell the cub for RM30,000.

The cub was sent to Malacca Zoo and is now adapting well.

A Perhilitan source said it is believed that the couple, who were arrested but released on RM5,000 police bail on the day of the raid, have been involved in illegal wildlife trade for some time.

They are expected to be charged early next month, and face a maximum fine of RM6,000 or up to six years in jail if convicted under the Protection of Wild Life Act 1972.

In a joint statement yesterday, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia and the Worldwide Fund for Nature Malaysia highlighted the importance of the public's involvement in the fight against wildlife crime.

"All too often, trafficked tigers are seized only after they have been killed and butchered into nothing more than chunks of meat, bone and fur.

"Timely information from members of the public will make a world of difference and help enforcement agencies ensure that these endangered animals stay alive, as it did in this instance. Without public information, who knows what might have become of this cub?"

The conservationists hoped that enforcement of the new Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 at the end of the year would be a greater deterrent on the ground.

"Without such deterrent sentencing, poaching will continue and Malaysia will lose its remaining tigers to brazen thievery. Certainly this is not a fate this country wishes for its most potent national symbol."

Couple caught trying to sell tiger cub
Jason Gerald John, Evangeline Majawat and Noor Hazwan Hariz Mohd
The New Straits Times 25 Oct 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: A couple in Pekan were arrested recently for trying to sell a tiger cub for RM30,000.

Pahang Wildlife and National Parks Department officers raided their premises in Simpang Chini-Tun Razak Highway on Oct 15 following a tip-off.

They found a 3-month-old male tiger cub in the couple's possession. The couple own a restaurant.

Tigers -- along with elephants, rhinoceros, orang utans and sun bears -- are protected species in Malaysia.

It is illegal to trade, breed, kill or keep these animals or any of their parts. Only those holding a special permit issued by the department under strict conditions can keep these animals.

The department released the couple on the same day they were arrested on a RM5,000 police bail. The authorities may charge them early next month.

The department confiscated the cub, nicknamed Mup, and sent it to Malacca Zoo.

Malacca Zoo director Ahmad Azhar Mohammed said it received the cub from Perhilitan on Oct 15 at 11.30pm.

"Mup was weak when it arrived at our zoo from Pahang . It weighed just above 2kg.

"We put it under intensive care and 24-hour observation.

"We gave it special milk and supplementary food every two to three hours."

The cub, which now weighs 3.5kg, is under observation at the zoo's veterinary clinic.

It drinks about 226g of milk every meal, eight times a day.

Ahmad Azhar said two veterinary staff take care of the cub, which can move about in a small confined jungle area near the clinic.

"It has shown tremendous improvement since Oct 15 and can walk by itself in the space provided.

"We release Mup into the small space every day to roam as it needs sunlight. We also want it to learn about its natural habitat from young."

He said the zoo would continue to give the cub milk and special food until it was strong enough to eat solid food.

"The zoo will take care of it until it can survive on its own. The authorities will then decide whether to keep it here or elsewhere."

The New Straits Times visited the clinic yesterday and saw the cub playing with its caretakers. It then roared as a signal that it wanted milk.

Mup drank the whole bottle of milk in just a few minutes before laying down lazily. It was taken into its cage at the clinic where it fell asleep minutes later.

There are fewer than 5,000 wild tigers in the world and only about 500 are left in Malaysia, a sharp decline from an estimated 3,000 in the 1950s.

The department is investigating where the cub was taken from and where it was headed for.

A few months ago, Customs officers at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport discovered a heavily-sedated cub in a check-in bag of a Thai woman. An X-ray revealed the animal's beating heart and other organs inside the woman's oversized luggage. She was on her way to Iran.

Read more!

India Gives Elephants 'National Heritage Animal' Status

Environment News Wire 22 Oct 10;

NEW DELHI, India, October 22, 2010 (ENS) - India's Environment Ministry has declared the elephant a National Heritage Animal in order to increase protective measures for the country's nearly 29,000 elephants.

The government made the declaration in a notice signed Thursday by A.N. Prasad, inspector general of forests and director of Project Elephant.

The notice follows a recommendation for the protective status issued October 13 by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife.

The ministry's Elephant Task Force recommended the special status for elephants in a report August 31, saying the move will help in protecting Asia's largest mammals.

"Declaring it the National Heritage Animal will give it due place as emblem of ecological sensitivity. It will also mark recognition for its centrality in our plural cultures, traditions and oral lore," the task force wrote in its report.

Announcing the Elephant Task Force report, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said that elephants have been "part of our heritage since ages" and they should have the same degree of conservation importance given to them as is given to the tiger.

The 12-member task force, which included Prasad, recommended establishing a National Elephant Conservation Authority parallel to the National Tiger Conservation Authority with a substantial increase in funding.

Calling the elephant by its local name, "Gajah," the report declares, "The Task Force is crystal clear on one point. India can secure the future for Gajah and its forest home."

"An India without elephants is unacceptable. But an India with elephants requires sustainable approaches that work on the ground," the task force wrote.

Sixty percent of elephants in Asia live in India, where 18 states host elephant populations making up an estimated national total of 26,000 in the wild plus about 3,500 in captivity.

Elephants die as a result of train hits, as did seven elephants in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district in September. Dozens of India's wild elephants have been killed in recent years by trains - some in the same area as this collision.

There are the problems of human-elephant conflict, the diversion of land for mining, the destruction of habitat, and the loss of forest cover.

"It is not immediate extinction as much as attrition of living spaces and the tense conditions of the human-elephant encounter on the ground that require redress," the task force wrote in its report.

"As a long lived and sociable animal familiar to all of us since childhood, elephants may seem to require little help. But the shrinking of habitat and the selective killing off of tuskers in key populations by ivory poachers are cause for grave concern," the Task Force wrote.

To provide redress, the task force recommends that within the new National Elephant Conservation Authority will be a new Consortium of Elephant Research and Estimation that will develop and apply the best methods for enumeration.

The task force also recommended a new land conservation category of Elephant Landscapes. "These, 10 in number will include the existing and proposed 32 Elephant Reserves," the task force wrote.

While no new reserves were proposed, there will be a consolidation of the existing reserves. Over 40 percent of the land within Elephant Reserves does not have Protected Area or government forest status.

The task force favors Ecologically Sensitive Area status under the Environment Protection Act to regulate activity that may be ecologically negative in these areas reserved for elephants.

India should take the global lead in elephant conservation, with an International Elephant Congress and broader cooperation with Asian neighbors, the task force recommended.

"To secure the future for Gajah, the key is in our perceptions as much as in policies and programmes," wrote the task force in its report. "Declaring it the National Heritage Animal will recognize its dual identity as our symbol of ecology and of culture."

"Taking Gajah back to the people through a host of outreach programmes, most of all in and around its habitats, will bring on board children and young people who will share their lives with this remarkable animal in the 21st century."

The Elephant Task Force report, "Gajah" http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/ETF_REPORT_FINAL.pdf

Read more!

Coral bleaching in Kuwait

Kuwait: Pollution, heat, oil slicks cause death of corals reefs
Maha Karim Global Arab Network 25 Oct 10;

Dr. Mohammad Al-Saraawi, professor of sciences at Kuwait University, said in a study that currents are rarely visible off Kuwait for a long period of time during the year; from May to August. "This causes stagnation of the water and condensation of residues, factors that are harmful to the corals," he wrote.

Studies conducted by the Faculty of Sciences, during the summer, showed that the coral settlements around the islands of Kubbar and Umm Al-Maradem were still colored and drawing diverse species of fish and marine creatures. However, the whitening symptoms started to appear over the past four months, due to the soaring heat.

The bleaching of the corals, viewed by scientists and experts as death or deterioration of the corals, is also attributed to various other causes, such as oil spills, sewage water, the red tide and random dumping works.

This phenomenon has been seen not only off Kuwait but in other areas of the Gulf, said Dr. Al-Saraawi.

Kuwaiti authorities during the summer time declared that special teams discovered bleaching at several coral settlements off Kuwait. However, they have recently said that some of the affected corals showed signs of recovery and re-coloration.
(KUNA)

Read more!

Meeting on $1.3b deal to ban deforestation in Indonesia

Straits Times 26 Oct 10;

JAKARTA: Senior officials from Norway and Indonesia were meeting in Jakarta yesterday to assess progress in executing a US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion) climate deal that would impose a two-year moratorium on the clearing of natural forests.

Norway's Environment Minister Erik Solheim has already expressed optimism that Indonesia could match Brazil's 'fantastic' success in slowing deforestation provided it received more aid from other developed countries.

Norway has signed a US$1 billion climate deal with Indonesia, under which Jakarta agreed to impose a two-year ban on new permits to clear natural forests. Norway has released US$30 million of the funds, with the bulk to be paid out later after Indonesia proves greenhouse gas emissions have gone down and an independent audit is done.

'US$1 billion is a huge amount of money but Indonesia needs quite substantially more to be able to conserve and sustainably manage its forests,' Mr Solheim told Reuters in an interview yesterday.

'The United States should come in, Japan, other European nations could come into this scheme to make it robust enough,' he added.

So far, Norway has been the biggest donor in the protection of tropical forests. At last year's Copenhagen climate summit, the United States, Australia, France, Japan, Britain and Norway agreed to provide a combined US$3.5 billion from this year to 2012 to help save forests.

Total pledges by rich donor nations rose to US$4 billion in May, when members of a forest partnership met in Oslo.

Indonesia's vast tropical forests soak up enormous amounts of greenhouse gases but are threatened by agriculture and biofuel cultivation. Worldwide, deforestation is responsible for up to a fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions from human sources, according to UN data.

'The logic in the past was that you can make money from destroying the forest, you cannot make money from protecting the forest. That logic must be changed,' said Mr Solheim.

Oil-rich Norway has also allocated US$250 million and US$1 billion to forest conservation projects in Guyana and Brazil respectively.

'Brazil has reduced its deforestation rate by 80 per cent from 2003 until 2010. That's a fantastic result. I think the prospects for Indonesia are of the same magnitude,' Mr Solheim said.

While Indonesian officials have said they would prefer that the US$1 billion be handled by an internationally reputable Indonesian institution, Mr Solheim said Norway preferred an international institution such as the World Bank.

'This is a matter we have to discuss with the government of Indonesia,' he said.

REUTERS, JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Norway says more aid needed to save Indonesian forest
* Norway urges rich nations to fork out to save forests
* Indonesia may match Brazil on curbing logging with more aid
* Market-based forest carbon credits scheme a decade away

Sunanda Creagh Reuters AlertNet 25 Oct 10;

JAKARTA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Indonesia could match Brazil's success in slowing deforestation but needs far more aid from rich nations such as the United States, Japan and the European Union, Norway's environment minister said on Monday.

Norway has signed a $1 billion climate deal with Indonesia, under which Jakarta has agreed to impose a two-year ban on new permits to clear natural forests.

Norway has already released $30 million of the funds, with the bulk to be paid out later after Indonesia proves greenhouse gas emissions have gone down and an independent audit is done.

But more aid is needed to save Indonesia's forests, said Norwegian environment minister Erik Solheim.

"$1 billion is a huge amount of money but Indonesia needs quite substantially more to be able to conserve and sustainably manage its forests," Solheim told Reuters in an interview in Jakarta, where he is meeting Indonesian officials.

"The United States should come in, Japan, other European nations could come into this scheme to make it robust enough."

So far, Norway has been the biggest donor to protect tropical forests. At last year's Copenhagen climate summit, the United States, Australia, France, Japan, Britain and Norway agreed to provide a combined $3.5 billion from 2010-12 to help save forests.

Total pledges by rich donor nations rose to $4 billion in May, when members of a forest partnership met in Oslo.

Indonesia's vast tropical forests soak up enormous amounts of greenhouse gases but are threatened by agriculture and biofuel cultivation. Worldwide, deforestation is responsible for up to a fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions from human sources, according to U.N. data.

"The logic in the past was that you can make money from destroying the forest, you cannot make money from protecting the forest. That logic must be changed," said Solheim.

Oil-rich Norway has also allocated $250 million and $1 billion to forest conservation projects in Guyana and Brazil respectively.

"Brazil has reduced its deforestation rate by 80 percent from 2003 until 2010. That's a fantastic result. I think the prospects for Indonesia are of the same magnitude," he said.

Solheim said it was up to Indonesia, not Norway, to define which forests would be saved under the moratorium or whether existing permits to clear valuable forest would be honoured.

"If Indonesia came to Norway to tell us how to do our oil and gas production, Norwegians would laugh," he said.

Palm oil firms such as Wilmar , SMART and Indofood Agri Resources have big expansion plans and vast land banks in Indonesia, the world's biggest producer of the oil used in cosmetics, ice cream and other products.

While Indonesian officials have said they would prefer for the $1 billion to be handled by an internationally reputable Indonesian institution, Solheim said Norway preferred an international institution such as the World Bank.

"This is a matter we have to discuss with the government of Indonesia," he said.

MARKET-BASED OFFSETS DISTANT

Part of Norway's donation will be used to set aside forests for pilot projects under a planned U.N-backed forest carbon offset scheme, called reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD).

So far, most REDD pilot projects are funded by governments. A market-based REDD scheme -- under which rich polluters could offset their emissions by paying poor countries not to chop down their trees -- was a distant prospect, Solheim said.

"That may come in 10 years time or so. It's much more likely we will get a market-based system in other areas such as energy," he said. "Some who are arguing that it should not be market-based can sleep peacefully because we are very far from a market-based system. Every single cent will come from taxpayers."

(Editing by Alister Doyle and Andrew Marshall)

Read more!

Nagoya 2010: Bridging Business and Biodiversity

The A-Z Electronic Guide to Assist Business to Navigate Maze of Nature
UNEP 25 Oct 10;

Nagoya, Japan, 25 October 2010 - What is a 'Key Biodiversity Area'? Why is it important, how was it established and what is its relevance to business? The answers to these and other key questions can be now found on the 'A-Z Areas of Biodiversity Importance' website, which was launched today at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity taking place in Nagoya, Japan.

Spotlighting some 35 important areas worldwide -such as Ramsar, World Heritage sites and Protected Areas -this electronic guide also explains the species and habitats they seek to protect as well as in their legal status and the extent to which local communities are present.

"The A-Z guide is a useful reference to support business and other sectors with their biodiversity commitments to mark our contribution to the Year of Biodiversity," said Jon Hutton, Director of the United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) which created the guide in partnership with the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The guide, the first of its kind, is geared to assist the business community, governments as well as NGOs by providing useful expert reviewed information, links to tools with spatial data, and further online resources to raise awareness and support decision-making about areas important for biodiversity conservation.

"The A to Z guide is a useful tool to inform decisions by businesses on the siting of projects so as to minimize the environmental footprint and maximize conservation opportunities associated with infrastructure development," said Ernani Pilla, Natural Resources Senior Specialist of the IDB.

The guide also covers the criteria behind the management practices for protecting different areas and important information, like legal and compliance aspects as well as the biodiversity and socio-cultural values that need to be upheld in each location.

"For the mining and metals sector, this practical and easy-to-access tool will help those in the industry better understand the many different areas of biodiversity significance," said Andrew Mackenzie, Senior Program Director ICMM.

The A-Z is a one-stop information shop on over 30 different areas of biodiversity importance. It can be used by all sectors including business, government and environmental agencies and is easily accessible via the website - www.biodiversityA-Z.org.

"This online tool is a useful resource for the oil and gas sector. Whilst explaining the different types of areas protected for their biodiversity importance, it also provides informative business context for managing operations," added Ruth Romer, Biodiversity Project Manager of IPIECA.

"The A-Z will add value to the increasing biodiversity management toolbox by providing information and knowledge to help the private sector better address the risks and opportunities associated with the business-biodiversity interface," said Peter Carter, Associate Director, Head Environment and Social Office of the EIB.

More information about the areas of biodiversity importance can be found at www.biodiversityA-Z.org

Read more!

Nagoya 2010: Weighing up the risks and benefits of biofuels development

Water, land use change and invasive species are key factors that must be addressed alongside greenhouse gas cuts
UNEP 25 Oct 10;

Nagoya, Japan, 25 October 2010 - Water could determine the degree to which bioenergy can contribute to combating climate change by reducing the world's reliance on fossil fuels, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said in an Issue Paper presented at the Convention on Biodiversity meeting (CBD COP10) in Nagoya, Japan, today.

Increasing water demand for biofuels production in areas where water is already scarce could increase environmental and social pressures, the paper entitled Water and Bioenergy (pdf), stated.

Bioenergy development can have an impact on biodiversity on a number of levels: by changing land-use, introducing invasive species for use in biofuel production, overusing water and pushing agricultural production into areas with high conservation value (indirect land use change). But there can be beneficial impacts as well: for instance, replacement of firewood use can decrease deforestation.

A joined-up approach to bioenergy development, one that balances greenhouse gas emissions with impacts on biodiversity, water and food security, is needed. Proper planning and management will be essential at the national level, as well as in individual projects.

"There is no doubt that we need to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and move to cleaner, more environmentally friendly options, but we need to make sure we are not creating more problems than we solve" said Achim Steiner, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and UNEP Executive Director.

"Biofuel production has risks and opportunities. We need to examine all the risks, so that we can take full advantage of the opportunities, for emissions cuts, for new green jobs, and for raising the standards of living for some of the world's poorest communities," he added.

UNEP spells out some of those considerations in four issues papers circulated today, which compliment a landmark report-Accessing Biofuels- launched last year by the UNEP-hosted International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management.

In Water and Bioenergy, the second in the bioenergy paper series, UNEP cites research which shows that two per cent, or 44 km3, of the global water withdrawals for irrigation are being used for bioenergy production.

But if current bioenergy standards and targets were fully implemented, a further 180km3 of irrigation water would be needed, creating additional pressure on water resources and potentially impacting on food production and water supplies, especially in those areas already experiencing water stress.

As the water footprint of bioenergy can be up to 400 times greater than that of traditional fossil fuels, the greatest challenges will be to determine how to meet future bioenergy demand without overexploiting or damaging water resources, and how to better manage bioenergy supply chains to reduce the pressure on water use and minimize impacts on water quality.

So important are the links between water and biofuel production that the UNEP is preparing a report

which for the first time examines in depth the links between biofuel production and water availability, use and quality. The report, called Zoom on the Bioenergy and Water Nexus, draws on the work of more than 40 experts and will be released early next year.

Measures that help reduce the impact of bioenergy on water include:

* Matching bioenergy feedstocks with locally available water resources, favoring those that require less irrigation and added agrochemicals, which through run-off can contaminate water supplies.

* Using sustainable agricultural techniques and technologies to minimize water use, and encouraging the switch to sustainable agriculture.

* Conducting life-cycle analyses of total water use and water quality of biofuels.

* Fostering market mechanisms that encourage sustainable water use and reduce potentially harmful effluents and take into account regional needs and contexts.

In another issues paper circulated today, Gain or Pain- Biofuels and Invasive Species, UNEP, UNEP's World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) say that while many of the currently available biofuels are produced from food crops that have been grown for centuries, some of the plant species being considered for advanced biofuels are potentially invasive.

The very qualities that make these plants ideal for biofuels - fast growth, ability to outperform local vegetation, abundant seed production, tolerance of and adaptability to a range of soil and climatic conditions, resistance to pests and diseases, a lack of predators - mean they could become invasive in a given landscape.

Invasive species can do serious damage to the environment, local livelihoods and economies. Careful risk assessment that weighs up the likelihood of impacts on biodiversity, and measures preventing spread are needed.

So far, in the rush to pursue the benefits of biofuels, the risk of invasive species being introduced for biofuels production has received too little attention.

The paper highlights the need for more research and sharing of information about these plants, and methods to assess the likelihood to which invasiveness could materialize.

In Beyond the Talk: Engaging Stakeholders in Bioenergy Development, UNEP examines the critical link between biodiversity and the livelihoods of communities around the world, building on a recent Decision Support Tool prepared with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the framework of UN Energy, a mechanism to coordinate the work on sustainable energy.

As bioenergy projects creep into the backyards of these communities, they need to be properly engaged and communicated with to ensure that these practices are not harmful to them, that land tenure is secured, and that local biodiversity providing ecosystem services is maintained.

And in Land Use, Land Use Change and Bioenergy, UNEP points to global estimate that, on current trends and with current technologies, bioenergy could compromise up to 36 per cent of arable land by 2030. This could have a serious impact on biodiversity.

The challenge is to create processes and methodologies that help designate areas that are suitable and available for bioenergy development,and those where special care needs to be applied. Comprehensive land-use planning and management systems need to be enacted.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 25 Oct 10

27 Oct (Wed): Marine insects – diversity and habitat conservation
from Raffles Museum News

Last Week's Reef Survey @ Big Sister Island
from colourful clouds

Chek Jawa with the Naked Hermit Crabs
from wild shores of singapore

Oil palm plantation fires driving air pollution in Singapore
from Mongabay.com news

Obstacles to nature protection emerge as stakes rise
from BBC NEWS blog by Richard Black

Read more!

Biodiversity and cities

Straits Times 25 Oct 10;

This is an edited excerpt of a speech by Professor Tommy Koh at The Third Linnaeus Lecture in Nagoya, Japan, on Friday. The lecture series is named after Swedish father of modern taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus.

INSTEAD of viewing cities as the enemies of biodiversity, let us change the paradigm and focus on how cities can contribute positively to conserve biodiversity. Cities - such as Nagoya in Japan, Curitiba in Brazil, Montreal in Canada, Bonn in Germany, and Stockholm in Sweden, and Singapore - are part of the movement.

The Singapore story is important to the world because it shows that a city need not be an enemy of nature and biodiversity. On the contrary, it demonstrates three propositions:

# that achieving economic prosperity need not be at the expense of care for the environment;

# that a small, densely populated city can still be clean, green and nature-loving; and

# that a city can play a positive role in the conservation of biodiversity and in our campaign to reduce the loss of biodiversity.

Singapore is a very small island, with a total area of 710 sq km. It is smaller than the city of Tokyo. Our population has exceeded five million, making us one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It was a British colony from 1819 until 1963, when it became a state within the Federation of Malaysia. It became an independent state in 1965.

From 1819 until the 1970s, the imperative was to clear the original forest cover, mangrove forests and to level the hills, for development. As a result, Singapore has lost more than 95 per cent of its original forest cover, about 50 per cent of its animal species and 25 per cent of its vascular plants. Yet, when we look at a Google Earth satellite photograph of Singapore, we see that half the island is green. Forests cover 9.2 per cent and dense vegetation covers 14 per cent of Singapore.

How did Singapore, which is so densely populated, become so clean, green and nature-loving?

I think the secret is that we have one of the world's first green political leaders, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Mr Lee insisted that Singapore would accept no investment proposal if it did not have the support of the anti-pollution unit. The unit was located in the Prime Minister's Office and was empowered to overrule the economic agencies. Mr Lee believed that nature has economic value and that our clean and green environment would give us a comparative advantage in attracting foreign investment to Singapore. His successors have taken the vision to another level.

Singapore is fortunate to be located within the world's richest biodiversity region. Although we have lost a significant percentage of our biodiversity, what remains is not insignificant. We have more than 2,900 species of plants, 360 species of birds, 270 species of butterflies, 120 species of reptiles, 75 species of mammals, 25 species of amphibians, 200 species of hard corals, covering 55 genera and 111 species of reef fish belonging to 30 families. One of our four nature reserves - the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, only 163ha in size - is home to more species of trees than the whole of North America.

Let me now share with you a few of the best practices which Singapore has undertaken to protect and enhance our biodiversity. First, the government's lead agency on biodiversity, the National Parks Board (NParks) has been proactive in leading the way. Last year, it launched the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Apart from championing a wide range of conservation projects, the plan also aims to give voice to biodiversity issues in policy and decision-making. NParks also has an admirable attitude of seeking to work closely with the civil society, the corporate sector, students and volunteers.

Second, I must praise the contributions of our universities, research institutions and scientists. At the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, at the National University of Singapore, visitors can learn about the region's plants and animals, through an extremely comprehensive collection of preserved specimens. It is also training the next generation of the region's scientists. They are also planning to build a new museum of natural history which will showcase the natural heritage of South-east Asia.

Individual scientists have been extremely active in their research, teaching and publications, on Singapore's biodiversity. Next year, the National University of Singapore will launch a new multi-disciplinary bachelor's degree in environmental studies.

Third, we have an active and responsible civil society. The Nature Society (Singapore), for example, is a blue-chip NGO. Its members conduct guided nature walks, bird and butterfly watching, talks as well as undertake conservation projects and surveys. Working closely with the Singapore Environment Council, the Nature Society (Singapore) works with schools and community organisations to promote the appreciation of nature and biodiversity.

Fourth, one of Singapore's best practices is our ability to bring government, academia, civil society and the corporate sector to work together. The business community in Singapore is increasingly supportive of the environment and biodiversity. In one project, the Nature Society (Singapore), NParks and the private sector decided to do something which has never been done in the world.

Singapore's main shopping street, Orchard Road, is like the Champs-Elysees in Paris. In a 4km stretch linking the Singapore Botanic Gardens, on one end, and Fort Canning, on the other, we have trees and shrubs planted by volunteers along Orchard Road which are either host plants for butterflies or plants which provide them with nectar. When the plants mature and the butterflies arrive, the shoppers and pedestrians along Orchard Road will have the unique experience of being accompanied by butterflies.

Prof Koh is Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large and patron of the Nature Society (Singapore).

Read more!

Singapore shows world how to move people

From Dublin to Rio, clients are tapping local expertise in transport
Goh Chin Lian Straits Times 25 Oct 10;

TRAIN and bus commuters in Dublin who use integrated transit cards next year and future metro passengers in Rio de Janeiro will have something in common.

The know-how behind their transport systems tracks back here - from the ticketing software for the Irish contactless card to the passenger-information displays on the Brazilian trains.

Singapore's expertise is also what officials in China's Tianjin relied on in their World Bank-funded study of improvements to its public transport system.

In the past decade, several companies that have built up experience developing public transport infrastructure here have, with the support of IE Singapore, hawked their expertise overseas - and clients from China to the Middle East are biting.

The companies' success reflects what is valued about Singapore-style systems - not just the technology, but also the integration of different systems that view transport planning in totality, transport engineers told The Straits Times.

Examples include Singapore Technologies (ST) Electronics, CPG Consultants which was born out of corporatising the Public Works Department in 1999, and MSI Global, the external arm of the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

The contracts they clinch are no small potatoes: For example, a dozen of ST Electronics' rail, road traffic and taxi projects in the past four years have exceeded $270 million in total value.

MSI, which started out as a $2 shell company in 1995, is today a $22 million firm with a mostly foreign client list.

The Dublin Rail Procurement Agency is one of its clients, to which it delivered software enabling commuters to use one card for trains, buses, coaches and trams. MSI pipped its Hong Kong, Korean and American rivals to the contract, said MSI business unit head Silvester Prakasam.

Reasons include Singapore's success with contactless cards usable not only on trains and buses, but also in shops. Knowing how to achieve this kind of integration, which Dublin valued, came from the way MSI's parent, the LTA, worked with other government agencies here.

Similarly, CPG's clients from Fiji, Brazil and China also recognise its holistic transport planning skills.

For the project in Tianjin, completed last year, CPG roped in veteran consultants Joseph Yee and Gopinath Menon. Their work on Singapore's land transport system, spanning more than 30 years, has taken them from planning to developing congestion-pricing measures like the Area Licensing Scheme and its successor, Electronic Road Pricing (ERP).

The study they did for Tianjin examined issues such as the city's masterplan, road-building programme, bus-priority lanes and plans for a city-rail system.

But transport engineers here say they are careful not to insist the Singapore way is the best way. Often, they have to adapt their expertise to local conditions and hire local consultants to get access to the right people and cut through red tape.

Mr Yee noted that, unlike in Singapore, other countries have more than one level of government; competing jurisdictions can create roadblocks to a project.

Political will is also not a given abroad. In Singapore, 'we dare to do what's unpopular when we know the long-term benefits for the country', he said.

Getting a grip on the local situation in a third world country is thus crucial, said Associate Professor Menon.

ST Electronics president Lee Fook Sun cited one such experience in Guangzhou in 2005. A single contactless card system looked like the neatest solution for the city, but the company had to accommodate its client's wish for a system that also accepted tokens. This was because its commuters included people from other provinces who were passing through and would not pay for a stored-value card.

ST Electronics has since sunk roots in foreign soil. It hired 150 research engineers in Shenzhen and transferred technology and production to a Shanghai subsidiary, where costs are lower than here.

This subsidiary has even come full circle: It has worked with trainmakers from China to clinch deals elsewhere - including here for the Downtown Line trains.

Big lessons in the Little Red Dot
Straits Times 25 Oct 10;

MORE than 10,000 officials and professionals from 100 countries have come here to observe Singapore's land transport system under programmes run by the training arm of the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

The LTA Academy has, increasingly, drawn participants from Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin in China, and Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai in India, said its dean Mohinder Singh.

One top draw for these visitors is the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP), but they are all reminded not to emulate the ERP in isolation in managing road congestion and vehicle usage. A good public transport system needs to be in place as well, they are told.

The academy also showcases Singapore by holding international land transport conferences here. It organised the World Roads Conference in October last year, the World Urban Transport Leaders Summit in June and the World Urban Transit Conference for railway specialists last week.

Three months ago, the academy also started, in conjunction with SIM University, the region's first master's programme in urban transport management. A panel of local and foreign specialists from Britain, the United States and South Korea is teaching the course to 18 Singapore citizens and permanent residents.

Plans have been made to market the programme to transport professionals, government officials and others in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, India and the Middle East, said a spokesman. The target is to take in 25 students for the second run next July.

GOH CHIN LIAN

Read more!

Haze in Singapore: Skies all clear - for now

Cheryl Ong Straits Times 25 Oct 10;

THE haze that blanketed Singapore for most of last week cleared up yesterday, with the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading going as low as 13 in the evening.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the islandwide 24-hour PSI reading was 44 at 4pm, bringing air quality back to the 'Good' range.

An NEA spokesman said heavy rain on Saturday in Singapore and Sumatra, including parts of Riau province and the Strait of Malacca, had a big part to play in the improved situation yesterday.

Associate Professor Matthias Roth, who is deputy head of the geography department at the National University of Singapore, said the wind blowing towards Singapore is no longer just from Indonesia, but from other directions as well.

This, he said, could have led to the improvement in the haze situation here at the weekend.

The haze has been attributed to Indonesian farmers from the south Sumatran provinces of Jambi and Riau, who are burning forested areas to prepare for the planting season.

The haze may persist for the next two days if the burning goes on, the NEA said.

However, these fires, or hot spots, are tough to track.

Said Prof Roth: 'It is possible that the hot spot count has reduced during the last couple of days.

'This, however, is difficult to verify because forest fires cannot be detected by satellites during cloudy or overcast conditions.'

Haze in moderate range as 10,000 runners hit the streets
Shaffiq Alkhatib Today Online 25 Oct 10;

SINGAPORE - More than 10,000 people took part in the Nike City 10K Run (picture), which flagged off next to the Marina Bay Floating Platform yesterday morning.

Many decided to sweat it out after finding out that the air quality was in the good range before the start of the race.

The Pollutant Standards Index or PSI was below 40 till noon.

The air quality becomes moderate once the PSI hits 51.

Heavy showers in various parts of the island in the afternoon helped clear the haze to some extent.

At 8pm yesterday, the 3-hour PSI measured 18, which is in the "good" range. Many participants felt that the haze had little effect on their performance during the race.

"Actually, my timing was even better. I've been preparing for quite a long time. I didn't want it to go to waste by not running.

"So, I thought, why not just go ahead and run. Plus I'd already paid for it," said one of the faster runners.

The participants were energised by four vibrant entertainment zones, featuring four genres of music - dance, pop, rock and hip hop - as they sped along the race route in a bid to raise US$30,000 ($39,000) for the Singapore Children's Society.

In a related development, more people are turning to Chinese herbs as a preventive measure against the haze, some traditional Chinese medicine practitioners told Channel NewsAsia. Sales of herbs over the past two days have soared by nearly 40 per cent, said the practitioners.

They have also seen an increase in the number of patients, suffering from dry eyes and throats, by about 20 per cent.

The TCM practitioners said herbal concoctions made from chrysanthemum can help with dry eyes, while liquorice can soothe sore throats.

Read more!

‘Bad air quality locally induced’: Malaysian Minister

The Star 25 Oct 10;

KUCHING: A major contributor to the bad air quality in Peninsular Malaysia now is actually due to emissions from vehicles and factories as well as illegal burning, said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas.

He said that to the best of his knowledge the haze from Sumatra had not reached Kuala Lumpur.

“There are many causes for the haze. Emission from vehicles is one that has led to air quality going down. Another reason is emission from industries.

“Also, there’s illegal burning,” he added when asked to comment on the 432 Air Pollution Index (API) reading in Muar, Johor, last week.

In various news reports, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister, said the unhealthy air level was due to fires in Sumatra, which was sparked by the hot weather.

As at 4pm yesterday, no areas in Malaysia had an API reading above 100. Nonetheless, 12 API reading centres in peninsula recorded between 51 and 100, which is moderate.

Healthy API readings are below 50, 101-200 is unhealthy, while anything above 301 is deemed hazardous.

Updates on API reading nationwide is available at www.doe.gov.my.

Improved air quality recorded in Johor and Malacca
The Star 25 Oct 10;

PETALING JAYA: The haze in Johor and Malacca which forced the closure of schools in Muar has improv-ed.

As of 5pm yesterday, both Muar and Malacca recorded an air pollutant index (API) reading of 52 and 32 respectively, a sharp drop from the 432 and 111 figure on Wednesday.

The API experienced an improvement in quality from only 47% of 37 areas showing a good reading to 82% as of 5pm yesterday.

Healthy API readings are below 50, moderate (51-100) and unhealthy (101-200). Readings above 301 are deemed hazardous.

Despite the improving condition, government hospitals and clinics remain on standby to treat more people with haze-related illnesses if the air quality remains poor.

The haze has been attributed to fires at about 300 hotspots in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Many of these hotspots were caused by smallholders who clear trees from areas of peatland in order to grow oil palm or other crops.

According to Department of Environment (DoE) director-general Datuk Rosnani Ibrahim, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry had informed its counterpart in Indonesia to express concern over the matter.

On whether the ministry could compel Indonesia to stop smallholders from continuing with the practice, Rosnani said the government could only make a request.

On Friday, the Indonesian government sent hundreds of firefighters to battle blazes, concentrating on Sumatra’s Riau province, which lies opposite Singapore across the Straits of Malacca.

The most severe outbreak of haze took place in 1997.

Rosnani had said the current haze conditions would not be as bad as the one in 1997. In fact, she said the haze woes had improved over the years.

For updates on the API nationwide, visit the DoE website at www.doe.gov.my.

Haze at park puts frown on visitors
The Star 25 Oct 10;

PONTIAN: Visitors to the Tanjung Piai National Park here are leaving disappointed as hazy conditions are impairing the view of the sunset and surrounding environment.

Park manager Khalid Zahrom said the hazy conditions for the past four days had caused many visitors to leave without enjoying the attractions.

“The park is located within a mangrove forest which overlooks parts of Pulau Karimun, Indonesia, the Tanjung Bin power plant and Singapore,” he said, adding that visitors who wanted to view the beautiful sunset were unable to do so.

He said that when the haze first began in Muar on Oct 20, conditions at the national park were normal, but over the last few days, the winds had brought the haze to the area.

“Visibility towards the sea is only about 100m,” he said.

Student Muhammad Azamuddin Mohd Saman, 12, said he was disappointed that he could not enjoy the full view of the Straits of Johor and Straits of Malacca from the park jetty.

“I was told by a park ranger that on a regular day, we can see as far as Singapore and Indonesia, but the haze has made that impossible,” he said.

Another student, Muhammad Zulhisham Mohd Affandi, 12, said that the haze had made it difficult to view the ships in the straits.

“I was looking forward to seeing some of the large ships and tankers today, but the haze prevented this,” he said.

Read more!

Rainfall Helps Firefighters Clear the Air in Haze-Choked Riau

Budi Otmansyah Jakarta Globe 24 Oct 10;

Pekanbaru, Riau. Lambasted from all sides last week for inaction in tackling blazes that caused choking haze to spread to Singapore and Malaysia, Indonesian officials had their blushes spared over the weekend after Mother Nature came to the rescue.

Three days of heavy rain starting on Friday coincided with the government’s dispatch of firefighters to Riau to battle forest and ground fires causing the haze, reducing most of the blazes to a fizzle.

“Eighty percent of the fires have been put out, thanks to the rain and the hard work of our team on the ground,” said Isbanu, head of the Forest Fire Mitigation Division at the provincial Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).

The Pekanbaru office of the National Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the dry weather pattern caused by Super Typhoon Megi had ended.

“The situation has returned to normal. Riau and Sumatra are now entering the rainy season,” said Marzuki, head of the local BMKG weather analysis department.

“There is no more haze from the fires. The air in Singapore is also fine now because it is also raining there.”

Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport in Pekanbaru has returned to normal operations. “The conditions at the airport are normal. There is slight rain and visibility is 6,000 meters,” said Ibnu Hasan, the airport’s deputy chief.

The conditions were a marked improvement from Saturday, when four flights were delayed.

“Visibility on Saturday was only 300 meters. It was up to 500 meters at 7 p.m., and at about 3,000 meters at 9 p.m.,” Ibnu said.

Officials from Malaysia and Singapore — two countries affected by smoke drifting across from Sumatra — last week called on Jakarta to deal with the sources of the smoke and offered assistance.

But Indonesia declined help, saying it could take care of the problem on its own.

Isbanu added that firefighters were still searching for remaining hot spots in peatland areas.

Read more!