Biodiversity faces a 'perfect storm'

More human activity, less funds may mean more hidden species dying out
Grace Chua Straits Times 4 Jun 11;

NEARLY a third of all amphibian species could be lurking, as yet undiscovered, in high-biodiversity areas, conservation researchers reckon.

That is more than 3,000 species of amphibians, as well as some 160 species of land mammals which are not yet known to science.

But they are likely to be in more danger of extinction from habitat loss, small habitat and population sizes, and other human activity than those which have been discovered.

The work was carried out by a team of scientists from Singapore, the United States and Mexico. Their findings were published online last month by the Proceedings Of The Royal Society B, a top biology research journal.

Lead author Giam Xingli, 29, explained that undiscovered species may provide important ecosystem services that are yet unknown.

For example, some frogs produce anti-microbial agents which can lead to the development of better anti-microbial drugs for humans, or they can help control insects that carry disease.

The Princeton University doctoral student and National University of Singapore (NUS) alumnus told The Straits Times: 'While it is not possible to know every single species, we need to know as many species as possible so we can start to think about how to conserve them.

'If we don't do that, many species may go extinct without us knowing about them.'

The research focused on amphibians and land mammals as the researchers, who include NUS conservation ecologists Navjot Sodhi and Brett Scheffers and Stanford University ecologist Paul Ehrlich, have more experience with these groups of animals.

In subsequent PhD work, however, Mr Giam plans to estimate undescribed fish diversity in South-east Asia, and study the impact of plantation agriculture on freshwater fish ecology.

The researchers based their calculations on a mathematical model that included known species, when species were discovered and where.

The more scientific exploration in an area, the lower the proportion of species in that area left undiscovered.

At the same time, more human activity such as agriculture meant more species could have gone extinct without anyone noticing.

As it turns out, the tropical forests of South and Central America, Africa and South and South-east Asia are probably home to the greatest proportion of undescribed amphibian and land-mammal species. Tropical forests are very rich in biodiversity to begin with, and are harder to explore for science or development.

But there are some noteworthy patterns. For example, the study revealed that more than half of the amphibians in Australasian tropical moist forests, such as the Sulawesi Islands, the Moluccas and Papua, remain to be discovered.

'The percentage figure is greater than areas commonly thought to be storehouses for undescribed biodiversity such as the Neotropics,' Mr Giam noted, perhaps because the Neotropics (South and Central America) are better explored by humans and have more human activity that could lead to extinctions.

The paper's authors bemoaned the fact that 'the 'perfect storm' for biodiversity loss is upon us'. Universities and funding agencies, they said, are devoting fewer resources and less funds to finding and describing new species, while at the same time, high-biodiversity natural areas are 'being altered in ways that will drive many of these species to extinction'.

They recommended taking steps to protect remote, unexplored tropical areas to preserve the hidden biodiversity that survives there.

'Today's 'hidden' biodiversity need not vanish without a trace. It is up to us to try to prevent such a tragedy,' they wrote.

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Malaysia: Animal liberation gone bad?

Winnie Yeoh The Star 3 Jun 11;

THEY are supposed to be free when released in the liberation pond.

But the 700-odd resident tortoises at Penang’s Kek Lok Si Temple Liberation Pond appear far from being ‘liberated’, according to the Penang Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

“To put it mildly, they are living in horrendous conditions,” said its honorary secretary Dr G.S. Gill.

He claimed SPCA had received numerous complaints from local and foreign tourists that the tortoises’ living conditions were ‘deplorable.’

“They are living in extremely overcrowded conditions with one clambering over the other and eating the thrown vegetables which rot within the enclosure.

“It produces a stench. This, by itself, is an act of cruelty being inflicted on these creatures,” he said after checking the pond yesterday.

Dr Gill said tourists visiting the pond had expressed deep disappointment at the conditions under which the tortoises were being kept in captivity.

“In as much as there are religious sentiments for the release of tortoises, any right thinking person would not like to subject these lovely creatures of God through such a fate.

“We cannot be silent and seen to be condoning this activity anymore,” he said.

He added that SPCA strongly urged the public to refrain from releasing tortoises into the pond to suffer such a fate in cruelty.

“A similar situation existed at Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling many years ago and we were able to resolve it by talking to the temple authorities and having those tortoises from the well released into river,” he added.

A check at the pond showed that many tortoises were clambering over one another on a slab of cement built in the pond as well as under the bridge.

Scattered leaves of kangkung (water convolvulus), thrown by tourists to feed them, were spotted on the water’s surface while a number of eggs were seen at the bottom of the pond.

Algae had also grown on the shells of some of the tortoises.

Student Tan Kah Yee, 19, from Kajang, said the pond looked ‘uncomfortable’ for the tortoises seen stacking up over one another.

“The water seems dirty and I wonder if they are fed enough food,” she said.

However, Australian Nigel Douglas, 41, who brought his three sons to the pond for the first time, said the tortoises’ living conditions could not be bad as they did not seem to be dying.

“It looks a bit unsightly but it’s surely hard to keep the place clean when you have so many of them.

“Maybe they (the tortoises) like it this way as I can see several bigger ones. They must have been here for a very long time,” he added.

Kangkung seller Loh Kok Boon, 53, who has been looking after the tortoises for over 40 years, claimed he changed the pond’s water once every two days.

“I can’t ensure that the water will be crystal clear. If each of the 700 tortoises was to pang sai (defecate) twice a day, there will be 1,400 pieces of sai (faeces),” he said.

Loh said the water might look murky but it did not stink.

“Not only devotees are releasing tortoises but pet owners who get bored of them would also leave them here,” he added.

Loh explained that the tortoises would gather in groups in certain parts of the pond as they knew tourists would feed them there.

“We will feed the tortoises at night when there are fewer people around,” he said.

Temple trustee Datuk Steven Ooi said they were aware of the overcrowding issue but could not prevent devotees from releasing tortoises into the pond.

“We will release the tortoises into the wild from time to time,” he said, adding that some tortoises would be relocated to a bigger pond which was expected to be ready next year.

Ooi said the new site at the foothill and the existing stream there would form part of the pond to provide a bigger and more natural setting for the reptiles.

For Buddhists, releasing animals is a traditional practice and it is seen as a gesture of compassion and a repentance for one’s sins.

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Thailand: Bleaching takes toll on 'rainforests of the sea'

Bangkok Post 4 Jun 11;

Veteran marine biologist Niphon Phongsuwan has expressed deep concern over the health of coral reefs in the Andaman Sea after they suffered their most severe bleaching on record last year.

Mr Niphon, a coral expert at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, recently stressed that the situation with coral reefs -- often called the "tropical rainforests of the sea" -- in the Andaman Sea was dire. This was because bleaching had caused heavy damage to local reefs.

The phenomenon, which is caused by warmer ocean temperatures, has also devastated reefs in some areas of the Gulf of Thailand.

"It has yet to be assessed if any of those [bleached corals] which have died will ever grow back," Mr Niphon said.

"Recovery will take no less than four to five years."

More than 80% of the coral in the marine national parks in the Andaman Sea is believed to have been bleached since April 2010, according to the Marine and Coastal Resources Department.

However, Mr Niphon said a recent survey found that coral bleaching in several areas off the Andaman coastline is showing signs of easing.

He noted that if the seawater and underwater environment are not polluted, then bleached corals would have a chance to recover.

He called on all parties to take part in conserving coral reefs and also sea grass which is a source of food and provides a habitat for marine life.

Mr Niphon said coral reef-related tourism sometimes posed a direct threat to the corals and general marine biology.

Many shallow-water reefs had been destroyed by careless swimmers and snorkellers who stepped on them. Strict measures must be enforced to prevent tourist boat operators from discharging untreated waste water into the ocean.

Mr Niphon said many people were unaware or not educated enough about the fragility of coral reefs and their importance to the marine ecosystem.

When sea water receded from Phuket beaches such as Rawai, Nai Yang and Bangtao and underwater reefs emerged, some people tried to catch marine animals such as octopuses living among the branches of the corals. This sometimes broke the coral into pieces.

He warned people to leave the coral alone or they could harm the reef ecosystem.

Even dead coral lying on beaches should not be picked up as it is home to sea worms and other tiny living species which are invisible to the human eye. The marine scientist also urged those who wanted to create an artificial coral reef by dumping man-made objects to consult with his agency beforehand.

He said the objects must be strategically placed at appropriate locations to ensure they helped protect or revive natural reefs rather than harming them.

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Nepal's first collared tiger poisoned

WWF 3 Jun 11;

Kathmandu, Nepal -- A Bengal tiger fitted with a GPS tracking collar and translocated from Nepal's Chitwan National Park to Bardia National Park has been killed, according to Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation officials.

Authorities believe the tiger, which was the first ever collared in Nepal, died after eating the flesh of a cow deliberately laced with poison. Three men suspected of involvement in the death have been arrested.

“Namo Buddha’s unfortunate end underscores the fact that efforts to protect Nepal’s tigers are a serious challenge and such efforts now need to be further strengthened and consolidated,” said Anil Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF-Nepal.

“While many may now question the inherent use of the collar, it must be mentioned that it was because of the collar that officials were informed almost immediately of the incident and could nab three persons whose involvement was suspected.”

The charred remains of the tiger’s GPS tracking device was found near where it had last been geolocated. The animal’s body has not been recovered.

The tiger, discovered injured near Chitwan last year, was rehabilitated in captivity before being released into Bardia in January by WWF and Nepalese officials as part of a range expansion program.

“While this incident has been a turnaround to our conservation plans, it is in no way a deterrent to keep investing in people, science and technology to help protect wild tigers,” Manandhar said.

Rare wild tiger killed in Nepal
Yahoo News 3 Jun 11;

KATHMANDU (AFP) – A rare wild tiger, nursed back to health by Nepalese vets after being injured, has been killed by poachers, a wildlife official said on Friday.

The adult male tiger, which had been fitted with a collar carrying a GPS tracking system that allowed scientists to monitor its adaptation back into the wild, was killed two weeks ago, the official said.

Tikaram Adhikari, a warden at Bardia National Park in Nepal's southern plains where the endangered animal was released, said the tiger, was last captured by the tracking system on May 9.

"For two days following that, we could not locate it. Then, early this week, we found out it had been killed by poachers," he said.

"The tiger was moving towards human settlements. After seeing it, the poachers offered the animal pieces of poisoned beef. It died after consuming the food," Adhikari said.

The tiger had been named Namobuddha by park authorities.

Four locals have been arrested on suspicion of poaching, Adhikari said.

The tiger was captured by wildlife officials after being injured and wandering into a tourist resort in southern Nepal.

It was released into Bardia national park as it was an ideal home for the animal because it of its vast size, available prey and relatively low levels of poaching, authorities said.

Using the tracking system, "we were hoping to gain valuable insights into its movement and habitat," Adhikari said.

"But after this incident we feel that saving the wild tigers will be more challenging."

The project was part of Nepal's efforts to double its population of Royal Bengal tigers, which once roamed the country's southern plains in large numbers but have been depleted by poaching and the destruction of their habitat.

A WWF survey carried out in 2008 found just 121 adult tigers of breeding age in the country.

Experts say poverty and political instability in Nepal have created ideal conditions for poachers who kill the animals for their skin, meat and bones, which are highly valued in Chinese traditional medicine.

The WWF says tigers worldwide are in serious danger of becoming extinct in the wild. During the last 100 years, their numbers have collapsed by 95 percent, from 100,000 in 1900 to only around 3,200 tigers, its says.

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Philippines launches suit in reef plunder

Yahoo News 3 Jun 11;

MANILA (AFP) – The Philippines on Friday began legal action against traders accused of plundering corals and marine turtles in a case that officials said may have destroyed large tracts of precious reefs.

The customs bureau said it filed a complaint, asking the justice department to file criminal charges against four businessmen it accused of shipping the items to the port of Manila, where they were confiscated last month.

"The Bureau of Customs has lowered the boom on the rapists of the ocean," it said in a statement.

Wildlife police have said they seized 163 stuffed hawksbill and green turtles, more than 21,000 pieces of black corals, 7,340 trumpet and helmet shells and 196 kilograms (430 pounds) of sea whips.

The items are all threatened species that cannot be legally gathered, collected, traded or transported, they said.

President Benigno Aquino's government had condemned the environmental plunder and vowed to step up marine patrols to prevent a repeat.

The corals and turtles were apparently stolen from the pristine waters of the Moro Gulf and the Sulu Sea off the main southern island of Mindanao, according to Aquino's spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

Undeer the Philippine fisheries code and a wildlife resources conservation law, their gathering and export are punishable by up to two years in prison.

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Bid to save sandpiper at risk of extinction in Russia

Matt Walker BBC Nature 3 Jun 11;

Conservationists have embarked on a mission to save one of the world's rarest birds, the spoon-billed sandpiper, from extinction.

Fewer than 200 pairs of spoon-billed sandpipers were thought to exist in 2009, and since then, the population has thought to have declined by a quarter each year.

So a specialist team of bird experts are flying to the sandpiper's home in northeast Russia to collect and incubate eggs and set up a captive breeding population.

The captive population of spoon-billed sandpipers will be housed in Moscow Zoo for quarantine purposes, then moved to a specially built unit at the headquarters of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, UK.

The emergency mission is being undertaken by the WWT and Birds Russia, working with colleagues from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), BirdLife International, ArcCona, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force and Moscow Zoo.

Experts fear that, without intervention, the spoon-billed sandpiper could be extinct within ten years.

The count of 200 pairs in 2009 is an upper estimate and there may have been as few as 120 pairs at that time.

Surveys since suggest that the counted population is falling by 26% a year, with juveniles having a particularly low rate of survival.

Spoon-billed sandpipers (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus) are a small Arctic wading bird, sporting a bill shaped like a spoon.

"This adaptation, entirely unique to its family, makes it one of the most weird and wonderful bird species on the planet," says Dr Geoff Hilton, Head of Species Research at the WWT.

The BTO's shorebird expert, Dr Nigel Clark, agrees: "There is only one wader that eats with a spoon and we need to try everything we can to save it from extinction."

The bird divides its time between northeast Russia and the Bay of Bay of Martaban, Myanmar (Burma) and the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh.

Travelling between, they migrate over 8,000km (4,970 miles) on a journey that may pass through Japan, North Korea, the Republic of Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India.

Unsustainable levels of subsistence hunting, particularly within the wintering areas in Myanmar and Bangladesh, are thought to be driving the species's decline.

Degradation and reclamation of the inter-tidal mudflats along many countries in Asia is exacerbating the problem.

No spoon-billed sandpipers currently exist in captivity.

Currently the team are in Russia waiting to locate and collect eggs from the breeding grounds.

They will construct an incubation facility out on the tundra where they will hatch the chicks before transferring the fledged young via sea and air back to Moscow Zoo for quarantine.

"It is absolutely clear that the spoon-billed sandpiper cannot be saved without action to reduce the threats to the wild population, but it is going to be difficult to achieve a turnaround quickly enough to avert extinction. Creating a captive population now may buy us some time," says Dr Hilton.

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Rainforest basin nations agree to tackle deforestation

Yahoo News 3 Jun 11;

BRAZZAVILLE (AFP) – The 32 countries sharing the world's three largest rainforest basins agreed Friday to cooperate in tackling deforestation and called on industrialised nations to help finance their efforts.

The agreement came in a declaration at the end of a first meeting in the Congolese capital Brazzaville of experts from the Congo Basin in Central Africa, South America's Amazon Basin and the Borneo-Mekong Basin in South-East Asia.

The three basins represent 80 percent of the world's rainforests and two-thirds of its biodiversity, according to experts.

Participating nations agreed in a declaration to "put forward their common interest in the framework of different multilateral forums" and to "adopt concrete measures to promote dialogue and cooperation between countries."

Nations acknowledged "the links between deforestation and forest degradation as well as socio-economic issues such as sustainability and poverty reduction."

The declaration also called on the international community to "support their efforts" and help provide "long-term and transparent financing for a durable forest management."

Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso said the agreement would help provide "a new dynamism... of solidarity between the basins."

Congo and other African basin countries have been pushing for a permanent structure to coordinate efforts but had to settle for the declaration recognising "the need to put in place a platform for promotion and cooperation between the countries of the three forest basins."

The idea of a permanent structure ran up against opposition from some heavyweight nations at the meeting, such as Brazil.

"It was premature," the head of the Brazilian delegation, Paulino Franco de Carvalho, told AFP, adding that there was no need for a "new bureaucracy" when other institutions for international cooperation already exist.

Thorny mission to preserve world's forests
Patrick Fort Yahoo News 2 Jun 11;

BRAZZAVILLE (AFP) – Third World countries and notably those of the Congo basin face an uphill challenge in looking after their forests while allowing for population growth and development.

The debate is a primary theme being discussed this week at a meeting in the Congolese capital Brazzaville of some 500 experts from the Congo Basin in Central Africa, South America's Amazon Basin and the Borneo-Mekong Basin in South-East Asia.

These areas make up 80 per cent of the globe's rainforests and contain two-thirds of its biodiversity.

"It's out of the question to renounce development; our goal is the well-being of our people," Etienne Massard, a special advisor to Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba, told AFP before the debates began on May 28. "On the other hand, we have really to think about our actions and our strategy in order not to mortgage our future."

Mette Loyche Wilkie, head of forestry in the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, raised linked issues: "By 2050 we need to increase the production of agriculture by 70 percent in order to feed the world. It's clear we have to increase the productivity of agriculture. That is possible to a large extent, but there will also be an expansion of agriculture at the expense of forest."

Wilkie said this needed to happen in the right places.

"It is a matter of having an integrated land use planning where you decide which forest to keep, which forest to maintain as permanent, which forest you protect in terms of protected areas to protect biodiversity, in which forest you allow production of wood, and in some cases which forests you set aside for conversion because it is clear that in some countries, you need to cut down trees to establish a new harbour, new roads, new housing, and in some cases agriculture."

Mario Boccucci of the UN Environment Programme defended a "green economy" in which he emphasised the "important social dimension in terms "of livelihood, people."

"That's the concept of a green economy. Look at your larger economy so you can identify ways to maximize the social economic and environmental outcomes of your development. (...)

"What we are looking here is ways to catalyse different kind of economy. An economy that will still deliver economic growth, export revenues, still create jobs. But that does it without clearing forest.

As an example, Boccucci cited Indonesia's plans to make oil palm a future viable industry, for which they need land. "The plan is to get the land from the forest, but Indonesia has potentially a lot of land that is already degraded that can be used for plantations."

Boccucci insisted that the status of land needs to be clarified by the state, because it is "too risky" for the private sector to invest millions of dollars on land that is under dispute or occupied.

Gaston Foutou, head of conservation in the Congolese Ministry of Forest Economy, argued that "the population must at once feel the impact of forest production and the protection of ecosystems."

"We can't develop without cutting down forest," he said. "If I need a table or a chair, I have to be able to cut wood. What we need is a viable policy for the rational and sustainable exploitation of the forest. And that it's profitable for people."

Officials are expected to sign a joint statement on tropical forests, climate and sustainable development ahead of a meeting of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa later this year and the Earth Summit 2012, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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China's drought: Is the Three Gorges Dam to blame?

No clear answers yet as Chinese officials keep airing opposing views
Grace Ng, Straits Times 4 Jun 11;

BEIJING: A top Chinese environment official insisted yesterday that the worst drought in 60 years across central and southern China is caused by a lack of rain and not the controversial Three Gorges Dam.

'We believe that (the drought) is primarily caused by prolonged lower rainfall,' said Mr Li Ganjie, Vice-Minister for Environmental Protection, in a terse response to a question about whether the world's largest hydroelectric project has contributed to the latest dry spell.

His comment, made at a press conference on China's environmental issues, is the latest and supposedly most authoritative in a series of conflicting official statements on whether the dam is to blame for severely depleted downstream lakes.

The 183m-high dam, which provided 84 billion kilowatt hours of electricity last year, has been widely criticised for changing the levels of regional water tables.

Besides exacerbating the shortage of water downstream, critics say, it inflicted a huge ecological impact on fish and plant populations while displacing 1.4 million people.

On Thursday, a Chinese official admitted that the planners of the dam had failed to anticipate its impact in lowering water levels in two of the country's largest freshwater lakes. This raised the risk of them drying up during droughts.

Mr Wang Jingquan, who works for an agency affiliated with the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee, told local newspaper Xinmin Evening News that the reservoir behind the dam, which stored water from the river, cut off supply to the two lakes.

'We failed to think of all the impact that the dam might bring about when designing the dam,' said Mr Wang.

His comments come two weeks after China's Cabinet admitted that there were 'urgent problems' linked to the dam, including the negative impact on downstream water supplies.

It vowed to restore order and address these issues within the next eight years. But in subsequent days, various newspapers cited local officials claiming that the dam is not at fault and is instead helping to alleviate the drought.

Among them was Mr Liu Xuefeng, an official at the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, who said on Thursday that the dam has played an important role in increasing the downstream flow of the Yangtze River.

He told the Beijing Daily that from May 20 to 24, the dam accelerated its discharge rate to 10,000 cubic metres per second, and even higher - to 12,000 cubic metres per second - on May 25.

'The drought would have been more severe without the dam,' he said.

Local media has also weighed in on the debate, with People's Daily Online columnist Li Hong lauding the State Council for acknowledging the dam's possible problems.

Financial magazine Caijing argued that the high-profile government project is indeed not a key cause of the drought, but the Chinese public has blamed it anyway to vent their anger over the government's failure to control environmental problems. China's massive development projects, many driven by state giants, have taken a huge toll on its environment, sparking public concern and social unrest.

Last week, protests erupted in Inner Mongolia over damage to traditional pastureland caused by coal mining. Local herders have raised animals there for centuries.

Vice-Minister Li said yesterday that the government will limit development projects in Inner Mongolia and other environmentally vulnerable areas.

'If local enterprises had indeed breached environmental-protection laws, I believe the local government and environmental authorities will certainly mete out serious punishment,' he added.

He also vowed to clamp down on heavy metal pollution from mines and other factories, which has led to entire villages being struck by lead poisoning.

While some of China's environmental indices such as air quality in cities improved last year, the country's 'overall environmental situation is still very grave', Mr Li noted.

'We have entered a period where sudden incidents impacting the environment or pollution accidents are occurring frequently.'

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Tropical 'hotspots' may get too warm to farm

Marlowe Hood Yahoo News 3 Jun 11;

PARIS (AFP) – Climate change is on track to disrupt lifeline food crops across large swathes of Africa and Asia already mired in chronic poverty, according to an international study released Friday.

More than 350 million people face a "perfect storm" of conditions for potential food disaster, warns the report by scientists in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

Temperature increases projected by UN climate scientists could, by 2050, shorten growing seasons below critical thresholds, worsen weather variability, and render many regions dominated by subsistence farming unsuitable for key crops.

If these areas have a history of persistent food shortages to begin with, the mix could be lethal.

"We are starting to see much more clearly where the effect of climate change on agriculture could intensify hunger and poverty," said Patti Kristjanson, a scientist at CGIAR's Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFCS).

Farmers know from experience how to cope with fickle weather patterns by changing planting schedules and moving livestock.

But rapid and major climate shifts may force them to use "entirely new crops or new farming systems," and many may not be able to adapt, Kristjanson said.

The 100-page study identifies potential food crisis "hotspots" by overlaying three kinds of data onto global and regional maps.

One identifies areas likely to heat up beyond optimal conditions -- or even outright tolerance -- for major crops, including rice, maize (corn) and beans.

Average maximum temperatures during growing seasons, for example, are poised to rise above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) across parts of west and southern Africa, India and China by 2050.

In some agricultural zones growing seasons may be shortened by at least five percent, and in others year-on-year variation in rain will likely to exceed 21 percent, both considered viability thresholds for certain crops, the study found.

To assess potential impacts, agricultural density and current food insecurity are also taken into account.

"When you put these maps together, they reveal places around the world where the arrival of stressful growing conditions could be especially disastrous," said Polly Ericksen, a scientist at CGIAR's International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi.

Even in rich nations, climate-related impacts can be highly disruptive -- French livestock farmers, reeling from the most severe spring drought in more than a century, are culling herds for lack of feed.

But in much of Africa and Asia, where farmers are already struggling to meet basic needs, "survival is strongly linked to the fate of regional crop and livestock yields," Ericksen said.

Scientists are working furiously to breed new strains of staple grains that will be able to resist future warming, but some regions may have to shift to new crops altogether to meet nutrition needs, the researchers said.

"The window of opportunity to develop innovative solutions that can effectively overcome these challenges is limited," said Philip Thornton, a scientists at CCAFS and co-author of the study.

"Major adaptation efforts are needed now if we are to avoid serious food security and livelihood problems later."

Climate to wreak havoc on food supply, predicts report
Jennifer Carpenter BBC News 3 Jun 11;

Areas where food supplies could be worst hit by climate change have been identified in a report.

Some areas in the tropics face famine because of failing food production, an international research group says.

The Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) predicts large parts of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa will be worst affected.

Its report points out that hundreds of millions of people in these regions are already experiencing a food crisis.

"We are starting to see much more clearly where the effects of climate change on agriculture could intensify hunger and poverty," said Patti Kristjanson, an agricultural economist with the CCAFS initiative that produced the report.

A leading climatologist told BBC News that agriculturalists had been slow to use global climate models to pinpoint regions most affected by rising temperatures.

This report is the first foray into the field by the CCAFS initiative. To assess how climate change will affect the world's ability to feed itself, CCAFS set about finding hotspots of climate change and food insecurity.

Focusing their search on the tropics, the researchers identified regions where populations are chronically malnourished and highly dependent on local food supplies.

Then, basing their analysis on the climate data amassed by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the team predicted which of these food-insecure regions are likely to experience the greatest shifts in temperature and precipitation over the next 40 years.
Mapping hunger

By overlaying the maps, the team was able to pinpoint which hungry regions of the tropics would suffer most.

With many areas in Africa predicted to become drier, countries such as South Africa which predominately farm maize have the option to shift to more drought resistant crops.

But for countries such as Niger, in western Africa, which already supports itself on very drought resistant crop varieties, like sorghum and millet, there is little room for manoeuvre, explains Bruce Campbell, the director of CCAFS.

"West Africa really stands out as problematic. Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali. They are already dependent on sorghum and millet.

"In many places in Africa you are really going to need [a] revolution in farming systems," he says.

"We need everything we can lay our hands on," said Sir Gordon Conway, professor of international development at Imperial College London.

Governments are aiming to limit the average increase in temperature to 2C by the end of the century, he explained. But if temperatures continue to follow their current trajectories "we are on for a 3-4C increase", Sir Gordon explained.

If this was correct "things get very alarming", the professor said.

Professor Martin Parry, a visiting professor at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, who co-chaired one of the working groups in the IPCC's last climate assessment, responded to the report by saying he thought that CGIAR, the parent body to the CCAFS, had been slow to move into the field of climate change as a key area of research. But he added that this step was very welcome.

But he cautioned: "This gives us a better local picture of where the most vulnerable areas might be… but it doesn't make strong enough connections between the changes in the weather and its impacts on yields."

This made it difficult to plan for adaptations, Professor Parry told BBC News.

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Best of our wild blogs: 3 Jun 11

Moray madness at Tanah Merah
from wild shores of singapore

Encounter with a Brahminy Kite and an Oriental Pied Hornbill
from Bird Ecology Study Group

110602 Bidadari Cemetery and Upper Seletar
from Singapore Nature

I survived my first ICCS talk!
from Toddycats!

Dragonfly (44) - Potamarcha congener
from Nature Photography - Singapore Odonata

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Three green champions receive President's Award for the Environment

Qiuyi Tan Channel NewsAsia 3 Jun 11;

SINGAPORE : Three environment champions - Dr Tan Wee Kiat of NParks, transport provider SMRT, and Woodgrove Secondary School - have been recognised with Singapore's highest "green" honour - the President's Award for the Environment.

Dr Tan played a key role in the gazetting of two nature reserves - Sungei Buloh Wetlands and Labrador Park - and improved access to them with projects like the Park Connector Network, so that people can better appreciate Singapore's green spots.

Now retired, the National Parks Board's (NParks) first CEO said it was an uphill task getting Singaporeans to recognise and value nature as part of national heritage.

"This is a constant battle even till today, where not only from the private sector that sees the nature reserves occupying valuable land from which a monetary value can be abstracted. When you are stewards of nature, you are stewards of Singapore's natural heritage and that is something that requires a long view," said Dr Tan, advisor to the NParks Board.

Dr Tan also led the rejuvenation of the Botanic Gardens, now a premier institution of tropical botany.

He said: "We all contribute in our own little ways. And there is no, I suppose, missionary zeal, in that effort so much. All our efforts are based on self-interest; it just so happens that my self-interest encompasses a broader aspect of our environment."

Over at SMRT, its Green Committee drives the environmental cause throughout the organisation with programmes like the SMRT Eco Heroes, a competition to conserve water and energy, and boost recycling.

And it's not just recycling of paper.

Dawn Low, VP of Commercial Business at SMRT said: "During our mid-life train upgrade, we have a lot of seats which would otherwise go to waste and into the bin. However our staff were very creative, they converted the train seats into benches at the pantry area so that our colleagues can rest in between their shift duties.

"We also donated a couple of train seats to Skate Park so that the public can enjoy (them) and do street art on them."

As for Woodgrove Secondary, hands-on learning about environmental conservation is an integral part of its Geography and Science curricula.

Woodgrove also runs Green camps and workshops for students from other schools.

- CNA /ls

Ex-NParks chief honoured with top environment award
Jessica Cheam Straits Times 3 Jun 11;

A BEAUTIFUL orchid - a gift from his father to his mum - sowed the seeds of his love affair with nature.

Dr Tan Wee Kiat went on to pursue a career in it, leading efforts to develop green spaces in Singapore - an initiative he started in 1990 while helming the National Parks Board (NParks).

From developing the Botanic Gardens into a reputable botanical institution in Asia, to setting up a National Orchid Garden that has become one of the best in the world, projects completed under his watch made sure this little red dot remained green despite its relentless building pace.

For his contributions, Dr Tan, 68, was awarded the President's Award for the Environment by President S R Nathan at a ceremony at the Istana last night. The two other winners were SMRT and Woodgrove Secondary School - recognised for their efforts as environmental leaders.

Mr Cedric Foo, chairman of the award's evaluation committee and an MP, said there was more competition this year for the awards - with 27 nominations, up from 19 last year - and the decision was not easy. 'But all three winners this year stood out for their contributions that went beyond the call of duty,' he said.

Dr Tan, who was NParks' CEO from 1996 to 2006, explained his passion for nature and its preservation: 'There's a constant battle to preserve that bit of nature that we have at the heart of Singapore... and there's always a threat to it.'

He is now adviser to NParks and CEO of Gardens by the Bay.

SMRT, whose award was received by its chief executive Saw Phaik Hwa, was commended for its consistent efforts to reduce its impact on the environment.

The company has managed to reduce its carbon footprint for each passenger from 13.2g per passenger kilometre in the financial year 2010 to 12.8g this year.

Woodgrove Secondary School stood out for the judges for the strong environmental streak in its curriculum. The school has seen its students participating in activities such as weeding and planting in parts of the Mandai Nature Reserve.

Said its principal Sung Mee Har: 'What we hope is that, like how Dr Tan's seed was planted by the sight of a mere flower, we can also plant the seeds in our students to inculcate a consideration for the environment.'

Three 'green' champions win President's Award for Environment
Qiuyi Tan Today Online 3 Jun 11;

SINGAPORE - As the first chief executive officer of the National Parks Board, Dr Tan Wee Kiat had the uphill task of getting Singaporeans to recognise and value nature as part of the national heritage - a task that remains challenging today.

Dr Tan - one of the three environment champions to receive Singapore's highest "green" honour, the President's Award for the Environment - said that, even now, the private sector for one tends to view nature reserves as occupying valuable land, from which a monetary value could be extracted.

He maintained: "When you are stewards of nature, you are stewards of Singapore's natural heritage and that is something that requires a long view."

Now retired, Dr Tan played a key role in the gazetting of two parks as nature reserves - the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Labrador Park. He also improved access to them with projects like the Park Connector Network so that people could better appreciate Singapore's green spots.

Dr Tan also led the rejuvenation of the Botanic Gardens, now a premier institution of tropical botany. "We all contribute in our own little ways. All our efforts are based on self-interest. It just so happens that my self-interest encompasses a broader aspect of our environment," he said with a cheerful laugh.

The other two winners were SMRT and Woodgrove Secondary School, where hands-on learning about environment conservation is an integral part of the geography and science curricula. The school also runs green camps and workshops for students from other schools.

Over at SMRT, its Green Committee drives the environmental cause throughout the organisation, with programmes like the SMRT Eco Heroes, a competition to conserve water and energy and boost recycling.

And when the company upgraded its trains, many of the seats would have been thrown out if not for the resourceful staff, who converted the train seats into benches in the pantry area so that their colleagues could rest in between their shift duties, said SMRT vice-president for commercial business Dawn Low.

A couple of train seats were also donated to Skate Park for the public to rest on - and to also practise street art on them.

Ms Low said SMRT engineers were very creative, fashioning many things out of old train parts. "We've had planters, we've got flower pots, and it's all in the spirit of recycling and also waste minimisation," she said.

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Used syringes: Over 30 found in swamp

Students at Kranji cleanup find syringes with needles attached in single largest haul
Kimberly Spykerman & Jalelah Abu Baker Straits Times 3 Jun 11;

STUDENT volunteers on a coastal cleanup of a Kranji mangrove swamp on May 24 found litter more sinister than the usual plastic bottles and food packaging - more than 30 used syringes, with needles still attached.

The National Parks Board (NParks) could not confirm whether the syringes were found clustered together or scattered across the area, but said this was the biggest number of syringes found in a single cleanup session.

NParks director of conservation Wong Tuan Wah said it is usual to find a syringe or two in each cleanup, but small items such as food and drink packaging or large items like refrigerators are more typically part of the haul.

When contacted, the Singapore American School (SAS), whose students made the find, declined comment. It would say only that its students are briefed on the precautions to take on such cleanups and are under constant adult supervision.

It is understood the students did not touch the syringes, but had alerted an NParks duty officer.

Mr N. Sivasothi, coordinator of International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (ICCS), which has worked with SAS on such trips to the mangroves for the past 20 years, suggested that the syringes could have been washed up, rather than the result of a gathering of drug abusers in the swamp.

'The probability of recreational drug users going to the mangroves is very low. At night, it's very dark, and that part of the Singapore shoreline is not very hospitable,' said Mr Sivasothi, a researcher at the National University of Singapore whose area of interest is mangroves.

The ICCS, which organises coastal cleanups, finds between 30 and 150 syringes a year, most of them on the shores of what are known as 'recreational' beaches, such as East Coast Park and Changi, he added.

NParks said its officer-on-site during cleanups requires all volunteers to put on the rubber boots and gloves provided before each exercise.

Doctors The Straits Times spoke to said the possibility of infection is high if one is pierced with an infected needle.

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital senior consultant Christopher Willis said: 'The most practical way to deal with this is to look around for an empty plastic bottle with a cap, then carefully deposit the needles into the bottle and close the cap.

'If you happen to be near a hospital or clinic, you can deliver the bottle to health-care staff, who will dispose of it.'

It is also safe to deposit the bottle in a rubbish bin, he added.

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) advises members of the public not to handle syringes or needles that they suspect to have been used for drug abuse. The police should be alerted, it said.

Drug abusers here do not commonly 'shoot up' their fixes, but anyone caught with syringes intended for abusing drugs faces up to three years' jail or a $10,000 fine, or both.

The CNB said: 'We would like to warn the public that intravenous abuse of drugs can lead to potential medical complications such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C, HIV infection and limb gangrene.'

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