SPCA executive director steps down

Esther Ng, TODAY Channel NewsAsia 6 Jul 11;

SINGAPORE: After 27 years of lobbying for animal welfare, Ms Deirdre Moss - the face of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) - will be stepping down as its executive director on August 1. That role will be taken up by Ms Corrine Fong, 47, a financial advisory representative.

Ms Moss, 59, said her initial plan was to retire but is in discussions with SPCA's management committee to remain at the society as a freelance consultant and adviser.

"I'm still deciding what I'm going to do next but I'm leaving on a positive note. Things are coming up for animal welfare - many groups and individuals are working in tandem with the Government to improve the environment," she said.

SPCA chairman Carla Barker said the change comes as part of the organisation's succession planning, which was initiated when Ms Moss informed the management committee of her pending retirement at the end of last year.

Ms Barker added that the management committee had unanimously selected Ms Fong based on her track record and experience as volunteer and former board member, as well as her strong executive and personal qualities.

Ms Fong started out volunteering at the SPCA as a kennel helper and then as an animal adoption counsellor and management committee member.

She said: "My top priority is to promote animal welfare and ensure this work is supported with accountable processes and procedures by SPCA and the government agencies which deal with animal welfare. I also intend to collaborate and work very closely with other animal welfare agencies to raise the profile of these vulnerable creatures with the authorities."

The issues include the culling of stray dogs and cats, pet abandonment and abuse and "harsher penalties for unscrupulous breeders".

Ms Fong said: "We will continue to work with conscientious breeders but for those unscrupulous ones, we think the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority and licensing bodies can come down harder on them and step up checks on these breeders."

She aimed to move the organisation forward by strengthening its reputation and capabilities and encouraging greater efficiency, accountability and sustainability, she said.

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Where Earth's 'Missing' Species Can Be Found

Andrea Mustain LiveScience.com Yahoo News 5 Jul 11;

In the first undertaking of its kind, scientists have pinpointed the location of the majority of the world's "missing" plant species — research that has unveiled both good news and bad.

The good news is that the majority of the yet-undiscovered plant species on Earth — scientists estimate an additional 15 percent of the world's 336,000 species of flowering plants still languish in obscurity — live in regions that already receive the lion's share of conservation efforts.

"The bad news comes in that these places are under extreme threat," said Lucas Joppa, a scientist with Microsoft Research in Cambridge, England, whose results are published this week in the July 4 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"These places aren't just places with a lot of species, they're places where habitat loss has occurred to an extreme," Joppa said. "So we've prioritized these places, but the problem is even more serious than we thought. Instead of x number of species, it's x + y number of species."

It's because these unidentified species live in comparatively small numbers in rarified pockets around the globe that they've escaped notice. Think of a cardinal, a showy, plentiful bird with a wide-ranging habitat, versus a tiny, drab-colored bird that lives in only one stretch of forest in Ecuador — it's far easier to find one than the other.

Where the hotspots are

Joppa's research looked at what are known as "biodiversity hotspots" — regions defined, by an influential paper more than a decade ago, as areas around the world that are home to at least 1,500 species found nowhere else on the planet and where at least 70 percent of the natural habitat has been destroyed.

Once those danger zones were identified, the world's conservation organizations naturally focused on those as a priority over other areas, Joppa said. "Basically, they've been trying to figure out where they can get the most bang for their buck around the world in terms of conservation," he said.

Although the hotspot concept revealed areas where identified species were threatened it wasn't known if the world's remaining species — those that have never been described — all lived somewhere else. They could be sitting below the conservation radar, throwing a wrench in the efforts to save Earth's species.

Joppa said his research was a first attempt to quantify those known unknowns. "It's one of the most important elephants in the room for conservation," Joppa said. "Trying to figure out what remains missing is one of the oldest questions in ecology."

To predict where these yet-to-be-found species might dwell, Joppa used a computer model that revealed most of the "missing" species indeed live in biodiversity hotspots. In fact, a whopping 70 percent of the elusive plants live in hotspots in six regions in Central America, South America, southern Africa and Australia.

It didn't have to turn out that way. "We could have found out, 'Oh hey, it turns out the places we've been ignoring have more species than the places we've been concentrating on," Joppa told OurAmazingPlanet.

How the 'missing' were 'found'

Joppa and his co-authors peered back to the beginning of humanity's attempt to classify living organisms, beginning in the 1700s, and followed the path of discovery through history to arrive at their projections for how many plant species actually exist on earth, and, in turn, where the most elusive flowering plants live.

"This is the first model that acknowledges that the species discovery process has an inherent human element," Joppa said. "So things like world wars, and other kinds of massive geopolitical unrest will change the number of species described," because humans are too busy fighting to look for new blooms.

So, if there are indeed more than 50,000 flowering plant species on Earth that no taxonomist has ever pressed in the pages of a book, should anyone care? Why is it important to preserve these species before they're killed off? [Related: 10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye]

"The more we know about ecosystems and they way ecosystems function, the more we know we don't know," Joppa said. "So in the face of that immense uncertainty, it seems exceptionally foolhardy to be tinkering around with things that we don't fully understand."

Study predicts areas of 'missing' species
UPI 5 Jul 11;

DURHAM, N.C., July 5 (UPI) -- Most of the world's "missing" or undiscovered species live in regions already identified by scientists as biodiversity hotpots, a U.S. study says.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests recent conservation efforts have been on target and should reduce uncertainty over global conservation priorities, it authors said.

However, the extinction threat for many of the as-yet undiscovered species is worse than previously feared, they said.

"We show that the majority of the world's 'missing species' are hiding away on some of the most threatened landscapes in the world," said Stuart Pimm, a professor of conservation at Duke University. "This considerably increases the number of threatened and endangered species around the world."

And the world's knowledge of species is seriously incomplete, with many as-yet undiscovered, a Duke release said Tuesday.

"We know we have an incomplete catalogue of life," said lead author Lucas Joppa of Microsoft Research in Cambridge, England, who received his doctorate in ecology from Duke in 2009.

"If we don't know how many species there are, or where they live, then how can we prioritize places for conservation? What if the places we ignore now turn out to be those with the most unknown species?"

The researchers said six regions already identified by conservation scientists as hotspots -- Mexico to Panama; Colombia; Ecuador to Peru; Paraguay and Chile southward; southern Africa; and Australia -- were estimated to contain 70 percent of all predicted missing species.

"How can you save a species you don't even know exists?" Joppa asked. "You can't. But you can protect places where you predict they occur."

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WWF-Malaysia Wants Pulau Upeh Declared Turtle Sanctuary

Bernama 6 Jul 11;

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Bernama) -- A national conservation trust has asked the Melaka government to gazette Pulau Upeh as a turtle sanctuary as the island's beaches are popular nesting sites of the Hawksbill turtle.

WWF-Malaysia said the gazetting of the island must go in tandem with a good management plan and effective implementation of conservation at each of the nesting sites.

It said in a statement that Pulau Upeh also had the potential to become a major eco-tourism draw, and welcomed the recent assurance by the Melaka government to adapt any physical development on the island to the turtle ecology.

"The recognition accorded to Pulau Upeh as the primary nesting ground of the threatened Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is an encouraging measure as any development on the island will not undermine the habitat of the marine animal," it said.

-- BERNAMA

Call to gazette island as turtle site
New Straits Times 6 Jul 11;

KUALA LUMPUR: A national conservation trust has asked the Malacca government to gazette Pulau Upeh as a turtle sanctuary as the island's beaches are popular nesting sites of the Hawksbill turtle.

WWF-Malaysia said the gazetting of the island must be in tandem with a good management plan and effective implementation of conservation at each of the nesting sites.

It said Pulau Upeh also had the potential to become a major eco-tourism draw, and welcomed the recent assurance by the Malacca government to adapt any physical development on the island to the turtle ecology.


"The recognition accorded to Pulau Upeh as the primary nesting ground of the threatened Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is an encouraging measure as any development on the island will not undermine the habitat of the marine animal." -- Bernama

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Sharks facing extinction in Sabah, says expert

The Star 6 Jul 11;

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment’s proposed ban on trade in shark fins should be welcomed and implemented fast said a researcher in fishermen’s socio-economy and Sabah’s maritime civilisation.

Associate Prof Dr Ismail Ali of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) added that Sabah’s waters were at one time – rich in various species of shark including the grey bamboo shark (ikan yu), but are now facing extinction due to overfishing for their fins, meat and jaw.

Ismail, who is also dean of UMS’ Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, said overfishing of sharks was due to the high demand from hotels and well-known restaurants in the state as many tourists from Hong Kong, Korea, China and Japan enjoyed shark’s fin soup.

He added that based on Sabah’s maritime history, fishing and trading in sharks existed since the Sulu sultanate in the 18th century.

“Besides meeting the high demand of the China market for shark fins, sharks are also caught to make salted or dried fish, with Kudat, Sandakan and Semporna being the top producers in the state for these items.”

Ismail cited Semporna, as an example where catching sharks for their fins was routine work, while his research found shark fins being dried openly at many of the wet markets in the state.

“Shops proudly display shark fins to attract consumers while shark jaws are also in demand as decorative or display items,” he observed.

On the effects of fishing and trading in sharks, Ismail said it should be curbed as the presence of sharks in Sabah’s waters was important for balancing the marine ecosystem and biodiversity.

“If fishing of sharks continues to be rampant, it will give a negative image

to the Sabah government which at the same time, is promoting its marine treasures to the world as an attraction.”

He said many countries in the west had since, a long time ago, banned fishing and trading in sharks as they realised the impact of these activities on the marine ecosystem and on humans themselves. — Bernama

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Bahamas bans shark fishing

Frederic J. Brown AFP Yahoo News 6 Jul 11;

The Bahamas on Tuesday announced a ban on shark fishing, becoming the latest country to protect the ancient sea predator which is considered at risk due to demand for its fins in Chinese cuisine.

The Atlantic Ocean archipelago said it was banning the commercial fishing of sharks in its 243,000 square miles (630,000 square kilometers) of water, along with the sale, import or export of shark products.

"People say, 'Why are you supporting sharks? They just eat people and eat other fish.' But in fact there's a lot more to sharks than that," said Neil McKinney, president of the Bahamas National Trust, which manages the country's resources.

"They desperately need protection if we're not going to drive them to extinction," he told reporters in the capital Nassau, pointing to the "extremely important" role that sharks play in balancing the ecosystem.

The US-based Pew Environment group has campaigned around the world to encourage shark protection. Before The Bahamas, Honduras, Maldives and Palau have also declared sanctuaries for sharks.

Environmentalists say that around 73 million sharks are killed each year, generally by hacking off their fins, which can fetch lucrative prices as they are served in Chinese soups as a delicacy.

The Bahamas counts tourism as a major industry and a recent study found that shark diving was already worth $80 million a year, a figure the government hopes will rise once the ban comes into force.

The Bahamas in 1993 banned long-line fishing, which has largely prevented shark fishing. But no specific law prohibited the commercial killing of sharks and environmentalists pressed for action after a seafood company last year said it would start catching the predator for export.

"The Bahamas remains one of the few location in the world where we have a relatively healthy shark population and a great diversity of species still exists, which is important if we're going to keep that population and if they're going to replenish other areas," McKinney said.

California is considering imposing a ban on shark fin sales, which activists hope would have a major effect due to the state's large Chinese American population.

Shark fishing banned in the Bahamas
BBC News 6 Jul 11;

The Bahamas has banned shark fishing in its waters and prohibited the sale, import and export of shark products.

The new law will effectively turn all 630,000 sq km (243,000 square miles) of the nation's territorial waters into a shark sanctuary.

The ban was approved by Agriculture Minister Larry Cartwright in the capital, Nassau, on Tuesday.

The archipelago joins Honduras, the Maldives and Palau in outlawing shark fishing.

The government also increased shark-fishing fines from $3,000 (£1,900) to $5,000.

Sharks are considered at risk due to demand for their fins in Chinese cuisine - some 73 million of the sea predators are killed each year, environmentalists say.
Needing protection

In 1993 the Bahamas banned long-line fishing, which limited shark fishing and protected 40 species of sharks inhabiting its waters.

But shark fishing was not banned outright, and when a local seafood company announced last year that it planned to export shark meat and fins to Hong Kong, activists called for a new law to be introduced.

Environmentalists welcomed the ban. Neil McKinney, president of the Bahamas National Trust, which manages the country's resources, said sharks played an extremely important role in balancing the ecosystem.

"They desperately need protection if we're not going to drive them to extinction," AFP news agency quoted him as saying.

Tourism is a major industry in the Bahamas, and shark-diving earns it $80m a year in revenue, according to a recent survey.

The country's main island, New Providence, is home to Jaws Beach, where one of the Jaws films was shot. Last year, the remains of a boatman who had disappeared off the beach were found in the stomach of a tiger shark caught by an investment banker.

The US-based Pew Environment Group said each reef shark brought some $250,000 to the archipelago's economy.

Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette said he did not think the ban would affect relations with China, which has increased trade with the Bahamas in recent years.

"This is in keeping with the government's commitment to pursue conservation policies and strategies in order to safeguard the marine and terrestrial environment," the Associated Press quoted him as saying.

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Malaysia: Rare bear found in cooking pot

The Star 6 Jul 11;

KUALA LUMPUR: Animal parts believed to be those of the endangered Malayan sun bear have been found in a cooking pot at a restaurant here during a raid by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan).

In the 10.45am raid yesterday, Perhilitan officers seized two pieces of cooked wildlife parts weighing 1.27kg from the restaurant in Jalan Kuching following a tip-off.

The Malayan sun bear is protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act.

The case is being investigated under subsection 68(1)(b) of the Wildlife Conservation Act.

“If found guilty, the individual is liable to a fine up to RM100,000 or imprisonment for a period of not more than three years or both,” said Perhilitan in a statement.

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Haze in Malaysia and Thailand

Haze envelops parts of Penang
The Star 6 Jul 11;

GEORGE TOWN: Several areas in Penang experienced moderate haze conditions with visibility restricted to within four to six kilometres.

Based on information from the Department of Environment's official website, the records taken until 11am showed that the Air Pollution Index (API) in Seberang Jaya here was 84 yesterday.

The air quality in two other areas in Perai and Universiti Sains Malaysia was also at moderate API levels of 70 and 71 respectively.

The API was taken through a 24-hour reading recorded since yesterday and the cause of the haze was due to the prevailing dry weather over the past few days. - Bernama

Selangor air quality affected by Sumatra hotspots; Penang haze worsens
Teh Eng Hock The Star 6 Jul 11;

SHAH ALAM: The air quality in Selangor has been affected by some 250 hotspots in Sumatra, Indonesia.

State executive councillor Elizabeth Wong said the authorities would take strict action against culprits involved in open burning as it would worsen the air pollution in the state.

She said hazy skies might remain for a while due to the hot weather, with the Meteorological Department issuing a warning that there was a high probability of a fire starting.

Wong said the authorities have issued 28 compounds and charged 13 parties in court this year, with another 11 cases to be charged soon.

"Our main concern is peat soil, because peat fires are hard to extinguish. There is no water source nearby, such as rivers, ponds or hydrants," she told reporters Wednesday.

She added that in fire-prone Johan Setia, Klang, a check dam had been set up to expedite the process of extinguishing fires.

"A team from the Klang Municipal Council works until midnight everyday to monitor for fires, and of course we have help from the Department of Environment and the Fire and Rescue Department too," she said.

Meanwhile, in haze conditions continued to worsen in Penang with the air almost reaching unhealthy level in certain areas in the state.

According to the Department of Environment's official website, records taken until 11am showed that the Air Pollution Index (API) in Seberang Jaya here had reached 96, falling short of the unhealthy level of 100, compared to 84 Tuesday.

In Perai and Universiti Sains Malaysia, the API levels were 77, and 80 respectively, up from 70 and 71 a day earlier.

A check with the Malaysian Meteorological Department (Bayan Lepas) found that visibility levels in the state were restricted to between 5km and 7km.

Penang shrouded in haze
New Straits Times 6 Jul 11;

PRAI: The haze is back in Penang.

Readings taken yesterday showed that the Air Pollution Index (API) in Seberang Jaya was 96 with visibility restricted to within two kilometres.

In Universiti Sains Malaysia, the air quality reading stood at 80.

It is believed that the haze was due to the prevailing dry weather over the past few days.

State Department of Environment director Datuk Hassan Mat said the people should, however, not panic. He said it would only be considered dangerous if the API reaches 100.

"As it is now, the reading is still moderate. I hope the people will not be overly worried about the haze situation in the state over the last two days," he said yesterday.

Hassan said the haze situation was expected to continue for the next few days if it does not rain.

He advised the people to refrain from carrying out open burning and factories to reduce the release of smoke.

Haze from Indonesian forest fire blankets southern Thai provinces
MCOT.net 6 Jul 11;

SONGKHLA, July 6 – Thailand’s southern provinces of Songkha and Satun have been blanketed in haze from current Indonesian forest fires.

Thin haze covers a number of areas including a road linking business district of Hat Yai and the Muang Songkhla district, causing poor visibility.

It is believed that the smog came from forest fires in Indonesia swept by the monsoon to the South of Thailand.

The local meteorological department in Songkhla has checked the weather conditions and the fire situation in Indonesia.

According to the department, hundreds of forest fires occurred in the mid- and lower parts of Sumatra. The southwest monsoon, covering Thailand’s southern region, is possibly blowing haze to the lower South of Thailand.

Pol Lt-Col Banjerd Manavej, Inspector of the marine police division said haze has also blanketed Satun province for several days and became intensified on Tuesday. Fishing boats are warned to proceed with caution. (MCOT online news)

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New Green Farming Vital To End Global Hunger: U.N.

Robert Evans PlanetArk 6 Jul 11;

A solid shift to green technologies in world farming is vital if endemic food crises are to be overcome and production boosted to support the global population, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

And as a first step, governments and international agencies should focus on boosting small-scale agriculture in developing countries with support services like rural roads and sustainable irrigation, a report from the world body argued.

"Food security must now be attained through green technology so as to reduce the use of chemical inputs -- fertilizers and pesticides -- and to make more efficient use of energy, water and natural resources," it declared.

The report, the U.N.'s latest World Economic and Social Survey, said a sharp move away from large-scale, intensive systems of agriculture was essential if growing environmental and land degradation was to be halted.

The food crisis of 2007-08 and a price spike this year "have revealed deep structural problems in the global food system and the need to increase resources and innovation in agriculture so as to accelerate food production," the survey declared.

Food output, it said, would have to increase between 70 and 100 per cent by 2050 to sustain a world population that would have grown by 35 per cent from the present 6.9 billion to around 9 billion by that time.

SMALL FARMERS

The main policy focus "should be promotion and development of sustainable agriculture, with an emphasis on small farm holders in developing countries," declared the survey, from the U.N's Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which concentrated on short and medium term solutions to hunger.

"Evidence has shown that for most crops the optimal farm is small in scale and that it is at this level that most gain in terms of both sustainable productivity increases and rural poverty reduction can be achieved," it said.

Presenting the survey, U.N. Under-Secretary General Sha Zukang said in the long-term "large-scale agriculture is the way ahead," adding: "But to get started on the way to sustainability you have to invest in small-scale farming."

Of the nearly one seventh of the global population, some 925 million people who are undernourished -- or lacking access to enough food to make possible an active and healthy life -- 98 per cent live in developing countries, according to the survey.

Two thirds of them are concentrated in seven countries -- Bangladesh, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. Overall, 578 million are in Asia and the Pacific and 239 million in sub-Saharan Africa.

The worst drought in 60 years in the Horn of Africa has sparked a severe food crisis and high malnutrition rates, with parts of Kenya and Somalia experiencing pre-famine conditions, the United Nations said last week.

The survey said achieving food security through "a truly green agricultural revolution" would provide a long-term solution to hunger and malnutrition and ease price volatility while protecting the environment.

It argued that the so-called "green revolution" of the 1960s and 1970s had boosted farm yields as much through intensive practices as through new seed varieties, and had so contributed to the environmental degradation the world suffered today.

(Editing by Stephanie Nebehay and Keiron Henderson)

UN: Only Green Technology Can Avert 'Planetary Catastrophe'
Environment News Service 5 Jul 11;

NEW YORK, New York, July 5, 2011 (ENS) - Humanity is near to breaching the sustainability of Earth, and needs a technological revolution greater and faster than the industrial revolution to avoid "a major planetary catastrophe," warns a new United Nations report.

"The World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The Great Green Technological Transformation," published today by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs calls for investments of at least $1.9 trillion per year to avert this catastrophe.

"It is rapidly expanding energy use, mainly driven by fossil fuels, that explains why humanity is on the verge of breaching planetary sustainability boundaries through global warming, biodiversity loss, and disturbance of the nitrogen-cycle balance and other measures of the sustainability of the Earth"s ecosystem," the report says.

"A comprehensive global energy transition is urgently needed in order to avert a major planetary catastrophe," the report warns.

In his preface to the report, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon writes that "rather than viewing growth and sustainability as competing goals on a collision course, we must see them as complementary and mutually supportive imperatives. This becomes possible when we embrace a low-carbon, resource-efficient, pro-poor economic model."

About half of the forests that once covered the Earth are gone, groundwater resources are being depleted and contaminated, enormous reductions in biodiversity have already taken place," according to the report, and, "through increased burning of fossil fuels, the stability of the planet's climate is being threatened by global warming."

"In order for populations in developing countries to achieve a decent living standard, especially the billions who currently still live in conditions of abject poverty, and the additional 2 billion people who will have been added to the world's population by mid-century - much greater economic progress will be needed," the survey advises.

"Business as usual is not an option," said Rob Vos, the survey's lead author. "Even if we stop the global engines of growth now, resource depletion and pollution of our natural environment would continue because of existing production methods and consumption habits. Without drastic improvements in and diffusion of green technologies, we will not reverse the ongoing ecological destruction and secure a decent livelihood for all of humankind, now and in the future."

To meet both the objectives of conquering poverty and protecting the environment, the World Economic and Social Survey 2011 calls for a complete transformation of technology on which human economic activity is based.

Major investments will be needed worldwide in the developing and scaling up clean energy technologies, sustainable farming and forestry techniques, climate-proofing of infrastructure, and in waste-reduction technologies, the report advises.

This "great green technological transformation" will have to be completed in the next 30 to 40 years - twice as fast as it took to accomplish previous major technological transitions.

Because of the limited time frame, governments will need to play a much more active and stimulating role to accelerate the green energy transformation, the report advises.

The survey says $1.9 trillion per year will be needed over the next 40 years for incremental investments in green technologies. At least $1.1 trillion of that will need to be made in developing countries to meet increasing food and energy demands.

The report finds the commitment set out in the Copenhagen Accord to mobilize $30 billion between 2010 and 2012 and $100 billion per year by 2020 in transfers to help developing countries cope with climate change as a step in the right direction. But delivery on these commitments will need to be accelerated and resources scaled up to ensure developing countries meet the challenge.

The report proposes to build a global public technology-sharing regime and networks of international technology research and application centers.

To rapidly spread green technology, the report says, more multilateral intellectual property rights modalities must be used than presently allowed under the World Trade Organization.

"The need for a technological revolution is both a development and existential imperative for civilization," Vos said. "This is why sustainable development is so important now, because it is not only about making improvements for life today, but also for future generations."

"Technological transformation, greater in scale and achievable within a much shorter time frame than the first industrial revolution, is required," the report states. "The necessary set of new technologies must enable today's poor to attain decent living standards, while reducing emissions and waste and ending the unrestrained drawdown of the Earth's non-renewable resources."

"Staging a new technological revolution at a faster pace and on a global scale will call for proactive government intervention and greater international cooperation," the report urges, adding, "Sweeping technological change will require sweeping societal transformation, with changed settlement and consumption patterns and better social values."

The World Economic and Social Survey comes out annually. Last year's survey called for a major overhaul of the machinery for international finance, aid and trade.

"The World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The Great Green Technological Transformation." http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wess/index.shtml

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Best of our wild blogs: 5 Jul 11

9-10 Jul (Sat & Sun): Biodiversity talks at the Botanic Gardens
from Celebrating Singapore's BioDiversity!

Underwater garden of Sentosa at Serapong
from wonderful creation and wild shores of singapore and Psychedelic Nature

Revisiting the Mantidfly!
from Macro Photography in Singapore

Little Grebe feeding on fish
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Monkey see, monkey do: Monkeys open lids of recycling bins at MacRitchie Park
from The Lazy Lizard's Tales

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Additional $140 million for water research

Jessica Cheam Straits Times 5 Jul 11;

SINGAPORE has pumped fresh money into local water research to keep its edge as the leader in water technologies.

The sector will receive $140 million to promote research and development (R&D) efforts, with the aim of converting these ideas into practical water solutions, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said yesterday.

That would in turn attract more investment and create more jobs in the industry.

The fresh funds allocated by the National Research Foundation (NRF) will bring the total R&D budget for the sector to $470 million.

Mr Tharman made the announcement at the opening ceremony of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW). Into its fourth year, the high-profile event features new water technologies and brings together global experts and leaders who will discuss how to cope with issues such as rising water demand.

Speaking to an audience of 1,800 last night, Mr Tharman said it is important to continue investing in R&D, even if 'the gestation periods can be long before the pay-offs to new technologies are realised'.

'The journey towards water security will always be a work-in-progress for Singapore, as new challenges emerge in the urban environment,' said Mr Tharman, who is Finance and Manpower Minister.

But such challenges are not unique to Singapore, he pointed out. 'Cities around the world will have to contend with issues such as weather extremities in the context of urbanisation, increasing water demand and higher public expectations.'

Singapore, for instance, has had to grapple with the problem of flooding. Just last month, heavy rainfall submerged parts of eastern and central Singapore, including the Tanglin-Cuscaden area. A panel of experts has since been set up to review the island's drainage system and flood-prevention measures.

In 2006, the NRF was set up with a five-year $5 billion budget, and had set aside $330 million for water research.

Last year, it received a $16.1 billion injection for 2011 to 2015 to support research, innovation and enterprise. The $140 million will come out of this fund.

Mr Tharman noted that under the NRF's initiatives, some water projects funded include research into membranes used to sieve out impurities in water, and seawater desalination that uses less energy.

With these fresh investments, Mr Tharman said Singapore is hopeful that it will hit its goal of growing the economic contribution from the water sector from $500 million in 2003 to $1.7 billion by 2015. It also hopes for a doubling of jobs to 11,000 in the industry by then.

Besides investing in R&D, countries can also see challenges as opportunities, said Mr Tharman.

He cited the Netherlands's Delta Programme, which acquires land for the temporary storage of excess river water. When dry, these areas double up as parkland for recreational activities.

There is a similar initiative in Singapore, he said. The Active, Beautiful, Clean or ABC Waters programme, driven by national water agency PUB, transforms 'utilitarian drains and canals into beautiful and vibrant rivers and streams'.

He also called for a closer collaboration between the public sector, academia and private sector firms.

One example is the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance set up in 2007 by the National University of Singapore, consultancy firm Deltares and PUB. The tie-up aims to develop solutions for the urban water cycle, and it will launch a new Aquatic Science Centre - the first in Asia - tomorrow.

'By working across boundaries... we can potentially fast-track the development of solutions at a lower total cost, and make the challenge less daunting for everyone,' he said.

Earlier in the day, Environment Minister Vivian Balakrishnan attended the South-east Asia Water Ministers Forum, part of the SIWW.

He noted that issues of water management have become increasingly important because South-east Asian countries are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events, due to their extensive, heavily populated coasts.

'(The) forum is a stepping stone towards greater commitment in resolving some of these issues,' he said.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will address SIWW delegates today

Water R&D to get boost
Ryan Huang Channel NewsAsia 4 Jul 11;

SINGAPORE: Research and development in Singapore's water sector is set to receive a boost.

This comes in a fresh funding of S$140 million from the National Research Foundation.

This is on top of the S$330 million previously committed in 2006.

The news was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who stressed the importance of investing in new technologies for the long term.

Mr Tharman was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2011.

Finding new ways to develop sustainable water solutions will be key to Singapore's water security, and the government believes continued investment in the sector will be crucial towards this goal.

It is raising the amount committed to promote R&D in the sector by nearly 50 per cent to a total of S$470 million.

DPM Tharman, who is also Minister for Finance and Manpower, said: "So far, the projects funded under this initiative include those looking into domains like advanced membrane processes, bio-mimicry and low-energy seawater desalination.

"We are hopeful that with these investments, we will achieve our goal of growing the value-added contribution from this sector from S$0.5 billion in 2003 to S$1.7 billion by 2015, and doubling jobs in the sector to 11,000 by then".

Another key factor to grow the industry involves the private sector.

One latest example is the award of a contract by national water agency PUB to ST Electronics.

This is to create a system to help it manage its resources better.

Called an Intelligent Water Management System, it aims to enhance PUB's capability to integrate real-time information on water resources in Singapore and manage water operations across the entire water supply, water catchment, used water and drainage systems more efficiently.

The project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2012.

Another example is through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) such as the Ulu Pandan NEWater Plant, which involved Keppel Seghers.

This is typically a contract between a public sector agency and a private party, where the private party takes on significantly more financial, technical and operational risk in the project.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said: "The way we have organised our water supply system has got several lessons for many other countries.

"More recently, we've used public private partnerships, or PPP, for short, to involve the private sector in the desalination as well as the production of NEWater, so our companies like Hyflux, Sembcorp and Keppel Corp, have entered into contracts with PUB.

"These are complicated contracts and I'm not saying that they are easy to execute but if done properly, it provides an avenue to involve the private sector ingenuity, latest technology as well as commercial discipline in order to produce water more efficiently, and ultimately, at an affordable rate for our consumers".

Another advantage of PPPs is it allows local companies to build up a track record.

This gives them a competitive edge when they bid for contracts overseas.

These are just some of the main reasons for Singapore's success in the PPP model and why it is attracting interest from other countries.

-CNA/wk

Another $140m for water technology research

Extra funding meant to further spur quest for sustainable water solutions: Tharman
Lynn Kan Business Times 5 Jul 11;

(SINGAPORE) Water technology research here will get a further $140 million fillip from the National Research Foundation (NRF), to make its total budget $470 million.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday announced that the funding on top of the $330 million committed in 2006 is meant to further spur the industry's growth.

Singapore has targets to grow the sector's value-add contribution from $500 million in 2003 to $1.7 billion by 2015, and double jobs in the sector to 11,000.

The guardian of the earmarked research funding is the specialised Environment and Water Industry Programme Office (EWI), set up in 2006 to help get breakthrough research solutions off the ground.

The EWI has to date funded 64 R&D projects, three start-ups, six research centres and 38 scholarships.

Said the EWI: 'All of these projects are in different stages of development, ranging from fundamental research to demonstration plants close to commercialisation. Funding of these projects is a continual process and we are happy to receive the top-up of $140 million to expand the budget for R&D.'

At the opening ceremony of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) last night, Mr Tharman emphasised the importance of investing in new water technologies to urban living environs.

'We have to continue investing in technology and R&D aimed at developing sustainable water solutions - even if this means taking a long-term view, as the gestation periods can be long. And the payoffs to new technologies are sometimes realised only after a considerable amount of time,' he said.

Mr Tharman also urged public sector, academia and industry players to forge closer collaborations to hit upon the right solutions for urban eco-systems.

'By working across boundaries - of geography between cities, of technologies across sciences, and of knowledge across academia, the public sector and industry - we can potentially fast-track the development of solutions at a lower total cost, and make the challenge less daunting for everyone,' he said.

Mr Tharman highlighted some of such partnerships which have been around in Singapore for some years.

One of the latest efforts is the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance, a partnership between the National University of Singapore (NUS), consultancy Deltares and national water agency PUB.

The Water Alliance combines perspectives from academics and the public sector to carry out research. Tomorrow, it opens its new Aquatic Science Centre, which will conduct research as well as encourage the public to interact with scientists.

Research centres have also been set up here by 23 companies, among whom are GE Water, Siemens Water Technologies, Toray and Hyflux. These undertake research in 'close collaboration with our universities and public sector agencies', he said.

This year's (fourth) SIWW is the largest since the event started in 2008, with over 600 companies exhibiting at the Water Expo.

Last year, SIWW welcomed over 14,000 trade delegates from over 110 countries. Altogether, more than $2.8 billion in projects and investments were secured at last year's event.

PUB to set up centre for water-linked problems
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 5 Jul 11;

A NEW centre that can plug water-related problems faster - from floods to burst pipes and damaged treatment plants - will be set up next year.

The project by national water agency PUB and home-grown company ST Electronicsis expected to be ready in the second half of next year.

While both PUB and ST Electronics declined to reveal the location and cost of the centre, what is known is that its staff will be able to monitor the water-supply network, treatment plants and flood- monitoring systems all at the same time.

Once a problem is identified, field teams will be sent to the site, with updates of the shortest route obtained via Global Positioning System and live traffic feeds.

They will also be given equipment to transmit video and sound back to the centre. 'This will enable the officers to make more accurate decisions based on live information from the ground,' said an ST Electronics spokesman.

Last month, intense rain caused the worst flood seen here this year. The perceived increase in the number of floods in the past year has also led some to question if government agencies were up to the task of solving the problem.

The Government has said it will speed up improvement works in flood-prone areas. It also appointed a panel of 11 local and foreign experts to look into the drainage system and flood prevention measures.

PUB said the new centre was not in response to the recent floods but is part of a larger, ongoing project called the Intelligent Water Management System which includes a previously announced SMS flood alert system.

PUB's assistant chief executive of operations Tan Yok Gin said it was too early to comment on how much time the centre would save in handling problems.

The centre taps existing infrastructure such as water sensors in drains and canals that signal possible floods, and automated meter readers and mechanisms that monitor water use.

'We've already built up the hardware, now we're looking at ways to combine the different systems to increase our efficiency,' said Mr Tan.

Currently, an employee who wants to access different data has to log into multiple systems. For example, for water leaks, he would have to check which pipe has been damaged, which households or firms are supplied by the pipe, and then alert the appropriate department to notify the affected people.

The centre will house the different systems under one roof at first. The data sets will be integrated into a single system at a later stage.

The ST Electronics spokesman said the centre could be replicated in other cities.

The company's president Lee Fook Sun said increasing urbanisation was putting stress on infrastructure in cities worldwide.

The United Nations has estimated that 70 per cent of the world's population will live in cities by 2050, up from 50 per cent today.

'Centres like this can help them remain clean and secure,' Mr Lee said.

Singapore has hand in new WHO guidelines on drinking water
Grace Chua Straits Times 5 Jul 11;

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) unveiled a new set of guidelines on drinking water quality here yesterday - with Singapore playing a role in the drafting of the document.

The Republic lent its water management expertise, including desalination experience, to the drafting of the document.

It provided an expert and hosted three technical meetings to hammer out the fourth edition guidelines, which were released yesterday on the first day of Singapore International Water Week (SIWW).

Many countries, including Singapore, use the WHO document as the basis when they set their national standards and regulations on water.

The guidelines, meant for regulators and water utility companies, describe ways to keep water safe and the main risks to safe drinking water.

On desalination, they offer recommendations for treating and storing the desalinated water.

The WHO's decision to launch the guidelines - last updated in 2004 - at the SIWW reflects the event's growing stature.

Singapore's involvement in the drafting of the document also reflects the recognition it has earned for its water management expertise.

Singapore's contribution to the WHO document stems from a cooperation agreement it signed with the global public health organisation in 2007 to share its water expertise.

Professor John Fawell, an independent expert on the WHO committee that drew up the guidelines, said yesterday that Singapore's involvement 'has been very significant'.

Completion of the document would not be possible, he said, without experts like National University of Singapore toxicologist Ong Choon Nam and others from national water agency PUB.

Desalination, which supplies about 10 per cent of water here, is a key component of the Republic's water strategy. The first desalination plant in Tuas opened just six years ago and the ground-breaking for a bigger second plant takes place today.

More countries, such as Australia and Saudi Arabia, are also turning to desalination to meet their water needs.

The WHO guidelines launched yesterday also cover risks such as climate change and contamination by pharmaceutical drugs.

At least 884 million people around the planet do not have access to safe drinking water, and another two million die every year of water-borne diarrhoeal illnesses, said WHO coordinator Robert Bos.

The new guidelines provide the most help to these vulnerable groups, he said.

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Sea Turtle Smugglers Hooked in Bali

Made Arya Kencana Jakarta Globe 5 Jul 11;

Denpasar. Maritime police arrested three men on Monday as they allegedly attempted to smuggle 18 live green sea turtles into Bali, where a taste for illegal turtle meat is supporting an underground trade, police said.

Police, noticing some “unusual unloading activities” from their patrol boat, approached the men as they reportedly offloaded the endangered reptiles onto a beach at Tanjung Benoa Bay.

Three men — Gede Kole, 30, Gusti Ngurah Datia, 35, and Nyoman Sugira, 44 — were arrested and charged with wildlife smuggling, police said.

A fourth man, identified as Sudir, fled the scene in the boat.

“Our priority was to rescue the turtles first,” said Sr. Comr. Agus Duta, head of Bali Police’s maritime division.

“As for the fugitive, we’re on his trail.”

The men face up to five years in prison and fines totaling Rp 100 million ($11,700), Argus said.

According to Agus, the men claimed to know nothing about the turtle’s eventual destination.

It is also unknown if there were more turtles still on the boat when Sudir fled, Agus said.

“They all claim they were hired expressly to unload the turtles from the ship,” he said. “They say they don’t know anything more than that.”

The demand for live sea turtles has given rise to a black market in Bali, where animals the size of those seized can fetch prices as high as Rp 5 million a head, said Tamen Sitorus, head of the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).

In 1999, the government passed a nationwide ban on the sea turtle trade.

But high demand drove the practice underground, where animal traffickers trap live turtles off the coasts of Sulawesi and East Java to smuggle them into Bali.

The turtles were commonly sacrificed in traditional Balinese Hindu ceremonies.

In 2009, Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika proposed an annual quota of 1,000 sea turtles for sacrificial ceremonies. The measure was shot down.

Police believe this shipment of turtles was destined for Bali’s dinner plates.

“We suspect the turtles were headed for restaurants here where they illegally serve turtle meat,” Agus said.

The BKSDA estimates that the turtles were at least 10 years old and were caught off the coast of Sulawesi.

Green sea turtles can live up to 80 years in the wild.

The agency released 16 of the reptiles back into the sea on Monday afternoon. The remaining two turtles were sent to the agency’s turtle conservation center on Serangan Island, where they will be used as evidence against the alleged smugglers.

Nationwide, the number of smuggling cases remains high, in spite of the nationwide ban, Tamen said.

In May, officers seized 150 kilograms of turtle meat aboard a boat hailing from Madura Island in East Java.

In January, police foiled an attempt to smuggle in 38 live turtles aboard another boat from Madura Island.

And in November last year, Bali police seized a shipment of 87 live green sea turtles being smuggled into the resort island from Sulawesi.

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Indonesia: Illegal Monkey Trade in Bali Raises Concerns

Made Arya Kencana Jakarta Globe 4 Jul 11;

Denpasar. Bali is fast becoming a key hub in the illegal primate trade, with more than 200 endangered Javan lutungs trafficked through the resort island every month, animal rights activists claimed on Sunday.

In a protest at Denpasar’s Badjra Sandhi monument, activists from the group ProFauna brandished posters reading “Stop the Trade in Primates” and “We Are Not for Sale.”

Rosek Nursahid, chairman of the nongovernmental organization, said most of the endangered primate species being traded both within the country and overseas were caught in protected habitats, thus threatening the survival of many species in the wild. He said that Bali was growing in prominence as a trading hub for lutungs, which he claimed were poached from the Baluran and Meru Betiri national parks in Banyuwangi district in neighboring East Java.

More than 200 of the primates are trafficked through Bali each month, mostly for human consumption, according to ProFauna, citing research it has done.

“This is a dire threat to the survival of the species,” Rosek said. “Their meat is widely believed to be a cure for asthma, although there is no scientific evidence to support this view at all. It’s also considered to go well with the local moonshine.”

He urged a massive public awareness campaign by the Bali administration to help stop the trade in lutungs. Rosek cited the success of a similar campaign to save the green sea turtle, which had previously been threatened by poaching for food and as sacrificial animals in Balinese Hindu rites.

“We hope the Balinese authorities can do for the lutungs what they did for the turtle some years ago, when they ended the trapping and hunting of the animal for food,” Rosek said.

In addition to the lutung, he added, other species facing extinction due to the illegal wildlife trade included the Sumatran orangutan, the silvery gibbon and the Javan slow loris. All three are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which outlaws their trade. The silvery gibbon and Javan slow loris are classified as vulnerable species, while the orangutan is classified as critically endangered — just one step away from extinction.

Rosek said that despite the prohibition, these primates were being illegally exported to the Middle East, Taiwan, Hong Kong Malaysia and Singapore, fetching from Rp 200,000 ($23) for a lutung or loris to Rp 1 million for a gibbon and Rp 2 million for an orangutan.

“Our concern is that once they arrive in these importing countries, the animals are ‘laundered’ for sale in the legal pet trade, which is where the dealers make their profit,” he said.

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