Public service and civil society: The lines are starting to blur

The public service and civil society are beginning to collaborate more - and that can only be good for all
Eugene K B Tan Today Online 25 Jul 11;

Earlier this month, there were two contrasting stories about how Singaporeans and ministries and government agencies were engaging each other on matters that they are concerned with.

First, the Ministry of National Development (MND) announced on July 11 that it would form an inter-agency task force to review pet ownership and stray animal management policies. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority will collaborate with the Cat Welfare Society and three town councils in piloting the Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme as an alternative means of managing stray cats.

The MND explained that the review of pet ownership and stray animal management policies occurs against the backdrop of "growing public awareness and concern for animals". Different stakeholders will be engaged to address their problems and concerns.

The review is ultimate objective is "to create a conducive shared living environment for everyone". This presumably includes animals as well as residents regardless of whether they were animal lovers or not. This tentative shift of a long-standing policy followed an extended period of engagement by animal welfare groups on the issue.

The MND's approach is an attempt at what has been termed "service co-creation". In essence, it is about a Government and civil society partnership, with collaboration and cooperation being the hallmarks in the delivery of public services or in the formulation of policies at the municipal and national level.

It is very much about tapping the social capital, local knowledge and domain expertise within a community to benefit the community, while enhancing the stock of social capital in the process. Co-creation also acknowledges the limitations of the Government in delivering public services, and that money alone is inadequate in the effective and efficacious delivery of public services with a human touch.

Grassroots expertise can be a force multiplier in service delivery. Service co-creation can also lower the "transaction costs" of delivering public services because it seeks to tap local knowledge and work with the local community which has a vested interest in the outcomes.

CITIZENS WANT IN

Driving this trend is the desire of citizens to be involved and not be a mere digit in policy-making and policy implementation.

As a society matures, post-material considerations become more important. People increasingly seek self-fulfillment, self-actualisation and to be consulted on issues that concern them or affect their communities. This sense of involvement and engagement is an important manifestation of active citizenry.

In Singapore's context, service co-creation is not a wholly new idea - the "many helping hands" approach to social service is a good example. Yet beyond the social services sector, the question has been: How keen is the public service to reach out and collaborate in a substantive manner? If "collaboration" is more form than substance, this may put the brakes on service co-creation because community partners are likely to shy away from lip service.

The May General Election might just have been the catalyst for action. Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, in a speech to public officers a week after the GE, noted that it was "neither effective nor sustainable" for the public service to try to solve problems on its own. The public service needed to "create an environment where public officers can work hand-in-glove with the people they serve to address the issues and create greater public value".

DPM Teo added that an engaged citizenry "will provide the foundation for a more resilient and cohesive society".

We can certainly expect more service co-creation; it may well be the next big thing in active citizenry. This year's HeritageFest and the SportsVision 2030 are examples of the larger effort of consultation, collaboration and engagement.

But the modalities of collaboration will have to be worked out, as there cannot be a one size fits all approach. Both Government and civil society must approach service co-creation with open minds, and realise it may not be suitable in all instances. There must be realistic expectations about what service co-creation can do - and what it cannot do.

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

In this regard, the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) engagement of a group of Maplewoods condominium residents who had been seeking to relocate a MRT launch shaft away from their property is insightful. The residents proposed that the launch shaft - needed to lower and launch tunnel boring machines for construction of the underground Downtown Line 2 - be located instead at Sixth Avenue, a few blocks away.

Regretfully, that proposal smacked of a "not in my backyard" mindset. The relocation proposal would require the acquisition and demolition of 10 shophouse units at Sixth Avenue, or for the occupants to move elsewhere while construction takes place with the shophouses to be rebuilt later.

Such a move apparently would delay the project by 38 months and add S$500 million to the projected total cost of S$12 billion. The LTA also responded in a 10-page letter detailing measures to minimise the adverse impact of the construction of the King Albert Park MRT Station. In the meantime, the LTA halted drilling work for a month as it consulted and engaged residents on their concerns.

In service co-creation, a key question that will have to be addressed is whether the relationship is one of equal partners. Certainly, each partner will bring its strengths to the table and it may not be helpful to talk in terms of who is in charge. But the reality is that the Government will ultimately be held responsible, especially if things turn out badly. So, cautiousness on the part of the public service is not surprising.

Yet, service co-creation is important for the public service and for Singapore. The public service does not have the monopoly on wisdom, and the public policies ultimately must serve the people and engender buy-in.

At the same time, service co-creation requires more than just volunteerism on the part of the community. It is about being involved, responsible and steadfast to the commitment undertaken. Volunteerism may lack the degree of accountability needed for a sustained delivery of high-quality public services.

When co-creation has taken root, we can look at such services as community generated, delivered and consumed. The distinction between what is public and what is people sector will be blurred.

Eugene K B Tan is assistant professor of law at the Singapore Management University School of Law.

Read more!

Greening of Singapore still going strong

'Majulah! The Singapore Spirit' is the theme of this year's National Day Parade. In the third of a four-part series, The Straits Times is featuring one of four Singapore icons which embody this onward, progressive spirit
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 25 Jul 11;

HIGH on the summit of Mount Faber is a tree that turns 40 this year.

It is a rain tree, thick with a massive crown, indistinguishable from thousands that dot every part of Singapore.

It is the tree that helped give birth to a movement. It was Nov 7, 1971. The late Dr Goh Keng Swee, who was acting prime minister then, took up a spade, put the sapling into the ground and declared the first-ever Tree Planting Day under way.

What followed was a 'mass production of trees', said National Parks Board (NParks) chief executive Poon Hong Yuen, 41.

More than a million trees took root here, not just rain trees but also sea apple trees, acacias and pong pongs. There were also fruit trees - coconuts, pomelos, rambutans and mangosteens, each tempting the light-fingered and hungry.

They found their place in housing estates and along expressways, in Orchard Road and even Changi Airport.

It was a plan coming to fruition.

'After independence, I searched for some dramatic way to distinguish ourselves from other Third World countries,' former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew wrote in his 2000 memoir, From Third World To First. 'I settled for a clean and green Singapore.'

The trees not only provided food but also offered shade, lowered the temperature of the country in the tropics and boosted the morale of Singaporeans who took pride in the verdant city.

Some even fell in love.

Mr Abdul Harim, 51, has worked for NParks for more than 25 years. He leads a group of specialists who inspect damaged trees in Singapore.

'I grew up in a kampung surrounded by trees,' he said. 'You learn that trees are like humans, each one is unique.'

Following his calling, he went to the National University of Singapore (NUS), graduated with a degree in science with honours in botany and joined NParks.

Tree Planting Day lasted 20 years, replaced in 1990 by Good Environment Week. The new name reflected an expansion to include waste, noise and ozone pollution control, but trees remained at the heart of it.

'Nature reserves are a natural heritage of Singapore that have not been cared for in a manner that they should have been,' said then NParks chief Tan Wee Kiat a year into the new programme.

Seeds from Bukit Timah Nature Reserve were planted in Upper Peirce to reforest it. The Ministry of National Development launched a census to keep track of plant biodiversity here.

The repair work continues today.

Next Sunday, work will start on a green bridge to connect two parts of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, which was bisected in 1987 by an expressway. Under a plan to link green spaces, there will be 300km of park connectors built by 2015.

'We did a lot of damage in the name of progress,' said Professor Leo Tan, director of special projects at the NUS science faculty. He co-edited the first encyclo-paedia on Singapore's biodiversity which was launched last week.

A joint study by NUS and the University of Adelaide last year found that Singapore had destroyed 90 per cent of its forests in the past three decades. It named the Republic the worst environmental offender out of 179 countries surveyed.

There have been other naysayers. Earlier this year, Dr Geh Min, the former president of the Nature Society (Singapore) and a former Nominated MP, told The Straits Times that the Government's 'top-down' approach to greenery does not convey respect for nature.

'Instead, it's the feeling that you can create anything if you have the money,' she said.

Mr Poon disagreed then. 'Almost half of our country is green. We increased the number of trees and shrubs at a time when the population exploded by 60 per cent. Rather than 'artificial', I would say it's 'extraordinary', the product of sheer will and hard work.'

And it continues. About 10,000 saplings are planted each year by NParks alone. Last year, Sembcorp Industries sponsored the Sembcorp Forest of Giants at Telok Blangah Hill Park. Families adopt trees for their children as gifts or wedding presents. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore's billion-dollar ode to greenery, will open its doors next year.

In 2009, the United Nations praised Singapore's efforts over the years: 'Greenery can be found here in every nook and cranny.'

For Mr Harim, the love endures.

He said he will check on the trees here as long as he can, with his plain screw-driver and more advanced tools.

He said: 'You love it, you put your heart into it. That's all there is to it.'

Read more!

Consider other sources of dinosaur fossils

Straits Times Forum 25 Jul 11;

THE Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research is a little-known but fantastic nature museum.

When my children were younger, I took them there a few times. They, especially my elder son, were very intrigued by the wide range of life-sized specimens, some of which belonged to rare or endangered species

I am sure that the visits helped to inspire my son's love for science.

A few years back, my children and I visited a dinosaur museum in China's Hubei province. After viewing the indoor exhibits - we were wowed by the huge, complete fossils - we were led to a hilly area to see many other dinosaur and dinosaur egg fossils still buried there.

Yes, Singapore should have dinosaur fossils in its own museum. No matter how many dinosaur books a child reads or how many dinosaur shows he watches, the experience can never be the same as seeing fossils with his own eyes.

Raffles Museum should look into alternative ways to acquire dinosaur fossils. Look to China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan or even some African countries. Don't just pay and get the bones back, but have Singaporean scientists and students work with the locals to do the excavation, reconstruction and preservation work.

With a fraction of the $12 million cited, we would not only have a large number of Singaporeans experiencing the process at first hand, but also have them helping the local community to preserve their history.

Chen Bin

Is spending $12m on bones the best option?
Straits Times Forum 25 Jul 11;

THE main focus of any museum is to attract as many visitors as possible, educate them and create interest in disciplines such as science, culture, history and the arts.

The question, as Ms Ong Sor Fern ("What have dinosaurs got to do with S'pore?"; July 16) rightly pointed out, is whether spending such a significant portion of the budget is the best choice or not.

If we give $1 to each visitor to encourage participation and interest from the public, the $12m or much less would go a long way.

I am not suggesting that should be the way to spend the money, but it surely beats a set of imported bones.

Lo Chung

Alternative ways to inspire and awe
Straits Times Forum 25 Jul 11;

WHILE I have no doubt that dinosaur fossils would awe and draw crowds, I wonder if that is all we are expecting from the natural history museum ("Museum's $12m race for dino family"; July 10).

The museum is not simply an institution that educates the next generation about matters of zoological and evolutionary importance. It has a responsibility to maintain its position as the guardian of one of the largest collections of South-east Asian fauna in the region.

Surprisingly missing from the discussion thus far is what alternative we can have to inspire and awe.

What about the whale bone so entrenched in the collective memories of the older generation? Why has there been no discussion to bring this memorable exhibit back to Singapore?

The natural history museum needs to look beyond nature and insert history into its agenda. That might be one way it can remain relevant to Singaporeans as a guardian of our common history and collective memories.

Fiona Tan (Ms)

Read more!

Malaysia: Firefly conservation in the mangroves

Group takes a shine to fireflies
New Straits Times 24 Jul 11;

TAIPING: A team of firefly conservationists is going all out to bring the 'light' back to the mangroves.

The team calls itself KECAP, or "Pertubuhan Kelip-kelip Cahaya Alam Perak", which is working with the Malaysian Nature Society to educate and rope in the locals of Kampung Dew, near here, in firefly conservation efforts right in their backyard.

Kampung Dew is among several known areas with a thriving colony of fireflies.

Here, fireflies can be found flitting along the riverbank of the Matang Mangrove Forest and live in harmony with the locals, including fishermen and plantation workers, who depend on the mangrove habitat for their livelihood.

KECAP consists of 19 members, including patron Datuk Rosli Husin, the state assemblyman for Trong and Bukit Gantang Umno division chief. It was formed in February.

MNS president Professor Dr Maketab Mohamed told the New Straits Times yesterday that MNS, KECAP and the state government were cooperating in promoting Kampung Dew's firefly colony. The parties had now embarked on a programme called "Pesta Kelip-Kelip 2011" (Firefly Festival).

The main objective of the festival, which was launched here yesterday, is to raise awareness on the importance of the fireflies and their habitats.

Maketab said there was great concern for the rapid loss of mangroves, fresh water and peat swamps along the river systems in the country and its effect on the fireflies.

A thriving firefly colony would also provide a means for the locals of Kampung Dew to promote the village to nature lovers.

Read more!

Malaysia: First satellite tagging of proboscis monkey in Borneo

The Star 24 Jul 11;

SANDAKAN: The Sabah Wildlife Department and Danau Girang Field Centre have fitted a satellite tag on a proboscis monkey in the Kinabatangan region as part of its conservation initiative for the primate endemic in Borneo.

The department's director Dr Laurentius Ambu said this was the first time in Borneo that a proboscis monkey was tagged with a satellite device.

"It is the start of a long-term research and conservation programme initiated by our department and the Danau Girang Field Centre and funded by Sime Darby Foundation," he said in a statement here Sunday.

Ambu said the programme was extremely important for the conservation of the proboscis monkey, an endangered species in Borneo.

He said one of the outputs would be the presentation of results at an international workshop on the conservation of proboscis monkeys in Borneo that would be organised in Kota Kinabalu at the end of the programme.

"We fully appreciate the support of Sime Darby Foundation for this programme as well as the Malaysian Palm Oil Council and Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort which support our Wildlife Rescue Unit involved in fieldwork," added Ambu.

The department's Chief Wildlife Veterinarian Dr Senthilvel Nathan said the 24kg male was caught by members of the Wildlife Rescue Unit and Danau Girang Field Centre personnel during the course of a proboscis monkey programme last week.

The programme was a collaboration between the department, the field centre and Cardiff University.

"We will catch proboscis monkeys in the whole state to collect blood for genetic analyses and parasite identification, saliva for viruses and bacteria, ectoparasites and morphometric data.

"We will also fit 10 individuals with satellite tags in the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary," added Nathan.

Meanwhile, the field centre's director, Dr Benoit Goossens, said the satellite tagging was to fully understand the ranging patterns of proboscis monkeys and the "stressors impacting their movements and density."

This was to determine the adequate amount of habitat available in order to sustain a continuous viable population in the Kinabatangan region, he added.

One of the objectives is to identify the effectiveness of conservation corridors versus simple river buffer and to produce a model that can be used in conjunction with other projects.

It is also to report on the effective conservation development of the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. - Bernama

Monkey gets a satellite collar
Roy Goh New Straits Times 24 Jul 11;

KINABATANGAN: Sabah's wildlife preservation programme marked another milestone when a proboscis monkey was the first of its species to be tagged with a satellite device.

It was the eighth animal tagged, either with a satellite device or a radio collar this year in the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary here and the Danum Valley Research Centre in Lahad Datu.

A state Wildlife Department team coordinated the operation, which was jointly carried out with the Danau Girang Field Centre with funding from Sime Darby Foundation, in an effort to learn more about the species and find better ways to preserve it in the wild.

The other species tagged were a slow loris, a tarsier, a crocodile, a clouded leopard, a sun bear and an elephant.

Department director Dr Laurentius Ambu said it was the first time a proboscis monkey was tagged on the island of Borneo, the only place where the species is found.

"This programme is vital for the conservation of the proboscis monkey in Sabah, an endemic and endangered species in Borneo."

Its chief veterinarian Dr Senthilvel Nathan said the tagged monkey was a healthy 24kg male.

"We will catch more proboscis monkeys to collect samples of blood for genetic analysis and parasite identification, saliva for viruses and bacteria, ectoparasites and morphometric data.

"We plan to tag 10 animals in the sanctuary."

Danau Girang director Dr Benoit Goosens said the satellite tagging would allow them to track the ranging patterns of the wildlife and its movements.

"This could help determine the adequate size of the habitat available to sustain a continuous viable population in the Kinabatangan region.

"We also want to identify the effectiveness of conservation corridors versus a simple river buffer and to produce a model which can be used in conjunction with other projects."

Read more!

New Guide: When to Move Species Struggling with Climate Change

Wynne Parry, LiveScience Yahoo News 25 Jul 11;

As climate changes make native habitats unlivable to plants and animals, these species have two choices: Leave or go extinct. Now, researchers are offering guidance on when conservationists should undertake the last-ditch strategy of transplanting struggling species to new habitats.

Rats, fire ants, Asian carp, kudzu vines — humans have created a great deal of trouble for ourselves by transporting living things, intentionally or not, outside their native ranges, where they become invasive. So, the idea of intentionally relocating other species, even to save them, naturally raises concerns.

However, that hasn't stopped some from testing the idea. In England, for example, researchers transported marbled white butterflies and small skipper butterflies to new habitat well beyond the northern boundary of their native range, to a location climate change models suggested would make a good habitat. Over the following eight years, both species thrived, and, writing in the journal Conservation Letters in 2009, the British biologists concluded that the butterflies flourished in places they could not reach on their own.

The newest work, which appears Sunday (July 24) online in the journal Nature Climate Change, outlines a framework for conservationists deciding when, and if, to attempt assisted migration, as it is called.

If conservationists are certain how climate change will harm an organism's habitat, the best time to relocate is strongly affected by the suitability of the destination relative to the home site, the species' survival rate expected in their new digs, and the maximum growth rate. However, if the population in question is below a certain size, it should never be relocated, write the authors, led by Eve McDonald-Madden of the University of Queensland and CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, part of Australia's national science agency. [Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming]

The team also came up with a model for determining the timing of relocation for a species living in an environment where the effects of climate change are uncertain.

"The decision to move a species to a new area given the impact of climactic change is far from simple," they write.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 24 Jul 11

Helicopter view of our shores!
from wild shores of singapore

My Green Space: hornbills, helicopters and more!
from Celebrating Singapore's Biodiversity!

retreating mudskippers @ Chek Jawa
from sgbeachbum and poaching fishermen

white-bellied blind snake @ Ubin
from sgbeachbum

Butterfly of the Month - July 2011 - The Spotted Judy
from Butterflies of Singapore

Read more!

The time is ripe for green accounting

Factoring in growth's impact on environment gives better gauge of a nation's well-being
Jessica Cheam Straits Times 24 Jul 11;

The review of Singapore's economic growth forecast made front-page news last week. Amid concerns from the Government, business leaders and citizens on what impact the European sovereign debt crisis and other risks would have on the nation's growth, jobs and pay cheques, I found myself wondering: What does GDP really mean?

Some economists may disagree with me when I say that the current definition of gross domestic product, or GDP, as we know it, is deeply flawed.

But I'm not the only one who thinks so. In fact, awareness of the shortcomings of GDP as a measure of a nation's well-being and an economy's sustainability has grown steadily in recent years.

GDP measures the value of output produced within a country in a given time period, usually a year or a quarter.

The key flaw is this: Any depreciation included reflects only changes to man-made capital such as equipment, but does not include growth's negative impact on public goods such as water, forests and clean air - that is, the environment.

The European Commission recognised this when it launched an initiative called 'Beyond GDP' in 2009, which aimed to develop indicators that are 'as clear and appealing as GDP, but more inclusive of environmental and social aspects of progress'.

Economic indicators such as GDP, the European Union's Beyond GDP website says, were 'never designed to be comprehensive measures of prosperity and well-being' - yet today, we see almost all countries, including Singapore, pursuing it as the ultimate sign of success.

Today, a combination of economic crises (think the 2008 financial crisis, and the more recent United States and European debt woes) and environmental disasters (flood, famine and deforestation) has created a global momentum for a radical revision of national accounting methods.

The World Bank accelerated this momentum earlier this year when, working with non-profit organisations such as Conservation International (CI), it launched Waves, or Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services, which recognises the under-valuation of ecosystem services (such as tourism, clean air and water) as one of the main causes of ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss.

In an interview with The Sunday Times last week, Dr Andrew Rosenberg, chief scientist at CI, explained how Waves seeks to engage finance ministries and economic planning agencies across the globe in implementing a process that values natural capital such as ecosystems in the national income.

National income measures the monetary value of the flow of output of goods and services produced within an economy over a period of time.

National income accounts are crucial because they form the primary source of information about the economy, such as GDP, and are widely used for assessment of economic performance and policy analysis in all countries, said Dr Rosenberg.

This is why it is important to integrate the economic value of ecosystems into national income accounts. This helps to address shortcomings in managing the environment and natural capital.

For example, while the income from harvesting trees for wood is recorded as income in national accounts, the simultaneous depletion of natural forest assets is not seen as a loss in capital.

This is despite the fact that deforestation would lead to lower air quality, increased risk of soil erosion and flooding, which have far-reaching consequences.

By focusing only on flows of output, GDP provides misleading signals to policymakers. This can result in leaders making wrong and misinformed decisions, said Dr Rosenberg. 'That's why we need to have green accounting... putting a market value on things like fisheries, forests and natural foods,' he added. 'One way to think about it is how much would it cost to replace the function that this environment provides?'

Hypothetically, the argument for green accounting is robust. However, in reality, the implementation has been challenging.

Nanyang Technological University environmental economics professor Euston Quah said the big question is how to get everyone to agree on a common method of valuing natural capital.

'There is tremendous disagreement within the scientific, business and government communities as to how we can put monetary valuations on the environment,' he said. This is why, even though the subject gained much attention when it first emerged in the 1980s, interest in it eventually fizzled out.

But Prof Quah recognises this: The concept is making a comeback now. 'Across the world, we have become more environmentally aware. There are big multilateral treaties on climate change being discussed, and people are putting pressure on governments to factor in the cost of the environment in the pursuit of economic growth,' he said.

'The world needs to sit down and convene more meetings to discuss this, and agree on a methodology of evaluations.'

The ramifications of this overhaul of GDP and national income are great. If the world succeeds and countries take stock of economic growth in relation to the depletion of their natural assets, net growth will be smaller, said Prof Quah.

'Society will then be able to decide, is it worth it? For example, if growing output by 10 per cent requires an 8 per cent loss in natural capital... this would affect how governments pursue policies of economic growth, and will also affect government spending.'

One interesting question: If all countries had been equipped with such accounting methods, say, 50 years ago, and it had been the standard, would it have changed the growth path of all the economies?

Take Singapore, for example. If we had had to account for our natural capital before our development years, would it have changed our industries or physical landscape?

The answer depends on how much natural resources a country has, said Prof Quah. In the case of Singapore, which has few natural resources, stable employment and income were, rightly, big priorities in the early development years.

Green accounting would unlikely have made a big difference to economic decisions as land would still have to be cleared to make way for housing and industries, he added.

What's interesting is, as the country develops, citizens now put a higher priority on the quality of life, and on things such as noise and air pollution, and clean, green spaces, he observed.

For resource-rich countries, however, green accounting becomes more important. The government needs to recognise the trade-offs involved in pursuing certain economic policies and the extensive impact they could have on its environment and the future cost of losing certain resources, especially if they play a big part in generating 'unseen' income, like providing regular rainfall, or tourism locations.

But if poor, developing countries wanted to do this, they would not likely have the capacity. Rich, developed nations can help build this capacity.

'It is right that we should put some resources into it to come up with a framework... the EU's efforts in driving 'Beyond GDP' are encouraging,' Prof Quah said.

Meanwhile, Dr Rosenberg feels companies can make a start by applying green accounting principles to their own business strategies.

'There will be increasing requirements for transparency and sustainability... I wouldn't be surprised if ultimately, stock exchanges, for example, demanded green accounts from their listed firms,' he said.

Ultimately, companies should realise that green accounting helps management to improve the decision-making process, save costs and assess potential liabilities, he said.

This can only be a good thing. And the earlier governments start to catch on, the better.

Read more!

Plastics Killing Terengganu's Turtles

Bernama 24 Jul 11;

KEMAMAN, July 24 (Bernama) -- Pieces of plastic floating in the ocean often mistaken for food or jellyfish by turtles may be one of the reasons for their deaths.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Malaysia Terengganu Turtle and Terrapin Conservation Programme chief Rahayu Zulkifli said shards of plastic were found in the stomach of dead turtles in the state.

Thus, she urged the people, especially fishermen, to cooperate by not throwing plastics into the sea as they could kill turtles.

Speaking to Bernama at the launch of the WWF-Malaysia's "Protect Our Turtles" campaign here today, she said WWF-Malaysia had taken various measures to increase the turtle population, including by buying turtle eggs for hatching with the assistance of the Fisheries Department.

Rahayu said leatherback turtle was considered a critically endangered species as only 10 nesting areas were found in the state since 2000 compared to 10,000 areas a year in the 50s.

The green turtle is also listed as threatened even though many nesting areas were discovered in Terengganu, she said.

About 400 people, including tourists, who attended the campaign signed a pledge to help protect turtles and will not eat their eggs.

The Terengganu Fisheries Department and the Kerteh District Heritage Society also took part in the campaign.

-- BERNAMA

400 locals and tourists pledge to help protect turtles
The Star 25 Jul 11;

KEMAMAN: To save the endangered leatherback turtles, some 400 people comprising tourists and locals have pledged to help protect turtles and not to eat their eggs.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Malaysia Terengganu Turtle and Terrapin Conservation Programme chief Rahayu Zulkifli said WWF Malaysia had taken various measures to increase the turtle population, including buying turtle eggs for the hatchery with the assistance of the Fisheries Department.

At the launch of the WWF Mal­aysia’s “Protect Our Turtles” campaign here yesterday, she said the leatherback turtle was considered a critically endangered species as only 10 nesting areas were found in the state since 2000 compared with 10,000 each year in the 1950s.

Rahayu urged the people, especially fishermen, to cooperate by not throwing plastics into the sea as they could kill turtles.

Pieces of plastic floating in the ocean often mistaken for food or jellyfish by turtles may be one of the reasons for their deaths.

She said shards of plastic had been found in the stomach of dead turtles in the state.

The green turtle was listed as threatened even though many nesting areas had been discovered in Terengganu, she said.

The Terengganu Fisheries Depart­ment and the Kerteh District Herit­age Society also took part in the campaign. — Bernama

Read more!

Malaysia: Hope for Sabah wildlife

Rupa Damodaran New Straits Times 23 Jul 11;

SABAH's forestry chief believes that if the orang utan is going to survive as a species, it will be in the state -- due to its well-managed forests.

Datuk Sam Mannan's conviction stems from the forest governance which the state authorities had put in since decades ago although it was admittedly a different scene then when the forests were logged heavily.

During the boom period when lands were expanded at a rapid pace, an alarming number of orphaned orang utan was reported at rehabilitation centres.

But Sabah is now a trailblazer in conservation efforts, fully aware that its rich biodiversity is crucial not only for Malaysia but globally.

"Some 75 to 80 per cent of orang utan in Sabah are either in protected areas or areas which are well-managed.

"The heartland of the orang utan is in Ulu Segama, Danum Valley, Malua and Deramakot -- which measures 450,000 ha in area," he said, in an interview at his office.

Forest reserves and parks make up four million ha or 53 per cent of its land area and there is no more of that compromise which took place more than 25 years ago.

Borneo, the third largest island in the world, is one of the mega-bio diversity hot spots with a myriad of plant and animal species, many of which are endemic to the island.

Deramakot is the world's first certified lowland mixed-dipterocarp tropical forest in 1997, and Sabah intends to repeat this success story in its other forest reserves like Ulu Segama.

Unlike decades ago when the land classification by the colonial masters enabled the rich lowland to be utilised for economic activities, the state government now insists that forest reserve land be replaced, and issues 50-100 year licences.

"If not for the revenue from palm oil which the Sabah government is enjoying, there is no way to expand our conservation efforts," he said, adding that the revenue has accelerated, beating that from forestry.

Forest revenue, which used to be a billion ringgit earner in 1979 (80 per cent of the state's revenue) has nose dived to RM100 million last year.

But "the drought period for timber earnings" should pass as through the long-term licences, Sabah should be able to receive RM500 million from the production of sustainable timber by 2030, he said.

In the interim period, the state must step up its efforts to be innovative and carve out earnings from non-timber sources.

These include tourism or sourcing geo-thermal energy from forests.

Money is needed to repair whatever damage done to the land but such conservation efforts would lead to a vibrant tourism industry, too.

Sam is all for plantation giant Sime Darby's support in the conservation efforts in Sabah, especially in the Ulu Segama area where it has been helping to restore 45,000 ha of degraded rainforest.

This is where the Tabin wildlife reserve is located and the critically endangered Sumateran rhino is found.

Sabah's biodiversity conservation and reforesting efforts have attracted a large number of foreign agencies and non-governmental organisations like the World Wide Fund for Nature, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Alexander Abraham Foundation, as well as business corporations like Marks and Spencer.

Foreign organisations such as the Royal Society United Kingdom which celebrated its 25 years in the Danum Valley is continuing its work with the Yayasan Sabah Concession Area.

Of immediate concern to Sam and his team is the 40,000 ha of forest reserve which was encroached by the small oil palm developers.

He hopes more corporations will take the cue from Sime Darby.

So far his enforcement has destroyed 5,000 of this encroached land but to embark on replanting a forest promises to be an expensive affair, costing not less than RM80,000 per ha.

Sam blames the small companies or individuals with oil palm smallholdings for giving the industry a bad reputation.

The culprits, he said, are those with bad agricultural practices, especially the smaller companies which do not respect the riparian reserves which form buffer or protection zones for the wildlife.

Because the wildlife sanctuary of Kinabatangan came about after the land alienation exercise (which explains its odd shape), the Forestry Department is also ensuring that natural corridors are provided for primates and other mammals.

In some instances, artificial bridges, using ropes, are provided to enable the primates to cross the rivers.

To Sam, the next 20 years is critical for Sabah, "we must not falter otherwise our rainforest will be in trouble".

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 23 Jul 11

From Whence We Came: The History & Future of Singapore’s Raffles Museum from Raffles Museum News

Pentaceraster sea star featured in poster
from wild shores of singapore

Mega Marine Survey featured in the Good Paper
from Mega Marine Survey of Singapore

Feeding behaviour of juvenile munias
from Bird Ecology Study Group

How to get rid of your seemingly unstoppable pond algae
from Water Quality in Singapore

Why people care about a cause
from blogfish

Read more!

Uniquely Singapore: Singapore's biodiversity

Straits Times 23 Jul 11;

THE Singapore tarantula and Singapore whiskered bat are some of the island's true blue natives, found nowhere else in the world.

Among the handful of creatures and plants in this category - many of them endangered or extinct - is the cream-coloured giant squirrel.

With a body length of 38cm and a longish tail, it was one of the largest squirrels around, and was named by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1821.

Once abundant in the woods of Singapore, the rodent was trapped for food and its habitats were destroyed. No sightings of the species have been reported for the last 15 years and it is feared to have become extinct.

There are no birds, reptiles or fishes on the list, but there is an amphibian.

The mysterious black caecilian was collected in 1847 after being dug up in a garden in Thomson Road. The snake-like amphibian, now placed at London's Natural History Museum, is the only one of its kind found.

Others are still clinging on.

Three species of freshwater crab, for instance, can still be found in places such as Nee Soon Swamp Forest and Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

One of them, the Singapore crab, was first discovered by crustacean expert Peter Ng in 1986.

Distinguishable by a bright orange band just below the eyes, it does well in hill streams and very clean water.

Tiny havens for wildlife
Straits Times 23 Jul 11;

BUKIT Timah Nature Reserve and MacRitchie Reservoir are home to some of Singapore's remaining tiny pockets of primary forest.

Nee Soon swamp, next to Upper Peirce Reservoir, is the only freshwater swamp here.

These precious areas of habitat contain some of the country's richest and most diverse wildlife.

In fact, Singapore's biodiversity as a whole remains so rich that more than 100 species completely new to science have been found here in recent years. These range from new species of moss to fishes, spiders, shrimps and barnacles.

Nee Soon Swamp Forest is the last refuge for many local species, including plants, fishes, amphibians and reptiles.

Over at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve - home to what is believed to be among the world's oldest small rainforest reserves - trees tower 80m into the sky.

The area holds 40 per cent of Singapore's native plants, many of which are found nowhere else here.

At Labrador Nature Reserve, its short 300m stretch is a tiny cradle of intertidal biodiversity, including seagrass, molluscs and crustaceans, and rich fish life.

On the eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, Chek Jawa is an oasis for coastal creatures living relatively untouched by urbanisation and offering a glimpse of what the island's shores must have looked like in the 1950s and earlier.

And it is bird heaven at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

More than 200 bird species have been recorded in the 130ha plot on the north-western tip of Singapore.

Estuarine crocodiles, monitor lizards and smooth-coated otters have also settled down there.

Marine life is rich, with Singapore waters home to 250 hard coral species, for instance, almost a third of the global total.

They can even thrive alongside man-made developments. Testimony to this is the Keppel Bay marina on the heavily built-up southern coast, where careful planning ensured salt-water denizens such as clown fish, sea fans and cave corals could call it home.

A future of green and blue
Straits Times 23 Jul 11;

SINGAPORE'S green and blue heritage - its verdant havens of flora and sparkling waterways - looks bright.

This is thanks to an ambitious billion-dollar plan to improve energy efficiency, lift recycling levels, expand green spaces and open up reservoirs and other waterways.

The main strategy is to stick to the Singapore approach in other fields: pursue long-term growth coupled with far-sighted planning, flexibility and a good measure of common sense.

Singapore has been spreading its green mantle since the 1960s, when then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew envisioned tree-lined expressways to impress investors.

Today, agencies such as the National Parks Board, PUB and researchers here play key roles in research, public education, reforestation and clean-up projects.

The PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters programme, for instance, conserves freshwater life in and around the drainage system while getting the public involved in the effort.

A Park Connector Network used by cyclists, joggers and walkers links people to parks and nature sites around the island, providing not only recreation but also eco-links for animal and plant life.

Farther afield, the Pulau Semakau landfill has received international acclaim for being a wildlife haven rich in mangrove swamps, forests and coral beds.

In recent years, more and more Singaporeans have begun to share Mr Lee's passion for greening the environment.

Non-governmental organisations have also had a strong voice in protecting native biodiversity, with the Nature Society (Singapore) leading an ever-growing pack that includes new groups, online communities, websites and blogs.

More people are volunteering time to make a contribution to conservation. Others are making environmentally conscious choices such as buying energy-efficient appliances as well as recycling household waste.

And between 2008 and last year, more than 270 companies contributed more than $6 million to projects ranging from coral nurseries to planting trees.

Former national development minister Mah Bow Tan laid out this vision for Singapore.

'Our blue and green spaces will be seamlessly integrated, as we landscape our waterbodies to create active, beautiful and clean waters,' he said.

'There will be more skyrise greenery, covering our built environment with a lush, vertical green mantle. We will create an environment where biodiversity can thrive, and where our natural heritage can be safeguarded.'

Alien invasion
Straits Times 23 Jul 11;

NOT only have Singapore's native plants and animals lost most of their living space to construction, but they have also had to jostle with alien species.

Being a major trading hub has led to some unwanted immigrants in Singapore, including disease-spreading brown rats and American cockroaches.

Hundreds of such species have made a home here, invading air, water and land. Some of the more common ones include the water hyacinth, guppies and pigeons.

While only a minority of introduced species cause problems, ecologists worry about them all because it is impossible to predict who the trouble-makers will be.

Apart from spreading parasites and disease, they also compete with native plants and animals for food and space, or damage infrastructure.

And once they take root here, they are usually here to stay. For instance, tens of millions of dollars are spent here every year to control the rat, crow and cockroach populations, and to remove floating plants choking the reservoirs.

Singapore's bustling ornamental fish, plant and pet trade has also seen exotic species such as freshwater stingrays and arowana breeding in the reservoirs.

Even the forest reserves are not immune, and have been hit with the pest plant Koster's curse and the aggressive yellow crazy ant.

Back from the brink of extinction
Straits Times 23 Jul 11;

THE banded leaf monkey is one of many plant and animal species creeping back from the jaws of extinction here.

Once widespread on the island, its numbers shrank to just 10 in the 1980s.

Almost nothing is known about the shy primate, which is about 60cm tall with an even longer tail, making conservation efforts difficult. So National University of Singapore researchers worked with the National Parks Board and Wildlife Reserves Singapore to painstakingly monitor and count the species, and found a ray of hope - its numbers had quadrupled to 40.

Genetic tests on the animals' faeces also showed that the monkeys are the same subspecies as their neighbours in Johor, which means that animals could be translocated from either location to boost populations and ensure their survival.

Efforts to boost biodiversity range from a butterfly trail along Orchard Road to seeding corals in surrounding waters.

With more than half the world's people living in cities and 60 per cent projected to do so by 2030, the nation's success is being used as a template for protecting plants and animals in an urban setting.

The Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity, highlighted in a new local nature encyclopaedia launched this week, is a case in point. The tool, proposed by former national development minister Mah Bow Tan, was specially designed to monitor, assess and manage the status of biodiversity in urban areas.

The first index of its kind, it is gaining momentum and is being tested in over 40 cities, which use it to quantify their plants and animals, determine what ecosystems give free 'services' such as providing oxygen or absorbing floodwater, and what is being done to preserve them.

Said Dr Lena Chan, deputy director of the National Biodiversity Centre of NParks, which is coordinating the index: 'What started out as a simple monitoring tool is now being used all over the world as a diagnostic kit to see where the holes are and which components are weak.

'In Singapore, we're now beginning to apply it in different projects to ensure that biodiversity planning is incorporated into masterplanning guidelines.'

Professor Leo Tan, director of special projects at the university's science faculty and chair of the book's editorial advisory committee, added: 'Singapore is a good example of what can be done to ensure sustainability. For the first time we have authentic data that can show the successes, threats and losses, and the potential hope for mankind.'

Professor Peter Ng, director of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research and the Tropical Marine Science Institute, noted that the book added to this effort because it not only charted the local environmental landscape over the last 200 years, but also did some 'crystal ball gazing'.

'Balancing the often conflicting needs of economic development, conservation and preservation of a country's natural heritage is never easy, and in Singapore's case, it has been a monumental challenge.

'To reach the next lap, Singaporeans must not only know their past, but also appreciate their present and have hope in their future, and I hope the book will be a catalyst for this.'

Life in an urban jungle
New book showcases the more than 40,000 native species of flora and fauna here
Chang Ai-Lien Straits Times 23 Jul 11;

AGAINST all odds, nature abounds in spectacular diversity in our midst.

Urban Singapore is teeming with wildlife, as the country's first biodiversity encyclopaedia shows in bounteous detail.

Filled with photographs, the 552-page book showcases everything from abalone - there are seven species here - to zooxanthellae, single- celled plants living in the tissue of corals.

Sixty-five scientists, nature experts, policymakers and environmental activists produced the mammoth tome, which also chronicles successes, threats and losses in wildlife conservation here.

The book took three years to compile and was brought to life by conservation champions Leo Tan and Peter Ng, professors at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Faculty of Science, with the help of a chief adviser, Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh.

'Bit by bit, this story came together, and it was a story worth telling,' said Prof Ng, who also heads the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. He was one of the book's editors, together with Professor Richard Corlett and Associate Professor Hugh Tan, his colleagues.

Its chapters cover the environmental scene in the country over the last 200 years, how it has tried to balance the often conflicting needs of economic development, conservation and preservation of natural heritage, and its hopes for the future.

Singapore Biodiversity - An Encyclopedia Of The Natural Environment And Sustainable Development also comes with an A to Z guide on virtually every known organism here.

The Republic is home to more than 40,000 native species of flora and fauna which have survived despite extensive habitat destruction.

Prof Tan noted that even biologists and scientists from overseas found this hard to believe, and were quick to underestimate Singapore's rich natural treasure trove.

'Then when they are finally convinced to come here to collect specimens, whether insects or crabs or coral, they are surprised time and time again.'

He added: 'The book also paints the landscape of Singapore's future and will hopefully inspire young people to play a role in shaping it.'

Indeed, some young people will get a chance to do so soon, as a result of the book's publication.

Donations towards producing the encyclopaedia - from ExxonMobil Asia Pacific, Keppel Corp, the Lee Foundation, Ngee Ann Kongsi and businessmen Sam Goi and Oei Hong Leong - were matched by $1.1 million in government funding, which will go into an endowment fund for a new Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree at NUS.

The undergraduate course is being developed and will be taught by professors from eight faculties, with the first batch of 50 students starting next month.

NUS president Tan Chorh Chuan noted that today's environmental issues are complex, spanning many fields.

The programme would nurture graduates who are able to think deeply and broadly, he said, and help to develop novel solutions for Singapore and beyond.

Prof Leo Tan added: 'Each faculty contains experts in their own fields with their own priorities.

'Getting this diverse group together was something of a miracle, but it was necessary because the environment cannot be dealt with by one person or group.'

The book, which was launched on Monday by the university's chancellor, President S R Nathan, is on sale at major bookstores for $65 (excluding GST).

Read more!