Lightning strike left canoeist brain dead

36-year-old insurance manager couldn't have been saved: Coroner
Khushwant Singh Straits Times 24 Dec 11;

THERE was no chance insurance manager Tan Boon Kiat, who died 15 hours after being struck by lightning while canoeing at Pasir Ris Park, could have been saved.

Evidence indicated that the 36-year-old was already brain dead when he was placed on a ventilator at Changi General Hospital (CGH), said State Coroner Victor Yeo in his findings at an inquiry yesterday.

Mr Tan was canoeing at sea with 20 other friends on March 5 when the incident occurred at about 5pm.

Police investigation officer Ma Weiliang said in a report prepared for the inquiry that Mr Tan was not breathing when paramedics arrived at about 6pm, six minutes after they were called.

He was rushed to CGH, where he was put on mechanical ventilation. A brain scan later also showed major cerebral injury resulting from oxygen deprivation.

Mr Tan had been jogging with his friends earlier that day before heading out on the rental canoes at Pasir Ris Park. The group decided to paddle back to shore when it started raining shortly after, but ventured out again when the rain stopped.

He was in the rear of a double-seater canoe while marketing executive Melanie Koo Yoon Mei, 32, was paddling in front.

At about 4.30pm, the weather turned bad and suddenly a bolt of lightning struck near the canoe, leaving Ms Koo momentarily stunned. Turning around, she saw Mr Tan unconscious and lying backwards.

The group quickly returned to shore and applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Mr Tan but could not revive him.

Forensic pathologist Wee Keng Poh was quoted in the police investigation report as saying that the lightning strike not only caused extensive burns, but also stopped Mr Tan's heart.

He added that the use of a ventilator would not have improved a patient's chances of recovery unless it was applied within five minutes of his heart stopping.

In an advisory included in the report, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) said its facilities are equipped with lightning protection systems, and lifeguards ensure swimmers get out of swimming pools if there is any threat of lightning.

The SSC also recommended that outdoor activities be postponed or cancelled, and that people seek shelter immediately if they are caught in the open during bad weather.

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Singapore group entered Malaysian park illegally

Desiree Tresa Gasper The Star 23 Dec 11;

JOHOR BARU: A group of 21 Singaporeans who were rescued from the flood-hit part of Endau Rompin National Park entered the area illegally as the park was closed to the public due to the monsoon season.

Johor National Parks Corporation director Suhairi Hashim said they did not have permits to enter the park and also defied warnings by a park official to stay away from the area.

This was contrary to a report by a Singapore daily that the group were not warned about weather conditions and that they had permits.

Suhairi said that before entering, the group members who visited the National Park office in Kahang were informed that the park has been closed to the public.

“Our officer in Kahang explained to them that the area was prone to floods.

“However, there are no gates to prevent people from entering.”

“We only knew that they had gone into the park when the group members called us for help after flood waters cut off all access,” he said.

He explained that the group were trapped on their way out of the park and was eventually forced to spend the night at the park's complex.

“We tried to help them as much as we could and even got a medical unit to drop by and treat a one-year-old child who was part of the group,” he said, adding that the child was down with fever.

“The group's guide suggested that we allow them to use boats to exit the area but the waters were too choppy and we advised them against it,” he said.

Suhairi said he eventually called the Mersing Fire and Rescue Department which sent a helicopter to transport the group out on Dec 20.

“I also personally called the Singapore Consulate to arrange for a bus for the group to travel back to Singapore,” he said.

The report by the Singapore daily had quoted some of the members as saying they did not receive any medical attention and were only saved after they got in touch with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs via satellite phone.

21 stranded visitors rescued
Jassmine Shadioe New Straits Times 21 Dec 11;

MERSING: TWENTY-ONE Singaporeans, including a year-old, stranded in the Endau-Rompin National Park for two days, were rescued yesterday.

The group and three locals, who entered the park without permission, were flown out by Fire and Rescue Department's helicopters about noon.

Johor National Parks Corporation director Suhairi Hashim said the Singaporeans had sought permission to enter the park from officers at its branch in Kahang on Dec 17, but their application was rejected because of the bad weather which could cause floods and landslides.

"The area has been cordoned off and has not been opened to the public since Dec 1 as it was not safe. However, it was learnt that the Singaporeans sneaked into the park on five four-wheel drive vehicles."

The journey into the national park from Kahang town is through a 56km dirt road. Because of the constant downpour, the road was muddy and slippery.

The Singaporeans arrived at the park's office late in the evening and the officers-in-charge had no choice but to allow them to spend the night at its chalet.

"It was already getting dark by then and if the officers had told the Singaporeans to turn back, it would have put them in greater danger, in addition to the risk of being attacked by wild elephants," Suhairi said.

The next day, the park officers accompanied the visitors out, but they were stranded at Sungai Lembakoh, when flood waters cut off their access route.

The visitors were taken back to the chalets. The park officers radioed for food supplies to be flown in as the park had been closed since Dec 1.

However, by 12.45pm yesterday, the Singaporeans, and the three locals who had helped get them into the park, were flown out by the Fire and Rescue Department Air Unit's Mi-8 helicopters based in Subang, Selangor.

The visitors returned to Singapore by bus.

Suhairi said the Johor National Parks Corporation had alerted the Tourism Department about the closure of the Endau-Rompin National Park and posted it on their official website and Facebook

He added that the park had heavy rain about the same time of the year, every year, and all travel agents were aware of its closure.

Suhairi urged people not to trespass into the national parks as it is very dangerous.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the Malaysian authorities for mounting the rescue mission.

The Singaporeans were in good health and had since arrived in the republic, the ministry said in a statement.

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Malaysia: New home for 3 wild elephants

M Hamzah Jamaludin New Straits Times 23 Dec 11;

BENTONG: THE Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) successfully relocated three out of five wild elephants that were captured in Kampung Troh near here, last week.

The pachyderms were relocated to an undisclosed location in Taman Negara on Wednesday.

Twenty State Perhilitan employees, including those from the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary, were involved in the seven-hour relocation process of the two adult females and a year-old calf, which began at 8am.

Another two male elephants -- a 15-year-old and a 30-year-old -- will be relocated to the same area tomorrow.

The wild elephants were part of a large herd in Kemasul Forest Reserve which had encroached into nearby villages and destroyed crops for the past few years.

State Perhilitan director Khairiah Mohd Shariff said her staff had to use a tranquilliser on the calf after it tried to attack them.

The department had also used two tame elephants, Che Mek and Kala, to help in moving the two adult pachyderms into a lorry.

"Apart from the two relocation elephants, villagers also helped us move the wild animals into the lorry," said Khairiah, who supervised the relocation process.

Also present was Sabai state assemblyman Datuk M. Davendran.

Khairiah said the wild animals would have a bigger area to roam around in the national park.

"This is the biggest translocation exercise in the last five years."

Khairiah also congratulated her staff for their efficiency in handling the capture and relocation tasks.

She believes that between 20 and 25 wild elephants are still roaming in the Kemasul Forest Reserve.

Khairiah said there was still a possibility that the animals would encroach into the nearby villages here and in Temerloh.

The encroachments were more rampant during the fruit season, she added.

"The villagers should alert us if they come across the elephants.

"Early information would help us capture them before they can damage crops or harm people."

She advised the villagers not to risk their lives by taking things into their own hands.

"They can also be charged if they harm the animals."

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Giant Clam Culture To Help Conserve Marine Heritage

Haslin Gaffor Bernama 23 Dec 11;

This is the second of two articles on conservation efforts at Sabah's Tun Sakaran Marine Park

SEMPORNA, Dec 23 (Bernama) -- The Giant Clam Culture Centre on Buhey Dulang Island plays a vital role in conserving the marine ecosystem at the Tun Sakaran Marine Park off the coast of Semporna, Sabah.

The centre, the first of its kind under Sabah Parks, conducts research and cultures giant clams with seeds supplied to the local community to help them reduce their over-reliance on natural marine resources.

The centre, established in 2006 under the Semporna Islands Darwin Project, is the result of cooperation between Sabah Parks and the Marine Conservation Society-United Kingdom.

Sabah Parks' Marine Research Officer Nasrulhakim Maidin noted that the culture centre serves as an attraction where outsiders can learn more about the clams.

"Giant clam culture is important because their numbers have depleted from over-harvesting around the waters of Semporna," he told Bernama during a visit to Buhey Dulang Island of the coast of Semporna.

The giant clam is a mollusc in the Bivalvia class that thrives in Indo-Pacific waters.

There are seven species of giant clams in Malaysian Waters, and some can grow up to 60cm in length.

According to Nasrul, giant clams not only thrive on plankton but also produce their own nutrients through photosynthesis, with the help of the algae.

"The giant clam plays an important role in the marine ecosystem as it filters the water," he said.

SEEDING THE CLAMS

So how to culture the giant clams? First, the giant clam brood stock is selected and its size is recorded for future reference.

Then the clam shell is cleaned with a nylon brush and numbered for future reference. The seeding is done by injecting diluted serotonin, a hormone, to stimulate spawning.

Within minutes, the giant clam stock reacts and produces eggs and sperm that are collected in big plastic bags to fertilize in a few days.

Six months after hatching, the seed is released into the sea within the reef area, initially in cages to protect them from predators.

The seeds that hatch at the centre are mostly relocated near Ribbon Reef, an area within the national park allocated for education on marine life.

COMMERCIALISING THE GIANT CLAM

In the long term, said Nasrul, there were plans to commercialise the giant clams for ornamental purposes as well.

Even now, many parties have indicated their interest in buying giant clams but locals are being given priority to sell them.

"We give the seeds to the locals, who will breed them for one or two months before they are ready for sale or export," he said.

CONSERVING THE GIANT CLAMS

Elvin Michael Bavoh, a marine officer at Tun Sakaran Marine Park's first research and culture centre, noted that so far about 2000 seeds have been relocated to the surrounding areas.

Another 1,000 seeds are waiting to be relocated from the centre.

He pointed out that the effort to culture giant calms in concentrated on two species -- tridacna gaigas and tridacna derasa -- which are fast diminishing in the waters of Semporna.

Currently only the tridacna derasa is being cultured with the brood stock from the waters of Semporna, while preparations are being made to culture the tridacna gaigas with brood stock from the Philippines.

Breeding the giant clams is no easy job, calling for close monitoring, because giant clams are easy prey to natural predators and humans.

In August, several of sea nomads known as Palauh, living around the waters of Semporna, were seen picking relocated giant clams not far from Buhey Dulang island, but they were stopped in time by park workers.

Preventing these giant clams from being stolen is a serious challenge for employees at the centre, and the park relies on cooperation from the islanders in conserving both the clams and, in the bigger picture, the marine heritage at Tun Sakaran Marine Park.

-- BERNAMA

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Floods, heat, migration: How extreme weather will transform cities

George Webster, for CNN 23 Dec 11;

(CNN) -- When Tropical Storm Washi ripped through the southern Philippine city of Cagayan de Oro last weekend, it dumped in one day more than the city's entire average rainfall for the month of December.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, a total of 181 millimeters of rainfall was recorded in the area last Friday, compared to the expected 99.9 millimeters for the whole month.

The devastating flash floods, which have so far claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, arrived just weeks after a report from the UK's Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change indicated that climate change has significantly increased the number of people at risk from flooding globally.

The report, "Climate: Observations, projections and impacts," examined how climate change will modify the weather in 24 countries around the world.

While findings vary from region to region, it forecasts an overall increase in this century of coastal and river floods, extreme weather events and a global temperature rise of between 3-5C, if emissions are left unchecked.

According to climate change experts, cities from New York in the U.S. to Dhaka in Bangladesh are likely to be heavily affected.

Migration

Simon Reddy, executive director of the C40 Cities network, which promotes sustainable development among local city authorities around the world says this could be a catalyst for migration into urban areas.

"If the forecast temperature rise is accurate, then entire countries could be irrevocably damaged in certain parts of the world -- and their inhabitants will have to find somewhere else to live," he said.

To illustrate his point, Reddy says that a third of flood-prone Bangladesh, in South Asia, could be made uninhabitable by a two-foot (60 cm) rise in regional sea-levels.

The Met Office report echoes this point, predicting that climate change will subject an additional five million people in Bangladesh to floods, if they continue to live in the same place.

"Where are they going to go?" said Reddy. "In most cases they'll move to where the opportunities and the jobs are -- the nearest habitable city."

With 70% of the world's population expected to live in cities by 2050, according to figures from the U.N., the impact of climate change on the urban environment is more prescient than ever before.

Floods

Historically, cities built up around water highways and coastal regions have flourished due to their association with maritime trade and transport, said Jan Corfee-Morlot, senior climate change analyst for the OECD.

"This means that a disproportionately high number of the world's cities are located in areas that are now increasingly at risk of floods," she added.

According to Morlot, recent risk studies from the OECD as well as the newly published data from the Met Office report predict that extreme "once-in-a-lifetime" weather events such as flash floods and coastal hurricanes are going to become significantly more commonplace.

But, she says, it's not just cities in the developing world that are ill-equipped to manage the problem.

"In America alone -- New York, Miami, New Orleans -- these cities face terrible exposure to floods, and unlike cities such as Rotterdam (in the Netherlands) -- they do not have the defenses to prevent them."

In the future, Morlot believes that major cities will have to adapt to the reality of regular flooding by building new infrastructure, such as vast flood barriers and "evacuation avenues" -- wide roads with dedicated lanes for emergency vehicles.

Extreme heat

Global temperatures are projected to rise by between three to five degrees over the next century, according to the Met Office.

Dr David Dodman, senior researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development, says that temperatures in the city will far exceed that, due to a phenomenon known as the "urban heat island effect."

"The built environment tends to absorb heat during the day and release it slowly at night, so there's little opportunity for the city to cool down" he said. "This means that temperature rises from climate change will be significantly exaggerated in urban areas."

Aside from increased instances of heat-related deaths, particularly among the elderly population, Dodman says that the "wicked irony" of the urban heat island effect is that it stimulates a demand for air conditioning.

"In places like Delhi, we're seeing a growing middle class use their wealth to pay for electricity-hungry air-conditioning units, which contribute to global warming, and this of course creates a negative feedback loop."

Water shortages

According to Dodman, the predicted rise in global sea levels pose a threat to city aquifers -- underground wells that provide a source of fresh water for many urban settlements around the world.

"In coastal cities, the rise causes 'saline intrusion' -- where salty water gets into the fresh water aquifers, making it undrinkable" he says.

In addition, Dr Doug Crawford-Brown, executive director at Cambridge University's Centre for Climate Mitigation Research, anticipates that stock piles of bottled water will be have to be rationed when fresh water distribution systems buckle under the impact of city floods.

"Even in a developed city like London, which is very well protected by the Thames barrier, high intensity rainfall could create problems with the old sewage system -- causing the potential spread of microbial disease," he said.

Adaptation

Simon Reddy believes that urbanities of the future will be defined "not just by how they restrict their own contributions to climate change, but by the infrastructure and policies they employ to defend against the consequences of it."

To this end, Reddy says that many of the cities in the C40 network have already started to implement adaptive measures.

"In Seoul, for instance, they have removed a highway and restored an ancient river running through the city. This creates a wind corridor to it keep cool, and will also help drain water away in times of high rainfall," he said.

Meanwhile, New York and Tokyo have led the way with green rooftops and urban gardens.

"Urban green spaces are going to be more critical than (they have) ever been," he said. "Not only do they absorb heat and rainfall -- helping to keep cities cool and dry, but they provide opportunities for small scale food cultivation -- so city dwellers can become a little less dependent on imports."

For Matthew Kahn, economics professor at the UCLA's Environment Institute, the accelerated urbanization caused by climate change, will mean that for most cities, the only way is up.

The professor, whose book "Climatopolis" details how future cities could turn climate change to their advantage, says that he expects future modern cities to accommodate the flood of migrants by building energy efficient high-rise residential tower blocks, over small areas of land -- "much like we see in Singapore today," he said.

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Best of our wild blogs: 23 Dec 11

New articles on Nature in Singapore website
from Raffles Museum News

Tuas quickly
from wild shores of singapore and TeamSeagrass

Birdwatching at Bukit Brown with Nature Society
from Rojak Librarian

Lornie Trail on 21 Dec 2011
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

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Safeguarding The Natural Heritage At Tun Sakaran Marine Park

Haslin Gaffor Bernama 22 Dec 11;

This is the first of the two part series on conservation efforts at Sabah's Tun Sakaran Marine Park.

SEMPORNA, Dec 22 (Bernama) -- The rich marine diversity at the Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TMTS), located on the east coast of Sabah, is closely watched by Sabah Parks.

The waters around the park contain the highest species diversity of any marine park in Malaysia.

Total species recorded includes 544 species of coral reef fish, 255 species of hard coral, 70 species of soft coral, 140 species of sponge, 265 species of mollusc, and 109 species of echinoderms.

The biggest marine park in the state, Tun Sakaran encompasses eight islands -- Bohey Dulang, Tetagan, Mantabuan, Bodgaya, Maiga, Sibuan, Selakan and Sebangkat -- covering 34,046 hectares of water and reef area, and 954 hectares of land.

Preserving such huge diversity in so vast an area calls for a delicate balancing act that Sabah Parks has to achieve.

THE EFFORTS TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE

Throughout its six-year watch over the marine park, Sabah Parks also had a hand in managing the community around the marine park as well.

Sabah Parks Director Paul Basintal revealed that managing the community living within the marine park is a real challenge.

Of the eight islands, five --Selakan, Mantabuan, Bodgaya, Sebangkat, Sibuan and Buhey Dulang -- are occupied by people who basically depend on the marine resources of the park for their livelihood.

Their population numbers 2,000, mostly fishing communities and a smaller number of sea weed farmers.

Ways have to be found to prevent the dwellers from over exploiting the marine resources without affecting their livelihoods.

Thus, Sabah Parks has embarked on a long-term solution by finding ways to reduce the population's over dependence on marine resources.

FINDING NEW ECONOMIC RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY

In helping the population look for other alternatives, Sabah Parks is helping them diversify into other areas, such as breeding abalones.

Paul pointed out that the research centre at Pulau Buheydulang is studying how to seed abalone using the stocks found off the waters of Semporna.

If the method is successful, the abalone seeds will be given to those keen in breeding abalone.

Paul added that the abalone takes six months to mature and be marketed, fetching up to RM40 per kg. The abalone could promise lucrative returns.

Sabah Parks also believes in educating the locals on conservation and the protection of marine heritage.

AMENITIES AND ENFORCEMENT

Although Sabah Parks has vested the powers under Sabah Parks Enactment 1984 to act against violators, the agency instead chooses to warn and educate them.

"Stern action, such as imposing fines and jail terms, will be the last resort as long as it is not a serious violation," he said.

Paul noted that in future the agency plans to set up a centre to culture pearls.

A trail will be developed leading to the summit of the hills in Buheydulang to woo those keen on exploring jungles.

Public amenities at the marine park will be controlled to prevent destruction of marine life.

With vast waters and reef, the marine diversity and reef variations are abundant.

Sabah Parks has therefore identified 56 locations around the marine park suitable for diving activities, because of abundant reefs and marine life.

The agency has decided to open several locations for diving in stages.

In a preliminary move, two diving spots close to Pulau Mantabuan and Pulau Sibuan have been opened to tour operators ,but the number of divers has been limited.

Other diving spots will be opened in the future to a limited number of divers, and closely monitored .

-- BERNAMA

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Best of our wild blogs: 22 Dec 11

Places - All at Sea
from POSKOD.SG

Revisiting Rustic Chek Jawa
from Coolest Insights

Licking good
from The annotated budak

Red Junglefowl Hens’ Plumage
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Yellow Bittern@SBG
from PurpleMangrove

A new, natural venue for water quality monitoring (WQM) - Tampines Eco Green (TEG) from Water Quality in Singapore

New analysis supports claim that paper giant cleared part of its tiger sanctuary in Indonesia from Mongabay.com news by Rhett Butler

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Better to be safe than sorry about sharks

Straits Times Forum 22 Dec 11;

SHARKS are caught virtually everywhere and indeed some member countries of the European Union are catching, consuming and trading sharks on a big scale ('They are not endangered; blame Western nations, not Asian tastebuds' by Mr Tan Keng Tat; last Thursday).

While it is true that not all sharks are definitively endangered, it is also true that we cannot be sure they are not, because there is insufficient scientific data on the number of sharks left today.

A high proportion of the species of sharks is listed as data deficient in the 'Red List' of threatened biodiversity compiled by the World Conservation Union.

There is no doubt that there are uncertainties with regard to the current conservation status of sharks.

So, it is better to be safe than sorry. Many shark species are very slow-growing, which means that a sudden drop in numbers can threaten their survival and hinder their chances of survival.

Christina Lee (Ms)
Campaigns Officer
Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres)

Saving sharks: Not wrong to target Asia
Straits Times Forum 23 Dec 11;

MR TAN Keng Tat is wrong about shark-finning practices ('Misconceptions about sharks'; Dec 15).

Only the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) determines risk status - not, as Mr Tan claims, the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).

While Cites governs trade protection of species, it is based on the votes of 175 governments, and votes are subject to economic incentives, fin industry lobbyists and regulatory enforcement difficulties. For example, four proposals were introduced last year to list eight IUCN endangered shark species on a Cites global trade treaty, but Japan and China rejected the proposals.

It is not difficult to see why - shark's fin soup is a huge industry in this region. While much of the finning may not take place in Asia, it is to feed a voracious Asian appetite, and longlining is one of the newer tools of the trade.

Thankfully, eight countries signed a declaration in September to create shark sanctuaries in their waters.

Mr Tan compares sharks to frogs and snails, but unlike these animals, sharks cannot be farmed en masse. Sharks reproduce very late and have very few young, making them biologically vulnerable to overfishing.

Many companies are trying to drive change. Singapore's Fairmont Hotel, Cold Storage Singapore and China's Peninsula Hotel Group have removed shark's fin products from their inventory.

Basketball star Yao Ming, owner of the aptly named Shanghai Sharks, is now a WildAid ambassador to raise awareness about this issue.

More than 73 million sharks are killed each year for 5 per cent of their cartilaginous body parts that do not even have a taste. Once we fin these sharks to extinction, our children and grandchildren will inherit an irreversibly damaged marine ecosystem.

Let us support the sharks during the upcoming Chinese New Year, by giving them a holiday from our dining tables, and choosing abalone, fish maw soup or ginseng soup instead.

Dr Juliana Chan

Misconceptions about sharks
They are not endangered; blame Western nations, not Asian tastebuds
Straits Times Forum 15 Dec 11;

THE World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore's claim that more than 180 species of sharks were listed on the endangered list last year has no merit ('Removing shark's fin from the menu'; last Friday).

Last year's United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) meeting in Doha declared that sharks are not an endangered species.

Members of the convention, who represent 175 governments, define an endangered species as one which is threatened with extinction and ban international commercial trade in such species.

The convention did not list any shark species as endangered.

Instead, the convention only sought trade regulation for three (basking shark, great white, and whale shark) out of about 400 species of sharks.

The three are not necessarily threatened with extinction.

Under Singapore's Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act of 2006, the same three species are similarly listed for trade regulation, and not on the list of species that are endangered or threatened with extinction.

Also, proposals to regulate trading of four more shark species at the Doha meeting were rejected.

Trying to stop a traditional culinary practice, especially when sharks are not an endangered species, is culturally insensitive and is bound to fail.

It is like asking the Japanese to give up their tuna sashimi, the French their frogs' legs and snails, Western socialites their caviar canapes or Englishmen their fish and chips, made from millions of pounds of meat from sharks like the porbeagle and the spiny dogfish.

The reality is that the main threats to the sharks are the well-equipped pelagic fisheries of developed nations like Spain, Portugal, France, Britain and the United States, using some 10km of longlines and up to 10,000 hooks.

These large-scale fishing dragnets target the more valuable blue fin tuna and swordfish, but millions of sharks are caught unintentionally and killed instead.

The Singapore chapter of the WWF's mission to save sharks is commendable. But instead of dwelling on polemics, it should campaign for longlines to be banned or regulated globally as this will reduce the bycatch exponentially.

Tan Keng Tat

Only 5 deaths annually, and sharks don't target humans for killing

IN THE article ('Hong Kong's shark's fin traders feel pressure to change'; straitstimes.com, Nov 28), a Hong Kong seller commented that there were so many sharks that they would kill us if we did not kill them.

It is a common misperception that sharks kill or eat humans. Popular culture has portrayed sharks as mindless man-eating machines that have developed a taste for human flesh, a la the hit movie Jaws.

Although millions of people swim, surf, snorkel and dive in the oceans annually, an average of five people die from shark attacks yearly.

People who are attacked by sharks usually die from blood loss, not because they are eaten. Sharks swim faster and are stronger and bigger than us. If they were out to kill us, diving with sharks would not have been possible, and the fatality rate would far exceed five.

On the other hand, the chances of getting killed by falling coconuts, lightning and bee stings far outnumber shark-induced fatalities.

Sharks play important roles in the marine ecosystem. They weed out the weak, sick and the dead marine life, thus preventing an outbreak of diseases. They improve the gene pool of their prey by leaving the stronger ones behind to reproduce.

As apex predators, their absence will affect the food chain negatively all the way down to marine vegetation and shellfish.

As Chinese New Year looms next month, we will repeat our shark conservation campaign held earlier this year.

We urge consumers to make informed decisions and celebrate the festive season with sustainability in mind.

Most reputable Chinese restaurants can offer ready alternatives to the traditional shark's fin soup for customers.

Jennifer Lee (Ms)
Founder
Project: FIN

He'll say it again with facts... Sharks aren't endangered, don't blame Asia
Straits Times Forum 24 Dec 11;

DR JULIANA Chan's claim that more than 73 million sharks are killed each year for 5 per cent of their cartilaginous body parts has no merit ('Saving sharks: Not wrong to target Asia'; yesterday).

Dr Shelly Clarke, whose doctorate is on the topic, estimated that 'as of 2000, the fins of 38 million sharks per year were being traded but that the number could range as low as 26 million or as high as 73 million'.

But she warned that she frequently reads the 73 million figure without any reference to the fact that it was her highest estimate; and almost as often she reads an estimate of 100 million for which she cannot find any scientific basis.

'Even more troubling,' she added, 'some sources quote these figures as the number of sharks killed for their fins. The truth is that no one knows how many sharks are killed for their fins'.

She cautioned that 'exaggeration and hyperbole run the risk of undermining conservation campaigns' and 'selective and slanted use of information devalues and marginalises researchers, who are working hard to impartially present the data'.

The United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), whose members represent 175 governments, is the only global watchdog to regulate trade on endangered species, not the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Cites has not listed any shark species on the endangered list and proposals to regulate trading on a few more species last year in Doha were rejected as they could not garner a two-thirds majority of the democratic votes.

Under the laws of Singapore, Britain, the United States, Japan, China and Malaysia, to name a few, no shark is listed on the endangered list.

Dr Chan's claim that 'longlining is one of the newer tools of the trade' to 'feed a voracious Asian appetite' is rhetoric. Pragmatism dictates that these fisheries target not sharks but more valuable swordfish and giant bluefin tuna.

But sadly, millions of sharks will continue to be caught unintentionally in longlines and killed by the industrial-scale fisheries in the West.

Excoriating Asia will not stop the deadly bycatch; only legislation or regulation will.

Tan Keng Tat

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Take the green lead, Singapore

Republic's initiatives can nudge others towards deeper, binding targets
Grace Chua Straits Times 22 Dec 11;

THE United Nations climate talks in Durban, South Africa, earlier this month resulted in what some have called 'a plan to make a plan': an agreement for all countries to negotiate a new regime of greenhouse gas emissions cuts by 2015 and have it take effect by 2020.

The current Kyoto Protocol was extended for another five-year commitment period, but it covers only developed nations.

What's a developing country to do in this interim grey area? They could get some pointers from Singapore, perhaps.

Though the island state aligns itself with the Alliance of Small Island States and the developing world Group of 77 (G-77), which want the developed world to bear responsibility for the emissions it put into the atmosphere, it bears characteristics of both developed and developing countries.

Hence, the Republic serves as a model of how a relatively advanced economy could navigate the tricky shoals of climate change.

Singapore has close relationships with both Eastern and Western nations, and Asian countries in particular look to it on many counts. For example, it has collaborated with China on projects like the Suzhou industrial park and a planned eco-city in Tianjin.

But the implication is that serving as a role model means Singapore must shoulder some responsibilities, and tackling climate change is one of those responsibilities it must bear.

Singapore's stance is: It is keen on a binding agreement that all countries adhere to, according to their respective responsibilities and capabilities.

Singapore Environment Council executive director Jose Raymond commented: 'As a small island state, Singapore certainly has a vested interest in a legally binding deal being reached as soon as possible.

'The longer it takes, the greater our vulnerability to climate change, and the greater our investment in mitigation and adaptation measures will be,' he said.

But torn between its twin interests as a small vulnerable island state and an economy that relies on energy-intensive industries such as petroleum refining, it can be a little split personality.

Arguably, it is not absolutely necessary for Singapore to go any greener.

Compare cutting emissions with the case of electricity. Electricity is not subsidised here, to encourage people to use less. But for many residents middle-class and up, electricity is a small proportion of overall costs, compared with the overall benefit they derive from running the air-conditioner and the computer 24/7.

Likewise, Singapore now has such a high gross domestic product - US$43,867 (S$56,800) per capita - that adapting to the impact of climate change would be a small proportion of overall costs, compared with the potential short-term benefit of continuing to produce carbon emissions by encouraging consumption and industrial growth.

At the same time, Singapore is not sitting around waiting for a real deal, so to speak, before it starts cleaning house. In 2009, it announced it would cut emissions by 7 per cent to 11 per cent by 2020 if no global, binding deal was reached, and by 16 per cent if one was.

Already, other emerging economies that have grown very fast in the past few decades - such as South Korea and China - are adopting similar voluntary targets.

Singapore's targets are down from the 'business as usual' case - in other words, if it continued on the growth trajectory it was on. If no changes were made, Singapore was predicted to have reached some 72 million tonnes of emissions by 2020.

It is aware it will have to pay for adaptation measures anyway, and has already raised minimum levels for land reclamation and new building platforms.

But the crux of the matter is that Singapore's current energy demand outstrips its current alternative energy supply.

With constant cloud cover and intermittent wind, Singapore is not able to take full advantage of alternative energy sources like solar and wind power.

So it must rely on energy efficiency to achieve those cuts, and has put a new Energy Conservation Act up for discussion, meant to rein in large energy users. (In fact, this is an important symbolic shift, signifying a willingness to use the law instead of simply offering energy users monetary incentives to improve.)

But energy efficiency goes only so far.

That's why Singapore is genuinely concerned about meeting more stringent binding targets, if in future, all countries must limit their emissions.

Speaking to The Straits Times after the UN talks, Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan acknowledged that Singapore might have to purchase carbon offsets one day, depending on how future negotiations go.

Still, Singapore could do more to go green systematically - for example, taxing cars by emissions instead of fuel type, truly supporting the use of public transport and cycling, or offering tax incentives to cleaner and more energy-efficient firms.

That suggests one way to be a role model. The Republic is an emerging economy, which has grown very fast in a few short decades, and countries like China and Thailand are on a similar trajectory (and so are their carbon emissions). While the island state taking the plunge will not transform the world's climate, it can, by its own action yet, nudge such emerging economies towards deeper, binding targets.

This is not to single Singapore out.

Many countries at the negotiations were also loath to commit to internationally binding, absolute targets, even though they had passed domestic legislation to trim emissions.

With its energy performance requirements and green building legislation, Singapore is already on something approaching the right track.

But now it needs to take the lead and make the difficult decision on how much further to go.

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Beach goers urged to look out for anything fishy

Straits Times 22 Dec 11;

POLICE are urging the public to look out for suspicious activities at popular beaches.

Since April, posters have been put up at beaches including Changi Beach and those at East Coast Park, Pasir Ris Park and Admiralty Road West.

A police spokesman said that they plan to put up more posters in other coastal areas frequented by the public.

The orange and blue signs are displayed at beaches in the east and north, which are more open to intrusion from other countries.

They aim to alert the public to activities such as entry by illegal immigrants, the smuggling of goods like contraband cigarettes, and the illegal berthing of boats.

'The police seek the assistance of the members of public to report suspicious activities, such as the unloading of items and persons, along the coastline,' a police spokesman said.

Visitors The Straits Times spoke to at East Coast Park said the posters were prominent and acted as a reminder for them to look out for anything unusual.

However, four out of 10 visitors interviewed did not even notice them until they were pointed out to them.

Some, like Canadian Rosanne Herbert, who has lived here for seven years, were surprised to see them.

'I never thought there would be some kind of danger here, but I would report it if I saw anything unusual,' said the 46-year-old aromatherapist.

The police spokesman said the posters have been effective in heightening public awareness of coastal security issues and educating people on the importance of reporting suspicious activities.

On July 22, for example, a family called police to report suspicious activity they had noticed.

Their nine-year-old son saw people transferring items onto East Coast beach from a boat and the parents called the police.

However, the activities were later verified to be legitimate.

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Supermarts freeze prices of Thai rice

Straits Times 22 Dec 11;

THREE supermarket chains here have promised to freeze the prices of their Thai house-brand rice till the end of February, amid concerns about rising rice prices following floods in Thailand.

The first to announce the decision yesterday was NTUC FairPrice, followed by Giant and Shop N Save in the evening.

FairPrice sells nine types of house-brand rice from Thailand - from basic white rice to the superior Thai Hom Mali variety. The supermarket chain sells 35 types of house-brand rice in all, including varieties from countries such as Cambodia and Australia.

It also announced last month that it is holding the price of its house-brand Vietnamese rice till February. It sells only one type of house-brand rice from Vietnam.

Currently, its most popular type of house-brand Thai rice, Double FP Thai Hom Mali Premium Quality Fragrant Rice, costs $11.45 for a 5kg bag. FairPrice Thai White Rice costs $6.20 for a 5kg bag. Giant and Shop N Save were unable to provide more details.

Mr Seah Kian Peng, FairPrice's chief executive officer (Singapore), said the prices of Thai rice had eased off a bit recently.

'Prices have softened in the past week as the flood situation improves. This has allowed us to hold prices,' he said, adding that he hopes the trend will continue.

'We know many of our customers still love Thai rice, so we are making a commitment to hold prices till after the Chinese New Year celebrations.'

Just last month, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan assured consumers that the floods in Thailand - Asia's 'rice bowl' - would not send rice prices up here.

He cited two reasons: Importers have long-term contracts with their suppliers, and there is a range of sources there.

FairPrice is also able to hold rice prices steady as it has more than three months' worth of rice stockpiled.

Last year, Singapore imported 310,135 tonnes of rice. Some 53 per cent came from Thailand, 26.2 per cent from Vietnam and 13.8 per cent from India. The rest came from countries such as Myanmar, the United States and China.

JESSICA LIM

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