Cycling trip to Punggol
from Urban Forest
Life History of the Dark Tit
from Butterflies of Singapore
Long-Tailed Shrike Catches A Caterpillar
from Bird Ecology Study Group
二月华语导游Madarin guide walk@SBWR,Feb(XXVII)
from PurpleMangrove
Wild facts updates: Special critters, and sponges and soft corals
from wild shores of singapore
New Straits Times 3 Mar 12;
KUALA TERENGGANU: A Wildlife and National Parks Department officer cheated death when an elephant he and four colleagues were trying to capture went berserk and attacked him on Thursday.
In the 1pm incident, Mohd Noor Abdullah, 58, of Kampung Binjai, Kemaman, was part of a Perhilitan team trying capture a herd of wild elephants in Kampung Jelung, Setiu.
One of the bull elephants suddenly charged and attacked Noor.
He suffered serious face and body injuries with five broken ribs and was rushed to Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital for treatment.
His wife, Zamariah Seman, 52, said she was horrified when informed about the incident about 4.30pm.
"It was the first time in his 40 years of service that he had been attacked by a wild animal," she said outside the hospital ward yesterday.
"This could well be the thing he will remember most about his career as a Perhilitan officer as he will retire this November.
"Doctors told me they cannot allow visitors in for the time being," said the mother of 13.
Terengganu Perhilitan director Yusoff Shariff said five officers were sent to Kampung Jelung when they received reports about a herd of elephant wreaking havoc in the village.
He said the team had been monitoring the herd since Monday.
The elephant disappeared into the jungle after attacking Noor, he said.
A New Butterfly Species Found in NTU
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature
March and April: Evening at the Pasir Ris Mangrove boardwalk with the Naked Hermit Crabs
from Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs
Mangrove Pitta in Pasir Ris!
from Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs
Esther Ng Today Online 2 Mar 12;
SINGAPORE - A working group under the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change (IMCCC) will study how Singapore can stabilise its long-term emissions, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday.
These could include putting a price on carbon emissions, contingent on a new binding global framework, he told Parliament.
Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, said: "Where these measures result in additional costs, the Government will assist our stakeholders, especially the more needy, through policies such as grants and rebates where appropriate."
Other measures being considered include more stringent energy efficiency standards and legislation, along with measures taken by other countries.
He was responding to Members of Parliament - Mr Charles Chong (Joo Chiat), Dr Lam Pin Min (Sengkang West) and Dr Teo Ho Pin (Bukit Panjang) - who had raised concerns on the impact of rising sea levels and climate change on Singapore during the Committee of Supply debate yesterday.
Mr Teo reiterated that Singapore was committed to reducing its emissions by 7 to 11 per cent below business-as-usual levels by 2020.
However, Singapore's "limited ability" to tap on renewable energy (like wind, solar or tidal) means the Government will adopt a "pragmatic approach" and "pace" the implementation of these measures so that "our economy and our people will adapt to the new environment", he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport will introduce a new Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme to encourage car buyers to switch to vehicles with lower emissions, while the Ministry of Trade and Industry will pilot repayable financing schemes to catalyse private sector investments in energy efficiency. ESTHER NG
New laws to deal with climate change
Lee U-Wen Business Times 2 Mar 12;
(SINGAPORE) Singapore has a vision to be a climate-resilient global city that is well-positioned for green growth, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday. The government, in facilitating this transition to a 'greener' Singapore, is set to roll out new policies and legislation, including those that will help consumers make informed choices, he said in parliament yesterday.
Mr Teo, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change, said that some of these measures will be announced in the coming days by the relevant ministries during the Committee of Supply debates.
The Transport Ministry is set to launch a new carbon emissions-based vehicle scheme to encourage car buyers to switch to vehicles with lower emissions.
The Environment and Water Resources Ministry will soon raise the minimum energy performance standards for air-conditioners and refrigerators from next year onwards, as well as extend it to lighting in 2014. The Trade and Industry Ministry is going to pilot several repayable financing schemes to catalyse private sector investments in energy efficiency.
'We have set a target of reducing our emissions by 7-11 per cent below business-as-usual levels in 2020. This will be raised to 16 per cent in 2020 if there is a global agreement on climate change,' said Mr Teo.
He added that Singapore's National Climate Change Strategy - a document that will be released later this year - will explain in greater detail the government's plans to address the challenges of climate change. It will also share the measures that individuals, households and businesses should undertake to better tackle the issue effectively.
'We can create high-value jobs for Singaporeans and enable our economy to benefit from a green growth trajectory if we continue to strengthen our research and development capabilities and attract investments in green industries,' said Mr Teo.
'We are well-positioned to tap on the opportunities in this transition to a clean energy future,' he added.
Related links
Speech on Climate Change by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, at the Committee of Supply Debate [Speeches] from Green Business Times by Eugene Tay
Lim Kang Hoo is passionate about the southern-most Malaysian state's potential
Pauline Ng Business Times 3 Mar 12;
DRIVING in Johor city and along its new six-lane Coastal Highway, the state's waterfront potential is obvious to most, particularly since land costs are only a fraction of Singapore's.
Having accumulated substantial portions of it over the past 15 years, starting at about the time when the Asian financial crisis hit, Lim Kang Hoo must think he is sitting on a gold mine.
The Selangor-born businessman continues patiently to 'prospect' the land, having received reclamation rights in exchange for his assumption during the Asian financial crisis of RM200 million worth of debts by state investment agency Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ).
Now a substantial owner of 3,000 acres of prime waterfront land, he has worked tirelessly to convince the authorities and investors of Johor's potential.
Former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi agreed and, in November 2006, launched Iskandar Malaysia - an enormous 2,217 sq km area - as a special economic zone. The initiative has continued under Mr Abdullah's successor, Najib Razak, who officiated at Mr Lim's Iskandar Waterfront Holdings' (IWH) 15th anniversary last week.
Of Iskandar, the zones facing Singapore, including IWH's Danga Bay, are considered the most likely to take off.
Even then, it will need huge investments.
IWH has indicated the estimated gross development value (GDV) for a planned integrated waterfront city encompassing the three key areas of Danga Bay, JB-city centre and the Tebrau Coast, to be in the region of RM80 billion, and that it will take 25 years to develop the 25 km stretch.
IWH is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) 60 per cent owned by Mr Lim through privately-held Credence Resources Sdn Bhd, with the remaining 40 per cent owned by KPRJ. The SPV recently made a mandatory offer of 76 sen per share for shares of Bursa Malaysia-listed Tebrau Teguh.
Land owned by Mr Lim, KPRJ and Khazanah Nasional unit Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB) will be consolidated under IWH. Mr Lim maintains that the corporate exercise is necessary to delineate the interests and zone drivers better, but emphasised that all initiatives remain a private-public partnership with the state government.
IWH, which currently owns 33 per cent of Tebrau Teguh, will fully own Danga Bay Sdn Bhd (DBSB), 72 per cent of Iskandar Waterfront Sdn Bhd (IWSB), and 20 per cent of Iskandar Coast Sdn Bhd (ICSB).
IIB will hold 28 per cent of IWSB and, because of its 80 per cent stake in ICSB, be in charge of driving the latter which owns about 2,000 acres of land, mostly in Nusajaya.
But in the Danga and Tebrau areas, Mr Lim is the undisputed driver and promoter. More recently, the transformation and redevelopment of the JB central business district (CBD) was also put under his purview.
Starting out as an underwear salesman, the self-made 57-year old tycoon remains indefatigable, especially now that he sees 'light at the end of the tunnel.'
Mr Lim, who also controls listed infrastructure and highway concessionaire Ekovest Bhd, maintains that his other private concerns have helped him pump money into Danga Bay's expensive reclamation works.
Since the settling of a long-outstanding Points of Agreement between Malaysia and Singapore last year, ties between both countries have warmed sufficiently to encourage businessmen on both sides that Iskandar is worth a second look.
Malaysian builders have been flocking to the state, while foreign investors such as Singapore's Azea group and Australia's Lang Walker are already in, while others continue to nibble. How quickly IWH can land bigger names such as CapitaLand remains to be seen.
At the moment, pricing appears to be the main issue. For IWH, Mr Lim points to reclamation costs and risks. Only about 300 acres of Danga Bay is on solid ground and, in the interim, about RM600 million has been spent reclaiming 500-600 acres of waterfront land. Another 1,000 acres remains to be reclaimed (IWH's also has landbanks along the state's rivers).
But funding IWH's grandiose plans - different parcels have been earmarked to function as distinct zones, including finance, entertainment, a marina, commercial and mixed development - will require huge investments.
Consider the proposed Venice@Danga Bay.
The federal government has promised RM200 million in facilitation funds since it believes the concept will appeal to tourists, especially Singaporeans. Located adjacent to Taman Sutera and Taman Putra, the precinct will be developed in two phases over the next 10 years, at an estimated GDV of RM1.5 billion. About 4.5 million sq ft will be built under the first phase and the masterplan includes a canal network, street mall, hotel, soho and service apartments. IWH hopes private equity funds will sign up.
There are not a few Iskandar and Danga Bay disbelievers. After five years, most say only a few highways and buildings have been completed and that the Johor skyline remains much the same.
PA International Property Consultants executive director V Sivadas is of the view that Iskandar's transformation will take 50 years or double the projected time to realise. He warns of a property glut if developers are not careful.
Mr Lim's mother is also unconvinced. She had questioned the wisdom of reclaiming so much land and using a Hokkien proverb, pointed to the futility of dumping sand into the sea given the enormous effort required to make a difference.
Mr Lim jokes that his fate is linked with Danga Bay because of his name jiang he (river), but willingly concedes he might not be a good businessman given the measly returns on investment to date.
However, he is quick to add: 'But sometimes businessmen are gamblers.' Left unspoken is the conviction that if not he, his heirs will have the last laugh.
But regardless of whether he lives to see his vision achieved, he believes it is crucial for Johor to have a masterplan.
'If nobody does this, it will forever be like this!' he said.
Prosperity Froggie
from Macro Photography in Singapore
Juvenile Javan Myna Sips Water From Leaves & Enjoys A Water Bath
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Celebrate Earth Hour at Orchard Road on 31 Mar 2012: 8.30pm
from Otterman speaks
The Science of Tree Shade
from EcoWalkthetalk
Andrea Ong Straits Times 2 Mar 12;
THE Government is studying ways to develop a strategy that will produce a sustainable population which will ensure the country thrives as well as meets its people's aspirations in the future.
Coming up with the strategy is the 'most critical' issue Singapore faces in the long run, and it is important for the Government and people to come to a shared understanding of how to tackle the challenge, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday.
The outcome of the study will be made known by the end of the year when it is presented in a White Paper in Parliament.
In announcing it, DPM Teo said the study will be spearheaded by the National Population and Talent Division, which falls under his charge in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). He was speaking during the debate on the PMO's budget.
The division is 'comprehensively examining' the nation's population goals and policies, he said. It will also discuss related issues via dialogues and online channels with other agencies, stakeholders and the public.
These issues, which include topics like the size and make-up of the population, will have an impact on how the Government plans its land use and infrastructure, said DPM Teo.
The results of its work will be incorporated into the White Paper. He said: 'Through this process, we hope to bring to light issues that are important to Singapore and Singaporeans, and develop a shared understanding of our strategies to build a sustainable population that secures Singapore's future.'
Four MPs, including Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Nee Soon GRC) and Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC), had asked for the Government's population parameters for planning purposes.
DPM Teo assured the House that Singaporeans' views, aspirations and concerns would be considered in developing a population strategy.
The strategy would maintain Singapore's vitality, strengthen its harmonious multi-ethnic society, and 'enable Singaporeans to achieve their life aspirations'.
He also had good news for those worried about the twin woes of low total fertility rate (TFR) and the foreigner influx.
Slightly more babies were born to Singapore citizens last year compared to in 2010. With 30,922 babies against 30,131 babies in 2010, the TFR rose to 1.2 from a historic low of 1.15 in 2010.
The low number of new citizens last year was partly because the citizenship application process was changed.
Would-be citizens have to go through a compulsory orientation programme before the process is complete. Hence, 4,000 who got in-principle approval for citizenship late last year will get their pink identity card this year.
The pool of new permanent residents last year was also the smallest in five years: 27,521 were made permanent residents, around 6 per cent less than in 2010.
However, DPM Teo cautioned that Singapore is at a 'demographic turning point' this year, when the first cohort of post-war baby boomers starts turning 65. This marks the start of an 'unprecedented age shift', with more than 900,000 set to retire from now to 2030.
He painted a dire picture of Singapore's future if birth rates stay at today's low levels and there is no immigration. The workforce will shrink and there will be less support for a growing elderly pool.
But DPM Teo remained optimistic: 'While we face serious demographic challenges and difficult trade-offs in managing population growth, Singapore has a good foundation on which we can build our future.'
2011 POPULATION HIGHLIGHTS
30,922
Number of babies born to Singaporeans, nearly 3 per cent more than in 2010.
15,777
Number of new citizens, lowest in five years.
27,521
Number of new permanent residents, lowest in five years.
If the birth rate remains constant and immigration stops, the median age of citizens will rise from 39 in 2010, to 47 in 2030, and 53 in 2050.
By 2030, fewer young citizens will enter the workforce - about half the number of elderly people leaving the workforce.
Singapore's population at "demographic turning point": DPM Teo
Imelda Saad Channel NewsAsia 1 Mar 12;
SINGAPORE: The Singapore government is taking a comprehensive look at its population policies in view of the country's changing demographics.
Even as it does this, it is introducing measures to better help parents with the cost of raising a child and helping foreign spouses sink their roots here.
Speaking in Parliament during the Committee of Supply Debate for the Prime Minister's Office, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean announced enhancements to the Child Development Account.
Under the scheme introduced in 2001, parents set up a deposit account for their child.
The government matches the deposit one-for-one, up to a cap of S$18,000 per child, depending on the child's birth order.
The money can be used for the developmental needs of the child, up to age six, in areas such as child care, kindergarten and health care.
The enhanced scheme will expand the scope of this account to cover expenses at pharmacies, opticians as well as assistive technology devices for children with disabilities.
The account will also last the child up till the age of 12.
The changes will be implemented in the second half of this year.
Another announcement - the introduction of a Long Term Visit Pass Plus (LTVP+) for foreign spouses of Singaporeans, especially those with Singapore children.
The new pass will be introduced from April 1, 2012.
Currently, most foreign spouses who have yet to be granted Permanent Residency or citizenship, qualify for a Long Term Visit Pass.
Under the new Long Term Visit Pass Plus, they will have greater certainty of stay.
The new pass will last for three years in the first instance and up to five years for each subsequent renewal, instead of the current shorter periods of typically one year.
Holders of the new pass will also receive health care subsidies for inpatient treatment at public hospitals, pegged at a level close to that for PRs.
That is, about the same rate as PRs even though they have not yet been granted PR status.
Holders of the Long Term Visit Pass Plus will also find it easier to work to supplement the family income.
They need only get a Letter of Consent from the Manpower Ministry to work.
This can be obtained easily online.
To qualify for the new pass, factors such as the length of marriage and whether there are citizen children in the family will be considered.
Even as Mr Teo announced new initiatives, he stressed on the need for Singapore to attract new immigrants.
He described 2012 as a "demographic turning point" for Singapore.
That's because the first cohort of post-war Baby Boomers, that is those born between 1947 and 1965, will start turning 65 from this year.
So Mr Teo said, from now till 2030, Singapore will experience an "unprecedented age shift, as over 900,000 Baby Boomers, more than a quarter of the current citizen population, retire from the workforce and enter their silver years.
Mr Teo said at the current birth rates and without immigration, more than 1 in 4 citizens will be aged 65 and over in 2030.
The median age of Singapore citizens will rise to 47 from 39 today.
And to 53, post 2030.
Fewer working adults will also support citizens aged 65 and above.
While those entering the working-age pool will shrink.
"Without immigration, we will face a shrinking workforce and the prospect of a shrinking economy. This challenging situation is compounded by the need to support a significantly larger elderly population at the same time," said Mr Teo.
Mr Teo said the most critical long term issue is to "develop a sustainable population strategy that will maintain the vitality of Singapore, strengthen our harmonious multi-ethnic society, and enable Singaporeans to achieve their life aspirations".
To this end, the National Population and Talent Division will release a White Paper by the end of the year, setting out the issues important to Singaporeans and strategies for a sustainable population.
The division will consult various stakeholders over the course of the year.
- CNA/cc/fa
(AFP) Google News 1 Mar 12;
HONG KONG — A Hong Kong airline has promised to stop transporting live dolphins after coming under heavy criticism from animal welfare activists, conservationists said Wednesday.
More than 6,500 people have signed an online petition urging Hong Kong Airlines to stop the business, revealed when an internal memo about a recent delivery from Japan to Vietnam was leaked to Chinese media.
"Hong Kong Airlines wishes to convey that it is a responsible member of the transport industry caring for the future and environment," the airline said in a letter to animal welfare groups dated Wednesday.
"Since it is believed that transportation of this nature can result in endangering wildlife elsewhere, Hong Kong Airlines will immediately ban shipments of this kind," the letter stated.
A copy of the letter was posted on US-based conservation group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society website. Representatives from the group have written to the airline denouncing the dolphin shipment.
Hong Kong Airlines in an emailed reply to AFP declined to comment.
"This action should send a message to all airlines that the consequences of transporting dolphins will result in such global negative publicity as to affect a loss of business that will far outweigh any short-term financial gain from the transfers," Sea Shepherd Hong Kong coordinator Gary Stokes said.
The airline has said it complied with government rules and the International Air Transport Association regulations on live animal transportation during the January 16 delivery of the five dolphins from Osaka to Hanoi.
The dolphins are believed to have come from the Japanese town of Taiji, the scene of an annual dolphin slaughter depicted in Oscar Award winning documentary "The Cove", said China Daily, which first reported on the delivery.
The leaked memo said the flight earned HK$850,000 ($110,000) in cargo revenue. The China Daily report included a photograph of the dolphins lying in shallow, narrow containers inside the belly of a Boeing 733F cargo plane.
New Straits Times 2 Mar 12;
SEPANG: Customs Department officers rescued 50 pangolins from being smuggled out to Laos at Kuala Lumpur International Airport early yesterday.
The protected mammals worth about RM57,500 were found sealed in 25 boxes which were on transit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, during an inspection at 2am.
Customs deputy director-general (enforcement) Datuk Zainul Abidin Taib said the consignment which was sent from Penang was tagged as boxes containing live crabs, but after further checks on the boxes, they were found to be packed with pangolins.
"One of the boxes had a hole in it and when my officer inspected the box, he noticed that it contained pangolins and not live crabs," he said.
Zainul said the mammals could fetch around RM250 per kilogramme in the black market.
He said the endangered species would be handed to the Wildlife Department for further action once investigations into the falsely declared items were completed.
Pangolins are among the most illegally traded animals in Southeast Asia.
The mammals are covered in tough, overlapping scales. These burrowing mammals eat ants and termites using an extraordinarily long, sticky tongue and are able to quickly roll themselves up into a tight ball when threatened.
Eight different pangolin species can be found across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Poaching for illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss have made these creatures one of the most endangered groups of mammals in the world.
Smuggling bid exposed
Simon Khoo The Star 2 Mar 12;
SEPANG: A trapped pangolin which punctured a hole in a storage box in its bid to escape exposed the attempt to smuggle out the animals at a warehouse at the KL International Airport here.
Customs officers, upon seeing the puncture, inspected the box, one of 25 that was declared to contain live crabs, and was surprised to see two pangolins tied in it.
There were similar pairs of pangolins in all the other boxes as well.
Customs assistant director-general (Enforcement) Datuk Zainul Abidin Taib said yesterday that their checks found the protected species were bound for Vientiane, Laos, from Penang.
He said a pangolin is worth about RM1,150 in the black market and the consignment of 50 pangolins could fetch RM57,500.
“If nothing is done to safeguard its existence, it may be extinct due to poaching activities,” he said, adding that it was the first success by the department this year to stop the smuggling out of protected animals.
Zainul Abidin said the case would be investigated under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, adding that they would trace the owners and others responsible for the transshipment.
Once investigations are completed, the pangolins would be handed over to the Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department for the next course of action.
New Straits Times 2 Mar 12;
MALACCA: Bird-watching enthusiasts will converge on Port Dickson in a little over a week from now for the annual Raptor Watch, but they are likely to meet fewer of their feathery "friends".
The number of raptors spotted during their annual crossing over the Straits of Malacca has seen a decrease over the years, mainly due to habitat loss and environmental changes, such as global warming.
From the hundreds of thousands during the Raptor Watch, one of the biggest bird-watching events in the region, from Tanjung Tuan, Port Dickson, in the 1960s, the migratory birds now number in the tens of thousands.
In 2010, counters spotted more than 73,000 raptors, and the following year saw the number drop to 57,000. It is anyone's guess just how many will be seen during this year's Raptor Watch on March 10 and 11.
Malaysian Nature Society communications head, Andrew Sebastian, said it was important to note that raptors exist at the top of many food chains and as such, they were especially sensitive to any changes in the ecosystem structure.
"These birds of prey are good indicators of the health of the environment and food chain. For example, the decline in the population of the Brahminy Kite has been linked to the disappearance of the mangrove habitat in Indonesia. By monitoring raptor populations, we can keep an eye on the state of our environment and prevent it from reaching critical conditions."
Sebastian said MSN was also worried about the protection of equally important areas for raptors in neighbouring countries.
"Pulau Rupat, which is where the raptors will launch from Sumatra before heading to Tanjung Tuan, has had some of its forest cleared for plantations. This is a cause for worry, as the development could interrupt the usual route of the raptors," he said.
Presi Mandari AFP Yahoo News 1 Mar 12;
Environmental group Greenpeace accused one of the world's biggest paper companies Thursday of illegally logging internationally protected trees on Indonesia's lush Sumatra island.
A year-long undercover investigation by activists on two million hectares of land belonging to Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) in Riau province found that ramin trees classified as vulnerable were being fed to the company's main mill.
"We caught Asia Pulp & Paper red-handed. An investigation shows its main pulp mill is regularly riddled with protected ramin," Greenpeace Southeast Asia forest campaigner Bustar Maitar said.
Greenpeace filmed operations at the company's mill several times over the year and documented ramin timber being pulped alongside other species.
The activists said they took 56 wood samples from the mill to be tested at a laboratory, which found 46 to be protected ramin.
Ramin is the name given to several subspecies of tropical hardwood trees that are found in carbon-rich peatland and swampland in Malaysia and Indonesia.
It is traded primarily to make furniture and items like picture frames and pool cues.
The Indonesian government banned ramin exploitation in 2001 while the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which regulates the international trade in species threatened through trade, listed it as vulnerable in 2004.
APP said it had launched an internal investigation to verify the veracity of Greenpeace's allegations.
"We take very seriously any evidence of violation of the regulations concerning the protection of endangered tree species. APP will now study the allegations very closely," a statement received by AFP said.
Greenpeace urged companies such as Xerox, Danone and National Geographic to stop using APP's paper in their products.
The environmental group has in recent years waged highly successful campaigns against APP, prompting more than a dozen major international companies, such as Barbie-maker Mattel, KFC and Walmart, to drop paper packaging contracts with APP.
Deforestation accounts for 70 percent of carbon emissions in Indonesia, the world's third-biggest emitter, according to UN data.
The government in May implemented a two-year ban on issuing new permits to clear primary forests and peatland in a carbon-cutting deal backed with $1 billion from Norway.
The country has pledged to cut emissions by 26 percent from 2009 levels -- or 41 percent with international help -- by 2020.
Indonesia's tiger habitat pulped for paper, investigation shows
Greenpeace evidence reveals threatened trees have been chopped down and sent to factories to be pulped
Fiona Harvey The Guardian 1 Mar 12;
The habitat of the endangered Sumatran tiger is being rapidly destroyed in order to make tissues and paper packaging for consumer products in the west, new research from Greenpeace shows.
A year-long investigation by the campaigning group has uncovered clear evidence, independently verified, that appears to show that ramin trees from the Indonesian rainforest have been chopped down and sent to factories to be pulped and turned into paper. The name ramin refers to a collection of endangered trees growing in peat swamps in Indonesia where the small number of remaining Sumatran tigers hunt.
Chopping down these trees is illegal under Indonesian law dating back to 2001, because of their status as an endangered plant species. But Greenpeace alleges that its researchers found ramin logs being prepared to be transported for pulping. The company tested logs in lumber yards belonging to the paper giant Asian Pulp and Paper, on nine separate occasions over the course of a year, and sent them to an independent lab to be tested. Out of 59 samples, 46 tested positive as ramin logs.
Asian Pulp and Paper denied wrongdoing. The company said in a statement: "Asia Pulp & Paper group (APP) maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy for illegal wood entering the supply chain and has comprehensive chain of custody systems to ensure that only legal wood enters its pulp mill operations. APP's chain of custody systems are independently audited on a periodic basis. This ensures that we only receive legal pulpwood from areas under legal license that have passed all necessary ecological and social assessments.
"APP's chain of custody system traces the origin of raw material, evaluates its legal and environmental status, to minimise the risk of contamination and to ensure that endangered species are protected – in accordance with the laws of Indonesia."
The same hardwoods that grow in the Sumatran peat swamps where the tiger lives have also been independently verified to exist in paper products found on supermarket shelves, including photocopying paper, packaging for consumer products such as tissue paper.
Because the amounts of this pulp found in the paper samples are so small, it is impossible to say that they also contain ramin. However, independent lab tests confirmed the presence of "mixed tropical hardwoods" in paper samples from a wide variety of consumer outlets in the west. This shows that valuable rainforest trees are being turned into everyday items bought by unsuspecting consumers.
These fibres are highly likely to come from the same log yards examined by Greenpeace, because once pulped these rainforest trees are widely disseminated to packaging suppliers.
Greenpeace said the links showed that APP should submit to more independent auditing. John Sauven, director of Greenpeace UK, told the Guardian: "We are really hoping for a positive response from APP. We want to see an end to the destruction of this incredibly important habitat."
Greenpeace's researchers visited APP lumber yards on nine occasions over the course of a year. Each time, they took samples of logs they suspected could be ramin, and recorded the sample-taking on video. They also recorded their exact location via GPS, and bagged the samples in tamper-proof containers. These were then sent to an independent laboratory in Germany where they were tested and most of them found to be ramin.
The same German laboratory also found significant levels of mixed tropical hardwood in consumer products from various companies, which Greenpeace believes came from the same forests.
APP's statement continued: "A recent independent report confirmed that no protected tree species are entering our supply chain. However, APP accepts that no system in the world, no matter how rigorous, is 100% failsafe. We welcome the recent report from Greenpeace International and will study it carefully – to ensure that we identify and act on any weaknesses in our chain of custody systems. It is APP's desire to work with Greenpeace and other like-minded NGOs to improve our responsible sourcing policies and practices."
The company did not provide further details of its audits.
New Straits Times 2 Mar 12;
KUCHING: State Assistant Minister for Environment Datuk Len Talif questioned a Dutch non-governmental organisation's "satellite imagery study" that showed that Malaysia was destroying forests more than three times faster than all of Asia combined and Sarawak was stripping its carbon-rich peat soils "even faster".
"If we are clearing our forested areas at the rate of two per cent a year as claimed, by the year 2020, we would have no forests left.
"We have been involved in logging (and forest clearing for agriculture) for the last 50 to 100 years, yet we still have our forests.
"Eighty-four per cent of Sarawak is still covered by forests by the FAO (The Food and Agriculture Organisation) definition," Len said yesterday.
Len was commenting on a Wetlands International study which claimed Sarawak was uprooting an average two per cent of its rain forests a year or nearly 10 per cent over the last five years.
The Dutch NGO's report claimed "total deforestation in Sarawak is 3.5 times as much as that of entire Asia, while deforestation of peat swamp forests is 11.7 times as much".
The study was carried out by SarVision, a satellite monitoring and mapping company that originated with scientists at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Satellite images show Malaysia deforestation faster than all of Asia
Yong Yen Nie Asian Correspondent 21 Feb 12;
AN article appearing on a US-based Internet newspaper claims that Malaysia is destroying its forests three times faster than all Asia combined, for palm oil plantations.
According to The Huffington Post, a report commissioned by the Netherlands-based Wetlands International said Malaysia is uprooting an average of 2% of its rainforests in Sarawak every year, its largest state located on the island of Borneo, or nearly 10% in the past five years.
On the other hand, the deforestation rate of Asia during the similar period was 2.8%. The deforestation was seen via satellite images by SarVision, a satellite monitoring and mapping company that originated with scientists at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
“Total deforestation in Sarawak is 3.5 times as much as that for entire Asia, while deforestation of peat swamp forest is 11.7 times as much,” the Wetlands International report is quoted as saying.
It said in the last five years, 353,000 hectares of Malaysia’s peatlands were deforested, comprising of one-third of swamps that are important to the ecosystem by storing carbon from decomposed plants for millions of years and habitat to endangered plant and animal species.
Malaysia is among the world’s top producers of palm oil. Sarawak Report, a website on Sarawak politics, had accused its chief minister, Taib Mahmud, of grabbing land almost three times the size of Singapore from natives for timber and palm-oil producing.
The Rape of Sarawak
Asian Sentinel 22 Feb 12;
Environmental organization says Malaysia is destroying its rainforest, particularly in Sarawak, at a frantic pace
A Netherlands-based environmental organization, Wetlands International, is charging in a new report that Malaysia is destroying its tropical rainforest at a rate three times faster than the rest of Asia combined, particularly in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak, with the expectation that “expansion of oil palm plantations may lead to the complete loss of these vast, unique forests by the end of this decade.”
Sarawak’s chief minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud, has come in for international criticism on charges that he has sold off vast tracts of the state to international loggers to enrich his family. The Taib family has interests believed to be in the billions in Canada, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom as well as in scores of companies in Malaysia, according to The Sarawak Report, a UK-based NGO.
Malaysia has been largely shielded from criticism by the world’s environmental organizations, who have concentrated their firepower on Indonesia. However according to the report, “Official government figures state that only 8 to -13 percent of Malaysia’s palm oil plantations were situated on carbon rich peat soils; 20 percent for Sarawak. Two studies; one conducted by global environmental organization Wetlands International and one by the remote sensing institute Sarvision show that a rapidly increasing proportion of Malaysian palm oil is produced on peat lands, leading to deforestation and degradation of organic soils. Wetlands International and Sarvision used satellite images combined with existing data and field surveys to complete the picture.
The new studies conclude that 20 percent of all Malaysian palm oil is produced on drained peat lands, with 44 percent produced on drained peat lands in Sarawak. “For recently established plantations, the percentage on forested peat swamps is even higher. “
According to the Wetlands International report, Malaysia is responsible for 45 percent of global palm oil production. The new plantations in Malaysia are almost all established in the State of Sarawak, the report indicated. Two thirds of the state’s peat lands were until recently covered by thick, biodiversity-rich rainforest.
“Between 2005-2010 almost 353,000 hectares of the 1 million hectare peat swamp forests were opened up at high speed; largely for palm oil production,” the report notes. “In just five years’ time, almost 10 percent of all Sarawak’s forests and 33 percent of the peat swamp forests have been cleared. Of this, 65 percent was for conversion to palm oil production.”
Marcel Silvius, the program head of Wetlands International, said that as the rainforest has fallen to the axe for timber extraction, the timber companies are replanting the area with oil palm, “completing the annihilation of Sarawak’s peat swamp forests.”
Malaysia has never provided verifiable information on land use in relation to soil type or deforestation, the report notes.
Niels Wielaard of Sarvision said the new report “is the first time that detailed and verified figures on deforestation and peat swamp conversion have come available for Sarawak. Free availability of satellite imagery and tools such as Google Earth are revolutionizing forest monitoring.”
Loss of unique species
Malaysia’s peat swamp forests, the report notes, are home to many endangered and endemic species and subspecies including enigmatic species such as the Borneo Pygmy elephant, the Sumatran Rhino, the Bornean Clouded Leopard, the Malayan Tapir and the Proboscis Monkey as well as lesser known endangered species such as the Storm’s Stork, False Gharial and the Painted terrapin
“The peat swamp forests of north Borneo represent a unique vegetation type characterized by the Alan tree as well as the valuable but endangered timber species,” the report notes. “This forest type has been wiped out in Sarawak and the only remaining examples now remain in Brunei. The peat swamp forests have not been intensively studied, and many undiscovered species are feared to have been lost.
Malaysia’s original peat land forests totaled some 2.5 million ha. Conversion and drainage of these natural carbon stores has causes rapid decomposition and subsidence of the organic soil leading to huge carbon dioxide emissions, lasting for decades, the report notes.
“Very cautious and conservative estimates put greenhouse gas emissions from palm oil plantations on peat at 40 metric tons of CO2 per hectare per year, the report says. “Using this very conservative estimation, the 510,000 ha of peat lands in Malaysia drained for palm oil production thus cause the release of some 20 million tons of/CO2 annually. However, twice this amount is more likely.
The rapid expansion of oil palm plantations is a result of the global increase in demand for vegetable oil for food and for a large part also for biofuels.
“European targets to increase the use of biodiesel are causing a rapid increase of the global demands for vegetable oil crops. This growth in demand leads to a massive (indirect) land use change; especially in Southeast Asia, including in carbon rich peat swamp forests. The conversion of these areas increases greenhouse gas emissions and thus fuels climate change. Biodiesel use that does not prevent these indirect land use impacts is far from sustainable and may cause much larger emissions than the use of fossil fuel diesels.”
Call for action
“The production of palm oil is welcome only if expansion can be done in a sustainable way. Wetlands International calls for a complete ban of palm oil production on peat lands and for a halt on further conversion of natural areas for this crop. Instead development should focus on the millions of hectares of degraded (non-peat) areas in South-east Asia. Companies that use palm oil should demand for this. In addition, Wetlands International calls for an end to incentives for biofuels in the EU that result in direct and indirect land use change like we now see in Malaysia.”
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