Malaysia, Johor: Even when it doesn’t rain, it floods

Mohd Fahmi Mohd Yusof New Straits Times 12 Apr 12;

Several areas in Kota Tinggi are often flooded during high tide at Sungai Johor and residents are worried the situation will get worse

AN inefficient drainage system and the public’s littering habit have caused several areas here to be easily flooded during high tide, even though there is no rain.

A recent check at the intersection of Jalan Tun Sri Lanang revealed that water began to flood the area at about 12.30pm and the condition continued until 3.30pm, with the water coming from the underground drains, believed to be backflow from Sungai Johor during high tide.

Shazlan Karim, 28, said the phenomenon often occurred during high tide.

“Besides the poorly maintained drainage system, I blame members of the public who throw rubbish all over the place, causing the drains to be clogged.

“The authorities should also play their parts by maintaining the drains properly so that this problem does not recur. This time, it may not be serious but what if it rains heavily,” said Shazlan.

He said the public should also not throw rubbish into drains to prevent them from being clogged up.

Trader Hashim Masood, 36, urged the authorities to act on the problems immediately before the situation gets worse, like the floods that hit the district several years ago.

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Citizen journalism triumphs at China environmental press awards

Winner highlights growing pressure for greater public awareness and information transparency as a way of dealing with environmental woes
Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk 11 Apr 12;

When Liu Futang left the confines of Chinese government service and opened his first microblog last April, the retired forestry official could not have imagined that a year later, he would be celebrated as a shining light of citizen journalism.

Yet that is what happened on Tuesday when the 65-year-old's exposé of illegal forest clearance joined mainstream media stories on oil spills, hazardous smog and toxic water pollution as a winner at the Chinese environmental press awards.

At first sight, it is hard to imagine anyone less like the typical Chinese blogger than Liu. But the quiet, former bureaucrat is an example of the growing pressure from journalists, bloggers and activists for greater public awareness and information transparency as a way of dealing with the country's environmental woes.

Liu stirred up an online fury last year when he revealed that developers had destroyed one of the world's last groves of water coconut trees to make space for a yacht marina.

"The degradation is terrible," said Liu. "The local media hasn't written a single word, but I've posted 40 articles that have been followed up by newspapers and TV from across the country."

The citizen journalist prize is a new category in the awards, which are jointly organised by the Guardian, chinadialogue and Sina, the leading Chinese web portal, with funding from the Guardian Foundation and SEE, a Chinese charitable body.

Now in its third year, the awards highlighted the gains – and continued challenges – faced by Chinese journalists. The past 12 months have showed significant progress in the efforts to improve transparency, but also major obstacles.

Internationally, the highest profile success was a campaign by journalist-turned-environmental activist Ma Jun to make Apple provide more details about pollution and labour standards violations in its supply chain.

Domestically, the biggest breakthrough is probably on air pollution. Most of China's cities have been plagued by smog for more than a decade, but until now the authorities have provided scant information about the pollution that caused the haze and threatens the health of millions. This changed dramatically after Chinese bloggers and journalists picked up on tweets issued from the US embassy monitoring station and other sources, with environmental authorities in Beijing starting to release more detailed pollution data earlier this year.

Feng Jie, who was named environmental journalist of the year, wrote a darkly humorous piece on the efforts of Beijing citizens to set up their own monitoring stations. In another in-depth report, she revealed how a massive oil leak into the Bohai Sea was withheld from the public by the State Oceanic Administration and drilling platform operators, CNOOC and ConocoPhillips. Reporters in the state media were ordered to keep quiet but the problem emerged via microblogs and was then confirmed by local government and corporate sources.

Such cases illustrate why Feng believes China has made little progress in information disclosure since she started her career six years ago.

"When I started out, I was optimistic that things would improve. But now I realise that if you want to tell your readers real information rather than bullshit, then you have to spend a lot of time building up connections with insiders. If you simply call up the press office, you get nothing," she said.

Newspapers and websites also have to race to get stories out before censors issue blocking orders. The best breaking news story of the year was a report on the cancer risks posed by 5,000 tonnes of cadmium tailings that contaminated water systems near the source of the Pearl River. The article was put out by the Yunnan Information Daily, but its partner in the investigation, the Southern Metropolis Daily, was ordered not to run the story when it tried to do so one day later.

While many participants cited censorship as the biggest problem facing Chinese journalists, the spread of microblogs has made it far more difficult for the authorities to control the flow of information, which is now coming from so many different and unexpected directions.

"There is more transparency, but it's not yet at a fundamental level. That is the biggest difficulty in China's environmental journalism," said Gong Jing, who picked up an award for revealing how cadmium pollution through the soil is contaminating rice stocks. "A lot of information should be public, but journalists have to work very hard to get it."

That hard grind is paying dividends. Media analysts and environmental NGOs said journalists, bloggers and civil society groups are opening up new information territory.

"There has been an improvement from the bottom up," said Li Yan of Greenpeace. "But there are still too many environmental issues that have not gained sufficient attention from the government."

Liu Ruisheng of the China Academy of Social Science said public demands for transparency have increased. "This has pushed the government to open more information. Even if it is under pressure, the government cannot do things as it did in the past," he said.

These topics were raised in a debate that followed the award ceremony. Among the 100 or so audience members, fewer than one-fifth believed that China's environmental problems have peaked, but the majority were optimistic of improvement within the next 10 years.

A more cautious note, was struck by the most senior government participant, Sun Zhen, deputy counsel at the National Development and Reform Commission. "I don't think we will see the peak that soon," he said. "The improvements can't keep pace with the speed of destruction."

Winners list for the China environmental press awards

Journalist of the year: Feng Jie, Southern Weekend

Recognised for Bohai oil spill special report, north China cities facing water supply crisis and monitoring air quality for my country.

Citizen journalist of the year: Liu Futang

Recognised for an exposé on the destruction of water coconut forest.

Most influential report: Cadmium rice murder

By Gong Jing of Caixin

Best breaking news story: Here comes 5,000 tons of chromium

By Feng Wei, Liu Wei of Yunnan Information Daily

Best in-depth report: Drought destiny facing rivers and lakes

By Zhao Shilong, He Guangwei, Guo Liping, Zhou Huan, Long Jing of Time Weekly

Best nature report: Everest expedition: wildlife on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau

By Yang Xiaohong, Fang Qianhua of Southern Metropolis Daily

Honourable mentions:

Cui Zheng of New Century for Environmental hormone ambush

Zhang Ke, First Financial Daily for Rodeo at the Bird's Nest in Beijing

Lu Zongshu, Zhang Qing, Zhu Yang, Shen Nianzu of Southern Weekend for Growing vegetables

Yang Chuanmin of Southern Metropolis Daily for Concerns for the South China Sea

Xie Liangbing and Tian Peng of Economic Observer for Yangtze River fish emergency

Yuan Yue of Sanlian Life Weekly for The Death of the Earth – report from the Durban climate conference

Wang Yan of China News Week for The terrifying Yajiang River

Ma Jinhui of Xiaoxiang Morning Daily for Guanyin Mountain

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Fungus threat escalates for food, wildlife: scientists

AFP Yahoo News 11 Apr 12;

Species of fungus, driven by trade, travel and climate change, pose a mounting threat to food supplies and biodiversity, scientists said on Wednesday.

Widely unknown to the general public, seven fungal epidemics are under way, striking bees, bats, frogs, soft corals and sea turtles as well as rice and wheat, they said.

Human health and livelihoods are at stake, for fungus costs $60 billion a year in losses to corn, wheat and rice alone, according to their assessment, published by the science journal Nature.

"In both animals and plants, an unprecedented number of fungal and fungal-like species have recently caused some of the most severe die-offs and extinctions ever witnessed in wild species, and are jeopardising food security," it warned.

The paper said a lethal skin fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, discovered in 1997, has infected 500 species of frogs and toads in 54 countries, on all continents where amphibians are found.

Some areas of Central America have lost more than 40 percent of their amphibian species.

Bats in North America and Canada are being decimated by "white nose syndrome," a pathogen called Geomyces destructans, which causes a white fungal patch to grow on their muzzles. The fungus is believed to have a natural home in cave soil.

Species of the Microsporidia family of fungus are being blamed in part for for so-called colony collapse disorder among honeybees.

In tropical climates, the fungus Fusarium solani is causing eggs laid by the loggerhead turtle to fail to hatch, while a soft coral, the sea fan, is in decline, its immune system depressed by a soil fungus.

A pathogen called Magnaporthe oryzae, causing a disease called rice blast, has led to losses of 10-35 percent in the rice harvest in 85 countries.

Another fast-emerging concern for farmers is wheat rust, caused by Puccinia graminis. A strain called Ug99 can cause 100-percent crop loss, helped by farmers' over-dependence on a single wheat type.

Fungal destruction of these crops, and also of corn, potatoes and soybeans, currently amounts to 125 million tonnes a year, according to the study. Tackling this problem would be enough to feed one in 12 of the world's population.

Fungus is spread by tough, virulent and long-living spores that can be borne by wind or water.

But human intervention, through trade, transport and global warming, is accelerating its spread, the study said.

For instance, the amphibian fungus B. dendrobatidis has gained a foothold in some ecoystems by the introduction of the North American bullfrog, which is resistant to the disease.

In the mid-19th century, a fungus called Phytophthora infestans triggered a catastrophic disease in potatoes known as late blight, causing millions of deaths from famine and an exodus to America.

The fungus originated in the Andes but hitched a ride in tubers to Mexico, and from there to the United States and finally to Ireland, according one theory.

"Crop losses due to fungal attack challenge food security and threaten biodiversity, yet we are woefully inadequate at controlling their emergence and proliferation," said Sarah Gurr, a professor of molecular plant pathology at Oxford University.

Addressing fungal epidemics starts at the bottom, with better understanding of how the pathogen interacts with hosts and the environment. In terms of action, "effective prevention and timely control" are best, as these stop an early outbreak in its tracks, according to the study.

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Ocean Acidification Linked to Larval Oyster Failure

ScienceDaily 11 Apr 12;

Researchers at Oregon State University have definitively linked an increase in ocean acidification to the collapse of oyster seed production at a commercial oyster hatchery in Oregon, where larval growth had declined to a level considered by the owners to be "non-economically viable."

A study by the researchers found that elevated seawater carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, resulting in more corrosive ocean water, inhibited the larval oysters from developing their shells and growing at a pace that would make commercial production cost-effective. As atmospheric CO2 levels continue to rise, this may serve as the proverbial canary in the coal mine for other ocean acidification impacts on shellfish, the scientists say.

Results of the research have just been published in the journal, Limnology and Oceanography.

"This is one of the first times that we have been able to show how ocean acidification affects oyster larval development at a critical life stage," said Burke Hales, an OSU chemical oceanographer and co-author on the study. "The predicted rise of atmospheric CO2 in the next two to three decades may push oyster larval growth past the break-even point in terms of production."

The owners of Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery at Oregon's Netarts Bay began experiencing a decline in oyster seed production several years ago, and looked at potential causes including low oxygen and pathogenic bacteria. Alan Barton, who works at the hatchery and is an author on the journal article, was able to eliminate those potential causes and shifted his focus to acidification.

Barton sent samples to OSU and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory for analysis. Their ensuing study clearly linked the production failures to the CO2 levels in the water in which the larval oysters are spawned and spend the first 24 hours of their lives, the critical time when they develop from fertilized eggs to swimming larvae, and build their initial shells.

"The early growth stage for oysters is particularly sensitive to the carbonate chemistry of the water," said George Waldbusser, a benthic ecologist in OSU's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. "As the water becomes more acidified, it affects the formation of calcium carbonate, the mineral of which the shell material consists. As the CO2 goes up, the mineral stability goes down, ultimately leading to reduced growth or mortality."

Commercial oyster production on the West Coast of North America generates more than $100 million in gross sales annually, generating economic activity of some $273 million. The industry has depended since the 1970s on oyster hatcheries for a steady supply of the seed used by growers. From 2007 to 2010, major hatcheries supplying the seed for West Coast oyster growers suffered persistent production failures.

The wild stocks of non-hatchery oysters simultaneously showed low recruitment, putting additional strain on limited seed supply.

Hales said Netarts Bay, where the Whiskey Creek hatchery is located, experiences a wide range of chemistry fluctuations. The OSU researchers say hatchery operators may be able to adapt their operations to take advantage of periods when water quality is at its highest.

"In addition to the impact of seasonal upwelling, the water chemistry changes with the tidal cycle, and with the time of day," Hales said. "Afternoon sunlight, for example, promotes photosynthesis in the bay and that production can absorb some of the carbon dioxide and lower the corrosiveness of the water."

A previous study co-authored by Hales found the water that is being upwelled in the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast has been kept at depth away from the surface for about 50 years -- meaning it was last exposed to the atmosphere a half-century ago, when carbon dioxide levels were much lower. "Since atmospheric CO2 levels have risen significantly in the past half-century, it means that the water that will be upwelled in the future will become increasingly be more corrosive," Hales said.

The OSU researchers also found that larval oysters showed delayed response to the water chemistry, which may cast new light on other experiments looking at the impacts of acidification on shellfish. In their study, they found that larval oysters raised in water that was acidic, but non-lethal, had significantly less growth in later stages of their life.

"The takeaway message here is that the response to poor water quality isn't always immediate," said Waldbusser. "In some cases, it took until three weeks after fertilization for the impact from the acidic water to become apparent. Short-term experiments of just a few days may not detect the damage."

The research has been funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, and supported by NOAA and the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association. Other authors on the journal article include Chris Langdon, of OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center, and Richard Feely, of NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratories.

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Best of our wild blogs: 11 Apr 12

Middle reef
from The annotated budak

Random Gallery - The Malay Tailed Judy
from Butterflies of Singapore

An extremely tame House Crow
from Bird Ecology Study Group

The 7 Habits of Green Conscious Singaporeans
from AsiaIsGreen

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Indonesia Aceh quake triggers Indian Ocean tsunami alert

BBC News 11 Apr 12;

An earthquake with an magnitude of 8.7 has struck under the sea off Indonesia's northern Aceh province.

The quake triggered a tsunami watch alert across the Indian Ocean region.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said it was not yet known whether a tsunami had been generated, but advised authorities to "take appropriate action".

The region is regularly hit by earthquakes. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 170,000 people in Aceh.

The US Geological Survey (USGS), which documents quakes worldwide, said the Aceh quake was centred 33km (20 miles) under the sea about 495km from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.

It was initially reported as 8.9 magnitude but was later revised down to 8.7 by the USGS. Strong aftershocks were also reported.

The PTWC alert said quakes of such a magnitude "have the potential to generate a widespread destructive tsunami that can affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean basin".

But Bruce Presgrave of the USGS later told the BBC that the nature of this quake made it less likely a tsunami would be generated, as the earth had moved horizontally, rather than vertically, therefore had not displaced large volumes of water.

"We can't rule out the possibility, but horizontal motion is less likely to produce a destructive tsunami," he said.

Sutopo, a spokesman for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, said the quake had been felt "very strongly".

"Electricity is down, there's traffic jams to access higher ground. Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are everywhere," he told Reuters.
'Minute of chaos'

The earthquake monitoring agency in Indonesia said the tsunami warning would remain in place for another few hours, but that there had been no reports so far of a low tide, which would indicate the water was receding before building into a tsunami.

The tremor was felt as far away as Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India.

"There was a tremor felt by all of us working in the building," a man called Vincent in Calcutta, India, told the BBC.

"All just ran out of the building and people were asked not to use the elevator. There was a minute of chaos where all started ringing up to their family and asking about their well-being."

The Thai office of disaster management said people along the coasts of Phuket, Phang Na and Andaman province should heed warnings and evacuate.

Tsunami warning sirens, set up in many vulnerable areas after the 2004 disaster, were heard in Phuket, where correspondents said people were calmly following evacuation routes to safe zones.

Indonesia straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of major seismic activity.

The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, says there were reports of the ground shaking for up to five minutes. Contact with people in the immediate area around the quake has not been possible so far, says our correspondent.

Huge quake strikes off Indonesia, tsunami warning issued
Reza Munawir Reuters Yahoo News 11 Apr 12;

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - An 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending residents around the region scurrying from buildings and raising fears of a huge tsunami as in 2004, but authorities said there were no reports suggesting a major threat.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in Aceh, the Indonesian province closest to the earthquake.

The quake struck at 0838 GMT and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said soon afterwards a tsunami watch was in effect for the entire Indian Ocean. It later said the threat of a big tsunami had receded, although the warning remained in place.

"It doesn't look like a major tsunami. But we are still monitoring as tsunamis come in waves," Victor Sardina, a geophysicist on duty at the Hawaii-based institute, told Reuters.

Individual countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, issued their own warnings.

People near the coast in six Thai provinces were ordered to move to higher ground and authorities shut down the international airport in the beach resort town of Phuket.

The quake struck 308 miles (500 km) southwest of the city of Banda Aceh, on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, at a depth of 20.5 miles (33 km), the U.S. Geological survey said.

Indonesia's disaster management agency said power was down in Aceh province and people were gathering on high ground as sirens warned of the danger.

"The electricity is down, there are traffic jams to access higher ground. Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are everywhere," said Sutopo, spokesman for the agency.

But Yudhoyono said there were no signs of a disaster.

"There is no tsunami threat although we are on alert," said he said at a joint news conference in Jakarta with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said Britain was standing ready to help if needed.

"The situation in Aceh is under control, there's a little bit of panic but people can go to higher ground," Yudhoyono said.

He said he had ordered a disaster relief team to fly to Aceh, which was devastated by the 9.1 magnitude 2004 quake, which sent huge tsunami waves crashing into Sumatra, where 170,000 people were killed, and across the Indian Ocean.

In all, the 2004 tsunami killed about 230,000 people in 13 Indian Ocean countries, including Thailand, Sri Lanka and India.

"HORIZONTAL SHIFT"

Wednesday's quake was felt as far away as the Thai capital, Bangkok, and in southern India, residents said.

Hundreds of office workers in the Indian city of Bangalore left their buildings while the Indian port of Chennai closed down because of the danger of a tsunami, the port said.

The quake was in roughly in the same area as the 2004 quake which was at a depth of 18 miles (30 km) along a fault line running under the Indian Ocean, off western Indonesia and up into the Bay of Bengal.

One expert told the BBC the Wednesday quake was a "strike-slip" fault, meaning a more horizontal shift of the ground under the sea as opposed to a sudden vertical shift, and less risk of a large displacement of water triggering a tsunami.

The quake was also felt in Sri Lanka, where office workers in the capital, Colombo, fled their offices, and in Phuket, both of which were hit hard by the 2004 tsunami.

Mahinda Amaraweera, Sri Lanka's minister for disaster management, called for calm while advising people near the coast to seek safety.

"I urge the people not to panic. We have time if there is a tsunami going to come. So please evacuate if you are in the coastal area and move to safer places," Amaraweera told a private television channel.

In Bangladesh, where two tremors were felt, authorities said there appeared to be no threat of a tsunami. Australia also said there was no threat of a tsunami there.

(Reporting by Jakarta, Bangalore and Bangkok bureaus; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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The Bukit Brown issue: Not enough land? Let’s do the math

Kai Fong SingaporeScene Yahoo News SG 10 Apr 12;

Is there really a pressure on land? (AFP photo)Is there really a pressure on land? (AFP photo)

From SOS Bukit Brown

COMMENT

Let's be clear... Singapore's total floor area, if we add up the floor space of every kind of building in Singapore, is approximately 250 million sqm.

If we divide this by the island's total land area of 700 million sqm, it means that all our buildings will only occupy 1/3 of the island if all of them are 1-storey high. If they are 2-storey high, the proportion of the land covered by all our buildings will be 1/6. And if they are 4-storey high, they will cover 1/12. Given that there has to be spaces between buildings for light and ventilation of, say, 3 times the building's footprint, the proportion would end up as approximately 1/4.

It can be seen that there is actually a lot of land available in Singapore, especially since we have built a lot and our buildings tend to be 12 to 15 storeys high. Any increase in building floor space can be easily accommodated, and the scope for large area conservation such as that of Bukit Brown is easily possible.

But as the demand for land increases as a result of population increase, would the same hold true?

This increased demand for land is an important one, and has to be addressed even as one makes the case for heritage and nature conservation. But ultimately, the question is: Is there really a pressure on land?

I will answer this question like this: Already, 5 million people are provided for in flats, schools, factories, offices, shopping malls, etc. And the environment is OK.

If you take the total floor area of Singapore (ie 250 million sqm, as mentioned at the start of this article), and divide it by the population of 5 million, you get a per-capita floor area of approximately 50sqm. Now, this is a very important measure of the average land requirement that an individual needs. Since URA is planning for a population increase of 1 million people as stated in its concept plan, how much more land is needed is the question. For if indeed there is no land available, then Bukit Brown has to be sacrificed, notwithstanding heritage and nature.

But all that is needed is to plan for the additional 1 million.

50sqm x1 million = 50 million sqm. This would be the floor area that the additional 1 million population needs. Dividing this again by 700 million sqm (total land area of Singapore) gives us 7%. This is the percentage of the land that will be taken up, if the floor area for this additional 1 million population is provided for in the form of 1-storey buildings. If we assume 4-storey buildings on average, the percentage will only be 1.75%. Not much.

This land can easily be found in the Marina East golf course land plus the old KTM railway workshops, relocated Keppel Harbour, Kampung Bugis land, etc. Housing can also be easily built above many of our MRT stations. Furthermore, the ongoing development of existing housing estates will whittle down the 1.75%. The 1.75% is therefore very conservative. So it is clear that the Bukit Brown land can be preserved through better land planning.

It is simply a matter of political will.

This article was written by a prominent local architect.

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Getting - and keeping - volunteers

Last week, Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Chan Chun Sing said Singaporeans tend to volunteer less once they graduate from school. 'What we're seeing is a 'bathtub' effect... Their activism dips when they are occupied with their careers and families, and their participation comes back up only when their children are grown or when they retire,' he said. Are Singaporeans 'bathtub' volunteers? Feng Zengkun and Miranda Yeo report
Straits Times 11 Apr 12;

GREEN issues may be red-hot, but at Singapore's foremost green group, Nature Society, most members of its executive committee are past their youthful prime.

Its 55-year-old vice-president Leong Kwok Peng acknowledged that the society's volunteer corps has a 'middle-aged' profile. He and most of his colleagues on the committee are in their 40s and 50s.

After the student volunteers graduate, they have work and then families and children to take care of.

'It's hard to blame them for not doing as much social work as they'd like,' said Mr Leong.

Two national surveys between 2005 and 2010 suggest that this problem is not the Nature Society's alone.

They found that while as many as 70 per cent of teenagers help out in at least one social welfare group, the numbers fall steadily to about 40 per cent for those in their early 30s.

Most of the 13 organisations The Straits Times spoke to that are involved in the arts, sports, human rights, green issues and grassroots work also broadly agreed with Mr Chan's 'bathtub' assessment.

They added that it is especially difficult to find young working adults who are willing to consider taking up leadership posts within the groups.

'Volunteerism is a commitment which does not pay. It's understandable if young people prioritise working and saving money for their children,' said Mr Eugene Heng, 62, founder and chairman of the Waterways Watch Society, which monitors and promotes water bodies here.

The Singapore culture of spending long hours at the workplace also prevents more young people from volunteering, said administrative assistant Gary Yeo, 29. 'If I'm not working, I'd rather spend time with my friends, family or girlfriend. Or else, I would never know someone well enough to get married,' he said.

But activists said the nature of volunteer work also plays a role. About half of the 150 volunteers in women's rights group Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), for example, are working adults between 20 and 40 years old who have been with the group for years.

Aware executive director Corinna Lim, 47, attributed this to the visceral impact of the group's work and its flexible volunteer hours. Most of the volunteers either conduct research for the group's projects, provide legal advice or counsel women seeking help.

Those in the research committees meet in person only once a month or even less frequently, and most of their work is conducted online. This makes it easier for volunteers juggling multiple roles to stay with the group, she said.

'When you counsel a crying woman and give her hope, it's quite visible,' she added.

Others such as the Singapore Sailing Federation and Waterways Watch Society said they face greater difficulty retaining their young members.

'Frankly speaking, sports clubs do not attract many young people because it is not a cause for the underprivileged that would motivate them to help out,' said a spokesman for the federation. Its executive committee is made up of people in their 40s and 50s.

Mr Heng said people may think his society's work would be handled more effectively by government agencies. His group retains only two out of every 10 student volunteers.

'Some people in Singapore still think that the environment is a job for the Government, not the people. Or they may think that they can serve the environment in their own lives and don't need to join a society to do so,' he said.

But most of the societies said their members usually return when their careers and family life are more stable. For example, Mr Heng said many of his group's volunteers and executive committee members are people in their 30s or older who join or return after becoming more established at work.

Nature Society's Mr Leong said young people may volunteer for certain issues, as seen in the recent Bukit Brown and Rail Corridor campaigns.

Other groups added that it may not be realistic to groom young professionals as leaders as they may be too inexperienced.

Said Mr Jeffrey Leow, 60, president of the Singapore Swimming Association: 'We look for expertise and experience in our organising committee.

'Those who have just started work are not our target group because they are focused on their careers.'

A spokesman for the People's Association Youth Movement said the problem of engaging and grooming young people to become leaders is a perennial one.

'Young people have short attention spans, diverse interests, changing aspirations and are driven by fast-changing trends,' she said.

But all the groups said more could be done to encourage volunteerism during the early working years.

Aware holds a monthly get-together to introduce new volunteers to the organisation, as well as for members to mingle.

It also organises discussions pegged to the news, such as its recent Budget roundtable, which help keep its volunteers engaged.

'The social bonds are very important in keeping people in the organisation,' said Ms Lim.

Ms Jean Chong, 37, co-founder of Sayoni, a platform for lesbian, bisexual and trans-sexual Asian women, added that a culture that appreciates volunteers is crucial.

'Don't treat them like cogs in a machine. Help them understand how their involvement contributes to making things better, and listen to what they say,' she said.

Ms Zheng Huifen, 29, a lawyer who does ad hoc work for Aware, said the Government could encourage working adults to volunteer by offering practical incentives such as tax breaks.

'Just look at the schools here. Parents always want to volunteer because it gives their children a better chance of getting into the school,' she said.

Mr Laurence Lien, 42, chief executive of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre and a Nominated MP, said companies could encourage volunteerism as well.

He added: 'If ministers and senior civil servants publicly show or talk about their volunteering experiences, I am sure they will lead many by their example.'

Others added that social groups could retain their young volunteers by offering them more ad hoc opportunities as they graduate and start working.

'As long as they help out in some meaningful way, they are more likely to return regularly when they have more time,' said Mr Heng.

But Ms Lim said she was not worried about the state of volunteerism in Singapore. When she was 23 years old, she considered emigrating for personal reasons but her volunteer work at Aware inspired her to stay in Singapore, she said.

'I think young people, as long as their material needs have been met, will always feel the need to do something more with their lives,' she added.

Additional reporting by Tessa Wong

STEADY DROP

While as many as 70 per cent of teenagers help out in at least one social welfare group, the numbers fall steadily to about 40 per cent for those in their early 30s, according to two national surveys between 2005 and 2010.

DIFFERENT PRIORITIES

'Volunteerism is a commitment which does not pay. It's understandable if young people prioritise working and saving money for their children.'

Mr Eugene Heng, 62, founder and chairman of the Waterways Watch Society, which monitors and promotes water bodies here

FORGING BONDS

'The social bonds are very important in keeping people in the organisation.'

Ms Corinna Lim, 47, executive director of Aware, which holds a monthly get-together to introduce new volunteers to the organisation and for members to mingle. It also engages volunteers by organising discussions pegged to the news

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Venus Drive: Tall grass, ferns cut all the way to stream

Letter from Tang Hung Kei Today Online 11 Apr 12;

I AM a frequent visitor to the Venus Drive nature area. I was horrified during the last visit to see that the tall grass and ferns have been cut all the way to the stream.

This stream (picture) has fresh water flowing from the forest, through a grassy meadow and then underneath the HSBC Tree-Top-Walk Carpark. For a long time, both banks of the stream were protected by tall grass and ferns.

This protection is vital for the micro-ecosystem because it prevents soil erosion and unavoidable littering by humans.

The latter is particularly detrimental to the environment because it fouls and blocks the otherwise pristine stream.

Furthermore, plastic bags, food and beverage containers store stagnant rainwater and become mosquito-breeding grounds.

If we leave the grass and ferns uncut they attract damselflies and dragonflies to the area and these are the nemesis of mosquitoes.

We spend so much money and efforts in restoring Bishan Park closer to its natural state and clearing drains of debris. But, here we are disrupting a stream and risking the generation of debris at a water source.

Aren't we doing ourselves a disservice by cutting the grass and ferns by the stream so aggressively?

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No import ban in Singapore despite sailfish's special status

Lisa Oon my paper AsiaOne 11 Apr 12;

The sight of several sailfish being hung out to defrost in front of the Great Atlantis Seafood Centre in Marina Country Club in Punggol on Sunday has irked some Singaporean anglers.

The anglers say the fish should be released after they are caught.

Photographs of the sailfish at the restaurant were posted on citizen-journalism website Stomp on Monday.

Sailfish are so named for their dorsal fin, known as a sail, which often spans the entire length of the back.

The manager of Great Atlantis Seafood Centre, Mr Victor Yi, said: "The fish were not caught by us but by Malaysian fishermen in Malaysian waters."

He added that the restaurant bought six or seven sailfish for $10 per kilogram from the fishermen. The restaurant plans to use the fish to prepare fish and chips. Mr Yi said he believes the fish have already been cut into fillets.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) lists sailfish as a "priority species", along with marlin, swordfish and spearfish.

Ms V. Prema, director of communications at WWF Singapore, said sailfish are "at risk from overfishing and as a target in recreational fishing".

She added that WWF Singapore discourages people from buying sailfish if they are caught in the wild in a way that depletes their numbers.

However, an Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore spokesman said that sailfish are "not protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), and are allowed to be imported".

Cites is an international agreement drawn up in 1973 to protect wildlife. Singapore has been a signatory of the convention since 1986.

Angler R. Teo, 36, said one of the practices among anglers is to release fish which are fished for recreation, such as sailfish.

Another angler, Mr William Ow, 32, was not angered over the sailfish incident. He said other anglers might have been angry because catching the fish for food would deplete the supply available for recreational fishing.

"Nobody eats sailfish, as it does not taste as good as other fish. Anglers who catch it usually release it," he said.

Some netizens did not have any issue with the sailfish incident. Said netizen loverangel10: "It's just fish."

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Malaysia: Sharks Vulnerable To Overfishing, Says UMS Prof

Newmond Tibin Bernama 10 Apr 12;

KOTA KINABALU, April 10 (Bernama) -- Sharks are vulnerable to overfishing because of their low fertility, and capacity to produce only few offspring in one breeding cycle, says Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Director of Borneo Marine Research Institute Prof Dr Saleem Mustafa.

He said in bony fishes such as tuna, mackerel and sardines, the breeding and population recruitment systems were different.

"That's why, sharks deserve special attention. Sharks play a significant role in the ocean ecosystem, being at the top of the food chain.

"They eliminate weaker specimens from the prey populations, and define the evolutionary pathways. Obviously, their elimination alters the ocean ecosystem balance," he told Bernama here Tuesday.

Saleem was responding to the raging debate about shark sanctuaries and shark fishing ban in Sabah, while timely, puts the focus on conservation of marine ecosystem and socio-economic imperatives.

He said the marine ecosystem had traditionally provided goods and services in Sabah, and the lifestyles of the people and sources of food and income of certain sections of the coastal communities were closely tied to marine resources.

Saleem said the entire issue put the spotlight on important and highly relevant topics, including ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, the need for alternative livelihood and public awareness.

"Because sharks have a behaviour which in many respects is very different from coral reef fishes, the plans for managing shark conservation will have to be unique, as well as within the overall context of marine conservation and ecosystem based approach to fisheries management. "Probably, it is not practical at this stage to consider 'shark sanctuary' in Sabah as some sort of a limited area in the sea that is "off limits" and which generally raises concern among the coastal communities using marine resources for sustenance.

"Due to a variety of reasons and obvious practical limitations, very few "shark sanctuaries" exist in the world today. A conservation plan for Sabah will have to be developed, according to ground realities here," he added.

-- BERNAMA

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Best of our wild blogs: 10 Apr 12

Strange nudibranch at Changi
from wild shores of singapore

What do ordinary Singaporeans think of dolphins in captivity?
from wild shores of singapore

Yellow Bittern’s Stance
from Bird Ecology Study Group

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