Philippines: Whale sharks can't stand heat in Donsol

Celso Amo The Philippine Star 7 May 12;

LEGAZPI CITY , Philippines – Even the whale sharks are shying away from the warm surface seawater off Donsol, the town dubbed as the whale shark capital of the world.

The low sighting of whale sharks in the past few days is causing local and tourism officials to worry as more tourists are going to Donsol for the peak season from March to May.

“We are going to hold our biggest promotion this month since the butandings were discovered eleven years ago,” Donsol municipal official and chairperson of the Whale Shark Festival 2012 Ronald Malimlim announced during the launch on Wednesday.

“Of course, we are worried after the butanding interaction officers reported only five sightings these past days,” Malimlim said.

According to Maria Ravanilla, Department of Tourism (DOT) regional director, some 13,717 tourists came to Donsol from January to March this year, mostly foreign tourists (7,771) and the rest local (5,946).

“This could be due to warming sea water temperature spawned by global warming,” Ravanilla noted.

She added that the local tourism council in consultation with various stakeholders including the World Wide Fund (WWF) has made a recommendation to limit the number of motor boats to just 15, which could sail for the whale shark interaction stating 7 a.m. Another 15 boats will be allowed to sail at 8 a.m.

“This will lessen the amount of noise on the surface water, which disturbs the whale shark while feeding on the planktons below,” Ravanilla explained.

During the peak season some 30 motorboats are out at sea just to find the whale sharks and once they are spotted almost all of them converge on the sea so tourists can interact with the butandings.

WWF coordinator Raul Burce, who made an extensive study of documenting the whale sharks off Donsol, said there is no conclusive finding yet that the drop in sightings is due to global warming.

“This seasonal phenomenon happened during the La Niña season in 2001,” Burce said.

Burce disclosed that many whale sharks are migrating to the San Jacinto-Monreal portion of Ticao Pass, about 30 kilometers from Donsol.

“They are staying deeper and near the Manta Ray reservation site,” Burce noted.

Since January, Burce and his group have identified some 62 whale sharks based on their length and spots in their bodies and of the 62, some 49 whale sharks returned to Donsol.

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) popularly called here as butanding... begins to show up between December to May off the waters of Donsol, which is one of their seasonal feeding grounds.

Malimlim added that more whale shark sightings could be expected with the start of the rainy season between the third week of May and first week of June.

“I just hope and pray they are still around.”

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Keep Off Beaches, Peru Warns After Pelican Deaths

Marco Aquino, Caroline Stauffer PlanetArk 7 May 12;

Peru's government declared a health alert along its northern coastline on Saturday and urged residents and tourists to stay away from long stretches of beach, as it investigates the unexplained deaths of hundreds of dolphins and pelicans.

At least 1,200 birds, mostly pelicans, washed up dead along a stretch of Peru's northern Pacific coastline in recent weeks, health officials said, after an estimated 800 dolphins died in the same area in recent months.

The Health Ministry recommended staying away from beaches, although it stopped short of a ban, and called on health officials to use gloves, masks and other protective gear when collecting dead birds.

The peak tourism season around Lima's beaches is over, although many surfers are still venturing into the waters near the capital.

The Agriculture Ministry said preliminary tests on some dead pelicans pointed to malnourishment. Oscar Dominguez, head of the ministry's health department, said experts had ruled out bird flu.

"The Health Ministry ... calls on the population to abstain from going to the beaches until the health alert is lifted," the ministry said in a statement on its website, along with a photograph of a dead pelican.

The ministry said officials had so far checked 18 beaches in and around Lima for dead birds, but gave no details on any findings.

"We're starting from the hypothesis that it's because the birds are young and unable to find enough food for themselves, and also because the sea temperature has risen and anchovies have moved elsewhere," said Deputy Agriculture Minister Juan Rheineck.

A mass pelican death along Peru's northern coast in 1997 was blamed at the time on a shortage of feeder anchovies due to the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Some were undeterred by the mysterious deaths.

"We eat fresh fish on the quay of Chorrillos every day, and no fisherman has died yet, so don't worry, it's nothing," said Gloria Rivera, a seafood restaurant owner.

(Writing by Simon Gardner; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Alarm as Peru pelican and dolphin deaths rise
AFP Yahoo News 8 May 12;

Peru's northern beaches have been declared off-limits as scientists scramble to pin down what is causing the mysterious deaths of thousands of birds and dolphins.

Since March some 4,000 birds, mostly pelicans and boobies, have been found dead along a 200-kilometer (120 mile) stretch of northern coastline reaching up to the border with Ecuador along with at least 900 dolphins.

The South American nation's health ministry declared an alert at the weekend, urging the public to stay away from the beaches around Lima and on the northern coast until the cause of death is known.

For the time being, the state environment ministry has ruled out water contamination or damage from dragnet fishing, suggesting cautiously that wildlife may be falling victim to a virus.

"Once we know what the scientific causes behind these deaths are, we will lift the alert," said health ministry spokesman Bernardo Ausejo, adding the investigations could take another five to 10 days.

A team of ornithologists have also been investigating the mysterious death of the birds which started after dead dolphins began to wash ashore in January in the northern departments of Piura and Lambayeque.

But biologist Guillermo Boigorrea, from the agriculture ministry in Lambayeque, said although nothing had been determined for sure, "it seems that the birds died of starvation.

"Now we have to find out why the birds can't fly or fish," he said, adding scientists had also been analyzing the seawater.

"It's unbelievable that the Oceanic Institute has still not given a reason for the massive deaths of pelicans and dolphins," said Carlos Bocanegra, a renowned biologist from the University of Trujillo.

"I believe we are trying to protect certain interests," he told Peruvian radio, in an allusion to the powerful fishing industry, which is one of the mainstays of the nation's economy.

One non-government conservation organization, known as ORCA, has blamed the dolphin deaths on oil exploration activities in the area, which it claims produces noises which are having an acoustic impact on the mammals.

The huge die-off "is a risk for human health in case of a possible mutation of the virus," said German biologist Stefan Austermuehle, head of another environmental group Mundo Azul.

Local health officials are also asking residents not to eat raw fish, to avoid swimming in the seas and to stay away from beaches where animals have been found dead. On Tuesday red flags were flying on some of the beaches warning of the danger.

Former health minister Uriel Garcia blamed excessive fishing for the pelican deaths, saying stocks of some species were running low such as anchovies, a favorite food of the sea-birds.

In an editorial with the daily El Comercio, he also maintained the birds were dying of starvation, not sickness.

And weather expert Abraham Levy hypothesized that the warming of the Pacific waters due to El Nino could be to blame.

"The warming of the waters alters the food chain, which is very complex and starts with the plankton and ends with the marine birds and the marine mammals on the other," he told AFP.

Meanwhile, deputy minister of fishing Patricia Majluf said she was resigning on Friday as the sector was "in disorder, full of irregularities and corruption."

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Best of our wild blogs: 6 May 12

Huge blaze reported near Pulau Tekong
from wild shores of singapore

Glorious morning trip to Little Sisters
from wonderful creation and wild shores of singapore

Downpour during Earth Day cleanup!
from Nature rambles

Life History of the Spotted Black Crow
from Butterflies of Singapore

First shore trip: Pulau Subar Laut
from Peiyan.Photography

Seed with wings from a tree
from Peiyan.Photography

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Huge blaze spotted on reclaimed land off north-eastern Singapore

Straits Times 6 May 12 3:36pm

A huge blaze was spotted on a piece of reclaimed land off north-east Singapore on Sunday afternoon. -- PHOTO: STOMP

A huge blaze was spotted on a piece of reclaimed land off north-east Singapore on Sunday afternoon.

The piece of land is not joined to mainland Singapore. An Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman confirmed that the fire was ongoing.

The only people on the 'island' are land reclamation workers, SCDF added.

Fire at reclaimed land
Channel NewsAsia 6 May 2012 1602 hrs

SINGAPORE: Huge plumes of black smoke originating from a fire on a piece of reclaimed land between Singapore and Tekong island were spotted Sunday afternoon.

The smoke could be seen from Bedok South Avenue 3.

Several members of the public sent in pictures and video.

A SCDF spokesperson said personnel and resources are at Changi Village Terminal and are "on alert and on standby".

It is not clear what caused the fire.

MINDEF has confirmed that the fire is not on Tekong.

- CNA/wm

Huge blaze spotted at reclaimed land near Changi
AsiaOne 6 May 12;

SINGAPORE - A huge fire was spotted by readers at the reclaimed island off north-east Singapore today.

The fire, which reportedly has been going on since about 2.15pm this afternoon, has been confirmed to be still ongoing.

An SCDF spokesperson said that the only people on the island, which is not connected to mainland Singapore, are land reclamation workers.

An official statement will be released soon.

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Farewell Nad, monkey queen

Feng Zengkun Straits Times 6 May 12;

She was a queen among the monkeys at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, and a darling of scientists from here to the United States.

Nad, seen here with an offspring in a 2010 photo, contributed much to research. She died after she was hit by a car. -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF CRYSTAL MARIE RILEY

So revered was Nad the macaque that, following her death from being hit by a car on April 26, animal researchers near and far have paid the most loving of tributes to her.

Last Friday, two scientists here laid a wreath along Hindhede Road, just outside the reserve, to mark where she was run over.

Middle-aged Nad and her 60-strong troop have contributed to research around the world, in fields ranging from infectious diseases to monkey behaviour.

Described by scientists as 'the coolest, most popular and most respected' female of her group, she even charmed a scientist from National Geographic who visited in March to test an animal-tracking device.

Nad, who was not exactly svelte, was hard to miss, scientists told The Sunday Times; she had such imposing proportions, she was often mistaken for a male.

Ms Amy Klegarth, 24, a research assistant at the University of Notre Dame in the US, said: 'When she moved, tree branches bent more for her than for the other monkeys.'

Despite her size, the famously slow-moving queen of the reserve's largest band of monkeys rarely resorted to violence to get her way.

She seemed to rule by sheer dint of her charisma. Up to three monkeys groomed her at a time, like court attendants.

She was always unfazed, even cold, said Singaporean graduate student Oliver Sng, 27.

She also believed in leading from the front, protecting the troop, said Dr Lisa Jones-Engel, 46, the head of an American infectious diseases laboratory who has collected monkey genetic samples from Singapore since 2003.

Dr Jones-Engel said: 'More than the adult males, Nad led the females in her group to watch our every move and warn other monkeys about us. As a mother myself, I deeply respect her.'

It is believed Nad had at least three healthy infants, the last, a daughter, only last August.

No one saw the car that hit her, but scientists here said other macaques have been killed or maimed by cars in the area.

Nature abhors a vacuum. A new queen nicknamed Goldmoon has slipped into Nad's place in the troop - if not into the scientists' hearts.

But one of Nad's older daughters, Sunny, might well be waiting in the wings.

Assistant professor Michael Gumert of the Nanyang Technological University, who tracked Nad for five years, said: 'Perhaps some day, she'll grow to fill her mother's social position.'

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Fewer animals released into wild on Vesak Day

Alvina Soh Channel NewsAsia 5 May 12;

SINGAPORE: An increase in awareness has led to fewer people releasing animals into the wild, according to the National Parks Board (NParks).

But NParks is still urging members of the public not to release animals into the wild this Vesak Day.

Birds and rabbits are some of the animals commonly released into the wild on Vesak Day.

It is a common practice on this day and some believe it is an act of kindness.

Fifty-seven-year-old Goh Juan Hui, a volunteer with the NParks, has spotted many such cases in recent years.

Mr Goh said: "Over the years, I've seen some people who are ignorant about animals, especially the pets.

"I've seen rabbits being released in the Lower Peirce Reservoir area, and also... bullfrogs in the reservoir. And you notice that they are not able to survive in that sort of environment, and eventually they die.

"Even if they survive, other wild animals, like the monitor lizards or even stray dogs will just gobble them up."

For the ninth year in a row, NParks is advising the public against releasing animals on Vesak Day.

And it appears to be working. There were 10 cases in 2009, five in 2010, and none last year.

NParks conservation director Wong Tuan Wah said: "We are happy to note this declining trend. And this could also be [because] people are more aware that releasing the animals will actually cause them more harm than good."

This year, NParks is working with 30 volunteers, including 20 primary school students from CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace, to conduct an Outreach Ambassador session to patrol the nature reserves and reservoirs over the weekend.

They will look out for any case of animal release and educate the public on the harm of releasing animals into the wild.

The Buddhist Fellowship said the practice of releasing animals may encourage vendors to increase the supply of animals for this very purpose.

Buddhist Fellowship president Angie Chew Monksfield said: "Some people think that by releasing animals on Vesak Day, they get extra merits and I think that is probably the wrong perception.

"The alternative to releasing animals is to eat less meat. That way, the demand is reduced, the supply will reduce automatically."

Under the law, it is an offence to abandon pets in Singapore.

Offenders can be sentenced to a year's jail, fined up to S$10,000 or both.

- CNA/wk

Fewer animals released into wild on Vesak Day
Today Online 5 May 12;

SINGAPORE - An increase in awareness has led to fewer people releasing animals into the wild, according to the National Parks Board (NParks).

But NParks is still urging members of the public not to release animals into the wild this Vesak Day.

Birds and rabbits are some of the animals commonly released into the wild on Vesak Day. It is a common practice on this day and some believe it is an act of kindness.

Fifty-seven-year-old Goh Juan Hui, a volunteer with the NParks, has spotted many such cases in recent years. "Over the years, I've seen some people who are ignorant about animals, especially the pets," he said. "I've seen rabbits being released in the Lower Peirce Reservoir area, and also... bullfrogs in the reservoir. And you notice that they are not able to survive in that sort of environment, and eventually they die.

"Even if they survive, other wild animals, like the monitor lizards or even stray dogs will just gobble them up," he added.

For the ninth year in a row, NParks is advising the public against releasing animals on Vesak Day.

The message appears to be working: There were 10 cases in 2009, five in 2010, and none last year.

NParks conservation director Wong Tuan Wah said: "We are happy to note this declining trend. And this could also be [because] people are more aware that releasing the animals will actually cause them more harm than good."

This year, NParks is working with 30 volunteers, including 20 primary school students from CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace, to conduct an Outreach Ambassador session to patrol the nature reserves and reservoirs over the weekend.

They will look out for any case of animal release and educate the public on the harm of releasing animals into the wild.

The Buddhist Fellowship said the practice of releasing animals may encourage vendors to increase the supply of animals for this very purpose.

Buddhist Fellowship president Angie Chew Monksfield said: "Some people think that by releasing animals on Vesak Day, they get extra merits and I think that is probably the wrong perception."

"The alternative to releasing animals is to eat less meat. That way, the demand is reduced, the supply will reduce automatically," she said.

Under the law, it is an offence to abandon pets in Singapore. Offenders can be sentenced to a year's jail, fined up to S$10,000 or both.

Read more!

Walking with Singaporosaurus

Joel Cooper Straits Times 6 May 12;

Life never turns out quite the way we expect. When I was five, I knew exactly what my future held - and it involved a type of prehistoric creature that once roamed the earth.

No, I'm not talking about Madonna's latest world tour. What I wanted was to be a paleontologist: an expert on dinosaurs. My kiddie imagination was home to a monstrous menagerie of giant scaly beasts, from the lumbering diplodocus to the bloodthirsty Tyrannosaurus Rex.

I even learnt the names of all the different species. And when the older boy who lived next door to me in Britain gave me his collection of plastic dinos in a box over the garden fence, I was well and truly hooked.

Of course, my childhood dream never did become reality. As I grew from a tousle-haired schoolboy to a gangly teen with a penchant for girls and dodgy fashion statements, my loyal prehistoric friends inevitably found themselves shoved on the backburner. Like countless other dino-loving youngsters, I allowed my passion for the terrible lizards to dwindle, before becoming virtually extinct.

My interest was piqued by the recent news that Twinky, the Republic's first fossil dinosaur skeleton, had finally touched down from Utah. Could having our very own Singaporosaurus help to fire the country's youth with passion for dinos that lasts a little longer than mine did? I'd love to think so. After all, I still remember the sense of wonder I felt when my parents took me to see the 26m-long replica diplodocus skeleton at London's Natural History Museum.

I was only six or seven, and the cavernous hall seemed to extend forever, curved beams lining its great ceiling like the ribs of a giant beast. But what really grabbed my attention was the mighty creature that stood commandingly in the centre of the room, its tail stretching almost from wall to wall. I guess you never forget your first dinosaur.

Of course, Singapore is not London. Just because prehistoric skeletons are a hit in Britain, it does not mean people here will necessarily take to dinosaurs. When the Republic's new natural history museum announced it intended to raise $12 million to buy dinosaurs, some questioned why it was wasting money importing the ancient bones to a country which has no history of finding them on its own soil. Could the funds be better spent on exhibitions celebrating the island's rich past?

For me, however, heritage is about more than simply a country's individual history and customs. Dinosaurs represent a global cultural phenomenon that goes way beyond their scientific value.

Yes, paleontology has plenty to teach us about our own fragile world, particularly as climate change leads some to worry that we could be heading for extinction ourselves. But this alone cannot explain the sheer fascination that people on all sides of the planet have with these cold- blooded plodders that vanished in mysterious circumstances 65 million years ago.

Wherever you look, they are alive and well - from big-screen franchises such as Jurassic Park to dino-shaped kids' snacks. What started around 200 years ago as a few strangely shaped stones on a beach in southern England has grown into an industry of truly monstrous proportions.

How would the early pioneers of fossil hunting such as Mary Anning feel if they were around to see spectacular shows such as the BBC's Walking With Dinosaurs, which bring these relics of a distant age to life? My guess is they would be delighted to witness how far paleontology has evolved, from the stuffy universities of Europe to the dinosaur graveyards of Utah and even the soft, fossil-free soils of Singapore. The name dinosaur may have become a byword for all things irrelevant and out-of-date, but the fact is they have truly captured the zeitgeist.

Singapore has long been one of the places where people from around the region go to access the latest in global culture, whether it's theme parks or Formula One. Dinosaurs are no different. They are a scientific treasure, an international industry and a symbol of childhood wonder and fascination with the unknown.

The Republic may not have been blessed with its own sauropods or velociraptors, but it is giving kids a chance to experience something magical.

Personally, I can't wait to introduce my inner seven-year-old to Twinky. Who knows? Perhaps it's not too late to resurrect my dino obsession.

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Best of our wild blogs: 5 May 12

Prickly Porcupines
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

Professor Peter Ng’s featured interview! Why you should care about Singapore’s natural history from Raffles Museum News

Big Sisters Island is lovely after the storm
from wild shores of singapore

A Common Sandpiper Coming Face-to-Face with A Wasp
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Chek Jawa Boardwalk trip on 12th May
from Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

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Myopia in kids: Spend more time outdoors

Feng Zengkun Straits Times 5 May 12;

INSUFFICIENT time spent outdoors is the main contributor to short-sightedness among children in East Asian cities, including Singapore.

This is according to a paper published in medical journal The Lancet today. 'Most of (the myopia) we've seen in East Asia is due to the environment, it is not genetic,' said Professor Ian Morgan, a researcher at the Australian National University who co-authored the paper.

The researchers said children who spend two to three hours outdoors a day are 'probably reasonably safe' from getting myopia. This could include time spent on the playground and walking to and from school.

The researchers stressed that being a bookworm or spending time on the computer is not detrimental to eyesight, as long as time is also devoted to outdoor activities during the day.

Exposure to the sun's rays is believed to stimulate production of the chemical dopamine, which stops the eyeball from growing elongated and distorting light that enters the eye.

Prof Morgan noted that children in East Asia spend the majority of their time indoors, studying and watching television.

More than half of Singapore's 10-year-olds are short-sighted.

Its myopia rate is among the world's highest because children here spend only about 30 minutes outdoors after school on weekdays, said Professor Saw Seang Mei who co-authored the Lancet paper.

The professor at National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, who recommends spending at least 10 hours outdoors every week, led a recently-concluded, year-long trial here that took children to parks every weekend to gauge the outdoor effect on myopia. The team is now studying the data.

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Survival of Singapore refineries seen under threat

Facts Global Energy chairman points to impact of Asia and Middle East newcomers
ronnie lim Business Times 5 May 12;

SINGAPORE'S oil refining/petro-chemicals industry will have to fight for survival in the coming two to five years, warned the chairman of Facts Global Energy.

The start-up of new refineries in Asia and the Middle East, as well as new US petrochemical plants using cheap gas from shale gas projects there, will impact Singapore, said Fereidun Fesharaki.

"It's a survival issue for the Singapore industry. If the refineries and petrochemical plants here can hold up (against the competition), they've done well already. That's my view," he told BT in an interview on Wednesday.

Dr Fesharaki said this in regard to concerns here over the big new US petrochemical crackers planned by oil majors which will tap ethane from shale gas projects.

Shell for instance is developing a multibillion-dollar cracker facility in Pennsylvania, while Aither Chemicals is looking at a US$330 million cracker in Kanawha Valley, West Virginia.

Chevron Phillips is similarly building a cracker in Baytown, Texas. The Marcellus Shale Play, which underlies part of the Appalachians, will supply gas to the plants.

"All the products from the upcoming US petrochemical plants will be for export," Dr Fesharaki said. "We see the US becoming the next most important petrochemicals exporter after Saudi Arabia, with at least 10 US plants brought out of mothball."

Because of the cheap gas available there, the oil majors are investing in the United States, and not Asian economies such as Taiwan any more, he added.

This clearly spells yet more competition for Singapore which currently has three petrochemical complexes operated by Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore, Shell and ExxonMobil, with a fourth new complex being started up by ExxonMobil.

The Singapore crackers use naphtha feedstock, although Shell and ExxonMobil's crackers are integrated with their refineries, which means they have some flexibility to use other feedstocks such as hydrowax. They are also looking at a liquefied petroleum gas terminal to help them further diversify feedstock.

Dr Fesharaki said that while "biggies" such as Shell and ExxonMobil - which have established their largest global manufacturing sites in Singapore - are likely to maintain the status quo here, their attention will now turn towards US petrochemical projects.

This suggests that "there is likely to be a holding pattern on their petrochemical investments here", he said.

"It is going to be worst for refining, with huge, new capacity emerging in Asia and the Middle East between 2014 and 2017. . . People will struggle. Essentially, Asia will be in surplus, so products will have to be transported to Europe and the US," he added.

On the impact on Singapore refiners, Dr Fesharaki said: "Don't look for growth."

"If they manage to keep running and don't close, that's success already," he added, saying that Japan for instance is closing 1.4 million barrels per day capacity.

"Singapore's advantage is its location. Besides, for the biggies here, Singapore is part of their global (supply) system."

Meanwhile, in its bid to increase competitiveness and add value to its refineries, ExxonMobil is building a US$500 million ultra-low sulphur diesel plant here, while Singapore Refining Company is mulling over a US$300 million-US$400 million "green" petrol expansion plus a base oil plant investment.

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Malaysia: Enforcement officers foil bid to smuggle snakes and turtles to Hong Kong

The Star 5 May 12;

A SHIPMENT declared as papayas was found to contain hundreds of cobras and freshwater turtles worth some RM110,000 meant for the “cooking pot” in Hong Kong.

The animals were rescued by the Wildlife and National Parks Department in a joint raid with the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services at the Kuala Lumpur Airport Services’ (KLAS) local cargo complex in Batu Maung, Penang.

Wildlife department’s Penang director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim said the 555 cobras and 171 turtles, worth some RM110,000, were found inside 80 polystyrene boxes which were mixed among 100 boxes of papayas in a container.

He said the shipment was declared as papayas and was destined for Hong Kong.

He said the driver of the lorry carrying the container was arrested during the raid at about 4.30am on Wednesday.

“We arrested the driver, in his 40s, to facilitate our investigation to track down the mastermind,” Jamalun told a press conference at the department’s office in Jalan Gurdwara yesterday.

He said he believed a syndicate was behind the smuggling of the animals — the giant Asian pond turtle (heosemys grandis) which is a type of freshwater turtle and the monocellate cobra (naja kaouthia).

“We believe the animals were to be smuggled out to meet the demand for exotic animal dishes,” he added.

Jamalun said the cobras could fetch a market price of more than RM200 for the bigger ones and about RM80 for smaller ones while the turtles cost about RM200 each.

He said both species were listed under Appendix II of the Convention of International Trade of Species which means that their trade are only permitted with an appropriate export permit and certificate of origin.

He said the papayas in the shipment were harvested from a farm in Kedah, according to the shipment’s document.

Jamalun said the case was being investigated under Section 10 of the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008 that carries a fine of not more than RM100,000 for each animal but not more than RM1mil in aggregate, or a maximum seven-year jail term or both.

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Kalimantan Species Put At Risk: Researcher

Tunggadewa Mattangkilang Jakarta Globe 4 May 12;

Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. The planned expansion of the Kariangau industrial estate in Balikpapan poses a serious threat to the survival of local species such as the proboscis monkey and sun bear, an environmentalist warned on Thursday.

Stanislav Lhota, a researcher from the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, said the expansion of the zone from 2,189 hectares to 5,130 hectares would result in large areas of land being developed, even if the expanded area was classified as open green space.

“What will happen is we will have a fragmentation of the habitats of endangered species such as the orangutan, proboscis monkey and sun bear, which can’t survive in small fragments of forest,” he said. “It will also give access to poachers and illegal loggers, and most crucially to land speculators.”

Lhota, who has been in Balikpapan for five years, said land speculators were already at work in the affected area, clearing land right up to the border of the Wain River Reserve, a protected area.

He said that in addition to the loss of habitat, the expansion of the industrial estate up to Balikpapan Bay would also lead to an increase in pollution and wastewater discharge into the coastal area, threatening the small local population of the Irrawaddy dolphin.

There are just 80 of the dolphins left in the area and around 1,300 proboscis monkeys, Lhota said.

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