Malaysia: Aerial patrols for the jungles

The Star 19 Nov 12;

PUTRAJAYA: Environmental protection efforts will be expanded to the skies following the decision to launch the Aerial Jungle Monitoring Programme early next year, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said.

The Cabinet had agreed during its meeting last week to provide RM2mil to fund the programme, which is aimed at improving enforcement of environmental laws and regulations, said Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas.

The aerial patrols would keep tabs on development projects that are carried out in the jungle.

Aerial monitoring would also be extended to other sources of pollution including open burning, release of black smoke from industrial chimneys, release of effluents into the groundwater, beach and coastal pollution and oil spills.

“The programme is needed to carry out enforcement of conditions laid out in the approval of the EIA (environmental impact assessment) for projects, especially at high altitudes.

“For projects in jungles that do not fall under activities laid out in the EIA, the need for erosion and sediment control plan (ESCP) and best management practices can be identified and stated in conditions for logging licences. It can also minimise river pollution,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Douglas added that the programme will be an integrated effort – called 1 NRE Enforcement – which would involve agencies under his ministry with the aim of utilising all available manpower and resources to check on the development projects.

“Aerial monitoring is aimed at improving effectiveness in locating sources of pollution or incidents where environmental laws are broken, especially in areas which are difficult to access overland,” he said.

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Malaysia: Sabah lauded as a beacon of hope for orang utan

The Star 19 Nov 12;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is becoming a beacon of hope in orang utan conservation in Borneo following the state government’s move to expand the areas designated as the primates’ key habitat.

Wildlife non-governmental organisation research group Hutan co-director Dr Marc Anrenaz said Sabah’s decision to gazette 128,000ha from the lowland Ulu Segama forest reserve in Lahad Datu as a protected area meant that about 60% of the state’s orang utan were now living in conservation zones.

“This is a huge improvement compared to the last decade when only 30% of the orang utan in Sabah were living in protected forests,” he said.

Dr Ancrenaz said this when revealing the findings of a research on orang utan in Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan which he was involved in and which was recently published in the scientific journal PLoS One.

He said the research found that since orang utan were often found in timber concession areas, good management of such areas was important in ensuring the continued survival of the primates.

The fact that Sabah’s Forestry Department now requires all timber concession areas to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) by the end of 2014 was good news for the conservation effort, added Dr Ancrenaz.

The situation in the rest of Borneo is however not as promising for the primates due to an expansion of agriculture activities often at the expense of orang utan habitat, the researchers found.

Dr Serge Wich, the lead author of the research report titled Under-standing the Impacts of Land-Use Policies on a Threatened Species: Is There a Future for the Bornean Orang-utan?, said lowland jungles – which were the favourite habitat of the orang utan – were often considered prime areas for timber extraction or agriculture activities such as plantations.

Orang utan population on the rise
New Straits Times 26 Nov 12;

KOTA KINABALU: The expansion of protected forests has boost the population of orang utan in Sabah.

New additions to existing totally protected areas (TPAs) since 2005, has seen their number increase from 38 per cent to 60 per cent in the past seven years.

HUTAN-Kinabatangan Orang Utan Conservation Programme (HUTAN-KOCP) co-director Dr Marc Ancrenaz said the state government's move to increase protected forest areas not only benefited the wildlife but the people, too.

He said the Sabah Forestry Department had recently increased the percentage of forests under Class I Protection Forest Reserve, which in turn had increased the number of TPAs.

The protected areas are also home to the Borneo pygmy elephant, Sunda clouded leopard, Sun Bear, hornbills and other unique Borneo species.

(HUTAN-KOCP is a non-governmental Organisation based in Sukau, Kinabatangan)

It has been working with Sabah Wildlife Department to develop and implement innovative solutions to conserve the orang utans in Sabah for the past 15 years.

"The recent areas re-gazetted as Class I are lowland forests which are favoured for agriculture development.

"However, the state government has shown that they value environmental security in the long term by making them TPAs instead of going for short-term gains," said Ancrenaz, who has been involved in wildlife issues in Sabah since 1998.

However, Hutan-KOCP co-founder and primotologist Dr Isabelle Lackman said the isolation and fragmentation of TPAs remained the biggest issue when it came to the conservation of orang utans in the state.

She pointed that while the Kinabatangan had been protected by the department, the sanctuary was broken up with some TPAs being totally isolated.

"This is not healthy for the long- term survival of the orang utans in the area.

"Our studies have shown that we need to reconnect patches of forests to ensure that we have a viable orang utan population in the future."

She said this could be achieved by reconnecting forests, either by having patches of forests that the orang utans could roam, or a contiguous corridor of forests.

Lackman said all planned and future conversion of even small forest patches needed to be stopped to ensure the viability of the long-term survival of the orang utan population in the lower Kinabatangan area.

"The future of agriculture, such as oil palm, relies on an increase in yield productivity, and not on further agriculture expansion."

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Taiwanese oil firm denies scrapping Malaysia investment plan

Focus Taiwan 18 Nov 12;

Kuala Lumpur and Taipei, Nov. 18 (CNA) Taiwan's state-run oil refiner CPC Corp., Taiwan (CPC) denied reports Saturday that it was scrapping a planned investment project in Malaysia, saying the plan was still undergoing a feasibility assessment.

CPC Vice President Chen Ming-huei told Malaysia's Oriental Daily News that he was unaware of any Taiwanese reports that Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co., the CPC subsidiary making the investment, had dropped its plan to invest in Malaysia.

Taiwan's Chinese-language Economic Daily News reported Thursday that Kuokuang planned to build a NT$10 billion (US$343 million) methyl methacrylate plant at Taichung Port because its investment project in Malaysia had stalled. Methyl methacrylate is used to manufacture resins and plastics.

Analysts said Kuokuang hoped to build a petrochemical complex covering the full petrochemical supply chain in Malaysia, but progress has been slow because of difficulties in securing land, the report said.

Facing problems in Malaysia, Kuokuang decided to first invest in facilities producing high value-added petrochemical end-products in Taiwan, and it is expected to sign a NT$55.4 billion investment deal to put plants in Taiwan's main port areas, including the one in Taichung.

The report added that Kuokuang is planning to differentiate itself from local firms by using eco-friendly and more advanced petrochemical materials and techniques to improve the competitiveness of its products.

Chen clarified that Kuokuang is still evaluating its planned investment in Pengerang in the southern Malaysian state of Johor and has not decided to pull out of the Southeast Asian country.

He said that Kuokuang in principle would focus on research and development of high-end products in Taiwan and mass production overseas and described Kuokuang's investments in Taiwan and those in Malaysia as separate matters.

Chen said Taiwan has only a limited amount of land, and mass production of petrochemical products requires a place like Pengerang that has large tracts of land available for manufacturing.

Oil and natural gas authorities in Johor also said they have not received any word from CPC that it was withdrawing its investment plan.

Kuokuang had originally planned to build a naphtha cracking and petrochemical complex in Changhua in central Taiwan but was forced to scrap the project last year because it did not pass local environmental assessments, eventually deciding to move it overseas.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced in May this year that a Taiwanese petrochemical firm had promised to invest in a petrochemical complex in Pengerang set up by Petronas, Malaysia's state-run oil firm.

The investment plan, estimated at US$120 billion, will include an oil refinery and a naphtha cracker.

Taiwan Economics Minister Shih Yen-shiang later confirmed that the Taiwanese firm Najib was referring to was Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology.

The Pengerang project has drawn opposition from local residents, however, who staged a protest in May over pollution concerns.

(By Kuay Chau-churh and Scully Hsiao)

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Thailand: Sustainable shrimp farming benefits CP

Taiwan industry decline taught species diversity
Bangkok Post 19 Nov 12;

The decline of Taiwan's shrimp industry in the 1980s not only opened up lucrative business opportunities but also taught Thailand a great lesson about operating aquaculture with the utmost concern for the environment.

A "gold rush" attitude drove Taiwanese investors to expand black tiger prawn farms until many mangrove forests had been destroyed.

Environmental problems caused by extensive shrimp aquaculture had developed before the industry was seriously affected by plummeting black tiger prawn production, which fell to only 20,000 tonnes in 1988 from 100,000 tonnes a year earlier.

The slump forced many Taiwanese producers to open new farms in Southeast Asia, with Thailand starting to prosper in the late 1980s when the Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group was a key player.

Chingchai Lohawatanakul, vice-chairman of Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc, the conglomerate's flagship, said the CP Group began a study on the aquaculture of black tiger prawns in 1988 with the help of specialists and academics.

"A year later, the business took off with satisfactory production in the first year," he told participants at the Global Aquaculture Outlook 2012 (Goal 2012) conference held in Bangkok recently.

"Production in the first year was impressive, as was the profit. Our farm was big, and there was a shortage of shrimp supply in the world market at that time."

As supply from Taiwan declined, Thailand was not slow to seize the opportunity.

Through cooperation between public and private sectors, Thailand has gradually emerged as the world's top shrimp producer and exporter.

It produced 510,000 tonnes of prawns last year, with two-thirds exported to generate revenue of more than 110 billion baht.

Thailand's shrimp sector focuses now more on farming than on wild catches.

From 1987, production of farm-raised black tiger prawn in Thailand rose each year to surpass 100,000 tonnes in 1990 as demand grew from abroad.

The bright outlook continued as the country's 8th National Plan (1997-2001) set the target for black tiger prawn production at 350,000 tonnes by 2001.

It was set after aqua produce earned substantial export revenue of 43 billion baht and was listed among the top 10 export items in 1996.

Thailand remains the world's largest shrimp exporter, selling 427,580 tonnes valued at 100 billion baht in 2010 and 392,600 tonnes worth 110 billion baht last year.

In the first eight months of this year, Thailand exported 222,247 tonnes of shrimp products worth 61 billion baht.

Mr Chingchai, 72, who received a lifetime achievement award from the Global Aquaculture Alliance at the conference, helped drive the CP Group to become the world's leading producer of aquatic animals.

After the company's great success with black tiger prawn production in the first five years, the Thai sector suffered severely from an outbreak of white spot disease that plunged it into crisis.

Mr Chingchai decided intensive research and development (R&D) could be the key to combating the critical situation.

CP spent 2% of its business value on R&D of shrimp species for sustainability. That policy has continued until this year, when it spent almost US$40 million so that it would have a variety of shrimp species.

Mr Chingchai says Penaeus vannamei (Pacific white shrimp) is a good example of the company's success in developing shrimp species and its aquaculture.

Production of white shrimp had surged to 600,000 tonnes by 2010, less than 10 years since the species was introduced to the country.

Better farm management and proper care of wastewater will help the industry to expand sustainably, he said.

"The building of sustainability in aquaculture is meant to develop not only species diversity but also the systems of feeding, incubation, farming, processing and marketing," said Mr Chingchai.

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Best of our wild blogs: 18 Nov 12

Night of 'Nemos' at Pulau Hantu
from wild shores of singapore

Butterfly of the Month - November 2012
from Butterflies of Singapore

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Tougher measures being rolled out to curb littering

Leong Wai Kit Channel NewsAsia 17 Nov 12;

SINGAPORE: Tougher measures are being rolled out to curb littering in Singapore. From March 2013, fines for first-time litter offenders will go up from S$300 to S$500.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan revealed this on Saturday at a community event in Bukit Panjang.

At the event, the National Environment Agency (NEA) jointly launched a campaign with the North West Community Development Council to encourage the community to inculcate good anti-littering habits.

The campaign is called "Hold on And Bin IT, Make it A H.A.B.IT!", and it is being rolled out to support the Keep Singapore Clean Movement.

The year-long campaign will see about 750 volunteers undergoing the "Litter-Free Ambassadors" programme, where they will be trained to communicate with, and engage the community on the importance of keeping the environment clean and binning their waste properly.

Monthly themed activities will also be held in the North West District to instil a greater sense of environmental ownership.

As part of measures to curb littering, fines for first-time offenders will be increased. The penalties will go up further once amendments to the Environment and Public Health Act are debated in Parliament next year.

Dr Balakrishnan said: "It's not so much the quantum. This is a symbol of society's repudiation of a very bad habit by a very small minority. Money cannot buy cleanliness.

"This is a matter of public safety and public health, so we are treating this as a symbol of commitment to making sure Singapore remains clean and green."

He said the government is also studying the possibility of launching a whistleblowing system, where feedback and complaints by members of the public can be used to prosecute offenders.

Dr Balakrishnan added: "The other thing which we are examining - and it's still in the early stages - is that, we receive a lot of feedback, through email, through social media, as well as digital photos which are sent in to us, saying, 'I know this person, and look what this person has done'.

"We are examining the legal implications of whether or not and how we can pursue investigations whenever we receive feedback like that. And if we can identify the culprit, and if the complainant is willing to testify in court, whether we can then use this as a basis to proceed for prosecution."

Plans are also under way to make the Corrective Work Order (CWO) even more visible. This includes having recalcitrant litterbugs perform CWO in areas such as town centres instead of parks.

Derek Ho Yeong Thye, director-general of the Environmental Public Health Division at the NEA, said: "I think if we place all these CWO exercises in places which is more visible to the public, then I think they will feel more eyes looking on them as they conduct the exercises, and I think they will feel the public pressure on them, that this is not an acceptable behaviour."

-CNA/ac

Littering fines raised from March
Whistleblowing system for public also being studied; peer pressure to be used
Today Online 17 Nov 12;

SINGAPORE - Measures are being rolled out to curb littering in Singapore. From March 2013, fines for first-time litter offenders will go up from S$300 to S$500.

The Environment and Public Health Act will also be amended next year to increase the penalty regimes for recurrent offenders.

And plans are underway to make the Corrective Work Order (CWO) even more visible. This includes having recalcitrant litterbugs perform CWO in areas such as town centres instead of parks.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan revealed this on Saturday at a community event in Bukit Panjang.

He said the Government is also studying the possibility of launching a whistleblowing system, where feedback and complaints by members of the public can be used to prosecute offenders.

On his blog, Dr Balakrishnan posted about the need for increased and coordinated peer pressure, including empowering volunteers.

Noting how the National Environment Agency (NEA) already prosecutes culprits who throw litter from moving vehicles based on the vehicle licence numbers, he wrote: "We will have to explore whether this is feasible when a member of the public identifies a culprit in a public area, especially when he or she is willing to testify in court. I would be grateful for more feedback and suggestions on this matter.

"The key theme is to empower ordinary citizens to exert more peer pressure on anti-social persons in order to protect our common spaces."

The NEA "will conduct a special training course for senior members of environmental NGOs that will commence in January 2013. These volunteers will then be issued with authority cards which will enable them to identify and take enforcement action against recalcitrant persons who insist on littering. This will give them both moral and legal authority to set standards for our society," wrote the Minister.

He called for a "a sense of urgency" on this clean-up effort. "I am optimistic that we can succeed through a combination of renewed personal commitment, increased peer pressure, tighter enforcement, heavier penalties and improved cleaning routines on the ground," wrote Dr Balakrishnan.

750 NORTH WEST VOLUNTEERS

Meanwhile, at the event this morning, the NEA and North West Community Development Council (CDC) today launched "Hold on And Bin IT, Make it A H.A.B.IT!" @ North West, in support of the Keep Singapore Clean Movement.

The programme will see 750 H.A.B.IT volunteers trained to champion responsible binning to residents in the North West District. They will carry out monthly litter-picking exercises and conduct educational outreach.

There will also be monthly themed activiities, such as litter-picking exercises, litter patrols and No Cleaners Day to educate residents.

Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North West District said: "We will need to cultivate a 'zero tolerance' attitude towards littering and it is through the collective participation of every individual will we achieve our goal in keeping Singapore clean and beautiful."

An NEA study in 2009 found that about 36 per cent of the public would bin their litter only when it was convenient.

Littering will cost you $500
Fines to be raised from $300; senior members of NGOs to get power to catch litterbugs
Kezia Toh & Melody Zaccheus Straits Times 18 Nov 12;

Fines for littering are to be raised from $300 to $500 in a bid to clean up Singapore's streets.

And senior members of non-governmental organisations will be trained and authorised to issue the tougher penalties.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan announced the changes yesterday at an anti-littering event in Bukit Panjang.

He said: "This is a symbol of society's repudiation of the bad habits by a very small minority. Money cannot buy cleanliness.

"This is a matter of public safety and public health, so we are treating this as a symbol of our commitment to making sure Singapore remains clean and green."

The $500 fines, which will kick in from March, apply to first-time offenders. Penalties for repeat offenders will also be raised next year, from the current level of up to $5,000.

Mr Eugene Heng, founder and chairman of volunteer group the Waterways Watch Society, said the tougher fines provide a crucial deterrent. "It is good to increase the amount to make a dent in the litterbug's pocket, but you also need manpower to enforce and educate them not to do it again," said the 63-year-old.

MP Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC) agreed that more than one approach was needed.

"We are constantly searching for ways to solve the littering problem to improve our living environment," she said. "These include education, enforcement and community peer pressure. While $500 is a rather heavy fine, it is appropriate, considering that complaints of littering are on the rise."

Mr Heng said that the 15-year-old society, which has about 250 volunteers, is looking forward to being given greater power to catch litterbugs.

He added that training sessions, organised by the National Environment Agency, might include lessons on how to be diplomatic with litterbugs and persuade them that their behaviour is wrong.

Volunteers could also receive training on how to book offenders and extract information from them. Dr Balakrishnan said he had been receiving feedback from members of the public who pinpointed litterbugs using e-mail, social media and even digital photographs. He added that he was examining the legal implications of acting on their complaints.

In a blog post yesterday, the minister wrote that a sense of urgency was needed as Singapore embarked upon its next phase of cleaning up.

"I am optimistic that we can succeed through a combination of renewed personal commitment, increased peer pressure, tighter enforcement, heavier penalties and improved cleaning routines on the ground."

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Best of our wild blogs: 17 Nov 12

Sluggy on St. John's Island
from wild shores of singapore

REDD+ must consider biodiversity, forest livelihoods to have any chance of success from Mongabay.com news by Rhett Butler

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More areas come under PUB's Active Beautiful and Clean Waters programme

Channel NewsAsia 16 Nov 12;

SINGAPORE: Three more vicinities are set to be transformed by next year under the PUB's Active Beautiful and Clean Waters programme.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said 20 different vicinities have already benefited from the programme which began in 2006.

The programme aims to transform canals and drains into streams and lakes, and serves as focal community points.

One of the projects that will be completed next year includes the Sungei Ulu Pandan project.

Mr Christopher De Souza, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said: "Would it be possible for the ministry to allow the residents and Sunset Way residents that fall within my ward to actually go very close to the water to learn about biodiversity, and to have river life extend to them proximately, and not just visually."

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan replied: "The whole idea of making it attractive and beautiful is to give access. The only caveat I would put is the issue of safety. So for instance if you would recall in the Bishan canal which was converted into a river because it's specially designed to be low-lying and people have access and can even walk across the river.

"However, during times of intense storms, the water can spread out very rapidly along the sides, that's why we've got various alarm systems and markings on the grounds in order to emphasise safety. We have to get a balance between access and public safety."

- CNA/de

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Australia creates world's largest marine reserves

Martin Parry AFP Yahoo News 16 Nov 12;

Australia Friday created the world's largest network of marine reserves, protecting a huge swathe of ocean environment despite claims it will devastate the fishing industry.

The announcement, after years of planning and consultation, will significantly expand the protection of creatures such as the blue whale, green turtle, critically endangered populations of grey nurse sharks, and dugongs.

The scale of the plan, which will cover more than 2.3 million square kilometres (890,000 square miles) in six marine regions, was first made public in June.

Environment Minister Tony Burke said of 80,000 submissions received, the vast majority supported the proposal.

"There are very few countries in the world that are as responsible for as much of the ocean as Australia is. And our oceans are under serious threat," he said.

"There are a range of actions that need to be taken to turn the corner on the health of our oceans. Establishing national parks in the ocean is a big part of that total picture."

Burke added that his decision was important for future generations.

"We need to appreciate that in the years to come we don't want people to only know the magnificence of their oceans through aquariums or by watching 'Finding Nemo'," he said, referring to the animated Disney film.

But fishermen are furious, claiming coastal communities would be ruined, thousands of jobs lost and the Aus$2 billion (US$2 billion) aquaculture industry seriously impacted.

The Australian Marine Alliance, which conducted a cost analysis, claimed 60 regional communities would be affected, 36,000 jobs lost and 70-80 trawler operators displaced, while the cost of seafood imports would soar.

Burke said he understood his decision would have an impact, but claimed it would only affect one percent of the commercial fishing industry nationally.

To compensate, he said businesses hurt by the changes would be able to access Aus$100 million in assistance.

"Even though the new marine reserves have been designed in a way to minimise impacts on industry and recreational users, the government recognises that there will be impacts on some fishers and we will support those impacted," he said.

The Commonwealth Fisheries Association criticised the amount of compensation on offer and Queensland's Fisheries Minister John McVeigh said the plan, which will lock up huge areas off the state's central and north coast, was "madness".

"The impact right across our fishing communities will be enormous," he said, warning of job losses.

"There will be a marked shift to imported seafood -- that will rape fragile reef and other marine environments overseas where there is no proper management."

While some limits will be placed on where energy companies can work, tracts of coast off Western Australia, where Shell and Woodside Petroleum recently won permits, will remain open to oil and gas exploration.

The Australian Conservation Foundation welcomed the initiative, saying it would "go down in Australian history as an economically and environmentally sustainable decision".

But the foundation's Paul Sinclair said more could still be done.

"Although the national marine reserve network is an achievement for Australians to celebrate, there is more work to be done to protect our coastal way of life," he said.

"While the reserve network bans oil and gas exploration in the Coral Sea and off Margaret River in Western Australia, protecting nearby beaches from oil spills, the northwest region, including the Kimberley coast, is still vulnerable."

Australia creates world's biggest marine parks
James Grubel PlanetArk 19 Nov 12;

Australia created the world's largest network of marine national parks on Friday, protecting an area of ocean the size of Western Europe in a move which will prevent oil and gas exploration and commercial fishing in the most sensitive areas.

Environment Minister Tony Burke said the decision would protect 2.3 million square kilometers (888,035 square miles) of ocean, including the tropical Coral Sea off the north Queensland coast and coral reefs off Australia's southwest, and help support endangered sea life.

"We don't want people to only know the magnificence of their oceans through aquariums or by watching 'Finding Nemo'," Burke told reporters.

The new reserves will be established from the Perth Canyon in the southwest to Kangaroo Island off the southern coast, and to the Coral Sea area which surrounds the Great Barrier Reef in the northeast.

The new marine reserves will limit commercial fishing and oil and gas exploration in the most sensitive areas, but won't prevent shipping, tourism or diving.

The decision has angered the commercial fishing industry, particularly from the northern Queensland state, while recreational fishing groups are also angered at the loss of access to some areas.

Burke said the new marine reserves would only affect around one percent of Australia's commercial fishing, and the government would spend A$100 million ($103.28 million) to compensate commercial fishers for the loss of access.

He said most recreational fishing would continue as normal, as the parks were hundreds of kilometers offshore and well out of range for recreational fishing.

But fishing supporters complained that they were being discriminated against.

"The government is discriminating against recreational fishers by allowing divers, tourist operators, container ships and even defense force activities into marine parks, but banning fishing families from catching a fish," recreational fishing foundation director Allan Hansard said.

Earlier this year, a United Nations report said Australia's world-famous Great Barrier Reef was under threat from industrial development and may be considered for listing as a world heritage site ?"in danger" within the next year.

($1 = 0.9683 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by James Grubel, editing by Elaine Lies)

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Best of our wild blogs: 16 Nov 12

Tiger on Terumbu Semakau
from wild shores of singapore

Random Gallery - Bigg's Brownie
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rain, seagrass, a driftnet, 101 BBQ mesh squares and seacils @ labrador - 14Nov2012 from sgbeachbum

Great surprises on my first seagrass monitoring
from Peiyan.Photography

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Foam escape not a laughing matter

Straits Times Forum 16 Nov 12;

WHILE some may have found the 2km stretch of escaped foam in Choa Chu Kang amusing ("Fiery start, foamy end"; Wednesday), I thought it was alarming.

We should not take it lightly when 40 barrels of detergent- based concentrate, of 200-litre capacity each, send chemicals flowing into our waterway.

Chemical-based detergents contain several types of harmful chemicals such as phenols, phosphates, chlorine bleach, chemical fragrance, dioxane and sodium lauryl/laureth sulphate.

At high concentrations, they are not only environmentally harmful, but can also hurt people.

Although the article said the detergent is bio-degradable and water-soluble, these qualities do not make it safer.

The term bio-degradable is so widely used in marketing a product these days that it leads consumers to believe that anything bio-degradable is good.

Most people do not ask how long it takes for something to bio-degrade.

These are some unanswered questions pertaining to the foam escape:

What kind of detergent was it?

What were the chemicals and and their concentration levels?

Which was the company or factory responsible?

I also hope that no children were playing with the foam. Children, unlike adults, do not have the ability to detoxify toxins very effectively.

Roy Kee

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Most Ocean Species Remain Undiscovered

Tia Ghose LiveScience.com Yahoo News 15 Nov 12;

Up to a million species live in the seas, and two-thirds of those ocean-dwellers may still be undiscovered, according to a new study that also cataloged all of the known species that dwell beneath the waves.

The findings, published today (Nov. 15) in the journal Current Biology, suggest that the oceans remain a vast, uncharted territory. The new registry could help guide marine conservation efforts by giving scientists a universal way to describe the underwater creatures.

"If you want to understand life on Earth, then of course you need to know what life there is on Earth," said the study's lead author, Ward Appeltans, a member of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). "If you want to protect the ocean you need to know what you want to protect."

Appeltans began assembling a European list of sea life in 1999. In 2007, his team decided to expand the effort to encompass all of the world's marine species. [Images: Catalog of Strange Sea Creatures]

It was a massive undertaking. Appeltans and colleagues contacted more than 250 world experts on marine life to catalog all known species.

"When there's a child that's born you need to go to city hall and register the name of the baby, but when you create a new species the only thing you need to do is publish a paper in an official journal," Appeltans told OurAmazingPlanet.

As a result, many species names were duplicated.

"For every five species that were described, two were described before," he said.

So far, the team has cataloged 226,000 species, excluding marine bacteria. Another 65,000 are waiting to be described in museums and collections. By using a computer simulation, Appeltans and his team concluded that between 700,000 and 1 million species live in the sea.

Anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of sea life has not been discovered yet, by their estimate. Most of those hidden sea creatures are probably crustaceans, mollusks, worms and sea sponges, they said.

The new database, called the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), fulfills deep human curiosity, Appeltans said.

"It's in our nature that we want to know what exists on Earth," Appeltans said. "We want to know what's out there in our oceans."

But beyond human curiosity, an orderly system for categorizing marine life may also help scientists conserve endangered species or keep track of medicinal chemicals derived from ocean dwellers, he said.

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