Haze: APRIL stresses no-burn policy

Neo Chai Chin Today Online 3 Jul 13;

RIAU — Fibre, pulp and paper giant Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) has come out strongly to affirm its no-burn policy and detail its fire-fighting efforts, worth millions of dollars annually, as it fends off charges of a significant proportion of Riau hot spots falling within concession areas linked to it.

Hosting a visit by TODAY to its Pangkalan Kerinci operation in Riau province last Saturday, company officials presented its fire management measures and showed, via a helicopter ride, that fires were occurring on community land just outside its concession areas.

Headquartered in Singapore, APRIL’s concessions cover 350,000ha in Riau, Sumatra.

Non-government organisation coalition Eyes on the Forest said last week in a press release that 1,075 hot spots out of 8,055 detected via NASA data in Riau from June 1 to 24 occurred in concessions linked to APRIL and Royal Golden Eagle suppliers. The fire locations are indicative and the organisation said ground investigations are necessary to reveal who started the fires.

APRIL showed TODAY concession data outlining how some fires said to be within its concessions actually occurred just outside of them. The company does not burn as it would be akin to damaging its fibre assets, said Mr David Goodwin, APRIL’s Director of Sustainability and External Affairs.

Fires in its concessions either spread from outside, or are started by communities living in the concessions.

The company prepares and manages the land of some communities under a profit-sharing agreement, while other communities prefer to manage their own land — the company has limited influence and control over the latter, filing a police report and helping to put out the fire when it occurs, its head of emergency taskforce coordination (fire-fighting) Periasamy said.

The company’s fire coordination centre receives up-to-date satellite data daily at about 5pm, calculates the geographical coordinates of hot spots in its concessions and sends out a report by 8am the next day, said Dr John Bathgate, Senior Manager for Lowland Plantation Management.

The standard procedure is to investigate every hot spot within 500m of its concession or that of its supply partners. “In these high and extreme conditions it’s been stretched to 1km,” he said. Once a fire is verified, the aim is to contain it within 48 hours.

During the helicopter ride, APRIL’s fire-fighters were seen putting out a blaze on the fringe of its concession. Many plumes of smoke were spotted on forested patches and some oil palm plantations near the Kampar River and Dr Bathgate clarified with a map that these were not part of APRIL’s concessions.

On why the company chooses not to make public up-to-date information on its concession areas, Mr Goodwin cited risks in doing so and said the company is engaging several parties to clarify certain facts — such as a recent meeting with the World Resources Institute and the media visit by TODAY.

He said: “The issue has only been in the spotlight for a reasonably short period of time and those conversations are occurring.”

Asked if APRIL should take responsibility for fires within its concession areas, even if they are set by local communities residing on the land, Mr Goodwin replied that while the company has fire mitigation measures in place, those starting the fires are ultimately responsible.

“If you were a landlord of a block of flats in Singapore, you’d be expected to have good fire extinguishers there, to have processes for reacting when something goes wrong,” he said. “I think we follow those sorts of procedures from what you’ve seen of our operations. The concept of responsibility must start by looking at who started the fire.”

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Malaysia: Meeting to clear air over Malaysian firms and open burning

The Star 3 Jul 13;

KUALA LUMPUR: A meeting will be held with representatives of Malay­sian companies involved with plantation activities in Sumatra, Indonesia, to clear the air over alleged open burning blamed for the haze affecting Malaysia and Singapore.

Natural Resources and Environ­ment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palani-vel said it would be held in Kuala Lumpur on July 9 and would in-clude Plantation Industries and Com­mo­dities Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas.

“We will be holding talks to determine the extent of their activities in Sumatra and how to deal with the problem of open burning,” Palanivel told reporters after presenting the Forestry Department’s Forester Monitoring Certificates to 74 forest rangers here. He said the companies had denied their involvement in open burning as they had adopted a zero burning policy.

Indonesian Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya had said eight Malaysian companies, including Sime Darby, were being investigated for open burning activities.

Sime Darby backed up its denial with satellite imagery of its plantations in Sumatra.

On a related issue, Palanivel said Asean environment ministers would hold a three-day talk on how to deal with the annual haze woes affecting the region.

He said ministers would press Indonesia to ratify a 2002 joint agreement to ensure compliance with measures to deal with open-burning and the haze.

On a separate issue, Palanivel said efforts to protect 4.7 million hectares of permanent forest reserve and wildlife in peninsular Malaysia were hampered by the lack of Forestry Department rangers.

“The department has only 200 of them and it is impossible for them to monitor such a large area against illegal logging and wildlife poachers,” he said.

He said that talks were underway with the Public Services Department to double the department’s enforcement manpower.

“However, such a move requires the cooperation of the respective state governments as the rangers’ salaries are borne by the state.”

Palanivel said there were also plans to increase the forest reserve area by a million hectares.

On wildlife conservation, Palanivel said the ministry was also considering a proposal under the National Tiger Plan to create tiger parks or sanctuaries, such as in India, to better monitor and protect the endangered animal.

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World’s top dolphin scientists urge NZ government to act now or Maui’s will be extinct in 20 years

WWF 2 Jul 13;

Auckland: Some of the world’s leading whale, dolphin and porpoise scientists have expressed their ‘extreme concern’ about the survival of New Zealand’s Maui’s dolphin, urging the government to take immediate action to ensure ‘full protection of Maui’s in all areas throughout their habitat’.

The Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) acknowledged in its 2013 report, released this weekend, that Maui’s will decline to just 10 adult breeding females in six years and become functionally extinct in less than 20 years—unless their full range is protected from gillnetting and trawling. This followed a similar call from the IWC in 2012.

Global conservation organization WWF presented a paper to the IWC Scientific Committee 65th meeting in Jeju, Korea in June that highlighted the lack of progress from New Zealand to save the last estimated 55 Maui’s dolphins.

WWF-New Zealand’s Executive Director, Chris Howe, said: “One year after the IWC urged immediate action to protect our critically endangered dolphins, it is unacceptable that Maui’s are still at risk of dying needlessly while we wait for adequate protection.

“The government needs to step up now to do everything in its power to save Maui’s dolphins. We call on Conservation Minister Nick Smith and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy to announce permanent measures that remove fishing gear which kills dolphins from their waters, and help affected fishermen adopt dolphin-friendly methods. Anything less will not give the species a fighting chance at survival.”

The government announced interim protection measures in June 2012, but dangerous fishing activity is still allowed to continue in parts of Maui’s habitat, including off the Taranaki coast and inside harbours.

Eight months ago a public consultation on the Threat Management Plan for Maui’s dolphin closed, yet the government has yet to make a decision on protecting them.

Scientists’ estimate that over 95% of unnatural Maui’s deaths are caused by entanglement and drowning in gillnet or trawl fishing. An expert panel convened by the government in 2012 estimated that around 5 Maui’s are killed each year in fishing nets, a rate 75.5 times what the population can withstand.

Howe said: “The world is watching and waiting for New Zealand to take action to save these small and critically endangered dolphins. Both the survival of Maui’s and our international reputation is on the line.”

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Third of conifers under threat of extinction, study says

Alister Doyle PlanetArk 2 Jul 13;

A third of the world's conifers, the biggest and longest-lived organisms on the planet, are at risk of extinction, with logging and disease the main threats, scientists said on Tuesday.

The study of more than 600 types of conifers - trees and shrubs including cedars, cypresses and firs - updates a "Red List" on which almost 21,000 of 70,000 species of animals and plants assessed in recent years are under threat.

"The overall picture is alarming," said Jane Smart, head of the biodiversity conservation group of the IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, grouping scientists, governments and environmental organizations.

The IUCN said in a report that 34 percent of conifers were at risk of extinction, up from 30 percent in the last assessment in 1998.

California's Monterey Pine, the world's most widely planted pine and prized as a fast-growing source of pulp, was moved to a rating of "endangered" from "least concern" because of threats such as a spread of fungal disease.

Conifers are the largest and longest-lived species on the planet. The Bristlecone Pine can live 5,000 years and the Coast Redwood can grow as high as 110 meters (360 ft).

Craig Hilton-Taylor, manager of the Red List, which is updated twice a year, told Reuters that diseases were compounding existing threats from logging, pollution and forest clearance caused by a rising human population.

And global warming might be making conifers, standing in the same place for hundreds or even thousands of years, vulnerable to new pathogens as temperatures and rainfall patterns changed, he said.

The report said there were some successes. Better management and plantings of disease-resistant stock of Lawson's Cypress in California and Oregon had helped a recovery of trees that were once heavily traded as timber.

Among other findings, scientists added the Santa Cruz Pupfish, which used to live in Arizona, a freshwater shrimp and a lizard known as the Cape Verde Skink to the list of extinct creatures.

"The Skink was last seen in 1916. It's taken a lot of surveys to conclude that it is extinct," Hilton-Taylor said. A total of 799 animals and plants are listed as having died out in the past 500 years or so.

(Reporting By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

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Best of our wild blogs: 2 Jul 13

Job: Museum Officer position at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (deadline: 30 Jul 2013) from The Biodiversity crew @ NUS and Raffles Museum News

Oil spill off East Coast, 2 Jul 2013
from wild shores of singapore

deadfish II @ northwestern Singapore @ SBWR - 01July2013
from sgbeachbum

Are there dead fishes at Mandai mangroves?
from wild shores of singapore

Festival of Biodiversity 2013 - Vivocity on 13 & 14 July from Psychedelic Nature

The Vintage Pulau Ubin
from Pulau Ubin Tour with Justin

Study in scarlet
from The annotated budak

Butterflies Galore! : Chocolate Pansy
from Butterflies of Singapore

The Diversity and Distribution of Seagrass in Singapore
from teamseagrass

Hazy woes - (Bizarre!) East Coast 25062013
from Psychedelic Nature

Javan Munia courtship and feeding
from Bird Ecology Study Group

APP reports accidental breach of deforestation moratorium
from Mongabay.com news by Rhett Butler

Wilmar to cut off suppliers found to be setting fires
from Mongabay.com news by Rhett Butler

Fire at recycling plant shows Chinese lanterns should be banned
from the Guardian Environment blog

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Oil spill due to collision near Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal

Rachel Tan Straits Times 2 Jul 13;


The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's (MPA) patrol craft MPA III (left) is seen spraying dispersant at the incident site with Oriental Pioneer (background right) on Tuesday, July 2, 2013. Two foreign bulk carriers collided at sea about 6.6km south-west of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal on Tuesday, causing a fuel oil spill of 100 metric tonnes from a bulk carrier. -- PHOTO: MARITIME AND PORT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE

Two foreign bulk carriers collided at sea about 6.6km south-west of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal on Tuesday, causing a fuel oil spill of 100 metric tonnes from a bulk carrier.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) received a report around 5.30 am about a collision between South Korean-registered bulk carrier Oriental Pioneer and Bahamas-registered bulk carrier, Atlantic Hero. Oriental Pioneer and Atlantic Hero are anchored in the Eastern Bunkering Anchorages.

In a statement on Tuesday, MPA said it dispatched patrol craft to handle the spill while oil spill response companies were activated to augment the patrol craft.

MPA has issued navigational broadcasts to ships, warning them to be cautious when in the vicinity of the affected site. No injuries are reported and port operations are unaffected.

Bulk carrier collision causes oil spill near Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal
Chitra Kumar Channel NewsAsia 2 Jul 13;

SINGAPORE: A collision involving two foreign registered bulk carriers caused a fuel oil spill south-west of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal early on Tuesday morning.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said work to clean up the spilled oil is continuing.

MPA said the collision happened about 6.6 kilometres south-west of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal at 5.30am.

The collision involved a South Korean-registered bulk carrier, Oriental Pioneer and a Bahamas-registered bulk carrier, Atlantic Hero. One of the bunker tanks of Oriental Pioneer was damaged and caused it to spill approximately 100 metric tonnes of fuel oil.

MPA has issued broadcasts to ships to navigate with caution when in the area of the incident site.

The two vessels are currently safely anchored in the Eastern Bunkering Anchorages. No report of injury and port operations remain unaffected.

MPA is investigating the cause of the collision.

- CNA/ac


Oil spill following collision between Oriental Pioneer and the Atlantic Hero
MPA media release
2 July 2013

At about 0530hrs on 2 July 2013 (Singapore time), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) received a report that a South Korean-registered bulk carrier, Oriental Pioneer, and a Bahamas-registered bulk carrier, Atlantic Hero, had collided at about 6.6km south-west of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. One of the Oriental Pioneer's bunker tank was damaged and approximately 100 metric tonnes of fuel oil was spilled.

Upon notification, MPA immediately dispatched its patrol craft to deal with the oil spill. Oil spill response companies were also activated to augment the patrol craft. A total of 10 patrol and anti-pollution craft have been deployed to clean up the spilled oil. Work is currently continuing and MPA is co-ordinating the clean up with other government agencies and the ship owners.

The two vessels involved in the collision are currently safely anchored in the Eastern Bunkering Anchorages. MPA has issued navigational broadcasts to ships to navigate with caution when in the vicinity of the incident site. There is no report of injury and port operations remain unaffected.

Traffic in the port and the Strait of Singapore is unaffected.

MPA is investigating the cause of the collision.

For media enquiries, please call MPA's media hotline at 8366 2293.

Oil spill off Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal: MPA
Today Online 2 Jul 13;

SINGAPORE — The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has said that it has dispatched 10 patrol boats and anti-pollution craft to clean up an oil spill off the east coast today (July 2).

In a statement on its website, the MPA said that a collision occurred between South Korean-registered bulk carrier Oriental Pioneer and Bahamas-registered bulk carrier Atlantic Hero at about 5.30am, roughly 6.6km south-west of the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.

Approximately 100 metric tonnes of fuel oil was spilled, with one of the Oriental Pioneer’s bunker tanks damaged.

The MPA said that it dispatched its patrol boats and also activated oil spill response companies upon notification of the collision, and that it is coordinating the clean-up with other government agencies and the ship owners in the continuing clean-up work.

The two vessels involved in the collision are safely anchored in the Eastern Bunkering Anchorages and the cause of the collision is being investigated.

The MPA has issued navigational broadcasts to ships to navigate with caution when in the vicinity of the spill.

Traffic in the port and the Strait of Singapore is unaffected and there is no report of injury, the MPA said, adding that port operations have also remain unaffected.

Major oil spills in Singapore history
Today Online 2 Jul 13;

SINGAPORE — The largest oil spill in Singapore waters was on Oct 15, 1997, when over 28,000 tonnes was spilled following a collision between Cyprus-registered tanker Evoikos and Thai-registered crude-oil tanker Orapin Global 5km south of Pulau Sebarok, which lies between the Raffles Lighthouse and Sentosa island.

According to the Maritime and Port Authority, the operation led by the MPA and involving 16 ministries and agencies, the Singapore Armed Forces, oil terminals, salvage companies and oil spill response companies was cleaned up in a record time of three weeks.

The waters around Pulau Bukom, Pulau Senang, Pulau Pawai and Pulau Sudong looked like a sea of black coffee as a result of that spill, according to Singapore Infopedia.

The last major oil spill in Singapore waters before today was on May 25, 2010, when an estimated 2,500 tonnes of crude oil was spilled into the sea in the same area when Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 collided with Grenadines-registered bulk carrier MV Waily off the Changi Naval Base at around 6am.

Clean-up efforts were led by the National Environment Agency. Oil patches were seen at on stretches of the coast between the naval base and the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, as well as between the National Sailing Centre and the NSRCC-Safra Resort.

Oil spill following collision between Oriental Pioneer and Atlantic Hero -Update 1
MPA media release 2 Jul 13;

Good progress has been made in containing and cleaning up the oil spill resulting from the collision between the South Korean-registered bulk carrier, Oriental Pioneer, and the Bahamas-registered bulk carrier, Atlantic Hero.

There has been no further spillage of fuel oil from Oriental Pioneer. As a precautionary measure, an oil boom and an oil spill response craft have been deployed around the vessel. Bio-degradable oil dispersants were used to break up the oil slick in the waters. As of 1700hrs, no significant patches of oil were sighted in the waters.

In total, 11 craft and some 100 personnel from MPA and oil spill response companies have been deployed as part of the containment and clean up efforts. A helicopter was also deployed to conduct aerial surveillance of the affected waters.

Vessel traffic in the Strait of Singapore and port waters remain unaffected. Port operations are also not affected.

Members of the public can contact MPA's 24-hour Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325-2488/9 to report any sighting of oil slick in our waters or coastlines.

The collision between Oriental Pioneer and Atlantic Hero occurred about 6.6km south-west of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal at 0530hrs on 2 Jul 2013 (Singapore time). Prior to the collision, MPA's Port Operations Control Centre had provided information and issued warnings to the vessels when they were about 1.5 nautical miles (about 2.8km) apart. The ships were also in communication with each other.

MPA is investigating the cause of the collision.

Oil spill as vessels collide off Tanah Merah
Maryam Mokhtar Straits Times 3 Jul 13;

ABOUT 100 tonnes of fuel oil spilled into the waters off Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal yesterday morning when two bulk carriers collided.

No one was injured in the accident which involved the South Korean-registered Oriental Pioneer and the Atlantic Hero, a Bahamas- registered carrier.

Damage to an Oriental Pioneer bunker tank caused the spill.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement yesterday that the incident happened at 5.30am some 6.6km south-west of the terminal.

In total, 11 craft and 100 personnel from the MPA and oil-spill response companies were involved in the containment and clean-up efforts.

A helicopter conducted aerial surveillance of affected waters.

Bio-degradable oil dispersants were used to break up the oil slick. As of 5pm yesterday, no "significant patches of oil" were seen, said the MPA.

There has also been no further spillage from Oriental Pioneer, but an oil boom and oil spill response craft have been deployed around the vessel as a precautionary measure. Port operations and vessel traffic in port waters were not affected.

The MPA said it is investigating how the collision occurred even though its Port Operations Control Centre gave warnings to the vessels when they were about 2.8km apart. The vessels are currently anchored in the Eastern Bunkering Anchorages.

The National Environment Agency said the oil spill did not affect beaches and coastal areas here.

The last major oil spill here happened in May 2010, when a collision between an oil tanker and a bulk carrier caused 2,500 tonnes of crude oil to leak into the waters off the Changi coast.

Video AIS replay of the collision between the 2 bulkers Atlantic Hero and Oriental Pioneer


Related links
Latest updates on oil spills in Singapore in this facebook page.

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Singapore's clean image sullied by Indonesian smog

AFP 30 Jun 13;

AFP - Singapore's clean and green reputation has taken a hit from Indonesian forest fires and its standing as a corporate and expatriate haven could be hurt if the smog becomes an annual scourge, analysts warn.

Singapore has long been a destination of choice for thousands of foreign companies and expat families drawn by its gleaming infrastructure, topnotch healthcare and education, and lush green environs that offer a high quality of living.

But its image took a heavy beating in the third week of June after palls of smoke from slash-and-burn agricultural fires on the nearby Indonesian island of Sumatra pushed levels of haze to record highs, shrouding the city in acrid smog.

Favourable winds, thunderstorms and cloud-seeding by Indonesia over Sumatra have dissipated the smog, but Singapore officials warn that severe air pollution could return any time during the June-September dry season.

If the smog becomes an annual crisis, some multinational companies may consider relocating offices, key operations and expatriate families out of Singapore, analysts warn.

"The long-term reputation of Singapore as a clean-environmental place to live in is at risk if the problem gets worse every year and no solution is in sight," said Jonathan Galaviz, managing director of US-based business consultancy Galaviz and Company, which specialises in Asia.

"I know what it's like," said Galaviz, who was an exchange student in Singapore in 1997 when similar blazes resulted in weeks of choking smog across vast swathes of Southeast Asia and billions of dollars in economic losses for the region.

Many expatriate families living in Singapore were already overseas on summer holidays as smog levels started to rise in mid-June. Air pollution also reached harmful levels in neighbouring Malaysia.

Expatriates who stayed in Singapore were hardly comforted by the chatter on online forums, where some members wondered whether their governments would evacuate them as the smog hit unhealthy levels. Some families, desperate for a respite, fled to neighbouring countries on short breaks.

If smog becomes a prolonged or recurring problem, Singapore's tourism industry, which accounts for 6.0 percent of the city-state's GDP, could suffer badly. International arrivals, currently averaging 40,000 a day, could fall, economists say.

During the SARS epidemic in 2003 that grounded air travel during peak periods of the flu-like virus, Singapore's daily arrivals of around 20,000 at that time plunged to 5,000-6,000 a day in the first quarter, said regional economist Song Seng Wun of Malaysian bank CIMB.

At the height of the current haze crisis, several outdoor tourist attractions shut down while some visitors left Singapore earlier than planned. An international conference on reducing the threat of nuclear weapons was cancelled.

More troublingly, observers warn that if the problem escalates there could be a gradual exodus of foreign companies that have set up offices or regional headquarters in Singapore.

Initially, companies might consider "temporarily" relocating key operations should the haze persist for weeks, said Rajiv Biswas, chief Asia Pacific economist at research firm IHS Global Insight.

"However, if the haze escalates to hazardous levels for a protracted period, to the extent that a state of emergency is declared for an extended time, firms may consider shifting some essential operations to other international hubs," Biswas told AFP.

The problem could tarnish the "long-term perceptions of Singapore as a safe, clean environment for expatriates to locate their families compared to other leading global business hubs and financial centres", he added.

But Delphine Granger, a 40-year-old French-British housewife and a mother of two young girls, is unfazed by such dire predictions. She said Singapore offered far better prospects as an expatriate haven than many other Asian capitals that are beset by natural disasters, political turmoil and traffic gridlock.

"Singapore is well ahead of other cities," Granger, who has been based in the city for nine months, told AFP.

Observers point out that rivals Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing are burdened by chronic air pollution. Bangkok, the gateway to the Indochinese region, is periodically hit by floods and political unrest, as is Manila, which is fast emerging as a global outsourcing hub.

"I don't think (Singapore's) image is tarnished. There are no natural disasters here. It's not an earthquake zone, it's not a volcano zone. This is a man-made disaster," Granger said.

Meanwhile, Singapore appears keen to step up pressure on Indonesia as it struggles to contain slash-and-burn farming in its rainforests that generates vast plumes of smoke during the dry season.

"We need to put in place a permanent solution to prevent this problem from recurring annually," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono apologised to Singapore and Malaysia for the haze crisis.

The smog issue was discussed over the weekend at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations annual foreign ministers' meeting in Brunei, where Indonesia said the forest fires had been greatly reduced and vowed to sustain its efforts to address the problem.

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Singapore's forested areas rapidly dwindling in face of urban development

Straits Times Forum 2 Jul 13;

THE report ("Mr Lee plants another tree, 50 years on"; June 17) quoted former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew as saying: "You take away all the trees... you have a darker and uglier Singapore."

It was Mr Lee's vision to make Singapore a garden city. It was also reported that the National Parks Board will get the public to plant 1,963 trees to mark 50 years of greening Singapore.

This is ironic as just recently, about 200 trees outside my HDB block in Pasir Ris Drive 3 were cut down and the land levelled for a condominium project.

Further up the road, another 150 trees were felled for the building of four condos.

Of course, one may reason that the developers of these condos will plant some trees and flowering plants to beautify the environment, but to chop down about 350 trees that have taken years to grow is too much.

Roland Scharenguivel

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Haze: Time for consumers to act

Jennifer Lee Today Online 2 Jul 13;

The commentary “More plantations, more haze to come?” (June 28) provided good coverage on the environmental impact of palm oil plantation. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also said recently that action will be taken against any Singapore firms, or foreign companies linked to the Republic, which are responsible for causing the fires in Sumatra.

Many have blamed the people of Indonesia for burning their forests and causing the haze. However, the problem stems from our reliance on unsustainable palm oil.

The forests in Indonesia are burnt to make way for palm plantations, and palm oil is now used in most food products and even toiletries.

Indonesia is the world’s biggest producer of palm oil, and with continued demand comes the need for more land for plantations. There have been reports that link a number of these multi-billion dollar companies, responsible for mass deforestation in Indonesia, to Singapore.

Based on satellite imagery done by WWF in 2010, Sumatra has lost nearly half of its natural forest cover between 1985 and 2009. The forests were cleared at a rate of 542,000 hectares, or 2.1 per cent per year. More than 80 per cent of forest loss occurred in lowlands, where the most biodiverse ecosystems are found.

Many species of their native animals are endangered. Indonesia ranks second in the world for their level of biodiversity. They are home to over 300,000 species of animals with over 2,000 endemic species of mammals and birds found only in Indonesia. To name a few, the Sumatran tiger, Sumatran orangutan and the Javan rhino are now at the brink of extinction.

As the forest burns, thousands of animals lose their homes and die painful deaths.

Apart from causing severe damage to the wildlife and environment, many Indonesian villagers who relied on their forests for food, medicine and shelter have also lost their homes and livelihoods over the years, and are forced to abandon their culture and village lives to earn meagre salaries in town.

Let us take the lead in targeting the root of the problem. Singapore should send a strong message to the companies responsible for the fires by putting up a national trade boycott with these companies.

As long as we continue relying on unsustainable palm oil, the forest fires will continue. It is also time for food manufacturers and food & beverage operators to re-look their ingredients and replace palm oil — which is sometimes labelled as vegetable oil — with products that are clearly labelled as 100 per cent sunflower oil, corn oil or canola oil.

Do note that soybean oil is often associated with the destruction of rainforest in Brazil.

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Not all that matters is measured in dollars and cents

Tan Wu Meng Today Online 1 Jul 13;

Even as we respond to the haze, it is useful to think about the lessons of this recent adversity. We cannot always predict the future, but we can put ourselves in a good position to respond.

In times of challenge, why do some countries fragment into the downward spiral of every man for himself, whereas others emerge stronger from fire (or smoke), with the steel of renewed resolve?

The key ingredient is social cohesion: A sense of common cause and common purpose, which yields the uncommon courage needed to face untoward odds.

Communities grow cohesive for many reasons. The older civilisations possess a sense of long history: The idea that people have survived great challenges before, that they can and will do so again. For some, it is shared experience: A defining time in history, binding a generation in shared memory. In others, it can be a common ancestry, a common language.

Singapore faces especial challenges in the forging of social cohesion. We are a nation of diverse colours, tongues and faiths. Being a young country, our shared history is short. Immigration continues to shape the face of our population: Whether the older migrants of our parents’ and grandparents’ generations, or the newer faces arriving today.

HAWKER CENTRE VERSUS FOOD COURT

The financial bottom line is a long-standing principle of Singapore’s governance — it is only proper that taxpayers’ money is carefully stewarded to maximise value and avoid waste. To optimise revenue, market-based strategies have been deployed, such as competitive bidding and auctions. Public-private partnerships seek to attract private sector investment in support of public projects.

But not all fiscal optimums lead to a prime outcome. Some result in negative externalities and hidden costs, such as a weakening of social cohesion.

For example, a rent maximisation model might prioritise supermarkets and food courts over wet markets and hawker centres. Yet, the latter provide common spaces accessible to Singaporeans across a diverse income spectrum, while preserving aspects of local culture amid architectural change.

Elderly Singaporeans living alone can find a peer group at the local hawker centre — friends who will enquire if they drop out of peer gatherings. This can make the difference between early attention after a sudden illness (or an accident at home) and receiving help too late. When new hawker centres are built, it is not only about food but nourishment for society.

Public-private partnerships require careful handling, too. A flagship project such as the new National Stadium is more than the sum of bricks, mortar and design; it is a symbol.

Decisions on pricing and access can convey deep powerful signals. Premium memberships with special privileges may increase revenue, but send the wrong message about what kind of society Singapore should be.

SOCIAL COHESION AS KPI

Social mobility and progressive redistribution — both hallmarks of an inclusive society — are also integral to social cohesion. No society can survive unless each citizen feels a personal stake in the country, and that his or her children will have a fair start in life.

Social cohesion must therefore be an explicit consideration — or even a Key Performance Index (KPI) — in government policymaking. It need not be the be-all and end-all of every policy, but derogating from the social cohesion KPI should be a conscious, considered decision.

There is a great difference between considering an angle but carefully proceeding regardless, and not seeing the angle at all.

There is established precedent for viewing public policy through lenses other than the bottom line. To help safeguard Singapore’s security and sovereignty, investments have been made in the expensive NEWater project — even though it would have been cheaper in the short term to purchase water from external sources.

Singapore’s independence depends on many factors: A strong defence, coupled with water, energy and resource security — and the economic wherewithal to maintain them. Also crucial is how we bind ourselves and our fellow citizens together, how we nurture the sense of looking out for each other in times of crisis and how we become resilient people.

This is why social cohesion must be a core consideration in public policy-making — not an afterthought.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tan Wu Meng is a medical doctor working in a public sector hospital.

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Wilmar to Cut Off Palm Suppliers Caught Burning in Indonesia

Michelle Yun, Ranjeetha Pakiam and Eko Listiyorini Jakarta Globe 1 Jul 13;

Singapore/Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur. Wilmar International, the world’s largest palm oil trader, plans to cut ties with Indonesian suppliers that clear land with illegal fires after blazes engulfed Singapore in a record haze.

Wilmar, which bans burning on its own plantations, relies on third parties for more than 90 percent of the crude palm oil for its refineries. Sime Darby, the biggest publicly traded palm oil producer, also prohibits burning at its own plantations and relies on other sources for supplies, buying as much as half the commodity for its plants from others.

Palm oil refiners are being pushed to enforce their no burning policies to suppliers after hundreds of illegal blazes raged last month in Indonesia, the world’s top producer of the commodity. Unilever, buyer of 3 percent of the world’s palm oil, said the haze is a reminder of the need to accelerate sustainability efforts.

“We need the money to speak,” said Scott Poynton, founder of The Forest Trust, which worked with Nestle SA and Golden Agri-Resources on sustainability policies.

If companies “made a no-deforestation commitment that says to these communities, ‘you can’t burn because we won’t buy your oil,’ that’s money directly speaking to the people,” he said.

Palm oil is the world’s most-used edible oil. It’s in Unilever’s margarine, ice cream and soap. The London- and Rotterdam-based company made a commitment to buy sustainable palm oil and wants all its supplies to be from certified, traceable sources by 2020.

Burning banned

“What the industry has realized is that they can’t be simple bystanders in an ecosystem that gives them life in the first place,” Unilever Chief Executive Officer Paul Polman said June 27 in Jakarta.

While Indonesia and Malaysia ban burning to clear or manage acreage, 17 timber concession and 10 palm oil plantations had land affected by fires in Indonesia, according to June 24 data from the non-government World Resources Institute, or WRI.

Indonesia is investigating a number of companies suspected to be involved in illegal fires and will announce those names once the probe is completed, Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya said last week.

Wilmar deals with some of the companies identified by WRI on the assurance they don’t burn, the company said in an e-mailed response to Bloomberg News.

Buying policy

“Should they be found to be involved in burning to clear land for cultivation, we will stop doing business with them,” Wilmar said. The company’s buying policy states suppliers must comply with all local and national laws and regulations.

Indonesia’s disaster management agency said June 28 that in general people start fires on peatlands to fertilize the soil ahead of planting crops.

Kuala Lumpur-based Sime Darby said in a June 28 statement it had found fires on land at one of its units, though the blazes were in an area where local communities plant crops such as corn and sugar and not in areas planted by the company.

The company buys from palm oil growers in Indonesia that participate in plans run by the company and that adhere to a strict zero-burn policy. Part of its efforts to promote no burning is to continuously educate third-party suppliers on the benefits of complying with RSPO principles, Sime Darby said in a separate e-mail.

Fire and haze are common during Indonesia’s July-to-September dry season because local villages and farmers have long favored cheaper, slash-and-burn land clearing, according to Wilmar. Using machinery to clear costs more than $250 a hectare, while fires cost almost nothing, it said.

Sustainability efforts

Wilmar, based in Singapore, as well as Sime Darby, Golden Agri and Cargill all prohibit burning at their own plantations. That’s in line with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil criteria which include a commitment to avoid clearing land with fires. The RSPO was formed in 2004 to promote sustainability in an industry that’s been dogged by concerns about deforestation, pollution and the environment.

“It is inconceivable that any listed plantation companies is willing to risk open burning to clear their land, not after years of battling the non-government organizations on issues pertaining to deforestation, orangutans and native land rights,” Malayan Banking said in a June 24 report.

No big plantation group would be involved today with deforestation, Wilmar said. Many of the problems are caused by small farmers, which makes it difficult to control, it said.

Malaysia had 183,774 small palm growers as of May, while Indonesia has more than 2 million. The Indonesia Palm Oil Farmers Association has a “zero burning” policy for its members, and other crop farmers may be responsible for the blazes, said Secretary General Asmar Arsjad.

Investor concern

For some investors, concerns about deforestation remains. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest with assets of $737 billion, sold investments in 23 palm producers including Wilmar, Golden Agri and Kuala Lumpur Kepong, in the first quarter of 2012 citing concern about deforestation, according to its annual report released in March.

Golden Agri, the second-biggest palm plantations operator, is “absolutely” against burning and “would also encourage best management practices to all stakeholders,” the company said in an e-mail.

It buys less than 10 percent of its fresh fruit bunches from outside suppliers. Cargill gets 95 percent of its third-party crude palm oil in Indonesia from RSPO members.

“Those suppliers have signed on to the RSPO criteria which includes a commitment to not to use burning for land clearing,” Cargill said by e-mail.

“It is one of the reasons why we target RSPO member for our third-party out supply.”

The number of Wilmar’s suppliers that are RSPO certified is still small, though steadily increasing, it said.

While the haze has lessened in Singapore, it will return, according to The Forest Trust’s Poynton.

“Singapore will choke again because globalization demands it,” he said from Geneva.

“These fires are happening to clear the way to grow a commodity for the global supply chain.”

Bloomberg

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Indonesia: Four hotspots left in Riau

Antara 1 Jul 13;

Pekanbaru, Riau Province (ANTARA News) - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Pekanbaru office said weather monitoring and geothermal Terra and Aqua satelite detected four fires still remained in Riau province on Monday.

"Two of the hotspots are in Siak District, one in Rokan Hulu District and another one in Rokan Hilir District," the BMKG Pekanbaru office analyst Warih Budi Lestari said.

National Disaster Management Agency (BPNB) spokesman Dr. Agus Wibowo said the number of hotspots is decreasing each day.

Earlier on Sunday, Agus said aerial survey`s results showed dozens of hotspots, but now only four left.

According to him, the declined number of hotspots indicated both water-bombing and weather modification efforts that had been carried out were successful.

He added water bombing had been done by using some helicopters during operations on Sunday (30/6).

A helicopter flew to Perawang, Tualang Sub-Dsitrict, Siak District at 9:46 to 14:47 pm and done water bombing 25 times.

While two other helicopters, according to Agus, operating from 10:30 to 14:46 pm to Tanjung Palas, Dumai, had conducted water bombing 44 times.

"Maximal water bombing had been done and many fires were able to be extinguished," he said adding the TNI and Brimob forces had assured it.

Agus said BNPB will proceed operations to some other locations in the country, especially the island of Borneo, if operations in Sumatra, especially in Riau, were done.

"But we are still waiting for orders. Operations could be completed in the next few days. Meanwhile, two helicopters and a special water boombing aircraft leased from Russia is planned to participate in the operations," he said.

(I029/H-YH)

Editor: Jafar M Sidik

Police arrest 23 suspects over forest fires
Antara 1 Jul 13;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - The Police of Riau have arrested 23 suspects in connection with forest and peat land fires in the province that have caused blanketing haze over the Sumatran region and some neighboring countries.

Spokesperson of the Riau Police Command, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Hermansyah, said here on Monday that two more suspects had been arrested following reports from local people making the number of the suspects to reach 23 who are all now under police detention.

The last two suspects namely Ham, arrested in Tanjung Leba Village, Bukit Batu Subdistrict of Bengkalis and BA, arrested in Sang Kemang Village, Koto Gasib Subdistrict of Siak District.

"However, we haven`t received data about the areas that had been burned. The crime scenes varied," Hermansyah said.

The 23 suspects have allegedly caused forest and land fires in 15 areas located in some districts in the Riau Province.

Besides Ham, there were five other suspects arrested by Bengkalis Police, namely Subari (46), Hartono (35), Ali Imron, Ali Umar and Atim.

In Rokan Hulu District, 11 suspects in four cases had been arrested, namely Hotman Purba (56), Ketiman, Sukadi, Aswin, Rizal, Heriyadi Saputra, Eka Budi Arianto, Marlin Nasution, Mohammad Yasir, KH Johari and Abdul Wahab.

Two suspects, Sumardi (42) and Shokai Autlo were arrested by Pelalawan District Police.

The Siak and Dumai District Police respectively arrested two suspects.

"The 23 suspects are being detained in their respective district police offices for investigation. The number of suspects might still increase," Hermawan said.

The Police are coordinating with the Ministry of Environment to investigate any indication of involvement of companies in the forest fires.

Meanwhile, the Riau Health Office`s Environmental Health Section Chief Dewani said about 10,382 citizens in Riau Province have been suffering from acute respiratory infections (ISPA) due to haze that has hit the area since the past several weeks.

Among the areas that have the most number of victims are Indragiri Hulu District (2,863 people), Dumai city (1,554 people), Bengkalis District (1,438 people) and Siak District (1,183 people).

However, the air quality index in Riau continues to improve in line with the declining number of hotspots following fire fighting operations.

Natural Disaster Mitigation Agency`s Spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said efforts to fight land and forest fires are still continuing including through water bombing and artificial rain making.

(A059/H-YH)

Editor: Jafar M Sidik

Three flights from Dumai cancelled due to haze
Antara 1 Jul 13;

Dumai city, Riau province (ANTARA News) - Three flights from Dumai city are cancelled due to low visibility following haze that is still happening in the area, chief of Dumai airport`s authority, Catur Hargowo, said here on Monday.

"From Monday morning until afternoon the visibility is still below standard namely at around 1,000 meters (normal visibility must be around 2,500-4,500 meters). It is considered as unsafe for flights," he said.

The three cancelled flights are Sky Aviation flight scheduled to leave for Pekanbaru city (Riau province`s capital) and Pelita Air Pertamina and Pelita Air Chevron flights (both to leave for Jakarta).

Catur added he is not sure of when flights in the airport would be resumed.

Earlier the head of public relations and information data center of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said air quality index in Riau has continued to improve in line with the declining number of forest and land fires following fire fighting operations.

Until the 10th day of operations to eradicate haze in Riau several indicators had shown a positive trend, he said.

Based on the results of monitoring through NOAA satellites on June 22 the number of fires was still recorded at 92 while on June 24 it reached 265 but on June 29 only one was left over.

This has resulted in the improvement of air quality in the region and visibility, he said.

(A051/H-YH)

Editor: Jafar M Sidik

Indonesia's haze battle enters 'preventive mode'
Night patrols increased; cloud-seeding planes on standby in case of new fires
Zubaidah Nazeer, Indonesia Correspondent, In Pekanbaru (Riau Province)
Straits Times 2 Jul 13;

INDONESIAN disaster officials say they are now shifting into preventive mode in the battle against the haze, in a bid to respond faster and put out the fires before they spread out of control.

This approach is based on an increase in night patrols, keeping water-bombing and cloud-seeding aircraft on standby and distributing pamphlets warning farmers of heavy sanctions for slash-and- burn tactics.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) spokesman in Riau, Dr Agus Wibowo, said: "We cannot be reactive and respond only when a fire breaks out. We are anticipating seven other provinces to be hit by fires as the dry season picks up."

Yesterday, he said planes being deployed for cloud seeding and water bombing in Riau should be able to fly out at short notice to Jambi, South Sumatra and Lampung in Sumatra, and four provinces in Kalimantan.

Indeed, as most Riau residents are breathing easier after the BNPB declared its 10-day operation to counter the fires and haze a success, attention is now shifting to fire-prone provinces elsewhere. The number of hot spots in Riau was drastically reduced from 262 last Monday to four yesterday, but three planes had to be diverted from landing in Dumai airport in northern Riau, indicating that the battle against large-scale fires is far from over.

Dumai was one of the worst-affected regencies in Riau, hitting a record 900 on the Pollutant Standards Index last Monday, with visibility at less than 500m. Some 1,554 residents complained of respiratory problems last month.

Weather forecasters say winds are helping to blow the thinning haze away from Singapore and Malaysia, but the reprieve from the haze could be temporary as the dry season will peak next month and last as long as October.

Said Dr Agus: "We are hoping that within these few days, the hot spots will be gone in Riau."

Brigadier-General Tatang Sulaiman said: "Water bombing has helped but can put out fires only if they are on the surface. Now, our soldiers are trying to put out peat fires below the ground."

National police spokesman Agus Rianto said six more farmers have been caught for illegal land-clearing using fire, bringing the tally to 23.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said large corporations have got to take action against farmers and others whom they pay to clear their land if their land gets burnt, even if they practise zero-burning policies.

A WWF patrol on Sunday into the Tesso Nilo forest complex in southern Riau that contains a national park, logging concession areas and illegally deforested areas found a large area razed.

In a statement last Thursday, it said: "WWF calls for palm oil companies to take responsibility for the full supply chain of palm oil and ensure that fruit or processed oil bought from third-party providers are not fuelling the haze."

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