Indonesia: Manta ray trade puts protected animal at risk

Markus Makur, The Jakarta Post 26 Aug 13;

The manta ray is continuously being slaughtered on a number of islands in the Sawu Sea, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) as fishermen — unaware they are a protected and an engendered species — catch them and sell them in a number of regions and markets located on Flores Island. The manta ray is on the verge of extinction and can be sold for
Rp 500,000 (US$52) each.

The matter was disclosed by Flores Culture and Environmental Democracy Forum head Rofino Kant to The Jakarta Post in Borong recently.

Rofino said he had actually watched fishermen at the Borong beach cut the manta rays into pieces and sold them at the fish market in Borong.

“The fishermen claimed that they were unaware that manta rays are protected. Generally, the manta rays are caught by fishermen as they catch fish in the Sawu Sea,” said Rofino.

He expressed hope that the government, environmental groups and manta ray lovers would provide counseling to the local community living around the Sawu Sea, especially fishermen, on the importance of protecting sea species, including sharks, whales and other protected species.

Rofino said divers from across the world who visit the Sawu Sea would cry if they knew and saw the manta rays being butchered.

Manta rays are a prime attraction for divers, especially ahead of the peak event of Sail Komodo in September when many foreign visitors and participants will take part in diving activities in the Sawu Seas.

Rofino said based on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), manta rays are on brink of extinction and have been classified under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) since March this year.

In the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, it has also been stated as protected since 2011.

According to Rofino, manta rays have yet to be protected by law in Indonesia, while the Raja Ampat regency administration in West Papua has issued a local bylaw to protect manta rays.

He said that a manta ray reaches an adult age between 8 and 10 years and also could live up to 50 years. Its gestation period is between 12 and 13 months. A female manta ray is able to give birth to only up to two offspring.

A local fisherman, who requested anonymity, said fishermen do not intentionally catch manta rays but they were accidentally caught in their nets while they fished in the Sawu Sea.

“We are even not aware that the manta rays are protected and always sought after by visitors, or underwater lovers, to watch them. We only know about stingrays, but we did not know that the stingray actually turns out to be the protected manta ray,” he said.

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India bans shark ‘finning’ to protect species

Today Online 26 Aug 13;

NEW DELHI — India has banned hunting sharks for only their fins in a move to protect endangered species from indiscriminate hunting for parts wanted abroad.

The practice of shark “finning”, or slicing off a shark’s fins and throwing it back to die slowly on the ocean floor from starvation or inability to move, has exploded worldwide due to demand from China, where shark fin soup is considered a delicacy.

India lists several of the dozens of shark species in its waters as endangered, including hammerheads, broadfins and whale sharks.

Under the Environment Ministry’s new policy, announced today (Aug 26), fishermen now found with hauls including detatched fins risk up to seven years in prison for hunting an endangered species since identifying species by fins alone is difficult.

Worldwide, sharks are in sharp decline, with some species’ numbers now 10 per cent of what they were three decades ago. Their demise threatens the health of ocean ecosystems, experts say, as the top predators are key to keeping fish and turtle populations in check. Tens of millions are caught every year.

The growth of shark finning to feed the Chinese market has posed a major threat to the world’s oldest vertebrates.

India is the world’s second-largest shark-catching nation behind Indonesia, with the two countries accounting for 20 per cent of yearly shark catches, according to a report by the international wildlife trade monitoring agency TRAFFIC.

Most Indian fishermen catch sharks primarily for food, though they also export the bones and fins abroad. Those fins will now have to be removed once the sharks are on shore.

Last year, Indian fishermen exported US$4.8 million (S$6.14 million) in shark fins to China, less than half the US$11.3 million in 2010 exports despite steady demand, according to data from India’s Marine Products Export Development Authority.

“Fishermen are saying the numbers of sharks they’ve been able to catch has definitely come down,” said Mr C Samyukta of Humane Society International.

Conservationists applauded the ministry’s move as key to ending a cruel practice threatening to push some shark populations to the brink.

“Given the perilous status of many shark species, we urge the state governments to act quickly and work to enforce the policy,” said Ms Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India. AP

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Sea otter return boosts ailing seagrass in California

Suzi Gage BBC News 26 Aug 13;

The return of sea otters to an estuary on the central Californian coast has significantly improved the health of seagrass, new research has found.

Seagrass was deemed to be heading for extinction in this region before the otters returned.

But scientists found that the animals triggered a chain reaction of events that boosted the water-dwelling plants.

The research is published in the journal, PNAS.

The urbanisation of California has led to a huge increase in nutrient pollution in coastal waters, from increasing use of nitrogen-rich fertilizers.

This is said to be the reason for the dieback of seagrass, which has also been declining worldwide.

This research suggests that the hunting to near-extinction of sea otters in the late 19th and early 20th Century may have exacerbated the problem, and conversely that their reintroduction is helping revive ailing seagrass populations, even in the face of hugely nutrient-rich water.
Links in the chain

The researchers assessed seagrass levels over the past 50 years in the Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay, and mapped their increases and declines.

They looked at a variety of changes that may have affected the grass, but the only factor that really matched the changes in seagrass was sea otter numbers.

They theorised that sea otters were eating the crabs which prey upon small invertebrates in the water.

These invertebrates eat a type of algae which blooms when there are more nutrients in the soil. It grows on the leaves of the seagrass, shading them from sunlight and causing them to die back.

This is quite a complex cascade of effects, so the researchers tested out their theory by comparing similar estuaries with and without sea otters, and by doing experiments in the lab, and in the field.

These experiments, which included putting cages that sea otters either could or couldn't access, down on the seagrass, confirmed their hypothesis.

Brent Hughes, lead author of the study, said: "This estuary is part of one of the most polluted systems in the entire world, but you can still get this healthy thriving habitat, and it's all because of the sea otters.

"So it's almost like these sea otters are fighting the effects of poor water quality."

Hughes described seagrass as "the canary in the coalmine" in terms of predicting levels of nutrient pollution in the water.
Foundation species

It also acts as a nursery habitat for many species of fish and it uses CO2 from sea water and the atmosphere, thus potentially helping with climate change.

Not only that, but it acts as protection to the stability of the shoreline.

Hughes said: "It's what we call a foundation species, like kelp forest, salt marsh or coral reef. The major problem from a global perspective is that seagrass is declining worldwide. And one of the major drivers of this decline has been nutrient inputs from anthropogenic sources, via agriculture or urban runoff."

These findings are of particular interest at the moment, as a ban on sea otters moving along the coast to southern California was lifted last year. The ban was in place as there was a fear the sea otters would impinge on fisheries in the area.

Hughes told BBC news: "That's important because there's a lot of these kind of degraded estuaries in southern California because of all the urban runoff from places like Los Angeles and San Diego.

"Coastal managers will now have a better sense of what's going to happen when sea otters move in to their systems.

"There's a huge potential benefit to sea otters returning to these estuaries, and in to these seagrass beds that might be threatened."

Sea Otters Promote Recovery of Seagrass Beds
Science Daily 26 Aug 13;

Scientists studying the decline and recovery of seagrass beds in one of California's largest estuaries have found that recolonization of the estuary by sea otters was a crucial factor in the seagrass comeback. Led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the study will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of August 26.

Seagrass meadows, which provide coastal protection and important habitat for fish, are declining worldwide, partly because of excessive nutrients entering coastal waters in runoff from farms and urban areas. The nutrients spur the growth of algae on seagrass leaves, which then don't get enough sunlight. In Elkhorn Slough, a major estuary on California's central coast, algal blooms caused by high nutrient levels are a recurring problem. Yet the seagrass beds there have been expanding in recent years.

"When we see seagrass beds recovering, especially in a degraded environment like Elkhorn Slough, people want to know why," said Brent Hughes, a Ph.D. candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz and first author of the PNAS study. His coauthors include Tim Tinker, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and Kerstin Wasson, research coordinator for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, who are both adjunct professors of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCSC.

Hughes and his colleagues documented a remarkable chain reaction that began when sea otters started moving back into Elkhorn Slough in 1984. The sea otters don't directly affect the seagrass, but they do eat enormous amounts of crabs, dramatically reducing the number and size of crabs in the slough. With fewer crabs to prey on them, grazing invertebrates like sea slugs become more abundant and larger. Sea slugs feed on the algae growing on the seagrass leaves, keeping the leaves clean and healthy.

"The seagrass is really green and thriving where there are lots of sea otters, even compared to seagrass in more pristine systems without excess nutrients," Hughes said.

In addition to the sea slugs, small crustaceans known as Idotea are also important grazers on the algae, and they too increase in number when sea otters control the crab population.

This kind of chain reaction in a food web is known to ecologists as a "trophic cascade." Scientists have long known that sea otters have a big impact on coastal ecosystems. Their importance in maintaining kelp forests by preying on animals that graze on kelp is especially well documented. The new study shows sea otters play a slightly different but equally important role in estuarine ecosystems like Elkhorn Slough, according to Tinker.

"This provides us with another example of how the strong interactions exerted by sea otters on their invertebrate prey can have cascading effects, leading to unexpected but profound changes at the base of the food web," he said. "It's also a great reminder that the apex predators that have largely disappeared from so many ecosystems may play vitally important functions."

The sea otter population in Elkhorn Slough has had its ups and downs, reflecting trends in the ongoing recovery of California's sea otters. The slough's initial recolonizing population of about 15 declined in the late 1980s, then grew to nearly 100 in the 1990s before declining again, followed by a recovery over the past decade. These fluctuations in the otter population were matched by corresponding fluctuations in the seagrass beds, Hughes said. Even within the slough, he said, sea otter density varies among the different seagrass beds, and those with more otters have fewer and smaller crabs and healthier seagrass.

The researchers used a combination of field experiments and data from long-term monitoring of Elkhorn Slough to study these interactions. "We used multiple approaches, and they all came up with the same answer," Hughes said.

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is the dominant seagrass in Elkhorn Slough and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere. Seagrasses in general provide important nursery habitat for juvenile fish, and eelgrass beds along the west coast are especially important for species such as Pacific herring, halibut, and salmon. In addition, seagrass beds protect shorelines from storms and waves, and they soak up carbon dioxide from seawater and from the atmosphere.

"These are important coastal ecosystems that we're losing, and mostly that's been associated with bottom-up effects like nutrient loading. This study shows that these ecosystems are also being hit by top-down forces due to the loss of top predators," Hughes said.

The findings in Elkhorn Slough suggest that expansion of the sea otter population in California and recolonization of other estuaries will likely be good for seagrass habitat throughout the state, he added.

According to Wasson, the study has important management implications, suggesting that to restore valued coastal habitats, it may be necessary to restore entire food webs. "That is a new perspective for us," she said. "Most estuarine managers focus on the bottom-up approach, bringing back marshes and eelgrass and hoping the rest comes along with it. But in this case, it's clear you need to focus on the top and bottom of the food web at the same time."

In addition to Hughes, Tinker, and Wasson, the coauthors of the study include Ron Eby and Eric Van Dyke at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve; Corina Marks at California State University Monterey Bay; and Kenneth Johnson at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. This work was supported by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Ecological Research Center.

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Best of our wild blogs: 26 Aug 13

Latest Green Jobs in Singapore [19 - 25 Aug 2013]
from Green Business Times

Fish farms and trash at Pulau Ubin
from wild shores of singapore

First step on the land of FROG
from Peiyan.Photography

UNEP Environmental Alert: Global Mangrove Forest Cover Fading Fast from Mangrove Action Squad

Face-banded Crab
from Monday Morgue

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Majority want slower pace of life

Also a less competitive education scene and fewer foreigners
Rachel Chang Straits Times 26 Aug 13;

WHILE generally optimistic about the future, the majority of Singaporeans want a slower-paced life, a less competitive education system and fewer foreigners - and they are willing to trade off economic growth for that.

This was the picture that emerged from a survey of 4,000 citizens conducted in January as part of the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) exercise.

The full findings, released last week, had 65 per cent of respondents saying that they were optimistic about the future five years ahead, and 78 per cent saying that the Government was managing Singapore well.

Respondents were picked randomly in proportion to the demographics of Singapore society, and the interviews were conducted face to face. The survey was a separate process from the OSC's over 660 citizen dialogues, and was designed to take the pulse of the "silent majority" who may not have turned up for the sessions.

When asked to pick among competing national priorities, respondents showed more consensus than observers expected. That consensus pointed to a desire for an easing of Singapore's pace of growth and development.

Over 60 per cent said they preferred the preservation of green spaces over infrastructural development, compared to the 19 per cent who picked infrastructural development; 53 per cent wanted the preservation of heritage spaces over infrastructural development, while only 27 per cent went the other way.

Asked to choose between career advancement and a comfortable pace of life, 59 per cent chose the latter. This number swelled to 62 per cent among those married with children.

Half of the respondents said they wanted to reduce the intake of foreign workers even if it translated to slower growth and fewer jobs, while just 28 per cent picked the other trade-off.

National University of Singapore (NUS) sociologist Tan Ern Ser, one of the researchers involved, said that the questions were specifically designed "for people to realise that you can't always have your cake and eat it".

Hence, the options were put to them in black-and-white terms: one section asked them to pick between "keeping taxes low even if it limits support to the needy" and "higher taxes for greater support for the needy".

Some 42 per cent chose to keep taxes low, 33 per cent chose to raise them, with the rest neutral.

Where respondents stood on these trade-offs overall sent a "blunt message of vulnerability and socio-economic insecurity", said Institute of Policy Studies senior research fellow Leong Chan Hoong, who was also involved in the survey.

But he did not think that what they evinced should be labelled complacency: "Singaporeans just want a balance between economic dynamism and social cohesion."

NUS sociologist and former Nominated MP Paulin Straughan said Singaporeans want a "more balanced approach from the Government to ensure that in terms of quality of life, we are not always obsessing about saving for the future. They want everyday life to be rewarding too".

But she noted that where they stood on these compromises were a reaction to what they felt was already "in place" now.

"Because all the hard factors like infrastructure, a high employment rate and a competitive education system are already in place, they are yearning for more," she said. "People can ask for more work-life balance only if you have work."

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Liang Eng Hwa argued that the trade-offs Singapore faces at this point in time may not be as stark as the survey put it, as flexible work arrangements can ease stress without sacrificing competitiveness.

"Let's see if we can work smarter, and so both maintain competitiveness and have time for the family. Hopefully, we may not have to make the trade-off."



More remain socially conservative
But poll shows that the younger generations are increasingly liberal
Rachel Chang Straits Times 26 Aug 13;

MORE Singaporeans remain socially conservative - preferring some censorship in the public interest and rejecting gay lifestyles - although the younger generations are increasingly liberal.

In the survey of 4,000 citizens commissioned by the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) exercise, a section on social values asked respondents to pick between opposing goals.

For example, they were asked if they preferred "limits on freedom of expression to prevent social tensions" or "complete freedom of expression even at risk of social tensions". Some 40 per cent went for limits, while 37 per cent went for complete freedom. The rest had no preference.

Asked if they preferred to "censor media content to protect public interest" or "do not censor media content at all", 39 per cent picked censorship while 36 per cent went the other way.

On alternative lifestyles, more respondents rejected gay lifestyles and marriage than accepted them. Around 47 per cent said they rejected gay lifestyles, while 26 per cent said they accepted them; 55 per cent rejected gay marriage, while 21 per cent accepted it. The rest were neutral.

What jumped out to researchers was the generational disparity in respondents' picks. On gay lifestyles especially, the younger the respondent, the more likely he was to signal acceptance.

Among those aged 50 to 69 years old, for example, the scales were tipped 56 per cent to 20 per cent with the majority rejecting gay lifestyles. This balanced out among those aged 20 to 34: the proportion of those who accepted and rejected gay lifestyles was even at 35 per cent each.

A similar trend was observed in respondents' picks on censorship and freedom of expression.

But National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser said that the trend did not mean Singapore will inevitably liberalise over time. "There are two theories among researchers on social values... One is the life-cycle theory, that people change from being liberal to conservative as they grow older."

For instance, one's answer to whether those below age 21 should be allowed to watch R(A) films would likely change from when one is 18, to when one is the parent of an 18-year-old, he said.

But the other theory is that social values tend to conform to the era where one is born, and then remain more or less fixed throughout one's life. To tell which theory pans out in Singapore, these questions would have to be repeated in surveys in the future.

Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad said the Internet has been a game-changer in exposing the younger generation to broader influences than their parents.

But signalling acceptance of gay lifestyles on an abstract level when one is young does not rule out a different reaction should, for example, one's children in the future come out as gay. "Society is changing, but we are not quite sure how much and how far."

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Bukit Timah trail always been for cyclists only

Straits Times 26 Aug 13;

WE REFER to Mr Ng Eng Juan's letter ("Don't exclude hikers from Bukit Timah reserve trail"; last Monday).

Opened in 1997, the Bukit Timah mountain biking trail has always been designated for cyclists. We are currently upgrading the trail to improve rider safety and experience as it has suffered erosion over the years.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and abutting areas like Kampong Chantek, Dairy Farm Nature Park and Singapore Quarry have trails for hikers to use.

We seek Mr Ng's understanding that the Bukit Timah mountain biking trail will continue to be designated for cyclists when the upgrading works are completed, for the safety of riders and other users of the nature reserve.

Wong Tuan Wah
Director, Conservation
National Parks Board

Why hikers should not share bike trail
Straits Times 26 Aug 13;

MR NG Eng Juan laments that a trail being upgraded at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve will thereafter be closed to hikers, and reserved for the exclusive use of cyclists ("Don't exclude hikers from Bukit Timah reserve trail"; last Monday).

The trail which Mr Ng is referring to is indeed a mountain biking-only trail, and has been so for a long time.

There are clear signs at all its entry points advising this.

The revamp of the trail has nothing to do with its closure to hikers and other recreational users.

As we understand, the ongoing works are aimed at preventing trail degradation and soil erosion, issues which have affected the mountain biking trail for a while.

We believe that trail sharing as advocated by Mr Ng can be explored as it will allow mountain bikers, hikers, trail runners, nature photographers and other recreational users to maximise the use of nature trails in land scarce Singapore.

However, issues such as safety, potential user conflicts, right of way and so on need to be worked out and this will ensure that everyone enjoys using the limited trails we have.

In our assessment, the Bukit Timah mountain bike trail is not a good candidate for trail sharing for the following reasons:

Most sections are of single-track width, which allow for only one party to pass; this means that the other party has to give way and wait;
It has many dangerous blind corners;
There are "technically challenging" sections (rocky and steep drop-offs, for example) where accidents between a mountain biker and a hiker can happen;
It is not easy for a mountain biker travelling at a higher speed to anticipate the movement (or intention) of a hiker in his path.

There are only a few trails designated for mountain biking in Singapore, while there are many other trails for hikers and runners.

It may interest Mr Ng to know that the lovely MacRitchie trails, as well as many other nature trails around the island, are open to all recreational users except mountain bikers.

Calvin Chin
President
Mountain Bike Association (Singapore)

Don't exclude hikers from Bukit Timah reserve trail
Straits Times Forum 19 Aug 13;

THE National Parks Board (NParks) is in the process of upgrading the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve trail surrounding the foot of Bukit Timah Hill.

But it has been announced that once the work is done, the trail will be for the exclusive use of cyclists.

This is a pity because the trail can easily allow both cyclists and hikers to enjoy the scenic path.

Currently, both cyclists and hikers use the trail without any problems.

The hikers are mainly people in their 50s and 60s, who probably find climbing up the hill too much of a challenge.

If the trail is closed to them, these health-conscious folk would probably have to stop their hikes.

A large portion of the 5km-long trail is about 2m wide, which can easily accommodate both a cyclist and a hiker at the same time.

If the possibility of collision is a concern, signs may be put up to ask hikers to use one side of the trail, and cyclists to use the other side.

For those portions of the trail that are narrower, parallel paths can easily be built so that hikers can use one path, and cyclists the other.

Alternatively, the use of the trail can be time-managed.

For example, it can be opened to cyclists from, say, 7am to 10am, and to hikers from 10am to 1pm, and then to cyclists again from 1pm to 4pm, and to hikers from 4pm to 7pm.

Having spent so much time, effort and money in upgrading the trail, NParks should aim to increase, not decrease, the number of users.

Ng Eng Juan

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More food, scenic rivers for Pasir Ris residents

Straits Times 26 Aug 13;

PASIR Ris residents can look forward to more pleasant waterways and a new hawker centre at the heart of their town in the next few years.

Nearly 1km of the town's two waterways, Sungei Api Api and Sungei Tampines, will be spruced up by 2015.

Current mangroves will be preserved, and more greenery will be planted along the canal walls.

Gardens which filter rainwater through soil and plants will also be installed.

The $7 million makeover is the latest in PUB's ABC Waters programme, which aims to provide "active, beautiful and clean" waterways.

As of last month, 44 waterways out of the more than 100 on the list, have already been upgraded. These include Bishan Park and Kallang River.

Pasir Ris residents will also be getting their first hawker centre soon, at the Pasir Ris Town Park next to the sports complex and the Sungei Api Api canal. It is one of 10 new hawker centres to be built across the island by 2017.

Nurse and long-time Pasir Ris resident Jamiah Jantan, 50, said: "In Pasir Ris, it's very hard to find food stalls. It's good that there will be a food centre here. Working mothers like myself can save time not cooking."

CHARISSA YONG

Upgraded waterfront for Pasir Ris residents by 2015
Sara Grosse Channel NewsAsia 25 Aug 13;

SINGAPORE: Come 2015, Pasir Ris residents will have an upgraded waterfront right at their doorstep when nearly one kilometre of the town's two waterways, Sungei Api Api and Sungei Tampines, will be spruced up.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean officiated the groundbreaking ceremony for the water project on Sunday evening.

Located between Tampines Expressway and Pasir Ris Drive 3, the new waterway will have rain gardens as well as additional plantings.

Visitors can also expect signage about the flora and fauna which will be installed along the waterfront.

The upgrading is part of water agency PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters Programme to transform Singapore's water bodies.

Over 100 potential locations have been identified for implementation over the next 20 to 30 years.

- CNA/ir


Pasir Ris residents to enjoy waterfront experience
Today Online 26 Aug 13;

SINGAPORE — Come 2015, Pasir Ris residents will have an enhanced waterfront right at their doorstep when Sungei Api Api and Sungei Tampines undergo a makeover.

As part of PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme, Sungei Api Api, located between Tampines Expressway and Pasir Ris Drive 3, will see its existing mangroves preserved, while additional plants and creepers along the canal walls will enhance the greenery.

Cleansing biotopes and rain gardens will be incorporated to cleanse stormwater run-off before it is discharged into the waterway. Educational signage to inform visitors about the flora and fauna that can be found along mangroves will also be installed along the waterway.

In addition, residents can look forward to more communal spaces, including shelters and seats in this area.

At Sungei Tampines, residents will see additional greenery along the river banks and new footpaths that take the community nearer to the river banks.

New seats and shelters will be installed and existing ones refurbished.

Mr Tan Nguan Sen, PUB’s Director of Catchment and Waterways, said: “ABC Waters at Sungei Api Api and Sungei Tampines will enhance the natural mangrove environment that residents have grown to love, while creating a transformed urban waterfront experience for city dwellers, nature lovers and residents alike. By introducing more seating and shelters, we aim to improve the riverside experience for the users, who will at the same time enjoy cleaner water in these two rivers.”

The ABC Waters Programme was launched in 2006 to transform canals and reservoirs into recreational spots.

Three more projects will be completed this year at Sungei Pandan, Sungei Ulu Pandan and Geylang River, while new projects will be started this year at the Kallang River (next to St Andrews School) and Siglap Canal.

Between next year and 2017, other new projects will commence at Kallang Riverside and Jurong Lake.

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Community farmers reaping fruits of their labour

Walter Sim Straits Times 26 Aug 13;

RETIREE Wansi Dahri spends seven hours a day toiling under the hot sun.

The 79-year-old former fireman and paramedic diligently ploughs the soil and waters his crops, such as okra and sweet potato, so long as the weather is good.

"It keeps me fit and gives me something to do in the day," he said, adding that he used to help out on his parents' farm when he was a teenager.

This picture may hark back to the kampung days, but it is a daily occurrence deep in the heart of a Housing Board estate.

The community farm was launched six months ago. It comprises 30 plots measuring 8m by 4m each, located behind Block 305, Clementi Avenue 4. Farmers pay $60 a year to lease a plot.

Before this, more than 20 people had been illegally farming at the site, which was once shrouded by thick overgrowth. Others gathered to chat near a small shrine, while ponds had also been dug.

Lawyer Michael Chia, vice-chairman of Bukit Timah Citizens Consultative Committee (CCC), said this lasted for more than a decade, until the strip of land, which borders a railway track and was then owned by Malaysia, was returned to Singapore in a land swop agreement.

In 2011, residents complained to the Singapore Land Authority about burning leaves and mosquito breeding, prompting eviction notices.

The CCC stepped in to find a middle ground among the authorities, residents and farmers. It rented the land from the state on a yearly basis, converting it into an open community farm. Other benefits followed, including a footpath leading to the Sungei Ulu Pandan park connector, water points and a tool shed.

The cost of about $60,000 was borne partly by the North West Community Development Council and partly by private donors.

Interest was overwhelming and the 30 plots had to be balloted, said Mr Chia. Farmers now range from working professionals in their 20s to retirees in their 80s. The fruits of their labour are commonly distributed among the community of farmers, as well as to neighbours and friends.

"We don't need to buy vegetables so often any more," said retiree Toh Beng Choon, 68. He helps to tend the farm for his IT professional son Boon Chew, 42, on weekdays.

Members of the community chip in to share costs for equipment such as hoses and fertiliser, and also dish out advice to one another. The younger Mr Toh said: "Initially it was quite tough because it was just a blank plot and I did not know what to do with it, but people help each other out here."

But farmers say the site could still be improved, wishing for better-quality soil, and amenities such as toilets. Ms Naprang Suk, 46, said: "Because of the poor soil, we had to buy fertiliser, which can be quite expensive."

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Rising levels of acids in seas may endanger marine life, says study

Experts claim current rate of change is likely to be more than 10 times faster than it has ever been in Earth's history
Fiona Harvey The Guardian 25 Aug 13;

Rapidly rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are causing a potential catastrophe in our oceans as they become more acidic, scientists have warned.

Hans Poertner, professor of marine biology at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, and co-author of a new study of the phenomenon, told the Guardian: "The current rate of change is likely to be more than 10 times faster than it has been in any of the evolutionary crises in the earth's history."

Seawater is naturally slightly alkaline, but as oceans absorb CO2 from the air, their pH level falls gradually. Under the rapid escalation of greenhouse gas emissions, ocean acidification is gathering pace and many forms of marine life – especially species that build calcium-based shells – are under threat.

Poertner said that if emissions continue to rise at "business as usual" rates, this would be potentially catastrophic for some species. Acidification is just one of a broader range of the problems facing the oceans and the combination of different effects is increasing the threat. Poertner said: "We are already seeing warm water coral reefs on a downslide due to a combination of various stressors, including [rising] temperature. Ocean acidification is still early in the process [but] it will exacerbate these effects as it develops and we will see more calcifying species suffering."

However, the process of acidification takes decades and the worst effects on some species could still be avoided if emissions are urgently reduced. "The ocean is changing already, mostly due to temperature – acidification will exacerbate those effects," Poertner said.

Evidence from prehistoric ocean life provides a comparison. "The [effects observed] among invertebrates resembles those seen during the Permian Triassic extinctions 250m years ago, when carbon dioxide was also involved. The carbon dioxide range at which we see this sensitivity [to acidification] kicking in are the ones expected for the later part of this century and beyond."

Oceans are one of the biggest areas of focus for current climate change research. The gradual warming of the deep oceans, as warmer water from the surface circulates gradually to lower depths, is thought to be a significant factor in the earth's climate. New science suggests that the absorption of heat by the oceans is probably one of the reasons that the observed warming in the last 15 years has been at a slightly slower pace than previously, and this is likely to form an important part of next month's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

The IPCC report, the first since 2007, will provide a comprehensive picture of our knowledge of climate change. It is expected to show that scientists are at least 95% certain that global warming is happening and caused by human activity, but that some uncertainties remain over the exact degree of the planet's sensitivity to greenhouse gas increases.

The new study, entitled Inhospitable Oceans, published on Monday in the peer-review journal Nature Climate Change, was based on examinations of five key components of ocean eco-systems: corals, echinoderms, molluscs, crustaceans and fish. All were found to be adversely affected by acidification: crustaceans were more resilient, while corals, molluscs and echinoderms were worst affected. The direct effects on fish were less clear.

Astrid Wittmann, co-author of the paper, said species with low resilience could be outcompeted by those that were more vulnerable to acidification, and that further studies were needed, particularly on plants and plankton, which were left out of this research.

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Best of our wild blogs: 25 Aug 13

Pulau Semakau's reefy northern shore
from wild shores of singapore

A quick morning walk at Venus Drive (24 Aug 2013)
from Beetles@SG BLOG

It's a Bird! No, it's a Butterfly!!
from Butterflies of Singapore

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Animal-control ops: Contractors must comply with AVA rules

Straits Times 25 Aug 13;

We refer to Ms Vinita Ramani Mohan's feedback ("Put a stop to illegal monkey trapping"; Aug 11).

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) engages external contractors to support our animal-control operations in response to public feedback on monkey nuisance, aggression and threats to public safety.

All contractors have to comply with the AVA's requirements on capturing, handling and transporting of the animals, including the location of the control operations.

This is to ensure that the welfare of the captured animals is not compromised. In addition, the condition of all animals sent to the AVA are checked upon arrival.

The AVA also conducts surprise inspections on our contractors regularly to ensure compliance.

With regard to the contractor highlighted by Ms Mohan, the AVA did not engage him while he was being investigated by the National Parks Board.

Members of the public who have feedback on monkey issues may contact the AVA on 1800-476-1600.

Wong Hon Mun (Dr)
Group Director Agri Establishment Regulation Group for Chief Executive Officer
Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority

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Thailand: Oil not to blame for turtle deaths, autopsy results show

Bangkok Post 25 Aug 13;

RAYONG : An initial autopsy on dead sea turtles found in the sea off Rayong has found their deaths have nothing to do with the oil leak disaster last month, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) says.

A male turtle was found dead earlier this month while a female was found dead on Ban Phe beach on Thursday. Both were green turtles.

Villagers suspected the turtles died from pollution caused by the PTT Global Chemical oil spill on July 27.

However, the DMCR autopsies found the creatures' deaths were not linked to poisoning from the oil slick.

The autopsy on the male turtle found garbage inside its intestine, leading the marine biologists to believe it died from digestive problems caused by consuming rubbish in the sea.

The vets had also sent the male turtle's tissues to test for levels of cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and lead. The results are expected next month, Wasin Chaadwimon, a veterinarian from the DMCR's Eastern Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre said.

The vet team yesterday conducted an autopsy on the female turtle, aged around 20 years and weighing about 34 kilogrammes.

"We found a lot of water inside its abdomen, which means it died from drowning, Dr Wasin said, adding he believed the turtle was trapped in a fishing net and could not swim to the surface for air. Veterinarians found a black substance inside its body, but could not confirm whether it was crude oil.

Dr Wasin said the vets could not collect the turtle's tissue for laboratory testing because the animal's carcass was too badly decomposed.

The department said about 10 sea turtles are found dead each month in Rayong, Chantaburi and Trat provinces, with half of the dead turtles dying after getting trapped in fishing nets and 30% from eating garbage.

Meanwhile, Renu Vejaratpimol, a biologist from Silpakorn University's Faculty of Science, yesterday conducted DNA tests of fish in areas affected by the oil slick.

Initial tests found some fish with broken DNA while others had a black stain in their lungs. Ms Renu said toxic chemicals can cause broken DNA in marine animals, but it could not be concluded the irregularities were caused by the spill.

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