Export ban leaves Singapore short of granite

The Star 2 Feb 14;

A shortage of granite due to an Indonesian export ban has left several construction projects in Singapore in a rocky state.

Contractors said that there had been delays for various projects since the middle of this month.

A Building and Construction Authority spokesman said yesterday that the industry was still importing granite aggregate from “many other regional sources”, though it declined to name them.

She said it was working with importers to ramp up supply from these “diversified” sources.

“If needed, the government will activate the release of the national stockpile to ease the temporary disruption in supply,” she added.

Granite aggregate is hard stones crushed into small pieces, and is different from granite slabs.

Indonesia, South-East Asia’s biggest economy, is a major supplier of granite aggregate to Singapore.

The Indonesian government ban­ned a wide range of minerals from being exported globally on Jan 12. It stopped shipping granite aggregate to Singapore around the same time.

It is understood that the regulations issued by the Indonesian government say that exports of raw or unprocessed granite out of Indonesia are not allowed.

Only granite that has been shaped, cut or processed can be exported.

It is understood that there is no specific ban on shipping granite to Singapore.

Since Jan 10, no granite aggregate shipments have been allowed to be shipped from Indonesian jetties, said the Singapore Contractors Asso­ciation last Friday.

“Many projects, both private and public, are affected by the disruption of supply,” said association president Ho Nyok Yong.

Contractors said that the shortage was reminiscent of Indonesia’s overnight ban on sand exports in February 2007, which sparked a “sand crisis”.

Indonesia also later that month detained a number of barges that were carrying granite to Singapore on suspicion of smuggling sand. This disrupted granite supplies although it was not banned at that time.

Contractors said Malaysia and Vietnam also supplied granite.

They noted that the supply disruption has made the biggest dent in projects that had just started or were midway through construction.

“We would have liked to speed up,” said Kenneth Siew, general manager of Expand Construction, which is building Housing Board projects in Sembawang and Punggol.

Construction at the Sembawang project is now progressing at a third of the original pace or even slower. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

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Indonesia: Forest fires hit Riau’s regencies bordering with Malaysia

Rizal Harahap The Jakarta Post 3 Feb 14;

A lack of rainfall has caused difficulties in controlling fires that have already destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest and land in several areas of Riau province — with Meranti Islands and Bengkalis regencies, which border Malaysia, reaching alarming conditions.

“Firefighters experienced difficulties extinguishing the flames as the area is dried peatland,” Meranti Islands regency’s Forestry Agency head M. Murod said on Sunday.

Fires have been burning since last week in the regency, and have spread to Rangsang Island and Tebingtinggi Island, destroying about 200 hectares of land belonging to residents. The flames also reached the concession area of forestry firm PT Sumatera Riang Lestari (SRL) and sago plantation PT National Sago Prima (NSP).

Hundreds of firefighters from the companies have so far not managed to control the blaze, Murod said.

He admitted he could not give the exact size of the companies’ land concessions that were razed by the fire. “The blaze is getting bigger and bigger inside the plantations. It’s difficult to identify. I have just received a report on losses suffered by residents,” he added.

He revealed the fire on Rangsang Island was being handled by a team of firefighters from PT SRL, assisted by local people, while his forestry agency and a team from PT NSP were focused on stopping the fire on Tebingtinggi Island.

“The firefighters are now working hard to control the fire. It’s even more difficult as it’s hot and windy now; small flames could become bigger fires,” he said.

Murod hoped the central government could soon help to extinguish the fire by setting up weather modifications, or making artificial rain, to avoid haze affecting neighboring countries, which could then trigger protests.

Meanwhile, at least 200 hectares of peat land have been destroyed by fire in Bantan and Bukit Batu districts, Bengkalis.

“The fire is continuing to spread to areas that can be reached by land transportation. Rain has not fallen in these areas for the past week. The fire is really difficult to control,” Bengkalis Disaster and Firefighter Agency head Mohammad Jalal said.

Jalal admitted that his agency lacked enough firefighters. “The spots are spreading, so we cannot focus on just one location.”

“We asked residents and non-governmental organizations to volunteer to help us stop the fires. It’s difficult because the operation to extinguish the fires should be conducted around the clock,” he said.

The blaze, which started last week, has already been extinguished once, but flared again due to hot weather and strong winds.

Jalal did not reject a possibility that the fire was caused by burning for land clearing. “We have often warned about avoiding fire in peatland. In the current hot weather and strong winds, the dried peatland could easily burn and it’s difficult to extinguish.”

Meanwhile, a thin haze continued to blanket cities including Pekanbaru and Dumai. In Tembilahan, the southernmost city in the province, visibility in the morning was reportedly 700 meters due to the haze.

The Pekanbaru Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported that the number of hot spots was fluctuating but had reached a maximum of 164. Bengkalis had the highest number of hot spots, followed by Siak and Pelalawan, Indragiri Hilir and Rokan Hilir.

Meanwhile, forest fires also occurred in Kotawaringin Timur regency, Central Kalimantan, due to decreasing rainfall and burning for land clearing.

“Maybe because it has not rained in the last couple of weeks so some residents cleared their land by burning it,” Zainal, a resident, said on Sunday, as quoted by Antara.

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Best of our wild blogs: 2 Feb 14

Kusu Island Oiled
from Peiyan.Photography

Oil spill check at Northern Semakau
from wonderful creation

semakau seagrass lagoon @ 01Feb2014
from sgbeachbum

lone otter - scratched @ SBWR 30Jan2014
from sgbeachbum

2 Feb (Sat): World Wetlands Day - Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners for Growth
from wild shores of singapore

Rooftop garden- an update
from My Nature Experiences

Emerald Dove foraging
from Bird Ecology Study Group

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Istana launches guided nature tours

Patwant Singh Channel NewsAsia 1 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE: A new Nature Guided Walk was launched at the Istana on Saturday in collaboration with the National Parks Board (NParks).

President Tony Tan Keng Yam was at the launch, held during the Istana Open House in celebration of the Lunar New Year.

22,198 visitors - one of the largest crowd in recent memory - thronged the Istana to enjoy the Lunar New Year activities and performances.

But a new attraction was the hour-long nature walks, led by volunteers of NParks.

The walks, which will also take place at future Open Houses, enable visitors to learn about the rich flora and fauna and biodiversity around the Istana grounds.

President Tony Tan and Mrs Mary Tan joined in the walk.

Dr Tan was pleased with the good response to the nature walks.

"The grounds itself is a sanctuary for wildlife and diversity of plants. It is a little green lung in the heart of the whole city and I think it is marvellous that we have this green space near Orchard Road," said the president.

- CNA/ir

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Indonesia: Up to 93 hotspots detected in Riau

Antara 1 Feb 14;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - The Terra and Aqua satellite has detected 93 hotspots, or areas of intense heat indicative of forest fires, in the Riau province, Ardhitama of the Pekanbaru Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said here on Saturday.

"The largest number of forest fires has been detected in Bengkalis," he added.

In the Bengkalis district, 52 hotspots were detected in the plantation, forest and farming areas, he elaborated.

The Pelalawan district has 18 hostpots, while Siak has 16. Indragiri Hilir has four hotspots, Duma has three, while Rokan Hilir has one hotspot.

Of the 12 districts in Riau, only one district is forecast to receive rain, notably in the Kuantan Singingi district. The weather is expected to be sunny in the remaining districts.

There is a possibility that the number of hotspots will increase because of a lack of rain.

A number of cities in Riau have been covered by haze caused by the fiery hotspots.

Some of the fires have been set deliberately by irresponsible plantation companies hoping to clear the land for plantations or farming activities. That is against the existing laws in Indonesia.

The fastest and cheapest way to clear new land for planting crops is by burning the land.

Haze arising from land-clearing fires often degrades the air quality, trigger health problems for some people and reduces visibility in affected areas, in particular, parts of Sumatra and the Kalimantan Islands.

Last year, the Indonesian government declared a state of emergency in the Riau province on June 21, after heavy smog blanketed parts of Sumatra island, Singapore and Malaysia.

Several flights were postponed or cancelled and the Sultan Syarif Kasim (SSK) II Airport in Pekanbaru, Riau Island, was shut down temporarily due to the haze on June 20, 2013.

Singapore urged people to remain indoors amid unprecedented levels of air pollution, while Malaysia closed 200 schools and banned open-air burning in some areas last year.

***3***

(f001/INE)

EDITED BY INE

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UK Flooding: five lessons we have learned

Damian Carrington The Observer The Guardian 2 Feb 14;

Concrete is no longer a solution

For centuries flood protection has meant building ever higher walls and radically straightening and clearing rivers, to rush water ever faster to the sea. But a more crowded island, rising sea levels and increasing extreme weather caused by climate change mean the hard engineering approach is hitting its limit.

Dredging is a prime example: experts say it would not have prevented flooding in the Somerset Levels, nor drained the water significantly quicker. A desire for immediate action is understandable, but a massive amount of rain has fallen on the Levels, far greater than the capacity of the river channels, and large parts of the Levels are below sea level – the water has to go uphill to the coast.

Instead, a "back to nature" approach is being successfully tested to return water systems to the sluggish, slow systems they once were, using fields as temporary ponds, blocking up drains and even allowing fallen trees to obstruct streams.

Soft flood defences mean hard choices

Good, fertile farmland has been prized since the dawn of agriculture and Britons have spent a millennium draining marshes and creating coastal land by holding back the sea in order to create new fields. But today our villages, towns and cities are prized even more.

If the soft "back to nature" approach is to be expanded on the scale required, a new settlement is needed with farmers that balances food against floods. Payments will need to be channelled to landowners in key areas who allow their fields to store water during wet periods.

In places like the Somerset Levels there will be hard choices for people, too. Many flood experts predict the Levels will have to be abandoned to the sea before the century's end, as the cost of keeping the water out spirals out of control.

Retreat is also under way on the coast, where sea walls are being smashedby Salt marshes will reappear, but often they sap the energy of the waves and therefore offer better protection to nearby homes.

Flood protection often works

Despite the thousands of homes that have been flooded during this sodden and stormy winter, about a million have been protected by the defences that held out. But, with the risk rising, experts warn it is impossible to stop all floods.

The focus needs to shift towards households being prepared for flooding, particularly as flash floods – which can strike anywhere – are expected to increase as rainfall intensifies in a warming world. Measures can be simple: from inflatable toilet bungs to stop sewage overflows to slot-in door protectors. Others reduce the cost of flood repairs, such as rewiring electrical circuits nearer ceiling level. On some flood plains, people are even building homes on stilts.

Cutting flood defence spending is a false economy

This winter's floods have already caused at least £1bn of damage to homes, businesses, roads and other infrastructure. That is almost twice the amount that will be spent on flood defences this year. In fact, in the longer term most flood defence schemes are expected to save £8 for every £1 invested. But annual government spending on flood defences will fall by 15% in real terms under the coalition, about £90m a year, and hundreds of projects across the country remain on hold. The government's official advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, calculate that these cuts will result in £3bn of future damage. Furthermore, because the risk of flooding is rising, the committee calculates that between 2011-2015 the coalition is spending £500m less than would be needed to keep flood risk at the same level.

Climate change appears to be hitting harder and faster than feared

A government study in 2012 – coincidentally England's wettest year on record – identified increased flooding as the greatest impact of climate change on the UK. It is already being felt. The extensive floods in England back in 2000 were made twice as likely by global warming, according to scientists.

Warmer temperatures lead to more moisture in the air but also more energy in weather systems: the result is more frequent severe downpours On the southern coasts, the sea has already risen 6cm in two decades, bringing storm surges nearer – or over - the top of sea walls. Sea levels could rise by almost a metre this century. Planning to cope with this rising flood risk began a decade ago, expecting it to be felt in the 2030s. But experts say it is hitting now.

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Best of our wild blogs: 1 Feb 14

Stress and more stress on Kusu Island
from wonderful creation

Any Impact on Chek Jawa from Dec flood at Johor?
from Chek Jawa Mortality and Recruitment Project

Afternoon Walk At Venus Drive (30 Jan 2014)
from Beetles@SG BLOG

Black-naped Oriole turns head 180 degrees
from Bird Ecology Study Group

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Guide dogs now welcome in HDB homes

Channel NewsAsia 1 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has asked the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to allow visually-impaired people to keep guide dogs in their HDB flats.

The HDB said that, currently, guide dogs are not on the "approved dog list", but it has made exceptions for families who appealed.

Writing on his blog, Mr Khaw said: "I told them to make it an open policy: Guide dogs are welcome in HDB homes of their masters."

To further simplify the process, HDB residents requiring guide dogs now need only approach the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) for licensing.

AVA will coordinate with HDB, thus there is no need for the resident to submit a separate application to the housing authority.

Mr Khaw added that the Building and Construction Authority has also included a design guide in its Code on Accessibility for the Built Environment to help architects and design professionals understand space requirements for a visually-handicapped person with a guide dog.

He said that to visually-handicapped people, a trained guide dog can be a "life saver".

He cited the story of how a black Labrador guide dog named Orlando made the news recently when he protected his visually-impaired master who had accidentally fallen onto a New York City subway track.

Mr Khaw noted that because guide dogs are "not common (yet) in Singapore, our society is not yet as guide dog-friendly as in many developed cities".

In New York, for example, such dogs are welcome in restaurants.

Mr Khaw said: "It is the Year of the Horse. But let's be kind to all beings, including guide dogs."

- CNA/nd

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Australia approves plan to dump dredge spoil in Barrier Reef

(AFP) Google News 31 Jan 14

Sydney — Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority on Friday approved the dumping of up to three million cubic metres of dredge waste in park waters in a move blasted by environmentalists.

The decision follows the government giving the green light to a major coal port expansion for India's Adani Group on the reef coast in December, under some of the strictest-ever environmental conditions.

It will see Adani dredge three million cubic metres of material from the seabed to allow freighters to dock at the port in Abbot Point, lifting the facility's capacity by 70 percent to make it one of the world's largest coal ports.

Conservationists warned it could hasten the demise of the World Heritage-listed reef, which is already considered to be in "poor" health, with dredging smothering corals and seagrasses and exposing them to poisons and elevated levels of nutrients.

The reef is already facing pressures from climate change, land-based pollution and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.

"This is a sad day for the reef and anyone who cares about its future," said WWF Great Barrier Reef campaigner Richard Leck.

"The World Heritage Committee will take a dim view of this decision, which is in direct contravention of one of its recommendations."

The reef is facing a World Heritage downgrade from UNESCO this year due to concerns about rampant coastal development proposed in the region, particularly port, gas and coal operations. UNESCO are due to meet in June, when they are expected to discuss the issue.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) chairman Russell Reichelt said he recognised there was intense community concern and debate about the application by North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation to dispose of dredge spoil in the park.

But he said allowing the project to proceed would help contain development to existing ports, and the reef itself and seagrass meadows would still be protected.

"This approval is in line with the agency's view that port development along the Great Barrier Reef coastline should be limited to existing ports," he said.

"It's important to note the sea floor of the approved disposal area consists of sand, silt and clay and does not contain coral reefs or seagrass beds."

The GBRMPA, whose board is currently under investigation for its links to the mining industry, added that the strict environmental conditions imposed on the project by the federal government would help protect the reef.

The conditions require that sediment entering the marine park be reduced by 150 percent over the long term -- a "net benefit" to water quality -- and that $81 million be contributed to reef conservation programmes and specific measures observed to protect marine flora and fauna.

WWF Australia has said the material dredged during the port expansion would be enough to fill 150,000 dump trucks that "lined up bumper-to-bumper would stretch from Brisbane to Melbourne", a distance of more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles).

UPDATE 2-Australia permits dredge dumping near Great Barrier Reef for major coal port
Sonali Paul Reuters Google News 31 Jan 14;

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Australia's Great Barrier Reef watchdog gave the green light on Friday for millions of cubic metres of dredged mud to be dumped near the fragile reef to create the world's biggest coal port and possibly unlock $28 billion in coal projects.

The dumping permit clears the way for a major expansion of the port of Abbot Point for two Indian firms and Australian billionaire miner Gina Rinehart, who together have $16 billion worth of coal projects in the untapped, inland Galilee Basin.

"This is a significant milestone in developing our Galilee Basin coal projects, which represent the creation of over 20,000 direct and indirect jobs and over $40 billion in taxes and royalties," said Darren Yeates, chief executive of GVK-Hancock, a joint venture between India's GVK conglomerate and Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting.

Environmentalists, scientists and tour operators had fought the plan to dump soil 25 km (15 miles) from the reef, which they fear will harm delicate corals and seagrasses and potentially double ship traffic through the World Heritage marine park.

"It's a really disappointing decision," said Selina Ward, a marine biologist at the University of Queensland who was among 240 international scientists who urged the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to refuse the permit.

"What we need to do is to stop putting pressure on the reef, certainly not to be adding further stress to it by dumping 3 million tonnes of sediment on it."

If all the dredged material were dumped on land, the pile would be bigger than the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The reef authority, an independent government agency charged with protecting the reef, said the permit was approved as one third of the marine park was designated high protection and two-thirds allows other uses, such as dredging disposal as ports have always been a part of the area.

Authority chairman Russell Reichelt said expanding Abbot Point would require much less dredging than other options along the reef, which covers an area larger than the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Switzerland combined.

"It's important to note the seafloor of the approved disposal area consists of sand, silt and clay and does not contain coral reefs or seagrass beds," Reichelt, said.

UNESCO CONCERNED OVER REEF

The permit to dump 3 million cubic metres of mud within the marine park could place at risk the World Heritage-listing of the Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's top tourist attractions generating an estimated $5.7 billion.

UNESCO, which awarded the reef its heritage listing, last year postponed a decision to June 2014 on whether to put the Great Barrier Reef on its "in danger" list or even cancel its World Heritage listing. It is awaiting a report from the national government on steps taken to address its concerns.

The permit allows North Queensland Bulk Ports Corp to dump dredged material in the reef marine park to deepen Abbot Point for two terminals planned by Adani Enterprises and GVK-Hancock, which have long term plans to export 120 million tonnes a year of coal all together.

North Queensland Bulk Ports Corp and Reichelt said the permit approval should not raise alarm at UNESCO, particularly as the reef authority on Friday urged the state and national governments and industry to come up with a new sustainable ports plan that would reduce the need for dredging along the reef.

"What I've called for today is exactly in line with what they (UNESCO) would like to see put in place," Reichelt said.

The reef authority imposed strict conditions on the dumping permit, including no environmental, cultural or heritage damage to areas beyond 20 km (12 miles) from the disposal site, and urged the ports corporation to consider other dump sites.

Even with the permit, it's unclear how soon the dredging will go ahead, as Adani and GVK-Hancock's projects have been delayed amid funding challenges in the face of sliding coal prices and China's efforts to cut coal use to battle smog.

New report: government failures put Reef World Heritage Status “on the line”
WWF 30 Jan 14;

A new report shows the Australian and Queensland Governments are failing to act on the World Heritage Committee’s major concerns about the Great Barrier Reef.

UNESCO’S World Heritage Committee has made a series of recommendations on improving management of the Reef and asked the Australian Government to report on progress by 1 February 2014. The Committee meets in Doha, Qatar this June and without substantial progress it could list the Great Barrier Reef as World Heritage in Danger.

WWF-Australia and the Australian Marine Conservation Society today released the 72 page report, which assesses progress on the recommendations, and an accompanying scorecard which lists the government failures.

Of the seven detailed recommendations from the World Heritage Committee the Australian and Queensland Governments have failed to make “good progress or completed” any of them.

Some of the major concerns detailed in the report are:

• Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt recently approved four major developments within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. This includes the dumping of dredge spoil in Reef waters in direct contravention of one of the World Heritage Committee’s recommendations
• The Federal Government is handing over environmental approval powers to the Queensland Government just as the Queensland Government is watering down state legislation in ways that “actively impede” protection of the Reef.
• The health of the Reef continues to decline and “If pollution impacts are not properly addressed through greatly increased investment and on-ground action, it is highly unlikely that the Outstanding Universal Value of the Great Barrier Reef will be conserved.”
• Halting and reversing the overall declining condition of the Reef won’t be possible using current management approaches

“We’re going backwards on the Reef – that’s the sad truth,” said WWF Reef Campaign Director Richard Leck.

“What we get from the Australian and Queensland governments is lots of talk but very little action.

“The reality on the ground is that major destructive industrial projects that involve outdated practices like dumping dredge spoil in Reef waters continue to be approved.

“Our World Heritage Status for the Reef is on the line. Do we really want to join the list of shame and have the Reef declared World Heritage in Danger? Imagine the impact that would have on our tourism industry?” he said.

AMCS Great Barrier Reef Campaign Director, Felicity Wishart, said governments had dropped the ball.

“It seems the Federal and Queensland governments either don’t understand what’s at stake or worse they’re deliberately ignoring the World Heritage Committee,” she said.

“This is serious – our governments have botched or defied the World Heritage Committee's key recommendations about the Reef.

“With plans by the Federal Government to hand over its environmental approvals to the Queensland Government, which is busy stripping away environmental protection, it is a recipe for disaster for the Reef.”

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Best of our wild blogs: 31 Jan 14

Reconnecting children with Nature- TedxYouth Singapore
from My Nature Experiences

Butterflies Galore! : Common Snow Flat
from Butterflies of Singapore

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Shark fin demand down in Singapore amid extinction threat

Melissa Chong Channel NewsAsia 30 Jan 14;

SNGAPORE: The demand for shark fin soup has been declining in recent years, according to restaurants, hotels and suppliers in Singapore.

But observers say that sharks could still face extinction in the next 10 years, and traders have already begun stockpiling fins.

To the Chinese, serving shark fins is a sign of prestige and wealth.

Once a rare delicacy only affordable to the elite, rising affluence among Chinese communities has placed shark fins within reach for hundreds of millions across Asia.

The dish's popularity has led to global shark populations falling by up to 98 per cent in the last 15 years, with many species hunted close to extinction.

“Currently, all our shark fins… are a bit smaller. The larger ones are also very hard to find,” said Tam Su Yi, sales manager at Tam Kah Shark’s Fin Trading, one of Singapore’s largest shark fin suppliers.

“Because of government regulations in other countries, they (shark catchers)… stop. If it is too big, then they don't want to capture it."

Jonn Lu, director of Shark Savers Asia Pacific, said: “A lot of case studies have told us from around the world that when sharks disappear, it's not just sharks but also a lot of other marine species. The loss of marine biodiversity, fish biomass is a big problem in the ocean.

“When sharks stop playing a role as top predators within the system, then we see a tropic cascade, and that's something scientists refer to as the ‘cascading effect of top predator loss.’

“In many places around the world where sharks used to thrive, we've seen declines of anywhere from 80-100 per cent. There used to be a lot of Singaporean sharks, and Malaysian sharks and Thai sharks. And now in a couple of decades, they're just completely wiped out."

Sharks play a key role in the marine ecosystem as the top predator, keeping other species in check. Reducing their numbers drastically can throw the marine environment out of balance.

But there are signs that shark fins are fast losing popularity.

In October 2011, Cold Storage removed shark fins and other shark products from all its outlets nationwide. A few months later in January 2012, NTUC Fairprice followed suit.

By 2013, 11 hotels have removed shark fin soup from their banquet menus. The latest to join the movement is Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, which made an announcement in May 2013. The other hotels include Shangri-La, Swissotel The Stamford, The Westin and The Fullerton.

More hotels around the world are expected to join their ranks, but the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says it is not yet ready to make a public announcement. The WWF hopes to get five new hotels or restaurants to join in the movement every year.

Official data in Singapore from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), also shows that consumption levels are falling steadily.

Restaurants still serving shark fin say their orders are smaller this year as more corporate diners and wedding couples opt for other delicacies like abalone and fish maw soup instead.

“We see a tremendous drop in corporate or MNC companies who are entertaining their clients or staff during the Chinese New Year period; they prefer menus without shark fin,” said Patrick Ng, manager at Man Fu Yuan.

“We will definitely need to find a substitute ingredient which is similar in pricing or higher in pricing, to substitute the shark fin. Easily… 50 per cent or even more people would opt without sharks fin."

But suppliers say demand is still strong from restaurants.

Mr Tam said: “Even though the hotel sales decrease, the restaurants have increased… significantly. They order in very large quantities. Our factory is having difficulty pushing out our stocks as well --a few hundred kilogrammes per hotel."

Conservationists say traders have revealed in undercover interviews that they believe only 10 years are left to save the sharks before they go extinct.

Singapore remains the second highest consumer of shark fins per capita and this Lunar New Year, a new campaign is being launched to change this.

The largest celebrity-led campaign in the region aims to save sharks before it is too late and Singaporean stars are also joining hands in this single cause.

The "Nian Nian You Yu" campaign started on social media in 2012, but this marks the first year the campaign is going on mainstream media. In a few weeks, the public messages will air on MioTV, National Geographic and possibly on MediaCorp's free-to-air channels.

WWF also says it plans to organise the first-ever Sustainable Seafood Festival in 2014, to raise awareness about the pressing need to protect sharks and other marine life that is vulnerable to overfishing and unsustainable trade.

After years of lobbying, the Hong Kong government made the decision in September last year to ban shark fin soup at all state banquets. A year before, China made a similar announcement. WWF says it wants to see the Singapore government take the same proactive step to declare that Singapore too, is finished with fins.

In May 2013, Singapore registered a negative vote during an international discussion in Bangkok to add new species of sharks to a protection list.

Currently, only the basking shark, whale shark and great white shark are protected under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). But the extended list received majority votes from 178 member countries.

From 14 September 2014, new species of sharks will be protected under CITES -- the Oceanic White-tip Shark, three species of Hammerhead sharks and the Porbeagle shark.

This means that the import and export of these sharks will require permits by authorities from CITES. The AVA says that traders which circumvent this law will be fined up to S$50,000 and jailed for up to two years.

- CNA/ec

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UN Security Council targets poaching and wildlife trade with DRC sanctions

WWF 30 Jan 14;

The UN Security Council votes to target illicit wildlife trade in a resolution on the Central African Republic. © UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras30 January 2014 – The United Nations Security Council took a critical step today in tackling elephant poaching and illicit ivory trade by addressing the link between instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo and wildlife trafficking.

In renewing the DRC sanctions regime, the resolution targets individuals and entities illegally supporting armed groups through the illicit trade of natural resources, including wildlife and wildlife products, such as elephant ivory.

Over 20,000 elephants are killed each year for their ivory tusks, with much of the killing occurring in conflict zones in Central Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic.

"Individuals involved in poaching and trafficking of wildlife are now singled out for sanctions where the proceeds of their activities have been used to finance conflict," said Wendy Elliott, species programme manager at WWF.

"This is a huge step forward for reducing human suffering, improving peace and security and strengthening wildlife conservation."

On Tuesday, the council further underscored the link between wildlife crime and conflict through the adoption of a separate sanctions regime for the Central African Republic. That resolution also targets individuals involved in the illicit exploitation of wildlife and wildlife products.

"The DRC and CAR resolutions are critical. They illustrate the high priority that the Security Council places on ending the human pain and regional instability that accompany these environmental crimes," said Elliott.

With mounting evidence that the proceeds of wildlife poaching and trafficking are being used to finance armed groups, the resolutions on DRC and CAR designate wildlife trade as a factor to be considered when targeting future sanctions.

The resolutions come in advance of other global efforts to end illicit wildlife trafficking, including a high-level meeting to be hosted by the British government in February.

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