New Sumatra hotspots and volcano ash not likely to affect Singapore: NEA

Channel NewsAsia 4 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE: 108 hotspots with a few isolated plumes were visible over northern and central Sumatra on Monday

Giving this update on Tuesday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said the fires were due to dry weather conditions over the region.

It said isolated hotspots were also detected in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, but no smoke plumes or haze were observed there.

The NEA said with the prevailing winds blowing from the northeast, Singapore is not likely to be affected by the smoke from the fires in central Sumatra.

The agency will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates where necessary.

In a separate update, the NEA said that volcanic ash from Indonesia's Mount Sinabung, which continues to erupt intermittently, is unlikely to affect Singapore.

An eruption on 4 February resulted in an ash plume of 3.6km.

Based on dispersion model simulations by the Meteorological Service Singapore as well as Australia's Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, the volcanic ash is expected to move southeast, and be confined to the northern half of Sumatra for the next 48 hours.

The NEA added that three other volcanoes are currently classified at Level III by the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geologic Hazard Mitigation, indicating that there could be an eruption, or that an eruption has occurred with little threat.

As these volcanoes are at a much greater distance from Singapore than Mount Sinabung, the NEA said there is no immediate concern.

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Sumatra volcano ash blowing towards Malaysia

The Star 5 Feb 14;

PETALING JAYA: A thin layer of ash from a Sumatran volcano located 271km west of Pulau Pangkor is expected to arrive in parts of southwest peninsula Malaysia by this morning.

National Weather Forecast Centre director Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said the affected areas could include coastal regions of Negri Sembilan, Malacca as well as Muar, Batu Pahat, Pontian and Kulaijaya in Johor.

“The amount of ash is not that much at the moment, probably a thin layer. It may be a bit hazy but it will be difficult to say how much,” he said when contacted.

He added that an advisory about the volcanic ash had been sent to the aviation industry.

The Meteorological Department in a statement on Monday had said that volcanic ash from Mount Sinabung, which erupted over the weekend and again on Monday, could be blown towards the southern states due to a northwesterly wind that is expected to persist until tomorrow.

“This condition may cause the volcanic ash to move towards the southern part of peninsular Malaysia, which may interfere with flight operations and reduce visibility,” the department said.

The peak of the volcano located in north Sumatra is 2,460m above sea level.

AFP reported 15 people were killed when Sinabung erupted over the weekend, shooting hot ash and rocks into the air. Authorities had evacuated about 30,000 people.

Sinabung, which had been sporadically erupting since September, is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia.

When contacted, an official from The Department of Civil Aviation said that flight operations throughout Malaysia were currently unaffected.

“The important thing for aircraft to be able to land is visibility, which remains good in all our airports.

“If there is a deterioration in visibility, we will put our standard operating procedures into effect to ensure smooth flight operations,” said the official.

The Jakarta Post reported that the Indonesian government had raised the status on another 19 volcanoes in the country to alert level, which is the second-highest category in the wake of the Sinabung eruption.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency issued the raised status on Monday for the 19 volcanoes, which are scattered across the archipelago, but had yet to call for the evacuation of residents nearby.

In Johor Baru, state Department of Environment (DOE) director Mokhtar Abdul Majid said they would be taking Air Pollutant Index (API) readings every hour to assess the air quality.

“All this depends on the direction and speed of the wind but we will issue updates accordingly,” he said.

“Currently, (as of 5.30pm yesterday) there is no need to worry as the API reading for the state is an average of 50,” he said.

Any API reading between 51 to 100 is considered as moderate, 100 to 200 as unhealthy, 200 to 300 as very unhealthy and 300 and above as hazardous.

Mokhtar said if the layer of ash hits districts here, it would be advisable for the elderly, children and those with respiratory diseases to refrain from heading outdoors.

Haze alert in Johor
New Straits Times 5 Feb 14;

KUALA LUMPUR: Districts in Johor will be hit by slight haze following the eruption of Mount Sinabung in the Karo district in North Sumatra, Indonesia, the Malaysian Meteorological Department said.

Its central forecast division director Muhammad Helmi Abdullah yesterday said the current north westerly wind caused the ashes from the eruption to move towards the south of Peninsular Malaysia.

"The wind direction will cause the ashes to move to districts in Johor namely Batu Pahat, Pontian, Kulaijaya and Johor Baru."

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Malaysia: Over half of Kedah’s forest reserves can be logged

Embun Majid The Star 5 Feb 14;

ALOR SETAR: More than half of Kedah’s 300,000ha forest reserves is suitable for logging activities, said state Forestry Department director Ku Azmi Ku Azman.

He said 180,000ha can be gazetted as production forest and allowed to be logged while the rest would be gazetted as protected forest.

Of the area – almost six times the size of Penang island – 80% is secondary forest.

Ku Azmi said some of these areas had already been logged between 30 and 35 years ago.

He said the size may seem huge but the concessionaries would only practise selective logging and replanting of the area.

He added that the size was only an estimate as the state government would need to provide a feedback on the matter.

“A logged area cannot be touched for between 30 and 35 years to allow the replanted trees to grow.

“The protest on several logging areas during the Pakatan Rakyat era was due to no clear indicators on the status of the logged land.

“Since Barisan Nasional took over the state administration last year, no new logging licences have been issued except for those already approved by the previous government,” he said, adding that the department had completed a detailed study on the matter including a new guideline on logging in the state and would submit the report to Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir today.

On the allegation of rampant logging activities near the Pedu water catchment area, Ku Azmi said the logging tender was approved during the Pakatan era.

Also present were state Local Government, Water Supply, Water Resources and Energy, Housing and Human Capital Committee chairman Badrol Hisham Hashim and Pedu assemblyman Kama Noriah Ibrahim. Badrol Hisham said the department would hold a special briefing for villagers in the Pedu and Kuala Nerang areas about logging activities being carried out there. He said the briefing was to clear any misconception about logging activities that were highlighted by several Opposition blogs.

He added concessionaries had their permits approved by the previous state government.

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Indonesia: Leopard detected in conservation forests in East Java

Antara 4 Feb 14;

Tulungagung, E Java (ANTARA News) - The East Java chapter of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has detected Javanese leopards (Panthera Pardus Melas) in four conservation forests in the region, stated its head, Hartoyo.

He released the statement here on Tuesday, in response to a declaration on saving the endangered Javanese leopard issued at a Javanese leopard conservation conference in Bogor, West Java, on January 29-30, 2014.

"So far, we have come to know about it, based on the reports indicating the existence of the wild animal and also from some eye witnesses," he remarked during a telephonic conversation, when asked to give confirmation about the existence of the Javanese leopard.

He admitted that the existence of the Javanese leopard was not properly documented as it is not included as species whose protection must be prioritized based on the ministerial regulation.

The Javanese bull (Bos Javanicus), Javanese eagle (Nisaetus Bartelsi), and cockatoo (cacatua galerita) have been identified by the ministry as three rare species and their monitoring has been prioritized.

The Javanese leopard is not included in the BKSDAs monitoring priority list as it is not included in the list of protected animals, although its existence in the forests is almost extinct.

"We are awaiting a legal decision to declare the Javanese leopard as a protected animal before we can make any protection plans," he emphasized.

He explained that the existence of the big cat has been threatened by the loss of habitat due to deforestation as well as conflict with humans and diseases.

In the past five years, the Javanese leopard has been spotted in the Ijen (Bondowoso), Sempu (Malang), Sigoho, and Picis (Ponorogo) forests, he claimed.

However, their existence had yet to be confirmed based on the research and scientific monitoring data, he added.

"Now, confirmation of its existence is based on an ocular analysis and general information obtained from the witnesses. There has been no direct contact between the BKSDA officials and the animal, except in Ijen, some time ago," he stated.

Leopard observer Hendra Gunawan pointed out that the Javanese leopard is the only big cat that still exists in Java after the Javanese tiger (panthera tigris sondaica) was declared extinct in the 1980s.

"Thus, unless serious efforts are made to protect the leopard, the fate of this big cat will also follow suit," he remarked at the conference in Bogor.

The Javanese leopard has been categorized as critically endangered species and put in the list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature under the category Appendix I in CITES.

No exact data is available on the exact numbers of the Javanese leopard existing in the forests of Java.

"Since mapping was conducted four years ago, the animal was mostly found in Halimun-Salak or Pangrango Mountain (West Java)," Hendra reported.

Reporting by Slamet Agus Sudarmojo
(T.KR-SAS/H-YH/INE/S012)
EDITED BY INE

Editor: Aditia Maruli

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Indonesia: ‘Savage’ Bear Mauls Farmer in Rare Attack

Jakarta Globe 4 Feb 14;

A wild bear attacked a 52-year-old farmwoman on Monday in Salak Baru, an island in central Sumatra’s Jambi province.

“It’s true, a resident of Salak [Baru] island was the victim of a savage animal, and the victim has been taken to Sarolangun hospital,” Sarolangun Police Chief Adj. Sr. Cmr. Ridho Hartawan told news portal jambiekspress.co.id. “We will coordinate with the BKSDA [Natural Resources Conservation Agency] to handle it, as the animal that attacked the resident is a protected animal, so we need to coordinate with related institutions.

The victim, Nursijah, 52, received treatment for severe wounds.

The state-run Antara news agency reported that Nursijah, a farmer, was fetching wood underneath her traditional rumah panggung [stilt house] at 8:00 a.m. when she noticed the bear in a moment of mutual surprise.

The bear mauled her and tried to bite her head, she said, while she lay on the ground screaming.

When local residents came to help, the bear fled into the jungle. Nursijah suffered wounds on her head and body. Residents took her to a nearby public health center, whereupon she was transferred to the hospital.

The attacker was likely a sun bear, which are native to Sumatra. Sun bears eat mostly fruit and insects and are known for their unslakeable lust for honey.

Although they are the smallest of bears, they sometimes attack without provocation, according to the BBC.

Like slow lorises, orangutans, and other Sumatran mammals, sun bears face habitat loss, which can lead to human-animal conflict.

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Best of our wild blogs: 4 Feb 14

Impact of Jan 2014 oil spills on Southern Islands
from wild shores of singapore

Sat 15 Feb 2014: 7.00am - The Battle of Pasir Panjang Commemorative Walk from Habitatnews

Saturday 8 Feb Guided Walk to Hill 4
from a.t.Bukit Brown. Heritage. Habitat. History.

Magnificent Kusu Island – an urban reef
from Pulau Hantu

Highlights of Asia for Animals Conference 2014
from Project LUWAK SG

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Portions Of Beaches At Kusu And St John Islands Affected By Oil Spill

NEA advisory undated

1 Members of the public are advised to stay away from portions of beaches on Kusu and St John Islands and to avoid primary contact activities such as swimming, water-skiing and wakeboarding in the waters affected by the oil spillage caused by the collision of two oil tankers of “NYK Themis”, a container ship, and “AZ Fuzhou”, a barge, at East Keppel Fairway some 4km south of Marina South on 30 January.

2 200 metres of the beach at Kusu Island, north of Lagoon no. 1, and 100 metres of the beach at St John Island, north of the jetty, are closed until further notice to facilitate beach clean-up works in the area. Signage has been put up at the affected stretches to advise members of the public to avoid the area.

3 The National Environment Agency (NEA) will continue to monitor the water quality of the affected beaches and will inform the public when the affected beaches are free from oil pollution and are re-opened.

4 For more information and updates on the clean-up operation, visit the NEA website (www.nea.gov.sg), NEA Facebook (www.facebook.com/NEASingapore) or follow us on Twitter (@NEAsg).


Avoid beaches on Kusu and St John's Islands due to oil spill
Channel NewsAsia 4 Feb 15;

SINGAPORE: The public is advised to stay away from portions of beaches on Kusu and St John's Islands.

The waters there are affected by the oil spill from a recent collision of two oil tankers at East Keppel Fairway, south of Marina South.

As a result, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said 200 metres of the beach at Kusu Island and 100 metres of the beach at St John's Island are closed until further notice.

This is to facilitate the cleaning up of the beaches.

NEA said it will continue to monitor the water quality, and will inform the public when the beaches are re-opened.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said there have been significant improvements to Singapore's port waters, except for minor oil patches in the vicinity of the Southern Islands, and a few patches of oil at Pulau Seringat shoreline.

MPA said it will continue to work closely with the NEA and the Sentosa Development Corporation on the clean-up operations.

MPA is monitoring the situation in case there are undetected patches of oil.

Members of the public who spot any oil patches in the waters or coastlines can also contact MPA's 24-hour Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325-2488/9.

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

- CNA/ac/gn

Oil spill reaches some beaches on Kusu, St John’s islands
Today Online 4 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE — The oil spill that resulted from a collision off Marina South last Thursday has affected portions of the beaches on Kusu Island and St John’s Island, and the National Environment Agency today (Feb 4) advised the public to steer clear of the affected beaches.

The NEA also advised the public to avoid swimming, water-skiing and wakeboarding in the waters affected by the spill.

About 200 metres of the beach at Kusu Island, north of Lagoon No 1, and 100 metres of the beach at St John’s Island, north of the jetty, have closed until further notice to facilitate clean-up works in the area.

Signs has been put up at the affected stretches to advise members of the public to avoid the area.

The NEA said that it will continue to monitor the water quality of the affected beaches and will inform the public when the affected beaches are free from oil pollution and are re-opened.

Updates and the clean-up operation can be found at www.nea.gov.sg or through NEA’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/NEASingapore) and Twitter account (@NEAsg).

The spill resulted from a collision between the container ship NYK Themis and barge AZ Fuzhou in the East Keppel Fairway about 4km south of Marina South last Thursday, Jan 30. The MPA said that it was informed of the incident at 4.10am on that day.

Oil spill reaches Kusu, St John's isles
MyPaper AsiaOne 5 Feb 14;

These bags at St John's Island yesterday are filled with oil-slicked sand.

SINGAPORE - An oil slick off the coast of Marina South has reached Kusu and St John's islands, affecting large stretches of beaches on both islands.

The National Environment Agency issued a statement yesterday warning the public to stay away from the affected locations.

It also advised the public to avoid "primary contact activities" such as swimming, waterskiing and wakeboarding in the areas.

About 200m of the beach at Kusu Island, north of Lagoon No. 1, and 100m of the beach at St John's Island that is north of its jetty are closed for clean-up works.

On Thursday, the container ship NYK Themis and the barge AZ Fuzhou collided at East Keppel Fairway, about 4km south of Marina South.

NYK Themis reported that one of its bunker tanks sustained damage, and bunker fuel was spilled into the sea.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore dispatched four boats to deal with the spill, and several companies were also activated to support its efforts.

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Coney Island to open to public in 2015

Lip Kwok Wai Channel NewsAsia 3 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE: Pulau Serangoon, commonly known as Coney Island, is expected to open to the public next year.

Located off the northeastern coast of Singapore, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said under the Master Plan, a part of Coney Island is zoned for residential, sport and recreational use.

As the land is not immediately required for development, a part of Coney Island will be kept as an interim park for the time being.

The rest of the island is zoned for park use.

Tender documents stated that Coney Island will have infrastructure such as a bird watching station, walkways and solar street lights.

But one analyst said there is no need for residential units within such a small island.

Nicholas Mak, research head at SLP International, said: "It destroys the peace and the quiet that is on the island.

"If you wanted to keep a part of it as a nature reserve, for recreation, water sports, why do you need to introduce additional housing units there? It is not as if we are short of residential land within the main island of Singapore."

- CNA/gn

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Ash from Indonesia's Mount Sinabung eruption may affect Malaysia's southern states

Razak Ahmad The Star 4 Feb 14;

PETALING JAYA: Ash from north Sumatra's Mount Sinabung, which erupted again Monday, may reach the southern parts of Peninsular Malaysia, and this could affect visibility and flight operations, the Malaysian Meteorological Department said.

The volcano, located 271km from Pangkor Island, Perak, first erupted over the weekend, killing 15 people.

The department, in a statement, said north-westerly winds forecast until Thursday "may cause ash from the volcano to move towards southern Peninsular Malaysia, which can affect flight operations and reduce visibility."

The department's National Earthquake and Tsunami Centre is closely monitoring developments and will be issuing updates, the statement said.

Indonesia volcano kills at least 11, fears over more eruptions
Chris Nusatya PlanetArk 3 Feb 14;

Indonesia volcano kills at least 11, fears over more eruptions Photo: S Aditya
CORRECTING BYLINE AND UPDATING CAPTION A villager runs as Mount Sinabung erupt at Sigarang-Garang village in Karo district, Indonesia's North Sumatra province, February 1, 2014. Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano erupted and killed at least 11 people on t
Photo: S Aditya

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano erupted and killed at least 11 people on the western island of Sumatra on Saturday, the first time it is known to have claimed any lives, a senior government official said.

The volcano has become increasingly active in recent months, regularly spewing columns of ash several kilometers into the air. The government has evacuated tens of thousands of residents near the area.

"Eleven people were killed because of the eruption this morning and the number could increase. No evacuations could be made at this stage because of the potential for more eruptions," Andi Arief, a presidential staff member, told Reuters.

Sinabung is one of nearly 130 active volcanoes in the world's fourth-most populous country, which stands along the "Ring of Fire" volcanic belt around the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

Indonesia's most deadly volcanic eruption in recent years was of Mount Merapi, near the densely populated city of Yogyakarta in central Java. It erupted in late 2010, killing more than 350 people.

(Corrects to insert dropped word "fourth" in paragraph 4)

(Reporting by Chris Nusatya; Writing by Randy Fabi; Editing by Tom Heneghan)

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Billions needed to fund deforestation prevention plan: report

Reuters Yahoo News 3 Feb 14;

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Donor nations, rainforest-rich countries and multilateral institutions will have to spend tens of billions of dollars in the next few years to ensure that nations undergoing deforestation will have incentives to halt the practice, a report released on Monday said.

Without the money to buy forest-based emissions reductions, the mechanism known as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) will be largely undermined, restricting incentives to keep trees standing, it said.

Deforestation is a major producer of heat-trapping gases in the world, accounting for around 15 percent of global emissions.

Brazil, Indonesia and Nigeria are among the largest emitters of carbon dioxide from deforestation.

REDD is the main program to combat forest destruction. It is being evaluated at the United Nations convention on climate change and will be part of the next global deal on climate, due to be signed next year.

But since that agreement take effect only in 2020, demand for forest-based emissions reductions would for a while be limited to companies looking to neutralize their emissions and a few carbon funds.

Compliance markets, such as the EU's Emissions Trading System, do not accept forest-based offsets.

"There is currently no source of demand that will pay for medium to long-term emission reductions from REDD+ in the period between 2015 and 2020," says the report produced by the Global Canopy Programme, the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, Fauna & Flora International, and the United Nations Environment Program.

"This problem seriously threatens the successful implementation of REDD+, because without interim demand there will be little or no incentive for forest countries to participate and redirect resources towards REDD+, or for the private sector to invest," it said.

EXCESS SUPPLY

The authors of the study ran some calculations using a European Union proposal for a 50 percent cut in global deforestation by 2020.

Hypothetically, if that target were to be achieved, the market for emissions reductions from avoided deforestation would become heavily oversupplied.

The report estimates, assuming acceptance of the 50 percent target, that supply of forest-based emissions reductions could be up to 39 times greater than demand in the 2015-2020 period.

That would be equivalent to a shortfall of up to 48 billion in transaction volumes, assuming a carbon price of $5 per tonne of CO2.

The report says the intervention would use donor country government capital to purchase REDD emissions reductions.

It would also set a floor price for REDD credits to reduce market uncertainty and help lure the private sector to invest in the mechanism.

It cites initiatives in other sectors that were successful, such as policies to stimulate renewable energy when a price for the energy was guaranteed by a government at a certain level, providing predictability for investment.

(Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira; Editing by Eric Walsh)

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Best of our wild blogs: 3 Feb 14

Northern Beauty of Semakau
from Peiyan.Photography

Oil spill reaches Semakau Landfill
from Peiyan.Photography

Kusu Reef: A reef with the lion city view under lots of stress
from Peiyan.Photography

Not-so-solo at Tanah Merah sandy shore
from wonderful creation

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus chrysippus) eclosions
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Pink-necked Green Pigeon
from Monday Morgue

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LTA receives Cross Island Line working group's report

Saifulbahri Ismail Channel NewsAsia 2 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE: Nature groups have submitted their ecological study of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

LTA will use the study as a reference for consultants conducting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Cross Island MRT Line. The EIA will help LTA decide if the MRT line should pass through the nature reserve or skirt around it.

Spanning almost the entire length of Singapore, the 50-kilometre Cross Island Line was announced in January, 2013 and is slated for completion in 2030.

The nature groups, which spent about three months collating available literature and research from the past 20 years on Singapore's largest nature reserve, are calling for the protection of the forest area and are concerned about the possibility of the Line being built through it.

The study was done by seven environmentalists, some of whom are members of the Nature Society (Singapore), the Singapore Environment Council, and Cicada Tree Eco-Place.

The result is a 120-page document describing the extent of biodiversity in the reserve located in the central part of Singapore. The document has recorded about 400 species of trees, 200 species of birds, 400 species of insects and 150 species of mammals and amphibians.

The groups want to provide a realistic assessment of the impact of any physical works in the forests.

They say the study will save the environmental consultants working on the EIA a lot of ground work.

"As soon as they come in they will have an appreciation immediately of what's there,” said Tony O’Dempsey of the Nature Society (Singapore). “They are off to a flying start with this document.”

“I think the agency has done a fairly good job of putting together the tender document, and the requirements that are in there, and we can expect some very high quality EIA consultants to tender for this project."

An expert familiar with EIA matters says the consultants will need to have diverse expertise.

"In addition to the technical aspects of engineering, the team should include at least some members who have environmental expertise -- particularly in botany, the soil sciences, how it affects the plants, vegetation, the trees etc., to review the report,” said Prof Leung Chun Fai from the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the National University Of Singapore.

With the study in hand, nature groups hope to convince the consultants and authorities to preserve the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

"The nature reserve is like the green heart in the red dot, and every time there is a project around the edge and through the nature reserve, it takes a small bite out of the apple,” said O’Dempsey. “And if you take lots of small bites you are going to consume the whole apple after a while."

The LTA said the nature groups' study together with the earlier position paper by the Nature Society (Singapore) will be incorporated into the EIA tender.

They will also serve as useful resources for the EIA consultant in studying how the various alignment options could affect the nature reserve. LTA is expected to call the EIA tender by next month.

The assessment is expected to be completed in 2016, and this will be followed by an 18-month engineering feasibility study on the possible routes.


- CNA/rw

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