Malaysia: Floods hit caged breeding industry badly, causing 50% drop in supply

RAZAK AHMAD The Star 12 Jan 15;

TEMERLOH: The country’s ikan patin (silver catfish) capital here will not be able to live up to its reputation for some time.

The recent floods hit the patin caged fish breeding industry badly, causing an estimated 50% drop in supply, a shortage which breeders said would require them up to six months to recover from.

Despite the floods, retail prices remain fixed at RM15 per kg, meaning the breeders will have to fully absorb their losses.

There are about 200 breeders whose cages line an estimated 20km stretch of Sungai Pahang here, making this town and district famous throughout the country for the fish which many consider a delicacy.

The fish is still available here at food stalls and restaurants but operators say stocks have become limited after the floods.

“The floods this time was so severe that it uprooted trees and swept away cut logs. As these travelled downstream, they hit our cages and either broke them or carried them away altogether,” said Khaidir Ahmad, who has 38 patin cages along the river at Kampung Durian Tikus.

Khaidir, 52, was a TV3 employee who recently accepted the network’s mutual separation scheme to concentrate on his patin business.

Twelve of his cages, each of which contain up to 800kg of patin when the fish reaches maturity after six months, were swept away the floods, causing losses of more than RM100,000.

The floods totally submerged his house along the river bank.

Locals said the water from the river would spill over its banks every year during the November to March northeast monsoon, but the recent episode which started on Dec 25 was the worst since 1971.

Khaidir said the 200 breeders in Temerloh, who each have a minimum of 12 cages of patin as well as tilapia, all suffered losses.

Over the years, the water in the river has also become murkier, possibly due to increasing logging activities upstream, he said.

The post-flood outlook is bleak for many of the smaller operators such retiree Amran Alias, 57, a private sector employee who had used up all his Employees Provident Fund savings to set up four patin cages.

All his cages broke, and he was seen rowing a boat along the banks, poking a stick in the water in a desperate attempt to find his cages, each of which cost RM3,000 excluding the fish stock.

Some breeders had been planning to harvest this month to meet the increased demand for Chinese New year, but their fish are now all gone, said Mohd Taufik Abdullah, an employee working at one of the many stalls selling fresh ikan patin that line the road along the river.

His stall reopened for business on Thursday.

The floods damaged his equipment, including a fish cutting machine, and carried away his industrial refrigerator.

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Malaysia floods: Health Ministry estimates RM500 million losses

ELVINA FERNANDEZ New Straits Times 11 Jan 15;

TEMERLOH: The Health Ministry estimates more than RM500 million losses due to the recent flood in the east coast.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said rebuilding cost was estimated at about RM900 million.

"This is an estimated figure so it could be more,"

"So far we have got figures for RM300 million," he told reporters after addressing ministry staff at the Sultan Haji Ahmad hospital here.

He added that the ministry was looking at rebuilding and relocating some of the clinics as well as hospitals at the badly affected areas because they can no longer function.

He expressed appreciation to MOH staffs who were involved directly and indirectly during the floods, also those who worked tirelessly during this worst flood in our history.

Seven confirmed leptospirosis cases in Pahang
ELVINA FERNANDEZ New Straits Times 11 Jan 15;

KUALA KRAU: A total of 23 suspected and seven confirmed leptospirosis cases have been recorded in Pahang during the flood.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam said the ministry was taking the necessary measures to conduct early detection and the preparation to conduct clinical test was ready.

"Most important of all is a high index of suspicion by doctors in both government and private facilities, to refer the patients for further medical checks," he said after visiting the Kuala Krau health clinic.

The public, he added should also be aware of the disease and practice cleanliness at all times.

"Always boil drinking water and maintain proper hygiene when preparing meals," he added.

The ministry, he said will also increase public awareness campaigns to educate the public on water borne diseases in affected areas.

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Indonesian indigenous groups look to tourists to protect forests

Reuters 9 Jan 15;

(Reuters) - Indonesian indigenous communities launched a project on Friday to encourage foreign tourism in ancestral forests to slow the advance of logging operations and palm oil plantations.

The GreenIndonesia non-governmental organization, working with six indigenous groups, said the plan would ease poverty, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify from traditional forest-based incomes such as weaving.

"We're trying to draw tourists to areas of Indonesia where communities are working to preserve their land and ... show how they are helping to prevent forests from being lost," Chandra Kirana, head of GreenIndonesia, said.

The project was inspired by similar initiatives in the Amazon region of Latin America, she said at a tourism exhibition in Oslo.

Raymundus Remang, head of the Sui Utuk community in West Kalimantan, said the villagers, who have preserved 9,000 hectares (22,000 acres) of forest from illegal logging and palm oil expansion, would welcome more visitors. Tourists could stay in the community's vast longhouse, where about 250 people live.

"Everyone in the village has the same feeling of having to protect the forest because it comes from our ancestors," he told Reuters via an interpreter.

Indonesia has lost vast tracts of forests in recent years, threatening the livelihoods of forest peoples as well as endangered creatures such as orangutans and Sumatran tigers.

Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar endorsed the eco-tourism project and said the government of President Joko Widodo, who took office in October, was working on a decree recognising the rights of indigenous groups.

GreenIndonesia's Kirana said she hoped the initiative would draw hundreds, perhaps thousands, of tourists in a first year. She added the communities would seek ways to limit the extra stresses on fragile ecosystems from more visitors.

(Reporting By Alister Doyle; Editing by Sam Wilkin)

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Thailand: Microchips to be removed from three dugongs off Trang

The Nation 12 Jan 15;

OFFICIALS HAVE agreed to remove microchips from three wild dugongs after fishermen protested over the move, saying cables for the tags make it more difficult for the sea cows to feed on marine grass and increases their risk of getting caught.

"We would like to apologise for what happened," Chonlatid Suraswadi, head of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, said yesterday.

Had Chao Mai National Park officials implanted microchips in the three dugong - which belong to a vulnerable species - in the middle of last month to study their behaviour and demarcate safety zones for them.

The Local Fishermens' Club based in Trang lodged a complaint with the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, describing the tagging as a form of torture.

Chonlatid met with club members to assure them that the tags would be removed as soon as possible.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Dapong Ratanasuwan and the chief of the National Parks Department had ordered the tags to be removed, he said.

The National Parks Department wanted the tags to be removed by today, but the Marine Department plans to hold a meeting today with the team in charge of handling the removal to determine the best method.

The team has been set up by the National Parks Department, while the Marine Department will provide support in the form of boats and veterinarians.

"We will invite representatives of Chulalongkorn University to witness the tag-removal operation," he said.

Many foreign countries have tagged rare sea animals such as whales and dugongs for research purposes.

"But as the fishermen in Trang have had concerns about the tagging, we have agreed to remove them," he said. In collaboration with Japanese researchers, the Marine Department had a plan to set up underwater recorders to track dugongs' sounds next month.

"So before we start the installation, we will try to build mutual understanding with the public," he said.

Trang fishers oppose dugong tagging
Methee Muangkaew Bangkok Post 7 Jan 15;

A group Trang province fishermen has called for the scrapping of a project to tag endangered dugongs with satellitetrackable markers, fearing they might harm the animals.

More than 30 fishermen on Wednesday took turns in voicing their disapproval with the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre research project to attach satellite tags on rare dugongs to monitor the behaviour of the mammals, their sea­grass habitat and the animals' migration route in the Trang sea.

So far, the research team, comprised of Thai and Japanese biologists, has tagged only three dugongs.

The fishermen aired their views during a forum held at the Andaman Foundation in Muang district of Trang. Representatives from the Department of the National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation observed.

Issama­el Bensa­ard, a representative of the Trang fishermen's club, said the local anglers wanted the tagging project halted and talks held between locals and national­park authorities to find a way to conserve rare dugongs in Trang.

His club will step up pressure to stop the project if authorities ignore their call, he said.

Aren Phrakhong, deputy chairman of the Trang fishermen's club, insisted his group had no ulterior motive. It did not want
to ask for state funding, but merely wanted a role in conserving dugongs.

Members of his club have taken care of marine resources in the Trang sea for a long time and have never received
financial assistance from the state, he said Most local fishermen consider the sea and its marine resources their home, he added.

Manot Wongsureerat, chief of Hat Chao Mai national park in Trang, defended the tagging project, saying more studies
had been conducted on use of tags on dugongs and found this method was accepted by many countries.

About 20 million baht has been allocated for the satellite­based tagging project, he said, adding it was worthwhile and
useful, as it enabled officials to know the life circle of dugongs in a bid to find ways to conserve them.

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Best of our wild blogs: 11 Jan 15

Butterfly of the Month - January 2015
from Butterflies of Singapore

Night Walk At Yio Chu Kang Road (09 Jan 2015)
from Beetles@SG BLOG

It is time for Singapore to reduce plastic disposables
from Green Future Solutions

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Imagine Singapore over the next 50 years...

Tham Yuen-c The Straits Times AsiaOne 10 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE - Even as they celebrate the nation's jubilee anniversary, Singaporeans will get a chance to visualise what their country might look like over the next 50 years.

An expo offering a glimpse of Singapore's future, involving several key agencies, will cap SG50 celebrations this year, SG50 steering committee chief Heng Swee Keat told The Straits Times.

To be held near Gardens By the Bay at the end of the year, it will have interactive exhibits that show what life could be like in Singapore in the coming decades, in areas such as education, leisure and the urban landscape.

Some of the ideas will hopefully come from Singaporeans, who will be asked to share their hopes and aspirations for the country's future, in the run-up to this "finale event", Mr Heng said in an interview on Thursday.

Mr Heng, who is also Education Minister, said Singaporeans, together with the Government, would have to make major decisions that could affect the country's survival and success in the years to come.

"We need to get everyone to think about what kind of journey we want to build," he added.

The large-scale exhibition, called "futuretogether.SG", comes at the end of a year that will see well over 100 events to commemorate SG50, many of them organised by individuals and groups tapping a $5 million celebration fund. Already, some $3 million has been disbursed for 100 projects, and another 250 proposals are being evaluated.

The myriad projects have attracted some criticism that too much money and effort are being expended, and that celebration fatigue may set in, with so many events on the horizon.

To this, Mr Heng said SG50 is really about "people coming together to celebrate in ways big and small... and not just about events per se". He added that a whole range of events would cater to more people.

"The more people take part, the more meaningful and successful our celebration will be," he said. "I hope it will engender an even deeper sense of togetherness as a people, a deeper sense of belonging to our nation, and that it will energise us to commit to working together to build a better future for all."

A potluck home-cooked food movement, #SGEatWithUs, is one project that has received a grant. Teacher Lee Li Theng, 35, who started it with two friends, said: "We just wanted to bring together Singaporeans and friends of Singapore to celebrate the identity that we have."

Freelance artist Don Low, 44, who planned Let's Draw! SG, which involves artists sketching their neighbourhoods and then exhibiting the sketches, said: "In a way, we are kind of trying to remember our neighbour with our drawing, trying to build up the sense of belonging to our neighbourhood, and to our country as well. It's more like a celebration among ourselves."

Several SG50 events will also take place overseas, such as a travelling exhibition of Singaporean contemporary art that will be held in Beijing, London and New York before returning to Singapore. Singapore's embassies abroad and several foreign embassies in Singapore, such as the Embassy of Mexico, have also organised events to celebrate SG50.

Mr Heng said: "We have become very globally connected... We want to celebrate with the world, and we want the world to celebrate with us."

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New pedestrian and cycling route from East Coast Park to Bedok Reservoir Park

AsiaOne 10 jan 15;

SINGAPORE - Soon, residents of Bedok and East Coast will be able to enjoy a new pedestrian and cycling route that takes them from East Coast Park to Bedok Reservoir Park.

The new 4-km route will be ready by the end of next year, reported The Straits Times.

According to the report, there will be directional signs and amenities along the way such as play equipment.

The route runs through Bedok South Ave 1, New Upper Changi Road and Bedok North Ave 1, and also takes users pass Bedok MRT station and Bedok Town Centre.

This is part of a project called Outdoor Play Corridor and the Housing Development Board (HDB) said in a statement that construction will commence second half of this year.

Meanwhile, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is also rolling out a cycling network within East Coast that will connect MRT stations, schools and neighbourhood centres.

In addition, a heritage trail that will highlight the heritage sites in Bedok and East Coast area will also completed by the first half 2016.

These initiatives are part of the second phase of a billion-dollar Remaking Our Heartland programme in which three mature estates East Coast, Jurong Lake and Hougang are being rejuvenated.

Other initiatives include an enhanced pedestrian mall at Bedok Town Centre that will have more ramps and seating areas by next year, and a new Bedok Integrated Complex - slated to be completed by 2017 - that will house Kampong Chai Chee Community Club, Bedok Sports Centre, Bedok Polyclinic, an Eldercare Centre and Bedok Public Library.

Eight neighbourhood centres within Bedok are also being spruced up with new features such as improved landscaping, more distinctive street furniture and new shelters and mini pavilions. Upgrading works at Chai Chee and Fengshan are already underway and are scheduled to be completed this year.

New cycling, pedestrian paths from Bedok Reservoir to East Coast Park
AMANDA LEE Today Online 10 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE — Bedok residents can look forward to cycling and pedestrian paths as well as a cycling network, under the Government's rejuvenation programme for its estates.

A 4km Outdoor Play Corridor will provide dedicated cycling and pedestrian paths connecting Bedok Town Centre to East Coast Park and Bedok Reservoir Park. Construction will start in the second half of this year.

Also, a cycling network within the East Coast area — connecting to main activity nodes such as the MRT stations, schools, and Neighbourhood Centres (NCs) — will be completed by the first half of 2017.

Giving an update on the developments in the East Coast area — which include the Bedok town centre area and other neighbourhoods within Bedok town — the Housing and Development Board (HDB) said good progress has been made since it announced its Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) plans for the area in 2011. These include the completion of Bedok Mall, the Bedok Integrated Transport Hub, and the Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre and Multi-Storey Car Park, which has 400 parking lots.

In the works are a new Bedok Town Plaza, a heritage corner, and the new Bedok Integrated Complex that will house the Kampong Chai Chee Community Club, Bedok Sports Centre, Bedok Polyclinic, an eldercare centre and Bedok Public Library. The complex is set to be completed by 2017.

To deepen residents’ knowledge on the history of the area, a heritage trail – highlighting the heritage sites in Bedok and East area – will be completed by the first half of next year.

Plans for other NCs in the area are under various stages of implementation and are expected to be completed by next year. New features being installed include entrance markers and community plazas.

The ROH programme was created after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke of the need to help HDB estates keep pace with the changing needs of the community in his National Day Rally in 2007. Punggol, Yishun and Dawson were the first to be selected for the programme. This was followed by East Coast, Hougang and Jurong Lake.

About 250,000 residents live in Bedok. Those TODAY spoke to welcomed the new developments, citing convenience brought to the area.

Housewife Vandita Khanderwar, who has been living in Bedok for four years, said she does not have to go to Parkway Parade at Marine Parade Road to shop anymore. “I can get everything here at Bedok Mall. There’s Uniqlo and Popular too,” added the 41-year-old.

Delivery packer Xin Yong Cheng, 55, felt that the developments were only necessary as the Bedok estate is old. “Last time there is a hawker centre, now they just upgrade, so it’s the same,” added Mr Xin who has been living in Bedok for seven years.

The public can visit the ROH exhibition situated in front of Block 209 New Upper Changi Road for more information. It will be open from tomorrow (Jan 11) to next Sunday from 11am to 9pm.

Outdoor Play Corridor, cycling network in the works for Bedok residents
Channel NewsAsia 10 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has announced plans to enhance the Republic's East Coast area as part of the "Remaking Our Heartland" (ROH) programme, following the completion of the Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre, Bedok Integrated Transport Hub and Bedok Mall.

In a media release, HDB said work on an Outdoor Play Corridor, which provides cycling and pedestrian paths connecting Bedok Town Centre to East Coast Park and Bedok Reservoir Park, will commence in the second half of this year.

A cycling network within East Coast, which will connect MRT stations, schools and Neighbourhood Centres (NCs), will be completed by the first half of 2017. In addition, a heritage trail, which will highlight the heritage sites in the Bedok and East Coast areas, will be completed by the first half of 2016, HDB said.

ROH plans for East Coast also include eight NCs within Bedok Town. New features planned for the NCs include entrance markers, community plazas, floor retiling, playgrounds, mini pavilions, as well as street furniture and lighting unique to each NC.

Upgrading works at Chai Chee and Fengshan NCs are underway, while the rest are under various stages of implementation and are on track for completion by next year, the media release stated.

The opening ceremony for the Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre will be held on Sunday (Jan 11). At the same time, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held for the upcoming Bedok Town Plaza and Heritage Corner - which will be built on the site of the previous hawker centre located at Block 207 Upper Changi Road.

- CNA/dl

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Malaysia: Segamat latest to be hit by flood in Johor

HALIM SAID New Straits Times 9 Jan 15;

JOHOR BARU: A total of 115 flood victims from 31 families in Gemereh and Labis in Segamat district were evacuated to flood relief centres as at 4.30pm today.

The evacuation was carried out after heavy rain since noon which led to floodings in the area, forcing two relief centres, one in Kg Batu Badak and another one in Kg Segamat Kecil to be activated.

According to a National Security Council press updates, a total of 27 victims from seven families were evacuated in Gemereh while 88 victims from 24 families were evacuated from Labis.

Floods: Slight increase in johor evacuees
BEN TAN New Straits Times 10 Jan 15;

JOHOR BARU: The state saw a slight hike in the number of flood evacuees registered with 152 victims from 38 families in temporary flood relief centres as of noon today.

This latest figure was a small increase compared to 145 victims from 36 families as at 8am.

The Johor National Security Council (NSC) said all the flood victims came from the Segamat district, which is the only district in the state that is affected by the floods.

The state has five operational flood relief centres that are currently sheltering the victims.

The flood relief centres are in Balairaya Kampung Batu Badak in Gemereh, Balairaya Kampung Segamat Kecil in Labis, Kompleks Penghulu in Pagoh, Balairaya Kampung Spang Loi and Balairaya Kampung Mensudut Lama, both in Buloh Kasap.

A Johor NSC spokesperson said that as of noon today, no flood victims have returned home pending the weather situation and water levels in the respective areas.

"For motorists heading towards the Segamat district, the Jalan Jabi to Bukit Tempurung roads are temporarily closed to traffic," she said.

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Malaysia: Strong wind, rough sea expected to continue until tomorrow

New Straits Times 10 Jan 15;

KUALA LUMPUR: The category two strong wind and rough sea occurring in the waters of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor Timur, Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan currently are expected to persist until tomorrow.

According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the North-easterly wind with a speed of 50 to 60 kilometres per hour (kph) and waves of up to 4.5 metres high would be dangerous for all shipping and coastal activities including fishing and ferry services.

“In addition, coastal areas in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor Timur are also exposed to a higher sea level today,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, third category strong wind and rough sea in the waters of Condore, Reef North, Layang-layang and Palawan were also expected to continue until tomorrow.

The north-easterly winds with a speed of 60 kph and waves of up to 4.5 metres high would also be dangerous to all coastal activities and shipping including workers on the oil rigs. – BERNAMA

Last year’s cold weather might not repeat
MASRIWANIE MUHAMADING New Straits Times 9 Jan 15;

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET) has forecasted that the country would receive lesser rainfall and experience a rise in temperature beginning February.

MET's National Weather Centre senior meteorologist Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said there is a strong possibility that the extreme cold weather that hit our country in January last year may not occur again this year based on a number of factors.

"The Northeast monsoon season which brings heavy rainfalls is ending in February and March, thus it is expected that beginning February, there will be lesser rainfall and cloud, the cold surge from China will no longer hit our states and during that period of time the sun will move closer to our region and as a result we would experience a rise in temperature.

"Our country is expected to experience its highest average temperature in April and May with the states located in the north Peninsular to record the hottest average temperature of about 35 to 38 degrees Celsius," said Mohd Hisham.

Kosmo! In their report state that expert geographer and urban climate research of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Professor Datuk Dr Shaharuddin Ahmad claimed that our country would experience cold temperature before the monsoon season ends as the world is experiencing a global climate change.

The Malay tabloid quoted him that high pressure winds from Siberia (which currently experiencing extreme cold temperatures) will bring the cold temperatures to our country as it moves to China and South China Sea and across Southeast Asia throughout the Northeast monsoon season.

A similar phenomenon occurred in January last year caused the temperatures in several parts of the country especially the eastern and northern areas of the Peninsula to drop to as low as 17.2 degrees Celsius.

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Indonesia: After only one year, REDD+ agency future is in doubt

Hans Nicholas Jong, The Jakarta Post 10 Jan 15;

The future of the National Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Agency (BP REDD+) has become uncertain after only one year because of a plan from the Environment and Forestry Ministry to liquidate it.

BP REDD+ head Heru Prasetyo said on Friday that he was concerned about the plan from Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar to merge the agency with the ministry, which she is currently restructuring.

“I met Bu Siti on Tuesday and before I had the chance to ask, she said there was this idea,” he said during a meeting with journalists at his office in Central Jakarta.

Under Siti’s plan, BP REDD+ would be absorbed by the climate change mitigation directorate general, which she is yet to form.

Under Siti’s plan the ministry would have two focuses, environmental issues and forestry.

“Both the forestry ministry and the environmental ministry used to have 13 director generals each. So if she has to handle 26 [echelon I officials], she will get a headache,” Heru said.

Siti planned to have only nine director generals under her: forestry planology and environment management, natural resource conservation and ecosystems, river basin areas (DAS) and conservation forests, forest management and natural products, pollution and environmental damage control, waste management; social forestry and environmental partnership, environmental and forestry law enforcement and climate change mitigation.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry has also won backing from Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi for its plan to absorb BP REDD+ into the ministry.

BP REDD+, established by then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the end of 2013, is the world’s first Cabinet-level institution working specifically on deforestation and forest degradation, conservation, the sustainable management of forests and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

Contacted separately on Friday, Siti said BP REDD+ would serve as an advisory board to the planned directorate general for climate change mitigation.

“The agency’s authorities overlap with those of the ministry,” she told The Jakarta Post.

Heru balked at the proposal saying his agency should remain independent and that its work could complement the ministry’s.

“Under the current arrangement, BP REDD+ is the only institution that has the knowledge [to address climate change] and its role should not be restricted,” he said.

Heru likened BP REDD+ to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which could motivate the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in the campaign against graft.

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Best of our wild blogs: 10 Jan 15

How the west was lost
from The Long and Winding Road

Need more voices on the Macritchie CRL Line
from Inertia Is a Sin

16 Jan (Fri): Talk on "Careers in Conservation and Biodiversity in Singapore"
from wild shores of singapore

Bats in my porch: 23. A juvenile fell from the roost
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Singapore Bird Report – December 2014
from Singapore Bird Group

Sisters Islands Marine Park plans for diving, walkways
from Sisters' Island Marine Park

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Students dive into project to save sharks

Audrey Tan The Straits Times AsiaOne 10 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE - For four months, 15 budding marine conservationists devoted one night a week to the study of fish and coral.

The undergraduates pored over colourful images, studied facts about marine creatures, and took lessons on how to survey them - all in preparation for a shark conservation project in the Philippines last month.

The project is called Reef Alert, an annual marine conservation initiative based at the Singapore Management University (SMU).

The eventual goal is to save the thresher shark.

Project head Keith Leow, 22, said: "Having spent most of my life interacting with the ocean through sailing and scuba diving, I've realised the damage caused by careless human behaviour has become increasingly visible."

The thresher shark, known for having a tail that is as long as its body, is listed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

It is an oceanic species, and the underwater Monad Shoal, near Malapascua island in the Philippines, is the only place in the world where the elusive shark can be reliably sighted, said Dr Simon Oliver of the Thresher Shark Research and Conservation Project (TSRCP), the non-profit partner of Reef Alert 2014.

Thresher sharks regularly show up at the shoal's natural cleaning station, Dr Oliver added. Such stations are typically found on coral reefs and are where marine animals such as sharks and manta rays go to have parasites removed from their skin by cleaner fish.

Dr Oliver said: "Cleaning stations control up to 90 per cent of species that visit reefs, and 50 per cent of the species that reside there." Reef Alert 2014 was partially funded by the National Youth Council.

Its spokesman said: "The long-term research facilitated by Project Reef Alert will have a positive impact in helping prevent potential damage to the sea."

To prepare for their project, the 15 student participants also spent a night on board a dive boat anchored off Singapore's "ghost island" in October last year.

During that time, they descended some 5m into the waters around Pulau Hantu to identify and quantify the marine creatures on the seabed.

Their efforts culminated in a two-week adventure in Malapascua island last month, where they dived at the Monad Shoal.

The students - 14 from SMU and one from the National University of Singapore - collected data on the marine life at the shoal.

Describing their work as invaluable, Dr Oliver said: "The students helped us understand the community composition of cleaning stations... the more we understand a species, the better able we are to address related conservation issues."

The data, he said, will be used by TSRCP to "develop, implement and maintain Monad Shoal as a marine protected area with World Heritage potential".

The students also conducted programmes for the local elementary school pupils to educate them on the perils of rubbish in the marine environment.

NUS student Crystle Wee, 20, who led the education team, said: "We wanted to educate them about the rich biodiversity they have, and how trash such as plastic wrappers can affect the marine animals."

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