Commercial agriculture and forestry could have a net positive impact on biodiversity – IUCN report

IUCN 16 Apr 15;

Gland, Switzerland, 16 April 2015 (IUCN) – A new IUCN study examines, for the first time, how commercial agriculture and forestry production could reduce global biodiversity loss by applying innovative approaches already used by some companies in the extractive and infrastructure industries.

The report, No Net Loss and Net Positive Impact: Approaches for Biodiversity, finds that under certain conditions, applying No Net Loss (NNL) and Net Positive Impact (NPI) approaches to agriculture and forestry landscapes associated with companies’ operations and supply chains could have a greater impact in reducing biodiversity loss than in other sectors.

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, agriculture impacts 8,482 threatened species globally, while forestry impacts 7,953 threatened species, compared to the infrastructure and extractive sectors, which impact up to 4,688 and 1,692 threatened species respectively.

Adopting the NPI approach would require companies in the agriculture and forestry sector to take a systematic and scientific approach to evaluate their biodiversity impacts, establish biodiversity conservation goals and implement actions to realise these goals, according to the report.

“The NPI approach goes beyond responsible management practices to ensure measurable conservation impact,” said Gerard Bos, Director of IUCN’s Global Business and Biodiversity Programme, which oversaw the report. “With today’s growing demand for food, fibre, fuel and forest products, it is imperative that these sectors recognise their biodiversity impacts and implement action plans to become more sustainable.”

Both NNL and NPI are increasingly recognised as biodiversity goals for development projects that strive to either balance the biodiversity impacts (NNL) or outweigh the negative impacts with conservation gains (NPI). The NPI approach involves using a mitigation hierarchy for managing biodiversity risk. The report concludes that an NPI approach could potentially be applied by companies operating in the agriculture and forestry sectors where the goal is to enhance or protect native wildlife, including species of conservation concern, and improve crop diversity, crop productivity and the efficiency of natural resource use on-site, combined with protecting natural habitats off-site from conversion.

The report is an outcome of a working group convened by IUCN’s Global Business and Biodiversity Programme in 2013 that brought together experts on this issue from both the business and conservation communities. It builds on the experience of the extractives and infrastructure sectors, and on the ongoing sustainability efforts in the commercial agriculture and forestry sectors. The next step is to pilot the NPI approach in suitable agriculture and forestry sites. For more information please contact:

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U.S. sued to curb deaths of sea turtles by shrimping industry

Barbara Liston PlanetArk 16 Apr 15;

Environmentalists seeking to curb the deaths of an estimated 53,000 sea turtles each year from getting caught in commercial shrimp nets off the southeastern United States sued federal regulators on Wednesday for stronger protections.

Oceana, an ocean conservation group, is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service to force the agency to enact closer monitoring of and stricter limits on the number of turtles that can be caught and killed by the Gulf of Mexico and southeast Atlantic shrimping industry.

"If people knew that their order of shrimp cocktail came with a side of government-authorized sea turtle, they would be horrified," Oceana lawyer Eric Bilsky said in a statement.

The fisheries service has estimated that 500,000 loggerhead, green, leatherback, hawksbill and Kemp's ridley sea turtles, all listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, are injured in some way each year by shrimp fishing gear, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, claims that shrimp fleets kill more turtles than all other Atlantic fisheries combined.

The suit comes a year after the fisheries service issued an analysis, known as a biological opinion, finding that the annual sea turtle death toll does not jeopardize the likelihood of survival or recovery of any of the five imperiled species.

The lawsuit asks the judge to discard that opinion, asserting that the fisheries service made no quantitative analysis to come to its conclusion.

Oceana hopes the government will compel shrimp trawlers to use so-called turtle excluder devices designed to allow air-breathing turtles to escape the nets before they drown.

The devices, which consist of a grid of bars attached to an opening part way down the net, allow larger creatures to escape while keeping the shrimp flowing to the bottom of the net.

They have been shown to release up to 97 percent of caught turtles without losing shrimp, yet federal regulations do not require all trawlers to use them, according to the lawsuit.

The suit also seeks the establishment of a turtle catch limit backed by monitoring and seasonal or area closures once the limit is reached.

A spokeswoman for the fisheries service said the agency could not comment on pending litigation.

(Editing by Jonathan Kaminsky and Sandra Maler)

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At least 70 percent chance of El Nino in June: Australia weather bureau

Colin Packham PlanetArk 15 Apr 15;

At least 70 percent chance of El Nino in June: Australia weather bureau Photo: David Gray
A surfer looks at waves as storm clouds move in at Sydney's Manly Beach, August 26, 2014. The Australian Weather Bureau said models suggest El Nino development remains possible during the coming months.
Photo: David Gray

Weather models show an El Nino is likely to emerge this year, with at least a 70 percent chance the weather pattern could arrive as early as June, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said on Tuesday.

El Nino, or a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific, can prompt drought in Southeast Asia and Australia and heavy rains in South America, hitting production of food such as rice, wheat and sugar.

"The chances of El Nino occurring in 2015 have increased," the Australian weather bureau said. "Ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific continue to be warmer than average, trade winds remain weaker than normal, and all models surveyed suggest further ocean warming will occur," it added.

Tropical Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures are now just shy of El Nino levels, the BOM said.

Should an El Nino emerge, the system would likely bring below-average late winter and spring rainfall over eastern Australia and above-average daytime temperatures over the southern half of Australia.

This would hurt the wheat crop in Australia, the world's fourth-biggest exporter of the grain.

Wheat production is expected to total 24.39 million tonnes in the 2015/16 season starting July 1, Australia's chief commodity forecaster said this month, up 3 percent from this year's 23.61 million tonnes.

Another season of poor wheat production from Australian east coast farmers will extend headwinds for GrainCorp Ltd, the country's largest bulk grain handler. [ID:nL4N0W103L]

(Editing by Himani Sarkar)

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Warning over aerosol climate fix

Simon Redfern BBC 16 Apr 15;

Any attempts to engineer the climate are likely to result in "different" climate change, rather than its elimination, new results suggest.

Prof Ken Caldeira, of Stanford University, presented research at a major conference on the climate risks and impacts of geoengineering.

These techniques have been hailed by some as a quick fix for climate change.

But the impacts of geoengineering on oceans, the water cycle and land environments are hotly debated.

They have been discussed at a meeting this week of 12,000 scientists in Vienna.

Researchers are familiar with the global cooling effects of volcanic eruptions, seen both historically and even back into the deep past of the rock record.

With this in mind, some here at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly have been discussing the possible worldwide consequences of pumping sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere to attempt to reflect sunlight back into space and cool the planet.

Planetary sunshade

Two hundred years ago this month, the huge volcano Mount Tambora erupted in Indonesia, throwing tonnes of gas and ash into the stratosphere.

Maybe as much as 100 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide aerosols spread as a blanket around the globe, acting like a planetary sunshade.

Global temperatures plummeted, and across America and Europe 1816 became known as the year without a summer.

Such global cooling processes, but managed in a geoengineering solution, have been touted by some as a possible mechanism to extricate the planet from its path towards a warmer future.

Solar radiation management would use stratospheric sulphate aerosols to dim the Sun. Using a variety of climate models, Ken Caldeira, from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Stanford, California, has investigated the likely consequences of such geoengineering on agriculture across the globe.

His research shows that while dimming could rapidly decrease global temperatures, high CO2 levels would be expected to persist, and it is the balance between temperature, CO2, and sunlight that affects plant growth and agriculture.

Exploring the regional effects, he finds that a stratospherically dimmed world would show increased plant productivity in the tropics, but lessened plant growth across the northerly latitudes of America, Europe and Asia.

It is easy to see how there might be geopolitical shifts associated with changes in regional food production across the globe.

"It's probably the poor tropics that stand to benefit and the rich north that stands to lose," said Prof Caldeira.

But what if geoengineered sulphate aerosols were, nonetheless, deployed and then a large volcanic eruption like Pinatubo in the Philippines took place? Three such eruptions occurred in the last century so the scenario seems likely.

Bad timing

Hannele Korhonen, of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, suggests that the climate impacts could be quite unexpected.

Her results indicate increased temperatures in the Southern Ocean and in northerly latitudes, as well as the mid-Pacific, but cooling in African and Asian mid-latitudes.

Regional weather patterns would still change, as they did after Tambora in 1816, with similar widely felt disruption.

"Deploying solar radiation management methods would lead to a completely new climate state with enhanced greenhouse effect and reduced solar radiation," said Korhonen, adding: "There are great uncertainties, related especially to the regional climate impacts of solar radiation management."

Commenting on the results, Helene Muri, of the University of Oslo, said: "These modelling experiments have highlighted the new risks associated with solar radiation management. The safest option is, of course, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and aim for a more sustainable way of living and managing the planet."

It is not at all obvious what the other consequences of global geoengineering approaches might be. For example, Patrick Applegate from Pennsylvania State University, reported that solar radiation management may yet fail to prevent sea-level rise from melting ice sheets, which respond on much longer time scales than the temperature effects of solar shielding.

Aside from being ineffective in stemming sea-level rise, solar radiation management - according to results from Jerry Tjiputra at Bergen University - would lead to increased ocean acidification in the North Atlantic.

These results also suggest that climate engineering could not offer a long-term solution, with the world eventually being in the same place, by 2200, as it would reach without any geoengineering interventions.

Asked whether he believed solar radiation management would be deployed, Prof Caldeira responded: "A lot has to do with how bad climate change will end up being. Humans are quite adaptable as a species.

"On the other hand, projections for summers in the tropics suggest almost every summer will be hotter than the hottest summer yet on record, associated with crop failures. There is the possibility that there would be widespread crop failures in the tropics in the summer.

"The only thing a politician can do to start the planet cooling is solar geoengineering. If a catastrophic outcome does occur, the pressure to deploy a scheme could be overwhelming.

"Research into this is an act of desperation on the part of scientists. People see the greenhouse gas concentrations increase and are looking for other ways to reduce environmental risk."

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Best of our wild blogs: 16 Apr 15

Bishan otter pair is now a family
Life's Indulgence

Red-whiskered Bulbul: 1. Nest building
Bird Ecology Study Group

Singapore Raptor Report-February 2015
Singapore Bird Group

Pelagic Survey on the Singapore Strait – 12 April 2015
Singapore Bird Group

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Expect a hotter, wetter Singapore if greenhouse gas emissions aren't tackled

Monica Kotwani, Channel NewsAsia 15 Apr 15;

SINGAPORE: In the latter part of the 21st century, Singapore could face hotter and wetter days, if no global action is taken to curb greenhouse gas emissions. In a worst-case scenario, daily temperatures could spike to 32°C, while sea levels could rise by more than a metre.

This is according to findings from the first phase of the Second National Climate Change Study, which was released by the Meteorological Service Singapore's (MSS) Centre for Climate Research Singapore on Wednesday (Apr 15).

The study made use of models from the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report and scaled it down for it to be relevant to Singapore. It used a baseline period of 1980 to 2009 and projected it on the period between 2070 and 2099.

Daily temperatures, for example, could increase from the baseline average of 27.4°C to as much as 32°C - or a 4.6°C rise - should there be no concerted effort to tackle the greenhouse gas emission issue, according to the report.

The study also showed that the hot weather commonly experienced here between February and May could be exacerbated.

In the historical baseline period, there were about 25 days when temperatures hit or exceeded 34.1°C. In a less aggressive projection, Singapore could see between 74 and 108 days with such temperatures, but the worst-case scenario would see such temperatures become the norm here, the study found. Higher temperatures, coupled with the humidity, could result in more heat stress incidents for those working outdoors.

Singapore could also see more rainfall during the wet months of November to January. The percentage of contribution to annual rainfall from very wet days for the less aggressive projection is between 21 per cent and 35.3 per cent, while the other scenario would see a contribution of between 21.5 per cent to 44.1 per cent, the study found.

Meanwhile, the dry Southwest monsoon season could see between 12 and 30 per cent decrease in rainfall under the two scenarios.


(Infographic: NEA)

February 2014 was the driest month for Singapore in 145 years, with little rain and parched weather conditions. Going forward, while experts said Singapore will not experience this on a yearly basis, such conditions may become more frequent.

Experts point out that rainfall patterns can also be affected by naturally occurring weather cycles.

"Not many people would doubt that some part of the temperature change we have seen for Singapore is due to climate change. But for rainfall, it is a tricky question to say how much of this can be attributed to climate change. It wouldn't ever be saying it is due to climate change. It would be more of a question of a certain amount of that trend could be due to climate change."

The findings will go towards the study's second phase, which will examine the impact of climate change on infrastructure and water resources.

The study was commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) together with the Met Office Hadley Centre in the UK. MSS said the second phase of the study is expected to be ready by the end of the year.

Warmer, wetter days may be the norm in S’pore
SIAU MING EN Today Online 16 Apr 15;

SINGAPORE — The unusually warm temperatures which Singapore encounters occasionally could become the norm from 2070, and the country can also expect more intense and frequent rainfall by then.

These were findings from Phase 1 of the Second National Climate Change Study, which was commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the United Kingdom’s Met Office Hadley Centre.

The models projected findings based on two scenarios: one assumes action is taken to control emissions and the other is based on a business-as-usual scenario where fossil fuels continue to be used with no mitigation efforts.

The study projected that between 2070 and 2099, average daily temperatures across Singapore will increase by 1.4 to 2.7°C under the lower emissions scenario to between 28.8 and 30.1°C. Under the business-as-usual scenario, the average daily temperatures will increase by 2.9 to 4.6°C to between 30.3 and 32.0°C.

The mean daily temperature during the baseline period of 1980 to 2009 is 27.4°C.

The number of warm days — defined as above 34.1°C — between February to May is expected to spike from an average of 25 days to 108 days in the lower emissions scenario. All days throughout those months will be warm in a business-as-usual scenario.

The study, which was completed early this year, used high resolution climate models to project regional climate and sea level changes specifically for the region and Singapore for the 21st century, said NEA in a media briefing today (April 15).

Phase 1 of the study used a downscaled and “carefully chosen” sub-set of the global climate projection models used in the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report (AR5).

“The findings imply that the unusually warm temperatures Singapore encounters occasionally could become the norm in the future and that days with ‘record’ temperatures above those experienced historically will become more frequent,” said an NEA spokesperson.

For rainfall, projections show an increasing trend, particularly during the wetter season, in the intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall events over Singapore. Rainy seasons are expected to get wetter while dry seasons are expected to get drier in both scenarios.

The study also projected a mean sea level rise of up to 0.6m for the lower emissions scenario, and up to 0.76m rise in the business-as-usual model.

Phase 2 of the study, which started at the end of last year, is making use of the projections from Phase 1 to examine the climate change impact on areas such as water resources and drainage, biodiversity and greenery, network and building infrastructure. Key findings from Phase 2 is expected to by ready by end of this year.

S'pore to get hotter, more extreme weather in future
Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 16 Apr 15;

SINGAPORE at the end of this century is expected to be hotter, and have more extreme weather fluctuations.

Temperatures could soar to a blazing 36.7 deg C - up from the previous high of 36 deg C on March 26, 1998. And every single day between February and May - the period which now has the highest number of warm days - could exceed 34.1 deg C too.

The amount of rainfall during the year could swing wildly, with much more rain during the north- east monsoon from November to January, at about 439mm each month. Currently, the long-term average falls short of 300mm - from about 241.3mm in January to 288.1mm in December.

February, already the driest month of the year, could have far less rain - about 24mm or one- eighth of the long-term average.

These were some extreme climate projections outlined yesterday by the Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS), provided that the world does nothing to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and limit the effects of climate change.

Even if some action is taken, however, Singapore is still likely to become hotter and have more pronounced contrasts between the wetter and drier months, although the changes would mostly be on a smaller scale.

The CCRS, part of the Meteorological Service Singapore, developed the projections as part of Singapore's Second National Climate Change Study, which aims to prepare the nation for climate and weather changes up to the year 2100.

A landmark report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2013 also projected higher temperatures and more extreme rainfall for Singapore and the surrounding region, although its global scope meant that the findings were not detailed enough for Singapore's use.

The CCRS worked with Britain's Met Office Hadley Centre - one of the world's leading climate change research centres - to use high-resolution climate models to project regional climate and sea level changes with finer spatial detail across the region, centred on Singapore.

Two scenarios were examined: if the world does nothing to act against climate change; and if some action is taken, resulting in annual global emissions peaking in the year 2050, and then falling.

All projected changes used the period of 1980 to 2009 as the baseline, as that was when Singapore started to collect more comprehensive data on rainfall.

The projections will be used to examine the changing climate's possible impact in areas such as water resources, drainage systems, biodiversity, greenery, infrastructure and buildings. The key findings from this are expected to be ready by the year end.

This, in turn, will guide government agencies in shaping the country's plans to adapt to the changing weather.

Said Mr Lim Zhi Yang, director of energy and climate policy at the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources: "One of the key takeaways from a policy- maker's point of view is that we can't afford not to do anything about (climate change)."

Commenting on the uncertainties and variations in the projections, he added: "As we put in place some plans, we will ensure that these plans will not overly constrain what future generations can do for themselves. We will put in place measures that will allow space for them to add on their own measures in future."

For Singaporeans, the Met Service said the findings mean that the unusually warm temperatures Singapore now experiences occasionally could become the norm.

It said in a statement: "Due to the high levels of humidity in Singapore, these projected rises in temperature will lead to increasing... discomfort and heat stress for those working outdoors."

'Unusually warm' weather may become the norm in Singapore
Carolyn Khew My Paper AsiaOne 16 Apr 15;

By the end of the century, Singapore could experience more unusually warm days, with average surface temperatures going up by as much as 4.6 deg C.
The mean daily temperature here could range from 28.8 to 30.1 deg C for the years 2070 to 2099. And, if no global mitigation action is carried out to reduce greenhouse emissions, temperatures could increase to 30.3 to 32 deg C, compared with 27.4 deg C during the baseline period of 1980 to 2009.

The mean maximum daily temperature could go up to 34.9 to 36.7 deg C, compared to the baseline of 31.8 deg C.

These are some of the findings from Phase 1 of the Second Climate Change Study, released by the Meteorological Service Singapore's (MSS') Centre for Climate Change Research Singapore yesterday.

"The findings imply that the unusually warm temperatures Singapore encounters occasionally could become the norm in the future, and that the days with record temperatures above those experienced historically will become more frequent," said MSS in a media release.

"Due to the high levels of humidity in Singapore, these projected rises in temperature will lead to increasing thermal discomfort and heat stress for those working outdoors," it added.

The study aims to provide key projections of changes in main climate variables of interest to Singapore, such as temperatures, rainfall and rises in sea level.

Phase 1 of the study was commissioned by the National Environment Agency in collaboration with the Met Office Hadley Centre in Britain, under the government-formed Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change.

The findings on rainfall showed an increasing trend in the intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall events over Singapore, especially during the wetter season.

MSS said that the contrast between the wetter and drier months is "projected to become more pronounced".

"The study projects an upward trend in seasonal mean rainfall during the wet season of November to January, as well as greater dryness during months that are already relatively drier in the current climate," added MSS.

The months of February and June to September are relatively drier compared to other times of the year.

Phase 2 of the study, which was started last year, will make use of the projections from Phase 1 to examine the climate change impacts on areas such as biodiversity and greenery, as well as water resources and drainage.

The key findings can be expected by the end of this year.

Singapore could experience higher temperatures in future
AsiaOne 15 Apr 15;

SINGAPORE - Singapore could experience hotter weather in the future, with temperatures expected to increase by between 2.9°C to 4.6°C by the year 2100.
The Meteorological Service Singapore's (MSS) Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS) has released the findings for Phase 1 of the Second National Climate Change Study on Wednesday.

The outcomes of the new Singapore study are consistent with those of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report (AR5) which projects sea level rises globally, as well as higher temperatures and more extreme rainfall for Singapore and the surrounding region.

According to findings of the study, average surface temperatures across Singapore will increase by 1.4°C to 2.7°C between years 2070 to 2099 (relative to mean daily temperature of 27.4°C during the baseline period of 1980 to 2009), and by 2.9°C to 4.6°C if no global mitigation action is taken to reduce greenhouse emissions.

This implies that the unusually warm temperatures Singapore encounters occasionally could become the norm in the future and that days with 'record' temperatures above those experienced historically will become more frequent. Due to the high levels of humidity in Singapore, these projected rises in temperature will lead to increasing thermal discomfort and heat stress for those working outdoors, the report said.

With regard to rainfall, the projections from most models show an increasing trend, particularly during the wetter season, in the intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall events over Singapore.

The contrast between the wetter and drier months is projected to become more pronounced by the end of the century, especially if no global mitigation action is taken. The study projects an upward trend in seasonal mean rainfall during the wet season of November to January, as well as greater dryness during months that are already relatively drier in the current climate (February and June to September).

Findings also point to a mean sea level rise of 0.25m to 0.60m between years 2070 to 2099 (relative to 1980-2009). The rise will be higher at 0.35m to 0.76m, and could be as much as 0.45m - 1.02m by the year 2100 if no global mitigation action is taken.

The effects of climate change operate in the long term, but the Government says it is taking a proactive approach to address its potential impact.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change (IMCCC) was established in 2007 to enhance Whole-of-Government coordination on climate change policies.

The Resilience Working Group (RWG), an inter-agency platform under the IMCCC, studies Singapore's vulnerability to the effects of climate change and recommends long-term plans that ensure the nation's adaptation to future environmental changes.

The findings from this study will provide the basis by which Singapore continually develops long-term infrastructure adaptation plans to appropriately address the effects of climate change on Singapore's physical environment.

The Government has also set aside at least $50 million for climate resilience related studies to support Singapore's adaptation planning efforts.

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NParks to introduce bird, butterfly counting under citizen science programme

NG JING YNG Today Online 16 Apr 15;

SINGAPORE — To encourage stewardship of biodiversity amongst Singaporeans, the National Parks Board (NParks) will be introducing bird and butterfly counting under its national citizen science programmes.

A new SGBioAtlas app was also launched by the Minister of State for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee, today (April 16) to encourage citizens to contribute to biodiversity sightings and help experts collect data.

Around 400 participants, including students and workers, have signed up for the bird counting initiative to collect data on birds over the next 10 days. It will be held at 60 locations like neighbourhood parks and nature reserves.

Under the citizen science programme currently, there are existing programmes such as the heron watch to monitor 18 species of these birds at their feeding sites.

New programme to monitor Singapore's bird population
Chan Luo Er Channel NewsAsia 16 Apr 15;

SINGAPORE: More than 50 people came together for National Parks Board's (NParks) inaugural Garden Bird Count on Thursday (Apr 16). Over two hours, the volunteers recorded 210 birds from 26 species at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park.

In total, more than 400 participants will be spread out across 60 locations over the next 10 days to record bird sightings. Prior to this, they attended a two-hour training session by NParks, where they learnt to identify 30 common birds in Singapore.

"I can definitely identify the birds a lot faster. Before this, I only (knew about) mynas. My favourite one is the pink-necked green pigeon," said participant Song Yi Jia from Raffles Junior College.

"Many people think that Singapore has no biodiversity, has no wildlife. But I think the birds that we all saw today can put a rest to this misconception," said another participant, Lim Xue Xian, from Raffles Institution.

Sarah Phua Hern Teng from the Singapore School of Science and Technology said: "I saw quite a number of birds that were in the list that was provided and what we learnt from training. The birds were very fast so we had to be really observant to see them."

A new SGBioAtlas app was also launched by the Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee, on Thursday.

The app comes under NParks' Citizen Science programme and aims to get citizens to contribute to biodiversity sightings. This pool of data will enable NParks to monitor biodiversity populations and habitats, and to better develop site management strategies.

"When you have more people partaking in it, then we have better information," said Dr Lena Chan, director at the National Biodiversity Centre. "And those in the process of collecting the data also learn more about it.

"So then, what we need to know is how are our birds doing. We then manage and help some of the birds that are not doing so well."

NParks has also launched several programmes where the community can join a team of experts to document animal species that they see in a park. Speaking at the event, Mr Lee said that community stewardship and participation in such programmes are crucial for Singapore to sustain the vision of a City in a Garden.

“These citizen science programmes are important bridges to reach out to our community and engage more people in NParks' efforts to manage, conserve and strengthen biodiversity in Singapore," said Mr Lee.

The NParks Garden Bird Count will take place twice a year, with the next one planned in November 2015.

- CNA/av/ek

NParks to introduce bird, butterfly counting under citizen science programme
NG JING YNG Today Online 16 Apr 15;

SINGAPORE — To encourage stewardship of biodiversity amongst Singaporeans, the National Parks Board (NParks) will be introducing bird and butterfly counting under its national citizen science programmes.

A new SGBioAtlas app was also launched by the Minister of State for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee, today (April 16) to encourage citizens to contribute to biodiversity sightings and help experts collect data.

Around 400 participants, including students and workers, have signed up for the bird counting initiative to collect data on birds over the next 10 days. It will be held at 60 locations like neighbourhood parks and nature reserves.

Under the citizen science programme currently, there are existing programmes such as the heron watch to monitor 18 species of these birds at their feeding sites.

New initiatives to document S’pore’s birds
NG JING YNG Today Online 17 Apr 15;

SINGAPORE — Over the next nine days, 400 people will head to specific areas across the island to count the number of scaly-breasted munia or yellow-vented bulbul they see, as well as other species of common garden birds here.

In the coming months, similar expeditions will be conducted for butterflies and other animals.

These new Citizen Science Programmes were announced yesterday by Minister of State (National Development) Desmond Lee, who also launched a mobile app, called SGBioAtlas, that allows users to upload photographs of wildlife in parks and nature reserves here. This, in turn, helps researchers collect data on biodiversity trends, and allows users to access information on biodiversity in Singapore.

In a speech at the first garden-bird counting exercise in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Mr Lee said: “Armed with the app, anyone can now contribute proactively as biodiversity’s eyes and ears by reporting an encounter with wildlife.”

Participants in the Citizen Science Programmes, which aim to raise public awareness and preserve biodiversity, will undergo basic training on how to spot and record wildlife. For example, in preparation for the garden-bird counting exercise, the participants, who include students, green groups and members of the public, underwent three hours of training on how to identify 30 different species.

This first round of counting will provide baseline data on the distribution of these species in Singapore. Subsequent rounds will help establish population trends in the long run. The next round is planned for November.

Existing Citizen Science Programmes include the observation of 18 heron species at their breeding sites and the monitoring of levels of ecotoxicity in coastal areas in Singapore.

Nature groups said greater public participation will spur people to be more passionate and inclined to protect their natural surroundings.

Mr Tan Hang Chong, assistant honorary secretary of Nature Society (Singapore), said the new initiatives allow for “greater access to information on Singapore’s rich biodiversity ... and allow people to feel more supported in a like-minded community and learn from experts at the same time”.

Founder of Butterfly Circle, Mr Khew Sin Khoon, added that the use of technology helps reduce barriers to specialised knowledge. “Humans are inherently curious and, aided with technology to provide information, people will be drawn to find out more about nature,” he said.

A participant in yesterday’s bird-counting exercise, Robin Vinod, who is a Secondary 1 student at the School of Science and Technology, said: “Now, I can more easily differentiate between two (species of) birds ... I find going out into nature relaxing, as school can be quite stressful.”

Help NParks keep tabs on wildlife in S'pore
Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 17 Apr 15;

HAVE a keen eye for birds, butterflies, water monitor lizards and other wildlife here? The National Parks Board (NParks) wants you to help document them. The agency has started several national citizen science programmes that aim to help Singaporeans learn about the country's biodiversity. As part of the programmes, people can help to monitor the wildlife's distribution and population.

The new initiatives include the NParks Garden Bird Count, where people can learn how to identify 30 common garden birds, such as the colourful pink-necked green pigeon and the spotted dove, and help to record them during the twice-a-year counts.

Launching the programmes at the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park yesterday, Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said: "Citizens like you and me, who are not researchers but have an interest in plants and animals, can contribute data that could be useful to researchers."

Mr Lee also unveiled an app, the SGBioAtlas, where people can upload sightings of animals and plants. This will strengthen an existing online database that documents Singapore's biodiversity, and help NParks to improve its conservation strategies.

More than 400 people have signed up for the first Garden Bird Count, which will last until April 26. The islandwide count spans 60 locations, and the next one is expected to be in November.

Secondary 1 student Hannah Kho, 12, of the School of Science and Technology, took part in the count yesterday.

She was disappointed not to spot her favourite birds - the olive-backed sunbird and the brown-throated sunbird - but said she was keen to participate again. "We saw a lot of other birds and it was fun."

NParks had previously started several citizen science programmes, such as the Comprehensive Marine Biodiversity Survey and the Heron Watch.

The marine survey began five years ago and is expected to be completed next month. So far, more than 400 volunteers have helped researchers from NParks and the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

At least 14 species new to science were discovered under the marine study, including an orange-tinged sea sponge found during a reef survey, a warty-looking sea anemone burrowing in mudflats in northern Singapore and a conical hermit crab from the seabeds near the Southern Islands.

In 2013, the Heron Watch, the first in a decade, found that the numbers of a common species, the black-crowned night heron, had fallen sharply, partly due to the loss of its nesting sites.

VOLUNTEERS

Citizens like you and me, who are not researchers but have an interest in plants and animals, can contribute data that could be useful to researchers. - Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee

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Bedok South culls rats and seals breeding places

Amelia Teng The Straits Times AsiaOne 16 Apr 15;

Some 54 rats have been caught and killed in an extermination exercise in Bedok South, after residents reported a rise in numbers across blocks 69 to 72.

East Coast Town Council, which gave an update yesterday, said the situation has improved after its pest control efforts, which included setting traps and baiting, last week.

"We have not received any sightings of live rats since last week," a spokesman said, adding that the council will be monitoring the area regularly and stepping up its efforts to inform residents about responsible waste management.

The town council was alerted to the increase in rat numbers by conservancy workers and residents earlier this month.

Bedok South residents said they had seen swarms of as many as 20 rats scampering around the area at night.

They pointed to several causes, such as people feeding stray animals, a nearby garbage collection point and a food disposal area near a coffee shop in Block 69.

Mr Adrian Theseira, managing director of Wipeout Pest Control Services which led the extermination exercise, said pest controllers have started to seal the rat burrows this week to prevent rats from breeding.

About 30 burrows were found in the area.

The company will continue to look out for any sign of rats during the next two weeks.

"We also want to do routine inspections once a month, on top of the regular checks by the town council," he said.

"Previously checks were done on a case-by-case basis, based on feedback."

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said last week that it found 16 burrows at Block 70 and rat droppings in a bin centre and two food outlets, which have since been given warnings.

Its officers have spoken to shopowners and occupiers about proper waste disposal.

The NEA also said it is working with the town council to step up its estate cleaning and maintenance of rubbish chutes.

Madam Peggy Lim, 60, who lives in Block 68, said she has not seen any rats in the area since last week. In the past, she would see at least three to four every night.

"Ultimately, it is (about) cutting off the rats' food sources. People still feed stray cats, which don't know how to look for rats any more," said the manager.

"The coffee shops also need to keep up their cleanliness, otherwise the rats will come back."

Other town councils have also stepped up pest control efforts.

Chua Chu Kang Town Council, for instance, got rid of rat burrows by using bait.

From 904 active rat burrows in the constituency last November and December, the number dropped to around 60 last month.

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Best of our wild blogs: 15 Apr 15

Giant clam pearls
Neo Mei Lin

Purple Heron’s Eel Catch
Bird Ecology Study Group

The Oriental Darter at Bukit Gombak
Francis' Random Yaks, Articles & Photos

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Malaysia: Johor to gazette water catchments as protected areas

NELSON BENJAMIN The Star 15 Apr 15;

JOHOR BARU: The state government wants to gazette all 15 water catchment areas in the state as “protected areas” to better manage its water resources.

Once they are gazetted by year-end, there would be better supervision and enforcement around the catchment areas, said state Public Works, Rural and Regional Development chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad.

“Only a few have been gazetted so far. With the gazette, signs and fences would be put up at certain spots to warn people against fishing or planting trees or crops within the catchment areas,” he said in an interview.

Hasni said the state water regulatory body would also have to iron out some issues with the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), as four of the catchment areas were within their purview.

He said the cost of gazetting would be huge, but the state government was committed towards better managing the water resources.

“Building more dams is not the best solution as it requires a lot of land,” he said, adding that some of the state’s water resources were under threat.

Hasni noted that the critical ones included the Sembrong Dam in Kluang, pollution in Simpang Renggam and Machap and salt water issues in Muar, especially during the dry season and changing of tides.

“The continuous drop in the water level at the Sg Lebam dam in Kota Tinggi is also a cause for concern,” he said, adding that if the water level dropped too low, they might have to pump water from other rivers into the dam.

The Star had previously reported that the Sembrong Dam – a major water source for 120,000 people in the districts of Kluang and parts of Batu Pahat – was “slowly dying” due to an algae bloom, which threatened to halt water production and the existence of marine life in it.

The dam, which was built for flood mitigation in 1984 and managed by the DID, had been providing water for consumption since 1990.

Hasni said all local authorities had also been told to be strict in approving the construction of factories beside waterways.

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WWF-Malaysia Would Like to Respond to the Issue of Sturgeon Farming

WWF 14 Apr 15;

13 April, Petaling Jaya: WWF-Malaysia welcomes the decision by the authorities to suspend the proposed sturgeon project in Sungai Tabung, Kuala Tahan. Based on news reports in the Sinar Harian (Projek ternak sturgeon pindah on 23 March 2015) and The Rakyat Post (Environmentals Celebrate Victory Over Sturgeon Project on 24 March 2015), the proposed location for the project was deemed unsuitable due to the sensitivity of the area. Many parties, including local communities and NGOs, have highlighted their concerns regarding this project.

WWF-Malaysia is dedicated to undertaking biodiversity conservation projects to build resilience of the ecosystems. Hence, we share these concerns and are also of the opinion that the area is environmentally sensitive, especially due to the proximity of the area to Taman Negara. We believe that any sensitive ecosystem needs to be safeguarded completely against any ecologically unsustainable development and areas that have been compromised in any way, rehabilitated and restored. As some forests have already been cleared which had also caused siltation and affected the water quality of surrounding rivers as part of preliminary works for the proposed aquaculture farm at Kuala Tahan, we strongly call on the area to be restored, with the cost of restoration borne by the developer.

While WWF-Malaysia welcomes the news that the project will not go ahead near Taman Negara, we are concerned that it will still be implemented by relocating it to another site. We urge the government to reconsider the decision to proceed with this project based on the following reasons. The introduction of a non-native species, such as the sturgeon, through an aquaculture project involves risks and this includes accidental release of the species into local river systems. The potential long term impacts of accidental release of a non-native species into our freshwater or other natural ecosystems may not be adequately known, and could be detrimental and irreversible.

We understand that an Import Risk Analysis for certain sturgeon species has been carried out by the Department of Fisheries. Some of the potential risks associated with this species may have been assessed through this analysis. In view of the concerns regarding this project, we appeal to the government to make this analysis public.

In the absence of well-established scientific evidence that sturgeons will not impact or pose any risks to our local ecosystem, we strongly urge the government to halt this sturgeon project and to prohibit future farming of new non-native species in Malaysia.


Dato’ Dr Dionysius S.K. Sharma
Executive Director/CEO
WWF-Malaysia

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U.S. West Coast sardine season called off amid population decline

JEFF BARNARD Associated Press Yahoo News 13 Apr 15;

Fisheries managers have decided to call off the West Coast sardine fishing season that starts in July because of rapidly dwindling numbers, hoping to save an iconic industry from the kind of collapse that hit in the 1940s and lasted 50 years.

Meeting outside Santa Rosa, California, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted Sunday to close the season starting July 1.

It had little choice. Estimates of sardine abundance have fallen below the level for a mandatory fishing shutdown.

"We know boats will be tied up, but the goal here is to return this to a productive fishery," David Crabbe, a council member and commercial fishing boat owner, said in a statement.

The council next will decide whether overfishing has been a factor in the latest collapse, which could trigger an emergency shutdown of the current season, which runs through June. It votes Wednesday.

Made famous by John Steinbeck's novel "Cannery Row," the once-thriving sardine industry crashed in the 1940s.

It revived in the 1990s when fisheries developed in Oregon and Washington waters, but population estimates have been declining since 2006, and catch values since 2012. The reasons are not well-understood, though it is widely accepted that huge swings in populations are natural, and generally are related to water temperatures.

Council member Frank Lockhart of NOAA Fisheries Service noted that several other fisheries — such as salmon, lingcod and rockfish — have recovered after going through steep declines.

Today, about 100 boats have permits to fish for sardines on the West Coast, about half the number during the heyday. Much of the catch, landed from Mexico to British Columbia, is exported to Asia and Europe, where some is canned, and the rest goes for bait.

West Coast landings have risen from a value of $1.4 million in 1991 to a peak of $21 million in 2012, but are again declining.

Geoff Shester, California campaign director for the conservation group Oceana, said this is the first shutdown of sardine fishing on the West Coast since the council began regulating harvests in 2000. He added the fishery should have been shut down years ago, when it first became clear more fish were being harvested than reproduced.

Shester said every ton of sardines left in the ocean is important as a food source for other wildlife and as a foundation for rebuilding the population.

The council allowed some sardines to be caught inadvertently in the course of related fisheries but reduced the amount. That means boats targeting anchovies, mackerel and herring won't have to stop fishing but could run up against limits in sardines caught that would shut them down, as well.

The council also allowed the Quinault tribe in Washington state to go ahead with a small sardine fishery.

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