Crickets hold a special place in his heart

Samantha Boh Straits Times 17 Jul 15;

This young man's love for crickets knows no bounds.

Science graduate Tan Ming Kai spends at least three days a week searching for the elusive insects, and has already uncovered 35 species of crickets and their close cousins, the katydids, which are completely new to science.

The 25-year-old named one of them after another of his loves - his mother, housewife Toh Siew Tin, 65, who had joined him on a survey in Thailand where he discovered the cricket, the Arnobia tinae .

"She has been supportive of my research since I started," said Mr Tan, who has just graduated with a science degree from the National University of Singapore.

He admitted, however, that his mother still does not know he has named the cricket after her.

Mr Tan Ming Kai's interest in crickets started when he was in kindergarten, when he would catch and keep them in plastic containers as pets. He made his first discovery in 2011 with a katydid which he named Asiophlugis temasek. He also named another

"I just think it is a bit awkward to tell her. Maybe it is an Asian culture thing where we don't really show our feelings."

Part of his collection is being used at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum for research.

Grasshoppers, crickets and katydids belong to the order Orthoptera (straight wings). Mr Tan has discovered 25 of the 250 species found in Singapore to date.

The other 10 in his collection are from the region.

Armed with a torchlight and an insect net, he often makes excursions to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve, both areas being prime real estate for the creatures.

At his peak, he was out in the field almost every day, morning and night, for three hours each time. And although he says he has since cut down on his expeditions, he still spends at least three days a week searching for them.

Mr Tan said that his interest in the insects started when he was in kindergarten. He would catch them and keep them in plastic containers as pets.

Although he was always an animal lover, he had a special place in his heart for crickets, though he cannot explain why. "I would cry when they died," he said.

He made his first discovery in 2011, a katydid which he named Asiophlugis temasek because the small light-green insect with bulging eyes is a species native to Singapore. And that find was what spurred him on.

He has since expanded his research to other parts of South-east Asia, including Bukit Larut in Peninsular Malaysia and the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve in Thailand.

Mr Tan has spent so much time studying the insects that he can now predict how each of them will hop, simply by their appearance.

And he can tell common species apart instantly, a process which initially took him around two hours.

Mr Tan is pursuing a PhD in biological sciences at the National University of Singapore, where he will focus his research on the dietary preference and diversity of common orthopterans in Singapore, and whether flower-visiting katydids help with pollination.

"What I hope to understand is how a tiny insect like a cricket affects an entire ecosystem," he said.

Five species of crickets and their close cousins the katydids discovered in Singapore
Samantha Boh Straits Times 17 Jul 15;

Science graduate Tan Ming Kai is just 25, but he has already uncovered 35 species of crickets and their close cousins, the katydids, which are completely new to science. Here are some of them:

NAHLAKSIA BIDADARI

This cone-headed katydid from the Conocephalinae subfamily has a fierce appearance with its brown spotty body and black face, but in reality, it spends most of its days hiding inside hollow branches.


This species is named after the Bidadari Cemetery where it was initially discovered but it is more commonly found in the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment nature reserves.

Bidadari also implies nymph, which means an immature form of an insect that does not change greatly as it grows.

It is appropriate for this species as the adults have reduced wings and can be easily mistaken as juvenile katydids.

CARDIODACTYLUS ADMIRABILIS

Most cryptic orthopterans are found in the nature reserves but this cricket was discovered at Admiralty Park. It was named admirabilis which means surprising in Latin as it was unexpected to discover a new species from a non-reserve parkland in a highly urbanised Singapore. It is so far endemic to Admiralty Park.

LEBINTHUS LUAE

PHOTO: TAN MING KAI
A typical looking brown cricket, this species was found in the understory of a coastal forest in Singapore. It was named after Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum insect curator, Ms Lua Hui Khen, for her selfless work in museum curation over the past thirty years.

Mr Tan said he named it after her because he was grateful that she had taught him the basics of insect curation, and had allowed him to work with the specimens in the collection.

"Without her guidance, it is hard to imagine the subsequent work that was made possible," he said.

TREMELLIA TIMAH

Little is known about this orange cricket which can be found in the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment nature reserves, including its diet and life cycles.

Mr Tan said this epitomises the state of many invertebrates in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, and highlights the need for more research on these highly cryptic but abundant animals.

ORNEBIUS TAMPINES

Most people associate grasshoppers and crickets with grassy areas. This cricket - which has scales visible only under a microscope - was however discovered in the mangroves of Singapore. It was named after the Sungei Tampines river in Pasir Ris Park, where it was discovered.

Soft but high pitched chirps heard along the boardwalks of mangroves are likely the calls belonging to the males of this scaly cricket.

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/five-species-of-crickets-and-their-close-cousins-the-katydids-discovered-in-singapore#sthash.bwlkulBC.dpuf

Beautiful Science
Crickets, grasshoppers and their cousins the katydids don't just come in brown and green. Their palette includes yellow, black and pink; some even come in polka dots or stripes. Living in the understorey of the forests of the Bukit Timah and Central
Straits Times 17 Jul 15;

Crickets, grasshoppers and their cousins the katydids don't just come in brown and green. Their palette includes yellow, black and pink; some even come in polka dots or stripes.

Living in the understorey of the forests of the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment nature reserves, for instance, is a yellow-striped Traulia azureipennis. It belongs to the short-horned grasshopper family and can also be found in other parts of South-east Asia.

Also found in Singapore are the unique Chorotypus grasshopper, which eludes detection with its dead leaf-like appearance, and the Scambophyllum katydid, which is ant-like and black when it is a juvenile (above) and becomes green in adulthood. An adult Scambophyllum also has bright red hind wings - meant to distract predators - which are revealed when it flies.


Globally, there are around 27,000 species, including 250 species in Singapore, belonging to the orthoptera order, which places them among the most common macro-invertebrates on earth. The name orthoptera was derived from the Greek "ortho" meaning straight and "ptera" meaning wing, a reference to the parallel-sided structure of the front wings. The hind legs of these insects are large in proportion to their bodies, which enables them to jump long distances.

Crickets and katydids also rub their wings together to produce sound, while grasshoppers do so by rubbing their hinds legs with their abdomen.

Humans are unable to hear the chirping of grasshoppers as the frequency is too high.

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Malaysia: Haze in Penang only temporary

LO TERN CHERN The Star 17 Jul 15;

BUTTERWORTH: The haze enveloping Penang on Friday should be temporary and was caused by stagnant air.

A spokesman of the state Department of Environment said Penangites should not be worried by the situation.

"We expect the winds to blow away the haze and clear the sky by evening," she said adding that the air in Kedah and Perak remained good.

The Meteorological Department has forecast for fair weather on the island with rain from Sunday to Wednesday.

The Komtar building in George Town and the Penang Bridge were barely visible from the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal in Butterworth.

At 5pm, the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in Seberang Jaya was 75 (73 at 6am) and at Universiti Sains Malaysia 67 (66 at 6am).

An API reading of between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy), and 301 and above (hazardous).

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Major greenhouse gases hit record highs in 2014: report

Kerry Sheridan AFP Yahoo News 16 Jul 15;

Miami (AFP) - In 2014 the world's oceans swelled, major greenhouse gases that fuel global warming hit record highs and the planet's surface temperature reached its hottest point in 135 years, international researchers said Thursday.

The findings are contained in the 2014 State of the Climate report, a peer-reviewed study that examines temperature, precipitation and weather events around the world.

A total of 413 scientists from 58 countries around the world contributed to the report, the 25th in a series that is based on data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments on land, water, ice and in space.

The warmth reached deep into the oceans and high into the atmosphere, and scientists warned that the climate continues to change quickly compared to the pre-industrial era, with no end in sight.

"If we were to freeze greenhouse gases at their current levels, the seas would actually continue to warm for centuries to millennia," said oceanographer Greg Johnson of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

"And that means as they warm they expand, and sea level would continue to rise," he told reporters on a conference call to discuss the report.

- 'Consistent picture' -

Many of the same trends seen in the past two decades continued in 2014.

"Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide -- the major greenhouse gases released into Earth's atmosphere -- once again all reached record high average atmospheric concentrations for the year," it said.

Amid worldwide heat records, eastern North America was the only major region of the world to experience below-average annual temperatures.

"Europe observed its warmest year on record by a large margin, with close to two dozen countries breaking their previous national temperature records," it said.

"Many countries in Asia had annual temperatures among their 10 warmest on record; Africa reported above-average temperatures across most of the continent throughout 2014; Australia saw its third warmest year on record, following record heat there in 2013."

In Latin America, Mexico had its warmest year on record, while Argentina and Uruguay each had their second warmest year on record.

"It is a fairly consistent picture," said Thomas Karl, director of NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

- Oceans rise -

The world's oceans experienced record warmth last year, and sea level was at its highest in modern times, too.

"Owing to both ocean warming and land ice melt contributions, global mean sea level in 2014 was also record high and 67 millimeters (2.6 inches) greater than the 1993 annual mean," when satellite measurements of ocean levels began, said the report.

Johnson said the oceans are a good measure of global warming because they absorb much of the heat and carbon dioxide given off by the burning of fossil fuels.

Unfortunately, even if humankind took strong action to curb fossil fuel use, the trend would not reverse anytime soon, he said.

"I think of it more like a fly wheel or a freight train. It takes a big push to get it going," said Johnson.

"But it is moving now and it will continue to move long after we stop pushing it."

The full report is published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

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Best of our wild blogs: 17 Jul 15

Checking up on Pulau Semakau South
wild shores of singapore

Open for registration – Love MacRitchie Walks by Toddycats (Aug-Sep 2015)
Love our MacRitchie Forest

Celebrating Our Rain Forest: My SG50 Tree Alangium ridleyi
Flying Fish Friends

Plastic bottles, plastic straws, plastic bags: How we celebrated Youth Day
News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Getting the message across at the Festival of Biodiversity
Project LUWAK SG

Emperor Ovipositing
Bird Ecology Study Group

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Campaign launched to raise awareness of haze and its causes

Organisers aim to get 50,000 pledges of support for companies that go “haze-free”
JORDON SIMPSON Today Online 16 Jul 15;

SINGAPORE — A new campaign was launched today (July 16) to raise awareness of Singapore’s annual haze problem and what can be done to stop it.

The haze, which is largely caused by the unsustainable clearing of land, is fuelled by the growing global demand for pulp/paper and palm oil. Palm oil is the world’s most widely used vegetable oil, and commonly found in about 50 per cent of consumer products, such as lipsticks, toothpaste, pizza and ice-cream. The campaign aims to educate Singaporeans on sustainable practices in the production of palm oil.

The campaign, jointly organised by WWF-Singapore, People’s Movement to Stop Haze (PM.Haze), and the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), will include educational outreach programmes such as school talks and roadshows. There will also be ads at bus stops, nature walks, exhibitions at malls and social media content driven by social influencers such as Benjamin Kheng and Jasper Lai.

The campaign aims to collect 50,000 pledges from people in Singapore to support companies that go “haze-free”. With public support, WWF-Singapore will engage companies here to work on long-term transformative solutions that will encourage the adoption and use of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO).

European companies are leading the charge internationally, setting the target to achieve 100 per cent Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) by 2020.

WWF communications director Kim Stengert said: “First of all, we want 50,000 pledges, the more the merrier. We have already started to identify the key players in the region and we can then engage with them. We will tell them that their customers demand this, show us what you are doing, and we will be there along the way to help them check their supply chain and to switch to sustainable palm oil as soon as possible.”

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Malaysia: Injured orang utan rescued from estate

The Star 17 Jul 15;

KOTA KINABALU: An injured orang utan, believed to have been slashed, has been rescued from a plantation in east coast Sandakan.

The adult male orang utan is being treated at the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre as wildlife rangers investigate whether it was attacked by hunters or other groups.

The orang utan had slash wounds and other injuries on its body, but was recovering, said Sabah Wildlife Department director William Baya.

“It seems to be OK and is responding to treatment,” he said, adding that rangers rescued the orang utan after an oil palm estate owner saw it in his plantation at about noon on Tuesday.

A police report was lodged that evening.

Orang utan are among fully protected animals in Sabah.

On Aug 18, 2003, three orang utan – named Mambo, Terry and Mary – were found dead with stab wounds at the Shangri-La Rasa Ria Nature Resort in Tuaran, about 40km from here.

Two other animals were injured in the attack but to date, no arrests have been made.

Help protect the orang utan, Sabah govt urges communities
The Star 20 Jul 15;

KOTA KINABALU: The communities here have been urged to help the state authorities in protecting the orang utan.

“Sabah is a very big area. We cannot have enforcement officers everywhere. We need the people to play a role in the conservation of orang utan,” said state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

Referring to last Wednesday’s incident in which an adult male orang utan was found stabbed at an oil palm plantation, Masidi said local communities must also make an effort in wildlife conservation.

“We have so few orang utan left. All of us have a role to play to protect the orang utan,” he said at the Hari Raya open house of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Cabinet members yesterday.

Conservationists estimate that the number of orang utan surviving in Sabah number about 11,000 to 15,000.

The injured orang utan, which suffered multiple stab wounds, is under the care of veterinarians at the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabili­tation Centre in Sandakan.

Sabah Wildlife Department assistant director Dr Sen Nathan said the 20-year-old primate was responding to treatment and was now eating on his own.

“He is still not out of the woods. He was stabilised before our team dealt with the 7cm-deep stab wound on his arm,” he said, adding that the head injuries were not as serious as initially thought.

The Sabah Wildlife Department is carrying out an investigation into the attack that might have occurred elsewhere in the area before the primate was discovered by workers at the oil palm estate.

The orang utan is listed as a totally protected and an endangered species under the Wildlife Conser­vation Act.

Man held for hurting orang utan
STEPHANIE LEE The Star 22 Jul 15;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah wildlife officials have detained a foreigner whom they believed had stabbed an orang utan found in a plantation in Beluran, located at the state’s east coast.

Wildlife Department director William Baya said the arrest came following detailed investigations including interviews with several plantation workers.

“We have detained the suspect who holds a valid passport,” he said.

William said the 20-year-old male orang utan that was found with multiple stab and slash wounds had since been name Gedau, taken from the name of the area where he was found.

He said Gedau was responding to treatment and had started eating in larger quantities.

However, he added that Gedau still had a long way to go to fully recover.

“All I can say for now is that Gedau is showing positive signs of improvement, though we still consider him to be in critical condition. He is also interacting well with our vets who are treating him,” he said when contacted.

William said they were now feeding Gedau with bananas, watermelon, oranges and milk to speed up his recovery.

Some plantation workers first noticed Gedau resting under a tree at the estate on July 14, but only informed their employer a day after when they saw the wounds on his body.

The plantation owner then immediately called the Wildlife Depart-ment, and Gedau was given emergency treatment before he was brought to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan.

Jailed for attacking orang utan
STEPHANIE LEE The Star 25 Jul 15;

KOTA KINABALU: An estate worker will spend a year in jail for attacking an orang utan in an oil palm plantation in Sandakan.

Magistrate Suhaila Selag found Syam bin Sul, 38, an Indonesian, guilty of stabbing and slashing the primate while on his way back from work on July 13.

Syam was charged under section 37 of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, under which offenders could be fined a maximum of RM20, 000 or jailed up to two years or both.

During the hearing at the magistrate’s court, Syam claimed that the orang utan had chased him and that he attacked it in self-defence.

The male orang utan was found in a critical condition more than a week later.

Named Gedau by his rescuers, the ape is being closely monitored by veterinarians at the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre.

Sabah Wildlife Department director William Baya urged plantation workers and their employers to avoid hurting wildlife.

“It was unfortunate that the worker chose to injure the orang utan when he could have easily outrun the animal if it was true that it was trying to chase him,”

“The penalty imposed by the court should be a reminder to would be offenders of the serious consequences of injuring protected animals, more so with a totally protected species such as the orang Utan,”

“To prevent future incidents such as this, all managers and owners of plantation should inform the wildlife officials if they come across protected species in their estates,” said William.

He said plantation owners should also take the initiative to advise their foreign workers against hunting or injuring protected animals.

On Gedau’s condition, he said some of the wounds were very deep.

“After a week of emergency treatment and monitoring, he was sedated once again yesterday,” to further treat the wounds.

He said the orang utan’s air sac, a loose pouch located around the throat suffered a slash wound, resulting in a severe infection.

“The air sac is used for vocalising,” explained William, adding that the primate would be returned to the wild when fully recovered.

Orang utan dies after two weeks of battling severe injuries
The Star 28 Jul 15;

KOTA KINABALU: After almost two weeks fighting for its life, the severely injured orang utan found at an oil palm estate in Gedau, Beluran, finally succumbed to his injuries.

The 20-year-old orang utan which was later named Gedau by wildlife officials died from the slash and stab wounds and blood poisoning due to infections 13 days after it was rescued.

Sabah Wildlife Department director William Baya said the orang utan died at about 4.30pm on Sunday due to severe complications caused by the savage attack by an Indonesian plantation worker on July 13.

“For the first few days the orang utan seemed to be improving,” he said in a statement.

Unfortunately when the orang utan was further monitored at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Quarantine and Clinic facility, William said it became obvious that the parang wound to the back was so deep that it had punctured the air sac (a loose pouch located around the throat used for vocalising), causing severe infection.

“The results of the post mortem confirmed that the orang utan died of acute and severe septicaemia (commonly known as blood poisoning) caused by the initial wound and also smaller secondary wounds,” he said.

Gedau was discovered by plantation workers at the estate not far from east coast Sandakan district on July 13.

The 38-year-old attacker, Syam Sul, who claimed to have attacked the orang utan after it chased him, will be spending a year in jail after he was found guilty of hurting the primate.

William said they would be appealing for a heavier sentence to be imposed on Syam.

“Since this case has escalated to a killing of a fully protected species and not just injuring it, I have directed my prosecution officer to appeal for a much heavier punishment,” he said.

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Malaysia: Bornean sun bear struck by lightning dies

OLIVIA MIWIL New Straits Times 16 Jul 15;

SANDAKAN: A young female Bornean sun bear here died when she was struck by lightning on Monday.

The four-year-old sun bear, named as Bongkud, was found dead when Bornean Sun Bear Conservation centre staff checked upon her after a stormy rain. The centre chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said Bongkud was resting on her favourite tree of about 20-metre high when the incident happened. H

He added the weather was fine throughout the day, but it suddenly turned dark at about 4pm.

“She was an energetic sun bear that was always seen climbing up the trees in the forest enclosure.

“We are deeply saddened that Bongkud died due to natural disaster,” he said, adding Bongkud was rescued from getting sold to buyers in 2012 when she was only 10-month-old.

The sun bear was named after Bongkud village at the west coast of Sabah which the Sabah Wildlife Department had saved her.

Wong said Bongkud was also one of the few sun bears at the centre that knew how to build nests on the trees.

Other 34 sun bears at the centre were uninjured as they were at the houses during the incident.

The sun bear is the smallest of the world’s eight bear species and is found throughout mainland Asia, Sumatra and Borneo.

The animal has been classified as “vulnerable” on The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/node/92353

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Warming of oceans due to climate change is unstoppable, say US scientists

Seas will continue to warm for centuries even if manmade greenhouse gas emissions were frozen at today’s levels, say US government scientists
Suzanne Goldenberg The Guardian 16 Jul 15;

The warming of the oceans due to climate change is now unstoppable after record temperatures last year, bringing additional sea-level rise, and raising the risks of severe storms, US government climate scientists said on Thursday.

The annual State of the Climate in 2014 report, based on research from 413 scientists from 58 countries, found record warming on the surface and upper levels of the oceans, especially in the North Pacific, in line with earlier findings of 2014 as the hottest year on record.

Global sea-level also reached a record high, with the expansion of those warming waters, keeping pace with the 3.2 ± 0.4 mm per year trend in sea level growth over the past two decades, the report said.

Scientists said the consequences of those warmer ocean temperatures would be felt for centuries to come – even if there were immediate efforts to cut the carbon emissions fuelling changes in the oceans.

“I think of it more like a fly wheel or a freight train. It takes a big push to get it going but it is moving now and will contiue to move long after we continue to pushing it,” Greg Johnson, an oceanographer at Noaa’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, told a conference call with reporters.

“Even if we were to freeze greenhouse gases at current levels, the sea would actually continue to warm for centuries and millennia, and as they continue to warm and expand the sea levels will continue to rise,” Johnson said.

On the west coast of the US, freakishly warm temperatures in the Pacific – 4 or 5F above normal – were already producing warmer winters, as well as worsening drought conditions by melting the snowpack, he said.

The extra heat in the oceans was also contributing to more intense storms, Tom Karl, director of Noaa’s National Centers for Environmental Information, said.

The report underlined 2014 as a banner year for the climate, setting record or near record levels for temperature extremes, and loss of glaciers and sea ice, and reinforcing decades-old pattern to changes to the climate system.

Four independent data sets confirmed 2014 as the hottest year on record, with much of that heat driven by the warming of the oceans.

Globally 90% of the excess heat caused by the rise in greenhouse gas emissions is absorbed by the oceans.

More than 20 countries in Europe set new heat records, with Africa, Asia and Australia also experiencing near-record heat. The east coast of North America was the only region to experience cooler than average conditions.

Alaska experienced temperatures 18F warmer than average. Spring break-up came to the Arctic 20-30 days earlier than the 20th century average.

“The prognosis is to expect a continuation of what we have seen,” Karl said.

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Best of our wild blogs: 16 Jul 15

Checking out Changi
wild shores of singapore

Nesting bulbul: 2. Adult feeding 2 days old chick
Bird Ecology Study Group

Four introduced species, gone, maybe extinct locally
Singapore Bird Group

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Singapore must plan for 10 million population: Ex-HDB chief

CNBC AsiaOne 16 Jul 15;

Singapore must start planning for a population that could possibly hit 10 million, Liu Thai Ker, the man often credited as the architect of modern Singapore, told CNBC.

The bold number suggested by Liu, who served as the chief executive of the Housing Board from 1979-1989 and then as CEO and chief planner of the Urban Development Authority from 1989-1992, is nearly double the current 5.3 million population and significantly higher than the 6.9 million figure proposed by the Singapore government in its 2013 Population White Paper.

In the white paper, the government described its vision of raising the country's population by as much as 30 per cent in the next two decades to ensure the economy remains dynamic. However, the move sparked strong objections amid rising discontent in the land-scarce nation over soaring housing costs and an influx of immigrants.

But Liu stands by his theory, saying that population growth is pivotal to Singapore's future.

"One fundamental thing about urban planning is, don't try to stop or control or curb population growth," Liu, who is now chairman at the Centre for Liveable Cities and senior director at RSP Architects Planners and Engineering, said.

"We should allow Singapore to grow and plan for a much bigger population… like 10 million people. We should ask ourselves: How long do we want Singapore to remain as a sovereign country? Even at 10 million people and assuming a population growth rate of 1 per cent, we will only last slightly over 100 years and that's not a long time," he added.

The country, which is battling worrying demographic changes, also needs immigrants to keep its economic engines running. With a fertility rate of only 1.2, far below the replacement rate of 2.1 and one of the lowest in the world, an ageing population would lead to profound problems for Singapore, the country's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at a conference earlier this month.

Liu agrees: "Being such a tiny place, there is a propensity toward homogeneity of ideas and concepts. For us to nurture a creative society, we need people from outside. In fact, one of the reasons why Singapore could succeed was because we were a heterogeneous society at the beginning, with people from all over the world."

But even as population numbers accelerate, Singapore's achievements in urban development and innovation must be maintained.

"We must continue to keep the city green and attractive for businesses, as well as good talent to come," Liu told CNBC.

Lessons from Singapore

Apart from being well-known as a 'garden city' where flora and fauna is weaved into the urban fabric, the stability and efficiency of Singapore's urban infrastructure serves as a role model for many developing nations.

To emulate the success of the Southeast Asian city-state, governments in these developing countries will need to take the lead, according to 77-year-old Liu.

"It may not sound democratic in a Western sense but in Asia or even Africa, the government must play a big role when there's a great need for development. Because if you leave it to the businesses or private sector, they will inevitably focus more on the business side of things."

For that reason, it is imperative that government leaders educate themselves on urban development, the architect-planner added.

"Leaders must be humble enough to learn what makes a good city. Mr Lee understood what made a good city from his days in Cambridge, but he spent all his life learning from urban success stories," said Liu, referring to Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew.

"Leaders must also be ruthlessly rational... and I often explain to foreign dignitaries that the highest authority in Singapore is something called the truth. The Prime Minister and President will listen [even if it was] a lowly civil servant who said the truth. That, to me, is an important aspect of Singapore's success story."

Liu retold the story of Lee 's decision to construct low-cost flats in high-rise buildings - known as HDBs - even though such high-density housing was condemned by experts in the 1960s. Towering skyscrapers have since become a symbol of the nation's successful public housing strategy and urban landscape.

"We must subscribe to 'clarity equals courage.' It is not good enough to have courage and charge ahead blindly. it is also not good enough to just follow the world. You need to think what your city needs and have the courage to move ahead even [if it is] against the world's trends," he added.

Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore's first and longest-serving prime minister, who oversaw Singapore's transformation from a sleepy British colonial outpost into a global metropolis within a single generation. He died on March 23 at the age of 91.

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NEA’s rodent control plan 'could raise overall cost'

LYNETTE TAN Today Online 16 Jul 15;

SINGAPORE — How the National Environment Agency (NEA) structures and manages its rodent surveillance and control programme has been criticised by the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) for potentially increasing the overall cost of licking the rat problems.

The NEA required its contractor to destroy rodent burrows only in areas under its purview, even though the contract it tendered out — at a value of S$4.19 million over two years — did not state this, said the AGO in its latest audit report released today (July 15).

The NEA told the AGO the contract was not accurately worded to state its intent, which was that, for burrows found in other areas, it would inform the relevant public agencies in charge of those spaces for them to take care of the problem themselves. The NEA added that it had made the requirements clear at a briefing it held for interested tenderers for the contract.

The AGO said this led to 115 burrows being found but not destroyed from September 2013 to January last year. As a result, 17 burrows in seven locations had increased to 32 burrows in a span of two to six months after the burrows were first detected. In addition, 16 burrows in nine locations had remained active for two to four months after they were found.

“In this regard, AGO observed that NEA had not actively followed up with the public agencies on actions taken to treat the active burrows detected,” the audit report said.

In response to media queries, the NEA said it has taken steps to address the observations made by the AGO. In its latest tender to procure services for the programme, contract specifications on the scope of work have been more clearly spelt out. The agency will also review procedures to improve coordination with owners of premises and public agencies to ensure that rat control efforts by all stakeholders are conducted effectively.

In December last year, a forested hill next to Bukit Batok MRT station made headlines for a rat infestation problem that saw more than 300 rats being killed by pest controllers after nearly three weeks of extermination operations. The following month, there were reports of rodent activity detected in the false ceilings of 14 food and beverage establishments at Marina Square and at one of its bin centres after a customer found a rat in a tray of vegetables at Hotpot Culture, a restaurant at the shopping centre.

Speaking in Parliament in January, Second Minister for Environment and Water Resources, Ms Grace Fu, told Parliament that 35,000 rat burrows were detected and treated by the NEA in the first 11 months of last year.

NEA addresses report on pest control
Janice Heng and Yeo Sam Jo Straits Times AsiaOne 17 Jul 15;

Pest control contractors engaged by the National Environment Agency (NEA) will continue to tackle only rat burrows that fall under the agency's purview. But to address observations in the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) report on Wednesday, the NEA will spell out the "contract specifications on the scope of work" more clearly, the agency said in response to queries from The Straits Times.

In its report, the AGO said it found "gaps" in the programme.

The statutory board paid its contractor $4.19 million over two years to perform routine surveillance on rodents in public areas. The contractor was required to treat rat burrows in areas under the agency's purview.

This meant some burrows were detected but left untreated, which could lead to higher costs, said AGO. Between September 2013 and January 2014, some 115 active rat burrows were not treated as they were in areas outside NEA's purview. This led to a rise in the number of burrows, from 17 burrows in seven locations to 32 burrows, in the two to six months after being detected.

Under the surveillance programme, which began in 2011, the NEA gives other public agencies information about rat burrows in areas under their charge.

"The respective stakeholders will then follow up to inspect and control the rat population in their areas," said the NEA yesterday.

The AGO observed that NEA "had not actively followed up with the public agencies on actions taken to treat the active burrows detected".

Said an NEA spokesman: "NEA will also review our procedures to improve coordination with other premises owners and public agencies to ensure that rat-control efforts from all stakeholders are conducted effectively."

But the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Environment, Ms Lee Bee Wah, said she was "disappointed" that public agencies draw such boundaries.

"I think the system should change," said Ms Lee.

"Diseases know no boundaries."

Ms Lee also pointed to the Municipal Services Office, which was set up to improve government coordination and delivery of municipal services, including pest control.

"I believe they should look into how the NEA interprets its responsibilities," she added.

Separately, Singapore Polytechnic (SP) issued a statement saying it acknowledged and accepted the AGO's findings and was taking immediate steps to address them.

The AGO took issue with related-party transactions that were not carried out "at arm's length".

To the Singapore Polytechnic Graduates' Guild (SPGG), SP had sub-leased land at nominal rent and waived a substantial amount that was due, without proper evaluation.

SP also failed to recover significant costs for seconding staff to fully owned subsidiary Singapore Polytechnic International (SPI). SP said it was reviewing the land lease to SPGG and will work with the guild to review the loan repayment arrangement.

SP and SPI are also taking action to formalise the secondment.

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Indonesia: 21 hotspots detected in W. Kalimantan

Antara 15 Jul 15;

Pontianak (ANTARA News) - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has detected some 21 hotspots in West Kalimantan Province on Monday, indicating the presence of wildfires.

The provinces Sintang District had five hotspots; Ketapang four; Sambar, Kubu Raya, and Sekadau, with two hotspots respectively; and Kapuas Hulu, Pontianak city, and Singkawang, with one hotspot each, Sustyo Triyono, the head of the West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA), stated here.

The number of hotspots in West Kalimantan had significantly dropped following a recent visit by Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, he noted.

"We, with the support of other government institutions and the private Fire Brigade Foundation, have jointly put out fires in several hotspots detected by the NOAA Satellite," he remarked.

He urged farmers and plantation owners to not use fire to clear land for farming or plantation activities.

Earlier, Deputy Governor of West Kalimantan Christiandy Sanjaya emphasized that fire setters must be given harsh punishment to serve as a deterrent.

Since January, the West Kalimantan authorities have launched a public campaign on the governments regulation that bans setting fires in plantation and forest areas, he added.

The West Kalimantan Police have detained six suspects charged with setting plantation fires. Three were arrested in Landak, and the others were apprehended in Pontianak.
(Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR)

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