Malaysia: Smuggled turtle eggs recovered on Sandakan beach

AWANG ALI OMAR New Straits Times 19 Aug 15;

SANDAKAN: A shipment of turtle eggs believed to have been smuggled from the Philippines were recovered here today.

The 2,600 eggs kept in six plastic bags and two sacks were found on the beach near Kampung Forest where two men were spotted unloading the cargo from a pump boat at about 4am.

Sabah Marine Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Madun said the two men escaped using the pump-boats into the cover of darkness as the patrolling team approached the shore to check on what they were doing.

"Upon checking the team found the turtle eggs which may have been smuggled from southern Philippines and meant to be sold in the market here," he said.

Many Filipinos can be seen selling turtle eggs near the central market and Jalan Pryor here at a cost of about RM1.50 to RM2.00 each.

Possession of turtle eggs in Sabah is an offence punishable under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. If convicted it carries a fine of RM50,000 or jail up to five years or both.

Mohamad said the turtle eggs will be handed over to the State Wildlife Department and attributed the success to information received from the public.

Smugglers leave turtle eggs
The Star 19 Aug 15;

KOTA KINABALU: Marine police seized 2,600 sea turtle eggs when they foiled an attempt by Filipino smugglers to bring them in for the Sandakan market.

Marine Police Region 4 commander Asst Comm Mohamad Madun said two men in a pump boat fled on seeing a marine police patrol boat near the coast of Kampung Forest in Sandakan at about 4am yesterday.

The marine police team found the eggs, valued at about RM3,120, inside two gunny sacks and six plastic bags that was abandoned on the Kampung Forest shore.

Sea turtles are protected. Any­one caught collecting or selling them faces a RM50,000 fine or a maximum jail term of five years or both if found guilty.

‘Futile to re-hatch seized turtle eggs’
The Star 20 Aug 15;

KOTA KINABALU: Trying to re-hatch some 2,600 turtle eggs recently seized during an operation in Sandakan will be futile, said experts.

Marine biologist Ric Owen said this was because turtle eggs were very sensitive and fragile.

“Once hatched by the mother turtle, eggs cannot be tipped upside down or come into contact with sunlight. These have to be kept at a certain temperature to ensure that the embryos don’t die.

“Most of the time when the turtle eggs are poached, they are wrongly handled and almost immediately, the eggs are dead.

“So, unless you’re lucky, the chances of the eggs hatching are zero,” said Owen, who is also a dive operator based in Mabul island, Semporna.

The eggs were seized during an operation along the coastal areas of Kg Forest in Sandakan at about 4am on Tuesday. Two suspects managed to escape when they saw enforcement officers approaching.

Sabah Wildlife director William Baya said the seized eggs were kept at its office, adding that tests would be carried out on the eggs to see if any could be re-hatched.

“It may not be possible as from past expe­riences that I am aware of, no eggs that have been taken out of the nests and seized by enforcement have re-hatched,” he said.

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Norwegian fund excludes four Asian companies over palm oil

Pierre-Henry Deshayes AFP Yahoo News 17 Aug 15;

AFP/AFP/File - Norway's gigantic sovereign wealth fund announced it was divesting from four large Asian companies over the environmental damage their palm oil activities have on tropical forests

Norway's gigantic sovereign wealth fund announced Monday it was divesting from four large Asian companies over the environmental damage their palm oil activities have on tropical forests.

The world's largest public investment fund, managing 7.15 trillion kroner (785 billion euros, $872 billion), said its decision to exclude four groups -- including South Korean group Daewoo International -- from its portfolio was based on "an assessment of the risk of severe environmental damage" from their conversion of tropical forests to cultivate palm oil.

Daewoo, South Korean steelmaker Posco and Malaysian groups Genting and IJM were targeted in the divestment decision by Norway's central bank, which manages the wealth fund that owns around 1.3 percent of all stocks on global equity markets, with stakes in about 9,000 companies.

The fund manages its investments according to strict ethical guidelines that have previously led it to exclude around 60 companies from its holdings, including Airbus, Boeing, Safran, Philip Morris and Wal-Mart.

Under the guidelines, it must avoid investments in groups accused of serious violations of human rights, child labour or serious environmental damage, as well as manufacturers of "particularly inhumane" arms and tobacco firms.

The decisions by the fund -- which draws investment money from Norway's huge oil revenues, a fact that hasn't escaped some detractors -- are frequently replicated by other international investors concerned about ethical perceptions of their holdings.

Palm oil -- used primarily in the cosmetics, food, and bio-fuel sectors -- is a controversial industry, with campaigns mounted by environmental groups and consumers.

Daewoo fell afoul of the fund's managers for its 85-percent stake in an Indonesian company accused of clearing large swathes of the country's tropical forest for palm oil cultivation.

At the end of 2014 the fund owned 0.91 percent of Posco worth $198 million at the end of 2014, and 0.28 percent of Daewoo valued at $9 million.

Its 0.4-percent stake in Genting was worth around $41 million, and its 1.6-percent position in IJM was worth $46 million.

Independently of the ethical guidelines, the fund has in recent years put increasing emphasis on environmental issues in its investments, noting that problems such as deforestation and water management can affect a company's financial viability.

In early 2012, it pulled out of 23 palm oil producers, without naming them.

Indonesia and Malaysia together account for about 80 percent of global production, though the industry is growing rapidly in Africa.

In order to improve practices, palm oil producers, distributors and non-governmental organisations in 2004 created the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an association whose charter bars producers from clearing old-growth forests or other conservation sites for cultivation.

Neither Daewoo nor Posco are members of RSPO. Palm oil represents only a small fraction of Daewoo's and Posco's overall businesses.

"This is a sign that the fund takes the issue very seriously," said Nils Hermann Ranum of campaign group Rainforest Foundation Norway.

Genting and IJM are RSPO members but have been accused of not respecting its guidelines and not being transparent enough.

"This shows that RSPO is archaic when it comes to environmental certification," Ranum said.

"If it still wants to be taken seriously, it needs to tighten up its regulations."

Norway's pension fund is intended to pay for future generations in the welfare-state after the country's oil wells run dry.

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Indonesia: Hot spots on the rise in Riau, says BMKG

Rizal Harahap, thejakartapost.com 18 Aug 15;

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Pekanbaru, Riau, said on Tuesday that after rainfall lasting two weeks, hot weather had again affected the province and caused hot spots to appear.

“Hot spots had recently declined in Riau and it was even free from hot spots after rain showered areas across the province,” said BMKG Pekanbaru head Sugarin on Tuesday.

“Although rain with a low to medium intensity will still potentially fall in Riau, along with strong winds and lightning, from noon until evening, it seems that hot weather will appear again in Riau this week,” he continued.

Based on data from NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, the BMKG Pekanbaru said there were 20 hot spots spread across four regencies in Riau on Tuesday morning. Indragiri Hulu contained the highest number with 10, followed by Kampar with four hot spots and Kuantan Singingi and Pelalawan with three hot spots each.

“The satellite report indicates that 12 out of the total 20 hot spots are fire spots or land and forest fires, with a certainty level of more than 70 percent. Kampar has three fire spots while Kuantan Singingi and Pelalawan have two fire spots each. Indragiri Hulu has five fire spots,” said Sugarin.

He said rain potential was still quite high, which could help Riau avoid a drastic increase in its number of hot spots. Currently, Jambi had the highest number of hot spots in Sumatra, with 94, followed by 75 in South Sumatra.

In Bangka Belitung, Sugarin added, there were 15 hot spots, while Bengkulu, Lampung and West Sumatra detected three hot spots each. Another hot spot was found in North Sumatra.

“In total, there are 214 hot spots in Sumatra, a sharp increase from 38 hot spots on the previous day,” said Sugarin on Tuesday.

He called on authorities to stay alert regarding hot spot increases as the maximum temperature in several areas in Riau had reached around 32 to 34 degrees Celsius.

“This is why Riau is still prone to land and forest fires. Moreover, dry season in the province is predicted to continue until September,” Sugarin said. (ebf)(+++)

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Drought in Indonesia

NTT prepared for drought, S. Sumatra, C. Sulawesi suffer
Djemi Amnifu and Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post 18 Aug 15;

The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) provincial administration claimed to have anticipated the drought by making various mitigation efforts while several areas in Central Sulawesi and South Sumatra are still suffering from the prolonged dry season.

“We were very prepared for the drought and anticipated the El Niño weather phenomenon, including coordinating with regents and mayors to handle the situation in the fields,” said NTT Governor Frans Lebu Raya in a radio and television address as well as in online and print media in Kupang ahead of Indonesia’s 70th Independence Day celebrations on Sunday.

Frans said the NTT Public Works and People’s Housing Office had provided water tankers as well as building artesian wells in regions affected by the drought.

He said the drought so far had not affected food supplies in NTT, and they remained sufficient until now, thanks to the reserves of 200 tons of rice in the province, and 100 tons of rice in regencies and cities stored to anticipate food shortages.

Despite the sufficient food reserves, Frans urged the community in NTT to consume local staples, like maize, which is less favored.

“I call on journalists to promote eating corn, as it doesn’t mean you’re poor. Eating corn does not lower our dignity, but instead raises it, as we eat from the yields of our hard work,” said Frans.

According to Frans, based on data as of April 2015, corn production in NTT increased more than 6,000 tons. By the end of this year, corn production is estimated to have risen more than 7,000 tons.

“That’s just from corn, not to mention beans, tubers and others. We must strengthen our understanding of food because we always think about rice,” he said.

In contrast, 247 hectares of soybean plants have reportedly suffered crop failure in several regencies in South Sumatra due to the drought, Antara reported on Monday.

An official at the province’s Agriculture and Food Plants Agency, M Zuhri, said crop failures happened in Tungkal Ilir district, Banyuasin regency, Sosoh Buay Rayap district, Ogan Komering Ulu regency, and Central Kikim district, Lahat regency.

Zuhri also revealed 483 hectares of corn fields and 434 hectares of paddy farmland had suffered crop failures in the current drought.

Meanwhile, a number of regions in Central Sulawesi, such as Sigi, Palu, Tolitoli and Buol, have been hit by drought.

River levels, in a number of regions in Sigi and Palu have lowered further over the past several days, such as the Palu River, which bisects West Palu and South Palu districts.

The Gumbasa River level in Sigi has also receded but has yet to disrupt water supplies to irrigate rice fields.

However, in a number of areas, water to irrigate farmland has further declined, as farmers in Dolo district, Sigi, are forced to buy water to irrigate their fields.

“If they don’t buy water they would suffer more losses,” said Central Sulawesi Agriculture Office head Tri Lamakampali.

The drought in Central Sulawesi has depleted the wells in residents’ houses in Palu. Housewife Ani, of Besusu subdictrict, East Palu, complained of the depleting water in her well. “However, my house is located near the Palu River,” said Ani.

Bali warned of severe drought
Ni Komang Erviani and Rizal Harahap, The Jakarta Post 19 Aug 15;

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has warned Bali that a severe drought could become widespread on the island, including in some tourist spots, within months.

“Several areas are experiencing drought in many areas in Bali. It could worsen,” BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told journalist in Kuta on Tuesday.

Sutopo said water shortages would become severe in Bali, as well as on Java Island and West and East Nusa Tenggara provinces.

Data from the Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) shows that four regencies are experiencing drought: Buleleng in northern Bali, Karangasem in eastern Bali, Klungkung and Bangli.

In Buleleng, drought has hit three subdistricts: Tejakula, Sukasada and Gerokgak. In Karangasem, Kubu, Abang and Karangasem subdistricts have been affected, while in Klungkung, drought has hit Nusa Penida subdistrict, which is made up of three islands: Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. In Bangli regency, drought has hit Kintamani and Tembuku.

Hundreds of thousands of people living in those areas are facing difficulty getting clean water for daily use. Hundreds of hectares of rice fields have reportedly dried up.

Based on the latest Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) weather forecast, areas that will not get rain for 30 days or more are Buleleng, western Jembrana regency in western Bali and southern Denpasar. The BMKG also forecast that rain would not fall for at least 60 days in Buleleng, Bangli, Jembrana, southern Badung regency and popular tourist spots such as Kuta, Tuban, Jimbaran and Pecatu.

Sutopo said the dry season would be prolonged and last until the end of the year as a result of the El Niño climate phenomenon affecting the equatorial Pacific region.

“The BMKG predicts that El Niño will affect areas south of the equator. The dry season will be more severe as rainfall will be extremely low until the end of this year,” he said.

Meanwhile, after more than a fortnight of rain, Riau has been hit by hot weather again, followed by the return of hot spots.

“Riau was recently declared free of hot spots thanks to even rainfall across the province. Actually, low and medium intensity rain, followed by lightning and strong winds at noon and in the afternoon remains possible, but the weather will be hot in Riau this week,” Pekanbaru BMKG head Sugarin said on Tuesday.

Based on Pekanbaru BMKG data, satellite images revealed on Tuesday morning that there were 20 hot spots in four regencies. The majority were in Indragiri Hulu regency, where 10 hot spots were detected, followed by Kampar with four.

Three hot spots were detected in both Kuantan Sengingi and Pelalawan regencies. “There are indications that 12 of the hot spots are land and forest fires. We are 70 percent certain of this. Actually, two hot spots were detected Kampar, Kuantan Sengingi and Pelalawan, plus five in Indragiri Hulu,” said Sugarin.

“On Monday morning, a hot spot was detected in Riau, that is in Pelalawan, while in the afternoon seven were found — three in Kampar, three in Kuantan Sengingi and one in Indragiri Hulu — while three fire spots were detected in Kampar and one in Kuantan Sengingi,” he added.

In Sumatra, 94 hot spots have been detected in Jambi, followed by South Sumatra (75), Bangka Belitung (15) and West Sumatra, Bengkulu and Lampung (three each) and North Sumatra with one.

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Indonesian navy marine corps successfully plant one million coral reefs

Antara 18 Aug 15;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Navys Marine Corps successfully concluded the "Save Our Littoral Life" movement of planting one million coral reefs to mark the 70th anniversary of Indonesias independence on August 17.

"I very much endorse this program because it is in line with our strategic policy of transforming Indonesia into a global maritime axis," President Jokowi said, while officially launching the "Save Our Littoral Life" program during a teleconference from the State Palace in Jakarta on August 15.

He said he believed that the coral reef planting campaign had helped support the governments maritime axis program.

The video teleconference was broadcast live in three cities, notably Sabang (Aceh Province), to represent western Indonesia; Manado (North Sulawesi Province) for Central Indonesia; and in Ambon (Maluku Province) for eastern Indonesia.

Simultaneously, coral reef planting activities were carried out at Gapang beach in Sabang on the Weh Island, Aceh Province in western Indonesia; at the Malayang beach in Manado (North Sulawesi) for central Indonesia; and in Ambon, Maluku Province, for eastern Indonesia, on August 15.

Under the "Save Our Littoral Life" campaign, the Marine Corps had set a target of planting one million coral reefs over an area of 100 hectares spread across 51 locations, and through 243 planting sites. The re-planting program began in May 2015.

Jokowi said two-thirds of Indonesian territory comprised of waters that must be protected and preserved because they had natural resource potential that could promise a better future and prosperity for the public.

"Underwater vegetation, particularly coral reef and its ecosystem, must be protected and preserved, because coral reefs act as a habitat for various fish, where they play, look for food, and reproduce," he said.

The President urged people across the nation to share the responsibility of protecting and preserving the marine ecosystem as a source of life and foreign exchange for the state in the future.

In Ambon, Maluku Governor Said Assagaff, local officials and 200 divers consisting of marines and marine lovers, planted coral reefs on the Tapal Kuda beach in Ambon Bay, Maluku, on August 15.

"I am very proud that I could experience diving in Ambon waters, along with some marines and the diving community. Ambon had been selected as one of the three cities for the save coral reef program, which was broadcast live by SCTV," the governor stated.

Ambon has a number of beautiful diving spots and coral reefs are significant assets of Ambons marine tourism industry.

The coral reef planting activity in Ambon was carried out 9.5 meters to 14 meters deep underwater. The marines also released fingerlings in the waters.

Local fishermen aboard some 100 traditional boats, which were decorated, among other things with the national red-and-white flags, also took part in the "Save Our Littoral Life" in Ambon. They played traditional musical instruments to encourage the divers.

The Commander of the Fleet Defense IX battalion in Ambon, Marine Major Trio Frederamsy Sumantri, said a total of 125,000 coral reefs were be planted in Ambon.

"The process will continue. We will communicate with the University of Pattimura, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), and the maritime affairs and fisheries office in Ambon, to restore the damaged coral reefs," Major Trio remarked.

On Aceh Provinces Weh Island, some 200 Marine Corps divers planted coral reefs across 1.2 hectares in Sabang, the Commander of the Infantry Battalion-8, Major Gede Edy Supryadi, said in Sabang.

Sabang was chosen as the location for the program because most of its coral reefs were damaged during the deadly 2004 tsunami.

Supryadi also expressed hope that the replanting of the coral reefs would help boost marine tourism in Aceh.

Moreover, the Marine Corps held an underwater flag hoisting ceremony on August 17, with Rear Admiral Taufiqoerrachman officiating as the inspector and Lieutenant Colonel Sulaksana acting as the Commander.

In Manado, some 500 divers, mostly marines and local inhabitants, planted coral reefs and released five thousand grouper fingerlings at the Malalayang beach.

In the East Java Province, the marines planted some 10 thousand coral reefs out of 17 thousand, in waters 15 meters deep near the Sine beach, Tulungagung.

In Jayapura, Papua, 8,000 coral reefs were planted by 70 divers in the Yos Sudarso waters, near an empty isle in Youtefa Bay, at a depth of seven meters.

"The marines have planted some 10,136 coral reefs in Papua and the West Papua province," Lt. Col. Sunardi said.

Indonesia remains the global center of marine biodiversity in the world, with its diverse marine ecosystem that includes more than 500 species of coral, and at least 3,000 species of fish.

From May to July 2015, the Marine Corps had planted some 400,000 coral reefs over an area of 30 hectares at a number of beaches, including the Labuhan beach in Lamongan, the Bama beach in Sidoarjo, and near the Pramuka isle on Seribu Islands, as well as along the coasts of Kelapa Rapet, Klaura, Ketapang, Kelagian, and Lembing.
(T.F001/INE/KR-BSR/B003)

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South Korea: Red tide threatens southern coast

The Korea Herald 17 Aug 15;

Hundreds of thousands of fish were found dead due to the red tide along the southern coast of the country, drawing ecological concerns over the algal bloom, provincial officials said Monday.

More than 330,000 sea breams, rockfish and other species raised in an aqua farm in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province have died to the red tide, they said. Over 1.2 million are being raised in the two-hectare fish farm in the coastal city.

The dead fish were reported four days after the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute issued a red tide warning in the coast around Geoje and Goheung-gun in South Jeolla Province. This was the first red tide warning issued across the country this year.

The red tide, which is a type of algal bloom, produces natural toxins and depletes dissolved oxygen, killing the fish. It commonly occurs in coastal areas.

A warning is raised when the red tide occurs with a radius of over 5 kilometers and the concentration of cochlodinium exceeding 1,000 cells per milliliter. The government issues a red tide advisory when readings over 300 cells per milliliter are detected with a radius of 2 to 5 kilometers.

Chochlodinium, the culprit of the red tide, is known to proliferate in the sea at temperatures over 25 degrees Celsius.

The rising water temperature contributed to the red tide growth, the NFRD said. According to the organization, the average water temperature of the Korean coast has risen by 1.29 degrees Celsius over the past four decades.

The warning was also raised in the coastal city of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province on Thursday last week.

About 5.5 million fish are being raised in a 197-hectare fish farm in Yeosu, which is equivalent to 170 billion won ($144 million) of property. Last year, over 43,000 fish in Yeosu died to red tide, causing 70 million won in losses, officials said.

“The level of the red tide is falling thanks to the cloudy weather, but it can go up again once the sun gets stronger,” the Yeosu City Government said.

Red tide concerns have been escalating as it has been seen expanding to the East Sea.

On Saturday, the NFRD issued a red tide advisory in the coastal areas of Gyeongju and Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province.

As part of efforts to eliminate the algal bloom, municipalities have been spraying red clay in coastal waters with hundreds of ships. The red clay is known to soak up the minerals and minute plankton, thereby sinking the red tide algae toward the bottom of the sea. They have also used the propellers of fishing boats to deconcentrate the red tide.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)

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Best of our wild blogs: 18 Aug 15

Satin of the Stream
Saving MacRitchie

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Malaysia: Green turtle lays eggs at Batu Ferringhi

The Star 18 Aug 15;

GEORGE TOWN: The green turtle laboured out of the sea, made its way up the beach, made a dry nest and then followed up with its primary nest about 2m away.

It was nature taking its course but it left many awestruck.

The beach was in the thick of the Batu Ferringhi tourism belt and it was the first time in 20 years that a turtle had laid eggs there.

The reptile surfaced at about 5am yesterday and crawled till it was less than 3m from the edge of Golden Sands Resort before making its dry nest, a ruse to trick scavengers. It then laid 140 eggs in its primary nest.

Resort workers who were alerted by a dog’s incessant yelping went down to the beach and were struck with wonder.

“The dog wouldn’t stop barking but luckily, the turtle didn’t seem to care,” said Golden Sands Resort service leader Azmin Afu Hasan.

He took a video of the turtle burying its eggs before it returned to sea.

“It was so big! The head was as large as a watermelon, and I saw the turtle shed tears after laying the eggs,” Azmin said after giving his video recording to The Star.

Green turtles are actually brown with whitish undersides but get their name because their body fat is the colour of jade.

M. Gandhi, 50, who has been working at the Batu Ferringhi beach for over 20 years, claimed to have seen two false crawls in the last two weeks.

“I haven’t seen this here for about 20 years. When I was a child, we would go early to the beach for many days after seeing the first turtle tracks.

“The turtles will make a few false crawls before they finally lay eggs,” he said.

About 140 green turtle eggs recovered from the nest in front of golden sand resort at batu ferringhi. starpic by GOH GAIK LEE/The Star/ 17 A ug 2015.

Resort communications director Suleiman Tunku Abdul Rahman reported the turtle nest to fisheries officer Mohd Syahrulnizam Ismail, who arrived at 11am with two team members.

The fisheries team used coconut shells and gingerly dug a narrow pit just 20cm in diameter and almost a metre deep before locating the eggs.

They quickly transferred the eggs into a polystyrene case, taking care to envelop each egg in sand. Three eggs were damaged in the process.

The team will incubate and hatch the remaining eggs at the Pantai Kerachut Turtle Sanctuary on the northern edge of the island.

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Myanmar farmers need help replanting rice after floods: U.N.

Timothy Mclaughlin PlanetArk 17 Aug 15;

Farmers in flood-hit Myanmar face a scramble to replant damaged paddy fields in the next two weeks to avoid food shortages, and aid efforts in some of the country's hardest hit areas remain a challenge, the United Nations said on Saturday.

More than 1.3 million people have been critically affected and at least 106 people have died since heavy monsoon rains coupled with a cyclone last month caused floods across the country, according to the government.

Water has receded in many areas, allowing farmers to assess the damage to their crops and also to seed stocks as the end of planting season nears.

"If farmers aren't able to get rice seeds and plant in the next two weeks the window for the next season is pretty much over," said Pierre Peron, spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA) in Myanmar.

"If they are not able to replant they will miss out completely on this season and the impact on food security will be much larger than if we can provide them with support to replant."

Myanmar is a rice exporter, but has halted exports to stabilize prices.

The U.N. and NGOs have supplied emergency food assistance to 386,000 people impacted by the floods, OCHA said in its latest situation report on the flooding.

Over 1.4 million acres of paddy was flooded, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. The crops in over 500,000 acres have been destroyed in what has been the worst natural disaster in Myanmar since Cyclone Nargis killed nearly 140,000 people in May 2008.

The government has provided $1.2 million for paddy seeds in Rakhine State, one of the hardest hit areas, but, "further support will be needed to help farmers and rural communities rebuild", OCHA said.

In Chin State, a mountainous region bordering Bangladesh and India, where heavy rains caused major landslides, aid workers were still struggling to access some of the state's more remote regions.

"Access to areas in Chin State has been difficult and continues to be difficult," Peron said on Saturday.

In the capital of Hakh five out of six townships experienced landslides that damaged hundreds of homes.

Zung Hlei Thang, an MP representing Chin State, said the prices of rice and other commodities had risen sharply since the landslides made many state roads largely impassable, stemming imports.

"The living conditions are difficult," he said.

(Additional reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Simon Webb and Susan Thomas)

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Best of our wild blogs: 17 Aug 15

Three nets kill blacktip reef sharks, fishes, crabs and more on Lazarus Island (16 Aug 2015)
Project Driftnet Singapore

Seagrass critters of Cyrene Reef
wonderful creation

Seagrasses making a comeback at Cyrene?
wild shores of singapore

Burrowing Giant Clam (Tridacna crocea @ Cyrene Reef
Monday Morgue

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More than 10 blacktip reef sharks, 30 crabs found in fishing nets at Lazarus Island

Audrey Tan Straits Times 16 Aug 15;

SINGAPORE - Thirteen blacktip reef sharks and more than 30 crabs of various species were found in three fishing nets on Lazarus Island, located south of the Republic, on Sunday morning.

Unfortunately, all the sharks caught in the gillnets were dead, although a number of crabs managed to survive after they were disentangled and released by the people who found them.

The St John's Island Marine Laboratory said in a Facebook post on Sunday morning that the shark carcasses are being stored in its freezer and will be passed to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum for analysis.

The lab, which is part of the National University of Singapore's Tropical Marine Science Institute, also called for responsible fishing.

Replying to one of the comments on the post, the institute said that the fishermen who laid the nets "were remorseful and not defensive when talked to about the destructive effects of (the) nets".

The page also noted in a comment: "They (the fishermen) even helped to bring the nets to land. Nobody want this to happen. Let's continue to remind each other on using our nature areas responsibly."

Gillnets are nets typically made of monofilament or multifilament nylon that hang in the water column. According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the mesh sizes are designed to allow fish to get only their head through the netting, but not their body. The fish's gills then get caught in the mesh as the fish tries to back out of the net.

Dr Tan Heok Hui, a fish expert from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, told The Straits Times that some sharks need to move in order to respire. "Blacktip reef sharks are one of those that need to move constantly," he said.

"From the photo, (the dead sharks) all appear to be of the same cohort as they are all around the same size. Some could even be siblings," he said.

The sharks that were found dead are likely to have been juveniles.

13 young sharks found dead in fishing nets at Lazarus Island
Audrey Tan Straits Times 17 Aug 15;

Thirteen juvenile blacktip reef sharks were found dead yesterday in three fishing nets at Lazarus Island, south of Singapore.

More than 30 crabs of various species, some fish and a blue-spotted ray were also found in the gillnets. Several crabs were able to survive after they were disentangled and released by those who found them.

Marine enthusiast Rene Ong, who discovered the casualties, said she was out on a regular intertidal trip when she saw the nets.

They had apparently been laid out overnight by someone who had booked a chalet on St John's Island, which is connected to Lazarus Island by a link bridge.

"When I tried to remove the nets, the guys who placed them there came back. They were apologetic about the kill, but the damage was done," said Ms Ong, who spent about four hours disentangling the live crabs from the nets. Joining her in her efforts were staff and a student from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

She added: "They wanted the nets back, so I could not just cut the nets and release the animals. Thankfully, they agreed to let me have the sharks, and to release any catch that they couldn't eat."

The shark carcasses are being stored in a freezer at the St John's Island Marine Laboratory - part of the NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute. They will be passed to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum for analysis.

Dr Tan Heok Hui, a fish expert from the museum, told The Straits Times that some sharks need to move in order to breathe. "Blacktip reef sharks are one of those that need to move constantly," he said.

"From the photo, (the dead sharks) all appear to be of the same cohort, as they are all around the same size. Some could even be siblings," he noted.

The find, although unfortunate, shows that Singapore's waters are thriving with marine life.

Mr Stephen Beng from the Marine Conservation Group of the Nature Society (Singapore) said the presence of apex predators, such as sharks, is a good indicator of a healthy reef.

He said that, since he first started diving here more than 25 years ago, blacktip reef sharks and bottom-dwelling bamboo sharks have been sighted at Singapore's reefs.

He noted that, now, with a sanctuary in the form of the Sisters' Islands Marine Park, their populations are expected to grow.

Added Mr Beng, who runs the Sea Hounds dive centre: "Gillnetting on shallow reef flats not only wipes out fish, but also physically damages the reefs. The relevant agencies should regulate recreational fishermen to ensure that they do not damage our reefs.

"While our Government tries its best to balance development with environmental sustainability, we can do our part by... educating fishermen about practices that put pressure on our limited reef resources."

Related link
Compiled social media posts on the Project Driftnet blog.

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Punggol #instagramtree's days numbered

Amir Hussain Straits Times AsiaOne 17 Aug 15;


Photo: The Straits Times

All alone on a piece of state land in Punggol is a tree which has its own following on Instagram. Standing on top of a small hill along a waterway, it provides a stark contrast to much of Singapore's built-up urban environment.

But the tree, so famous that it even shows up on Google Maps as "Punggol Lone Tree", is dead after being struck by lightning about a month ago, leaving just half its branches.

"Some of the branches are starting to rot," said Mr Goh Si Guim, a Nature Society (Singapore) executive committee member.

Experts have identified it as an Albizia tree. The species is "an incredibly fast-growing tree species from eastern Indonesia", said Dr Shawn Lum, president of the Nature Society (Singapore).

Over 900 photos have been tagged #instagramtree on Instagram, most of them showing the Punggol tree.

Marketing manager Tricia Quak said she took at least 50 photos with the tree in its full glory a month ago.

"From the photo angles that I saw on social media, there were no buildings that were captured in the background, and the tree seemed to be in the middle of very empty land - extremely rare in our small city of clutter," she said.

Despite the poor state the tree is in now, some people are still taking photos with it. Operations executive Eyzat Amer, 40, paid a visit with his wife and four children, aged four to 15, at around 7pm a few weeks ago, after seeing photos of it on Instagram.

"It's still very picturesque," he said, adding that the photos "don't even look like it's in Singapore".

Instagram user jamieljm wrote: "I've always thought that I'll get to see this tree in its best form and took my time in coming round to see it and this just taught me to never take things for granted; to not assume that things will never change."

Dr Lum did not see a need to have the dead tree removed. "It will eventually topple and break apart and get recycled back into the earth, so I see no reason to remove it, unless experts deem it a hazard."

- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/punggol-instagramtrees-days-numbered#sthash.fdaZspjH.dpuf

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