Malaysia: Help resolve water shortage in Johor, urges Wee

YEE XIANG YUN The Star 23 Nov 15;

KULAI: The Federal Government should step in to help the Johor state government solve the prolonged water shortage affecting several areas for the past three months, said Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic).

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said he had brought up the matter in the Cabinet meeting on Friday, urging the Federal Government to look into the matter urgently.

He said while it was fine to seek divine intervention, the people cannot be praying and waiting every day for the rain to fall.

“A more concrete and long-term plan based on scientific facts needs to be introduced immediately to prevent the issue from worsening further and ending up like the Selangor water crisis,” he said here yesterday.

He said that during the Cabinet meeting, Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili gave his word that he would look into the matter before figuring out follow-up actions.

Dr Wee added that he received numerous complaints about the water issue, which affected more than 640,000 consumers in residential, commercial and industrial areas in Johor Baru, Kota Tinggi and Pengerang since August.

The residents and business owners are also suffering from the scheduled water exercise as water levels in the Sungai Layang and Sungai Lebam dams fall further below their critical mark.

This needs immediate attention, Dr Wee said.

He said Johor was spearheading the country’s economy for attracting record foreign direct investment into the state, and the water issue could affect the confidence of investors.

He said that the Government should consider building new and bigger catchment areas away from agricultural activities to prevent pollution in the water and exercise better control of farming activities near the areas.

Read more!

Malaysia: Metropolis dreams for Johor Baru

The Star 23 Nov 15;

JOHOR BARU: The Ibrahim International Business District (IIBD), valued between RM20bil and RM25bil is set to help the state capital achieve a world city and metropolis status by 2020.

It was launched by Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar in conjunction with his 57th birthday yesterday.

Spanning over 101.17ha, the main component of the project is the 2.56ha Coronation Square, which will include a medical suite, three blocks of serviced apartments, an office tower and a hotel building developed by Coronade Properties Sdn Bhd.

During the launch held at the Persada Johor International Con­vention Centre, Mentri Besar Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the IIBD is the brainchild of Sultan Ibrahim and expressed hope that the massive project would turn Johor Baru into a “second Kuala Lumpur”.

In conjunction with the Ruler’s birthday, Khaled said the IIBD was named as such to honour the Ruler’s contributions to the state’s development.

It would be introduced as a new brand for Johor, similar to other well-known business districts such as Australia’s Sydney CBD, Canada’s Downtown Toronto, China’s Beijing Business Central District as well as Seoul Special City in South Korea, he added.

When completed, the Coronation Square, valued at RM3bil, would be on par with other world landmarks such as Trafalgar Square in London and Times Square in New York.

IIBD is developed by Johor Corporation (JCorp) in cooperation with Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) and the state government in its effort to modernise the state’s capital city, Khaled said.

JCorp president and chief executive Datuk Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim said the Coronation Square is expected to be completed between nine to 10 years, with its first phase slated for completion in four years time.

Kamaruzzaman added that the tallest building in the square would be an office tower with 60 to 80 floors.

The IIBD will enhance the image and position of Johor Baru and Iskandar Malaysia as the most successful metropolis and development regions in the world, Kamaruzzaman said.

Read more!

Malaysia: Study being done on 1,000 Gunung Ledang flora species

The Star 23 Nov 15;

TANGKAK: A six-month scientific study on the more than 1,000 flora species on Gunung Ledang has started.

It is being carried out by the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department (JPSM) and the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM).

“It is a scientific study to identify the nutritional values, potential, diversity, advantages, benefits and uses of the plants there,” said Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Hamim Samuri.

He said this to reporters after launching a community service programme of the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) in Kampung Orang Asli Tanah Gembur, here yesterday.

Hamim said there were many plant species, especially herbs and roots on Gunung Ledang, which had high nutritional value and properties but no specific research had yet been done.

He added the people living on Gunung Ledang, especially the Orang Asli community, used these plants as traditional medicine as they are aware of the high medicinal properties and their various uses.

During his speech, Hamim, also the Ledang MP, urged the Orang Asli community to assist in the research as they were familiar with these nutritional plants and their properties.

“This can be done through education so that the children of the Orang Asli entering public or private universities can specialise in studying the benefits of these plants,” he added.

Gunung Ledang’s summit is located between the border of Muar and Malacca. Standing at 1,276m, the mountain is a popular destination favoured by amateur climbers.

Gunung Ledang is also the 64th highest mountain in Malaysia.

Read more!

Malaysia: Bush meat widely sold in Sabah

The Star 23 Nov 15;

KOTA KINABALU: A variety of bush meat are still widely sold in local tamu or farmers markets in the interior of Sabah despite the state’s all-out war against illegal trade and poaching of wildlife.

Bush meat ranging from wild boars to protected species like the Sambar and barking deer were on sale at a tamu in Nabawan, about 200km from the state capital, said wildlife conservationist Fairul Pat Lingam.

Fairul, 40, who stopped by the market during a trip to the interior on Saturday, said that when he was taking pictures of the various bush meat sold openly, he was threatened with bodily harm as about 12 to 15 people started gathering around him.

He said he quickly thanked the sellers and quietly walked away as he sensed that he could be harmed.

On his return to Kota Kinabalu, Fairul lodged a police report yesterday about the sale of bush meat in Nabawan tamu and also the threat by one of bush meat sellers that if he returns to Nabawan he would be shot.

Nabawan tamu which operates every Tuesday and Saturday is widely seen by Sabah Wildlife Department as a hotspot for the sale of bush meat where wildlife rangers were also threatened previously.

Fairul, said that he hoped that either the police or wildlife department could take firm action against the illegal trade and poaching of wildlife in Sabah.

Kota Kinabalu City police chief Asst Comm M. Chandra in confirming the report said that the case would be forwarded to the Wildlife Department while the case of criminal intimidation would be probed by Keningau police.

Wildlife officials have in the past described Nabawan district in southern Sabah as one of the hotspots in recent years due to the road networks all the way to Tawau in the east coast of Sabah.

They have not dismissed the possibility that bush meat sold in Nabawan was from animals illegally hunted in Maliau Basin or as far as some protected forest reserves in Tawau and Lahad Datu.

Read more!

Indonesia: Leading banks support wildlife projects

Ayomi Amindoni, thejakartapost.com 23 Nov 15;

Indonesia’s largest eight banks by assets have expressed their commitment to support sustainable development in a pilot project of cooperation between the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia.

The banks involved in the project comprise six conventional banks, namely Bank Mandiri, BRI, BCA, BNI, BJB, and Bank Artha Graha International, and two Islamic banks, Bank Muamalat and BRI Syariah.

OJK head Muliaman D. Hadad said the pilot project was aimed at supporting the OJK’s financial sustainability roadmap for the period of 2014-2019.

He said the project specifically targeted the competence of Indonesian banks in environmental, social and good governance concerns.

"This project is also aimed at increasing the share of the banks’ business financing activities that are conducted in a sustainable manner," said Muliaman at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

The OJK chief added it was expected that the major step taken by the eight banks, which represented 46 percent of national banking assets, could encourage other banks and financial institutions to follow suit and start implementing sustainable finance in Indonesia.

"It is expected that more banks will make similar commitments in the near future," he said.

Under the project, the OJK and WWF Indonesia will accompany the eight banks in financing sustainable projects in the palm oil sector. This project will run for 18 months starting in January 2016.

OJK deputy director for the Indonesian banking architecture Edi Setijawan said the palm oil sector was selected for the project since this sector was often associated with environmental destruction.

"The banks involved in the project can take a role in the palm oil industry to improve the profile of this commodity, so it could continue to be the mainstay of the national economy," said Edi.

WWF Indonesia head Efransjah said that with their commitment to implement environment and social sustainability and good governance, the banks could raise their performance in Indonesia.

"In addition to being part of a sustainable banking industry, the banks will also have the power to push their clients to implement environmental, social and good governance principles in their business processes," Efranjah said.

As part of the pilot project, the banks will receive technical assistance, which will include the identification of risks from various sectors and how to develop a framework to mitigate risks. (ebf)(+)

Read more!

As Brazil's Largest City Struggles With Drought, Residents Are Leaving

LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, LAUREN MIGAKI NPR 22 Nov 15;

It happened slowly at first. The reservoir's water level dropped, so the resort extended the boat launch ramp.

Then they had to add another extension.

Eventually, the water dropped so much that business dried up — along with the lake.

"For this coming weekend, there's not one reservation. This business was 98 percent dependent on the water. Now that the water's gone, the customers are gone as well," says Francisco Carlos Fonseca, the manager of Marina Confiança.

The resort is located on what were once the banks of one of Sao Paulo's most important reservoir system, called Cantareira. A drought has been devastating the region for the past two years. Unless there is more rain, some water conservation groups estimate there is only enough water to last about five months.

A demonstrator dressed as a bather protests against the rationing of water, outside the official residence of Sao Paulo's Governor Geraldo Alckmin in Sao Paulo, on Jan. 26. The banner behind him reads, "Planet Water, Dry Lives."

Walking around the resort, Fonseca says that until a year ago, this place was a weekend getaway paradise, packed with vacationers. Today the hotel, with its attached bungalows and party spaces, is a ghost town.

It's a symbol of the economic cost of the drought here.

Fonseca says four or five other marinas have closed completely because there's no access to water. He's not sure what he'll do if his resort closes.

The only thing that could bring tourists back to this region?

"Rain," he says.

This resort was a respite for those living in Sao Paulo. The megacity of 20 million people is as dense with high rises as the Amazon jungle is with trees.

The drought has forced severe water rationing for many of those who live here. Nine million depend on this reservoir system for their daily water use.

The dishes are piled high in the sink when we arrive at Renata Trindade's house in a poor neighborhood in the north part of the city. Since she works during the day, she says she has to be creative about doing chores: She lets dishes and clothes pile up to make sure she and her boyfriend have enough water for other things like bathing or flushing the toilet.

For her and many other Sao Paulo residents, this is the new normal.

And this city is not alone. Brazil's second largest city, Rio de Janeiro, is also facing water troubles, as are other coastal areas. It's been an enormous shock to Brazilians, who are used to their country being called "the Saudi Arabia of Water" — historically, it has had as much water as that Middle Eastern country has oil.

But not anymore. Satellite data from NASA shows that the drought in much of southeast Brazil — also home to the region's breadbasket — is much worse than originally believed. Some recent studies suggest that the lack of rain on Brazil's coasts may be linked to deforestation in the Amazon.

Alexandre Uezu, an ecologist with Sao Paulo's Ecological Research Institute, explains that trees in the Amazon suck up water through their roots and produce huge "flying rivers" of water vapor that move around the continent and fall as rain.

"Were it not because of flying rivers, airflows, the whole area here would be desert," he says. "So we're dependent on the humidity that comes from Amazon."

Except now, according to some estimates, as much as 40 percent of the forest is destroyed or degraded. And that may mean a profound, longterm shift in rainfall patterns here.

So it may take more than a good rainy season to stop Sao Paulo from drying up.

The drought may be exacerbated by other issues, including poor planning. Scientists are trying to determine what is happening and why.

But Uezu can say one thing with certainty: The vast tract of trees in the middle of the continent is crucial to the well-being of people on the coasts, where most Brazilians live.

"Were it not because of the Amazon [forest], we'd have even bigger problems here," he says.

Some people are already deciding to pick up and move their lives completely, in search of more irrigated pastures.

Cesar Farinha Figueredo is what you might call a water refugee. He closed his restaurant in Sao Paulo and moved his family to the city of Jundiai, about two hours away, in the interior of Sao Paulo state.

At his apartment complex, a large pool is full of frolicking sun worshipers. He says moving is the best decision he's made. Back in Sao Paulo, he would spend hours in gridlock, only to get home to find water rationing. It was a struggle to even take a shower.

Here in Jundiai, the city is thriving. Jundiai has water as a result of local government policies that have emphasized conservation and a careful management of their resources. The city's reservoir, full to the brim, is surrounded by thick forest. In a park on its edge, families are playing in the afternoon sun.

That has become extremely attractive to many people in water-starved Sao Paulo. One real estate agent in Jundiai says she has been getting up to 70 calls a day from residents looking to relocate because of the water shortages.

I ask Figueredo if he thinks more people will feel compelled to flee Brazil's economic hub.

Those who can afford it will, he says.

"I already left. The last one to go needs to turn off the lights," he quips.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 22 Nov 15

5 Dec (Sat) evening: Free guided walk at the Pasir Ris mangroves
Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

Morning Walk At Lower Peirce Reservoir (21 Nov 2015)
Beetles@SG BLOG

Night Walk At Coney Island (20 Nov 2015)
Beetles@SG BLOG

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 21 Nov 15

Life History of the Bengal Swift
Butterflies of Singapore

Read more!

Haze raises demand for green label

Audrey Tan, The Straits Times AsiaOne 21 Nov 15;

The recent haze episode has resulted in a green awakening that is spurring more companies to certify their products as environmentally friendly, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) said yesterday.

Since the haze started in late September, the council has received between 30 and 40 enquiries from companies looking to certify their products under the SEC's Singapore Green Labelling Scheme.

Of these, at least 12 of them are companies that want to certify consumer products, such as paper, with the green label.

"Before the haze episode, we received an average of just one or two enquiries from companies looking to certify consumer products," Mr Kavickumar Muruganathan, SEC's head of eco-certifications and lead environmental engineer, told the media yesterday.

Under the SEC's labelling scheme, companies must submit information, with supporting documents from laboratories, on aspects such as manufacturing processes, materials used and packaging, to SEC.

New applications cost $1,500, and yearly renewals cost $1,000. The timeline for approval is typically about two months.

The SEC has awarded the green label to about 3,200 products so far, with around 20 per cent being consumer products.

The rest are industrial products such as cement and paint. The use of such green-certified products is a prerequisite for builders looking to have their developments certified as environmentally friendly under green building schemes.

SEC executive director Edwin Seah said: "The haze presented the opportunity to get consumers to be more aware about buying sustainable products... and we don't want that to go to waste."

He said the council wants to keep up the momentum by working closely with schools and government agencies to increase outreach efforts, and with retailers to make it more convenient for shoppers to make green choices. Measures include, for instance, working with supermarkets to formulate green lanes, or making certified products more visible on the shelves.

The SEC also hopes to work with more community development councils to come up with workshops and biodiversity trails.

Mr Seah said: "Simply hard-selling the message of why it is important to buy green products may cause people to tune out.

"We have to look at different ways of upgrading the messaging by establishing a link between what they see, like nature and biodiversity, and what they buy."

Read more!

'Difficult choices' help Singapore curb greenhouse gas emissions: DPM Teo

Decisions such as not subsidising energy costs and introducing the world's first urban traffic congestion pricing scheme mean Singapore accounts for just 0.11 per cent of global emissions, says Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.
Chan Luo Er Channel NewsAsia 20 Nov 15;

SINGAPORE: Singapore accounts for 0.11 per cent of global emissions today, one of the lowest in the world, and this is due to the "difficult choices" it made in its early years to support sustainable development, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

Speaking at a prize presentation ceremony for the National Climate Change Competition 2015 on Friday (Nov 20), he said these choices include not subsidising energy costs so that the industry and households will consume energy judiciously.

Singapore also implemented the world’s first urban traffic congestion pricing scheme in the 1970s to reduce car usage and emissions through a package of measures such as quotas for new cars and significant fuel taxes, he noted.

"We made these difficult choices because we believe they are the right things to do – for ourselves, and for the world, so that Singaporeans can commute conveniently, and not fume away in endless traffic jams, so that Singaporeans can enjoy a clean and green living environment, so that we can have fresh air all year round, and do not ourselves pollute the air that we breathe," said Mr Teo.

In July this year, Singapore had submitted a new climate pledge to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reduce its Emissions Intensity by 36 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. Singapore will also stabilise greenhouse gas emissions and aim to peak around 2030.

Next month, a new global agreement that will cover greenhouse gas emissions from all countries after 2020 will be negotiated in Paris. It is a step up from the current Kyoto Protocol, which governs only emissions from developed countries.

"If we are able to reach a new global agreement, it would be the first time that all signatories to the UNFCCC have committed to undertake actions to address climate change. The target is for the collective actions of all countries to help limit global temperature rise to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2100," said Mr Teo, who is also the chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change.

The National Climate Change Competition 2015 saw more than 170 entries from schools, institutions of higher learning and members of the public. Participants created short videos on the impact of climate change and the actions people can take to reduce their carbon footprint.


S’pore to act on climate change even without accord: DPM
STACEY LIM Today Online 21 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE — Ahead of the coming 21st annual Conference of Parties (COP) climate summit taking place in Paris next month, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said that even if no consensus is reached, there are many measures and practices that “make sense for us to do anyway”, such as using more energy-efficient appliances.

Mr Teo, who is chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change, spoke about Singapore’s participation in the meeting on the sidelines of the annual National Climate Change Competition (NCCC) award ceremony yesterday.

“We are looking for a universal agreement, that’s important. So for every country that’s in, we want to have an agreement that is legally binding so that there will be obligations from all countries,” he said. “And we also want an agreement that is durable, that will stand the test of time, and because this is a long-term agreement, we will be looking at climate-friendly actions to be taken by all countries (that will) go out till 2100, that kind of time frame.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli will be leading the delegation to Paris for the climate-change talks, where nations will seek to reach a legally binding and universal agreement on how to cut fossil-fuel use.

Countries will have to put forward a detailed domestic policy plan to limit its emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, which would form the basis of the accord to be signed next month and enacted by 2020.

If an agreement is not reached, Singapore will review its position, said Mr Teo. “There are many things which make sense for us to do anyway, to use more energy-efficient appliances, to save energy usage ... but other measures need to be done in tandem with other countries, so we will have to look at what climate change agreement actually comes up with.”

He also noted that Singapore is already one of the most efficient countries in terms of emissions intensity, and reiterated that the aim is for a 36 per cent reduction in emission intensity from 2005 levels as well as for carbon emissions to peak by 2030.

He added: “Our negotiators have been playing a facilitative role in helping to arrive at a good global climate change agreement throughout the negotiation progress over the last few years … and to try and help bridge the differences between these countries. So, we hope that (with) these efforts, along with the efforts of the other countries, (it) will enable us to arrive at a good climate change agreement.”

Yesterday, a total of 24 awards were given to winners of the NCCC competition, which was organised by the National Climate Change Secretariat. The winning videos will be adapted for use by the secretariat in its public education and outreach efforts.

Read more!

NEA to launch campaign to get people to cut food waste

SUBWAY Singapore has partnered the National Environment Agency to raise greater awareness among consumers by putting up posters to educate them on how they can reduce food wastage.
Loke Kok Fai Channel NewsAsia 20 Nov 15;

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) is launching a campaign next week to get people to cut food waste.

This comes on the back of a study by NEA and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) which showed that many people in Singapore are not comfortable with wasting food. However, the study also found that the biggest reason Singaporeans choose to cut down food waste is not to save the environment, but the pocket.

In 2014, consumers threw away 687,200 tonnes of food.

According to the study, eight in 10 respondents felt bothered about throwing away uneaten food, while 90 per cent of them felt that it was a waste of money. Concern for the environment "came a close second”, said NEA and AVA.

The top reason for food waste in households was throwing out expired food, with respondents unwilling to compromise on the freshness of food. About 26 per cent said they bought more food than they could consume.

Seventy per cent of these respondents said it was to ensure that household members had more than enough to eat.

"They buy too much and then when they cook, they don't like it,” said Mrs Angela Lee, a housewife. “It’s such a waste.”

"You see things, you want to buy them. But after that, when you go home, you never eat them. So (the things are) wasted. You put them in the fridge and the next day, you throw them away,” echoed Ms Kamariah Samsoori, also a housewife.

"I think we love food and we always order more than what we want actually,” added Mr Sng Sock Kon, a tour bus driver.

However, over-ordering is not a great concern at its outlets in Singapore, said SUBWAY Singapore.

"Even though we have suggestive sales of our items - buy one get one free, bigger sized meals or even add-on meats - these things are not free, so definitely customers only pay for things they can consume and expect to finish," said operations director of SUBWAY Singapore Development, Chua Teow Hock.

The sandwich chain has partnered NEA to raise greater awareness among consumers by putting up posters to educate them on how they can reduce food wastage. Also on board are supermarkets such as Giant, Sheng Siong and NTUC FairPrice.

"NTUC FairPrice supports NEA’s national campaign to raise awareness on reducing food waste, which complements our ongoing campaign to reduce food waste that we spearheaded last year," said chairperson of NTUC FairPrice's Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, Jonas Kor. "The various promotions and discount schemes provide greater value to help customers save; we do not advocate food wastage."

- CNA/ek


1 in 4 buys more food than needed: Survey
A survey of 1,016 people conducted from January to July this year found that 80 per cent of respondents are bothered about having to throw food away. Samantha Boh, The Straits Times AsiaOne 21 Nov 15;

Food wastage has increased in recent years, with the average person in Singapore dumping about 146kg of food last year - or the equivalent of 29 packs of rice.

One in four people admits to buying more food than is needed, said a new survey. Most of them do so to ensure household members have "more than enough" to eat, said the survey commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) released yesterday.

The poll of 1,016 people conducted from January to July found that 80 per cent of respondents are bothered about having to throw food away. Eighty-one per cent think they should reduce food wastage to save money, with 77 per cent thinking that they should do so as food wastage is bad for the environment.

"Overall, the results showed that the awareness of food wastage is high, but more can be done to motivate consumers to take action to reduce food wastage," said NEA and AVA in a joint statement.

To encourage people to cut food wastage, NEA is launching a campaign using posters and educational videos that compare the cost of food wastage and what the money could be spent on otherwise. These will be shown on digital and mobile media platforms, at bus-stop shelters, in newspapers and on TV.



A focus group discussion held after the survey found that consumers are more likely to waste food when dining at home than eating out, as they tend to buy more than what they eventually consume. Many tend to shop on impulse, buying food items on promotion, for instance, instead of referring to checklists and meal plans.

The campaign will thus include customised educational materials on how to reduce food wastage at home. An online guide will be available to provide suggestions on things such as meal planning.

NEA will partner supermarket chains like Sheng Siong and FairPrice, as well as the Subway sandwich chain, to place posters and table-top stickers on their premises to remind consumers not to waste food.

The campaign, which will be expanded to schools early next year, adds to NEA's efforts to cut food wastage. These include pilot pro-jects to convert food waste into compost or water at two hawker centres, expected to be launched next month.

Food accounts for one-tenth of all waste produced in Singapore. About 788,600 tonnes of food were thrown away last year, slightly less than the 796,000 tonnes in 2013, but more than the 606,100 tonnes in 2009. Only 13 per cent of last year's food waste was recycled.

Mr Kavickumar Muruganathan, head of eco-certifications and lead environmental engineer at the Singapore Environment Council, said that while change will take time, the campaign is a good start.

"Greater receptiveness by industries and the public towards providing and accepting food donations would also be a step in the right direction," he said.


Saving money biggest motivation to reduce food wastage: NEA, AVA
AsiaOne 20 Nov 15;

SINGAPORE - Singaporean consumers are mostly motivated by cost savings in a drive to reduce food wastage, a survey found.

A survey commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) collated responses from 1,016 participants.

It found that eight out of ten Singaporean consumers feel bothered when uneaten food is thrown away. Most respondents said that they avoid wasting food if possible in their preparation of meals at home, eating out or catering of food.

Consumers were also more likely to waste food when eating at home compared to dining out because they tend to over-buy. According to the survey, the most common reason given for doing so was to ensure that household members had more than enough to eat.

In its bid to reduce food wastage, NEA will be launching a programme to encourage the public to engage in smart food purchase, storage and preparation habits.

From Nov 23 onwards, posters and educational videos on food wastage will be featured through channels such as digital and mobile media platforms; at bus-stop shelters; in newspapers and on TV.

The press statement added that the public can also access an online handy guide to reducing food wastage, available at www.cgs.sg/FWRToolkit, which provides a wide range of useful tips on how to reduce food wastage at home and when dining out. The handy guide provides suggestions on meal planning, food storage, as well as recipes and innovative ideas on how to use leftover food to create tasty dishes for the family.

NEA will be partnering various food retail businesses such as Cold Storage/Giant, PRIME as well as Community Development Councils (CDCs), grassroots leaders, partners and stakeholders to undertake community-led initiatives related to reducing food wastage.

Mr Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of NEA, said: "The amount of food waste generated in Singapore has seen a 1.5-fold increase in the past 10 years. While we work to reduce food waste disposed of through means such as food waste recycling and redistribution of unsold and excess food, the preferred approach remains that of preventing food wastage in the first place. We encourage everybody to buy only what he needs, or order only what he can finish, and help save the environment and resources by reducing food wastage."

Read more!

Singapore Botanic Gardens set to be bigger, better

The Learning Forest and Jacob Ballas Children's Garden are set to be expanded by 2018.
Olivia Quay Channel NewsAsia 21 Nov 15;

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Botanic Gardens is going to get bigger and better by 2018, with its expansion of the Learning Forest and Jacob Ballas Children's Garden.

Works on these locales are expected to start in 2017, after the National Parks Board (NParks) has called for tenders.

The eight-hectare extension of the Learning Forest will include three new features - the Gallop Arboretum, as well the Forest Conservation Interpretative Centre and Natural History Art Gallery, which will be housed in two black and white colonial bungalows along Gallop Road. The added area will put the Learning Forest at approximately 18 hectares.

When completed, the four-hectare Jacob Ballas Children's Garden will be the largest of its kind in Asia.

Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong marked the event on Saturday (Nov 21) with a community tree planting at the Gallop Arboretum site. It involved residents from Tanjong Pagar and Jalan Besar GRCs, and students from the National University of Singapore and Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

"Our aim in developing the Learning Forest is to get people to learn more about forest ecology by experiencing it, so the trees we have planted today will form part of the future Gallop Arboretum - a living laboratory of trees for education and research," said Mr Wong.

"You will be able to see 200 species of Dipterocarps, also known as forest giants. They are majestic trees that are unique to this region and can grow to 80 metres. That's about the height of a 25-storey HDB flat," he added.

Mr Wong also threw back to the Botanic Garden's recent UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription. "The Gardens received unanimous support from the UNESCO experts, because of its significant contributions to botanical research and conservation, which were deemed to be of outstanding universal value. But we cannot rest on our laurels. Securing the UNESCO World Heritage inscription marks not the end but the start of a journey."

NParks also took this opportunity to launch the 'Singapore Garden Photographer of the Year' coffee table book. Specially produced to commemorate SG50, it features the best photos from all three of NParks' photography competitions. In addition, the book offers photography tips for budding photographers and photo enthusiasts.

- CNA/av


Singapore Botanic Gardens expands in land area
Channel NewsAsia 21 Nov 15;

SINGAPORE — The Singapore Botanic Gardens has been expanded by 8 hectares, bringing its total size to 82 hectares — its largest since the park’s establishment in 1859.

Today (Nov 21), the National Parks Board (NParks) announced a new extension to the Learning Forest, situated along Gallop Road. The new extension will include three features — the Gallop Arboretum, Forest Conservation Interpretative Centre and Natural History Art Gallery — and will bring the total land area of the Learning Forest to about 18 hectares.

An NParks statement said that the extension will provide more opportunities for visitors to understand forest ecology, while showcasing the Gardens’ botanical art collection.

Meanwhile, the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden will double its current size to 4 hectares. This expansion has already been factored in to the 82 hectares calculation.

NParks said the 2-hectare extension at the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden will include attractions geared towards children up to 14 years old, educating them on a range of eco-systems such as rainforest and marsh habitats. There will also be a farm there.

The new extensions at the Learning Forest and Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden will be open to the public by 2018.


Botanic Gardens to keep on growing
Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times AsiaOne 22 Nov 15;

The country's only Unesco World Heritage Site is set to become bigger than ever, and it is not all about size.

The new 8ha being added to the Singapore Botanic Gardens will help preserve the country's colonial past, and provide a platform to showcase the park's ecological work.

There will also be a living laboratory of giant trees, along with a Natural History Art Gallery to display the Gardens' botanical art collection, the largest in Asia, and those of artists both local and foreign.

All these will be ready by 2018, the National Parks Board (NParks) announced yesterday.

Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong stressed the need for the Gardens to not rest on its laurels after clinching the Unesco World Heritage status in July.

"We want it to break new grounds in horticultural research and conservation," he said. "We want it to be a place close to every Singaporean's heart, and we want to continue growing it for our future generations and for the entire world to enjoy."

The 8ha, approximately the size of eight football fields, is being added to the Gardens' Learning Forest, a previous 10ha extension to enhance the Gardens' role as a place of learning. The Forest will now occupy 18ha and bring the total area of the Botanic Gardens from 74ha to 82ha, almost four times its original size in 1859.

The extension will include a Forest Conservation Interpretive Centre and the Natural History Art Gallery, which will be housed in colonial buildings more than a century old. The houses were designed by R.A.J. Bidwell, the architect behind Raffles Hotel.

The conservation centre will be at No. 5 Gallop Road - the earliest known black-and-white colonial bungalow in Singapore. Its neigh-

bour at No. 7 will be refurbished as the gallery.

"Through these, we hope that future visitors will be inspired to participate in the Gardens' conservation work and citizen science projects," said Mr Wong.

There will also be a 4ha Gallop Arboretum, which will include 200 species of forest giants, scientifically known as Dipterocarps, which can grow up to 80m, the height of a 25-storey Housing Board block.

Dipterocarps are iconic to the Indo-Malayan rainforests, but have seen their population decrease over the years due to illegal logging and deforestation. The public will be able to explore the area on elevated platforms as well.

Mr Wong, together with more than 120 students, residents and community gardening group members, yesterday planted 100 trees at the site. They included the Meranti Tembaga tree, a vulnerable Dipterocarp species important to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

"These trees can't be conserved in a seed bank, so we actually have to plant living trees and keep them alive for these species to survive," said Botanic Gardens director Nigel Taylor. "Today, we planted the beginning of this arboretum which will grow in size as the years go by."

In the future, the public may even see these trees in Singapore's urban landscape.

Mr Wong said: "Planting them in urban areas will conserve a wider genetic diversity of species, complementing the conservation of our forests. This is timely as regional forests are disappearing rapidly."

Read more!