Prices of abalone set to increase up to 10% this CNY

AsiaOne 4 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE - More restaurants in Singapore are selling abalone in place of raw fish amid current freshwater fish scares.

A report by Shin Min Daily News stated that this comes after the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore and National Environment Agency banned freshwater fish from ready-to-eat raw fish dishes.

With Chinese New Year just a month away, many restaurants have also decided to make this switch in order not to lose their customers.

This move will see prices of abalone increase from 5 to 10 per cent as compared to last year's figures, according to Mr Cai, chairman of Victoria Wholesale Centre.

Mr Cai added that the sale of canned abalone, especially those imported from Australia, has gone down by 5 to 10 per cent when compared with last year.

On the contrary, a representative from wholesaler Wang Li Xing, Mr Chen, told Shin Min that prices of canned abalone have risen from 10 to 12 percent during this Chinese New Year season.

He added that another dish that can be used to replace raw fish is shark's fin.

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Study by Singapore, US and Indonesia may help manta ray conservation

Audrey Tan, Straits Times AsiaOne 5 Jan 16;

Scuba divers who often flock to neighbouring countries to dive could, in the future, encounter more manta rays - the gentle giants of the sea - in Indonesian waters.

This is because new research by scientists from Singapore, the United States and Indonesia has uncovered information about them that could help in their conservation.

One important discovery was that the manta rays drawing tourists to popular dive sites - such as Bali and Nusa Penida - travel regularly to other parts of Indonesia, where they are hunted for their meat and gill rakers.

The latter are used in traditional Chinese medicine despite the lack of evidence of their efficacy. This puts at risk Indonesia's manta tourism industry, estimated by authorities there to be worth US$15 million (S$21.2 million) each year.

A paper in the science journal PLOS One in 2013 noted that one manta ray is worth US$1 million in tourism value over its lifetime, compared with US$40 to US$500 if it is hunted and sold for its body parts.

Dr Mark Erdmann, vice-president of Asia Pacific Marine Programmes for the US-based nature group Conservation International (CI), said: "The data has now been shared with the Indonesian government to inform better management and conservation policy and provide even stronger justification to stop the unsustainable hunting.

"(This is) not only for the mantas but also for the benefit of the thousands of Indonesians who depend on manta ray tourism for their livelihoods."

He led the research team, which included staff from CI, Resorts World Sentosa's SEA Aquarium in Singapore, the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries' elasmobranch (sharks and rays) conservation initiative, and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

They tagged 33 manta rays with GPS-enabled satellite tags in four regions of Indonesia - Bali, Raja Ampat, East Kalimantan and the Komodo National Park - where these animals gather in large numbers.

They then tracked the movements and behaviour of the rays over a 10-month period starting from September 2014.

The study also uncovered a manta ray nursery in Raja Ampat - the first in South-east Asia.

Juvenile manta rays in the nursery were observed to occasionally venture out of the lagoon, although they eventually return to it.

This finding has already led to a direct conservation action.

The Raja Ampat Marine Protected Area Authority is expected to curtail speedboat use in the nursery.

This will prevent injury and disturbance to the baby manta rays, which tend to stay near the surface and are at risk of propeller strikes from speedboats.

Professor Hari Eko Irianto, director of the Centre for Fisheries Research and Development of the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, said the project has provided insights that will help Indonesia flourish as an ecotourism destination.

He added: "We are now certain that manta rays migrate across hunting grounds and can increase enforcement in those areas accordingly.

"Through collaborating with local authorities and NGOs, including CI, we plan to undertake continuous monitoring and surveillance to protect mantas, especially juveniles and pregnant females, and their habitats."

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Making sustainable palm oil a reality

KAVICKUMAR MURUGANATHAN Today Online 5 Jan 16;

Palm oil is cheap to produce and a versatile ingredient in many household products. It is in chocolate, cosmetics and even in soap. The growing demand for this ubiquitous ingredient is putting pressure on our tropical rainforests and contributing to climate change.

The expansion of oil palm plantations has been the leading cause of deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia, two of the top producers of palm oil in the world. Cutting and burning these forests result in the loss of wildlife habitats, and can affect the cultural identities of communities that have for decades depended on the rainforests.

The process also increases the severity of haze in the South-east Asian region. However, palm oil as an agricultural commodity can be sustainable. Compared to other vegetable oil sources, palm oil plantations produce higher yields from less land and require far less fertilisers and pesticides. Consumers should, therefore, not boycott palm oil but demand its sustainability, as replacing it means having to use more land, thereby compounding deforestation.

Companies will be the key drivers of a sustainable palm oil industry, and leadership from businesses is crucial. There are some encouraging developments over the past few years in the private sector. Companies representing about 60 per cent of the global palm oil production have pledged to eliminate palm oil-related deforestation from their supply chains. These firms range from major suppliers such as Cargill to consumer goods companies such as Unilever.

As consumers, it is also paramount that we demand transparency from the whole supply chain. Supply chains remain opaque and consumers often have little way of finding out the palm oil content in the products they purchase. Companies can build and improve their trustworthiness by being able to trace the palm oil they use to plantations that meet credible standards. The recent announcement by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to make publicly available the concession maps of its members is a step in the right direction in creating transparency in the supply chain.

Sharing best practices in sustainable land use amongst commercial plantations and developing innovative solutions to maximise yield would be extremely important to push forward the sustainable palm oil agenda. With smart collaborations, groups with different perspectives can find common ground and turn a rapidly growing industry into a successful model for sustainable development.

Responsible sourcing will earn a brand the priceless but intangible trust and respect of its customers. Ensuring that social and economic development do not come at the expense of irreversible deforestation is one of the great challenges which businesses must be held accountable to. The risk of inaction may seem insignificant now, but if brands are to grow, they have to be proactive rather than reactive.

The Asian markets will shape the global palm oil industry, with Indonesia and Malaysia alone producing about 85 per cent of the world’s palm oil. When consumers in Asia demand certified sustainable palm oil products, more brands will seek to certify with RSPO.

Smallholders who manage a significant amount of palm oil land have a role to play, too. In Malaysia, smallholder farms cover about 38 per cent of the total area of oil palm cultivation. With their average annual yield of 17 tonnes of palm oil per hectare, including them as a key piece in the puzzle will help to balance economic growth with healthy forests.

Looking at the bigger picture, there are an estimated 3 million palm oil smallholders worldwide who contribute to 40 per cent of total global production. Smallholders face many challenges. They lack knowledge about good agricultural practices and have difficulty in gaining market access.

Due to their smaller plot sizes, smallholders are less efficient than other producers, with their yields much lower than those of commercial plantations. Hence, it is imperative that smallholders are able to participate in national supply chains if sustainable palm oil is to become the norm.

In some producer countries where deforestation is not illegal, regulatory reform is required. Transforming the RSPO Principles and Criteria into law is a good start to put a framework in place. Several countries such as Columbia and Gabon have taken the initiative to come up with national interpretations of RSPO Principles and Criteria for use in local context.

However, teething issues such as cultural differences and the establishment of minimum wages for workers do exist and hinder interpretation processes. At the same time, some countries such as Belgium and Denmark have gone the extra mile by making national commitments to use fully certified sustainable palm oil.

Governments can work on developing scientific tools, financial incentives, and policy and regulatory measures to help shift palm oil production to already degraded lands. Companies would have to compensate for forest lands they have damaged and undertake efforts for the conservation and restoration of areas that have high quantities of carbon stored within them and are of ecological and cultural significance. The renouncement of peat clearance for new plantations and support for independent smallholders would be equally important.

Countries can take a leaf out of the books of the European Union, which has mandated that retailers identify specific vegetable oils on food labels. Palm oil has often been hidden as generic vegetable oil and other misleading synonyms on food labels.

And while it is commendable to see a host of celebrities coming together to address palm oil-linked deforestation, the next crucial step would be for the world at large to send a message to retailers, suppliers and organisations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kavickumar Muruganathan is head of eco-certifications and lead environmental engineer at the Singapore Environment Council.

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Indonesia: Government aims to establish 500,000 ha of community forests by 2017

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post 4 Jan 16;

The West Sumatra provincial administration has expressed optimism that it can complete a plan to hand over the management of 500,000 hectares of protected forests to local communities by next year despite the relatively slow progress of the policy, which was initiated in 2012.

West Sumatra Forestry Agency head Hendri Octavia said that three years after the launch of the program, the local administration had been able to introduce community-based forest management for 43,821 ha of forest land, only 19 percent of the designated target.

To meet the full target, Hendri said his agency aimed to complete the establishment of at least 200,000 ha of community-run forests this year and another 200,000 ha next year.

“In 2016, we will deploy 60 field officers assigned with completing the establishment of community-based forest management in at least two locations per year. We are optimistic the target will be met,” Hendri said at a recent media conference.

West Sumatra has 4.3 million ha of forests, with 962,000 ha of them protected forests that have the potential to be converted into production forests under the management of local communities.

In 2012, West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno pledged that his administration would facilitate the conversion of 500,000 ha of protected forests into nagari (village) forests, social forests and community plantation forests (HTRs).

In August 2014, then forestry minister Zulkifli Hasan, for example, officially handed over letters of instruction on the allocation of nagari production forests to four villages in the province, covering a total area of 18,985 ha.

Three of the four villages are located in Solok regency, namely Nagari Sirukam, Nagari Sungai Abu and Nagari Sariak Alahan Tigo. The other village, Nagari Paru, is located in Sijunjung regency.

The latest Environment and Forestry Ministry data, however, shows that between 2012 and 2015, only 32,788 ha were officially declared village forests, 4,098 ha as social forests and 6,935 ha as HTRs.

At least 50,000 ha of forest land is currently awaiting for approval from both local and central government to be administered under local community-based forest management schemes.

“We have a commitment to establish community forests. However, our forest area is vast while at the same time we have a limited number of field officers to implement the policy,” Hendri said.

Indonesian Conservation Community (KKI Warsi) director Diki Kurniawan, meanwhile, urged the local administration to speed up the establishment of community forests in the province, arguing that the policy would better protect forests from various threats, particularly forest fires and illegal logging.

“The management of [community] forests rely on local customs. This is partly the reason West Sumatra did not see extensive forest fires last year,” he said.

Last year, many provinces, such as Riau, Jambi, North Sumatra, South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan, struggled for several months to cope with the impacts of smoke from both man-made and natural land and forest fires in their respective and neighboring areas.

The disaster was also exacerbated by last year’s long dry season triggered by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

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Indonesia: Govt to merge antipoaching taskforce, combat unit

Tama Salim, The Jakarta Post 4 Jan 16;

The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has started to wind down the operation of its illegal fishing prevention task force, incorporating it into a newer combat task force to ensure the continuity of government efforts against rampant poaching in Indonesian waters.

According to prevention task force head Mas Achmad Santosa, the unit’s previous functions will be merged with those of the Presidential Task Force on Combating Illegal Fishing, effectively nixing any concerns of an overlap in authority.

“The work of the prevention task force will be carried over to [the new task force], but since they are more focused on [law enforcement], we will help out with data collection and vessel monitoring,” Achmad said on Wednesday.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo formally established the combat task force by issuing Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 115/2015 on Oct. 19.

The presidential task force aims to optimize the use of existing personnel and operational facilities from various institutions — including the navy, the National Police, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the Maritime Security Board (Bakamla) — to eradicate illegal fishing in the country.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti leads the presidential task force in consultation with the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Ministry and the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Ministry.

Since its inception early this year, Achmad’s prevention task force has played a large part in mapping out the challenges of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

One of its main functions was to conduct the ANEV, a compliance audit on 1,132 foreign-built fishing vessels, to coincide with a temporary ban on license issuance. As a result of the audit, the ministry has revoked 15 business permits and 276 operational permits and frozen 61 others.

The latest monitoring data show that 409 vessels that were subject to the audit have now left the country.

“Going forward [with the new task force], it is important that security at the level of the port authorities is strengthened. We’re aware that the ships that fled may still be used for illicit operations abroad,” Achmad explained.

The former anticorruption activist said his task force had initiated a blacklist for serious offenders, which will be shared with Interpol, among other entities.

With information gleaned from the audit, Achmad said the task force had proceeded to identify loopholes in existing regulations and provide constructive policy recommendations and a roadmap for good governance in the sector.

The audit also helped the task force uncover eight forms of fisheries-related crimes, including tax evasion, money laundering, forced labor, human trafficking and contraband smuggling.

The task force was additionally tasked with vessel movement and tracking-system assessment, as well as monitoring the progress of ongoing cases and trials across the country.

Navy deputy chief of staff Rear Admiral Widodo, who oversees the presidential task force’s day-to-day operations, said on Monday that the team would continue to investigate possible signs of foul play by fisheries businesses.

“We’ve found issues with unaccountable business permits, unreported catches [...] and export activities that fall short of the requirements,” Widodo said in Jakarta.

The flag officer said that the ministry would focus on guarding the Arafura Sea, North Halmahera and Natuna, three areas among the most vulnerable to poaching.

“In 2016, the first thing we will do is focus on the Arafura Sea, the Halmahera region bordering the Pacific Ocean and Natuna waters. These places are the focus of our operations and are well-known for poaching,” Widodo said.

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Malaysia: Ballast Water Convention

Keeping aquatic riders at bay
The Star 5 Jan 16;

AROUND 20 years ago, zebra mussels from eastern Europe arrived at the Great Lakes region of the United States via ship ballast. Since then, they have disrupted the food chain there by voraciously feeding on existing food.

The zebra mussels attach themselves to native mussels, causing the latter to be exposed to diseases and parasites. They have also colonised hard surfaces, causing damage to power and water treatment plants, boats, docks, break walls, and engines. Their ability to accumulate up to 300,000 times the amount of pollutants in their tissues causes the toxins to be passed up the food chain, which includes food normally consumed by humans. From the Great Lakes, the mussels have spread to other bodies of water in North America.

Millions of gallons of ballast water from ships are pumped into and discharged by ships all over the world daily as part of the system that stabilises ships. Water taken from one region contains aquatic hitchhikers such as the zebra mussel. When the water is discharged in another region, the hitchhikers find a new home. These organisms could flourish and become invasive or harmful to the native inhabitants, including humans, of the new environment.

In Malaysia, microalgae that caused paralytic shellfish poisoning in Sabah has found its way, likely through ships’ ballast, to peninsular Malaysia. A strain of cholera formerly found only in Bangladesh had spread via ship ballast to South America in 1991, affecting more than a million people and causing the death of more than 10,000.

Invasive alien species are a threat to biodiversity in Malaysia and affect food security. Steps are being taken to regulate ballast water uptake and discharge to minimise the transfer of unwanted organisms through shipping. The 2004 International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) introduces management tools to address the problem of translocation of invasive alien species via shipping.

The BWM Convention requires all ships over 400GT having keels laid after the convention comes into force to include a type-approved ballast water treatment system that will meet performance standards specified in its Regulation D-2. A time frame has also been set for existing ships over 400GT to adhere to the ruling and to, in the interim, conduct ballast water exchanges in the manner approved by the convention. This applies to ships from, and those entering, Flag States that have ratified the convention. Limited exceptions and exemptions are available.

Malaysia ratified the BWM Convention in 2010 and has been enforcing it in Malaysian waters since 2011 in accordance with the International Maritime Organisation’s implementation schedule. The Marine Department of Malaysia is the focal agency implementing the convention and has, since 2012, in collaboration with universities, port authorities, and port operators, undertaken port baseline studies to establish a marine environment and resources profile in selected ports.

While the BWM Convention contributes towards the protection of Malaysia’s marine environment and resources through reduction of environmental liabilities, it has significant cost implications for shipowners and the maritime administration. As such, a national ballast water management strategy and action plan is being developed by the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (Mima) to facilitate shipowners’ compliance with the convention requirements. Pending the outcome of a ballast water risk assessment, the maritime administration may consider granting exemptions to ships operating exclusively between specified ports and locations. Alternatives, such as discharge to shore ballast water reception facilities or discharge to reception barges, are also being considered.

It is also recognised that the BWM Convention offers new business opportunities for maritime ancillary services industries such as ship builders, ship repairers, equipment manufacturers, ship management services, and training institutions. The national ballast water management strategy will also evaluate how the national R&D strategy can be used to develop home-grown technologies for ballast water treatment systems.

Among Asean member states, only Malaysia and Indonesia have ratified the BWM Convention as of 2015. A regional strategic action plan is being formulated to provide a platform for consultation and exchange of information among stakeholders and to promote regional cooperation and capacity-building activities that will enable the region to benefit from the convention.

Any consideration to exempt ships trading exclusively within Asean must be supported by careful studies, taking into account Malaysia’s interests including opportunities for local shipowners. The BWM Convention is expected to come into force by 2017. As such, there is some urgency to put in place an action plan, both within Malaysia and the Asean region, to implement and facilitate industry compliance with its requirements.

While this could mean extra costs especially to shipowners, it also provides new opportunities for local players. The country’s commitments to other international obligations such as those relating to biological diversity would be better served with this convention being implemented and enforced.

AMY AAI and MAOK LAY YONG

Maritime Institute of Malaysia

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Best of our wild blogs: 4 Jan 16

51 photographs taken in Singapore that will take you away from Singapore
The Long and Winding Road

Life History of the White Tipped Skipper
Butterflies of Singapore

macaque family chasing python @ SBWR-Dec2015
sgbeachbum

red wattled lapwings & chick @ singapore - 03Jan2016
sgbeachbum

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Going far beyond the bare bones of fish farming

Temasek Poly's one-day course on fish nutrition equips employee with ability to make better decisions at work
Aw Cheng Wei Straits Times 4 Jan 16;

Before Bangladeshi national Shariful Islam took up a day course on fish nutrition at Temasek Polytechnic (TP) two years ago, he could not make better decisions at work.

"Whenever a fish dies or falls sick, my job was to tell the supervisor and he will tell me what to do," said the 31-year-old exporter with local fish farm Apollo Aquaculture.

He started out with no experience in fish farming when he came to Singapore eight years ago, after his family could no longer afford his university education.

But he now knows how to do his job better after completing the course with four colleagues.

"I know how to cut open the fish when they die to see what they died from, bacteria or parasite," he said.

He also began prescribing better feed - a combination of pellets and live fish - instead of just the latter, to the fish. "They grow better," he said. "I also learnt how much I should feed the fish to get the most meat out of them."

He showed so much improvement at his job that his boss, Mr Eric Ng, decided to send four other employees to do a Diploma in Applied Science (Aquaculture) at TP. They graduated last year.

The 42-year-old chief executive said: "We are expanding, and are starting to rear the fish when they are still in their fry or larva stages... It's very delicate work."

The one-day course at TP, which teaches students about the dietary requirement of fishes, costs $214.

SkillsFuture Credit can be used for this course; five baskets of modules make up a diploma programme, covering subjects such as fish anatomy, aquatic ecosystems and fish diseases.

To get a certificate at the end of each modular course, students have to attend three classes a week for six months. For each course, a student pays between $189.54 and $751.14, depending on the level of government subsidies he qualifies for. These are given to citizens and older workers, among others.

The one-day course is for anyone, regardless of industry experience, said Dr Diana Chan, course manager at TP's School of Applied Sciences. She said: "Aquariums are a growing pastime among Singaporeans... They want to know more about proper nutrition, feeding practices and types of feed."

The labour crunch is tight enough for Mr Ng to consider hiring anyone who has completed the one-day course. He said: "It's a very niche field, and we need people who have the knowledge and skills."

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Haze disrupted trips, but not all insurers pay out

Audrey Tan, My Paper AsiaOne 4 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE - The haze that blanketed Singapore and the region last year was the worst on record.

Plumes of smoke from the forest fires in Indonesia spread as far as the Philippines, causing health problems, school closures and flight cancellations.

Some travellers who faced trip disruptions due to the haze have found that they cannot make claims from their travel insurance policies.

This is because some insurers, such as the Ace Group and MSIG Insurance (Singapore), do not consider the haze a natural phenomenon.

Yeo Aik Siang, 33, was stranded in Langkawi for two days in October last year after a five-day holiday with a friend.

What was meant to be an 85-minute flight back to Singapore eventually turned into a 41-hour trip involving two cancelled flights, a three-hour ferry ride and a 10-hour bus journey.

But Mr Yeo, who works in the insurance industry, was told by MSIG Insurance (Singapore) that he could not be compensated as the cause of his delays was man-made rather than an adverse weather condition.

However, his travel companion Mark Ho, 33, who works in the oil and gas industry, received a $300 payout from insurer Aviva.

A spokesman for MSIG told The Straits Times that "adverse weather conditions" refer to natural ones.

She said: "MSIG takes the view that the recent haze phenomenon, which was created in Indonesia, is principally a man-made event and should not be construed as a common weather phenomenon."

This is the same for the Ace Group, which did not reimburse travellers for flight cancellations or delays due to the haze.

But its vice-president and head of travel in Asia Pacific, Jon Ford, said its travel insurance policies would provide medical coverage to a person who develops a haze-related health issue while travelling.

Other insurers such as NTUC Income have tweaked their policies to allow travellers to make claims for flight cancellation due to the haze. NTUC Income did so in 2014.

Said the insurer's senior manager of personal lines Annie Chua: "The haze situation deteriorated in recent years.

"This affected flight schedules as flights were grounded due to poor visibility. We recognise that the haze may return again, which is why NTUC Income expanded its trip cancellation, trip postponement and travel delay coverage to include haze-related claims."

Derek Teo, executive director of the General Insurance Association, said that the association does not comment on an insurer's product features, exclusions and special conditions.

This is partly because key product features or extended coverage are factored in the price and could vary from one insurer to another.

Instead, he advised consumers to seek guidance from insurers' websites or from insurance intermediaries on the key product features and major exclusions for travel insurance.

He said: "We do not go into specific uninsured perils like the haze. Cover would usually apply to damage or loss arising from unforeseen natural disasters, for example, a bush fire, flood, earthquake and tsunami."

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Planting ideas: What will a cleaner, greener, smarter Singapore look like?

Two large terrariums which represent what Singapore can be in the future will be part of an exhibition to be held at Gardens by the Bay, as part of the SGfuture engagement series.

Channel NewsAsia 4 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE: An exhibition in the Marketplace at Gardens by the Bay will be held in conjunction with a series of engagements titled "A Cleaner, Greener and Smarter Home", the National Parks Board announced on Monday (Jan 4).

Set to take place from Jan 4 to 31, the exhibition will feature a pop-up park and interactive elements to show off NParks' efforts to create a more livable Singapore, and display what a cleaner, greener and smarter home for Singaporeans can look like.

The series of engagements is held as part of SGfuture conversations, and this track will be led by the Ministry of National Development, together with the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Ministry of Communications and Information, Ministry of Transport and their family of agencies, said NParks.

As part of the engagements, a closed-door symposium will be held on Jan 7, followed by a series of dialogues with members of the public.

"Through these dialogues, we hope to gather ideas on how Singaporeans can play a bigger role in creating a more liveable and sustainable future and inspire them to drive projects and take tangible actions to realise their hopes, dreams and aspirations," said NParks.

EXHIBITION TO FEATURE TWO TERRARIUMS

One highlight of the exhibition is two large terrariums - each measuring 2m long, 1.2m wide and 0.6m high - which aim to "embody what our City in a Garden is and can be in the future", said NParks.

"With a number of different elements intricately put together, the terrariums are meant to illustrate a closely integrated environment that is sustainable, diverse and innovative," added NParks. "It also serves as a reminder that the evolution of Singapore towards SG100 requires balanced care for our communities, environment and economy.

The first terrarium will showcase the evolution of Singapore's living environment, and the second will showcase the evolution of Singapore's workplace from past to future, while both terrariums will "highlight the importance of play and recreation amid rapid urbanisation, using cut-outs to illustrate elements of our buildings, parks and park connectors", it said.

TERRARIUM 1 "SHOWCASES EVOLUTION OF OUR LIVING ENVIRONMENT"

The first terrarium will feature more than 30 aquatic and terrestrial plant species, including rare species like the Dragon-Tail Plant and the Keladi Rimau, and will display Singapore's cityscape past, present and future.

This will include old kampongs and swamps, present-day residential buildings such as The Pinnacle@Duxton, and edge-lit acrylic cut-outs of futuristic buildings. More than 30 species of terrestrial and aquatic plants were used in the creation of the terrarium.

For the terrarium, an aquarium chiller was installed to regulate the temperature, as the rare and native plants require high humidity and special conditions for growth.

"Innovative selection of media, suitable light conditions and temperature that required the installation of an aquarium chiller were created in the terrariums to allow these plants to be in an environment similar to their origin," NParks said.

TERRARIUM 2 "SHOWCASES SINGAPORE'S URBAN, WORK ENVIRONMENT"

The second terrarium will feature more than 15 species of uncommon orchids to "create a tiered landscape that will showcase Singapore’s urban and work environment of the past, present and future, symbolising our journey from a Garden City to a City in a Garden", said NParks.

The species of orchids include the Paphiopedilum villosum - a cool-growing species from Myanmar, and the Stenorrhynchos speciosum - a cool-growing terrestrial orchid from South America that grows at elevations of 1,200m to 3,000m.

Old buildings such as shop houses, present iconic landmarks such as Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Flyer, as well as edge-lit acrylic cutouts of futuristic buildings, will also be shown.

- CNA/av


Living displays trace city's growth
Tiffany Fumiko Tay, The Straits Times AsiaOne 4 Jan 16;

Six-year-old Kyle Chong plays with a balloon as he runs past one of the two large terrariums on display in the Marketplace, part of the ongoing Future of Us exhibition at Gardens by the Bay.

Two terrariums showcasing how Singapore has evolved into a "city in a garden" will be on display at Gardens by the Bay today.

They are part of the ongoing Future of Us exhibition, which envisions what daily life in Singapore will be like in the years to come.

Contributed by the National Parks Board (NParks), the displays measure 2m long, 1.2m wide and 0.6m high, and use more than 45 species of terrestrial and aquatic plants to create tiered landscapes that show the nation's past, present and future.

One aims to capture the evolution of Singapore's cityscape and living environment. It features old kampungs and swamps, present-day residential buildings, such as The Pinnacle@Duxton, and acrylic cut-outs of futuristic buildings. Some 30 species of terrestrial and aquatic plants were used in its creation, many of which are rare and native to forests here.

The other focuses on Singapore's urban and work environment, and features old buildings such as shophouses as well as iconic landmarks such as Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Flyer. More than 15 species of rare orchids were used in its creation.

The terrariums are part of a new exhibition that will accompany this month's SGfuture dialogue series, titled " A Cleaner, Greener and Smarter Home". The government-led series, which kicks off on Thursday, aims to gather ideas on how Singaporeans can play a bigger role in creating a more liveable and sustainable future.

The free exhibition will be on display from today until Jan 31 at the Marketplace at Gardens by the Bay.

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Indonesia: Hackers Strike District Court Website After Not Guilty Verdict in Forest Fire Case

Nivell Rayda Jakarta Globe 3 Jan 16;

Jakarta. The website for a South Sumatra district court has reportedly been hacked, days after issuing a not guilty verdict against one of the plantation companies accused of slash-and-burn practices that destroyed two million hectares of forests and caused debilitating haze.

The Palembang District Court has been criticized for ruling in favor of Bumi Mekar Hijau last week, dismissing accusations made by the Ministry of Forestry and Environment that it purposely burned forests in its own concession area to make way for oil palms during the 2014 drought season.

The same company was also accused of the same practices during last year's forest fires, which resulted in choking haze that for months affected hundreds of thousands of people in Kalimantan, Sumatra and neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.

The case for this year's slash-and-burn practices against the company has not been brought to trial.

The court's website was inaccessible on Sunday with a note saying that it is “under maintenance” on its homepage.

Hours before the website went down, hackers replaced the site's content with criticisms of the ruling.

The hackers, claiming to be victims of the haze, wrote they are “gravely disappointed at the judges' decision to reject the government's civil lawsuit against a company burning down the forest.”

“Perhaps it is I who doesn't understand the law, but I truly understand what it feels to breath amid a choking haze. My breath was taken away once more when I heard the decisions made by the judges,” the hackers wrote.

The government had demanded the company pay a fine of Rp 2.6 trillion ($187.9 million) as well as conduct an environmental restoration on the damages done during the 2014 forest fires, worth another Rp 5.2 trillion.

The court, presided over by judge Parlas Nababan, however said the government failed to prove the company was directly responsible for the fire.

The court also dismissed claims of environmental damage done in the company's concession area, pointing to a testimony of an expert brought in by BMH that the area “can still be replanted by trees.”

The government is appealing the decision, the ministry's director general for enforcement Rasio Ridho Sani told Tempo on Sunday.

“We will appeal to protect the rights of people affected by the haze disaster and fulfill their demand for justice,” he said.

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Severe cyclone takes aim at Tonga

Severe tropical cyclone Ula was bearing down on the tiny Pacific kingdom of Tonga Saturday with the government warning it had the potential to damage property, crops and infrastructure.
Channel NewsAsia 2 Jan 16;

NUKU'ALOFA: Tonga declared a pre-emptive state of emergency on Saturday (Jan 2) as severe tropical cyclone Ula hit the tiny Pacific kingdom.

Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva took the precautionary action because "an emergency is happening or is about to happen" with winds up to 150 kilometres per hour (93 miles per hour) and rising sea levels.

"It is necessary for the emergency powers to be exercised in order to prevent or minimise the loss of human life, illness or injury, property loss or damage and damage to the environment," he said.

Late Saturday morning, the category three storm was passing near the northern island of Vava'u where there were reports of damage to crops and houses.

Ula has the potential "to cause major property damage, significant infrastructure and crop damage, local power failure and there is a high risk of injuries from a category three cyclone," the official Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre said in an advisory.

It warned of "very destructive winds" with "very high to phenomenal seas" causing flooding in low-lying areas.

The cyclone is expected to weaken Sunday as it heads towards Fiji.

A year ago Tonga was hit by Cyclone Ian which left one person dead, 4,000 homeless and destroyed crops on outlying islands.

- AFP/ec

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