Indonesia: Plantation executive on trial for fires

Jakarta Post 20 May 16;

Prosecutors have demanded two years’ prison for Frans Katihokang, the operations manager of oil palm plantation company PT Langgam Inti Hibrindo ( PT LIH ), for his alleged involvement in lighting forest fires in Langgam district in Pelalawan, Riau.

Pangkalan Kerinci prosecutor Novri said the defendant had failed to properly mitigate the fires that later razed half of the company’s 533 hectares of plantations.

“The defendant violated Article 99 and Article 115 of the Environmental Management and Protection Law,” he said at a hearing at the Pangkalan Kerinci District Court.

The fire razed Frans’ company’s plantation, which stands on peatland, on July 27, 2015, allegedly because of a lack of firefighting equipment in the area. The fire was tamed four days later after a team of firemen came from another village. “As part of the company’s top management, Frans had the ability to ensure there was firefighting equipment on site,” he said.

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Indonesia: Haze and New Paradigm Needed for Ties With Singapore

Jakarta Globe 20 May 16;

Tensions between Indonesia and Singapore are simmering as a kerfuffle is developing over the decision by a Singaporean court to grant a warrant to the National Environment Agency (NEA) for an Indonesian businessman suspected of involvement in last year's forest fires. The warrant was obtained after the businessman, whose identity remains hidden, failed to turn up for an interview with the Singaporean authorities while he was in the city-state.

The saga took an interesting twist as Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied its counterpart's repeated claims that a formal complaint against the warrant had been lodged by the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore.

The reason for Indonesia's umbrage remains unclear, although implicit in the protest was the notion that Singapore had tried to force Indonesia's hand in acting against responsible parties for last year's environmental disaster, which saw much of South East Asia engulfed in a haze. Jakarta's reaction suggests that it deemed Singapore to have overstepped its scope of action. By contrast, Singapore's NEA felt that it had every right to prosecute those deemed responsible, based on the 2014 Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

To be fair, Singapore's move was both logical and laudable. However, it was an inadvertent slap in the face for the Indonesian government. Chiefly, politicians in Jakarta were worried that, if successfully pulled off, it was bound to be seen by the public as a derogation of sovereignty: that an Indonesian national could be arrested and even tried in a foreign country.

The swift action was also an embarrassing reminder of Jakarta's own unmistakable sluggishness in bringing the forest fire perpetrators to justice as a deterrent. Although the Indonesian police did arrest several company executives suspected of wrongdoing last year, no tangible progress has been made with regard to their prosecution so far. A lack of transparency has also marred the process, with Jakarta seemingly intent on protecting the identities of the companies suspected of setting fire to the forests, or negligence in preventing forest fires, in their respective concessions.

Singapore's foreign ministry has understandably described Indonesia's reaction as "puzzling." To any outsider, this view probably holds sway, too. Yet the majority of Indonesians would really see Singapore's action as an insult.

The main problem here is that post-Suharto Indonesia is still grappling with how to deal and interact with the Singapore of today.

Most Indonesians probably admire the city-state for its efficient bureaucracy, cleanliness and overall orderliness, which are the opposite of how things are in Indonesia. Our middle class still like to shop in Singapore for luxury goods and, given the choice, most of them, when ill, would rather be treated in Singapore than at home.

Yet for a resource-oriented nation like Indonesia, it is difficult to understand Singapore's economic success fully, especially as the latter lacks natural resources. The "resource" mentality is after all part of the national myth in Indonesia, with every student taught from an early age how "resource-rich" Indonesia ought to make the country prosperous and how this makes it the envy of the world, even the target for colonial agenda in the past and neo-colonial exploitation subsequently. It rarely occurs to most of us that today's advanced economies have gone beyond the exploitation of natural resources and the production of goods as their mainstay in prosperity.

The green-eyed monster is now quite real in the way many Indonesians see Singapore. Coupled with the firmly held belief that many of Indonesia's super rich park their funds there, it has been conveniently cast as a "foreign" scapegoat for Indonesia's own failures, even among the educated classes. Singapore is often portrayed as a pushy and cunning little neighbor who takes advantage of Indonesia's good and gullible nature.

However, many of the accusations against Singapore widely circulated in the Indonesian press could hardly pass the litmus test. For example, the "revelation" by former Air Force chief Chappy Hakim that the airspace above Riau islands falls under Singapore's Flight Information Region (FIR) – while factually true – neglects to mention that FIRs overlapping national boundaries are more common than he would allow.

Conveniently forgotten is also the fact that Indonesia manages the FIRs for both Timor Leste, a sovereign state in its own right, and Christmas Island, a territory belonging to Australia. The Indonesian press hardly informs the public that revenues derived from managing airspace above Riau are annually remitted by Singapore to the Indonesian government. Instead the issues of national pride and "unjust" benefits for Singapore at Indonesia's expense are exaggerated ad nauseam.

It is high time that we cultivated a new mindset in dealing with Singapore. The Suharto-era self-imposed view that Indonesia must necessarily act as Southeast Asia's "big brother" is no longer relevant in today's geopolitical realities. Former President B.J. Habibie's jibe at Singapore being a "little red dot" has also gone sour as Singaporeans appropriated the insult as a badge of pride.

In many ways, the consoling myth of Indonesia as "big brother" to the rest of Southeast Asia has been a source of great complacency for us. Rather than chastising us into bettering ourselves, it has lulled us. Isn't it time for us to wake up?

Johannes Nugroho is a writer from Surabaya.

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Thailand: About 70 per cent of reefs near Trang are hit by bleaching; giant clams to be moved

The Nation 21 May 16;

Serious coral bleaching has been found in Trang. Up to 70 per cent of coral reefs have been affected, so local officials have pledged to take action by closing all diving spots in the province.

Hat Chao Mai Marine National Park chief Manote Wongsureerat said an inspection of reefs within the park on Tuesday with a team from Chulalongkorn University's Veterinary Medical Aquatic Animal Research Centre revealed around 70 per cent of coral near Koh Mook was bleached.

The team said the temperature of seawater was 33 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature to sustain healthy coral was around 30 degrees Celsius.

Endangered giant clams in the area were also affected by the very hot water temperature and nearly dead.

Manote said the national park agreed with the team from Chulalongkorn to immediately move the giant clams to a pond, so they could recover, while diving spots in the province will be closed in order to reduce the impact from tourism on the reefs.

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Protect Myanmar's marine resources from being pillaged to point of no return

Aung San Suu Kyi’s new government must safeguard the ocean from illegal fishing that has depleted stocks by 70-90% and is killing endangered sea turtles and dugongs
Colin Poole The Guardian 20 May 16;

As Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) engaged in a historic transfer of power in the Myanmar capital of Naypyidaw in March, my Burmese colleagues and I stood on a deserted beach 170 miles to the southwest, near Gwa on the Rakhine coast. We were speaking to local fishermen about their livelihoods and hearing about the unfortunate death of a young dugong – southeast Asia’s cousin of the manatee.

To the naked eye, the blue sea and miles of white sand with no development or people in sight were a vision of paradise. And yet, as we learned, below the surface things were far from idyllic. The young dugong that accidentally drowned in a fishing net was just one symptom of another tragedy and challenge unfolding in this country – one that, while nearly unnoticed, could have major implications for the future of millions of rural people.

Literally out of sight, the country’s marine resources have been pillaged almost to the point of no return. Research data released in February of this year by the Norwegian government demonstrated a decline in Myanmar’s oceanic and coastal fish stocks of between 70-90% since the late 1980’s.

The previous day, I had listened to U Myint Aung, the leader of a local community conservation group set up to protect nesting sea turtles, describing the decline in adult turtles now successfully returning to his beach. At the current rate he feared none would come back next year.

The turtle deaths appear to result primarily from a growing recent demand for a large marine fish called the croaker. Their swim-bladders are now such a sought-after delicacy in parts of China that individual fish can be worth tens of thousands of dollars. Not surprisingly, a targeted fishery has developed in response, but the nets used in the process entangle other species such as sea turtles and dugongs.

U Myint Aung himself had ceased working as a coastal fisherman when catches declined to the point where he could no longer make a living. Instead he ekes out a living from farming peanuts on the sandy soil behind the beach during the rainy season and devotes the rest of his time to protecting the remaining turtles.

Such tragic stories were commonplace. Poorly governed marine waters had led to the arrival of larger industrial vessels both from other areas of Myanmar and neighboring countries. Use of illegal fishing gear had grown, as had even cruder methods like cyanide poisoning to access anything of remaining value.

But the status of marine fisheries isn’t the only thing significantly changing on Myanmar’s coast. Aside from a few tourists, the only other foreign visitors we ran into worked with the offshore gas industry. In the last 18 months multiple licenses for offshore gas blocks have been issued to a variety of western companies including Shell, Chevron, Woodside, and Statoil, among others.

These investments will alter the future of Myanmar’s ocean waters and economy forever. Yet opportunities exist for such global companies to work with both Aung San Suu Kyi’s new government and coastal communities to promote a very different future for Myanmar’s marine resources.

Precedents for such approaches exist. Perhaps one of the best is in Gabon, where in 2013 President Ali Bongo created the ‘Gabon Bleu’ initiative. Gabon’s Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux works in partnership with a number of major international oil and gas companies and the Wildlife Conservation Society to improve management of marine resources as a key pillar of the country’s development strategy.

This has resulted in the creation of 10 marine parks covering more than 18,000 square miles and encompassing about 23% of Gabon’s Exclusive Economic Zone. New community fishery zones promote local livelihoods based on sustainable fisheries management as well as designating areas exclusively for community or industrial fisheries.

In Myanmar similar planning approaches and partnerships could safeguard the ocean against illegal fishing and foreign industrial vessels. Local networks of no-take marine reserves have been proven to work around the world, and could include areas where fisheries are excluded for safety reasons around gas infrastructure.

Such initiatives could relatively quickly encourage the recovery of fish stocks while protecting endangered species like sea turtles, dugongs, and dolphins.

Myanmar’s new government faces a myriad of challenges, but if it wishes to develop the economy while increasing livelihood options for millions of rural people, it must create solutions for the thus far hidden problems of the country’s oceans.

Finding answers to this particular challenge could be one of the NLD’s early win-wins. If successful, U Myint Aung and his team could look to protecting more – not fewer – sea turtles returning to Rakhine’s beaches every year. And perhaps future generations in his village, and others along the coastline we visited, could look back to the sea again with hopes for a brighter blue future.

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Humans damaging the environment faster than it can recover, UN finds

Radical action is needed to combat increasing rate of environmental damage to water sources, land, biodiversity and marine life, report shows
Fiona Harvey The Guardian 19 May 16;

Degradation of the world’s natural resources by humans is rapidly outpacing the planet’s ability to absorb the damage, meaning the rate of deterioration is increasing globally, the most comprehensive environmental study ever undertaken by the UN has found.

The study, which involved 1,203 scientists, hundreds of scientific institutions and more than 160 governments brought together by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), concludes that without radical action the level of prosperity that millions of people in the developed world count on will be impossible to maintain or extend to poorer countries.

Water scarcity is the scourge of some of the poorest regions on Earth, the study found, leaving developing countries increasingly unable to feed themselves, and causing hardship for millions of people. There appears little prospect of this dire situation being remedied, according to the UN, without radical action being taken.

Water sources are under increasing threat from population growth, climate change, rapid urbanisation, rising levels of consumption, and the degradation of lands that previously provided a natural replenishment of water resources.

The study is intended as an aid to the world’s efforts to combat climate change and other environmental threats, as it highlights the difficulties of improving the lives of people in developing countries and tackling global warming, while food resources come under continuing pressure.

UNEP found the rate of damage to the natural environment was increasing globally, despite concerted efforts to persuade governments to take measures to improve the condition of vital natural resources, such as water, land and the seas.

“If current trends continue, and the world fails to enact solutions that improve patterns of production and consumption, if we fail to use natural resources sustainably, then the state of the world’s environment will continue to decline,” warned Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP.

He said the tools for improving the environment for millions of people existed in developed countries but were in danger of not being used.

The study, using decades of scientific data, found that basic measures to tackle some of the key causes of environmental damage were still not being taken. These included measures to reduce air pollution, such as changes to vehicles; the damage to marine eco-systems, which can have a huge effect on fish stocks on which hundreds of millions of people depend; and the degradation of land when modern agricultural methods were pursued without regard to the longer-term consequences.

Despite the recent global agreement on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, signed in Paris last December, global carbon output continues to rise. The report argues this will put a long-term strain on the ability of developing economies to feed their own people as the result of changes such as increased droughts and floods.

Climate change is exacerbated by the emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture, including the leaching of nitrous oxide – a powerful greenhouse gas – from run-off emissions and incorrectly stored animal manure.

These sources increased by more than a quarter between 2000 and 2010, the report found.

Other problem areas identified in the report included glaciers in the Andes, which provide vital water resources for tens of millions of people, but which are shrinking as the climate warms.

In rich countries, these problems have built up over decades and centuries while economic growth was pursued at the expense of the environment. Subsequent efforts to remedy the environment have met with partial success. But in developing countries, the path of future development has more potential to change, which has encouraged international institutions to devise more sustainable growth pathways that are supposed both to alleviate poverty and preserve the environment. If they follow the same pattern of growth, then the danger of irreparable environmental damage will intensify, the study’s authors conclude.

They recommend an increased awareness of the environmental impact of development. For instance, exploiting water resources can be made more sustainable by recycling water where possible, and changing agriculture so that wasteful methods of irrigation are replaced by more efficient ones.

Developing countries should also change their methods of dealing with waste, the report found, so as to protect clean water sources and prevent the burning of solid waste in landfill dumps.

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India sets new heat record as temperatures soar

The new record in Phalodi, a city in the desert state of Rajasthan, is the equivalent of 123.8 Fahrenheit and comes as a heatwave sweeps the nation.
Channel NewsAsia 20 May 16;

NEW DELHI: Temperatures have soared to a scorching 51 degrees Celsius in one Indian city, meteorologists said Friday (May 20), with the ferocious heat setting a new national record.

Northern Phalodi wilted as the mercury reached a new high, equivalent to 123.8 Fahrenheit, beating a 60-year-old record.

"Yesterday (Thursday) was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country... 51 degrees in Phalodi," said B.P. Yadav, a director of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Hundreds of people die every year from the heat in India, with May and June usually the hottest months.

The latest record high came as the IMD issued warnings of "severe heat wave" conditions across large parts of India's north and west, including the capital Delhi, where temperatures hit 47 degrees Celsius earlier this week.

Zoo animals in the capital were treated to cold baths and given electrolytes to prevent dehydration. Demand for electricity in the city of 25 million people surged to a record high on Thursday as sweltering residents turned on their air conditioners.

Police officers on the beat were given oral rehydration solution and special "cooling scarves" containing water-absorbent crystals to keep their body temperature down, local papers reported.

The capital's hospitals have seen a spike in cases of heatstroke, while authorities in many states have ordered schools to break for summer earlier than normal due to the heatwave.

DROUGHT, FOREST FIRES

Temperatures in northern India regularly hit the high 40s in May and June, but topping 50 degrees is unusual. India declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature reaches 45 degrees Celsius, or five degrees higher than the average for the area in previous years.

Ahmedabad city in Gujarat state recorded its hottest day in a century when the mercury touched 48 degrees Celsius.

The heatwave comes as India faces its worst water crisis in decades, with about 330 million people, or a quarter of the population, suffering from drought after two weak monsoons.

Drinking water is running short in many states and poor rains have prompted extreme measures, including stationing armed guards at reservoirs and sending water trains to the worst-affected regions.

Officials have forecast an above-average monsoon this year, offering hope for the struggling agriculture sector that employs about 60 percent of the population.

But the monsoon is only forecast to hit the southern state of Kerala on Jun 7 - six days later than usual - before sweeping across the country. That means it will be weeks before the cooling rains reach India's arid plains.

The dry conditions have aided the spread of forest fires that recently swept through the hills of northern Uttarakhand and part of Himachal Pradesh states, which draw tens of thousands of tourists every year.

But elsewhere in the country there were warnings of floods as Cyclone Roanu approached the east coast after causing havoc in neighbouring Sri Lanka.

Last year, India suffered one of its deadliest heatwaves in which more than 2,400 people died.

- AFP/rw

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Best of our wild blogs: 20 May 16

Heritage Fest 2016 - Ubin
Rojak Librarian

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Six-week-old otter pup rescued, reunited with family after it almost drowned

Audrey Tan, The Straits Times AsiaOne 20 May 16;

SINGAPORE - Things are now going swimmingly well for an otter pup called Toby by the otter watching community here, despite a rough start in life.

On May 9, the six-week-old smooth-coated otter pup almost drowned after it fell off a ledge into a canal near Fort Road.

It was rescued by retiree and property investor Patrick Ng, 60, who dived in to fish Toby out of the waters. "After rescuing it, I left it on the ledge near the entrance to its holt and quickly swam away, in case the adults came back," Mr Ng said.

But the adult otters did not. The otter watching community later realised Toby's family had not returned for it when they found a new home nearby.

At 6pm that day, the pup was rescued and sent to Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) for treatment.

Things took a turn for the better on Thursday (May 19), when the Marina 9 pack, as the family is affectionately known, was reunited.

As the pack scurried off into nearby vegetation, an adult otter was seen carrying Toby in its mouth, which is how animals such as otters move their young before they are strong enough to do so on their own.

The reunion was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of otter watchers from the informal community OtterWatch, scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS), staff from the National Parks Board (NParks), as well as veterinarians from the Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

Ever since the Marina 9 were observed to be making regular crossings across East Coast Park Service Road to get between their holt and the sea, the OtterWatch community has been closely monitoring the pack to look out for the safety of the otters and other road users.

Last Monday (May 9), they noticed Toby peeking out of the holt, seemingly alone. It eventually ventured out onto the ledge and later fell into the canal.

Otter pups rely on their mother for milk, and are usually fed several times a day.

The pup could have emerged from the holt in the first place as it was hungry and searching for its parents, said Mr N Sivasothi, a lecturer at NUS' department of biological sciences who was involved in the rescue effort.

With only an hour of daylight left, rescue efforts were carried out at 6pm, and the pup was sent to WRS for treatment. Otter watcher Jeffery Teo, 44, who was part of the rescue team, said Toby was hiding inside a narrow trough.

While under WRS' care, Toby was nursed by Dr Serena Oh, assistant director of the WRS veterinary department. The pup was bottle-fed regularly, given a Vitamin B injection and dewormed. It showed positive signs of recovery throughout this period, WRS and NParks said in a joint response to media queries.

On Thursday morning (May 19), Toby was deemed strong enough to be released back into the wild.

It was also important to ensure that the wild otter pup did not get used to humans, Mr Sivasothi said. Wild animals usually keep a distance from people they encounter, which makes them less susceptible to cases of poaching, abuse, or "well-intentioned help", when people try to help animals that do not need rescuing, he added.

As the otter watchers had consistently monitored the movements of the pack, rescuers had a better idea of where the pup should be placed so the adults would notice it.

Toby was initially placed in a carrier it was used to, which was further surrounded by a pet fence to prevent it from wandering. But the pup was quiet and did not emerge from the carrier.

"The strange structure, and the lack of vocalisation from the pup, made the adults wary, although they did make a few attempts to get near," said Mr Sivasothi.

So the team tried a different strategy.

They removed Toby from its comfort zone and placed it on the sand. "It was uneasy and began squeaking and moving around, which immediately caught the attention of the adults nearby. They came over urgently but cautiously, and sniffed the pup," Mr Sivasothi added. The family scurried off together at about noon.

NParks and WRS said post-acceptance monitoring is being conducted to ensure that the otter pup is successfully assimilated into its family.

On the successful reunion, Mr Sivasothi said: "Today I experienced a strong, unencumbered feeling of joy. No doubt about how we did what we did. Still aglow from that wonderful conclusion!"

OtterWatch's Mr Teo added: "The rescue and reintroduction of Toby has demonstrated an unprecedented collaboration and 'make-it-happen' spirit between members of the public and across multiple agencies. Everyone puts in their best, not for pride nor glory, we just want to bring Toby home. This is humanity at its best form."

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Bishan train depot to run on solar energy by year end

CLIFFORD LEE Today Online 20 May 16;

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s largest train depot at Bishan will run on solar energy by the end of the year, after SMRT signed a deal with clean energy provider Sunseap Leasing.

The power system to be installed at the premises could potentially generate enough electricity to power 270 four-room public housing (HDB) flats for a year, and will be capable of meeting the depot’s operational energy needs — excluding train movements within the depot.

The other rail depot to tap on solar energy by the end of the year will be the new Tuas depot, which will serve the North-South and East-West Lines, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) told TODAY.

For the Bishan depot, SMRT and Sunseap said in a joint statement on Thursday (May 19) that a pilot one Megawatt-peak (MWp) solar photovoltaic (PV) system will be set up there and it is expected to be operational by the end of October. It will cover an initial area of 10,000sqm on the depot’s roof.

Mr Brandon Lee, Sunseap’s business development manager, said that this would be part of the first phase of the installation.

“If proven to be successful, they will further expand this system by another 4MWp, going to a total of 5MWp for the Bishan depot,” he said.

On the leasing model, Mr Lee said that SMRT would have to pay based on the amount of energy generated by the solar panels. “The leasing model is a performance-based model — when it generates power, it generates revenue for Sunseap,” he said.

With the new system, SMRT would be able to reduce its carbon footprint by 553 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, the transport operator said.

On whether solar panels would be installed at other train depots and facilities, SMRT said that it would conduct feasibility studies before deciding on other possible implementations, such as at above-ground MRT stations.

In 2014, the LTA announced plans to harness solar energy at two new train depots by 2016: Gali Batu and Tuas depots.

It was part of the first tender it called for contractors to design, supply and install a 1.96MWp solar PV system at the rail depots. The project was awarded to Germany-based group Phoenix Solar, which develops, builds and operates large-scale solar PV plants.

The Gali Batu depot in Woodlands, which opened late last year and serves the Downtown Line, was the first train depot to have solar panels installed on its roofs. This and the one at Tuas presented an ideal opportunity to harvest solar energy, LTA said, because they have large roof areas and are not surrounded by tall buildings.


Solar-powered Bishan Depot to be ready by October this year
The rail depot will see a pilot 1 Megawatt-peak (MWp) solar photovoltaic (PV) system installed within the depot’s premise, say SMRT and Sunseap.
Channel NewsAsia 19 May 16;

SINGAPORE: SMRT's Bishan Depot will be able to run on solar power by the end of the year, after the transport operator signed a deal with Sunseap Leasing, a clean energy provider.

According to a joint press release on Thursday (May 19), a pilot 1 Megawatt-peak (MWp) solar photovoltaic (PV) system will be installed within the depot’s premise. This will sufficiently provide for the energy needs of the depot's buildings and workshops, excluding the energy required to power the trains' movements within the depot, they said.

The system will cover an initial area of about 10,000 square metres, and will be installed on the rooftop of the Main Depot building. Installation will take place in the third quarter of this year and is expected to be operational by October 2016.

This will allow SMRT to reduce its carbon footprint by 553 tonnes of CO2 annually. Under optimal conditions, the system can generate electricity equal to the annual energy consumption of about 270 four-room HDB flats, the press release said.

Both parties added that the system may be extended to provide up to 5 MWp should the trial be successful, while feasibility studies will be conducted to determine how solar panels can be implemented in other facilities such as aboveground MRT stations.

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Indonesia: Sibolangit disaster blamed on illegal logging

Jakarta Post 19 May 16;

Rampant illegal logging in the upstream areas of protected forests around Mount Sibayak, Karo regency, North Sumatra, is believed to be the cause of a flash flood that hit the Dua Warna Waterfall resort in Sibolangit, Deli Serdang regency, on Sunday.

Kusnadi Oldani, North Sumatra director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment ( Walhi ), said around 25 percent of the protected forests around Mount Sibayak had been depleted due to illegal logging. Kusnadi added that the deforestation in upstream areas was believed to be the cause of the flash flood.

“The upstream area has been badly deforested, so it failed to hold the high level of rainfall and triggered the flash flood and landslide in downstream Sibolangit,” Kusnadi told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Kusnadi said illegal logging in protected forests around Mount Sibayak had been taking place for a long time. However, he added, forestry officers had not been seen to stop the logging activities, despite the fact that they often took place close to the capital of Karo regency.

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Thailand: Severe coral bleaching threatens popular Phi Phi dive spots

Phuket Gazette 19 May 16;

PHUKET: Coral bleaching is rife in Phi Phi national park – the worst ever recorded in Thailand – alarmed conservation officials reported yesterday.

Many varieties of coral have been affected by the bleaching, which is due to the sea temperature rising to between 31 to 35 degrees Celsius, said an official from the Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).

Staghorn coral, lesser coral, mushroom coral, cauliflower coral, and hump coral are all being affected by the bleaching, which is far worse than observed in 2010, said Tikamporn Wongtawatchai, a specialist from Marine National Park and Protected Areas Innovation Center (MNIPC).

“Coral bleaching has been recorded all over the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi marine national park, but the bleaching is worse at Koh Kai,” said Mr Tikamporn.

This is the first time hump coral has been affected by bleaching, indicating that the bleaching is far worse than ever before. The bleaching has occurred in several popular dive spots, including Pileh Bay, Loh Samah Bay, Koh Yoong, Monkey Beach, Koh Pai and Koh Gai.

Conservationists earlier this week proposed closing off Maya Bay to tourists to help restore the bleached coral and other endangered marine life there (story here).

“We cannot control nature. However, we can stop people from disturbing the marine life in these spots. Hopefully, this latest report of the extensive damage will persuade the DNP to take quick action by closing off Maya bay and other spots in Phi Phi national park affected by the bleaching,” said Mr Tikamporn.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong

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Best of our wild blogs: 19 May 16

Sun 05 Jun 2016 – Journey to the East with Pedal Ubin! (30 places)
Toddycats!

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