Indonesia’s outermost islands sinking under palm oil expansion

Hans Nicholas Jong The Jakarta Post 22 Jun 16;

Indonesia’s outer islands that have peatlands are at risk of sinking due to the aggressive expansion of palm oil plantations. This has prompted the government to try and restore the damaged peatland areas on the islands.

The Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), tasked with restoring damaged peatland for the next five years, said the country’s outer islands were on the agency’s list of priority areas to be restored.

In Riau Islands, there are some islands, listed as outer islands, that have peatlands such as Tebing Tinggi, Bengkalis and Rangsang, according to BRG planning and cooperation deputy head Budi Wardhana.

“We know that palm oil expansion has been massive. Therefore, the islands that I mentioned are at risk. Bengkalis Island, for instance, is supposed to have 65 percent of its area protected, but there are so many palm oil plantations there, whether concessions or managed by local people on a small scale,” he said.

Budi said the sinking was caused by the subsidence of soil as the land dried up to make way for plantations.

“Peatland is like tea. When it’s dry, it will rise when water comes. So when the sea level falls, the peatland will be thrown out to the sea,” he said.

Likewise, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) swampland specialist Azwar Maas said the government should prioritize its restoration efforts in outer islands with peatlands as they were in danger of disappearing due to abrasions and subsidence.

“Sea water will come to peatlands and erode them. After that, the peatlands will go to the ocean,” he said.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry said the government had mapped outer islands with peatlands throughout the archipelago.

“We have West Sumatra, Bengkulu, Lampung and East Kalimantan. These are our areas,” the ministry’s environmental pollution and damage control director-general, Karliansyah, said.

The ministry will focus on restoring damaged peatlands on the BRG’s priority list as it will be easier if the ministry teams up with the agency.

“They’re doing restoration at 84 peatland hydrology areas in seven provinces. That’s why we’re asking for their data first so that there’s an agreement [on which areas should be prioritized],” Karliansyah said.

A map by the BRG reveals that 2.7 million hectares of peatland have to be restored over the next five years to prevent recurring land and forest fires. Out of 2.7 million hectares, 2.3 million, or 87 percent, are in concession areas.

The BRG has been able to map out which companies are responsible for the restoration of areas that have been damaged by years of peatland fires.

Most of them are agroforestry companies, with 217 palm oil companies operating across 589,000 hectares of restoration area.

And then there are 109 pulp and paper companies operating across 609,000 ha and 109 companies that produce natural forest products across 59,000 ha.

The BRG also plans to produce a 1:50,000 scale map to identify priority restoration areas and improve the zoning of peat conservation and cultivation areas. The agency has said it will prioritize its restoration attempts in badly damaged areas, such as those that have been burned more than three times.

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Indonesia: Extreme weather persists, blocking access to victims

Lita Aruperes, Ganug Nugroho Adi and Agus Maryono The Jakarta Post 22 Jun 16;

The extreme weather that has devastated parts of Indonesia continued on Tuesday, increasing the death toll as harsh conditions have hampered rescue efforts.

As of Tuesday, floods and landslides in Purworejo regency, Central Java, had killed 37 with seven people reported missing. A significant increase from the 22 fatalities recorded on Monday.

The National Mitigation Disaster Agency (BNPB) said that Purworejo administration had declared a
state of emergency for 30 days until July 18.

The BNPB said current conditions had hindered rescue operations because road access to villages in Purworejo were buried from landslides.

“I also have asked local police to provide bloodhounds to help find the missing people,” BNPB head Willem Rampangilei said.

Similarly, the local administration in Kebumen regency, Central Java, declared a 15-day state of emergency until July 3 after heavy rain fell for eight hours on Monday causing two deaths and six missing.

The Kebumen Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) also reported that hundreds of homes were inundated and four bridges collapsed.

A third state of emergency was declared in Surakarta, Central Java, by Mayor FX Hadi “Rudy” Rudyatmo on Tuesday, although the flooding that inundated 15 villages and three districts in the city had subsided.

Rudy said the government was preparing to repair the damaged infrastructure.

“Much infrastructure is damaged from the flooding and thus has to be repaired. The public works agency is still compiling data on the damaged infrastructure, and we are focusing on cleaning the areas that were flooded,” he said.

According to Rudy, the city’s poor drainage system contributed to the flooding.

In Banyumas, hundreds of residents are at risk of starvation as access to their homes has been cut off by landslides.

Likewise, around 600 people in Watuagung could not evacuate their village because landslides blocked access points.

“If, after one or two weeks, access to the village is still blocked, hundreds of Watuagung residents could begin starving,” a volunteer named Aris said, adding that the village was located in a hard-to-reach location through a narrow and bumpy road.

Banyumas Disaster Mitigation Agency has been trying to evacuate the residents but to no avail.

“The terrain is difficult. We have deployed heavy equipment but we are yet to reach the village. We’re still devising an effective evacuation method,” the agency’s head, Prasetyo, told The Jakarta Post.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) it is predicted all six provinces in Java will see heavy rain with strong winds and thunder.

Willem said people needed to be cautious as the predicted heavy rainfall would likely cause flooding and landslides again.

Floods and landslides also occurred in North Sulawesi, killing one person in Manado.

The victim, Meity Mawuntu, was driving in a Toyota Avanza car with four other people when an electricity pole fell and hit the car.

Electricity blackouts affecting some areas of Manado also occurred as a result of the accident.

Meanwhile, Sangihe Island regency in North Sulawesi was hit by floods and landslides on Monday morning trapping four people. It is still unknown whether they have been rescued.

The BNPB reported that there were 200 people trapped in their homes.

In response, Sangihe Disaster Mitigation Agency, local military and police personnel, a search and rescue team and volunteer groups have established emergency posts and soup kitchens for victims. (wnd)

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Vietnam drought leaves one million in urgent need of food aid - EU

Worst drought in 90 years and seawater intrusion in Mekong River delta destroy fruit, rice and sugar crops
Alisa Tang Thomson Reuters Foundation 20 Jun 16;

BANGKOK, June 20 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - An El Niño-induced drought in Vietnam has left 1 million people in urgent need of food assistance and 2 million people lacking access to drinking water, Europe's humanitarian aid agency said.

The country's worst drought in 90 years coupled with seawater intrusion into the Mekong River delta have destroyed fruit, rice and sugar crops in the world's third-largest rice exporter after India and Thailand.

"The disruption in precipitation patterns has affected the livelihoods, food security and access to safe water of the people of Vietnam," Christos Stylianides, EU commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, said in a statement.

The EU's humanitarian arm ECHO said it would provide 2 million euros ($2.3 million) in funding for emergency relief.

"This EU contribution will help provide life-saving assistance to affected families at this critical time, ensuring that their basic needs are met," Stylianides said.

Saltwater has encroached up the Mekong Delta up to 25 km (15 miles) further than average years, the ECHO statement said.

"Although the government had taken preparedness measures and launched some initiatives in anticipation, the scale of the current disaster has become much worse than initially foreseen, surpassing the local capacity to respond," the statement said.

Weather forecasters have warned of the possibility of a La Nina weather event, the counterpart of El Nino, which could bring intense rains to Vietnam in the second half of 2016.

(Reporting by Alisa Tang @alisatang, editing by Ros Russell. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, corruption and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories)

El Nino drought leaves millions hungry and in need of drinking water in Vietnam
South China Morning Post 21 JUn 16;

An El Niño-induced drought in Vietnam has left one million people in urgent need of food assistance and two million people lacking access to drinking water, Europe’s humanitarian aid agency said.

The country’s worst drought in 90 years coupled with seawater intrusion into the Mekong River delta have destroyed fruit, rice and sugar crops in the world’s third-largest rice exporter after India and Thailand.

“The disruption in precipitation patterns has affected the livelihoods, food security and access to safe water of the people of Vietnam,” Christos Stylianides, EU commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, said in a statement.

El Nino is an abnormal warming of waters in the equatorial Pacific that occurs once every three to four years.

A strong El Nino would normally cause drought in wide swathes of Southeast Asia, with Indonesia and the Philippines bearing the brunt of the drought. The 2015/16 El NIno is the worst since the 1997/98 edition, which just happens to be the worst Nino in recorded history.

The EU’s humanitarian arm ECHO said it would provide €2 million (US$2.3 million) in funding for emergency relief.

“This EU contribution will help provide life-saving assistance to affected families at this critical time, ensuring that their basic needs are met,” Stylianides said.

Saltwater has encroached up the Mekong Delta up to 25 kms further than average years, the ECHO statement said.

“Although the government had taken preparedness measures and launched some initiatives in anticipation, the scale of the current disaster has become much worse than initially foreseen, surpassing the local capacity to respond,” the statement said.

Weather forecasters have warned of the possibility of a La Nina weather event, the opposite of El Nino, which could bring intense monsoon rains to Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia in the second half of 2016.

Aside from rice, Vietnam is the second biggest producer of coffee in the world.

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Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific bans shark fins

Channel NewsAsia 22 Jun 16;

HONG KONG: Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific said Wednesday (Jun 22) it will ban carrying shark fins and products on all its flights, a victory for conservationists concerned for endangered species of the predator.

The southern Chinese city is one of the world's biggest markets for shark fin, which is viewed by many Asians as a delicacy, often served as a soup at expensive Chinese banquets.

Animal rights campaigners have been pushing Cathay for a carriage ban on shark fins for years. Other airlines including Thai Airways and Philippine Airlines banned the item in recent years.

"On the issue of shark's fin, with immediate effect we are happy to agree to ban the carriage," Cathay Pacific said in its statement.

The airline confirmed to AFP that the ban extended to all shark products on both cargo and passenger flights.

In its statement, the airline also announced that it has not approved any shipments for shark's fin in the past year, since it instituted a policy that any requests for such shipments must be assessed by an external panel of acknowledged experts.

The policy had been slammed by activists, though the airline said it was "agreed with two highly respected international shark conservation agencies".

"Based on our procedure for assessing whether shark products are sustainably sourced, we have rejected all 15 shipment requests for shark-related products in the last 12 months," said Cathay Pacific.

Marine conservationists praised Cathay on its decision, with one saying that it would make the city "proud".

"It's high time that Cathay took the stand. It would make Hong Kong people proud," Hong Kong-based Aquameridien conservation foundation executive director Sharon Kwok told AFP.

"More Hong Kong businesses need to follow the lead," said Kwok, who has been pushing for the ban for years.

Hong Kong's government in 2013 said it would stop serving shark fin at official functions as "a good example", following years of lobbying by conservation groups.

Environmental group WWF said 457 tonnes of shark products were imported into Hong Kong by air in 2015, a 31 percent drop from 2014.

More than 70 million sharks are killed every year, according to the WWF. Huge quantities are exported annually to Hong Kong, and most of those fins are then sent on to mainland China.

- CNA/AFP/hs

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Bangladesh declares lightning strikes a disaster as deaths surge

SYFUL ISLAM Reuters 22 Jun 16;

DHAKA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Bangladesh has seen a near-record number of deaths this year from a phenomenon that appears to be worsening with climate change: lightning strikes.

So far this year, 261 people have died from lightning in the country, putting the South Asian nation on track to beat last year's 265 deaths. Most lightning deaths usually occur during the warm months of March to July.

India has seen a similar surge in lightning deaths, with 93 people killed just in the past two days, officials said.

The problem has prompted Bangladesh’s government to add lightning strikes to the country’s list of official types of disasters, which includes floods, cyclones and storm surges, earthquakes, drought and riverbank erosion, among others.

As a result, the government now compensates lightning strike victims or their families with sums between 7,500 and 25,000 taka ($95 to $310). Through mid-May the government had paid 1.5 million taka ($18,400) in claims this year to families of 81 people who died because of lightning.

MORE HEAT, MORE RAIN

Scientists say warmer conditions associated with climate change are causing more water evaporation from the land and ocean, increasing clouds and rainfall and the potential for lightning storms.

“The months of April, May and June are the hottest in Bangladesh and the moist air quickly rises upward to meet with dry north-westerly winds to cool and form large storm clouds,” Dipen Bhattacharya, a physics and astronomy professor at Moreno Valley College in California, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“Some specialists think that as the world warms up, we should expect more explosive lightning events … rather than a gradual increase,” he said.

During the three-day period of May 12 to May 14, 67 people died from lightning strikes in Bangladesh. Altogether, 132 people died in May after being hit by lightning, according to the Foundation for Disaster Forum, a Dhaka-based disaster preparedness network.

Altogether, 1,476 people have died from lightning in Bangladesh since 2010, Bangladesh Meteorological Department data shows.

According to a 2014 University of Berkeley study, lightning strikes are expected to increase by 12 percent for every degree Celsius of warming, with a 50 percent rise in lightning expected by the end of the century.

According to Bangladesh’s Met Office, prior to 1981, the country saw lightning strikes on average nine days each May. Since that time, the country has seen strikes an average of 12 days each May.

LOSS OF TREES

Experts in Bangladesh and internationally say the rise in fatal lightning strikes may also be related to the country’s population growth and to deforestation, which has led to the disappearance of many tall trees that earlier would have drawn lightning strikes.

Now fatalities often involve farmers using metal farm equipment in open fields, or people standing near metal cell phone towers or electrical power towers, experts said.

Some said they believed cell phone use also might be leading to more lightning fatalities, but other experts said that link is unlikely.

Lightning continues to kill people who take shelter under trees during electrical storms as well, they said.

Atiq Rahman, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that it would not be wise to blame the rise in deaths directly on climate change.

But A.Q.M. Mahbub, an earth and environmental science professor at the University of Dhaka, said rising global temperatures over the last century were driving a range of changing weather phenomenon, including stronger tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, floods, droughts and heatwaves.

“The increased numbers of lightning strikes may be due to global warming but it needs further research to be confirmed,” he said.

He said the United States, which once saw 200 to 300 lightning deaths a year, had managed to dramatically reduce that toll by making people aware of the risks of standing in open areas during thunderstorms.

In Bangladesh – or anywhere where storms threaten - “people should take shelter immediately in any (building) and farmers should flatten themselves to the soil when they meet any possibility of thunderstorm to avoid incidents,” he said.

(Reporting by Syful Islam; editing by Laurie Goering :; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit news.trust.org/climate)

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Indian farmers demand action as lightning kills 93 people in two days

Storm in eastern state of Bihar kills at least 56, while 37 die in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkand and Madhya Pradesh as monsoon rains sweep country
Vidhi Doshi The Guardian 22 Jun 16;

Farmers in east India are calling for action from the government after at least 93 people died in lightning storms across the country in two days.

A storm in Bihar state killed at least 56 people and injured another 28, mostly in rural areas, and authorities said a further 37 people had died in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkand and Madhya Pradesh.

Lal Babu Usvaha, a farmer from Kanti Butiya village near the city of Muzaffarpur in Bihar, said: “Work is work. We can’t stop because of the weather. We have to keep working in the fields. But we feel scared when we see so many clouds, so much electricity in the sky.”

Usvaha said the government should help farmers working in the fields, who make up a large proportion of the thousands of Indians who die in lightning strikes every year. “We need help, but what will the government do? What has the government ever done for farmers? We have so many problems, but they don’t care.”

Saffan Kumar, another farmer, said: “We can’t stay at home and we can’t go out. We’re stuck. We are willing to do anything, if the government can help us. We’re prepared to do what they say.”

Lightning strikes are relatively common in India during the June to October monsoon, which hit the southern coast earlier this month, but this week’s toll is particularly high.

Rakesh Kumar Singh, the secretary of a Bihar farmers’ collective called Jan Nirman Kendra, said Tuesday’s storm began at about 3pm in the district of Samastipur. “I was driving, and the light in the sky was so bright that I couldn’t see anything,” he said. “But I was too scared to stop, so I kept driving. It was as though there was a war happening in the sky.”

In the village of Panchayat Chowk, a coconut tree was felled by lightning, killing a man. Another man has gone missing in the village. Singh said: “Before the rains came farmers were worried about drought. Now that it’s raining, they are working in the fields all day, and the rain can start at any time. The farmers know not to stand under trees or in open fields, so they run to the nearest shelter they can find.

“There are many more deaths all around Bihar, and the famers are very worried,” he said, adding that years of perceived government inaction meant many farmers had lost faith in it to help them.

“There are hundreds of thousands of farmers in Bihar … The government can’t do anything. Whatever has to be done, we will have to do ourselves.”

The government has announced that it will give 400,000 rupees (£4,000) to each of the lightning victims’ families to provide relief. Other relief funds may also be accessible to injured farmers, depending on the severity of their injuries.

More than 2,500 people were killed by lightning in India in 2014, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, the most recent figures available.

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'Zombie corals' pose new threat to world's reefs

Scientists discover corals that look healthy but cannot reproduce, dashing hopes such reefs could repopulate bleached areas
Damian Carrington The Guardian 22 Jun 16;

Zombie corals, which look healthy but cannot reproduce, have been discovered by researchers, dashing hopes that such reefs could repopulate areas destroyed by bleaching.

Scientists have also found that a common ingredient in sunscreen is killing and mutating corals in tourist spots.

The new evidence of harm to corals comes as the most widespread coral bleaching event in recorded history is sweeping the world’s oceans. Water temperatures have been driven up by a run of record-breaking hot years, caused by climate change and the El Niño phenomenon. Very warm water causes corals to lose the algae that normally live inside them and help them feed.

Corals in every major reef region have already experienced severe bleaching. About 93% of the reefs on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have been affected, and almost a quarter of the reef is now dead. Corals are hotspots of biodiversity and crucial nurseries for fish, upon which 1 billion people rely for nourishment.

The new research, presented at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Hawaii, sampled 327 coral colonies across the Caribbean to assess the reproductive ability of apparently healthy elkhorn coral, which is a threatened species.

In some places, including two sites in the Florida Keys, the coral had no eggs or sperm and therefore zero ability to reproduce. The scientists said this indicates these elkhorn corals are are essentially walking dead and will eventually die out, dubbing them “zombie corals”.

“It’s pretty discouraging,” said John Fauth, at the University of Central Florida and one of the team. “This is not good news.”

However, two samples from the more remote St Croix area found the coral had 100% reproduction ability. “Basically the places with the heaviest tourism had the most severe damage,” Fauth said.

Another study Fauth was part of found that oxybenzone, a common UV-filtering compound in sunscreen, is common in Hawaii, Florida and the US Virgin Islands.

The chemical kills coral but also causes DNA damage in adult coral and deforms the larval stage, making normal development unlikely. An earlier study showed that the highest concentrations of oxybenzone were found on the reefs most popular with tourists.

The new work found that concentrations of oxybenzone peak at the high tide. “We think aerosol sunscreen is to blame,” said Fauth. When someone sprays sunscreen on, much of it falls on the beach, he said, so the high tide comes collects the lost spray and washes it back out to sea.

The research also showed the toxic effects to coral, sea urchin embryos, shrimp larvae, and fish larvae exposed to preservatives, UV absorbers and microbeads from personal care products.

“We have to act now,” Fauth said. “It is simple things like not using chemicals that harm our coral. Wear rash guards or go without sunscreen during dives. And it is making a serious commitment to conservation and management of our reefs. We want to do everything we can to ensure that the underwater beauty we see today is around for generations to come.”

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Best of our wild blogs: 22 Jun 16

Coral bleaching at Cyrene Reef
wonderful creation

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Spike in demand for blue tangs, clownfish after launch of Finding Dory

SPCA urges all potential pet owners to make sure they are ready to invest the time and energy before buying them.
Lee Li Ying, Channel NewsAsia 22 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: Blue tangs and clownfish have been in demand following the release of animated feature film "Finding Dory" last week.

According to an aquarium shop owner whom Channel NewsAsia spoke to, he has seen a 10 per cent increase in demand for blue tangs and clownfish over the weekend.

He usually brings in 10 blue tangs each time and it takes nearly two weeks to clear them. However, he sold nine over the last weekend and all his clownfish were also sold out. More than 10 have been restocked on Tuesday morning (Jun 21).

Blue tangs and clownfish are marine animals, so it takes more effort to ensure that the water condition in the aquarium is suitable for them. So while the price of a clownfish may be below S$6 and a blue tang costs under S$30, the cost of setting up such an aquarium is at least S$500.

Director of Fresh 'N' Marine Aquarium, Edmund Lim, explained: "You need to have a proper tank with seawater, which is properly measured on the salinity level. Make sure there is a filter system running and that it is matured, cycled properly before introducing any livestock, corals or fish. It typically takes about three weeks to be safe."

Pet shops can guide new owners, but they have to be in it for the long run. “We'll educate them on what to do and ask them not to be so impulsive,” Mr Lim added. “We'll guide them step by step in order to arrive at the final stage where they can actually put in the fish. It's not a very difficult hobby. It's more about the money and cost involved in setting up this marine system.”

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) fears that impulse purchase of pets can lead to neglect and even abandonment once the initial excitement wears off.

Executive director of SPCA, Jaipal Singh Gill, said: "Those species are marine species and a lot of people may not realise that when your release them into ponds or freshwater environments, they’re not going to survive.

“Even if they are not released into the marine animal environment, they are not from this area, and the chances of them surviving is extremely low and they’re likely to suffer a slow and painful death."

SPCA urges all potential pet owners to make sure they are ready to invest the time and energy before buying them.

It is also unclear if birds and terrapins have seen a spike in demand following the release of films like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Angry Birds", as pet store owners Channel NewsAsia spoke to declined to comment.

- CNA/xk

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Malaysia: Pahang and Johor cattle hit by FMD

LOH FOON FONG The Star 22 Jun 16;

PETALING JAYA: A foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak has put thousands of cattle at risk in four districts in Pahang and Johor and the Department of Veterinary Services has advised people to get their meat supply for the Hari Raya season elsewhere.

Its director-general Datuk Dr Kamarudin Mat Isa said the outbreak, which began on May 9 in Pahang, hit Felda Sungai Rentang and Kampung Paya Rajin in Jerantut, Kampung Baru Bukit Kuin in Maran and Felda Keratung in Rompin.

In Johor, Sungai Mengkuang and Endau in the Mersing district are affected, he said.

But he said the disease, which is different from the hand, foot and mouth disease that infects humans, was an animal disease and not zoonotic and would not infect human beings.

He added that the outbreak was still active in Jerantut and Mersing but was already under control in Maran and Rompin.

“We have been carrying out vaccination programmes in all the pla­ces that have FMD. The situation is under control,” he told The Star yesterday.

Since the outbreak, 114 heads of cattle were found with FMD in Pahang and 28 in Johor, he said.

Dr Kamarudin said the outbreak had put 10,800 cattle in Rompin at risk of being infected, followed by Jerantut 1,300 and Maran 1,150 while Mersing had 1,300.

Vaccination was carried out up to a 10km radius from the affected areas, he said.

He said no affected animals had died because the symptoms this time were rather mild.

“We observed the infection in the foot area and not in the mouth area such as blisters in the tongue, lips and gums,” he said.

Dr Kamarudin said that no animals would be allowed to be taken out from the areas for now.

“We are currently containing the disease in those locations and we have asked farmers not to move animals to other areas.

“We also advise farmers from other areas not to visit the outbreak areas because we would like to prevent the spread of the disease.”

On the concern over whether there would be adequate supply of cattle for the Raya season, Dr Kamarudin said it was estimated that the potential demand for the season from the affected areas was less than 600 cows, which was quite small, and he urged buyers and traders to get their supply from other districts or states.

“Our officers will not issue movement permit and enforcement officers will be patrolling the area to reduce the risk to people transporting sick animals to other pla­ces,” he said.

As to whether farmers could sell their cows after the quarantine period, he said they would have to get clearance from his officers.

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Indonesia: Authorities Foil Pangolin Smuggling Attempt Involving TNI Member N. Sumatra

Ayat S Karokaro & Mikhael Tamosee Jakarta Globe 20 Jun 16;

Jakarta. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry's Ranger Rapid Response Unit and an investigations team have successfully foiled a pangolin smuggling attempt in Medan, North Sumatra.

As reported by environmental website Mongabay, the authorities managed to arrest two perpetrators, including a member of the Indonesian Military (TNI), with eight critically endangered pangolins on the backseat of their vehicle on Saturday (18/06).

"We managed to arrest the culprits. One of them is a military member, and the other a civilian. Investigations are still ongoing," said Tulus Hutahuruk, head of law enforcement at the Sumatra Environment and Forestry authority.

During the raid, the TNI member, who is stationed in Padang, West Sumatra, allegedly showed his military identity card in the hope of getting police to back off. He also claimed that he was unaware that his friend had been transporting pangolins for sale on the black market.

Authorities say the TNI member will be handed over to the military police for further investigation.

Aceh-North Sumatra conservation area chief Haluanto Ginting believes the men were planning to trade the pangolins with another group of poachers in Medan.

"We're still investigating. One pangolin can cost around Rp 5 million [$375]. Multiplied by eight it will be more than Rp 40 million," Haluanto said.

The eight pangolins will be released back into the wild after undergoing health checks.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, pangolins are highly threatened due to growing demand in China for their meat and their keratin scales.

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Indonesia: Flooding paralyzes trans-Sulawesi highway

Ruslan Sangadji The Jakarta Post 22 Jun 16;

Heavy rains in Central Sulawesi since noon on Tuesday have inundated several villages in Parigi Moutong regency and cut off access to the trans-Sulawesi highway. The highway, which is located in Dolago and Masari villages in the regency, has been flooded since Tuesday afternoon. Knee-high flooding was also seen in paddy, settlements and roads.

Amran Amier, a local who had planned to leave Poso for Palu on Tuesday evening, claimed he was unable to continue his travels on account of the flooding.

“Many houses are inundated, it looks like a lake has formed,” said Amran.

Salahuddin, who drove from Poso to Palu on Tuesday evening, said he got stuck in traffic in Tolai village, Parigi Moutong, amid the flooding.

As of Wednesday, estimated losses incurred as a result of the flooding on the trans-Sulawesi highway had not been announced. The floods have also cut off access to a number of roads in Palu. Fruit vendors on Jl.Raden Saleh, East Palu, were unable to protect their goods when floodwaters swept in.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) office at the Mutiara SIS Aljufri Airport in Palu predicted high intensity rains on Wednesday and Thursday, especially in the eastern areas of Central Sulawesi such as Banggai, Tojo Unauna, Poso and Parigi Moutong regencies. High intensity rain is expected to continue in Palu.

“Morowali, North Morowali and southern Banggai will still have clear weather,” said BMKG Mutiara SIS Aljufri head Kasiron.

On Wednesday, he said, there would be intense cloud concentration in Ternate, Maluku. As winds moved to the west, this would affect weather in Banggai, Central Sulawesi.

Kasiron said heavy rains would potentially fall in Kilo village, North Poso Pesisir district, Poso regency, on Wednesday due to the creation of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky. “Kilo residents should stay alert,” said Kasiron. (ebf)

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