Singapore to host leading agricultural event

Rebecca Lynne Tan Straits Times 19 Sep 16;

Land-scarce Singapore is far from being a farming society.

Yet it will be sharing its use of innovative practices such as self-watering vertical farming technology and "agri-tainment" - the merging of agricultural production with recreational activities - when it hosts the world's leading agricultural conference in November.

It is also the first time that the biennial event, called the Commonwealth Agricultural Conference, will be held in Asia.

Singapore outbid Canada - the fifth-largest agricultural exporter in the world - to host the event. Previous host countries include Australia and Zambia.

Now in its 27th year, the conference will see over 300 delegates from across Europe, Africa and Australasia discussing the latest trends in agriculture, food and nutrition, and the gap between rural and urban farming. It is organised by Singapore's Kranji Countryside Association and the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth.

Singapore may seem an unlikely host for such an event, but the association says the country has a lot to offer in terms of agricultural technology as well as research and development.

Association president Kenny Eng said: "Singapore has untapped potential as a global agri-hub that fuses food security, food research, food trade and food tourism."

Given that Singapore is so reliant on food imports, it should be at the centre of discussions on food supply and environmental sustainability, he added.

The conference will be held from Nov 2 to 4 and is open to the public. Entry is priced at $280 a day, or $800 for all three days, for Singapore-based delegates.

There will also be visits to farms including goat farm Hay Dairies and fruit and vegetable farm-bistro Bollywood Veggies.

Speakers include international and local experts such as Dr Ngiam Tong Tau, a veterinarian and former chief executive of the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority. His talk is on sustainable farming in a city-state.

Dr Ngiam, also chairman of the organising committee, said: "In Singapore, what we are demonstrating or what we hope to showcase, is that we can farm on very little land, and that it is a viable business."

For more information, go to www.rasc2016singapore.com/

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Singapore releases navigation safety training package

Martyn Wingrove Marine Electronics & Communication 19 Sep 16;

Bridge teams need good navigation skills when transiting congested sea lanes around Singapore
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has released a training programme to improve navigation safety in the Singapore Strait. It comes at a time when ship collisions have highlighted shortcomings in awareness of navigation safety in ships transiting the busy waterway.

Videotel has produced a three-part training package that includes video and computer-based learning programs. The Safe Passage in the Singapore Strait package is aimed at experienced ship masters and bridge teams to provide them with additional information about navigating these congested shipping lanes.

It was produced jointly by the maritime authorities of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It was independently vetted and endorsed by BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping and the National Maritime Safety at Sea Council of Singapore.

The training package includes two full-length videos and an interactive computer-based module. It is being distributed free to shipping companies by the MPA. It will also be sent to subscribers of Videotel’s Videotel On Demand units on ships, via satellite communications and multicast technology.

Safe Passage in the Singapore Strait follows a transit through the traffic separation scheme from east to west and then west to east. It highlights the precautionary areas where crossing traffic is most often encountered. It also highlights the pilot boarding grounds, and the areas of shallow water where strong tidal forces can present a danger to navigation.

The package combines animated charts, AIS recordings of actual voyages, and video footage shot on board various ships during transits in both directions. These were shot during day and night, in fair and in stormy conditions. The multimedia package emphasises the need for detailed voyage planning, good seamanship, and close attention to advice from the Singapore Vessel Traffic Information Service.

It comes after a recent crash in the Singapore Strait resulted in two damaged ships and potential for a serious oil spill in July. Very large crude carrier Dream II collided with container ship MSC Alexandra two nautical miles southeast off Sebarok island. Luckily, there were no reported injuries or pollution. Issues in navigation safety and collision regulations were highlighted last week when an ecdis supplier audited the bridge team on a car carrier for a shipowner.


Singapore promotes integrated and multi-stakeholder approach to navigational safety
MPA Media Release 30 Aug 16;

Singapore promotes integrated and multi-stakeholder approach to navigational safety
Formation of international Community of Practice to share best safety practices at sea

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) launched the first-ever International Safety@Sea Conference in Singapore today. The conference will run for two days and concludes on 31 August 2016. Held as part of Safety@Sea Week, over 30 international speakers and industry experts from different sectors of the maritime industry came together to share best safety at sea practices with more than 350 local and international participants.

2 Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure & Minister for Transport Mr Khaw Boon Wan officiated the opening ceremony and announced that MPA will establish a ‘Community of Practice’ (CoP) comprising international maritime administrations, national safety councils and classification societies to share knowledge and best practices, as well as collaborate on promoting safety at sea. The CoP will commence in August 2017 and convene biennially.

3 The conference also saw Mr Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), giving a keynote address entitled “Building a Resilient Safety@Sea Culture”. Mr Lim highlighted the importance of inculcating a safety-first culture throughout the global shipping community. He also stressed the importance of training and career development, and shared some challenges the shipping industry faces such as manpower issues. This is Mr Lim’s first visit to Singapore since he took over as Secretary-General of IMO in January 2016.

4 Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA said, “Recent marine incidents around the world leading to loss of lives, loss of vessels and environmental damage underscore the importance of maritime safety. Singapore hopes to play our part by working with the regional and international community to raise the standards of safety. This year, we are organising the inaugural International Safety@Sea Conference to focus attention on this issue and promote a culture of safety awareness. By building a community of good practice, we hope to disseminate best practices and foster closer cooperation between maritime authorities to prevent and respond to these incidents when they occur by adopting an integrated and multi-stakeholder approach.”

5 A three-part training resource package, “Safe Passage in the Singapore Strait”, was also launched at the event. The training package comprises two videos and an interactive computer-based training module aimed at equipping mariners with valuable navigational information before transiting the Singapore Strait. This package was developed jointly by the maritime authorities of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and National Maritime Safety at Sea Council of Singapore (NMSSC) also contributed to the production of the videos. (Please see Annex A for more information on the “Safe Passage in the Singapore Strait” training package)

6 Mr Hector Goh, Senior Marine Manager of Hai Soon Ship Management Pte Ltd shared, “We have participated in MPA’s Safety@Sea Week for the last two years and found that the safety workshops and forums provided opportunities for the maritime community to get together and share information and best practices. We look forward to learn from renowned experts at this year’s international conference. We hope that MPA continues with these programmes which are extremely beneficial to the maritime community.”

7 In addition to the two-day conference, participants are also able to attend post-conference workshops, observe a ferry rescue exercise, and visit MPA’s Port Operations Control Centre and the Integrated Simulation Centre.

8 MPA organises the Safety@Sea Week annually to enhance maritime safety by raising safety awareness and instilling a safety-first culture. This year, Safety@Sea Week runs from 29 August to 2 September 2016.

Annex A – About the “Safe Passage in the Singapore Strait” training package

About “Safe Passage in the Singapore Strait” Training Package


The “Safe Passage in the Singapore Strait” is a three-part training package comprising two full-length videos and an interactive computer-based module.

Produced jointly by the maritime authorities of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the multimedia project had also incorporated inputs from BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the National Maritime Safety at Sea Council of Singapore (NMSSC).

Utilising the power of video and computer-based training technology, “Safe Passage in the Singapore Strait” follows a transit through the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) from east to west and west to east, highlighting the precautionary areas where crossing traffic is most often encountered, the many pilot boarding grounds and the areas of shallow water where strong tidal forces can present a danger challenge to navigation.

Drawing on the experience of Master Mariners and pilots who have navigated these waters for a generation, the three programmes offer sound advice to those transiting the Strait for the first time as well as to seasoned bridge teams who may benefit from a refresher even if they have transited the Strait before.

Combining animated charts, AIS recordings of actual voyages and video footage shot aboard a variety of vessels transiting in both directions by day, by night, in fair and in stormy conditions, the multimedia package emphasises the need for detailed voyage planning, good seamanship and close attention to advice from the Singapore Vessel Traffic Information Service (VTIS).

MPA will be distributing the videos and interactive training module to shipping companies free of charge.

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Malaysia: Selangor Fire and Rescue Dept prepared to face possibilities of major flood due to high tide phenomenon

BERNAMA New Straits Times 20 Sep 16;

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department is fully prepared to face any possibilities of major flood in the state following the high-tide phenomenon.

Its assistant director (operations) Mohd Sani Harul said the department’s assets comprising 45 boats and 20 lorries would be used to help affected residents.

“A total of 1,300 firefighters and rescuers from 32 fire stations in the state are also in the state of full preparedness,” he told Bernama.

At present, he said several coastal and flood-prone areas were being closely monitored.

Mohd Sani also refuted the allegation that they had issued a warning that several areas in the state would be flooded to a depth of 9.4 metres as being viralised in social media.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Fisheries Development Board (LKIM) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Irmohizam Ibrahim said the LKIM had set up a special disaster committee to help local fishermen affected by the high-tide phenomenon yesterday.

“Disaster aid and insurance benefit will be given to the affected fishermen once the committee completed their assessment,” he said in a statement.

Irmohizam, who is Kuala Selangor Member of Parliament, said approximately 40 families in the constituency were affected by floods triggered by the high-tide phenomenon, which also caused floods in 13 other areas in five districts in the state early yesterday.

State Infrastructure and Public Amenities Committee chairman Zaidy Abdul Talib said the high-tide phenomenon had also damaged several bunds, namely in Kampung Sungai Serdang and Pandamaran in Klang; Pantai remis and Kampung Sungai Sembilang in Kuala Selangor; and Kampung Tok Muda in Kapar, Klang.

He said this was because the bunds were only capable of sustaining water flow of up to 5.5-metre high.

“The tide was really high yesterday, reaching over 5.6 metres,” he said, adding that repair works on the bunds, however, had been done by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage. -- Bernama


Unusually high tide wrecks 20 houses in village
The Star 19 Sep 16;

PULAU KETAM: Unusually high tide in the morning damaged some 20 homes in Kampung Bagan Sun­gai Lima New Village near here, including the wooden walkways.

Some 1,000 villagers were caught off guard by the tide, which was accompanied by strong winds and waves that struck at 5.30am yesterday.

Kapar MCA chief Datuk Song Kee Chai said more than 10 houses were seriously damaged as water seeped into the homes and ruined the floor and furniture.

“Ten other houses suffered partial damage,” he said after visiting the village here yesterday.

Song, who had rushed to the scene after attending the opening of the Kapar MCA meeting in Klang, said this was the worst incident of high tide in the village.

“It brought about much damage and inconvenience to the residents in getting about. But luckily, the concrete bridges within the village are all right,” he said.

Song said many villagers had to secure the wooden planks to prevent them from floating away.

Kapar Barisan Nasional committee liaison chief Datuk Faizal Abdullah, who was also at the meeting, later handed over an initial donation of RM10,000 for repairs.

Song said he was also in the midst of getting more aid for the villagers.

Pulau Ketam village chief Cha Keng Lee said although high tide was an annual occurrence between the eighth and the ninth month of the lunar calendar, this year’s incident was the worst in many decades.

“The high tide came and went in less than an hour. This year, the water level was 5cm higher than previously,” he said while assuring tourists that the village was safe to visit.


Residents fear another high tide will be devastating to Pulau Ketam village
ALLISON LAI The Star 19 Sep 16;

PULAU KETAM: Residents whose homes were damaged in the unusually high tide that struck the Kampung Bagan Sungai Lima New Village Sunday have sought temporary shelter at the theatre platform of a nearby temple.

Fearing that another high tide might totally bring down their homes, the residents decided to leave their homes which are mostly built on stilts.

Village headman Tan Chuee Cheng said many residents were worried about their safety after the village was struck with a massive tide, which was dubbed “never before” on Sunday morning, damaging houses and wooden walkways.

“The unusually high tide that was brought about by the northwest wind was worst today (Monday).

“The water level rose to 5.6m, the highest recorded in the last few decades.

“Many residents, especially those whose houses were damaged on Sunday, took shelter at the village temple’s opera theatre,” he said when contacted.

Earlier, it was reported in The Star that some 20 homes and many wooden walkways were damaged as water seeped into the homes and ruined the floor and furniture on Sunday morning following the high tide.

Some 1,000 villagers were caught off guard by the tide, which was accompanied by strong winds and waves that struck at 5.30am.

Tan said that the high tides in the last two days struck at about 5am and only began to recede two hours later.

He noted that the high tide phenomenon was usually seen in the third, sixth and ninth month of the lunar calendar every year, with tides in the ninth month being the highest.

“However, the tide this time is unusual and more serious compared to the years before. It came a month earlier and is expected to last longer.

“I urged all those who live nearby the coastal areas to be vigilant and stay alert at all times,” he added.

A check by The Star at the Port Klang KTM station Monday morning also saw several parts of the access road submerged in flash floods due to the high tide, including the main access road to the adjacent Southpoint ferry terminal.

Water rose to as high as 20cm near the station and terminal and flooded the access roads within 15 minutes following a heavy downpour at 5.30am.

Meanwhile, Selangor Infrastructure and Public Facilities Committee chairman Zaidy Abdul Talib said that the high tides have caused several bunds around the coastal areas to burst, causing flash floods.

“The bunds could withstand water level up to 5.5m in maximum. However, the water level rose to 5.6m on Sunday night due to the high tide and it overflowed the banks,” he said when contacted by The Star.

The bunds affected included those built at Kampung Sungai Serdang and Pandamaran in Klang; Pantai Remis and Kampung Sungai Sembilang in Kuala Selangor; and Kampung Tok Muda in Kapar.

“The Irrigation and Drainage Department is already repairing the broken bunds.

“Efforts to upgrade all bunds in Selangor are also underway and will begin in Sabak Bernam in October,” he added.

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Malaysia: Pollution killing tonnes of caged fish in Kinabatangan

The Star 20 Sep 16;

KOTA KINABALU: Tonnes of caged fish were destroyed in Sabah’s interior Kinaba­tangan district, the se­cond time in less than a year.

It is believed that river pollution caused the fish to die.

The fish, reared by villagers at Kampung Mumiang in the country’s Ramsar site (a wetland site of international importance under the Ramsar Convention) were worth thousands and fed hundreds of people.

Mumiang, located in the Lower Kinaba­tangan Segama Wetlands, has no road access and is about an hour away by speedboat from Sandakan town.

The village’s Development and Security Committee head Mada Hussin said after the first incident in November last year, the authorities collected water samples and gave new fish stocks based on a subsidy mechanism to the affected villagers.

“Now, most fish from this new stock have been destroyed.

“We only managed to salvage a few of them the moment we noticed something amiss.

“We want the Government to review its policies on collecting water and other relevant samples,” he said.

He said the villagers had no choice but to continue rearing caged fish with the hope that the incident would not repeat in future.

Mada added that the investiga­ting agencies should review their Standard Operating Procedures as the delay in collecting samples did not translate into data that would be useful for mitigation or enforcement measures.

He said in the latest incident in July, some 45 families lost four tonnes of caged fish such as grou­pers and snappers worth thousands of ringgit.

Mada said the Malangking river, a tributary of the Kinabatangan, might be polluted with run-off from an oil palm estate, especially during a downpour.

“There is nothing we can do, for example in terms of taking legal action against those who pollute the Malangking river or other waterways, impacting our livelihoods,” Mada said.

He suggested the setting up of sampling stations to enable community wardens to collect samples more frequently, quickly and get data collected by the community to be recognised.

Reacting to what happened in Mumiang, Ramsar Community Group Project lead facilitator Ne­­ville Yapp said a key focus of the project was related to water quality.

“We have identified the setting up of four water quality monitoring units in the near future under this project,” he added.

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Malaysia: Only 88 hornbills seen at forest reserve

MANJIT KAUR The Star 20 Sep 16;

IPOH: The number of plain-pouched hornbills sighted at the Temenggor forest reserve has dropped drastically from over 3,000 in 2008 to just 88 this month, possibly due to rampant logging activities.

Ecotourism and Conservation Society Malaysia (Ecomy) co-founder and chief executive officer Andrew Sebastian said the vulnerable hornbills usually made their way from Thailand to the rainforest between July and early October.

On May 1, 2012, The Star reported that while 3,261 hornbills were recorded in 2008, the number dropped to below 100 in 2009 but rose to just below a thousand in 2010.

“The logging activity has somehow affected the flight path of these hornbills that travel through the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary to the Royal Belum State Park, and the Temenggor Forest Reserve,” Andrew said in an interview.

“This amazing annual development is equivalent to the great migrations in Africa. It is happening right here in Perak, and therefore logging must be phased out in view of eco-tourism.”

Andrew added that the presence of these hornbills was an amazing eco-tourism product.

He said there were already nine resident species of hornbills found at the state park and at the forest reserve.

He added that even though the plain pouched hornbills were only at the park and forest reserve for three months, they were considered residents, making it the 10th resident species found there.

“This amazing phenomenon is poorly promoted.

“As a professional bird guide and eco-tourism facilitator, I have been organising surveys at the park.

“Recently (Sept 9 to 11), Ecomy organised an expedition, as we wanted to locate, record and promote the park as the hornbill capital of the world.

“A few photographers from Singapore also took part in the survey.

“However, we could only spot and officially document 88 hornbills,” he said, adding that they recorded 170 last year.

The plain-pouched hornbill (Enggang Rimba) is 81cm in length. The male usually has a yellow gular pouch, while the females have a blue gular pouch.

Some of these hornbills have also been recently sighted in Ulu Muda in Kedah.

The distribution of these hornbills are within Myanmar, Thailand and the Malay Peninsular (North).

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Indonesia: Jakarta plans to build biggest port in Southeast Asia

Agnes Anya The Jakarta Post 19 Sep 16;

Jakarta has teamed up with the Netherlands to build what an official says will be the largest integrated seaport in Southeast Asia.

Both parties are now conducting a feasibility study to assess how much the port, which is part of the controversial Jakarta Bay reclamation project, will be beneficial for the country and particularly for the city.

“We have met with officials from the Dutch government and embassy. The point is that we will receive a grant from them to conduct a feasibility study for the Port of Jakarta,” said Jakarta Development Planning Board (Bappeda) head Tuty Kusumawati recently.

A meeting between representatives of both parties was held last week to discuss the scope of the study, Tuty said.

In the meeting, the city’s officials asked the Dutch authorities to provide them with a business plan and issue recommendations on which industry was the most feasible to focus on in the port.

“We ask their help to make such an assessment to see whether we can make the port [the largest commercial hub in Southeast Asia],” Tuty said. “From the study, we will know the potential. That is why this study is important.”

Moreover, she added, the administration hopes that the project could be included in the revised Presidential Regulation 54/2008 on the spatial planning of Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, Depok, Bekasi, Puncak and Cianjur.

It is also expected that the project could also be incorporated into the National Port Master Plan.

Tuty said she did not yet know when the project would kick off. The decision on construction is to be made soon after the study is completed, she added.

It is hoped that the study would be concluded in November when Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is scheduled to visit Indonesia.

“The prime minister will reportedly come to the country to sign several bilateral agreements,” Tuty said. “The result of the study will be handed over to us by then.”

The Port of Jakarta, Tuty explained, would be a joint project between the central government and the Jakarta administration with assistance from the Netherlands.

In the project, the central government and the administration will be represented by, respectively, state port operator Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) II and city-owned developer PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro). Both companies are expected to establish a joint venture with the operator of the Port of Rotterdam.

According to media reports, the port will be built on islets O, P, Q and N of the Jakarta Bay reclamation project, which was just recently allowed to resume by the governments after months of suspension caused by legal and environmental issues.

Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama reportedly came up with the plan after visiting the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

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Indonesia: Two Nabbed in N. Sumatra for Selling Endangered Slow Lorises

Mei Leandha, Issha Harruma & Ratri M. Siniwi Jakarta Globe 19 Sep 16;

Jakarta. Despite a declaration late last year by the International Union for Conservation of Nature that the Javan slow loris, or Nycticebus javanicus, is one step away from extinction, many of the critically endangered primates are still being illegally traded in markets across the archipelago.

A father and son duo, only identified by the initials P. and B.H., were arrested by law enforcement officials of the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, on Saturday (17/09) for selling slow lorises.

The two were found with a sack containing nine slow lorises, which they reportedly offered for sale at Rp 100,000 ($7.60) per animal.

"The perpetuator claims that the slow lorises were captured in his banana plantation, after they were seen eating [bananas]. We have confiscated nine slow lorises, and now the two suspects are under investigation," Halasan Tulus, head of the ministry's Sumatra's law enforcement office, told news outlet Kompas.com on Monday.

According to a report by news platform Republika, Halasan suspects that the older suspect is part of a larger illegal protected wildlife trade network. Officials hope his arrest will help them uncover the rest of the network.

"We will release [the slow lorises] in their habitat soon. The population [of slow lorises] has declined due to numerous incidents of illegal hunting and trade," Halasan said.

Indra, coordinator of the ministry's forest and wildlife protection unit, has promised to keep a close eye on the alleged perpetrator, as it is apparently not his first involvement in the illegal wildlife trade.

"He's not a new player – we noted that he's been selling slow lorises four times," Indra said.

The father and son duo will be charged with violating the Law on Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems, which carries penalties of up to five years in prison and fines of up to Rp 100 million.

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Indonesia: Police on the Hunt for Illegal Loggers in Tesso Nilo National Park

Jakarta Globe 19 Sep 16;

Jakarta. Police are currently looking for several suspects who were allegedly involved in illegal logging operations inside the Tesso Nilo National Park in Pelalawan, Riau province. This follows the arrest of a truck driver for transporting illegally harvested timber on Sunday (18/09).

"The driver is currently undergoing intensive questioning. However, we have found several suspects involved in illegal logging," Pelalawan Police criminal investigation unit head Assistant Comr. Herman Pelani said on Monday.

The 34-year-old a driver, only identified by the initials B.E.P., was arrested when he reported the loss of his truck, which had been confiscated by police earlier after receiving a tipoff that it was used to carry illegal timber.

The suspect claimed that he did not know the timber was illegal and told the police that someone ordered him to transport it.

"This is what we still need to find out. Who gave him the orders and who owns the timber," Herman said.

The Tesso Nilo National Park is an easy target for trespassers. According to the park management, there is freehold title on 5,000 hectares of the land in the park, but trespassing has occurred on more than 53,000 hectares of natural forest in the area.

"Trespassing still continues. Most of the national park area has been used for other purposes, such as palm oil plantations," Tesso Nilo National Park head Darmanto said. "This has become a problem in the park and it's getting harder to resolve. It's hard to return the land to conservation areas as there are so many people who have received freehold title on it."

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Philippines may suspend at least 10 more mines under crackdown

Channel NewsAsia 19 Sep 16;

MANILA: The Philippines could suspend at least 10 more mines under an environmental crackdown on the sector, the minister in charge of mining said, in a move that threatens to halt the operations of half the mines in the world's top supplier of nickel ore.

Global nickel prices jumped 2 percent as the country's second-biggest nickel producer warned that more new stoppages would disrupt shipments to the crucial Chinese market and elsewhere.President Rodrigo Duterte has taken a tough line on the industry and warned the nation could survive without mining, while mineral producers have labelled a review of the sector a "demolition campaign".

The Philippines has already halted the operations of 10 mines, eight of them nickel producers, for environmental lapses since it launched an audit on July 8.

That has left 30 mines still operating, but Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez said others could be suspended when the agency releases the results of the mining audit on Thursday.

Asked if a further 10 or more mines could be suspended, Lopez said in a text message: "Yes possible."

"We are coming clean here. For decades we have turned a blind eye to the suffering of our people. Not anymore," she said, adding that any decision to halt mines would follow the law.

Lopez, a committed environmentalist picked by Duterte to promote responsible mining, has said miners have to upgrade their operations to limit harm to the environment and local communities.

"They just need to get their act together," Lopez said in the text message.

"MINIMAL EXPORTS"

Dante Bravo, president of Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc, the Philippines' No. 2 nickel producer, said further suspensions would hit shipments.

"Definitely, these suspensions would disrupt supply of nickel ore not only to China but to other markets as well," said Bravo, who expects his company to pass the mining audit.

Bravo said nickel miners, many located in the southern Mindanao island, are also expected to halt operations in October due to the rainy season. "Hence, we would be seeing minimal exports towards the end of the year."

Past environmental disasters, including a 1996 tailings leak at a copper mine in central Marinduque province that contaminated rivers, have spurred mining opponents in the Philippines led by the influential Catholic Church.

Miners, however, have questioned the inclusion of anti-mining activists in the audit teams.

The mine closures and the risk of more being shuttered had lifted three-month nickel on the London Metal Exchange to a one-year high of US$11,030 a tonne on Aug. 10.

Price have since eased, but the metal climbed 2 percent on Monday to US$9,915 a tonne at 0645 GMT. It has gained 12 percent this year.

The Philippines is the biggest supplier of nickel ore to China, where the metal is used to make stainless steel.

The Southeast Asian country shipped 34 million tonnes to Beijing last year, while exports this year have dropped 27 percent in January-July.

(Additional reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Ed Davies)

- Reuters

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'Let mangroves recover' to protect coasts

Mark Kinver BBC News 19 Sep 16;

Allowing mangrove forests to recover naturally result in more resilient habitats that benefit both wildlife and people, say conservationists.

In Indonesia, a Wetlands International project uses permeable dams to restore sediment needed for the trees to grow.

The charity says early results suggest "ecological restoration" is more effective than planting programmes.

More than half of the world's most at-risk habitats have been felled or lost over the past century, UN data shows.

Mangroves are a group of about 80 different salt-tolerant species of trees that are able to live along the intertidal zones of coastlines in tropical and sub-tropical regions.

The characteristic root systems of these trees allow them to withstand the ebb and flow of daily tides. The roots also act as buffers, slowing the flow of the tidal waters, allowing sediment to settle and build up as nutrient-rich mud.

The unique habitats provide valuable shelter and breeding sites for fish, as well as stabilising coastlines, reducing erosion from storm surges and tsunamis.

Life-saver

A report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) shortly after the 2004 Asia tsunami, which killed more than 200,000 people in nations lining the Indian Ocean, highlighted how in-tact mangrove forests provided protection to coastal communities.

It reported that two people were killed in a Sri Lankan village with dense mangrove and scrub forest, but up to 6,000 people lost their lives in a settlement that was no longer protected by similar vegetation.

Following the 2004 tsunami, the importance of robust and resilient mangrove forests became widely recognised, explained Femke Tonneijck, Wetlands International's programme manager for coastal wetlands.

"This resulted in many mangrove restoration efforts around the world, many of which were implemented through planting programmes by NGOs, governments and business," she said.

"Now we are seeing that many of those planting efforts are failing, and there are a number of reasons for this.

"One of the most important reasons is that there is a wrong species-to-site match because mangroves have a natural [gradient] from land to sea, in which there is a mix of species that are best adapted to the level of salinity, wave exposure and submergence.
"This is why we now focus more on ecological mangrove restoration," Ms Tonneijck told BBC News.

She said researchers had been carrying out a series of studies on this approach to conservation and it had been shown to deliver "much better results".

"This is because if you have a mix of natural species, ages and root types, as well as different types of fruit, fodder and timber, the diversity makes the system more resilient, as well as a forest that offers multiple benefits to a diverse group of stakeholders, as there are different species of fish taking shelter in the different root systems," she added.

However, planting programmes still remained popular because many schemes, often government-funded, measured success on the number of trees planted rather than the longer term survival rate.

"Also, there is no measurement of ecosystem services returning, such as coastal protection, and this may give people a false sense of protection," Ms Tonneijck warned.

In 2011, Wetlands International was invited to undertake a ecological mangrove restoration project in Central Java by the Indonesian government's marine and fisheries department.

Two villages in the area had been lost and the sea was encroaching inland up to three kilometres, destroying arable land.

Ms Tonneijck explained how the team restored the conditions needed for the mangrove to return to landscape.

"Working with the Dutch Knowledge Institute, we were inspired by Dutch and German marshes where land was regained by putting permeable dams in place," she recalled.

"These permeable structures let waves pass through with sediment and behind the structures the sediment can settle. Once it had settled then the mangroves were able to come back into the area.

"We started first with a small pilot, and as the sediment trapping worked really well, we decided to set up a larger project that was supported by Dutch funds and the Indonesian government as well."

Wetland International's Building with Nature programme is now looking at restoring the "mangrove greenbelt" throughout the district.

"In the area where it is eroding, we are applying these permeable dams and we have already placed two kilometres of them," Ms Tonneijck revealed.

"As well as the mangroves slowly coming back in, we are also seeing that people are becoming very enthusiastic and they really want to do something - people immediately want to start planting as soon as there is sedimentation.

"So we have started a dialogue explaining why we are preferring to wait for nature to come back."

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Toxic algae is in more than 40 California lakes, waterways

Associated Press The Washington Post 18 Sep 16;

OAKLAND, Calif. — Toxic algae has shown up in more than 40 state lakes and waterways from Los Angeles to the northern reaches of California, the highest count in state history.

Water agencies have been caught off guard by the growing extent of the algae, which is triggering health warnings, the closing of swim areas and a reduction in park visitors and revenues, the East Bay Times reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/2cUzrt5).

“The algae caught everyone by surprise, and it was difficult to get clear guidance and protocols on what to do about it,” said Carolyn Jones, an East Bay Regional Park District spokeswoman. “We went more than 80 years before we had a closure for this toxic substance in the drought.”

The cyanobacterium, which occurs naturally, can cause gastrointestinal problems and allergic reactions in people and sickness and death among pets and wildlife. The cyanobacterium has blossomed during the state’s drought.

The microbes are causing more trouble because nutrients that built up during the drought were washed off hills during this year’s rains.

Reporting of algae blooms has been spotty and inconsistent among the many different lake operators and owners. But there are many signs the algae is getting worse in California, said Beverley Anderson-Abbs, an environmental scientist with the state Water Resources Control Board.

Among the waterways affected are Del Valle Reservoir near Livermore, Pyramid Lake near Los Angeles and Lake Elsinore in San Bernardino County, which have closed at times. San Jose closed its Cunningham Lake to boating and fishing for the first time earlier this month, and Contra Costa County health officials posted warning signs this year in some waters in Discovery Bay, a boater-oriented community.

Some lake managers are testing herbicides to reduce algae blooms, but experts say there is no quick solution.

“There is no silver bullet,” Anderson-Abbs said. “Generally, the best thing to do is to stay out of the water until the bloom is over.”

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Global Fishing Watch lets you track 35,000 fishing boats in real time

Maria Gallucci Yahoo News 19 Sep 16;

The shrimp in your salad or tuna on your plate may have been caught illegally in areas threatened by overfishing. But tracing suspect seafood is a tricky task, given that many boats operate in unseen swaths of the ocean.

Global Fishing Watch, a new project from Oceana, SkyTruth and Google, aims to crack down on illegal fishing by training the watchful eye of surveillance satellites on the world's approximately 35,000 commercial fishing vessels.

The online technology platform collects more than 22 million data points per day from hundreds of thousands of ships. The free tool, still in its beta phase, lets anybody monitor and track activities of large commercial fishing vessels in near real time.

Leonardo DiCaprio, the actor/activist, unveiled Global Fishing Watch last week at the third annual Our Ocean Conference in Washington, D.C.

"This platform will empower citizens across the globe to become powerful advocates for our oceans," he said on Sept. 15 at the two-day summit.

More than 85 percent of the world's fisheries are reaching their biological limits due to overfishing, the World Wildlife Fund has estimated. Several popular commercial fish species, like the Atlantic bluefin tuna, have declined so much that their survival is threatened.

"Warming waters, acidification, plastic pollution, methane release, drilling, overfishing, and the destruction of marine ecosystems like coral reefs are pushing our oceans to the very brink," DiCaprio said.

"The only way we can avert this disaster is by ... scaling up innovative actions and solutions to these problems as quickly as possible," he said.

Global Fishing Watch gathers data from vessels' Automatic Identification System (AIS), which boat captains use to broadcast their position, course and speed to nearby ships, base stations and satellites.

The surveillance platform uses cloud computing and machine learning to process satellite AIS data and identify which vessels are fishing boats. It then logs when and where those vessels are fishing.

The tracker is regularly updated to show vessel tracks and fishing activity from Jan. 1, 2012 through the present, although it operates on a three-day delay.

"It will allow governments to track suspicious vessels, enforce rules and reduce seafood fraud," Jacqueline Savitz, vice president for U.S. and Global Fishing Watch at Oceana, a global ocean advocacy group, said in a statement.

"Journalists and everyday citizens will be able to identify behavior that may be related to illegal fishing or overfishing," she added.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hosted the Our Oceans Conference, which joined diplomats, scientists and conservation groups from around the world to discuss steps to protect oceans from threats such as human-caused climate change, pollution and overfishing.

During the summit, countries announced plans to create more than 40 significant new or expanded Marine Protected Areas — including the first U.S. marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean

President Barack Obama last week designated over 4,900 square miles off the coast of New England as the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

The action comes just weeks after Obama quadrupled the size of the Papahānaumokuākea marine monument near Hawaii. The area now encompasses nearly 583,000 square miles — twice the size of Texas.

"Our conservation efforts and our obligations to combat climate change in fact go hand in hand, because marine areas already have enough to worry about, with overfishing and ship traffic and pollution," Obama said Sept. 15 in a special address at the summit.

"A healthier ocean and a healthier planet are about more than just our environment," the president added. "They are also vital to our foreign policy and to our national security."

Conservationists say Marine Protected Areas are needed to spare the oceans from further destruction and keep ecosystems healthy enough to adapt to warming and acidifying waters caused by climate change.

The movement took a significant step forward earlier this month when governments and global organizations adopted a measure to protect 30 percent of the world's oceans by 2030. As of now, only about 4 percent of oceans are protected, even including the latest additions announced in Washington.

Global foundations and conservation groups last week pledged a combined $5.3 billion to help protect marine ecosystems, prevent pollution and combat climate change.

The Wildlife Conservation Society, Waitt Foundation, blue moon fund and Global Environment Facility together committed $48 million specifically for expanding and managing Marine Protected Areas.

"The oceans are our future, and this new fund represents a commitment to safeguarding this invaluable resource," Cristián Samper, president and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society, said in a statement.

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