Rescued Bedok North goshawk released into the wild: WRS

Diane Leow, Channel NewsAsia 7 Mar 17;

SINGAPORE: A young goshawk that was rescued after it had trouble fledging from its nest in a built-up housing estate was released the day after it was picked up, Channel NewsAsia learnt from Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) on Monday (Mar 6).

The chick belonged to a family of relatively rare crested goshawks that first came to the attention of Singapore's birdwatching community when they built their nest in a tree in a car park at Bedok North Avenue 4.

But it was the mother goshawk which had to raise the brood on her own. The father failed to return to the nest shortly after the chicks hatched, and birdwatchers speculated that it had been killed.

The Bird Group of the Nature Society (Singapore) said that a single parent would find it hard to raise two chicks alone, and that the mother was probably trying to get its chicks to fledge earlier, before they were ready.

Both chicks fledged on Feb 19 but ended up on the ground, birdwatcher Lee Li Er told Channel NewsAsia. The older one was put back in a tree and eventually managed to fly. The younger chick, which fell a few times, ended up on the ground again late in the evening, she said.

Ms Lee said that another birder asked animal rescue group ACRES to help, as it was getting dark and they were worried that the young bird might be attacked by cats or dogs.

She added that the ACRES officer said that the chick was healthy and that nothing was broken, although it was weak, exhausted and dehydrated.

The ACRES officer took the bird away and subsequently handed it to Jurong Bird Park's avian hospital for a more thorough check.

Ms Lee said that in the subsequent days, the mother goshawk was seen looking for the younger bird and leaving food for it.

Anxious for the chick to be reunited with its mother, enthusiasts told Channel NewsAsia that they had sought updates on the fate of the bird from Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), which owns and manages Jurong Bird Park.

In response to Channel NewsAsia's queries, a spokesperson for WRS confirmed on Monday that the young bird was taken to Jurong Bird Park on Feb 20 and released back into the wild on the same day.

The bird received a full medical examination and was given a clean bill of health, WRS said, adding that the bird had been treated with fluids for mild dehydration and hypoglycaemia.

The Nature Society's Bird Group said it was glad to hear that the chick had been released.

"Hopefully it is released back at the same nest area," a representative for the group said. "It may need parents help to hunt for food for the first few days. If it can get hold of easy prey like mynas, rats, changeable lizards, pigeons and bats near where it was released, it will be fine."

The Bird Ecology Study Group echoed those sentiments. When asked about the chick's chances of survival after being released into the wild, the group's representative Dr Wee Yeow Chin said it depended on whether it was released near the nesting site.

"If so, the surviving adult would still be nearby with the other chick. If it was released elsewhere, chances of survival would be slim – (there would be) no one to teach it how to survive outside the nest," Dr Wee said.

'SUCH A RARE THING TO SEE'

The goshawk nest has drawn a lot of attention from bird lovers and Bedok North residents alike since the birds made their home in the housing estate.

"It’s such a rare thing to see," said Ms Lee. "Every day, if you go there, there’s a group of photographers trying to take action shots and watching what’s happening."

The Nature Society's Bird Group said that the crested goshawk was once listed as a rare resident bird, but that its numbers have been increasing over the past years.

The group added that goshawks have been known to nest at Bishan Park, Botanic Gardens, Sentosa and Kent Ridge, but that they are not easily seen.

Explaining why the goshawks could have chosen to nest at Bedok North, the group's representative said: "The crested goshawk nests where they can easily find food for the chicks. There could be a myna roost there at Bedok or pigeons around. Rats also form a part of their diet."

On how best to deal with fledglings that end up on the ground, the Bird Ecology Study Group's Dr Wee said that they should be left alone. "At the most they should be placed in a safe location by the nest, preferably on higher ground, away from stray cats and 'stray' people," said Dr Wee. "If necessary, be around but keep your distance, to see that no harm comes to them."

- CNA/dl

Read more!

Malaysia, Penang: Diminishing mangroves -- Save them before it's too late

AUDREY DERMAWAN New Straits Times 6 Mar 17;

GEORGE TOWN: Penang risks losing its mangrove forests within 10 years if unmitigated development continues to encroach on the areas.

Penang Inshore Fisherman Welfare Association (PIFWA) has estimated that there is only a quarter of mangrove forests left compared to the area in the 1960s.

PIFWA president Ilias Shafie said the remaining mangrove forests were fast making way for development.

Ilias said the only areas in Penang with dense mangroves were in Balik Pulau, Seberang Prai Selatan and from Juru to the Perak border.

“Right now, we do not see concerted efforts to protect our mangroves. Instead, the areas are being cleared such as in Bagan Jermal.

“If this continues, we may lose all our mangrove forests within a decade and our future generations will never get to appreciate them,” he told the New Straits Times.

The NST has recently reported that the remaining mangroves along the northern coast of Penang island were under threat by development.

PIFWA has been at the forefront in the conservation of the coastal environment and replanting of mangroves,

Fishermen from Bagan Jermal here had complained that mangrove areas covering nearly 10ha, or more than 10 football fields, were being cleared for a reclamation project.

Ilias said even the mangrove saplings planted by PIFWA since 1997 had been cleared for numerous purposes, leaving only about 250,000 from 300,000 planted.

He said when the tsunami hit parts of Asia, including Penang in December 2004, the mangrove forests had helped buffer its destructive impact and this spurred various quarters to have programmes to plant them.

“Various agencies sprouted overnight to plant mangrove saplings. However, that was mere hangat-hangat tahi ayam (spur of the moment).

“We hardly see anyone planting the mangrove saplings anymore... possibly, PIFWA is the only one doing so,” he said.

Ilias said when PIFWA first planted the mangrove saplings, it was for fisheries purposes as the mangrove swamps served as nurseries and breeding grounds for many fish species.

He said over the years, the mangroves had been cleared for establishing new villages, such as Tanjung Tokong, and setting up of industries in Batu Kawan.

Large swathes of mangroves have also been turned into prawn farming, agriculture and aquaculture activities.

Ilias pointed out that in the case of the 214.66ha Byram Mangrove Forest Reserve in Mukim 11, Seberang Prai Tengah, where century-old mangroves were once abundant, many had been destroyed due to leachate spillage, believed to be from a retention pond at the nearby Pulau Burung sanitary landfill.

The other mangrove forest reserve in the state is the 166.38ha Balik Pulau Forest Reserve.

“If the situation is left unchecked, the forest reserve will be adversely affected, and the mangroves will die.”

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Biological Sciences senior lecturer, Professor Siti Azizah Mohd Nor, said the loss of mangrove areas in some states in the peninsula had been estimated at 1.282ha, or one per cent annually, since 1990.

She said mangrove areas nationwide accounted for 0.58 million hectares, which were predominantly in Sabah and Sarawak, in 2008.

The Forestry Department has estimated that Malaysia lost almost 30 per cent of mangrove areas between 1975 and 2000 but there is no data on the size of the mangrove forests in Penang.

Siti Azizah’s colleague Dr Foong Swee Yeok, also a senior lecturer at USM’s School of Biological Sciences, said she had been involved in studying mangrove ecology since 1992.

Foong said mankind was behind the destruction of the mangrove ecosystem.

“The pressure on mangrove is growing as the human population along the coast increases.”

She said the status of mangroves as forest reserve had not spared them from being cleared despite rising awareness of their value.

“Most of the losses in the past 30 years were due to conversion of mangrove forest reserves into farm land, shrimp ponds, urban development and port construction,” she said.

Foong cautioned that if the mangrove forests were wiped out, the state would lose all the benefits from the ecosystem, such as for fisheries, coastal protection and sediment accretion, carbon sequestration, siltation reduction in rivers, bioremediation of waste and nature-based tourism.

She said the massive root systems of a mangrove tree offered protection from tsunami wave flow pressure, especially on moderate tsunami impacted zones such as Penang.

“Mangroves have significant value in the coastal zone due to the benefits they provide to the communities. Mangroves and its adjoining mudflats are ideal habitats and breeding grounds for resident and migratory wildlife.”

For example, she said these habitats were often the wintering and/or staging ground for at least 30 species of migratory waterbirds, which usually foraged at exposed mudflat during low tide and moved to mangrove forest or marshes at high tide.

Foong said many of the mangroves were potential nature-based tourism sites and a good example was the firefly tourism along Sungai Kerian in Nibong Tebal.

“Unique and rare fauna in the mangroves further add to its attraction,” she said.

For Noor Suhaiza Zainal, 24, who pursued her studies in natural resources sciences at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, it would be a waste if future generations were not exposed to the importance of mangrove forests.

“Most people usually associate mangrove forests with being dirty but it can be fun once you learn more about it,” she said.

Noor Suhaiza is helpinging Ilias at the Pusat Pendidikan Kecil Hutan Paya Laut in Sungai Acheh, Nibong Tebal, which he plans to turn it into an educational forest reserve.

Read more!

Indonesia: Floods force students to stay at home, put harvests at risk in Riau

Rizal Harahap The Jakarta Post 6 Mar 17;

After four days of flooding, overflowing rivers in Kuantan Singingi regency, Riau, have paralyzed daily activities in several areas.

The regency’s education agency recorded that 19 schools had told students to remain at home to stay safe.

“Water inundates classrooms and schoolyards, and also the streets nearby. It will be hard for the children to come to school,” agency head Jupirman said on Monday.

Of the 19 schools, 17 were elementary schools while the remainder were junior high schools.

Schools located in Pangean district were flooded on Saturday and Sunday, but the water receded on Monday, enabling students to attend classes.

Kuantan Singingi Agriculture Agency head Maisir said at least 946.36 hectares of rice fields had been inundated, with Pangean the worst hit.

“If this continues over the next two days, our next harvest may fail,” he said. (wit)

Read more!

Australia: Climate change impact may be irreversible, five-yearly report says

Exclusive: State of the Environment report says heritage and economic activity are being affected and the disadvantaged will be worst hit
Katharine Murphy The Guardian 6 Mar 17;

An independent review of the state of Australia’s environment has found the impacts of climate change are increasing and some of the changes could be irreversible.

The latest State of the Environment report, a scientific snapshot across nine areas released by the federal government every five years, says climate change is altering the structure and function of natural ecosystems in Australia, and is affecting heritage, economic activity and human wellbeing.

It warns climate change will result in “location specific vulnerabilities” and says the most severe impacts will be felt by people who are socially and economically disadvantaged.

Record high water temperatures caused “widespread coral bleaching, habitat destruction and species mortality” in the marine environment between 2011 and 2016, it says.

The minister for energy and the environment, Josh Frydenberg, was due to release the report card on Tuesday morning.

In a column for Guardian Australia, Frydenberg says the report indicates the impact of changing weather patterns is being felt in the ocean, on the Great Barrier Reef and on land, affecting biodiversity and species habitat.

“While carbon emissions per capita have declined from 24.1 tonnes in 2011 to 22.2 tonnes in 2015 and energy efficiency improvements are reducing electricity demand, the report makes clear that, for the world to meet its Paris goals, there is much more to do,” Frydenberg says.

The minister says the report makes clear Australia needs to prepare for changes in the environment and “put in place a coordinated, comprehensive, well-resourced, long-term response”.

He warns that failure to do so “will have a direct and detrimental impact on our quality of life and leave a legacy to future generations that is inferior to the one we have inherited”.

The minister says the report presents the government with a mixed picture. “Good progress has been made in the management of the marine and Antarctic environments, natural and cultural heritage and the built environment – while pressures are building in relation to invasive species, climate change, land use and coastal protection,” he says.

Frydenberg says the doubling of Australia’s population in the past 50 years and growing urbanisation “have all combined to contribute to additional pressures on the environment”.

Australia’s heavily populated coastal areas are under pressure, as are “growth areas within urban environments, where human pressure is greatest”, the report finds.

Grazing and invasive species continue to pose a significant threat to biodiversity.

“The main pressures facing the Australian environment today are the same as in 2011: climate change, land use change, habitat fragmentation and degradation, and invasive species,” the report’s summary says. “In addition, the interactions between these and other pressures are resulting in cumulative impacts, amplifying the threats faced by the Australian environment.

“Evidence shows that some individual pressures on the environment have decreased since 2011, such as those associated with air quality, poor agricultural practices, commercial fishing, and oil and gas exploration and production in Australia’s marine environment.

“During the same time, however, other pressures have increased — for example, those associated with coal mining and the coal-seam gas industry, habitat fragmentation and degradation, invasive species, litter in our coastal and marine environments, and greater traffic volumes in our capital cities.”

The report criticises the lack of “an overarching national policy that establishes a clear vision for the protection and sustainable management of Australia’s environment to the year 2050”.

It points to poor collaboration, gaps in knowledge, data and monitoring and a lack of follow-though from policy to action.

“Providing for a sustainable environment both now and in the future is a national issue requiring leadership and action across all levels of government, business and the community,” it says. “The first step is recognising the importance and value of ecosystem services to our economy and society.

“Addressing Australia’s long-term, systemic environmental challenges requires, among other things, the development of a suite of stronger, more comprehensive and cohesive policies focused on protecting and maintaining natural capital, and ongoing improvements to current management arrangements.”

Late last year, the government established a review of its Direct Action climate policy. The current policy has been widely criticised by experts as inadequate if Australia is to meet its international emissions reduction targets under the Paris climate change agreement.

Shortly after establishing the review, Frydenberg ruled out converting the Direct Action scheme to a form of carbon trading after a brief internal revolt. Many experts argue carbon trading would allow Australia to reduce emissions consistent with Paris commitments at least cost to households and businesses.

The Direct Action review still allows for the consideration of the potential role of international carbon credits in meeting Australia’s emissions reduction targets – a practice Tony Abbott comprehensively ruled out as prime minister – and consideration of a post-2030 emissions reduction goal for Australia.

The review also requires an examination of international developments in climate change policy, which is code for an assessment of what is happening on global climate action in the event the US pulls out of the Paris climate agreement.

The New York Times reported last week that the White House was fiercely divided over Trump’s campaign promise to cancel the Paris agreement.

Its report said Trump’s senior strategist Steve Bannon wanted the US to pull out of the Paris agreement but Bannon’s stance was being resisted by the new secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, who are concerned about the diplomatic fallout.

The Turnbull government has already indicated that it intends to stay the course with the Paris agreement, and has argued it would take the US four years to withdraw from the deal under the terms of ratification.

But if the US withdraws from Paris, internal pressure inside the Coalition will intensify, and the prime minister will face calls from some conservatives to follow suit.

In his column for Guardian Australia, Frydenberg says the Coalition is doing good work on the environment and the conservative parties in Australia have been responsible for establishing legislation such as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, and programs such as the Natural Heritage Trust and the first mandatory Renewable Energy Target.

“The task now is to build on this proud Coalition tradition and to use this report to continue the good work the Turnbull government is already doing across so many areas of environmental policy,” he says.

State of the Environment report: bright spots, but much more to do
Australia has made solid progress in many areas covered by the five-yearly report, but population pressures, invasive species and climate change still present huge challenges
Josh Frydenberg The Guardian 6 Mar 17;

First established in 1996 and occurring every five years, the State of the Environment report is prepared by independent authors and provides a report card across nine thematic areas – the Antarctic environment, atmosphere, biodiversity, built environment, coasts, heritage, inland waters, land and the marine environment.

The report will this year for the first time be available in an interactive digital format, expanding its reach and ensuring greater use and engagement from the academic and broader community.

Like previous reports, this year’s document has its bright spots while also indicating a number of areas where there is much more to do.

Good progress has been made in the management of the marine and Antarctic environments, natural and cultural heritage and the built environment, while pressures are building in relation to invasive species, climate change, land use and coastal protection.

The number of people in Australia has doubled over the past 50 years. Growing urbanisation (two-thirds of the population live in our capital cities and 90% of people live in 0.22% of Australia’s land area) and heightened economic activity (Australia is experiencing its 26th year of consecutive economic growth) have combined to contribute to additional pressures on the environment.

The message, however, is not that development and sustainability are locked in a zero-sum game. Far from it. Rather, we must be conscious of these pressures, prepare for them and put in place a coordinated, comprehensive, well-resourced long-term response.

Failure to do so will have a direct and detrimental impact on our quality of life and leave a legacy to future generations that is inferior to the one we have inherited. This is why reports such as this are important and why we must continue to upgrade our capacity to collect and analyse critical environmental data.

The message is not that development and sustainability are locked in a zero-sum game
It’s also why last November I committed – along with state and territory environment ministers – to develop more detailed environmental accounts for Australia to build this capacity to better understand our environment and how best to protect it.

The report indicates that the Antarctic is in “generally good condition”, with evidence that the phasing out of powerful synthetic greenhouse gases, in which Australia has played a lead role under the Montreal protocol, is leading to improvements in the ozone layer.

Macquarie Island, which has seen rabbits and rats in plague proportions, is also recovering well following a successful invasive species eradication policy.

Invasive species more generally are a growing problem. We are all familiar with the devastation that has been unleashed across our continent by the arrival of cane toads, feral pigs and yellow crazy ants. But feral cats should top this list because their population growth and diet of marsupials, birds and reptiles make them one of the biggest threats to a number of nationally listed species.

The good news is that the federal government has acted in implementing a new threatened species strategy and appointing the first threatened species commissioner. However, there is a big task ahead with the addition of 44 animal and five plant species to the threatened species list, meaning there are now 545 animal and 1,312 plant species under threat.

One notable mention in the report was that humpback whales are increasing in number to a point where their current listing as “vulnerable” may need to be reconsidered.

Australia’s 108 national and 19 world heritage sites are admired both here and abroad and are integral to our cultural history and values. They remain, according to the report, “generally in good condition”, but the Great Barrier Reef last year was subject to a significant bleaching event, with climate change and the El Niño effect to blame.

Conscious of the threat to this natural wonder of the world, the federal government is jointly investing with the Queensland government $2bn to support our Reef 2050 plan to improve water quality and preserve the health of the reef.

Australia has a strong reputation in management of its national reserve system. Since 2011, the Ningaloo Reef has been added and extensions made to the Tasmanian wilderness and Kakadu properties on the World Heritage List. Since 2012, 12 new places have been added to the National Heritage List, including the Snowy Mountains scheme in New South Wales and Lesueur national park in Western Australia, ensuring that our historic places are preserved for future generations.

The report indicates that the impact of changing weather patterns is affecting biodiversity and species habitat.

While carbon emissions per capita have declined from 24.1 tonnes in 2011 to 22.2 tonnes in 2015, and energy efficiency improvements are reducing electricity demand, the report makes clear that, for the world to meet its Paris goals, there is much more to do.

Land clearing also comes in for attention in the report. With the exception of Queensland, land clearing rates over the past five years “have stabilised in all states and territories” and Indigenous protected areas have substantially increased.

Since 2008 there have been an additional 42 agreements and 20.6m hectares which are now covered under the Indigenous protected areas. The national reserve system, protecting important natural assets, has expanded to cover 17.9% of Australia’s land are, compared with 13.4% in 2011.

These are all significant improvements which are felt right across the environmental food chain as pollination, seed disposal and species’ survival rely on an ecosystem where vegetation and habitat are protected.

Despite the growth in urban population, air and urban water quality remain “good” according to the report, with “noticeable local improvements in water quality in the Murray Darling basin”. Sustainable diversion limits and water efficiency are having a positive impact on the fish and water bird stocks as well as natural vegetation.

There is no room for complacency. Regardless of one’s political persuasion, we all have a vested interest in protecting our commons.

The Coalition track record in this regard is strong. The Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, like the Natural Heritage Trust and the first mandatory renewable energy target, were all initiatives of the Howard government.

The 10-year Murray-Darling basin plan was implemented by Malcolm Turnbull.

Former prime ministers Tony Abbott, Malcolm Fraser, William McMahon, John Gorton, Harold Holt and Robert Menzies all too had significant achievements to their name.

The task now is to build on this proud Coalition tradition and to use this report to continue the good work the government is doing across so many areas of environmental policy.

Josh Frydenberg is Australia’s minister for the environment and energy

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 6 Mar 17

Open for registration – Love MacRitchie Walk 19 Mar 2017
Love our MacRitchie Forest

10 weeks of Pesta Ubin in 2017!
Pesta Ubin 2017

Focused on the oil spill in February
Restore Ubin Mangroves (R.U.M.) Initiative

Mangrove Mafia meets Sea Angels
Ubin, Sayang

Pink-necked Green Pigeons (Treron vernans) @ Li Ka Shing Library, Singapore Management University
Monday Morgue

Read more!

The urban farming pioneer who wants to feed the city’s soul

Bjorn Low made the work of growing food in urban spaces ‘sexy’, but his other mission is to help city-dwellers reconnect with life. His story on Game Changers.
Steffi Koh Channel NewsAsia 5 Mar 17;

SINGAPORE: For four years after giving up his corporate job which was making him miserable, Bjorn Low spend a happy four years working on organic farms in far-flung places such as Scotland, Spain and Japan.

But when he returned to Singapore to start up a farm here, he hit a costly roadblock – he could ill-afford the land he needed. “I wasn’t shocked but surprised,” he said.

“To buy 10 acres of land (about the size of 10 football fields) in the middle of Wales with a river running through, with a farm house, cost less than a HDB flat in Singapore then.”

How could one farm without land? While looking around Singapore, the many green spaces in the midst of urban development triggered an epiphany – why not make use of the many under-utilised spaces to grow food?

That’s when the mission of turning Singapore into an “edible garden city” – which eventually became the name of his enterprise – took shape.

His story is featured Monday’s (Mar 6) episode of Game Changers, a five-part series about local entrepreneurs who shake up the way things are done.

GETTING CHEFS TO CHOOSE LOCAL

Inspired by what he called a “global movement” of chefs wanting to connect with local farmers, Mr Low started out setting up edible herb gardens - initially using something as simple as stacked wooden boxes - and was soon approached by various hotels and restaurants.

But to grow his business, he needed international chefs and bartenders here to demand locally-grown herbs too.

Convincing them proved to be a challenge. “A lot of the chefs are very used to using Western herbs but they don’t grow very well in our climate,” said Mr Low.

“You need to spend millions of dollars to set up that infrastructure. Using a lot more local herbs and vegetables allows us scale up our operations much faster with lower infrastructure costs.”

An opportunity arose when Spa Esprit Group’s CEO Ms Cynthia Chua approached Mr Low, 36, and together with French chef Benjamin Darnaud – a believer in growing one’s own vegetables – they started Open Farm Community, a restaurant set in an urban farm on Minden Road.

“Urban farming in Singapore was previously unheard of,” said Ms Chua. “But now there is a momentum, there is a rhythm, and it was started because of people who are passionate about it like Bjorn.”

As Mr Low’s business partner, she helped put Edible Garden City on the radar of dining establishments such as the Tippling Club and Jamie’s Italian, encouraging them to use herbs grown in Singapore like cinnamon basil and white pea flowers.

FOOD FOR THE SOUL

But for Mr Low, the success of Edible Garden City goes beyond being a movement for locally-grown ingredients, to something almost existential in nature.

He described how working on overseas farms had helped his wife, Crystal, and him to escape the accumulated stress of working in the advertising industry.

“Working on the farm made me realise that actually, there is more to life than material wealth,” said Mr Low. “Being in touch with nature, and growing (my) own food, was able to fill up the void in my soul.”

He noted how “being able to nurture something to life” has been observed to help people out of depression. He added: “I’ve a history of depression in my family, so there’s multi-layered motivation for me to continue to do this - not just myself but for everyone in the community.”

His simple and wholesome outlook on life turned out to be contagious.

His employee, Mr Christopher Leow, 29, never thought that he could be a farmer in Singapore until he stumbled upon Mr Low at one of his talks.

“He made farming attractive to young people. He made it very sexy,” said Mr Leow, who used to manage a mobile coffee business. He is now one of 22 employees at Edible Garden City, which had started out with a staff of just three in 2012.

MUSHROOMING SUCCESS

The company’s revenue has since quadrupled to S$800,000 annually in the last four years, a point of success which has helped bury Mr Low’s family’s initial doubts.

“They realised that it’s become a career for me and a business that’s sustainable,” said Mr Low.

Edible Garden City now operates from an 8,000-sqm plot of land in Queenstown. Calling the place “home”, Mr Low said that with the security of a nine-year lease, his team can now “go full steam ahead with experiments” to show how under-used spaces can produce food and add to the aesthetics of the area.

The company is also working with the Spa Esprit group to create skincare and beauty products out of organic herbs. Calendula flowers with their anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties, for instance, can be made into creams, soaps and tea, said Mr Low.

“We have to innovate and add value to the crops we are growing so that we can make it a more sustainable industry,” he said.

One project will see Edible Garden City training and employing adults with Down Syndrome to grow mushrooms out of coffee and food waste, as part of their exploration into “closed-loop” farming.

“Essentially, we’re able to deal with the food waste problem in the city itself, and not having to cart it to a landfill,” explained Mr Low. He hopes this model can be scaled into other sites and even abroad - creating employment for slum-dwellers like those in Bangkok and Jakarta.

“It’s really important for me that it takes off, because I feel that, inherently, we can help urbanites reconnect with nature,” said Mr Low. “Gardening and horticulture has a way to let people understand what life is about.”

Catch the second episode of Game Changers, a five-part series about entrepreneurs who believe it’s reinvent or die, on March 6, 8pm SG/HK.

- CNA/yv

Read more!

Malaysia: Turtles making a comeback in Terengganu, says varsity

The Star 6 Mar 17;

DUNGUN: Beaches in Terengganu, including Rantau Abang here, used to see up to 10,000 leatherback turtle landings in the 1950s.

Rantau Abang was a lively place back then, crowded with visitors, but this declined when fewer than 50 turtle landings were sighted during the early 1990s.

This prompted Universiti Malay­sia Terengganu to set up a Turtle Research Unit (Seatru) in 1993, with a station at Chagar Hutang on Pulau Redang.

Seatru chief researcher Assoc Prof Dr Juanita Joseph said Pulau Redang recorded less than 500 nests, with about 100 turtles landing, when the project started.

“We bought green and hawksbill turtles’ eggs from licensed turtle egg collectors at RM120 per nest,” she said. The eggs were for incubation.

In 2005, the state government declared the Chagar Hutang, Mak Simpan and Mak Kepit beaches on Pulau Redang as turtle sanctuaries.

Collecting turtle eggs for sale was abolished, allowing all the eggs collected on the island to be incubated.

“Nesting data showed turtle landings on Pulau Redang had increased in 2010, 17 years after the research started,” said Dr Juanita.

“More exhilarating was that 1,000 turtle nests were recorded at Chagar Hutang for the first time, and this became 1,500 nests last year,” she said. — Bernama


Turtles Get A Lifeline In Terengganu
Kamaliza Kamaruddin Bernama 5 Mar 17;

DUNGUN, March 5 (Bernama) -- Resort beaches in Terengganu including Rantau Abang here used to record up to 10,000 leatherback turtle landings in the 1950s.

At that time Rantau Abang was very lively and crowded with thousands of visitors but this declined when often less than 50 turtle landings were sighted in the early 1990s.

This prompted Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) to set up its Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU) in 1993 with a station at Chagar Hutang, Pulau Redang.

SEATRU chief researcher, associate professor Dr Juanita Joseph said Pulau Redang recorded less than 500 nests with about 100 turtles landing when the project started.

"We bought green and hawksbill turtles' eggs from licensed turtle egg collectors at RM120 per nest (to incubate them)," she said.

In 2005, the state government declared Chagar Hutang, Mak Simpan and Mak Kepit beaches on Pulau Redang as turtle sanctuaries.

Collecting turtle eggs for sale was abolished allowing all turtle eggs collected on the island to be incubated.

"Nesting data showed turtle landings on Pulau Redang had increased in 2010, namely, 17 years after the research started," she said when met by Bernama.

"Most exhilaratingly, 1,000 turtle nests were recorded at Chagar Hutang for the first time, and 1,500 nests last year," she said.

In the more than two decades the research was conducted, UMT had protected more than 13,000 turtle nests and successfully released a million turtle hatchlings, she added.

-- BERNAMA

Read more!

Malaysia: Ecologists laud David Attenborough's letter to Sabah Chief Minister

MEI MEI CHU The Star 5 Mar 17;

PETALING JAYA: Ecologists in Malaysia have lauded Sir David Attenborough's (pic) letter to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman urging the state to rethink the controversial Sukau Bridge, in an effort to save what's left of the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary River.

According to The Guardian, Attenborough and BBC wildlife presenter Steve Backshall have joined local conservationists in lobbying for the RM223mil bridge to be scrapped.

"I have had many encounters with the magnificent and unique species with which your state is blessed …

"If this construction is allowed to go ahead, I am left in no doubt that the bridge will have significant negative effects on the region's wildlife, Kinabatangan's thriving tourism industry, and on the image of Sabah as a whole," Attenborough said in his letter to Musa.

Attenborough is loved for his wildlife documentaries and conservation work, but he rarely interferes with a country's domestic policy – which makes his letter all the more important, local conservationists say.

"He is known worldwide and respected. His voice carries weight and is important in critical issues like this," said Dr Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, principal investigator of the Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants.

"In Kinabatangan, you have orangutan, elephants, hornbills, and until recently, rhinos. It is surprisingly rich for its level of fragmentation.

"It doesn't make sense to fragment it any further (with the construction of the bridge)," he added.

Attenborough is one of the very few people in the world to have seen Borneo before logging and palm oil plantations took over, said Wong Siew Te, founder of the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre.

"When Attenborough first visited Kinabatangan River in the 1950s to film the Nature Quest series, Kinabatangan was covered in rich low land rainforest. Over the years, he returned to do more shows and witnessed the forest's destruction.

"It must have been very frustrating for him to see the forest taken over by oil palm plantations. The Sukau Bridge is the last straw," said Wong.

The Federal Government's road and bridge project will see the construction of a 100m bridge across the Kinabatangan River in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, while a dirt road will also be paved, potentially increasing traffic to the area.

The road aims to create better accessibility between five remote coastal villages and the Sukau township where the nearest hospital is located.

Sukau assemblyman Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman has said there had been at least 10 deaths amongst villagers as the hospital is two hours away.

"We are concerned about our wildlife but we also cannot ignore the needs of people there," he said in January, adding that the Environmental Impact Assessment study is expected to be approved.

However, conservationists argue that the bridge will further endanger the already threatened wildlife population here and disrupt the migratory routes of the rare Bornean pygmy elephant.

Even State Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Pang Nyuk Ming has asked the state government to re-evaluate the project.

The state cannot ignore the implications of the project and the concerns raised by local and international conservationists, he said in January.

"The bridge is an example of bad development – the type of development a country like Malaysia should avoid at this point," Dr Campos-Arceiz said, adding that the new road would directly affect the pygmy elephants' home range.

"The road can increase human-elephant conflict, with elephants entering the roads and plantations along it," he said.

There are also concerns that the new road will create access for illegal poaching, logging, slash-and-burn agriculture, and more oil palm plantations.

Despite objections from local non-governmental organisations such as the Sime Darby Foundation, preliminary construction work for the bridge has reportedly begun.

Which is why Dr Campos-Arceiz and Wong hope that the Sabah chief minister will listen to Attenborough's letter and take action.

"This letter has been picked up by international media," Wong said, adding that he hoped the spotlight will pressure Sabah into halting the project.

"A lot of good work and effort have been put into conserving the wildlife and local community.

"This Sukau bridge will hurt everything we've achieved in the past 20 years; all the good will be gone," he added.

Read more!

Polluted environments kill 1.7 million children a year: WHO

Reuters 5 Mar 17;

A quarter of all global deaths of children under five are due to unhealthy or polluted environments including dirty water and air, second-hand smoke and a lack or adequate hygiene, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

Such unsanitary and polluted environments can lead to fatal cases of diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia, the WHO said in a report, and kill 1.7 million children a year.

"A polluted environment is a deadly one -– particularly for young children," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a statement. "Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water."

In the report -- "Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children's health and the environment" -- the WHO said harmful exposure can start in the womb, and then continue if infants and toddlers are exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution and second-hand smoke.

This increases their childhood risk of pneumonia as well as their lifelong risk of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma. Air pollution also increases the lifelong risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer, the report said.

The report also noted that in households without access to safe water and sanitation, or that are polluted with smoke from unclean fuels such as coal or dung for cooking and heating, children are at higher risk of diarrhea and pneumonia.

Children are also exposed to harmful chemicals through food, water, air and products around them, it said.

Maria Neira, a WHO expert on public health, said this was a heavy toll, both in terms of deaths and long-term illness and disease rates. She urged governments to do more to make all places safe for children.

Sanofi, Regeneron say latest Dupixent eczema drug tests positive
"Investing in the removal of environmental risks to health, such as improving water quality or using cleaner fuels, will result in massive health benefits," she said.

(Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 5 Mar 17

Fun the rain with R.U.M.
wild shores of singapore

Night Walk At Sengkang Riverside Park (03 Mar 2017)
Beetles@SG BLOG

Butterfly Photography at Our Local Parks - Coney Island
Butterflies of Singapore

Biodiversity Roadshow @ The Forum
Toddycats!

Read more!

Saving water: Go beyond tackling costs to enhance public education

TOH EE MING Today Online 4 Mar 17;

SINGAPORE — Getting Singaporeans to cut down on their water usage should not be done through a “carrot-and-stick” approach alone, green groups here said, as they called for more concerted, long-term efforts to help the population learn to be more caring towards the resource.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced in his Budget speech that water prices would rise by 30 per cent from July 2018, with the first of two rounds of water price hikes to kick in this July. Responding to the outcry over this move, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said in Parliament on Wednesday (March 1) that water has to be priced fully as it is a matter of national security, and consumers “must feel the price of water” to realise its value.

However, when it comes to getting people to treat water as a precious resource, Mr Tan Yi Han, co-founder of non-governmental organisation People’s Movement to Stop Haze, called for new ways to tackle the issue and not just to increase cost. He bemoaned that public education on water conservation is still quite “lacking” here, and suggested that environmental groups offer “targeted advice” and tips that people may readily adopt.

“(It’s not effective) to tell someone who is already taking short showers to cut down even more,” Mr Tan said. “Rather, give them advice on buying the right kind of washing machine, or new technologies to adopt at home which can (significantly cut down) on water usage.”

He also suggested having water-rationing exercises, because its proven educational value outweighed its inconvenience.

“The Government has to decide ... if stronger interventions like (water rationing) are needed to change behaviour ... because the risk is that even if you increase the price, people might not change their ways… so the same amount of water continues to be used,” he added.

The older generation in Singapore would know the value of water because they had to face water scarcity in the early days of the country’s development, one observer said, adding that the younger generation did not have to face such callenges. Dr Adil Dhalla, deputy director of the Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute at Nanyang Technological University, said: “The biggest misconception (the younger generation has) is that water-saving habits are just ‘nice to do’, when they are absolutely vital to the nation’s water security, and should be inculcated as part of our behavioural DNA.”

Singaporeans who spoke to TODAY expressed grudging acceptance towards having to pay more for water, though many said that they did not plan to change their habits because they felt they were already not using much water.

Mr Shawn Lim, 29, an army personnel who lives in a four-room flat and who pays about $50 monthly for water, does not intend to cut down on consumption. “We can’t change a lot. We still need to use a certain amount daily so (imposing prices) might not change the way people behave,” he said.

System analyst Vincent Tan, 59, who has four people in his household living in a maisonette unit and whose monthly utility bill is about $100, already has a habit of saving water where possible. “The water-rationing exercises in the past impacted us and we remember how precious the water was… But now, our Government keeps talking about NEWater, or desalination plants, so the people, like the young, become complacent and think that we have enough, so they don’t need to worry.”

While water-rationing might seem “drastic”, it could instil a sense of urgency, he added. “If you ask them to pay another S$20 to S$30, it might not make such a difference to them, people get used to it and will start wasting water again.”

Certainly, the price hike is not an issue with sales specialist Tan Han Yang, 27, because his parents foot the utility bills. He said: “For our parents, water was a privilege ... but for the younger generation, water (has been coming) readily from the tap as far as we know ... so they just go about (thinking), ‘I don’t need to save water, and I’m just going to continue with my life’.”


Singapore must be prepared to face water shortages: DPM Teo
Nur Afifah Ariffin Channel NewsAsia 4 Mar 17;

SINGAPORE: Singapore must be prepared psychologically to face water shortages if its reservoirs dry up and when the second water agreement with Malaysia ends in 2061, said DPM Teo Chee Hean on Saturday (Mar 4).

At present, imported water meets half of Singapore’s water needs. But water levels in Johor’s Linggiu Reservoir are falling. There is also the danger of prolonged dry weather, Mr Teo said.

As such, water has been a strategic priority for Singapore.

Speaking to 4,000 people at the launch of the Singapore World Water Day on Saturday morning, Mr Teo said the Government has invested heavily to develop local water sources like expanding water catchment areas and deploying new technologies.

“We have been fortunate over the past few years to benefit from advances in technology – NEWater and membrane-based desalination. These alternative water resources are not dependent on rainfall and have helped to supplement our traditional water resources,” he said.

Singapore has invested about S$430 million per year in water infrastructure since 2000. This will double to S$800 million per year over the next five years.

HOW MUCH DOES WATER COST IN SINGAPORE?

A 330ml bottle of water, which one can get from any supermarket, costs less than S$1. In contrast, that same amount of money will pay for 1,000 bottles of clean water from the tap after the full water price increase of 30 per cent has been phased in over the next two years.

“Our price of water from your tap is comparable to that in major cities. Many of them have large rivers and lakes to draw from. We have none of these natural sources of our own. According to the World Resources Institute, if we just left things to nature, we are the most water-stressed country in the world,” said DPM Teo.

Singapore's efforts to ensure its people have water have shown the country's resilience and determination to survive and thrive, he added.

- CNA/dl


MP calls on Govt to prevent profiteering from water fee hike
NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 5 Mar 17;

SINGAPORE — Bring back a committee against profiteering to ensure that establishments such as coffee shops do not profiteer by raising prices using water fee hikes as an excuse, Member of Parliament (Nee Soon GRC) Lee Bee Wah said on Sunday (March 5).

Speaking to reporters after a residents’ dialogue with Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, Ms Lee said: “I’d like to urge the Government, especially the Ministry of Trade and Industry, to look into cases where coffee shops increase prices now.”

The ministry could investigate whether any increases since the water price hikes were announced on Feb 20 were justifiable, said Ms Lee, who noted that water prices were going up in two phases only on July 1 this year and next.

Such a committee was previously set up in 1994 to look into complaints and feedback on establishments that were allegedly profiteering by using increases in Goods and Services Tax as an excuse.

“It’s timely to activate the committee so that residents can use WhatsApp to feed back, and it can go investigate,” said Ms Lee, echoing a call by fellow MP Lim Biow Chuan during the Budget debate.

If checks on any coffee shops that raised prices after Feb 20 are not done, then other businesses may follow suit, added Ms Lee, who termed price increases of even 10 cents for coffee on the basis of higher water prices as “too much”.

This is because the 30 per cent increase in water prices translates into users paying 60 cents more per 1,000 litres of water, which is enough for about 5,000 cups of coffee, she said.

At the dialogue at Nee Soon South Community Club, which took place before an International Women’s Day health talk in the constituency, Mr Shanmugam highlighted the need for Singapore to balance expenditure and income.

“In every country, people want to pay less tax, and they want more from the Government. But it doesn’t work ... In the end, we have to pay for what we use,” he said.

“We use the money very carefully, but after 2020, if you look at the pattern — government expenditure is high, health care, social welfare and so on, housing — we have to find ways of increasing the income.”

He noted that the Government’s expenditure exceeds its operating revenue. The returns on Singapore’s reserves supplement the annual Budget through the Net Investment Returns Contribution.

Singaporeans must continue working hard because the country has no oil or other natural resources to tap, he said.

“This is why the Government has told the people we have to work together, number one. Number two, we have to work very hard. There’s no choice for Singapore,” said Mr Shanmugam.

“People say we can relax, we’re now a First World country, we tax the rich and we pay for everybody else. But why would the rich stay here if they can go somewhere else? How much can you tax the rich? So we all have to work hard.”

Read more!

Indonesia: Floods hit five districts in Riau Province

Antara 5 Mar 17;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - Floods have hit five districts in Riau Province, affecting 2,469 homes, as several rivers overflowed their banks following incessant downpour.

The flood-affected districts were Rokan Hulu, Palalawan, Kampar, Kuantan Sangigi, and Indragiri Hulu, Syarifudin, head of the Riau social affairs office, stated here, Saturday.

In Rokan Hulu, floods submerged over 1.9 thousand homes in four villages: Lubuk Ingu and Cipang Kanan in Rokan IV Koto Sub-district and Muara Nikum as well as Surau Munai in Rambah Hilir Sub-district.

The four villages were isolated, as the flooding also destroyed a bridge that connected the villages with other cities.

In Pelalawan, floods affected the villages of Lubuk Kemang Bunga and Air Hitam in Ukui Sub-district.

In Kampar District, floods inundated five villages in Gugung Sahilan Sub-district and Koto Tuo Village in the XIII Koto Kampar Sub-district.

In Kuantan Sangingi, three sub-districts -- Kuantan Mudik, Gunung Toar, and Hulu Kuatan -- were flooded.

In Indragiri Hulu, floods submerged Semelinang Darat in Indragiri Hulu Sub-district and Lubuk Batu Jaya Village in Peranap Sub-district.

Indonesia is currently experiencing rainy season that peaks in late February and March, causing floods in several provinces.(*)

5 killed in W Sumatra`s landslides
Antara 5 Mar 17;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Limapuluh Kota district, West Sumatra province, have killed five people and injured two others seriously, the National Disaster Mitigation Board (BNPB) said.

"The BPBD (the local disaster mitigation agency) is still assessing (the extent of damage)," Chief of the BNPB Data and Information Center and Public Relations Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said here on Saturday.

The fatalities are identified as Doni Fernandes (31), Teja (19), Yogi Saputra (23), Muklis alias Ujang (45) and Karudin (25), while the injured are identified as Syamsul Bahri (22) and Candra (42).

Efforts to mitigate the impact of the flood and landslide have been made since the disaster affected the district on Friday, he said.

The heavy rains caused Sumpur River to overflow its bank and landslides in several areas.

The floods and landslides affected the eight sub-districts of Pangkalan, Kapur IX, Mungka, Harau, Payakumbuh, Lareh Sago Halaban, Sulikik and Empat Barisan.

Sutopo said hundreds of houses were flooded, including 150 houses in Jorong Ranah Pasar, 50 in Jorong Ranah Baru and 50 in Jorong Abai.

"Five hamlets were isolated. The West Sumatra-Riau highway is cut off," he said.(*)

Read more!