ST Global Outlook Forum: Collective action can dull the sting of climate change

Chang Ai-Lien Straits Times 28 Nov 18;

SINGAPORE - Individual actions - billions of them by billions of people each day - can have a significant impact on global warming.

In fact, the only way to battle the predicament is for individuals, businesses, organisations and governments to work together to enforce rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented change, said an expert panel discussing the costs and consequences of climate change at the ST Global Outlook Forum on Wednesday (Nov 28).

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Indonesia: Sumatran rhino saved from pit trap in E Kalimantan

Antara 29 Nov 18;

Jakarta (ANTARA News)- A female Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) was rescued from a pit trap near Tunuq River basin area in West Kutai District, East Kalimantan Province, on Sunday (Nov 25).

Within less than 24 hours, the rescue effort was successfully completed and the rhino was later transferred to Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary located in Kelian Lestari protected forest, Sunandar, head of the East Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA), said here, Thursday.

The rhino, which is in good health and stable, arrived in her new home on Wednesday morning, he added.

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Great Barrier Reef: record heatwave may cause another coral bleaching event

42.6C temperature in Cairns broke a November record that has stood since 1900 by 5.4C
Ben Smee The Guardian 28 Nov 18;

A record-breaking heatwave in north Queensland will further increase above-average marine temperatures, heightening the risk of another coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef next year, scientists say.

Dozens of record November temperatures have been recorded in the region, most along the reef coastline, this week.

The most remarkable was at Cairns, where consecutive days reached temperatures of 42.6C and 40.9C. The maximum temperature on Tuesday broke a November record that has stood since 1900 by 5.4C.

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Climate change already a health emergency, say experts

Deadly heatwaves and spread of diseases affect people’s health today – report
Damian Carrington The Guardian 28 Nov 18;

People’s health is being damaged today by climate change through effects ranging from deadly heatwaves in Europe to rising dengue fever in the tropics, according to a report.

Billions of hours of farmwork has been lost during high temperatures and global warming has damaged the ability to grow crops, it said.

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Best of our wild blogs: 29 Nov 18

29th December 2018 (Saturday): Herp Walk @ Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Herpetological Society of Singapore

FOLLOW US! - Instagram St John's Island National Marine Laboratory (SJINML)
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

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Overwhelming support makes Singapore's Year of Climate Action a success: Masagos Zulkifli

Cheryl Teh Straits Times 28 Nov 18;

SINGAPORE - Art competitions, apps to track carbon footprints, and outreach programmes to encourage recycling were all part of the efforts made for Singapore's Year of Climate Action.

The campaign to rally Singaporeans together to work towards a sustainable Singapore saw about 800 climate action-related events initiated and organised here.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli acknowledged these collective efforts on climate action on Wednesday (Nov 28) at the Year of Climate Action Appreciation Lunch, held at Orchard Hotel.

He said these efforts were part of the "overwhelming support from the ground", with green initiatives championed by individuals, schools, businesses, non-profit organisations as well as organisations in the public and private sector.

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Should ivory sales be banned in Singapore? AVA invites public to share their views

Channel NewsAsia 28 Nov 18;

SINGAPORE: The public has been invited to share their views on a proposed ban on the sale of elephant ivory and ivory products in Singapore.

A month-long public consultation was launched on Tuesday (Nov 27) by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to gather feedback from the public on the issue.

"The proposed ban is in line with Singapore’s broader commitment to tackle the illegal elephant ivory trade and support elephant conservation," said AVA.

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Malaysia: Illegal logging among the factors for worsening pollution of water sources - Water Supply Dept

Nor Fazlina Abdul Rahim New Straits Times 28 Nov 18;

KOTA BHARU: Source water pollution has worsened since 10 years ago, with illegal logging identified as one of the factors.

Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry’s Water Supply Department director-general Datuk Noor Azahari Zainal Abidin said checks at Sungai Bilut in Pahang revealed that its level of murkiness or lack of clarity had reached 1,000 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU).

He said apart from illegal logging, river pollution and destruction of water catchments had also contributed to the water pollution at its source.

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Malaysia: Divers fight Mabul seastar infestation

julianne de souza The Star 29 Nov 18;

PETALING JAYA: An infestation of coral-eating crown-of-thorns seastars in Mabul has got the diving community scrambling to save the corals.

Several dive operators such as Scuba Junkie SEAS and Reef Check Malaysia, and the Sabah Tourism Board are among those involved in an exercise to remove the seastars, which are the largest tropical starfish.

Within three days, they managed to remove over 3,000 seastars.

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Over one third of Indonesia's coral reefs in bad state, study finds

Indonesia has some of the world's finest corals but many are also badly damaged
Phys.org 28 Nov 18;

More than a third of Indonesia's coral reefs are in bad condition, scientists said Tuesday, raising concerns about the future of the archipelago's vast marine ecosystem.

The precarious state of the country's coral reefs was revealed after a survey of 1067 sites across the sprawling country of more than 17,000 islands.

Scientists from Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) found that just 6.5 percent Indonesia's coral reefs were in excellent condition, while 36 percent are in bad condition. Some 34 percent in sufficient condition with the rest classifed as being in good condition.

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Indonesia: Three turtles found dead off Pari island due to litter

Antara 28 Nov 18;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Jakarta Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has confirmed the deaths of three turtles in the waters of Pari Island in the Seribu Islands District apparently due to plastic litter and crude oil spill.

"It is true that three turtles were found dead on Nov 27. Since they had decomposed, they were not moved to land. They were covered in mucus, and plastic litter was found in their mouths and front claws," Chief of Conservation Section of the BKSDA Office in Hajarta Ida Harwati stated on Wednesday.

The exact cause of the turtles` mortality is yet to be ascertained, as no surgery was conducted on them, she noted.

However, she believed they died due to exposure to plastic litter and oil spill.

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Indonesia: Wild animals flee to Karo hamlet from deforested Bukit Barisan

Apriadi Gunawan The Jakarta Post 28 Nov 18;

Residents living near Mount Sinabung in Karo, North Sumatra, have seen a rise in the number of orangutans and other wild animals that have entered their villages in the past few months, ever since the mountain started to show a decrease in volcanic activity.

Just recently, residents of Lau Kawar hamlet, about 10 kilometers from the mountain, found a baby orangutan in the Lau Biang River in Kutabuluh district, when they were fishing. The male orangutan, estimated to be 1 year old, was sitting alone on a river stone.

The orangutan was then captured by the residents and taken to a resident’s house in Kutabuluh.

“This is the first time in decades I have seen many orangutans roaming around villages like this,” said local resident Pelin Depari. In addition to the orangutans, he said villagers had also encountered other animals such as deer and wild goats.

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