Two trees fall in Sembawang Park where SMRT staff were having Christmas party, 14 taken to hospital

WONG PEI TING Today Online 21 Dec 18;

SINGAPORE — Two trees fell at Sembawang Park amid heavy rain on Thursday (Dec 20). One of the trees fell on a pavilion, causing the roof to crash on a private Christmas party involving 17 SMRT employees.

And while nobody was trapped under it, 14 people who suffered injuries had to be taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

The incident took place at about 5.30pm along Beaulieu Road, which is near a playground in the park, which borders the sea.

The National Parks Board said two trees were uprooted during the incident — one was an 18m tall Tabebuia rosea, the other a 21m tall Erythrophleum suaveolens.

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Indonesia: Protection of Leuser ecosystem crucial - NGO

Antara 20 Dec 18;

A number of students explored the forest area of the Ketambe Research Station inside Gunung Leuser National Park (TNGL) while participating in environmental education activities in Ketambe Village, Ketambe District, Southeast Aceh District, Aceh, Wednesday (11/28/2018).(ANTARA PHOTO/SYIFA YULINNAS)

Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - Protection of the Leuser Ecosystem zone (KEL) is crucial, as it is a national strategic area, according to an Aceh non-governmental organization (NGO).

"The Leuser Ecosystem is a national strategic area due to KEL`s environmental functions. It is crucial to protect the area, as it provides water and clean air as well as mitigates disaster impacts, such as erosion, pest, and climate change," Farwiza Farhan, the chairman of HAkA Foundation, stated here, Wednesday.

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Japan to resume commercial whaling after leaving IWC – report

Tokyo denies report by Kyodo news agency that government will reveal its decision by the end of the year
Justin McCurry and Graham Readfearn The Guardian 20 Dec 18;

Japan is to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and resume commercial whaling next year, a report claimed on Thursday, in a move that drew condemnation from Australia, with other anti-whaling nations expected to follow suit.

Japan will inform the IWC of its decision by the end of the year, Kyodo news agency said, months after the body rejected its latest bid to resume commercial whaling.

Kyodo quoted unnamed government sources as saying Japan would abandon its controversial, and expensive, expeditions to the Southern Ocean and instead permit whaling fleets to operate in its coastal waters and exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

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Best of our wild blogs: 20 Dec 18

Singapore’s Food System: Key points from our last panel discussion
Green Drinks Singapore

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Malaysia's plan to restrict export of fish twice next year unlikely to have significant impact: AVA

CYNTHIA CHOO Today Online 19 Dec 18;

SINGAPORE — Malaysia plans to restrict the export of five types of fish and shrimp twice next year — between Jan 1 and Feb 28, and again between May 1 and June 30 — the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) revealed on Wednesday (Dec 19).

It was previously reported on Monday (Dec 17) that Malaysia would be restricting the export of four types of fish and shrimp, and only in the first two months of the new year.

This had some fishmongers warning that prices of these seafood will likely jump by 30 to 40 per cent during the Chinese New Year period, TODAY reported on Tuesday.

However, the AVA said in response to TODAY’s queries that the export restrictions are unlikely to have a significant impact on Singapore’s overall seafood supply, as the affected species make up less than 10 per cent of Singapore’s total seafood supply.

Importers are also “well-prepared to tap on other readily available sources”, the AVA said.

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European officials agree on ban of some single-use plastics

FRANK JORDANS, Associated Press Yahoo News 20 Dec 18;

BERLIN (AP) — Plastic knives just won't cut it any longer, if the European Union has its way.

The 28-nation bloc moved closer to banning single-use straws, plates, cutlery and cotton swabs, after officials from EU member states and the European Parliament on Wednesday backed recommendations by its executive branch designed to reduce marine pollution.

Environmental campaigners have been calling for curbs on throwaway plastic that's accumulating in the oceans because, unlike organic materials, it doesn't decompose but simply breaks down into ever smaller pieces.

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Best of our wild blogs: 19 Dec 18

"A Blueprint For Blue Waters" - Asian Scientist Magazine
Singapore Blue Plan 2018

Labrador Park Survey
Offshore Singapore

Singapore Bird Report – November 2018
Singapore Bird Group

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Deer dies in accident along Mandai Road

Channel NewsAsia 19 Dec 18;

SINGAPORE: A deer died on Tuesday evening (Dec 18) in an accident involving a motorcycle along Mandai Road towards Mandai Avenue.

The police said they were alerted to the incident at 8.10pm, adding that the motorcyclist escaped with minor abrasions.

Photos posted on Facebook by the Nature Society Singapore group showed a deer lying on the road. Blood could be seen near the animal's face.

According to the post, the accident occurred at around 7.20pm.

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Chickens roaming in Tampines to be rehomed after some residents cry fowl

Timothy Goh Straits Times 18 Dec 18;

SINGAPORE - Some Tampines residents are in a flap about a flock of more than 50 chickens roaming in their neighbourhood.

The Tampines Town Council said it is working with animal welfare group Acres to rehome some chickens near Block 266 Tampines Street 21, after several residents complained about the noise they made.

The fowl problem was reported in the media in September, after some residents were upset that some chickens were removed following complaints.

Since then, the chicken population has grown because of reproduction and residents feeding them.

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Malaysia to stop exporting four species of fish and shrimp from Jan 1 to Feb 28

Today Online 17 Dec 18;

KUALA LUMPUR — A week after declaring that it may limit or stop the export of eggs, Malaysia has announced that it will prohibit the export of four species of fish and shrimp.

This is to meet the shortage in the market during the monsoon and festive seasons, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub said on Monday (Dec 17).

The Bernama news agency said that four species — mackerel, trevally, Indian mackerel and pomfret — will be prohibited from export from Jan 1 to Feb 28, 2019.

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Wildlife group rescues abandoned marmoset seen 'appearing lost' at Punggol HDB

Channel NewsAsia 17 Dec 18;

SINGAPORE: A black-tufted marmoset, a species of monkey that is one of the most illegally smuggled wildlife, has been rescued after it was spotted in Punggol over the weekend.

This is the fifth marmoset rescued in Singapore this year.

Wildlife rescue group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) told Channel NewsAsia on Monday (Dec 17) it received an alert on Saturday night that the marmoset had been "sighted appearing lost" outside Block 271D, Punggol Walk.

ACRES officers visited the area on Sunday morning to look for the animal and interview residents. A member of the public later spotted the adult marmoset at a basement parking area and managed to contain it in a cardboard box and alert ACRES.

"ACRES is shocked to rescue a fifth marmoset in a year," the rescue group told Channel NewsAsia.

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Adoption of global climate action plan gives Singapore greater certainty of world's commitment: Masagos

Audrey Tan Straits Times 16 Dec 18;

KATOWICE, Poland - With almost 200 nations agreeing to adopt a global action plan to tackle global warming, Singapore will have greater certainty about the world's commitment to dealing with climate change, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said on Saturday (Dec 15) night.

This is especially important for Singapore which is a vulnerable, low-lying island, he told The Straits Times in Katowice, Poland, after the action plan, or the Katowice Rulebook, was adopted following a marathon two-week conference.

Asked what it means for Singapore, Mr Masagos said: "There is certainty that all countries that have ratified the Paris Agreement will now actually start to report on their climate pledges, and there is a clear rule of how that will be done, with no more suspicion or ambiguity about what it means."

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