Singapore Bird Report – January 2019
Singapore Bird Group
Flora and Fauna of Tampines Eco Green Park
Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature
16 Mar (Sat): TeamSeagrass joins Celebrating Singapore Shores at Berlayar Creek
TeamSeagrass
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Best of our wild blogs: 25 Feb 19
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Singapore’s farming revival: 'Tech is the only way to go'
CYNTHIA CHOO Today Online 24 Feb 19;
SINGAPORE — Singapore’s agriculture sector is no longer what it once was.
But far from being a sunset industry facing obsolescence, the sector is actually in the midst of a rejuvenation, fuelled by cutting-edge science and technology, and given fresh relevance by the urgent need to boost food security amid rapid climate change.
Local farmers say they are doing their best to adopt the latest technologies to raise their efficiency and productivity, and forming collaborations with partners who can help them scale up their operations and go global.
Venture capital firms, known more for betting on the next Alibaba or Grab, are starting to get in on the action, investing in innovative agrifood tech start-ups.
While the sector is fast becoming a hive of innovation, farm operators and experts say more can be done to support its future growth: The nurturing of young Singaporeans to ensure a pipeline of agritech talent and the promotion of local produce among consumers.
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Saving water less of a concern for younger residents: Study
Tee Zhuo Straits Times 25 Feb 19;
SINGAPORE - A culture of saving water has become watered down here, going by a government study.
A focus group study by national water agency PUB and government feedback unit Reach revealed that younger Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) appear to be less concerned about the sustainability of the country's water supply than older residents aged 55 and above.
The findings were released ahead of a new campaign to get Singaporeans to save water.
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Malaysia: Dry spell to last until end of March
New Straits Times 25 Feb 19;
THE sweltering heat that enveloped many parts of the country is expected to last until the end of next month.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department said the hot weather was a normal occurrence that marked the end of the monsoon sea son.
This will be accompanied by low rainfall, with temperatures expected to soar between 34°C and 36°C instead of the normal range of 32°C and 34°C.
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Malaysia: Tawau firefighters save beached dolphin
ABDUL RAHEMANG TAIMING New Straits Times 24 Feb 19;
TAWAU: Firefighters rescued a dolphin that was stranded at the beach near Bha Zhong commercial centre here at noon.
The 1.7m adult sea mammal was found by the public.
District Fire and Rescue chief Sharudy Delamin said they were alerted at 12.05pm and had despatched seven officers, machinery and emergency medical service van.
He said the dolphin was trapped in shallow water.
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Malaysia: Illegal plastic recycling plants - 'Operators shifted to other states'
Dawn Chan New Straits Times 24 Feb 19;
SHAH ALAM: THE authorities are hot on the heels of illegal plastic recycling factory operators who have taken the move to “decentralise” their activities following a major crackdown in Selangor.
In the past year, numerous massive coordinated enforcement operations mounted by the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry (MESTECC) and joined by the local authorities, as well as about six to seven agencies, including Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) and the Department of Environment (DoE), have forced operators to shut down their illegal businesses in Selangor and move elsewhere.
Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said there was information that the illegal operators that imported plastic waste from countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand had shifted their operations to other states throughout the country.
It is learnt that there are now such activities in Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Johor.
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Indonesia: 100 soldiers flown to Riau to help fight land, forest fires
Antara 24 Feb 19;
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - A company of 100 soldiers from the Army`s Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) arrived in Riau province on Sunday to help fight forest and land fires in Rupat Island.
The soldiers will join the province`s forest and land fire control task force in combating forest and land fires on the island, the Wira Bima military resort command said in a press statement.
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Best of our wild blogs: 24 Feb 19
Albatrosses of Singapore
Butterflies of Singapore
Long Walk To Windsor Nature Park (22 Feb 2019)
Beetles@SG BLOG
Black water at Chek Jawa
wild shores of singapore
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Crocodile caught at Lower Seletar Reservoir, water activities remain suspended
Channel NewsAsia 23 Feb 19;
SINGAPORE: A crocodile that was spotted at Lower Seletar Reservoir last week has been caught, said national water agency PUB on Saturday (Feb 23).
The reptile was first spotted by a PUB contractor on Feb 14, prompting a suspension of all water and fishing activities there.
Authorities managed to trap it at the reservoir at about 3am on Saturday.
The reptile, an estuarine crocodile, is about 1.7m long. “It has been translocated into the wild,” said PUB.
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Indonesia: Land fires in Riau arose far from settlement - BRG
Antara 23 Feb 19;
Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) Chief Nazir Foead. (ANTARA News/Virna P Setyorini)
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - The land and forest fire in Riau Province occurred in areas far from the settlement and farmers` plantation, according to the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG).
"Peatland areas engulfed by the fire are those on which rewetting was yet to be carried out," BRG Chief Nazir Foead told Antara here on Saturday.
The agency`s peatland restoration program, conducted since 2016 in the province, has involved the local government and public.
Foead affirmed that rewetting of peat soil was prioritized in locations close to settlements and plantations, as they have limited sources to cover all peatland regions.
"Usually, people choose peatland areas that are close to settlement and plantation areas. Hence, their houses, schools, and plantations would remain safe in case fire engulfed the peatland area," he explained.
According to data of Riau University, the province has 4.8 million hectares of peatland area, or some 51.06 percent of Riau`s total area.
"We know that more than half of Riau Province is peatland area. Peatland clearing has occurred for years, and the damage was quite extensive. A long time would be needed to restore the land," he remarked.
In 2019, fire engulfed more than 850 hectares of land in Riau. The largest fire was detected in Rupat Island of Bengkalis District, and efforts to extinguish the fire are still ongoing.
Related News: Fires burn 124.5 hectares of land in Riau since early January
Related News: Forest, land fires spread to 633 hectares in Riau
Reporting by Anggi Romadhoni
Editing by Sri Haryati
Editor: Gusti Nur Cahya Aryani
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Malaysia: Tougher laws fail to deter pangolin poachers
Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 23 Feb 19;
SABAH has prosecuted 23 cases related to pangolins since 2002, said state Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga.
Five cases were from Keningau, four in Lahad Datu, Tawau and Sandakan (three in each district), Papar and Kinabatangan (two in each district), and one each in Sipitang, Telupid, Beaufort and Luyang.
In recent years, an amendment was made to the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, in which the world’s most trafficked animal had been upgraded as a “totally protected species”.
Those found hunting, consuming, possessing or selling pangolins or their parts could face a minimum fine of RM50,000 and a maximum fine of RM250,000 or a minimum prison term of one year and up to a maximum term of five years or both.
“Some of the cases were prosecuted under the new amendment, where heavier penalties were handed down to offenders and some are still serving their sentence.
“However, crimes against pangolins continue despite the state Wildlife Department trying its best to combat illegal poaching,” he said, adding there was a need for public cooperation in preventing pangolins from being poached and becoming extinct.
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