Small businesses bear the brunt in Malaysia’s war against single-use plastic

Fadza Ishak Channel NewsAsia 26 May 19;

KUALA LUMPUR: Visit any Ramadan bazaar during the fasting month in Malaysia and one will notice a common feature: food and drinks are all packed in single-use plastic.

Be it thirst quenching beverages or mouthwatering rendang, traders deftly shove the packed items into thin, flimsy plastic bags and hand them over to shoppers. It is easy and convenient.

In general, Malaysia has achieved some success in cutting down single-use plastic, especially in terms of how fewer plastic bags are now being used in supermarkets.

Penang was the first state to introduce the no free plastic bag campaign for all days at supermarkets in 2011. In fact, the state government is mulling over a blanket ban on all single-use plastic.

Read more!

Thailand: Coral bleaching situation begins to improve

NNT 26 May 19;

Bangkok – Jatuphorn Burusphat, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), says a recent inspection of the coral in Thailand’s national marine parks has shown an improvement on the bleaching situation in many areas.

It was found that most coral bleaching in 51 areas in the Andaman Sea and 72 areas in the Gulf of Thailand has started to improve due to the arrival of the rainy season, which decreases sea temperatures. Most of the affected corals have begun to recover but are still pale.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 25 May 19

Lots of dugong signs at Cyrene
wild shores of singapore

Shore exploration for kids with Young Nautilus (Jul-Sep 2019)
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

Read more!

Malaysia: National Tiger Survey 90% complete, says Perhilitan

ili aqilah The Star 24 May 2019;

THE two-year National Tiger Survey is expected to be completed early next year, Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Hashim says.

Abdul Kadir said the department had covered about 90% of the survey area and still had some 15,000sq km of land to do.

He said the Malayan Tiger population in the wild was believed to be fewer than 200 currently.

“It is at a worrying level.

Read more!

13th dead whale of the year washes ashore near San Francisco

Associated Press Yahoo News 25 May 19;

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities say a dead gray whale has washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay Area, bringing the total to 13 dead whales found in the area since March.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the whale carcass was found Thursday along the Point Reyes National Seashore near Limantour Beach.

The Marine Mammal Center plans a necropsy to determine what killed the whale.

Read more!

Humans causing shrinking of nature as larger animals die off

Average size of wild animals predicted to fall by a quarter in 100 years through extinctions
Damian Carrington The Guardian 23 May 19;

Humanity’s ongoing destruction of wildlife will lead to a shrinking of nature, with the average body size of animals falling by a quarter, a study predicts.

The researchers estimate that more than 1,000 larger species of mammals and birds will go extinct in the next century, from rhinos to eagles. They say this could lead to the collapse of ecosystems that humans rely on for food and clean water.

Humans have wiped out most large creatures from all inhabited continents apart from Africa over the last 125,000 years. This annihilation will accelerate rapidly in the coming years, according to the research.

The future extinctions can be avoided if radical action is taken to protect wildlife and restore habitats, and the scientists say the new work can help focus efforts on key species.

Read more!

Mandai eco-resort to offer guests behind-the-scenes animal experiences

Tiffany Fumiko Tay Straits Times 23 May 19;

SINGAPORE - Beyond snoozing in the middle of five wildlife parks, overnight guests at the future eco-resort in Mandai will be able to participate in behind-the-scenes activities where they can work with keepers and learn about the animals.

Mr Mike Barclay, group chief executive of Mandai Park Holdings, said during a media conference on Thursday (May 23) that the resort will offer a unique opportunity for guests to experience hands-on and learning activities that are not currently available.

Guests could, for example, be taken to the zoo's elephant enclosure in the evenings to help keepers put together "food puzzles" to be placed in the exhibit, and return in the morning to watch the elephants pull apart the branches and twine enveloping the treats, he said.

Read more!

Primary school pupils win top prize in environmental competition with role-playing game

Aqil Hamzah Straits Times 22 May 19;

SINGAPORE - The year is 2100 and rising sea levels have forced Singaporeans to live atop a floating city.

Global warming has caused irreversible damage to the environment and the only solution is to travel back in time to educate society about the importance of environmental conservation.

This is the premise of Symbiosis: The Environment Role Playing Game, which was developed by Primary 5 pupils from Temasek Primary School in collaboration with 28 partners, including the National Environment Agency.

Read more!

Malaysia: 'Last warning': Johor state government tells businesses not to pollute rivers

Channel NewsAsia 22 May 19;

JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor state government has urged chicken farms and palm oil refineries situated along the Johor River to maintain their sewerage systems and prevent water pollution.

Those who fail to comply and end up contaminating the waters would face harsh punishments, state executive councillor for international trade, investment and utility Jimmy Puah has warned, according to local media reports.

"Operators must improve and enhance their sewage systems and waste management," he was quoted as saying by Sin Chew Daily following a meeting with some 30 industry players on Tuesday (May 21).

"Consider this the last warning from the state government," he said.

Read more!

Malaysia: Cloud seeding did not bear fruit, contingencies in place - Melaka CM

r.s.n.murali The Star 22 May 19;

MELAKA: Melaka Chief Minister Adly Zahari confirmed on Wednesday (May 22) says that cloud seeding exercise from May 16 to May 18 brought heavy downpours.

He however added that the downpour happened 20km away from the intended target - the Durian Tunggal Dam.

“We were hoping on cloud seeding, but it showered heavily in Tampin instead, causing us to embark on another contingency plan to ensure that the water supply here is enough during the festive season,” he said when met at Seri Negeri.

Read more!

Malaysia: Turtle researchers to switch to better tagging methods

stephanie lee The Star 22 May 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Researchers here have promised to use safer and better methods when tagging turtles in waters off Semporna to better protect these endangered sea creatures.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said a roundtable discussion was organised, following concerns from seasoned divers and researchers on the "lift bag method" used during the annual Mabul Sea Turtle Project.

Some claim that this method, used by certain scientists from a public university, are harmful to these marine creatures.

The "lift bag method" is used when capturing turtles to tag, where they are tied to an air-filled bag and floated to the surface.

The speed they ascend to the surface is believed to be harmful, as it could lead to decompression sickness – and even possible fatalities – in turtles.

Tuuga said there had been speculation that this was leading to the death of turtles here, but there is no evidence to these claims.

"However, the scientists involved will make appropriate changes to the method for the additional safety of turtles," he said.

Read more!

India: Coral bleaching observed near Mandapam, Keezhakkarai, Palk Bay

Shubashree Desikan The Hindu 22 May 19;

When a coral bleaches, it does not die but comes pretty close to it. Some of the corals may survive the experience and recover once the sea surface temperature returns to normal levels.

The National Centre for Coastal Research, an institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, in India, has a field research station in the Gulf of Mannar region, and researchers led by Dr. Shanmugaraj have found an alarming pattern of bleaching in the reefs in Mandapam, Keezhakkarai and Palk Bay. They have found that sea surface temperature ranged from 28.7°C to 31°C in the August 2018-February 2019 period and there was no bleaching seen then. However, when the temperatures rose to between 32°C and 36°C between March 2019 and May 2019, researchers observed a pattern of bleaching in corals, which was different at different layers within the sea.

Read more!