Marine Flatworms – Simply, Brilliant
from Pulau Hantu
A sneak preview: The Natural Heritage of Singapore 3rd Edition
from Urban Forest
Cyrene Reefs featured in Nature Watch!
from wild shores of singapore
You are what you eat: resourceful slugs
from Celebrating Singapore's BioDiversity!
frogfish @ Little Sisters' Island
from sgbeachbum
Osprey collecting sticks for nest
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Conservation contemplates the pre-emptive strike
from BBC NEWS blog by Richard Black
Vital to safeguard biodiversity and to develop sustainably as population grows
Felda Chay, Business Times 8 Jan 10;
CITIES worldwide should come together to collaborate and share solutions on developing sustainably and safeguarding biodiversity as the world population increases rapidly, said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan on Wednesday in Brazil.
Speaking at the second meeting on Cities and Biodiversity in the Brazilian city of Curitiba, Mr Mah said that the task of balancing economic development and biodiversity conservation is a challenging one. There is, therefore, a need to 'continually find practical and innovative solutions', by cooperating with one another, he said.
And Singapore, for one, is committed to promoting sustainability and biodiversity conservation, said Mr Mah. In 2008, he proposed to develop a 'City Biodiversity Index' to fill the gap of a lack of well-established indices to measure biodiversity in cities. Between March and September last year, the city-state's National Parks Board worked with the Task Force on Cities and Biodiversity to test 'The Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity' - Singapore's answer to the lack of biodiversity indices - in several cities.
Currently, seven cities such as Curitiba and Japan's Nagoya have test-bedded the draft index. And at least 10 other cities have indicated their interest to test-bed it.
'For us who run and manage cities, and in the case of Singapore, a city-state, we are all too familiar with the constant challenge of competing needs for resources . . . The problems that we face are multi-disciplinary. To solve them, we will need to create platforms for meaningful dialogue, for people from different disciplines to understand one another's perspectives and work together.'
Mr Mah listed three challenges that cities face today as a result of a rising population. The first, he said, is greater urbanisation and the strain this will have on natural resources. Cities, he said, currently take up just 2 per cent of the Earth's land area, yet consume a staggering 75 per cent of its natural resources.
'We need to ensure that the rapid urbanisation is done is a sustainable manner,' said Mr Mah.
He added that climate change is another issue, and cities will need to work out at the local level various ways to deal with the impact.
'Cities will need to figure out how to mitigate the impact of climate change on biodiversity at the local level, even as governments attempt to find common ground to arrive at a post-2012 climate change agreement to curb emissions - something that was not achieved at Copenhagen last month.'
The final challenge he highlighted was that of the increasing complexity of city planning and management on the back of rising demand for a higher standard of living, and population growth.
Problems brought about by increased population density, such as traffic congestion and pollution, may lead to environment degradation and loss of biodiversity if not adequately addressed, said Mr Mah.
Minister Mah in Brazil for biodiversity talks
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 8 Jan 10;
SINGAPORE and Curitiba - described as Brazil's best city to live in - have vastly different histories and cultures.
But they share one aspiration: balancing economic growth while conserving the environment, said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, who is visiting Brazil - the world's fifth most populous nation.
As cities around the world continue to grow rapidly, they face common challenges in achieving sustainable development, said Mr Mah at the second meeting on Cities and Biodiversity in Curitiba, in the country's south, on Wednesday.
Mr Mah noted that by 2050, more than 70 per cent of the world's population will be living in urban areas.
Currently, even though cities occupy only 2 per cent of the Earth's land area, those living in them consume more than 75 per cent of the Earth's natural resources.
Apart from a shortage of resources, other challenges that cities face include climate change and the complexities of city planning and management, he said.
But many benefits can be reaped if 'cities come together to collaborate and share solutions', Mr Mah added.
'To conserve our natural assets even as we pursue our economic development, we will need to continually find practical and innovative solutions,' he said.
'To solve these multi-disciplinary problems, we will also need to create platforms for meaningful dialogue, for people from different disciplines to understand one another's perspectives and work together.'
Curitiba and Singapore, for example, are collaborating on the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity, which was discussed at the meeting.
The index, a tool to help countries evaluate and benchmark the health of biodiversity in their cities, will be test-bedded in several countries, including Brazil.
Prior to Curitiba, Mr Mah had visited Rio de Janeiro to explore avenues for tie-ups between Singapore and the famous coastal city in the area of urban development.
From Curitiba, Mr Mah will be travelling to the capital city of Brasilia and to Manaus, said the Ministry of National Development.
Singapore shares Singapore Index experience at Curitiba Meeting on Cities and Biodiversity
MND and NParks media release (pdf) 7 Jan 10;
Singapore, 7 January 2010 – Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan commended Curitiba for its efforts in incorporating biodiversity considerations in urban planning and highlighted the city as a model for sustainable development. He made these comments in his opening address at the second meeting on Cities and Biodiversity in Curitiba, Brazil yesterday (Singapore time - 6 Jan 2010, 10pm).
Though Curitiba and Singapore have different historical and cultural backgrounds, Minister Mah said he is “struck by how similar we are in our aspirations to create an economically vibrant city with a high-quality living environment.” In a December 2009 article published in Forbes Magazine1, both cities have been listed as excellent examples of today’s “smart” cities i.e. cities which focus on having strong economic fundamentals beyond infrastructure and liveability. (Please see Annex A for the full version of Minister’s speech.)
In his speech, Minister Mah urged cities to come together to share knowledge, adopt best practices and find solutions to common problems.
Sharing of Singapore Index to an international audience in Curitiba
The Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity, or the Singapore Index in short, was on the discussion agenda during the second meeting. The Singapore Index is currently being testbedded in several countries and the discussions will enable inputs from these cities to be incorporated to refine the Singapore Index further. This discussion was instrumental in the process for the Singapore Index to be tabled for adoption at the Tenth Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity2 (COP-10) in October 2010 at Nagoya.
Once adopted, the Singapore Index will be used as a self-assessment tool to help member countries evaluate and benchmark the health of biodiversity in their cities.
Minister Mah first proposed the Singapore Index in May 2008 in Bonn, Germany. It is being developed by National Parks Board (NParks), in collaboration with the Secretariat of the CBD and experts from various countries. In acknowledgement of Singapore’s contribution and leadership, the Secretariat of the CBD formally named the index, “The Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity” or “The Singapore Index” in April 2009. (Please see Annex B for more information on the Singapore Index.)
Minister’s Visit to Brazilian Cities and Tijuca Forest After Curitiba, Minister Mah will be travelling to Brasilia and Manaus, where he will visit the Amazon Biotechnology Center.
Prior to Curitiba, Minister Mah visited Rio de Janeiro where he met Governor Sergio Cabral to explore areas for collaboration between Singapore and Rio de Janeiro in the area of urban development. While in Rio de Janeiro, Minister also visited the Tijuca Forest.
Currently, Rio de Janeiro and Singapore are the only two cities in the world with major protected tropical forests within its city limits. NParks will be following-up on the visit to explore opportunities for joint collaborations in research to better manage these forests and their associated biodiversity.
Annex A: SPEECH BY MR MAH BOW TAN, MINISTER FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT,
SINGAPORE AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE SECOND CURITIBA MEETING ON CITIES AND BIODIVERSITY HELD ON 6 JANUARY 2010 AT BARIGUI PARK COMPLEX, PARANA STATE, BRAZIL
Mr Carlos Alberto Richa, Mayor of Curitiba
Dr Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Honorable Mayors
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen,
1. I am delighted to be here this morning at the opening of the Second Curitiba Meeting on Cities and Biodiversity.
2. In 1992, Brazil hosted the landmark United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. The Conference, which was popularly known as the Earth Summit, saw the signing of the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, the endorsement of the Rio Declaration and the Forest Principles, and the adoption of “Agenda 21” - a global action plan for achieving sustainable development in the 21st century.
3. It is laudable that another Brazilian city, Curitiba, has assumed leadership and provided the platform for discussions on how cities can contribute to the biodiversity agenda under the auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity. In March 2007, the Curitiba Declaration on Cities and Biodiversity was adopted, which re-affirmed the commitment of cities and local authorities to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, and to integrate biodiversity considerations in their urban planning and development.
4. In the year 2008, the world crossed a significant threshold. For the first time, more people live in towns and cities, than in rural areas. By 2050, more than 70% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas. The number of city dwellers is expected to almost double, from 3.3 billion today to 6.4 billion in 2050.
5. As cities around the world continue to grow rapidly, they all share common challenges in achieving sustainable development and safeguarding our biodiversity. Let me elaborate on three key challenges facing the cities of the world.
6. The first key challenge is that with greater urbanisation, the strain on natural resources will become increasingly more acute. Cities currently occupy only 2% of the Earth’s land area but consume over 75% of its natural resources. The ecological footprint of cities is set to increase as more people move into the urban environment. We need to ensure that the rapid urbanisation is done in a sustainable manner.
7. The next key challenge is climate change. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment3, climate change is likely to become the dominant driver of biodiversity loss by the end of this century. Temperature increases, rising sea levels and extreme weather patterns will impact on habitats and ecosystems. Cities will need to figure out how to mitigate the impact of climate change on biodiversity at the local level, even as governments attempt to find common ground to arrive at a post-2012 climate change agreement to curb carbon emissions, something which was not achieved at Copenhagen last month.
8. Thirdly, the complexities of city planning and management will increase in tandem with both population growth and demands for higher standards of living. Cities face many problems that arise from increased population density, such as housing needs, traffic congestion, pollution, access to clean water and proper sanitation. If these problems are not adequately addressed, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity may result. These problems are also closely inter-linked, and have to be tackled with an integrated set of solutions.
Greater Need for Collaboration
9. I have outlined three key challenges which are common to all cities, albeit at varying degrees due to the different stages of development. We can reap much benefits if cities come together to collaborate and share solutions. Already, many cities are innovating urban solutions in areas such as clean energy, green transport, waste and water treatment, and urban greenery.
10. It is indeed very apt that we are meeting today in Curitiba. Our host city has a reputation for being tenacious in championing sustainable development. Curitiba is well known for its public transport system and recycling initiatives. I understand that Curitiba has also embarked on its BioCity Programme which seeks to reverse the loss of biodiversity by incorporating biodiversity considerations in urban planning. The key initiatives, which I am sure all of us are familiar with, include the reintroduction of ornamental indigenous plant species; incentives to preserve private green areas; revitalisation of the Barigui River Basin; and the Green Line Project which is aimed at revitalising an important federal highway through the creation of a major transportation corridor for bicycles and pedestrians as well as a linear park. I look forward to learning more about these projects during my visit here.
11. In Singapore, resource scarcity has led us to take sustainable development very seriously from our early days of national development. Being a small city-state with a land area of 700 square kilometers, we have adopted a long-term and integrated approach in our land use planning. We seek to concurrently pursue economic vibrancy and a high-quality living environment for our people. This includes preserving the natural environment and protecting our natural heritage.
12. In a few minutes, I will show you a short video of our Garden City, which contains glimpses of Singapore’s greenery and how we balance conservation with development.
13. Despite our small size, we have deliberately set aside 10% of our land for parks and nature conservation. This is complemented with an island-wide network of parks, park connectors, and streetscape and waterfront greenery, resulting in a green cover of almost 50% of our island. We are now transforming Singapore into a city of gardens and water, where our water bodies and greenery are integrated to become havens for urban biodiversity.
14. However, balancing economic development and biodiversity conservation in an urban environment is not an easy task. For us who run and manage cities, and in the case of Singapore, a city-state, we are all too familiar with the constant challenge of competing needs for resources. To conserve our natural assets even as we pursue our economic development, we will need to continually find practical and innovative solutions. The problems that we face are multi-disciplinary. To solve them, we will need to create platforms for meaningful dialogue, for people from different disciplines to understand one another’s perspectives and work together.
15. Curitiba and Singapore are cities with very different historical and cultural backdrops. Yet, I am struck by how similar we are in our aspirations to create an economically vibrant city with a high-quality living environment. When we can get more like-minded cities to come together, the sharing will be multiplied many times. In this regard, it is very encouraging to see a positive trend of cities coming together to share knowledge, adopt best practices and find solutions to common problems. The ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability’s4 Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) project and the Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity are two excellent examples of greater collaborations among like-minded cities.
Singapore’s contribution
16. This year, being the International Year of Biodiversity, gives us added impetus and a unique opportunity to share and collaborate, and also to celebrate the vital role that biodiversity plays in sustaining life on Earth. In Singapore, we have launched to celebrate and rediscover our rich natural heritage. In particular, on 22 May 2010 which is the International Day for Biological Diversity, our schools will plant native trees to contribute to a global “Green Wave”.
17. Singapore is also pleased to contribute to the process of sharing and collaboration at the international level. Let me take this opportunity to thank our partners in the Global Partnership for assisting and supporting the development of the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity. The Singapore Index will provide a framework and tool to measure and benchmark cities’ biodiversity conservation efforts.
18. I would also like to thank the cities which are currently test-bedding the Singapore Index. Your feedback will be most invaluable for the experts who are meeting in July this year to fine-tune the Index. The Singapore Index is part of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’s Plan of Action on Urban Biodiversity. We look forward to working with the CBD and partners to develop the Index in time for endorsement at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-10) in Nagoya in October this year.
19. Besides biodiversity conservation, Singapore is also committed to promoting sustainability in cities. We will be hosting the second World Cities Summit from 28 to 30 June 2010 with the theme, “Liveable and Sustainable Cities for the Future”. As part of this conference, there will be a thematic session on “Urban Biodiversity and Conservation for Sustainable Cities”. Other events include the World Mayor’s Forum where mayors and governors around the world will discuss solutions for liveable cities.
20. I would like to encourage you to join us at the World Cities Summit 2010 in Singapore to exchange ideas and share innovative urban solutions to build liveable and sustainable communities across the globe.
Conclusion
21. Today’s meeting is further proof of our collective commitment to the Global Partnership to conserve biological diversity and promote sustainable development. Your deliberations will help consolidate ideas and build consensus to prepare for the COP-10 meeting in Nagoya. Just before introducing our short video, I would like to conclude by wishing you every success in your deliberations at this Second Curitiba Meeting on Cities and Biodiversity.
22. Thank you.
Annex B: Media Fact Sheet
The Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity – Roadmap
29 May 2008
Singapore’s Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan, proposed to develop a “City Biodiversity Index” as an evaluation tool at the High Level Segment of the 9th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany. According to the United Nations5, the world population will form half of the world population for the first time in 2008. Following this trend, the world population is expected to be 70% urban in 2050. With increasing urbanisation, the demands of economic activities will place greater pressure on our natural resources and environment. Currently, there are no well-established indices to measure biodiversity in cities. Hence, it is useful to formulate a methodology for benchmarking the biodiversity and environmental stewardship of cities.
10-12 February 2009
The National Parks Board (NParks) hosted the first expert workshop on the development of the City Biodiversity Index in Singapore. The purpose of the meeting is to identify appropriate measurable indicators and variables to develop a benchmarking tool to assist cities in the benchmarking of their biodiversity conservation efforts over time. A total of seventeen technical experts on biodiversity indicators as well as city executives and city representatives responsible for implementation and/or management of biodiversity and urban projects and programmes attended this workshop in the development of the index as an evaluation tool.
March 2009 – September 2009
NParks worked with the Task Force on Cities and Biodiversity to test the Singapore Index in several cities. Work includes:
Creation of a Technical Taks Force, including Dr. Nancy Holman, Mr. Peter Werner, Professor Thomas Elmqvist, Mr. Andre Mader, Ms. Elisa Calcaterra, Mr. Oliver Hillel and Dr. Lena Chan, Dy Director, National Biodiversity Centre.
Face-to-face meetings at the Urban Nature Forum and ICLEI World Congress, 11-18 June 2009, Edmonton, Canada.
Finalising a User’s Manual for the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity.
In acknowledgement of Singapore’s innovative contribution and leadership, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has formally named the index, “The Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity” or the “Singapore Index” in short.
Next Steps
Currently, seven cities (Curitiba, Joondalup, Edmonton, Brussels, Montreal, Nagoya and Singapore) have test-bedded the draft Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity by evaluating their availability of data. At least 10 other cities have indicated interest in test-bedding the Singapore Index.
With 2010 being designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Biodiversity, NParks is planning to launch a series of programmes to raise Singapore's profile internationally, to gain support for the adoption of the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity at the Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in October 2010. The Singapore Index has to be endorsed before cities can adopt it.
On the home front, NParks is striving to raise Singaporeans' awareness of our rich biodiversity assets (both terrestrial and marine), and is undertaking projects that will enhance the richness of our biodiversity by organising a series of activities to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity 2010.
Straits Times Forum 8 Jan 09;
I REFER to recent reports about fish farms off Pasir Ris Beach and around Pulau Ubin being hit by plankton bloom. About 20 floating farms lost 300,000 fish worth about $2.7 million.
This should be a wake-up call for Singapore which depends on food imports to feed its growing population of 4.98 million. With climate change playing havoc with weather patterns, food producers will be increasingly at the mercy of nature's whims.
As recently as 2008, there was a shortage of rice. Leading rice-exporting countries Thailand and Vietnam became protective, banning exports. I hope Singaporeans have not forgotten this.
Singaporeans consume an estimated 100,000 tonnes of fish a year. Local foodfish aquaculture accounts for about 5 per cent of this. Yet this 5 per cent is what Singaporeans hunger for - tropical fish like grouper, seabass, snapper and lately, cobia.
Appetite for fish is growing too - especially saltwater fish, which is high in Omega 3 fatty acids and heart- friendly. Nutritionists often recommend a regular diet of fish over meat.
Singapore has limited space for fish farming as most of the sea is reserved for shipping lanes. Singapore fish farm industries are considered small with most struggling to remain viable.
Fish farming is capital-intensive and fraught with unknown risks. Grouper takes about 18 months to grow, seabass about one year, sea snapper about 11/2 years and cobia one year. Repeated injections of funds are needed to buy feed for the fish to grow.
Now, fish farmers off Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin have woken up to find their prized fish stock wiped out, along with their much-anticipated income through sales for the upcoming Chinese New Year. After a year of hard work and thousands of dollars spent, they are left high and dry.
Right now, what they need is financial help, to tide over this difficult time. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) should reach out to the affected farmers and explore with other government agencies how to support them in their hour of need.
And, as suggested by Mr Liu Fook Thim on Tuesday ('Set up body to handle food crises'), AVA should also consider setting up an alert system to monitor oxygen levels in the sea and warn of potential dangers.
Winston Lee
Seet Sok Hwee, Channel NewsAsia 7 Jan 10;
SINGAPORE : Prices of some Chinese herbs have shot up by some three times over the past six months, on the back of rising demand.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners said concerns over H1N1 in China and poor harvest due to bad weather, have unexpectedly spurred domestic sales, resulting in a dip in export volume.
Herbs like honeysuckle flowers were selling for about S$50 a kilogramme half a year ago. Today, you would have to fork out a whopping S$135 for them.
The same goes for chrysanthemum flowers - they used to sell for S$8 for half a kilogramme. Now, the price is about twice that - at S$15.
On average, prices for most herbs have gone up by about 20 per cent. But TCM practitioners said they are absorbing the costs for now.
They said they are not raising their fees yet because they have stocked up on their processed herbal medications. Orders were made long before prices went up.
The practitioners also advise customers not to purchase herbs in bulk because that will only push up prices and most herbs do not store well for long. - CNA /ls
The Star 8 Jan 10;
THE change in global weather has affected the production of seafood, causing the staple products traditionally used during Chinese New Year to cost more, Nanyang Siang Pau reported.
Checks by the daily with suppliers found that the price of some of the seafood products might rise as much as 50%.
“We will transfer the increase to consumers and we will not replenish the stock once the present stock runs out,” said one supplier.
Other than seafood, among the items traditionally used during the Lunar New Year are sea cucumbers, Chinese sausages, shark fins, abalone and mushrooms.
> Sin Chew Daily reported that more Chinese couples are getting married without first having their own property due to high prices in China.
A survey conducted by the state media found that at least 48% of youths could not afford a house or a car.
Commenting on the matter, a sociologist said couples nowadays did not place importance on material items.
“They are more willing to work hard together before starting a family,” she added.
Joyce Hooi, Business Times 8 Jan 10;
SINGAPORE needs to set about converting its vehicle population to use natural gas if it wants to speed up what Robert A Hefner III calls the 'Grand Energy Transition', Mr Hefner said yesterday.
The founder and owner of natural gas firm GHK Exploration was in town for the Kings of Freedom Project at Bedok - a celebration today of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
At the end of November last year, 4,515 bi-fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles were registered in Singapore, two-fifths of which were taxis.
Almost all of the 574,929 private cars here use petrol - a 'liquid fuel' that 'has begun its twilight years', according to Mr Hefner's book The Grand Energy Transition, published last year.
The book, which has sold 10,000 copies worldwide, advocates a switch from unsustainable solid to sustainable gaseous fuels like CNG and hydrogen, which are cleaner and more efficient.
It also predicts that natural gas will increasingly displace solid and liquid fuels.
In Singapore, the growth of bi-fuel CNG cars was torpid last year - net registrations had increased a mere 229 at the end of November.
This is despite the opening last year of the $60 million Old Toh Tuck Road refuelling station that can handle 20,000 vehicles a day.
'Governments need to begin to charge the external cost of gasoline - like the environmental and military costs of securing oil - to the consumer,' Mr Hefner said yesterday.
According to studies quoted in his book, if the true cost of oil were internalised, the cost of petrol at the pump would increase by US$3-US$15 per gallon.
Inertia towards natural gas in Singapore continues, Mr Hefner reckons. He said that when he suggested putting in natural gas pipes, at little extra cost, to a building he visited at Marina Bay, he was told: 'We don't use it.'
In the US, the transition from solid fuel like coal remains very much a bumpy one. While 55 per cent of the energy generated in Singapore comes from natural gas, 50 per cent of the US energy comes from coal, Mr Hefner said.
The grand energy transition, while inevitable, will hurt the coal industry, but he points out that this employs only 84,000 miners in the US and has 'a disproportionately powerful lobby for its size'.
He also has a bone to pick with the cap-and-trade Bill passed in the US last year. 'It's rubbish because it exempts coal. It was an easy way for politicians to go home and say they did something about energy,' he said.
But an improvement may be in the offing in the middle of this year if plans for carbon taxes advance, he believes.
Straits Times 8 Jan 10;
BRIDGING the gap between technology and the marketplace is the aim of three organisations pushing for sustainable development practices.
The Singapore Manufacturers' Federation (SMa), which champions manufacturing, green charity Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and Temasek Polytechnic (TP) signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday to create opportunities for TP students to develop green technologies for the marketplace.
Reacting to a growing interest in environmentally friendly developments in Singapore, the trio plan to carry out and support studies and test-bedding activities in areas such as fuel cell - an electrochemical cell that produces electricity from fuels such as hydrogen - and identify other new technologies related to sustainable development.
'We want to help students get internships and to show their projects to businessmen and entrepreneurs, to get feedback for them and allow our members to have investment opportunities,' said Mr Renny Yeo, president of SMa, which has more than 2,600 corporate members.
SEC executive director Howard Shaw said he hopes the partnership will help build capacity by getting more tertiary-educated students into the increasingly lucrative green technologies field.
'The students will be able to get practical experience by helping us in our auditing of green businesses and green product verification,' Mr Shaw said.
'We hope to encourage the testing of renewable energy technology such as the fuel cell-powered bicycle. This is something we feel is going to be an interesting area in the future as we move more into electronic-powered vehicles.'
Mr Wong Kin Nyen, deputy director of Temasek Engineering School, said the agreement would help students find jobs and give them extra knowledge about working in the area of clean energy.
'Each year, we produce 200 students with experience in the area of green energy and sustainability. By tying up with industry, we can get the students' prototypes out into the marketplace,' he said.
VICTORIA VAUGHAN
There, 8-12 VLCCs double as floating storage, with plans for a 2nd terminal
Ronnie Lim, Business Times 8 Jan 10;
(SINGAPORE) The oil storage business here faces tougher competition from neighbouring Johor, where 8-12 very large crude carriers (VLCCs) are being used as floating storage, and plans for a second onshore terminal have been announced.
The new terminal - for oil trader Vitol and Malaysia's MISC - will compete for the same pie as Singapore, a terminal official here said yesterday.
He was responding to an announcement on Wednesday by Singapore engineering group PEC that it had won a $245 million deal to build an 841,000 cubic metre terminal at Tanjung Bin, Johor, to store fuel oil and middle and light distillates. The terminal is scheduled for completion by March 2012.
Another operator here said: 'The issue is that Singapore is always saying there is no more space to build onshore oil storage. Even though JTC is studying offshore floating structures, it doesn't stop people looking outside Singapore for alternative sites.'
The Tanjung Bin terminal will supplement an existing terminal at Tanjung Langsat that started operating last September with 130,000 cu m of storage. A second phase with a further 270,000 cu m is slated to be ready in March. Tanjung Langsat is operated by MISC with oil trader Trafigura.
This doesn't include an estimated two million cu m of oil stored by Singapore traders aboard VLCCs anchored off Johor.
International traders operating in Singapore, such as Vitol and Trafigura, have had to resort to using Johor for storage because of the shortage of tank space here.
Trafigura, for instance, has about 250,000 cu m of storage in Singapore but is using VLCCs moored off Johor, as well as Tanjung Langsat's joint venture terminal.
Vitol, similarly, has tanks in several locations here, including Tuas and Senoko. 'But given the volumes it trades, even the new 841,000 cu m Tanjung Bin terminal may not be enough for its own needs,' the Singapore terminal official said. 'So, whether the Tanjung Bin terminal spells competition for Singapore depends on whether it is for the owners' own needs or for third-party use.'
Recent JTC estimates show that even though 3.5 million cu m of new oil storage space will be added to the existing 4.6 million cu m, Singapore still faces a shortfall of at least three million cu m.
This is why JTC is building underground storage such as the first phase $890 million Jurong Rock Cavern, and will decide by March whether to build very large floating structures for oil storage, once it completes feasibility studies.
'Still, it remains to be seen whether the current strong demand for storage space here is sustainable,' said the Singapore terminal official.
'Vitol, for instance, is not building the Tanjung Bin terminal in Johor because terminalling is good business, but rather because it needs the storage capacity.'
The terminalling business in the past 12 months has been supported by contango in the oil market - delivery prices for futures exceed current spot prices - which encourages traders to store oil.
'Should demand for storage fall in future, most traders would likely not give up their Singapore storage capacity because of the good logistics and lower political risk here,' the terminal official said. 'Will they give up Johor storage then? The question is how much discount the terminals there will give.'
Ooi Tee Ching, New Straits Times 30 Dec 09;
KUALA LUMPUR: Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth (FOE), Wetlands International and World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) could play invaluable roles in highlighting environmental problems and promote public and corporate oversight.
But when these non-governmental organisations become biased and apply double standards in their whistleblowing, many begin to doubt their credibility.
"Public trust and integrity are the essence of any NGO should we want to stay true to our purpose and remain relevant in today's context," said Malaysian Nature Society president Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor.
"In the last decade, we've seen an increasing presence of foreign green NGOs in Southeast Asia.
"The objective of these foreign green and animal rights NGOs in setting up affiliates here is questionable," he told the New Straits Times in an interview here.
Examples include Amsterdam-based Friends of the Earth (FOE) giving financial support to Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Swiss-headquartered WWF funding anti-palm oil lobbyist Wetlands, which in turn contributes to Global Environment Centre, a non-profit organisation set up in Malaysia to support the protection of the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources.
There is also the UK-based Oxfam International giving money to Indonesian NGO Sawit Watch that purports to "highlight the negative social and environmental impacts of oil palm".
Earlier this week, Malaysia's Registrar of Societies Datuk Mohd Alias Kalil warned that Sahabat Alam Malaysia would be deregistered if in the fight for its cause, it is proven to indulge in extremist acts that threatens the country's interests.
When asked to comment, Salleh said: "At Malaysian Nature Society, we cherish the right to speak up for the conservation of nature but we're certainly not an extremist group.
"In fact, we don't agree with Greenpeace, FOE, Wetlands, Sawit Watch and WWF's biased approach, specifically their anti-palm oil lobby.
"We're a green NGO but we do not lobby against select industries or seek representation at negotiating tables to set up trade barriers disguised as environmentally-friendly me-asures."
Salleh said the Malaysian Nature Society had, throughout its 70 years of existence, stuck to its core activities of expeditions and explorations into the deep jungles and caves to inculcate love for nature among its members.
"As the oldest green NGO in Malaysia, we take pride in being transparent. We have never haboured any hidden agenda or ulterior motives. We publish all contributions and expenses in our annual reports. I can assure you every sen is accounted for," he said.
Today, it is an undisputable fact that financially strong NGOs like Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Greenpeace, FOE, Wetlands, Oxfam International and WWF wield great clout at international decision-making forums on global warming.
One would expect that with great power, comes great responsibility.
But to date, it is unclear whether these NGOs have institutionalised external oversight of their decision-makings.
Are there independent audits to determine the effects of their policies and practices on the orang-utans and indigenous people they claim to be helping?
These NGOs are whistleblowers, judge and jury, all roled into one -- a stark contrast to independent boards in corporations.
On the other hand, oil palm plantation companies, whe-ther listed on the stock exchange or privately held are a responsible lot by virtue of the industry being tightly regulated.
About 50 corporates involved in palm oil-related businesses are listed on Bursa Malaysia. Related party transactions and profit/ loss accounts are open to public and regulatory scrutiny.
Every oil palm planter, miller, refiner, trader and cargo forwarder is subjected to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board's (MPOB) stringent regulation.
This means the government keeps tab of agricultural land planted with oil palm trees, quality of seedlings that are planted in the estates, how much palm oil is produced and how soon and the quality of oil shipped out.
Every shipment is reported to MPOB within 24 hours. Those in the industry who do not comply face heavy penalties.
Wetlands denies link with WWF
New Straits Times 8 Jan 10;
KUALA LUMPUR: Wetlands International is not funded by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to participate in anti-palm oil campaigns, said the head of Wetlands International Malaysia, Alvin Lopez.
He said this in reference to the report titled "Credibility of green groups questioned" which appeared in the New Straits Times on Dec 31 last year.
"The article alleges that Wetlands International receives funding from WWF to fund anti-palm oil campaigns.
"Wetlands International does not conduct 'anti-palm oil' campaigns and we're not financially supported by WWF."
Lopez added that Wetlands International is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.
PlanetArk 8 Jan 10;
LONDON - Young people in Britain are increasingly missing out on the stress-relieving benefits of spending time in nature, Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity said on Thursday.
Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said it uncovered a worrying trend of "nature starvation" among young Britons when it conducted a study to find out just how important it is for people to connect with the natural world.
The survey of 1,000 people found that only about a third (37 percent) of under 35s feel connected to the natural world, compared with more than half (55 percent) of those aged over 35.
People who grow up with regular access to the natural world often find it therapeutic, feel better mentally and physically and continue enjoying visits to places like nature reserves, parks and forests throughout their lives, the RSPB said.
Such people would also try to introduce family members to these trips too.
"These results are worrying," RSPB President Kate Humble and nature television presenter said in a statement.
"If a child hasn't ever got their hands dirty sifting though soil for bugs, kicked up leaves or been wowed by a cute baby bird, how can we expect them to care about the natural world?"
More than three quarters (76 percent) of respondents said that being out in nature was a great stress reducer and more than half (51 percent) need time in nature to be happy.
"There is simply no substitute for getting outdoors and experiencing nature first hand. If we don't make sure our young people enjoy nature we're taking away something that will help keep them happy and healthy," Humble said.
The RSPB said it provides out of classroom learning for more than 60,000 children, has more than a million members and more than 170,000 junior members called "Wildlife Explorers."
Children not getting enough access to nature warns Kate Humble
Children are not getting enough access to the countryside, Kate Humble, the BBC presenter has warned, after a survey found young people are suffering 'nature starvation'.
Louise Gray, The Telegraph 7 Jan 10;
A survey by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) found just a third of people under 35 feel connected with nature, compared to more than half of the older generation.
The poll found that most people find being out in nature helps to reduce stress and boost happiness levels. In fact more than half of the 1,000 people surveyed said they need time in nature to feel happy and when they feel unhappy they find comfort in the outdoors.
Ms Humble, President of the RSPB and presenter of the BBC's Springwatch, warned that children and young people denied access to nature could suffer "nature starvation".
"These results are worrying. If a child hasn’t ever got their hands dirty sifting though soil for bugs, kicked up leaves or been wowed by a cute baby bird, how can we expect them to care about the natural world?" she asked.
“There is simply no substitute for getting outdoors and experiencing nature first hand. If we don’t make sure our young people enjoy nature we’re taking away something that will help keep them happy and healthy.“
Andy Simpson, Head of Youth and Education at the RSPB, called for better nature education in schools, improved public transport to the countryside and more open spaces.
“We know that if we spark an interest at a young age, they’ll develop an interest that will benefit them for the rest of their lives," he said.
Victoria Gill, BBC News 7 Jan 10;
Coral reefs give rise to many more new species than other tropical marine habitats, according to a new study.
Scientists used fossil records stretching back 540 million years to work out the evolution rate at reefs.
They report in the journal Science that new species originate 50% faster in coral reefs than in other habitats.
The team says its findings show that the loss of these evolution hotspots could mean "losing an opportunity to create new species" in the future.
Coral reefs harbour a huge number of marine species - they are often likened to rainforests in terms of their biodiversity.
But they also provide a "pump of new marine species", according to Wolfgang Kiessling the scientist from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, who led this study.
He and his colleagues examined the fossil record to find the earliest evidence of benthic creatures - animals that live on the seafloor.
These creatures provide a good record of evolution. They remain on the seafloor once they die, and are often fossilised along with some of the remains of their original habitats.
This team of scientists looked for the earliest fossils from each benthic genus, or group of species, in the fossil record.
"We checked when and where each genus first occurred, explained Dr Kiessling. "So for example, if the earliest fossils were 300 million years, we asked: 'Did it occur in a reef or outside'."
He and his colleagues had access to a record stretching back to the Cambrian explosion - when the vast majority of complex organisms are believed to have emerged more than 540 million years ago.
This huge data set was compiled by an international project called the Paleobiology Database, which was started in 2000.
"We had the best documentation of the fossil record at our fingertips," Dr Kiessling told BBC News. "And there was also the geological context there, so we knew where each species occurred.
"Our study shows that reefs are even more important than currently assumed. They are not only ecologically important for the marine environment, but also in an evolutionary sense."
But Dr Brian Rosen, a zoologist at the Natural History Museum in London, UK, warned that the accuracy of fossil records alone was "notoriously difficult to gauge from the literature".
He added that it could be useful for independent experts to re-examine some of the fossilised creatures.
Data "generated by direct examination of the specimens themselves by the relevant taxonomic specialists" is more reliable when it comes to working out important evolutionary patterns, he said.
Carl-Gustaf Lundin, head of the marine programme at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said that this was a "very welcome paper".
"Studies like this provide conclusive evidence that reefs are centres of marine biodiversity," he told BBC News. "And now we see their importance in the evolutionary history of the planet."
He added that currently the planet was losing 2% of its reefs each year, mainly because of increasing ocean temperature bleaching and stunting the coral's growth. And ocean acidification making it more difficult for corals to build their skeletons.
Dr Kiessling said: "If we lose reefs we lose [an] opportunity to create new species by evolutionary processes."
Coral reefs crucial to origin of new marine species, finds study
New research provides a new incentive to protect reefs, overturning ideas that coral sealife originated elsewhere
David Adam, guardian.co.uk 7 Jan 10;
Coral reefs give birth to a dazzling number of new species of sea creatures, according to a study that highlights their critical role in marine ecosystems.
Scientists have found that the reefs not only harbour amazing biodiversity, but are actively involved in the generation of new life forms. The study overturns conventional thinking that much of the sea life in coral reefs originated elsewhere.
Wolfgang Kiessling of the Humboldt University of Berlin, who led the study, said: "We found that coral reefs are very active at generating biodiversity in the oceans, and that they export biodiversity to other ecosystems. This was a surprise because many people had assumed that reefs were ecological attracters – that species go there from other places."
He and colleagues in Germany and the US studied a database of fossil organisms that lived on the sea floor from the Cambrian period, about 500m years ago. They compared the number of new genera that first appeared in coral reefs with those in other shallow-water environments and found the reefs were responsible for about 50% more. The results are published tomorrow in the journal Science.
The team looked at fossils of so-called benthic organisms, such as starfish, clams and corals that live on the seabed. They ignored fossils of fish, which do not offer clues to where they evolve, because after they die their remains can float elsewhere.
Kiessling said the study offered extra incentive to protect coral reefs. "If we lose the coral reefs we lose the ability for marine ecosystems to generate new species in the future. I suspect that new species evolve every single day, but unfortunately not as fast as they go extinct."
Increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere damages coral as seas become warmer, which causes the coral to bleach, and become more acidic, which makes it hard for the tiny animals to repair their exoskeletons.
Experts say the world has already passed the safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for coral reefs, and even the most ambitious carbon cuts planned for coming decades will fail to save them.
Another Reason to Save Coral? Reefs Are Responsible for Ocean Biodiversity
An analysis of the fossil record shows that coral reefs are most often responsible for the diversity of sea life
David Biello, Scientific American 7 Jan 10;
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth. It might also represent the most prolific cradle for new types of animals on the planet, according to new research published in the January 8 edition of Science.
"In the oceans, new species and genera tend to originate in the tropics and in the shallows near shore," says paleobiologist Carl Simpson of Humboldt University in Berlin, one of the researchers on the new paper. By using a massive collection of data on fossils from mollusks to South American mammals, which records where a fossil was found, how often it is found and what accompanied it, Simpson and his colleagues find "that a majority of genera first evolve in reefs and then later expand to other habitats."
In fact, of the 6,615 seabed invertebrates surveyed in the so-called Paleobiology Database, 1,426 evolved in a reef ecosystem. And the result is not just an artifact of reef and shallow-water fossils being relatively more studied. "Reefs are actually rare compared to other habitats," Simpson notes. "If anything, there is a bias against finding that reefs are cradles."
The phemonenon of reefs acting as cradles of biodiversity seems to have peaked in the Paleozoic—from 542 million to 251 million years ago—for reasons that are unclear. One possibility is that by seeding other environments with new species, reefs undercut their own preeminence as cradles. "The consequence would be that reefs become one of many important cradles, rather than the most common cradle," Simpson says.
And reefs do not seem to have helped the oceans rebound from mass extinction events, like the one at the end of the Paleozoic era that wiped out as much as 90 percent of marine life. That's likely because "reef-building as a process had to recover from mass extinction events, because the ecosystem engineers that built reefs were severely affected," says marine scientist Richard Aronson of the Florida Institute of Technology, who was not involved with the study. "Reefs in general were not available to enhance biodiversity rebound because they first had to be reconstituted as viable ecosystems."
But coral reefs do offer a variety of ecological niches and "bumpiness," as Aronson puts it, or a "great variety of physical spaces, [water] flow regimes and other ecological opportunities." That has made them cradles not just for sponges and the like but also snails, shrimps, urchins, fishes and even extinct animals like trilobites.
Plus, vicious competition for space and food on a reef leads to a lot of "turnover," Simpson notes, or extinctions that allow for new species to develop as new habitats form or ecological niches open. "If turnover is high, then the brief window of opportunity for new species is a common occurrence."
According to some mathematical estimates, 99.9 percent of all species that have ever existed are now extinct. As it stands, estimates of the number of species on Earth at present range from five million to as many as 100 million, with science having identified only two million members of the biodiversity extant today. That means literally billions of species have come and gone in the 4.5 billion years Earth has existed.
New research will be needed to determine exactly why reefs are such efficient cradles for new life-forms. But the threats faced by coral today—from rising ocean acidity to agricultural runoff and rampant disease—do not bode well for marine biodiversity in the near future. After all, it is possible that during mass extinction events the destruction of reefs might have played a role in the decline of diversity in other marine environments, as well. As Aronson asks: "If modern reefs continue to degrade, will that have cascading evolutionary consequences for other ecosystems by cutting off the supply of new genera?"
Steve Mollman, The Wall Street Journal 8 Jan 10;
The village of Tmatboey in the northern plains of Cambodia seemed to have little going for it. It lacked clean water; there were no real roads. The people toiled mostly at subsistence farming, barely scraping by.
The villagers didn't realize they had a valuable asset -- hiding in plain sight, so to speak: a tourist attraction that a niche group of international travelers would happily pay to see, even if it meant a stay in basic accommodations.
It's a bird. Actually, two: the long-legged giant ibis and the white-shouldered ibis, both among the rarest in the world. In the eyes of hard-core bird-watchers, they carry near-mythical status.
And now they're making money for Tmatboey. In 2004, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which credits itself with having saved the American bison a century ago, set up the Tmatboey Ibis Ecotourism Project to lure bird-watchers. During the most recent peak season, November 2008 to May 2009, providing services to bird-watching visitors brought in more than $12,000 all told, a fortune by local standards. About 30% went into a community fund for improving basics like education and plumbing; today, life in Tmatboey has been significantly improved by new wells, water pumps, roads and a new school.
In villages in many parts of Asia, nonprofit groups from around the world are putting into practice that time-worn proverb: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Rather than donating clothes or books, handing out mosquito nets or building schools, they're bringing money-making enterprises to rural Asian communities. Some involve training in activities such as sewing and bamboo craft; many are tourist-related.
Among environmental groups, there has been a shift in the past decade or so toward "a more integrated view of conservation and development," says Graham Bullock, a former ecotourism coordinator for the Nature Conservancy's China program. For instance, says Tom Clements, a technical adviser to the Wildlife Conservation Society's Cambodia program, the Tmatboey project works "by empowering local people to manage their own tourism enterprise, in a way that explicitly links revenue received to conservation outcomes."
The goals of each organization vary, of course, as do the circumstances of each village. "One size definitely does not fit all," says Mr. Bullock. But more organizations now seek "the participation and empowerment of local communities," he adds.
Below, a pair of projects aimed at helping villages help themselves.
Chi Phat Commune, Cambodia
The Chi Phat Commune -- a collection of four villages that's home to about 550 families, or nearly 3,000 people in all -- sits on the banks of the Piphot River in Cambodia's Cardamom mountains near the Thai border. Getting there from Phnom Penh takes four to five hours and involves two highways and a scenic ride upriver on a long-tail boat.
The villagers get by mostly on rice farming and fishing. To make extra money, some work as laborers on nearby plantations. Others sell livestock and other goods at the local market.
And some engage in illegal activities like poaching and logging -- which, along with land-clearing for farming, have exacted a heavy environmental toll. While large animals including elephants still roam the Cardamoms, their numbers -- along with those of scaly anteaters, wild pigs, deer, monkeys, bears and lizards known as Bengal monitors -- are dwindling. And so is their habitat, one of Southeast Asia's largest remaining tracts of rainforest.
After studying the Chi Phat village situation, the Wildlife Alliance, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit founded in 1994 with the goal of protecting wildlife, forests and oceans, concluded that poverty was the root cause of wildlife and forest loss in the Cardamoms. The alliance also saw that ecotourism -- the area's thick forest, winding streams and rivers and abundant wildlife make it ideal for mountain biking and trekking -- offered the possibility both of alleviating poverty and leading villagers to see value in the nature surrounding them.
Before Wildlife Alliance started to help develop Chi Phat as an ecotourism gateway (its Web site: www.mountainbikingcardamoms.com), though, it approached not only villagers, but also local authorities and tour operators to see if the project could fly. One challenge would be attracting customers; little has been written about the area. Another would be explaining ecotourism to the locals.
"Often throughout the world, NGOs enter a local community telling them that tourism is the answer to their problems and very much raising expectations, without any consultation with local tour operators to see whether there will actually be any market for what they are proposing," says Mark Ellison, who runs Asia Adventures, an independent tour operator. "Then one or two years down the line they sit back and scratch their heads wondering why after all the training, capacity building, meetings, and infrastructure development, no tourists are coming."
Today a handful of private companies make up the Friends of Chi Phat tour-operator group, which works with Wildlife Alliance to attract tourists. They market Chi Phat as a destination, handle reservations and bring guests to and from the village.
The "Friends" operators can charge tourists whatever they wish, but they pay upfront for services provided by the villagers, such as cooking, guiding, bike maintenance and lodging. About 80% goes to the villager providing the services; the remaining 20% goes into a community fund that improves the village's education, water supply, roads and so on.
Of course some training was needed at first: The villagers of remote Chi Phat were not accustomed to seeing tourists, much less catering to them. In fact, says Mr. Ellison, "until a few years ago many of the locals had not even seen a foreigner."
So in early 2008, Wildlife Alliance -- which established a permanent base in the village in January 2007 (after more than four years of research) -- and its tour-operator partners set up training programs in sanitation, hospitality, English, first-aid and waste management.
A bike mechanic, for instance, was brought in from Phnom Penh to teach villagers how to maintain a modern mountain bike. The hiking and biking trails were created by former hunters and loggers from the village, who now serve as trail guides. So far they've finished two mountain-biking trails (both there-and-back routes) and four circular trekking trails, including some night-camping sites. More trails are in the works.
Not surprisingly, old habits die hard. One villager who was asked to head the group for transporting guests on motorbikes was caught transporting something else instead: a wild pig. The local village council demoted him, with a warning that another transgression would get him kicked out of the project.
"People have been dependent on the forest for livelihoods and domestic needs for quite some time now -- and still are," says Oran Shapira, a 33-year-old Israeli working in Chi Phat for the Wildlife Alliance. "This will not completely change in one day or one year. It's a process."
Tourists stay in a handful of villager huts that have been converted -- with help from the Wildlife Alliance -- to accommodate guests. They're still rustic, but a little better-equipped than before. Squat toilets were added, for instance, so that guests didn't have to relieve themselves in the fields.
The first guests arrived early in 2008, and by year's end there had been about 200. Last year, the village received more than 670 guests, who biked, hiked, swam in the river and played volleyball with the locals.
Asia Adventures charges $250 a person for a three-day trip that includes a one-day mountain-biking excursion and transport to and from Phnom Penh. In 2008 the village collected about $7,000, says Mr. Shapira; last year, more than $19,200.
David Miller, who works for the Australian Taxation Office in Canberra, visited Chi Phat for three nights in December 2008. He wasn't expecting luxury: "You don't go visit a place in the middle of the jungle if you're expecting comfort all the way," he says.
He went on a guided hike one day and on a mountain-biking trip another. "Cycling through remote jungle, and not recognizing much of the flora, made it much more exciting" than biking back in Australia, he says. His tour guides were village men who didn't speak English but were friendly, communicated well with body language, and knew the forest like the back of their hands.
On his bike trip, he passed large swaths of burned land. (Fires not only clear land but also chase out animals, making them easier to catch.) "I don't know of many other ways to offer alternatives to these people so they will stop cutting down the rain forest," he says. "Action like ecotourism is better than no action at all."
Nawung, Indonesia
In 2006, an earthquake in central Java reduced many small villages to near rubble. But aside from some light damage to a few ramshackle buildings, the quake had little outward effect on Nawung, a rural village of about 500 people in the foothills near Yogyakarta. Below the surface, however, was a different story: Geological shifts caused the village's few natural wells to dry up.
It was a blow to farming, the village mainstay, already a challenge in the dry, hilly land. The village needed a new gig.
Enter Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, a century-old German aid organization that bolsters rural communities through reconstruction, livelihood training and disaster-risk reduction. Some years ago in Kosovo, it reconstructed homes and taught returning war refugees to cultivate saffron as a cash crop.
At the time of the Java earthquake, more than half the people of Nawung earned less than $1 a day, says Sae Kani, an ASB program manager for Indonesia who specializes in disaster-risk-reduction education. Young villagers typically left to find work in retail, manufacturing, housekeeping or construction in places like Jakarta and Yogyakarta.
But in 2007, ASB noticed the village had something going for it -- a new road linking Nawung with Yogyakarta, 45 kilometers to the west, and other significant towns, including Sleman, to the northwest, and Wonosari, to the south. The road -- a scenic route through hills, forests and paddy fields -- significantly boosted the trade and tourism potential between Nawung and Yogyakarta, a hub for Indonesian arts and crafts, as well as other towns and villages.
Within this setting, ASB set out to help make the village self-reliant by teaching villagers to make crafts and foods that they could sell to nearby merchants and retailers.
The ASB team -- three field staff members and a project manager (plus, in the beginning, an architect and engineer) -- moved into the village and set up workshops to train villagers in four skills: bamboo weaving, stone carving, textile making and food preparation.
The food-preparation group is the largest, with about 50 members, all women. Tumiyem, a mother of two small children who like many Indonesians goes by a single name, is one of them. Through an interpreter she says that before the training, "we knew nothing about cooking snacks." Now, she says, the benefit is two-fold: The women can generate extra income and "we can gather with our friends regularly."
About 18 men studied stone craft; now nine of them churn out soap dishes, small statues and water fountains for gardens. The textile group -- three women and two men -- sew pillowcases and containers.
ASB helps with marketing and business connections, teaches bookkeeping and profit management, and provides a little start-up capital for each group. The food-preparation group, for instance, received about $550, part of which went to buy supplies.
Sales are climbing. Last year a woman named Atun who makes chips -- primarily from banana and cassava -- sold about $390 of her snacks from July to November, compared with $110 in the first six months of the year. The stone-masonry group, which sells most of its products to a pair of buyers from Yogyakarta, saw the biggest jump in sales: Between March and November, it pulled in nearly $900, up from about $110 for all of 2008.
ASB has spent about $100,000 on the project, along the way building things such as a small showroom to display the village's goods, production and storage houses for the bamboo-weaving and stone-masonry groups and a Web site (www.nawung.com). Its three staff members in Nawung will stay through the end of this year, when ASB plans to focus more on tourism development and improved marketing for village handicrafts.
The German nonprofit also set up a microfinance fund within each group so members can take out small loans. For instance in the food group, borrowers can obtain three-month loans at an interest rate of 5% a month. (The interest income is used to benefit the groups, such as for raw materials.) And villagers have a good track record of repaying the loans, which they've used for a variety of purposes. Last spring, for example, a member of the stone-craft group named Tukino borrowed $21 to buy fertilizer and pay his children's school fees.
Today, Nawung is on the upswing: New homes are springing up, streets are better paved and cellphones are a more common sight. More important, when ASB leaves, the skills it has taught will likely remain.
—Steve Mollman is a writer based in Asia.
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