ACRES launches "Save the World’s Saddest Dolphins"
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Pacific Swallow – failed nesting
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五月华语导游 Mandarin guide walk@SBWR, May (XIV)
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Who was Wallace Trail named after?
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Dugong feeding trails at Southern Semakau
from wonderful creation
Sabrina Chan Channel NewsAsia 27 May 11;
SINGAPORE: A local animal welfare group has released undercover videos of 25 dolphins that will be part of the attractions of the marine life park at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).
The videos by Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) showed the bottlenose dolphins, which were caught off the Solomon Islands, being tamed and trained in Subic Bay in the Philippines.
A group of people were seen standing around a dolphin enclosure. As they watched the dolphins, several of the marine mammals occasionally jumped out of the water.
After completion of their training, they will be sent to RWS, as part of its interactive dolphin spa experience for visitors.
ACRES said one concern is the dolphins are being fed only dead fish, which is unnatural. It added that this is also highly stressful as wild dolphins are used to eating only fresh fish.
At a separate press conference on Friday, CEO of Resorts World Sentosa Tan Hee Teck, said Resorts World has followed the rules on the trade of endangered species.
He said: "All our dolphins in Subic Bay today are very healthy, and we hopefully will be able to bring them, what I call back home here, in the next 12 months."
In addition, a press statement from Resorts World said they employ world-renowned veterinarians for the Subic Bay facility, and have built a laboratory to regularly test the health of the dolphins.
The company came under fire last year after it was discovered that a smaller group of dolphins in Langkawi were kept under poor conditions.
Two of the dolphins died of acute bacterial infection called Melioidosis in October 2010. Melioidosis is a soil-borne disease, with infections occurring primarily during the rainy season.
After the issue came to light, the company moved the rest of the dolphins to the Philippines.
In conjunction with the release of the videos, ACRES has launched a "Save the World's Saddest Dolphins" music campaign.
It said it is not opposed to a marine park filled with species that are more adaptable to confined spaces. However, it is urging Resorts World to release the dolphins and allow them to roam free and wild in the ocean.
Louis Ng, Executive Director of ACRES, said: "The reality is that I think the small percentage of change in the size of the enclosure doesn't make a difference in the bigger scheme of things.
"We need to realise that these dolphins have a home range of over 40 square kilometres in the wild. Even if you give them another two by two metres, I don't think that makes much of a difference."
- CNA/cc/ac
We have followed the rules regarding our dolphins: RWS CEO
Sabrina Chan Today Online 28 May 11;
SINGAPORE - In his first public comments on the controversy surrounding the dolphins caught for the Resorts World Sentosa's (RWS) marine park, CEO Tan Hee Teck said they had followed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) rules on the trade of endangered species.
The remarks were made on the same day an animal welfare group released undercover videos of the dolphins being tamed in Subic Bay in the Philippines.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Mr Tan said: "All our dolphins in Subic Bay today are very healthy and we hopefully will be able to bring them, what I call back home here, in the next 12 months."
The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) also held a press conference yesterday to step up its call for the release of the 25 dolphins bound for RWS Marine Life Park (MLP), where visitors will get to interact with them.
Calling the timing of their press conference a coincidence, the society said one of its concerns is that the dolphins are believed to be fed only dead fish, which is unnatural as they are used to eating only fresh fish.
Last December, Today had broken the story on how two of the RWS dolphins had died of acute bacterial infection called melioidosis, in Langkawi, in October.
Said ACRES executive director Louis Ng: "We need to realise that these dolphins have a home range of over 40 square kilometres in the wild. Even if you give them another two by two metres, I don't think that makes much of a difference."
An MLP spokesman told MediaCorp they will be as transparent as possible about their plans while ensuring the safety and well-being of their animals.
He confirmed the dolphins were from the Solomon Islands, where the government is a member of CITES.
Singapore theme park urged to free dolphins
AFP Asia One 27 May 11;
SINGAPORE - A Singapore animal welfare group on Friday launched a campaign to urge a casino and leisure complex to free 25 dolphins destined for a new marine park attraction.
Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) bought the mammals for an "interactive dolphin spa programme" at its Marine Life Park attraction, where visitors can interact with the animals.
"We hope that RWS will make a socially responsible decision and free the dolphins," said Louis Ng, executive director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES).
He issued the appeal at the launch of a campaign called "Save the World's Saddest Dolphins" to raise public awareness through songs and videos on the website www.saddestdolphins.com.
RWS, which runs Singapore's first casino as well as the adjacent Universal Studios theme park, had no immediate reaction, saying it was studying the campaign's allegations in detail.
ACRES invited the public to participate in the campaign by filming themselves making "save the dolphins" speeches or holding placards that will be sent to RWS via email, as well as uploaded on Facebook and YouTube.
"Using social media and by approaching this issue more creatively, we will be able to engage the public more effectively and reach out to a wider audience," said Ng.
ACRES said RWS bought 27 Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins from the Solomon Islands in 2008 and two had died during training in the Philippines.
Group uses social media in bid to free dolphins
Acres launches petition drive for animals meant for RWS marine park
Sandra Davie Straits Times 28 May 11;
ANIMAL protection group Acres has turned to social media to secure freedom for the 25 wild-caught dolphins intended for a marine park in Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).
It launched a campaign yesterday urging people to create and submit video petitions to free the dolphins, which are now being trained in Subic Bay in the Philippines to become performers.
Those who want to have a say can use their cellphones to shoot short video petitions, or take still pictures of themselves holding up placards, and upload them on Acres' campaign website at www.saddestdolphins.com
Acres, which stands for Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, is also holding roadshows this weekend at Far East Plaza. The petitions will be sent to RWS.
Acres executive director Louis Ng said the group decided to use social media after seeing its power at work during the recent general election.
RWS chief executive Tan Hee Teck, asked yesterday to comment on the condition of the dolphins in Subic Bay, said the company was following international rules on the treatment of marine animals.
Speaking on the sidelines of the official opening of RWS' Universal Studios, he added that the dolphins are 'very healthy' and are expected to be brought to Singapore in the next 12 months.
RWS followed up on Mr Tan's remarks with a statement, saying the animal care team was providing the 'very best care' to the dolphins, including a superior diet, daily enrichment and veterinary attention.
RWS incurred the wrath of animal activists when it announced in 2006 that it would house dolphins in a massive tank in its Marine Life Park attraction.
Nine of the 27 bottlenose dolphins from the Solomon Islands were housed in sea pens in Langkawi in Malaysia. In October last year, two dolphins died. RWS said this was due to a bacterial infection that also affects the mammals in the wild.
Earlier this year, Acres sent its people to Langkawi and produced photographs which showed that the dolphins' enclosures were too small and rusty, among other things. RWS later moved the remaining animals to the Ocean Adventure park in Subic Bay.
Mr Ng said Acres was not opposed to a marine park filled with species that take well to confined spaces, but dolphins roam large distances and should not be confined.
Save the World's Saddest Dolphins facebook page.
Hoe Yeen Nie Channel NewsAsia 27 May 11;
SINGAPORE: Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) said it's "on track" to open the second phase of its integrated resort, which includes a maritime museum, an aquarium and a marine life park.
These attractions will open progressively from the third quarter, this year, beginning with the museum.
The marine life park is expected to open fully by mid-2012.
RWS said it's expecting 16 million visitors this year, up from 15 million in 2010.
Universal Studios Singapore is also projecting 4 million visitors this year, double the number in the first nine months of its soft opening in March 2010.
These numbers were released at a news conference ahead of the theme park's grand opening on Saturday.
Celebrations include a Hollywood-style gala dinner on Friday, which will be attended by celebrities such as Paula Abdul, Jet Li and Maggie Cheung.
- CNA/cc
RWS sets target of more than 16m visitors
Phase two expansion of integrated resort on track, says Genting chairman
Felda Chay and Teo Si Jia Business Times 28 May 11;
RESORTS World Sentosa (RWS) is looking to up its game this year, having set a target for 16 million visitors to head to the integrated resort - an increase from the 15 million last year.
In fact, the resort's owner, Genting Singapore, is confident that it will get even more visitors than that. Speaking at a press briefing on the grand opening of Universal Studios Singapore yesterday, Genting Group chairman and chief executive Lim Kok Thay said: 'This year, I'm convinced that Resorts World Sentosa will be able to attract more than 16 million visitors.' Genting Group is the parent of Genting Singapore.
Universal Studios alone is expected to see four million visitors, said the group. The theme park drew two million visitors in 2010, during which it was open for about nine months following its soft launch in mid-March. Prior to the launch of the 20-ha theme park, RWS had said that it believes it can pull in 4.5 million to five million visitors annually.
The theme park, which opens its doors to the public today, kickstarted celebrations yesterday with appearences by by pop singer and former American Idol judge Paula Abdul, action star Jet Li and actresses Maggie Cheung and Vicki Zhao Wei.
The park will be 'progressively opening' new attractions as it goes along, with a Transformers ride scheduled to be open by the end of this year, said RWS. This will bring the park's number of attractions to 21. The plan is to up the number of attractions to 24 by 2013 - a strategy that Universal Studios hopes will lure return visitors.
Currently 75 per cent of visitors are made up of foreigners. According to Mr Lim, this is a situation unique to Singapore where the local population is not as large as the UK or US.
Universal Studios will also be extending its opening hours, and will close at 9pm instead of 7pm with effect from May 30, said RWS.
In the first quarter of this year, Genting Singapore managed to reverse a $396.3 million loss and make $305.4 million in profit for the period, as gaming tables at RWS benefited from healthy attendances.
Yesterday, Mr Lim also clarified that the second-phase expansion of its gaming resort is 'on track'. This is despite Genting's statement on Thursday that its expansion has encountered some 'unforeseen difficulties' which may delay its completion.
'What we announced probably was something to sort of be a bit on the prudent side because it's sort of a pre-warning so that people won't get disappointed if we do miss our target date, which is to complete most of phase two by the end of the year,' said Mr Lim.
'Some of the elements that are involved in phase two have never been done before. But again let me say that we are right on top of it . . . but sometimes we just cannot avoid unexpected incidents.'
Phase two involves the construction of the world's largest oceanarium. 'So in terms of the frontage, the acrylic frontage of the aquarium, this would be one of the largest pieces of acrylic ever made in one whole and transported halfway round the world. So anything may happen.
'Let's say something happens to that, because it is made in one continuous piece, we may have to start all over again,' said Mr Lim.
Yesterday, Genting also gave a sneak peak into its expansion plans. Mr Lim said that the Genting Group was interested to venture into Taiwan. 'We are following the (gaming) legislative process in Taiwan with great interest and naturally at the right time if Taiwan is ready to open ... an integrated resort in Peng Hu we definitely will be right there,' said Mr Lim. Peng Hu is a cluster of 90 small islands and islets off the western coast of Taiwan.
RWS to open phase two by year end
It's expected to kick off in 3rd quarter, and pull in 16m visitors this year
Ng Kai Ling Straits Times 28 May 11;
RESORTS World Sentosa (RWS) is on track to open its phase two by year's end.
Starting with the opening of its Maritime Museum in the third quarter, it will also raise the curtains on the hotel Equarius, its oceanarium and its water theme park this year.
RWS' executive chairman Lim Kok Thay said yesterday that the resort's phased opening was proceeding according to schedule, and expressed confidence that it will pull in more than 16 million visitors this year, up from last year's 15 million.
His assurance follows an earlier announcement from the RWS management about 'unforeseen difficulties' delaying the completion of the second phase.
He said the announcement came from prudence and 'a bit of over-carefulness' on the management's part:
'It was sort of a pre-warning so that people won't get disappointed if we do miss our target date, which is to try and complete most of phase 2 by the end of the year.'
A potential hiccup, if there is to be any, could come from the setting up of the facade of the oceanarium, which is made up of a single piece of acrylic measuring 33m by 11m.
'If something happens to that - because it's made in one continuous piece - we may have to start all over again,' said Mr Lim, who is also chairman and chief executive of RWS' parent company, Genting.
He was speaking at a press conference to mark the grand opening of Universal Studios Singapore (USS) last night.
Guests at the event included international action star Jet Li, screen queen Maggie Cheung and former American Idol judge Paula Abdul (see other story).
Despite being the smallest Universal Studios theme park in the world, the 20ha USS features many firsts:
The recently opened ride Madagascar: A Crate Adventure is the only one based on the popular movie franchise.
A Transformers ride will also debut at USS by the end of the year. Calling Transformers The Ride 3D a 'ground-breaking attraction', Mr Tom Williams, the chief executive of Universal Parks & Resorts, said: 'I promise you that this attraction is absolutely spectacular.'
Back in 2006, the inclusion of a Universal Studios theme park was considered the clincher which won Genting the bid to build an integrated resort in Sentosa.
Mr Lim said yesterday the decision to have a Universal Studios theme park in RWS was an easy one to make.
He said: 'I love the movies. Movies appeal to all ages and they inspire people from all walks of life.'
USS hit a rough patch within a week of its opening, when its star attraction, the Battlestar Galactica roller coaster, ran into safety issues. It continued to be out of commission for the most part of the first nine months of the park's operations.
Despite that, the park attracted about two million visitors, three quarters of them foreigners. It expects to double its attendance to four million this year.
By 2013, USS will have 24 attractions, up from the current 20.
Asked what these were going to be, RWS' chief executive Tan Hee Teck whispered: 'It's a secret.'
In the last quarter, RWS' pre-tax profits of $537.9 million trumped its competitor Marina Bay Sands' performance of US$284.5 million (S$352 million).
Asked how RWS will manage the social ills arising from gaming, Mr Lim said the company's goal was to build a resort that would contribute to building Singapore. It was a reference to the resort's capacity to create jobs and contribute to growing the economy.
Mr Lim added: 'Of course, gaming forms a significant part of our revenue, but we are confident that we can come up with solutions to keep the problems well under control.'
Taiwan casino?
THEY are a scenic group of islands that some believe would make an ideal location for a casino.
Which is why Genting chairman Lim Kok Thay has been keeping an eye on Taiwan's Penghu archipelago.
The islanders successfully voted against having a casino there in 2009.
But the possibility still remains, with some analysts saying the Taiwanese government could give the green light to a casino as early as this year.
Mr Lim wants to take his experience from Resorts World Sentosa to Taiwan.
'One of the big parts of our business is in gaming,' he said.
'And obviously we are following the legislative process in Taiwan with great interest. When the Taiwan government is ready to open its door for an integrated resort in Penghu, we will be right there.'
He added that the integrated resort model is being studied by governments all over the world as it is a great driver for tourism and the economy.
Resorts World Sentosa 'on track' for its phase two opening
Hoe Yeen Nie Today Online 28 May 11;
SINGAPORE - Less than a day after its parent company, the Genting Group, said in a filing to the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange that the completion of its second phase could be delayed, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) chairman Lim Kok Thay yesterday played down the possibility.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr Lim said that the resort was "on track" for its phase two opening later this year and that he was confident that it will attract more than 16 million visitors this year, up from last year's 15 million.
On Thursday, Genting had said in the stock exchange filing that the RWS is "encountering some unforeseen difficulties" which may delay the completion of the second phase.
Mr Lim said the announcement was made out of prudence and he described it as "a bit of over-carefulness on the management's part".
He added: "It was sort of a pre-warning so that people won't get disappointed if we do miss our target date which is to try and complete most of phase two by the end of 2011."
The integrated resort will roll out its attractions under phase two from the third quarter, starting with its maritime museum. Its Marine Life Park will open by the middle of next year.
It announced that it had completed the structure of its fifth hotel, Equarius, one of two new hotels under phase two yesterday.
Mr Lim said he was open to acquiring more land for expansion but he noted that the focus was to complete the rest of the resort.
The RWS houses the Universal Studios Singapore theme park - which will hold its grand opening today - among other attractions.
Weighing in on the issue, Universal Parks and Resorts chairman Tom Williams reiterated that "size is really irrelevant".
Said Mr Williams: "It is all about the quality of the experience, the exciting nature of the rides and shows and attractions."
The theme park of about 20 hectares has 21 rides and shows, with three more attractions in the pipeline which were be completed by 2013.
In the nine months after its soft opening in March last year, the theme park attracted about two million visitors. It is projecting four million visitors for the whole of this year.
Today Online 27 May 11;
SINGAPORE - The Bukit Timah Railway Station has been officially gazetted as a conserved building, as of Friday.
This follows the gazetting of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station as a National Monument on April 8.
At their retreat last year, the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Malaysia announced in their joint statement that the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) station would be relocated from Tanjong Pagar to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP) by July 1, this year.
Along with the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station Passenger Terminal building, both leaders also agreed that the old Bukit Timah Railway Station building at Blackmore Drive could also be conserved, given its historical significance. Both would then cease to operate as KTMB railway facilities.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said the Bukit Timah Railway Station was an endearing local landmark and a key building of Singapore's railway history, and its conservation would serve as a physical reminder of Singapore's role as a transport hub in the region.
Dessy Sagita Jakarta Globe 27 May 11;
The government on Thursday countered claims by environmental activists that the recent two-year moratorium on new permits to clear primary forests and carbon-rich peatland was too flawed to preserve the country’s forests.
Speaking at a discussion on the moratorium, Yani Saloh, a presidential adviser for climate change, said: “This moratorium is a breakthrough. We’ve had six presidents, and this is the president who has the courage to actually do it.”
Since the long-awaited moratorium was announced last week, environmental activists have been voicing their disappointment to what they perceive as a weak and unclear regulation. Critics have said the ban covers too little of the country’s forests and should have included existing logging concessions.
Teguh Surya, head of climate justice at the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said at the discussion that the moratorium lacked a strong legal basis to curb logging practices.
“What we need is a law. A more comprehensive regulation with a wider impact,” he said.
Yani said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono decided to announce the moratorium in the form of a presidential instruction because a law would have taken too long to ratify.
“A law would have to be deliberated at the House of Representatives; the process can take a very long time. By the time the law is passed, our forests would be gone,” she said.
Yani said she was also aware most criticisms were over the fact that the moratorium only covered primary forests and peatland, already under some legal protections.
A map attached to the moratorium documents shows that 64.2 million hectares of primary forest and 31.9 million hectares of peatland were covered, but not 36.6 million hectares of secondary forest. Primary forests are untouched by agriculture or industry, secondary forests are areas already partially cleared for agricultural or industrial use.
“This two-year moratorium is our opportunity to restore the damaged secondary forest,” Yani said. “Protecting 64.2 million hectares of primary forest means something, don’t say it means nothing.”
Yakob Isadami, a staffer for Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf, said that Aceh was ahead of the central government in implementing a moratorium on forest clearing due to rampant illegal logging there. Aceh implemented the moratorium in 2007.
Transtoto Handadhari, vice chairman of the Indonesian Forest Concessionaires Association (PAHI), said the organization was satisfied with the moratorium because it had accommodated most input given by the members. “We will support the instruction as long as the implementation is fair and proper,” he said.
Shaun Tandon Yahoo News 27 May 11;
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States on Friday rejected calls to protect Atlantic bluefin tuna as an endangered species, saying that while it was worried about overfishing it did not fear imminent extinction.
Environmental groups have repeatedly voiced concern that the global fad for Japanese food was driving the world's stocks of tuna to dangerously low levels and have sought strong safeguards to preserve the species' survival.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it was putting Atlantic bluefin tuna on a watchlist of species at risk but would not classify it under the Endangered Species Act, which would bring legal protections.
"Based on careful scientific review, we have decided the best way to ensure the long-term sustainability of bluefin tuna is through international cooperation and strong domestic fishery management," said Eric Schwaab, a senior official at the agency.
He said that the United States would continue to advocate strict international quotas on the number of tuna that can be hunted to "ensure the long-term viability of this and other important fish stocks."
The administration pledged to review its decision in early 2013. Clay Porch, a senior federal scientist, acknowledged that the study of tuna stocks in the Gulf of Mexico was conducted mostly before the massive BP oil spill.
Porch said 2010 tuna stocks were down but that the drop could be within normal fluctuations. To be listed as endangered, a species must be found to be at threat of extinction within a definable time frame.
The United States last year led a push to ban the international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna, but the proposal was easily defeated at the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species after intense lobbying against the plan by Japan and opposition by some European nations.
A separate meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, which groups 48 major fishing nations, decided in November to trim the catch quota only modestly to 12,900 tons in 2011.
US authorities said, however, that they saw a better outlook for tuna amid the growing international attention.
"The new quotas that were set forth at the last convention provide a significantly better picture, providing we have sufficient compliance, than might have existed before," Schwaab told reporters on a conference call.
Senator Olympia Snowe hailed the decision, saying that an endangered listing would have jeopardized the livelihoods of fishermen in her coastal state of Maine.
"Such a listing would have unilaterally penalized US fishermen, particularly the hard-working responsible fishermen of Maine, who have been properly managing this valuable resource," the Republican lawmaker said.
The federal government considered the request to protect tuna after a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group, which said that the BP oil spill threatened tuna's breeding habitat.
Catherine Kilduff, a staff attorney at the center, said that the group would review the government's findings and left open the possibility of going to court to ensure the conservation of tuna.
The center has called for a consumer boycott, through which it said 22,000 people have pledged not to eat at restaurants that serve bluefin tuna.
"If there is a grassroots movement to stop consumption of this species, then it will also tell political leaders that no longer can their decisions be made just based on the industry's greed to keep overfishing," Kilduff said.
U.S. Declines to Protect the Overfished Bluefin Tuna
Felicity Barringer New York Times 27 May 11;
The Obama administration said on Friday that it had declined to grant Endangered Species Act protections to the Atlantic bluefin tuna, whose numbers have declined precipitously because of overfishing on both sides of the ocean.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the fish, whose fatty flesh is prized by sushi aficionados, would be classified as a species of concern, however, effectively placing bluefin on a watch list as the agency awaits new data on the impact of a stricter international management regimen.
“The future of this species relies on sound international management,” said Larry Robinson, NOAA’s assistant secretary for conservation and management. The agency’s scientists are also continuing to assess the effect of last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill on bluefin spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico, officials said, and the agency will revisit its decision by early 2013.
Mr. Robinson said the bluefin tuna did not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act because it was “not likely to become extinct.”
The decision drew sharp criticism from the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group based in Arizona that filed the petition requesting endangered species protection. “The Obama administration is kowtowing to the fears of the U.S. fishing industry instead of following the science on this,” said Kieran Suckling, the center’s executive director.
Several other environmental groups have questioned the wisdom of unilaterally listing the bluefin tuna as an endangered species, saying that coordinated international action is preferable.
Last year the United States backed an international effort to have the Atlantic bluefin protected under the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, but the move was blocked by aggressive lobbying by Japan, where a single adult fish, weighing more than 300 pounds and measuring more than six feet long, can be sold for thousands of dollars.
Asked to reconcile Friday’s decision with the push for a listing by the convention, known as Cites (pronounced SIGH-tees), Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for NOAA’s fisheries service, said that another global body, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, or Iccat, had established stricter fishing quotas and more rigorous monitoring over the last year and that his agency planned to study the results.
He added that a listing under the Endangered Species Act required a different standard from a Cites listing; under the American law, there must be compelling evidence of the likelihood of the fish’s extinction, he said.
No one disputes that the bluefin population has plummeted in recent decades. The most recent analysis of the decline, prepared last year by Iccat, found that the eastern Atlantic’s stocks of fish old enough to reproduce declined by 80 percent between 1970 and 1992 and have since fluctuated between 21 percent and 29 percent of the 1970 level.
In the western Atlantic, bluefin stocks declined more than 70 percent from 1970 through the mid-1990s, after which the “spawning stocks” remained relatively stable.
Lee Crockett, director of federal fisheries policy for the Pew Environment Group, another conservation organization, said that multilateral efforts to protect the bluefin tuna were crucial but that “international tools are not being used effectively.” Fishermen in the Mediterranean catch “twice the legal quota illegally,” he said.
Nor does the United States do enough, he added. Mr. Crockett said that additional steps were needed to protect the bluefin tuna’s spawning areas in the Gulf of Mexico and to end log-line fishing there, which causes the bluefin to be caught accidentally by commercial fishermen in pursuit of other fish.
The American fishing industry welcomed NOAA’s decision, while assigning most of the blame for overfishing to fishermen on the other side of the Atlantic. “We’re glad that the leadership paid special attention,” said Rich Ruais, executive director of the American Bluefin Tuna Association.
Overfishing in the east has affected stocks in the west, Mr. Ruais said, because the fish is wide-ranging and can swim across the Atlantic in less than two months.
Naveen Thukral and Zheng Xiaolu PlanetArk 27 May 11;
A prolonged drought in China could hit grains output in key growing regions, further squeezing global supplies and putting upward pressure on prices, but plentiful domestic wheat stocks will act as a cushion and keep import volumes low.
Analysts are closely watching the weather in China, warning any further supply shocks in the grain markets would fuel a further rally in U.S. corn and wheat futures, already stoked by harsh crop weather in the United States and Europe.
"Parts of China have been too dry and if we did see crop failures in that part of the world they are going to look to the global market for supplies," said Luke Mathews, a commodity strategist with Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney.
"They are going to be looking to North America and Europe and there is significant amount of concern whether those particular countries will be able to satisfy those needs."
Chicago Board of Trade corn has climbed 80 percent since the start of May last year, while wheat has risen around 50 percent. Last week alone corn and wheat jumped more than 10 percent on expectations of a global squeeze in supplies.
CROP CONCERNS & TIGHT GLOBAL SUPPLIES
Timely corn seeding is crucial for optimal yields needed to replenish U.S. supplies that are projected at the lowest level in 15 years amid strong demand from livestock feeders, ethanol makers and exporters.
About 80 percent of the U.S. corn crop has been planted, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department, but showers this week are expected to bring the final corn seedings to a standstill.
Rains in the northern U.S. Plains have put spring wheat plantings behind schedule, with seeding only 34 percent complete in the top wheat state of North Dakota, down from the normal pace of 85 percent.
CORN FORECAST, INFLATION
A Chinese government think tank has forecast 2011 corn output will rise to a record 181.50 million tonnes due to increasing acreage, but analysts said it would be a tough target to achieve.
"The 180 million tonnes level is a bottleneck, and the general market forecast, which is yet to come, should be lower than the forecast," said an analyst with consultancy China Corn.
China's corn prices hit an all-time high in March. That, coupled with low state corn reserves, made it difficult for Beijing to cool food price rises, driving up the country's overall inflation rate to a 32-month high in March.
Food prices fell 0.4 percent in April from March but were 11.5 percent higher than a year earlier.
"Global corn supplies are extremely tight and the world is banking on sharp increases in production," said Mathews. "Chinese authorities were suggesting a lift in local production and they will need every bit of that."
Barclays Capital warned that recent extreme weather incidents have created upside risks to food inflation for the second half of 2011, citing China as one of the areas of concerns.
"Drought-like conditions in the Yangtze River basin and eastern Shandong are likely to weigh on Chinese food production and increase import demand," the bank said in a report.
"Shandong has received just 12 millimeters of rain since September 2010, with some reports indicating that around 40 percent of the province's wheat crop has been lost."
China's total wheat output stood at 115 million tonnes last year, official figures showed.
However, Hai Yang, a wheat analyst with Esunny Information & Technology Co., said China is likely to see a slight wheat output increase this year.
Water levels on the Yangtze midstream are 6 meters lower than they were the same time last year, with rainfall only a fifth of the levels seen in 2010, according to the China Daily newspaper, quoting local drought relief agencies.
China's meteorological administration said on Wednesday that average rainfall in Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Shanghai, which are China's major rice producing areas, is the lowest since 1954.
STOCKS, IRRIGATION
The market is not overly concerned about wheat supplies in China with closing stocks at the end of crop year 2010/11 estimated at 60 million tonnes by the USDA.
"The weather this year is likely to be abnormal, with northern China likely experiencing floods while southern China likely sees drought," said Gao Yanrong, an analyst with Dalu Futures.
Officials in China said irrigation facilities will limit the risk to the corn crop even if there is drought later on in the main growing areas.
"We have wells, and we can irrigate (the corn) even if there is a drought," said a farm ministry official in Shandong province.
China turned corn importer last year, buying 1.57 million tonnes, the most in 15 years, and almost all came from the United States. In March, China Grains Reserve Corp (Sinograin), which manages China's central government reserves, bought 1.0 million tonnes of U.S. corn.
The country is also seeking other origins and developing new sources for supply. Argentina's deputy agriculture minister, Oscar Solis, said in April that the country hopes to work out a health protocol and export up to 2 million tonnes of corn to China this year.
Analysts say the weather in July-August, which is the crucial growing period, will be the deciding factor to final output.
(Editing by Ed Lane)
Julie Ingwersen PlanetArk 27 May 11;
A bidding war is heating up among users of corn in the United States as livestock feeders and ethanol makers scramble to lock in supplies before extremely low stocks run dry by this summer.
And it could escalate even more with any delay in harvesting the crop in the flood-ravaged U.S. South, or if China steps into the market to buy the grain held over from last year's harvest, as persistently rumored.
Corn supplies are forecast to fall to their lowest level in 15 years this summer in the U.S., the world's top exporter of the grain. Those holding stocks, like commercial grain companies, could reap handsome profits ahead of the Midwest harvest in September.
But those who have sold corn they do not own, such as resellers, could face losses if they are unable to deliver.
In markets such as Decatur, Illinois and Clinton, Iowa, published spot cash corn prices have risen a few cents above CBOT July futures for the first time in several years.
Also, the average posted bid at interior locations for corn delivered in August is at a 5-cent discount to CBOT September futures. That's the smallest average discount in at least five years, said Cody Bills, a broker with Grain Hedge, a research firm in Bozeman, Montana.
But behind the scenes, brokers say middlemen and small users such as independent feed mixers have been paying much higher prices -- 50 cents or even $1 above CBOT July futures.
"Most (eastern) Midwest corn sales are occurring well above published bids as end-users try to keep quiet what their need for corn is and where the market is," research company AgResource Co said Tuesday in a note to its clients.
Corn supplies are typically tighter in the eastern Midwest than in the western section, and especially so this year after 2010 yields suffered from the weather.
"One hundred-plus (cents) over (CBOT futures), that knocked everybody's socks off," said Diana Klemme, vice president of Grain Services Corp, referring to a rumored purchase by an eastern feed mill recently.
SELLING WHAT YOU DON'T OWN
Such demand, coupled with concerns over rains delaying the seeding of the 2011 crop, drove corn futures on the Chicago Board of Trade to an all-time high of $7.83-3/4 a bushel last month. Prices then dipped below $6.60 by mid-May as Wall Street investors broadly shed commodity holdings.
Yet with summer corn shortages looming, firmer cash markets have helped CBOT corn claw back above $7.50.
Farmers have sold most of last year's harvest, and are clinging to the remainder until they grow more confident about prospects for the new crop, said Chad Hart, an agricultural economist with Iowa State University.
"They are hanging on to it for dear life," Hart said.
As a result, corn offerings from the country have shut down. And planting delays, due to excessive rains, have dashed hopes for an early harvest that might relieve tight supplies at summer's end.
The empty supply pipeline appears to have squeezed corn resellers -- independent middlemen who make a living by matching buyers and sellers.
"When I pay 50 (cents) over, it's not because I can make money doing it. It's because I have sold something I don't own," said Roy Huckabay of Linn Group, a Chicago brokerage and research firm.
"I think some of these resellers have made a mistake of selling something they didn't own. That's the issue," he said.
COMMERCIALS HOLD THE ACE?
As of March 1, commercial grain firms owned a large percentage of the corn harvested last year in the U.S. Farmers held only 52 percent of the domestic corn supply, down from 59 percent a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture stated in its latest quarterly stocks report.
"The strong basis levels being experienced in many areas may reflect relatively small inventories remaining in the hands of producers," University of Illinois agricultural economist Darrel Good said.
But the big commercials such as Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill and Bunge are believed to have sold most of that corn to protect themselves from a drop in prices once the 2011 harvest begins this fall, traders said.
"With July corn (futures) trading at an inverse to the December, any elevator manager in his right mind is not going to own it. He is going to have it sold," Huckabay said.
WHO'LL WIN OUT?
It's hard to say which industry is best-placed to claim the last bushels of 2010 corn, but traders say ethanol plants seem to have the early advantage. Profit margins for ethanol refiners have been improving and government data showed production rose in each of the last two weeks, reversing a downward trend.
Feedlots in the western U.S. Plains also need corn, and unlike ethanol plants that can reduce their corn grind, livestock producers cannot slow their herds' food consumption when profit margins sag.
"Feed margins have come down, but if you have animals out there, you need to feed them," Klemme said.
Exporters are also in the mix. U.S. corn export sales surged to a seven-week high by May 12, even as flooding on the Mississippi River interrupted the flow of grain to the primary U.S. export terminals in New Orleans.
So who will win the bidding war?
"The market will determine who wants it the most" was the way Klemme put it.
But only time will tell.
(Editing by K.T. Arasu and John Picinich)
Free Chek Jawa Boardwalk outing on 11 June
from Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs
A salak palm, once thought to be lost to Singapore
from lekowala!
No longer extinct: a swamp forest palm! And more!
from Celebrating Singapore's Biodiversity!
Tanimbar Corella: Dextrous feet and powerful beaks
from Bird Ecology Study Group
And then there are five
from Life's Indulgences
Village Volksoper
from The annotated budak
Teochew Opera performance at Ubin
from Pulau Ubin Stories
Plucking fruit without permission an offence
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 26 May 11;
THE low-hanging fruit on roadside trees may be tempting but do not pluck them - unless you have permission - for it is meant for the elderly and disabled, the National Parks Board (NParks) says.
It told The Straits Times yesterday that the harvest is given to its adopted charity, the Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA), which provides activities and rehabilitation for 1,900 people.
NParks was responding to queries from The Straits Times after users of citizen journalism website Stomp came across several people taking fruit from trees in the past month.
Of the 25,000 roadside fruit trees planted by the Government, many are mango trees - found mainly in Tampines, Hougang and Aljunied - which bear fruit at this time of the year.
Other fruit trees include coconut, jackfruit and rambutan.
Plucking fruit without permission is an offence which carries a fine of up to $5,000. But NParks said no one has been fined in recent years.
In the past month, three people have been caught on camera helping themselves to mangoes from trees in Aljunied, Tampines and Hougang.
Residents said these people may have done so thinking the fruit would go to waste otherwise.
Fruit that becomes ripe and falls to the ground can cause the area to become dirty and smell, some noted.
Mr Kelvin Cher, 28, an engineer who lives in Aljunied, occasionally sees smashed mangoes in the area.
'The floor becomes very sticky and attracts flies,' he said.
But NParks said its officers check the trees as part of their duties and monitor the ripeness of the fruit.
They tell the agency's subcontractors to harvest the fruit every two to three months, taking the ripe and almost ripe ones.
Mr Jason Rodrigo, 43, an assistant manager at HWA, said it gets two truckloads of fruit after every harvest and distributes it to its members.
'Some of them take the fruit home to make salads for their families,' he added.
NParks, which previously did not collect the fruit, said it started donating it after a particularly heavy fruiting season in 2009.
It added that it discourages people from taking the fruit themselves because they may not do so properly and could end up damaging the trees.
It said most people throw rocks or use bamboo poles to dislodge the fruit, which can tear the tree's bark and expose it to viruses.
Some fruit is also left unplucked for the native animal population. For example, the Asian glossy starling, a small bird, relies on soft fruits such as mango and papaya.
The agency said people who want the fruit should seek permission through residents' associations (RAs) or residents' committees (RCs).
It said it has no formal programme with these organisations, but that they occasionally seek the green light to harvest the fruit.
It declined to give the numbers that have approached it in total or on average, but said four RAs and RCs had contacted it in the past year. NParks will work with these organisations to make sure the fruit is properly harvested.
Mr Tan Teng Chuan, 55, chairman of Tampines Green RC, said he approaches the agency for permission to harvest the fruits when they ripen, usually in June.
He said: 'After we get the approval letter, we have gardeners in the committee who use professional, long fruit-cutters.'
Mr Tan added that the residents spread a net underneath the trees to catch the fruit.
'Usually, we give them to residents at the area's senior citizens' corner,' he said.
Several people The Straits Times spoke to were unaware that it is an offence to pluck roadside fruit, or that NParks gives it to a charity.
Mr Mervyn Chung, 30, a Serangoon resident, said: 'Usually you think, it's just fruit on a tree. So what if somebody takes one or a few?
'But now if I see someone taking the fruit, I might try to stop him,' said the teacher.
Business Times 27 May 11;
However, they are expected to become more aware of sustainability reporting with the release of guidelines by SGX last August, reports LYNETTE KHOO
CORPORATE social responsibility (CSR) may not be a foreign concept to Singapore companies but it appears that articulating CSR policies and activities still isn't common practice here.
Singapore firms are seen lagging their regional peers in sustainability reporting. But accounting professionals and CSR lobbyists believe that this gap should narrow as efforts to spur 'green reporting' gather speed.
Thomas Thomas, executive director of Singapore Compact, a multi-stakeholder platform that promotes CSR, notes that with more stock exchanges globally requiring listed companies to issue sustainability reports, there has been an increase in sustainability reporting among companies here, particularly those with overseas businesses.
'Should Singapore Exchange (SGX) officially require sustainability reports from listed companies, that will of course be a considerable factor in advancing the practice,' Mr Thomas says.
In Singapore, there is no legislation or regulation on the disclosure of sustainability practices. It is also not mandatory for listed firms to disclose the social and environmental impact of their businesses.
A game changer
But in what was touted as a major development for sustainability reporting in Singapore, SGX released last August guidelines on sustainability reporting, encouraging all listed companies to undertake such reporting.
In so doing, the exchange recognises that investors are increasingly expecting companies to be accountable not just for their financial results but also for how they achieve the results and the impact on communities within which they operate.
'There is an increased need to provide hard evidence of the positive impact on society, the environment and the strategic returns for the business and how any negative effects are being addressed,' says Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in a report, Tomorrow's Balance Sheet, issued in February.
The report stressed that corporate reporting should 'not only allow but actively promote this new corporate philosophy' and urged companies to implement 'integrated reporting', which presents a more complete picture of a company's performance and factors influencing its long-term success.
Not many companies in Singapore have internalised this yet, if current estimates are anything to go by.
According to a report published by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in March last year, Singapore produced the least number of sustainability reports among five Asean countries.
A total of 21 companies in Singapore undertook some form of sustainability reporting - whether in annual reports or as standalone reports - between 2003 and 2009. Out of these, only 10 are listed companies, which include Banyan Tree, Keppel Land, Olam International, City Developments and Singapore Airlines.
The country with the highest number of companies producing sustainability reports was Malaysia, with 54 firms issuing such reports, out of which 49 are listed companies. What helped, perhaps, was Bursa Malaysia's requirement for listed companies to report on their CSR efforts and the impact of their businesses on the environment since 2007.
'Although the (Singapore) statistics may be less than encouraging, ACCA is optimistic that more companies will come on board,' says Darryl Wee, country head of ACCA Singapore.
'There is reason to expect a rise in the awareness of sustainability reporting and consequently greater disclosure following the release of the Singapore Stock Exchange's (SGX) policy statement on sustainability reporting guidelines,' he adds.
At the start, companies may feel apprehensive about having to be acquainted with the requirements, terminology and conventions in sustainability reporting, says Mr Thomas of Singapore Compact.
Then, there is the difficulty of gathering relevant and concise data from various departments as CSR permeates all departments and functions.
Many companies think that embarking on sustainability reporting is costly to implement and that they do not have qualified people to write such reports, Mr Wee adds.
But this boils down to the lack of awareness, he says. 'Most companies see sustainability reporting as resource-intensive, not realising that there are many options available to support organisations at different maturity levels of the reporting capabilities.'
For instance, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines allow companies to choose the level of reporting based on their current needs and resources. They can start with a Level C report, taking a progressive approach and finally reaching Level A, and eventually getting a '+' when their reports are subject to external verification and assurance.
There are other reporting frameworks such as the UN Global Compact Communication on Progress, the ISO 26000 and International Integrated Reporting Committee's Integrated Reporting framework.
Mr Thomas reckons that there is no best reporting framework and a company's choice would come down to what they feel is most suited for conveying their practices and philosophy, and which framework may organise their information in the most appropriate way.
To help companies understand CSR and sustainability reporting, accounting firms and associations, such as CIMA, have launched reports and research on this issue. ACCA has tied up with Singapore Compact in organising three workshops per year to help companies understand how to put a sustainability report together.
Singapore Compact has also sought to build awareness among companies on how to undertake CSR in a sustainable manner through workshops, seminars and training sessions.
Doing well by doing good
Mr Thomas notes that while CSR awareness and implementation have grown in the past few years, there remains the misperception that CSR is about philanthropy and volunteerism - that is donating time and money.
'While these are definitely positive and laudable contributions, CSR in fact goes far beyond donations to actual day-to-day practices in corporate responsibility,' he says.
'It is about companies making sure they behave in a responsible manner and consider employees, partners, the community and other stakeholders, as part of their overall strategy in doing business, rather than making money first and then donating later as a separate act,' Mr Thomas adds. 'In this sense, there is quite a bit of space for improvement in CSR in Singapore.'
Failing to recognise the importance of CSR and making CSR efforts known can be costly. A case in point was the deadly explosion on a British Petroleum (BP) oil rig last year, resulting in the biggest oil spill ever in the Gulf of Mexico.
On top of the cost of plugging the leak, BP lost one-third of its market value and dealt a severe blow to its credibility, having topped rankings in environmental, sustainability and social impacts among major oil and gas companies earlier.
But one doesn't need to look too far to draw similar lessons. In Singapore, listed palm oil producer Golden-Agri Resources has lost big-name clients such as Unilever, Kraft and Nestle in the wake of allegations from Greenpeace that its Indonesian unit was clearing forest illegally in the country last year.
Some years ago, palm oil giant Wilmar International was also accused by Friends of the Earth Netherlands that it was illegally using fires to clear forest land for estates in 2006.
These two palm oil producers, which have denied those allegations, have since been active in sustainability initiatives and made these efforts publicly known through sustainability reporting, based on the GRI framework.
Both companies have become members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an industry group of palm oil players to develop and implement standards for sustainable palm oil production, and are now seeking RSPO certification for all their plantation operations.
According to Peter Heng, Golden-Agri managing director for sustainability and communications, the company is developing a Yield Improvement Policy and a Social and Community Engagement Policy, on top of a newly launched forest conservation policy in collaboration with conservation group The Forest Trust.
Wilmar CSR manager Sharon Chong notes that undertaking CSR helps enhance the group's reputation and risk management. 'As a leading Asian agri-business group, we recognise that our operations will have an impact on the environment and the society in which we operate,' she adds. 'Therefore, we have to do the right things and do things right.'
Global Palm Resources, another Indonesian oil palm producer listed in Singapore and a member of the RSPO, has not issued a standalone sustainability report yet, though it has a detailed sustainability section in its annual reports. It has, however, emphasised CSR as 'an essential role in the long-term success' of its business and its commitment to 'triple bottom-lines'.
'We are currently conducting a company-wide strategic planning process to align our company around the shared goal of sustainable development, and will definitely evaluate the need for standalone sustainability reports in the longer term,' says Global Palm executive chairman and CEO Suparno Adijanto.
Besides a longstanding 'zero burning' policy and a 'zero waste' policy, Global Palm has an ongoing Plasma programme with the government, under which some 2,835 ha of plantation land is cultivated by 1,400 small landholders. It is now working on a clean development mechanism to derive revenue from trading carbon credits.
The extra mile
Global Palm has gone further in providing social welfare for the local communities. It has been providing housing, treated water and proper sanitation to families of employees and local farmers, as well as pre-primary and primary school education for some 430 children of its workers.
As for Singapore conglomerate Keppel Corp, group corporate communications general manager Wang Look Fung says its first standalone sustainability report based on the GRI framework will be available in June. Its property arm Keppel Land is the main sponsor for a mobile library project 'Words on Wheels' in Hanoi, Vietnam. Launched by Singapore International Foundation, the project seeks to grant some 4,000 village children access to story books, computer terminals with Internet capability, as well as educational games and toys.
'Currently, Singaporean companies do not have the practice of articulating their CSR efforts, whether it is investing in staff training, corporate philanthropy, protecting the environment or ensuring a safe working environment for staff,' Ms Wang says. 'I guess this is very Asian in culture.'
But this is about to change as more companies are encouraged to share best practices in CSR and benefit from one another's efforts, she adds.
Mr Wee of ACCA notes that as Singapore companies seek to become global players, 'financial performance alone may no longer be sufficient to secure a market leader position as global investors demand leadership in both financial strength and corporate social responsibility'.
Business-friendly environment leads to investment flow; local firms gain $8.4b in foreign deals
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 27 May 11;
INVESTMENTS are pouring into Singapore's water industry.
Over the last five years, projects have been launched that will eventually add $590 million to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). This will take the industry's share of GDP to $1.25 billion - nearly double what it was in 2005.
Experts said the surge in investments is due to Singapore's business-friendly environment, which attracts foreign firms to set up regional headquarters here, as well as more local companies venturing into the water business.
Meanwhile, Singapore-based water companies have made a splash overseas by winning projects worth $8.4 billion.
The figures were announced yesterday at a joint update by the national water agency PUB, the Economic Development Board (EDB) and International Enterprise Singapore.
They come at the half-way mark of a 10-year plan for the Singapore water industry announced in 2006. Then, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong identified environmental and water technologies as a key research area for the country.
The target: $1.7 billion in annual GDP and 11,000 jobs created by 2015. The latest investments have carried the country to more than two-thirds of the way to the finishing line.
Yesterday, the agencies said they are confident of meeting the targets by the deadline.
Ten foreign companies have set up regional headquarters here for water projects since 2006, including engineering giants Black and Veatch, and Siemens Water Technologies.
The firms said they were drawn by the strong government backing in the industry and the ease of doing business here.
Siemens spokesman Yeang Chuan Hui said: 'The Government has made it clear... it wants to stay at the forefront of this industry.'
In 2006, the National Research Foundation committed $330 million in funding over five years for water projects.
In the same year, the inter-agency Environment and Water Industry Programme Office (EWI) was set up to help firms develop their businesses.
A home-grown company that has benefited from the programme is Mint, which creates sensors for water treatment plants. General manager Adrian Yeo, 33, said the initiative halved the set-up cost of his business.
Under the programme, he was given a place to test his technology in PUB's plants, and technical support from the agency's experts. The technology has since been installed in PUB's Bedok Newater plant. 'Now I'm hoping to sell the product to overseas investors at the International Water Week in July,' he said.
The EWI has helped around 100 projects since its inception. Representatives from the programme said these included local companies, and firms from Japan, the United States and Europe.
Singapore-based companies have also burnished the country's reputation in the industry by winning large projects overseas.
Projects in the Middle East and North Africa made up the bulk of the $8.4 billion in overseas contracts won over the last five years, said Mr Yeoh Keat Chuan, assistant managing director of the EDB.
He added that this was because projects there tend to be larger in scale. 'But there is growing demand for water projects in regional countries such as Vietnam, China and Australia,' he said.
Singapore-based companies have made in-roads in all three countries by setting up water treatment or desalination plants.
Over the next few years, the agencies plan to continue Singapore's focus on research and development.
They are also looking to expand their presence in important markets like China and emerging ones such as India and Indonesia.
One strategy could be to serve as matchmakers between water tech companies and financing companies.
'Scientific research and support for companies are our strengths,' said Mr Goh Chee Kiong, director of EDB's cleantech division.
'If the agencies continue to band together to help companies from research and development to exporting their products, I think the industry here will grow from strength to strength.'
Water industry investments doubled in Singapore
Hoe Yeen Nie Channel NewsAsia 26 May 11;
SINGAPORE: Investments in Singapore's water industry have doubled in size in the last five years - up from S$660 million in GDP value-add in 2005.
And the government is confident it can meet its target of S$1.7 billion in annual GDP value-add by 2015.
Over the years, Singapore has turned what used to be a scarcity into its strength and now the water industry is seen as a growth area for the country.
In 2006, the target was to grow the sector such that it will contribute S$1.7 billion in annual GDP value by 2015, and to create 11,000 jobs.
Representatives from the Environment & Water Industry Programme Office (EWI) on Thursday expressed confidence that the target would be met.
The EWI is an inter-agency office, led by national water agency PUB, the Economic Development Board and IE Singapore.
They gave figures showing that investments by water companies in the last five years, when fully realised, will add about S$590 million in value add to the economy, as well as create about 2,300 professional and skilled jobs.
Singapore is now home to about 70 local and international water companies.
At the same time, Singapore companies have also secured overseas projects worth a total of S$8.4 billion.
Key markets include the Middle East and China. For instance, the technology used to recycle water - similar to the technology behind Newater - is being applied to a plant in the Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant in Queensland, Australia.
The EDB said that Singapore's strength lies primarily in research and development as well as providing support for companies.
Yeoh Keat Chuan, Assistant MD of the EDB, said: "The early part of the effort was focussed on rolling out a number of initiatives relating to R&D. That typically takes a longer gestation period.
"We are at the point now where we're hoping to see some of those results, where technologies get rolled out into the marketplace after being test-bedded in Singapore, and that will generate higher value-added projects."
One key activity is the test bedding of new technologies, which Singapore has made easier due to the infrastructure, accessibility and the willingness to take on these often capital-intensive projects.
Singapore's willingness to take on capital-intensive test-bedding projects, is also a draw for foreign companies.
PUB said since 2006, there have been 107 test-bedding projects conducted here in collaboration with PUB and private R&D firms and institutions.
Ng Han Tong, Director of Industry Development at the PUB, said: "In their own country, they find difficulties finding test-bedding sites for their technologies to be tested. That's one reason.
"Secondly, if they need to do test-bedding, they have to travel very far. But Singapore is so compact, so concentrated, they are always in close proximity to their test-bedding."
Over the next few years, government agencies plan to continue Singapore's focus on research and development.
They are also looking to expand their presence in markets like China and emerging ones such as India and Indonesia.
One strategy would be to serve as matchmakers between water tech companies and financing companies.
Goh Chee Kiong, Director of the Cleantech Division at the EDB, said: "They tend to be capital-intensive. And very often, financing is the bottle-neck. Because if they can't raise the financing, even at the governmental level, they'll find it difficult to implement their plans for their populations.
"That will be what we hope could be the value that Singapore can provide to companies and countries in the region."
- CNA/ir/ac
Water sector keeps jobs, GDP taps flowing
Industry on track to hit target of 11,000 jobs created, $1.7b GDP share by 2015
Lynn Kan Business Times 27 May 11;
(SINGAPORE) Investment into Singapore's water industry has doubled over the last five years - up from 2005 when the industry contributed $660 million and 6,300 jobs to the economy.
When these investments secured between 2006 and 2010 are fully realised, they will add $590 million to gross domestic product and generate 2,300 jobs.
The thriving water industry is on track to hit its target of 11,000 jobs created and $1.7 billion in GDP contribution by 2015, said the Environment and Water Industry Programme Office (EWI) yesterday.
The inter-agency EWI - comprising the Economic Development Board (EDB), the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and IE Singapore - was set up in 2006 to spearhead the growth trajectory of Singapore's water industry.
Water-starved Singapore has turned its weakness into strength. In the process, it has created homegrown successes like Hyflux and Sembcorp Industries that compete internationally.
Since 2006, such Singapore-based companies have garnered $8.4 billion in overseas contracts.
They have struck gold particularly in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region, landing 17 large-scale projects worth $6.6 billion.
This compares to the 144 projects in China and the rest of the world that amount to $1.8 billion collectively.
The promise of the global water industry is sparkling, said IE Singapore's divisional director of environmental and engineering services Leong Teng Chau.
'Two key trends will help water companies: rapid urbanisation and industrial development,' said Mr Leong. 'Urbanisation means a demand for the municipal water solutions companies and industrialisation will help the industries-oriented water players.'
The global water market is valued at over US$500 billion.
Over half of this is made up by the municipal water market while industrial needs made up 10 per cent.
Singapore's competitive advantage is offering opportunities 'across the entire innovation chain' - from R&D and testbedding, to manufacturing and to helping companies to commercialise and export their services, said EDB director of cleantech, Goh Chee Kiong.
The strong government-supported water industry has also made the difference.
National water agency PUB is 'experimental' where other public utilities boards err on the side of conservativeness.
'The reasons why foreign companies come here to testbed new ideas is because PUB offers facilities to do so whereas their own countries don't often do. And these sites are close by to them as well,' said PUB's director for industry development Ng Han Tong.
It is perhaps no surprise that the number of testbedding projects has grown from 15 to 107 in the past five years.
Some have moved on to commercialisation, like Grahamtek's reverse osmosis system.
The Singaporean company first piloted its technology at the Bedok NEWater plant in 2004 before launching it into commercialisation in 2006.
Some Chinese water solutions companies, like United Envirotech and Sinomem Technology, have listed here to financing muscle in the stock market.
In addition, the hoped-for 'ecosystem effect' of the marketplace has led to research collaborations and firms forming consortiums to offer comprehensible water solutions and to jointly bid for contracts.
Mr Goh cited the example of Sembcorp Industries' successful bid to build-own-operate a desalination plant in Oman. 'But because of the Singapore ecosystem effect, they are working with Hyflux very closely, who is providing ultra-filtration membranes for the project,' he said.
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