Why do Scorpions Glow Under UV light?
from Macro Photography in Singapore
fireworm fished @ labrador 17Jan2012
from sgbeachbum
Pond Herons foraging
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Fauna of the Native Garden @ HortPark
from Raffles Museum News
An Un-bear-able trade
from Bornean Sun Bear Conservation
Straits Times 18 Jan 12;
SHANGRI-LA Hotels and Resorts yesterday announced that it was stopping the sale of shark's fin at its 72 properties worldwide, with immediate effect.
The Hong Kong-based chain will also halt the sale of bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass by the end of the year. But banquet bookings made before yesterday will be honoured, it said.
The announcement came two weeks after FairPrice and Carrefour supermarket chains said they would halt the sale of shark's fin, joining Cold Storage, which stopped the practice last September.
Among hotels, the Fairmont Singapore was one of the first to stop serving shark's fin completely. It has also removed Chilean sea bass and bluefin tuna - which are also overfished - from its menu.
Other hotels, such as Amara Singapore and The Fullerton, still serve shark's fin soup during wedding banquets but provide alternatives when asked.
To encourage customers to hold shark's fin-free wedding banquets, luxury resort Capella Singapore is giving wedding couples one night's free accommodation and a certificate of acknowledgement for their contribution to conservation.
Ms Priscilla Chua, its senior director of catering and conference services, said many couples who are environmentally conscious are pressured by their elders into serving shark's fin soup.
She added: 'We hope to alleviate this familial pressure by offering a further incentive of presenting the certificate to the couple during the dinner.'
In recent years, consumption of shark's fin - considered a delicacy in traditional Chinese culture - has been a controversial issue. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, six species of shark are considered critically endangered.
Shangri-La hotels take shark fin soup off the menu
The resort company's move, coming just ahead of the Chinese new year festivities, is a huge boost to the campaign to protect decimated shark stocks by banning the dish
Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk 18 Jan 12;
The campaign to reduce the demand for shark fins achieved its greatest victory to date on Wednesday when the Shangri-la hotel group announced that it would no longer serve the dish, which is decimating populations of the ocean predator.
The resort company, which operates 72 hotels, took the step just days before the Chinese spring festival, the main season for shark fin soup consumption at banquets in Hong Kong and the mainland.
It is estimated that between 26 million and 73 million sharks are killed each year to supply this billion-dollar industry. Almost a third are consumed during Chinese new year.
But conservationists' efforts to reduce demand have gained pace and prominence in the past year, particularly since WildAid international ambassador and basketball star Yao Ming spoke out against shark fin soup.
In November, the Peninsula hotel became the first traditional hotel in Hong Kong – the centre of the trade – to remove the dish from its restaurants. It was followed by 112 companies who signed up to a "Say No" initiative to remove shark fin from corporate banquets.
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has now gone a step further by unveiling a "sustainable seafood policy" that also includes a commitment to phase out the use of other endangered marine species, including Bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass.
The company had previously taken shark fin off its restaurant menus, but offered the dish on demand.
The move was welcomed by conservationists as a sign that some major corporations are starting to take sustainability more seriously.
"This is very significant. Two leading hotel groups have now sent a very strong message to the food and beverage industry and the wedding industry. I don't see why others don't follow suit," said Bertha Lo of the Hong Kong Shark Foundation.
However, there is still a long way to go. The foundation's recent survey of 64 leading Hong Kong hotels found that 98% served at least one endangered marine species. Almost all included shark fin, which is particularly popular at wedding banquets. Very few had policies for sustainable seafood sourcing.
Conservationists said corporate social responsibility programmes had improved in recent years to include energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions, but still usually neglected impacts on wildlife.
"We are seeing announcements one by one, but it is not enough just to stop serving shark fin," said Stanley Shea of Bloom Association, a Hong Kong-based NGO. "Hotels also need to put in place public policies on sustainable seafood sourcing."
The government in Hong Kong has yet to act, although surveys by the Bloom foundation suggest that 88% of consumers want the authorities to prevent sales of products that involve killing threatened species.
It is believed the mainland could move faster than the territory – as it has done with air pollution. But most hotels in Chinese cities will continue to serve shark fin as a traditional part of the festivities to usher in the year of the dragon on 23 January.
Among them is the Grand Hyatt in Beijing, which was offering a new year special spring festival banquet of 888 yuan (£91.50) per person, including shark fin soup. Outside of the holiday season, it offers the soup alone from 468 yuan (£48) to over a thousand yuan. "It depends on the type of shark. We have all types," a restaurant employee said.
Singapore to take part in Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea
Channel NewsAsia 17 Jan 12;
SINGAPORE: Singapore will showcase its achievements in balancing rapid urban development with environmental sustainability at the International Exposition Yeosu Korea which will be held from May 12.
The three-month long expo is expected to attract up to eight million domestic and international visitors.
The 712 square metre Singapore Pavilion aims to convey how Singapore balances growth and development with environmental sustainability through four segments: waste management, nature conservation, urban planning and water management.
The Environment and Water Resources Ministry will lead a multi-agency project committee to manage the Singapore Pavilion.
Project Director Eng Tiang Sing said, "We are very excited to participate in Expo 2012. Besides being an excellent platform to showcase and promote Singapore to a sizeable international audience, we hope Singapore's development story can be an useful case study to some of the world's rapidly growing cities in finding ways to create a healthy and attractive environment despite their urbanisation.
"This exposition also presents a good opportunity to foster closer people-to-people relations between Singapore and the Republic of Korea, and cultivate a deeper understanding of each other's environmental practices, lifestyles and cultures."
- CNA/cc
Singapore To Showcase Achievements In Balancing Rapid Urban Development
Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah Bernama 17 Jan 12;
SINGAPORE, Jan 17 (Bernama) -- Singapore will showcase its achievements in balancing rapid urban development with environmental sustainability at the International Exposition Yeosu Korea 2012 (Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea) from May 12 to Aug 12 in Yeosu, South Korea.
The Environment and Water Resources Ministry said the exposition is expected to attract up to eight million domestic and international visitors.
The 712 square-metre Singapore Pavilion will be housed within the International Pavilion, together with exhibitions from more than 100 other countries.
Themed "Paradox-ity: City of Contrasts", the Singapore Pavilion aims to convey how Singapore balances growth and development with environmental sustainability through four main content segments: waste management, nature conservation, urban planning and water management.
A multi-agency project committee led by the ministry has been formed to manage the Singapore Pavilion.
Participating government agencies include Trade and Industry Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, National Development Ministry, Environment and Water Resources Ministry and Transport Ministry.
Building and Construction Authority, National Parks Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority, National Environment Agency and Public Utilities Board, Singapore Tourism Board and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore are also participating.
Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea is an international exposition hosted by the Bureau International des Expositions (the inter-governmental organisation in charge of Expositions).
-- BERNAMA
WWF 17 Jan 12;
2011 ended on an optimistic note for the Hawksbill turtles in Melaka. 568 nestings were recorded along Melaka's coastline last year, the highest ever for the state. This number is comparable to the nestings recorded in the Sabah Turtle Islands, the premier nesting site for the hawksbills in Malaysia.
This positive development is a culmination of hard work and perseverance displayed by everyone involved. Patrolling teams which consistently monitored key nesting beaches were the key to securing more egg clutches than ever before for incubation. During the peak nesting season of April to September, patrolling was carried out every day from sunset to sunrise, and at times covered a cumulative distance of approximately 40km. The team comprised of WWF-Malaysia’s staff, Daily Paid Assistants, local youth, interns and volunteers.
In addition, the teams worked closely with the staff of the Department of Fisheries and licensed egg collectors in safely transferring the eggs at Pulau Upeh, Kem Terendak-Tanjung Bidara and Padang Kemunting-Pasir Gembur to the hatchery.
The patrols also extended to Balik Batu beach this year where in the past, many egg clutches have been poached. Committed and continuous engagement with the local communities also greatly facilitated safe and effective beach patrols.
The success of this year’s monitoring programme would not have been possible without the generous funding from the Malaysian public and WWF –Netherlands. With this support, this critically endangered Hawksbill population now has a good chance of bouncing back
By: Lau Min Min, Team Leader Malacca Turtle Conservation WWF-Malaysia
AFP Yahoo News 18 Jan 12;
The United States announced Tuesday it is banning the import of Burmese pythons and three other species of giant constrictor snakes due to the danger they pose to local wildlife.
The formal ban on importing or transporting across state lines the Burmese python, the yellow anaconda and the northern and southern African pythons will take effect in about two months, said the Fish and Wildlife Service.
According to the decision, the four big snakes are considered "injurious wildlife" and the ban aims to halt their spread in the wild. People who own them as pets would not likely be affected by the new restrictions.
"Burmese pythons have already caused substantial harm in Florida," said FWS director Dan Ashe, noting that they have preyed on endangered Key Largo wood rats while other pythons have eaten endangered wood storks.
"By taking this action today, we will help prevent further harm from these large constrictor snakes to native wildlife, especially in habitats that can support constrictor snake populations across the southern United States and in US territories."
US authorities have spent millions of dollars in the Florida Everglades due to the threat posed by the big snakes, "an amount far less than is needed to combat their spread," the FWS added.
Five other non-native snakes remain under consideration for listing as "injurious," including the reticulated python, boa constrictor, DeSchauensee’s anaconda, green anaconda and Beni anaconda.
The Burmese pythons are among the largest snakes on Earth and are native to southeast Asia, including Myanmar, also known as Burma.
U.S. Clamps Ban On Pythons, Yellow Anaconda
Tom Brown PlanetArk 18 Jan 12;
The United States announced a ban on Burmese pythons on Tuesday, after years of unsuccessful efforts to eradicate the giant snakes from the Everglades National Park in Florida.
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who has championed the ban, said it would take effect within about 60 days and make it illegal to import the snakes or transport them across state lines.
Salazar announced the measure at a news conference at a flood control pumping station in a corner of the Everglades just outside Miami, where he was joined by Florida Senator Ben Nelson and two senior park and Florida Wildlife Commission officials as they held aloft a recently captured 13-foot (4-meter) python.
"The action were taking today is a milestone in the protection of the Everglades," Salazar said.
Biologists say most pythons in the Everglades are thought to have been released there by their owners once they realized that the "pets" can grow from just a foot to 12 feet long within their first two years of life.
In addition to the Burmese python, which has become one of the most notorious invasive species in U.S. history, the ban affects the yellow anaconda and northern and southern African pythons.
Invasive species in subtropical parts of Florida include dragon-like Nile Monitor lizards and raccoon-sized African rats.
But Burmese pythons, which are native to southeast Asia, have become the stuff of legend in the Everglades since they were first sighted in the wildlife haven in the mid-1970s.
With their razor-sharp teeth, they have been known to eat practically anything that moves in the park, from small mammals to large wading birds. Last year, a 15.7-foot (4.8-meter) Burmese was found with a huge bulge from a recently consumed 76-pound (34-kg) deer.
Compounding eradication problems, however, the bone-crushing snakes have also bred in the wild in the savanna and steamy swamps of the Everglades.
One of the creatures was aggressive enough to try devouring a 6-foot (1.8 meter) alligator in the park in 2005. The alligator was believed to have been dead already and the snake also died trying to digest it.
(Editing by Sandra Maler)
Richard Black BBC News 16 Jan 12;
La Nina events may make flu pandemics more likely, research suggests.
US-based scientists found that the last four pandemics all occurred after La Nina events, which bring cool waters to the surface of the eastern Pacific.
In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they say that flu-carrying birds may change migratory patterns during La Nina conditions.
However, many other La Nina events have not seen novel flu strains spread around the world, they caution.
So while the climatic phenomenon may make a pandemic more likely, they say, it is not sufficient on its own - and may not be necessary either.
La Nina is the cold cousin of El Nino - the two collectively making up the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
"Certainly ENSO affects weather and precipitation and humidity around the world," said Jeffrey Shaman from Columbia University in New York.
"But the effects are very varied around the world - there's no coherent picture."
Nevertheless, the last four pandemics - the Spanish Flu that began in 1918, the Asian Flu of 1957, the Hong Kong Flu of 1958 and the swine flu of 2009 - were all preceded by periods of La Nina conditions.
What pandemics have in common is that they all feature novel strains of the virus to which people have not developed immunity.
Typically these are created when two existing strains infecting an animal such as a bird or a pig exchange genetic material.
The link to La Nina events is not clear. But recent research has shown that some wild birds' patterns of flights and stopovers during migrations, or moulting times, differ between El Nino and La Nina years.
"Our best guess is this brings together birds [in La Nina conditions] that don't otherwise mix, and that allows the genetic reassortment to take place," Professor Shaman told BBC News.
Yet the fact that many other La Nina periods have not been followed by a pandemic indicate that other factors must also be involved.
If the swine flu pandemic of 2009-10 was part of this pattern, the crossing of viral strains must have had something to do with birds as well as pigs.
As wild migratory birds will sometimes visit farms and as domestic flocks of ducks or chickens often live alongside pigs, especially in developing countries, this is quite feasible.
Professor Shaman cautions that the link is far from being firm enough that it could be used as a tool to forecast pandemics.
But the monitoring of birds, pigs, people and the genetics of the influenza virus have all been stepped up in response to recent outbreaks of both swine flu and bird flu.
And this, he believes, should in time show whether the theory is correct.
"Now we can look at viral gene flow in a number of birds, pigs and people - and we might be able to get something more statistically robust, to get a better sense of the mechanisms."
Flu Pandemics Linked to Ocean's Cooling Cycle
Wynne Parry LiveScience.com Yahoo News 19 Jan 12;
Flu pandemics have been linked to fluctuations in climate, and new research connects the world's four most recent pandemics to the cyclical cooling of the Pacific Ocean near the equator.
The connection? Changes in ocean temperature affect migrating birds, which are major contributors to the spread and mixing of flu viruses.
An earlier study had linked flu pandemics to ocean warming, rather than cooling, but public health researchers Jeffrey Shaman of Columbia University and Marc Lipsitch of Harvard University dispute these findings, saying this analysis relies on flawed data, such as records of older pandemics and climate fluctuations, which are less precise and reliable.
The researchers found that the four flu outbreaks that swept the world in the past 100 years — in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 2009 (in this last instance, the H1N1 "swine flu") — followed a fall or winter when sea-surface temperatures sank abnormally low. This cooling is associated with La Niña, a phase in a larger climate pattern. La Niña is the cool counterpart to El Niño, which is marked by unusually warm temperatures in the equatorial Pacific; both alter weather patterns around the globe.
There are three types of influenza viruses. One of them, type A, is naturally carried by wild aquatic birds. Type A viruses, which include swine flu, can infect not only people but other mammals, such as pigs and dogs, as well as other birds, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The long flights and many stopovers made by migratory birds turn these viruses into globe trotters and allow them to mix with each other. This process, called re-assortment, occurs when an animal or person carries multiple strains of the virus that swap genetic information. It can lead to the emergence of new viruses that are potentially capable of causing pandemics. "We know that pandemics arise from dramatic changes in the influenza genome. Our hypothesis is that La Niña sets the stage for these changes by reshuffling the mixing patterns of migratory birds, which are a major reservoir for influenza," said Shaman in a press release issued by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
Previous research showed the El Niño/La Niña climate pattern affects the health and behavior of migratory birds, including their population density and flight and stopover patterns, the researchers noted in their study.
The researchers note that the 2009 pandemic is believed to have arisen from swine flu viruses. It is possible birds carried one or more of the ancestors of the 2009 pandemic virus, they write Monday (Jan. 16) in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Their results contradict earlier research that showed a link between flu pandemics and moderate to strong El Niño events.
Flu isn't the only misery that has been linked to fluctuations in this climate cycle. Past research has connected El Niño to civil conflict, and La Niña to drought that gripped Texas, Oklahoma and parts of New Mexico.
Labrador 'No-Fishing' Fishing - Jan2012
from sgbeachbum
Reclamation at Jurong near Cyrene continues
from wild shores of singapore
Many die for that single illegal animal purchase
from Otterman speaks
Boardwalks for walking or ... ?
Letter from Mary Maloney Today Online 14 Jan 12;
THE report "Will pedestrians, cyclists co-exist?" (Jan 9) prompts me to raise a question and make a request after a morning walk at Labrador Park.
I noticed many cyclists in groups along the new boardwalk there. Pedestrians, including some in wheelchairs, children and parents with babies in prams, had to make room for them. Also, anglers had their rods out, occupying two or three feet of the boardwalk. Is this permitted?
One highly misused boardwalk now is Changi Boardwalk, with cigarette butts - smoking should be banned in parks, where people go for fresh air and exercise - leftover food and other rubbish. So I beseech all park users to please be more considerate.
Punggol's dangerous anglers
Straits Times 17 Jan 12;
ANGLERS are a cause for concern along the Punggol Park Connector Network (PCN), especially between Marina Country Club and Punggol Jetty.
As a frequent user of the PCN, I often see leftover rotten bait, litter, fishing lines and hooks on the grass patch and also on the PCN.
The anglers' irresponsible behaviour does not only make an unsightly public mess, but it also poses a danger to joggers and cyclists, and even park cleaners.
The other day, I was almost hit by an angler casting his fishing line when I was running past. Recently, anglers even rode their motorcycles into the PCN.
I have written to the National Parks Board but nothing has been done.
I am not against people fishing legally but I expect them to be considerate.
Wang Eng Hin
Alvina Soh Channel NewsAsia 16 Jan 12;
SINGAPORE: A site engineer was fined S$18,000 on Monday after smuggling in more than 300 singing birds from Malaysia, three-quarters of which died as a result of their confinement.
Winston Boo Kiang Cheng, 38, was found guilty of three counts of contravening the Animals and Birds Act, after he brought in the birds without a licence by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and causing them unnecessary suffering.
Boo committed the offences on 1 November last year, a day after he purchased the birds for RM558 (S$229) from a pet shop in Malaysia.
The court heard that he wanted to bring the birds into Singapore for "religious purposes."
The birds were found hidden in the boot and beneath the rear passenger seat of his car during a check at Woodlands Checkpoint at 10.40pm on that day.
Boo used a piece of black cloth to conceal the birds which included 253 Spotted Munia birds, 48 Oriental White Eye birds, and 1 Shama bird.
All 302 birds were packed into eleven cages, toilet roll cardboards, a pipe and two plastic trays.
AVA officers said the birds were confined in cramped and restrictive conditions.
The authorities also noted that a few of the birds were "clinging onto the top of the cages" and appeared to be weak and dying slowly.
The birds had also not been given food and water during their seven-hour journey from Johor to Singapore.
227 birds died within two days of their arrival in Singapore.
AVA Prosecutor Officer Mr Yap Teck Chuan said that Boo had "total disregard for the welfare of the birds" after transporting them "in a very unpleasant manner."
Mr Yap added that Boo was aware that importing the birds was prohibited, but still went on to purchase them as they were "cheaper."
AVA's conditions for the importation of pet birds require that ornamental birds only be imported from bird flu-free countries and have negative test results for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
The birds also have to be quarantined at a government approved quarantine premises for 21 days prior to their export to Singapore.
If these rules are not complied with, the AVA will detain the birds for further tests, return the birds to the country of origin or destroy them if necessary.
- CNA/ck
Engineer who smuggled birds from JB fined $18,000
Khushwant Singh Straits Times 17 Jan 12;
A MAN smuggled 302 birds into the country in such dismal conditions that more than two-thirds of them died. He was fined a total of $18,000 yesterday.
Site engineer Winston Boo Kiang Cheng smuggled the ornamental birds - which are prized by collectors - into Singapore in his car, after buying them from a pet shop in Johor Baru.
He was fined $8,000 for bringing them in without a licence issued by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), $5,000 for causing the birds unnecessary suffering by confining them in tiny containers, and a further $5,000 for not providing them with food and water.
A district court heard that Boo, 38, drove into Johor Baru on Oct 31 last year with his friend Koh Kwang Hu. After dinner, he left his companion at the restaurant, saying he was going to get his car washed. He then visited a nearby pet shop to order 300 birds. Delivery was planned for the following night.
Boo asked Mr Koh, 40, to go to Johor with him again the next day, saying he wanted to fill his car with petrol there.
While the pair were having dinner at the same restaurant, the pet shop owner approached Boo.
The engineer paid RM558 (S$230) for the birds - 253 spotted munia, 48 oriental white-eye songbirds and one rumped sharma.
They had been stuffed into small trays and cages, a narrow plastic pipe and two cardboard toilet-paper rolls.
The cages were discovered covered with black cloth in the boot of Boo's car during a routine search at the Woodlands Checkpoint. More birds were found hidden under the rear passenger seat.
The case was then referred to the AVA, and its officers observed that there was no food or water for the birds.
Several of the oriental white-eye songbirds were dying, while many of the munia birds were in very bad shape. By Nov 4, 227 of the birds had died.
Boo admitted to AVA officers that he had smuggled the birds from Malaysia because they were cheaper there.
Songbird hatchlings go for about $10 to $20 each at pet shops here.
AVA prosecutor Yap Teck Chuan told the court that ornamental birds can be imported only from countries that are free of bird flu. Even then, the birds must be tested for the disease and quarantined for three weeks.
Malaysia has been designated free of bird flu, but Mr Yap said that wild birds are often caught and traded as ornamental or pet birds. These could originate from anywhere, and importing them without any testing or health certification poses a significant health risk, he explained.
He also said that Singapore was one of the few countries in the region to have kept bird flu at bay, and that strict import and quarantine regulations and enforcement are required to maintain this status quo.
For smuggling in the birds and causing them unnecessary pain and suffering, Boo could have been fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to a year, or both, for each offence.
Nurul Syuhaida Channel NewsAsia 16 Jan 12;
SINGAPORE: The Police Coast Guard (PCG) said from 2009 to 2011, the number of suspicious boats entering Singapore waters declined by half, to 170.
The latest incident, involving two Singaporean human smugglers and a female illegal immigrant from China, took place on 14 January.
A vessel was used by 56-year-old boatman Chua Kim Hai and his assistant, 40-year-old Andrew Cheng in human smuggling.
Their client was 37-year-old Chinese National Lu Yun Lan, but she was unsuccessful in her attempt to enter Singapore.
On Saturday at about 9pm, officers spotted two suspicious boats near Tanjong Tajam Beacon off the western tip of Pulau Ubin.
As the officers neared, the boat carrying Lu beached near Punggol Jetty, while the other headed into Malaysian waters.
Lu jumped off the boat and was later found hiding in a bush.
She did not have any valid travel documents and had about 1,000 RMB (S$200) with her.
The boatmen were arrested off Punggol Marina, after a short chase at sea.
DSP Julian Chen, commanding officer, Loyang Regional Base, Police Coast Guard, said: "This latest arrest has again demonstrated PCG's determination to keep our waters safe by dealing with perpetrators decisively. We will continue to be vigilant and persist in our efforts to enforce our sea borders' security."
All three offenders were charged in court on Monday. Lu was charged with unlawful entry and the boatmen were charged with smuggling an illegal immigrant.
Lu could be sentenced to six months' jail and fined up to S$6,000 while the boatmen face a maximum jail term of between two and five years, plus three strokes of the cane.
- CNA/cc/ck
IUCN 16 Jan 12;
Preparations are gearing up for the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development that takes place in June, with the release of the so-called ‘zero draft’ of the conference’s outcome document.
From 20 to 22 June, governments and civil society organizations will descend on the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro to review progress since the landmark UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 and try to generate new momentum towards global sustainability.
“In the draft of The Future we Want document the UN secretariat has done an impressive job structuring and summarizing the hundreds of submissions by governments and other stakeholders with their views on what governments should decide on when meeting in Rio,” says Cyriaque N. Sendashonga, Head of IUCN’s Global Policy Unit.
“The good news is that there are many points on which there is broad consensus and convergence of positions,” says Cyriaque. “These include recognition that a more sustainable economy must be built on a strong and healthy natural resource base, and that broad participation of civil society in decision-making at all levels is essential for sustainable development and good governance. There is also a call to strengthen ways of improving access to information and public participation.”
But there is much work to be done says Cyriaque. “It is also obvious from the document some of the tensions between major countries or groups of countries, especially in regard to the international institutional framework for sustainable development including the future form of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and of the UN Environment Pogramme (UNEP).”
Some of the concrete proposals related to specific issues include: a commitment to provide universal access to minimum energy needs, to double the rate of energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy by 2030 and the agreement to negotiate an implementing instrument for marine biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Governments would also agree to start a process to decide on a set of Sustainable Development Goals that would closely relate to the UN Millennium Development Goals.
“It is difficult to predict what the document will look like after having gone through the series of informal and further formal discussions planned for the coming months, but the document is certainly a good start for those discussions,” says Cyriaque.
IUCN will issue a brief analysis of the document shortly, which will be posted at http://www.iucn.org/news_homepage/events/iucn___rio___20/.
Download The future we want 101KB
Tan Cheng Li The Star 17 Jan 12;
DRIVEN by a common vision to inspire people to do good, The Star has teamed up with Ecoteer to encourage villagers, readers and tourists to help protect the marine environment of Pulau Perhentian in Terengganu.
Under the year-long “Treasured Island” collaboration, financial contribution from The Star Foundation will support Ecoteer projects on the island, which are aimed at improving the livelihood of villagers and raising awareness on environmental protection of turtles and coral reefs.
A non-profit group set up in 2005, Ecoteer relies on paying volunteers, or what is termed “voluntourism”, to achieve its objective of promoting “Conservation Through Education”.
At Pulau Perhentian, Ecoteer volunteers have taught English to schoolchildren, helped run the school nature club and conducted environmental awareness activities.
With funding from The Star Foundation – the charity arm of The Star Media Group that raises, receives and administers funds for charity, social and research purposes – these activities will continue this year, together with other programmes on recycling, composting waste and organic farming.
The Ecoteer effort at Perhentian drew support from the Foundation as protecting the environment is one of the causes championed by the group, according to Star Publications (M) Bhd group managing director/CEO Ho Kay Tat.
“Voluntourism is something new and we thought it was an interesting idea. People pay to participate in the conservation project. Instead of just lying on the beach or snorkelling at Perhentian, they spend time teaching villagers about the environment, and help to protect turtles and coral reefs.
“Ecoteer volunteers are also working with the school on education, and helping the locals find other sources of income. If you can help them have a new skill, they don’t have to do things which might not be good for the environment. It’s a pioneering project, that’s why we see it as a project worth supporting,” says Ho.
Employees and readers of The Star will also get a chance to volunteer their time at Perhentian as there will be sponsored trips to the island.
“This collaboration goes beyond just giving out money and providing editorial coverage. It gives an opportunity for our staff and readers to participate actively in the conservation and community efforts on the island. They will spend three to four days there and experience first-hand what is taking place there,” says Ho.
He adds that if more people were interested in voluntourism and gave it time, the Ecoteer project can be sustained and this will benefit the villagers.
“The Ecoteer effort is not going to solve the world’s environmental problems but at least an effort is being made. And it’s clearly a hands-on, on-the-ground effort. Even if the impact is in a small area, at least it’s real impact,” he adds.
Ecoteer founder Daniel Quilter says the partnership with The Star has enabled the non-profit set-up to continue with its effort to promote responsible tourism, environmental awareness and community service.
“Without this collaboration, Ecoteer will not be able to fund and sustain the project beyond 2011 as voluntourism is not a popular practice in Malaysia. The activities so far have been solely funded on profits brought in by voluntourism and to date, a huge number of volunteers are from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, where voluntourism is embraced with great enthusiasm and support.”
He says the trips to the island will enable readers and employees of The Star to learn more about the marine environment and efforts to protect it and hopefully, inspire them to reduce their impact on not only the Perhentian islands but wherever they might travel to.
Vacation with a difference
Michael Cheang The Star 17 Jan 12;
Ecoteer.com links vacationers with volunteer projects.
IT all started with a gibbon. Daniel Quilter had spent almost six months doing volunteer work at an eco-lodge in the village of Sukau in Kinabatangan, Sabah, and even after months of listening to the sound of gibbons gibbering around the jungle, he had not seen one. When he finally did, it changed his life.
“This gibbon was literally just lying there on the boardwalk, and jumped off into the trees as I approached. It was such an amazing sight, and at that moment, I decided that I had to do something so that more people can get the same experience that I just had,” Quilter recalled.
That “experience” Quilter is referring to is his “voluntourism” stint in 2005 in Sukau, where he did volunteer work in exchange for nothing more than free food and lodging. “I couldn’t afford really expensive holidays, and I just wanted to do something where I could also get some work experience, so I basically just e-mailed the eco-lodge offering my services in exchange for food and lodging,” he said.
After his gibbon-inspired epiphany, Quilter returned to his native England and started Ecoteer.com, a voluntourism website that serves as a platform to connect volunteer projects worldwide with individuals who want a holiday where they can make a difference. These projects range from eco-tourism, humanitarian, conservation and teaching projects all over the world.
While the concept of voluntourism – combining your holiday with volunteer work – might seem alien to most Malaysians (“What? You want me to pay money to go and do volunteer work instead of lying on a beach or going shopping?”), it is a fast growing segment of tourism in Europe, according to Quilter, who has a background in environmental science and a master’s degree in ocean policy and law.
“Voluntourism is growing into a more mainstream form of tourism now. More and more people are going for ethical holidays instead of the usual ‘sun, sangria and sex’ type of holidays. They want an experience that actually benefits them,” he said, adding that many “voluntourists” do not want to just sight-see – they also want to interact with the locals and learn about their culture.
The whole idea behind Ecoteer is to form a network where people could go to search for holidays where they could do volunteer work. Quilter, who has based his operations in Malaysia, likens it to a dating service that matches travellers with smaller, lesser-known projects. These projects will then be able to get the manpower they need.
“Many of these small projects don’t have the resources or know-how to get good coverage on the Internet. Ecoteer acts as a platform for these lesser-known projects to get volunteers,” he explained. “Many agents (that provide a similar service) take huge commissions, so a lot of smaller projects can’t afford it. However, Ecoteer.com is not an agent, so we don’t earn any commission from the projects. The travellers will contact the project operators directly, and any money they pay goes 100% to the project.”
Now, most of the projects on Ecoteer.com tend to be long-term volunteer projects that typically last for a month or more. In 2010, Quilter started Ecoteer Responsible Travel (ERT), which runs several community and conservation projects in Malaysia and Sri Lanka where travellers can come in for shorter periods, even for a night, and still get a good experience.
One of the first projects under ERT is the Perhentian Islands Community and Conservation Volunteer Project which aims to increase environmental and cultural awareness amongst the villagers and tourists of Kampong Pasir Hantu at Pulau Perhentian in Terengganu, and is the main reason Quilter set up ERT in the first place.
“In 2008, I got a job working for a big voluntourism company that did turtle conservation in Perhentian as well as orang utan conservation in Sarawak. I was the manager for the turtle project (known as the Bubbles Dive, Turtle and Coral project), working with Bubbles Dive Resort. Our job was to provide some sort of deterrent for the poachers. We got volunteers to stay up all night with lots of coffee to guard the beach,” he explained.
Unfortunately, in 2009, the recession hit Britain, and the company stopped the turtle conservation project and concentrated on the orang utan one instead. Quilter, however, decided to run the turtle project independently and find volunteers through Ecoteer.com instead.
“However, I realised after a while that while Ecoteer.com could provide volunteers, they just weren’t in the right niche. So I decided to start ERT in 2010, beginning with Perhentian and expanding to other projects later.”
According to Quilter, the Perhentian village community project was a natural progression from the turtle project. “We still support the turtle project by providing volunteers, but our work in the village is our main project now,” he explained.
“Under ERT, volunteers can come for one or two days up to a few weeks, and help out in the various projects we have going on there.”
So far, a total of 312 volunteers have participated in the Perhentian project.
One of the main objectives of the project is to help improve the villagers’ quality of life and increase their income generating opportunities.
“At the moment, most of the villagers work as boatmen or maids. The boatmen in particular make an alright living, but only during the tourist season. During the monsoon season at the end of the year, they have nothing to do. So what they have now is six to seven months of work, and then nothing for the rest of the year,” said Quilter.
“When we first went into the village and spoke to the village head, we only planned to go into the schools to teach the kids. Then in 2011, the village head asked us to expand on what we were doing to the entire village, and set up the Ecoteer House.”
Project epicentre
The Ecoteer House not only serve as the project headquarters and a place to house the volunteers (it can accommodate up to four people at one time), but also as a community youth centre, hosting weekly environmental clubs for school children on the island. It is also where Ecoteer conducts its “experiments” – various pilot projects that can be expanded in the future to help the village as a whole.
“Ecoteer House serves as a centre to kick-start many of our little projects. We do many of the projects first to prove to the villagers that they can make money out of it. If it is successful, it will convince them to try it out as well,” said Quilter.
One initiative encourages composting and recycling on the island. For this, ReefCheck Malaysia will donate a BioMate compost machine which can process organic waste collected from the villagers’ homes into compost. Each household will get two bins to collect the food waste.
Quilter said now, it is difficult to farm on the island because the soil is salty and sandy. So the compost will come in handy. The plan is to get the villagers to grow vegetables, herbs and fruits which they can use themselves or sell to the resorts.
“We have a space in the village to build a community herb garden and nursery, where we’ll be building spiral gardens to grow herbs, particularly Western herbs such as oregano and so on, and also fruits, vegetables and other plants that can help sustain the village or boost its income.”
Ecoteer is also helping to make the village more appealing to tourists by improving on the tourism services offered by the villagers and making it more attractive in general.
“We had a volunteer last year whose job was to come up with a Western food menu using local ingredients which the villagers could cook for tourists,” said Quilter. “Many tourists still want to have their pasta or chicken chops, so by teaching the villagers how to cook these meals, we hope to create a reason for tourists to go into the village.”
Tourists who choose to only stay with the project for one or two days will usually be put up in one of the villagers’ home, where they can experience first-hand how the locals live by eating the same food and interacting with the families.
“If you’re only here for one or two nights, you may not be giving back much, but at least you will still get a proper cultural experience, and the money goes into the village,” said Quilter.
Perhentian is not the only project that ERT is currently involved in. It is also working with the Borneo Child Aid Society in Sukau, Sabah, helping to provide basic education for children in the oil palm estates there. There are also two other projects involving elephants and turtles conservation in Sri Lanka, while another environment-related project will start in Ipoh later this year.
Posts
visitors since Nov 07