Best of our wild blogs: 3 Apr 12

Drilling near St. John's reefs Apr-May 2012
from wild shores of singapore

Marine fire fighting and rescue: SCDF takes over from MPA
from wild shores of singapore

三月华语导游Madarin guide walk@SBWR,March(XXVIII)
from PurpleMangrove

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Singapore: Thunderstorms cause traffic snarls

More downpours expected over next fortnight, warns weatherman
Grace Chua Straits Times 3 Apr 12;

VIOLENT pre-dawn thunderstorms known as Sumatra squalls rattled Singapore in the early hours of yesterday and Saturday.

They led to reports of flash floods, fallen trees and disrupted traffic, from Tampines to the town area.

Sumatra squalls are eastward-moving lines of thunderstorms that whip up strong gusty winds and heavy rain, said the Meteorological Service (Singapore). They can develop at any time of the year and happen regularly between April and October.

Singapore can expect a couple more over the next fortnight, as well as afternoon showers with thunder.

Toh Tuck Road had the heaviest rainfall yesterday, with 95.2mm falling by 10am. On Saturday, Tuas had the highest total rainfall by 6am, with 97.4mm.

Three flash floods were reported yesterday. At the Marina South underpass, a drain grating was blocked by debris. Tampines Street 81 was the scene of a localised flood due to intense rain, while water at Bishan Street 21 collected in a depression in the road.

All three areas remained passable to traffic, said water agency PUB.

Traffic on two major roads was disrupted by fallen trees early yesterday, said the Land Transport Authority.

One hold-up happened on the Central Expressway near the Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 entrance between 7.22am and 7.40am, while the other was on Braddell Road from 7.27am to 7.57am.

A goods vehicle also lost control on a slippery stretch at Lornie Road.

It toppled and blocked two lanes towards Thomson Road at about 4.20am, but no one was injured.

On Saturday, a fallen tree caused disruption at Jalan Anak Bukit towards the city from 12.41pm to 2.39pm, a spokesman for the authority added.

Seven other roadside trees were uprooted during intense rain over the weekend, said the National Parks Board.

They were at Bedok, Bras Basah, MacPherson and West Coast. All were cleared within an hour of being reported.

March was a damp month. Its total rainfall ranged from more than 300mm around Kranji and Punggol, to 174-200mm around Bishan and Tuas - above the long-term monthly average of 185.7mm.

April is likely to be wet as well, with average to above-average rainfall expected.

The north-east winds of the monsoon season have been replaced by the light and variable winds of the inter-monsoon transitional period.

For the next fortnight, Singapore is expected to have mostly short, thundery showers in the afternoon on five to six days.

Widespread Sumatra squalls are likely on one to two days.

It could also be a warm month. During the inter-monsoon period, light winds, cloudless skies and more direct solar heating spell hot afternoons.

April also has the highest mean daily maximum temperature in the long term, at 31.7 deg C.

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Malaysia: Preventing flash floods - beyond widening canals

Tan Cheng Li The Star 3 Apr 12;

Rainwater that rushes into drains and rivers can cause flooding downstream. So why not hold back the water for gradual release, later?

FOR as long as many of us can remember, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) has always been on a building spree to mitigate floods – drains are constantly widened and rivers straightened so that rainwater that gushes off roof tops and land can be quickly whisked away into streams.

Federal expenditure for flood mitigation keeps ballooning, and yet, many urban centres continue to be inundated during downpours. The thing is, drainage engineering works just cannot keep up with the ever-growing volume of stormwater runoffs that results from intensive land development.

The combination of localised heavy rains, and inadequate drainage and water storage systems to cater for rapid urbanisation is a recipe for flash floods.

“The occurrence of floods is increasing due to land use changes and progress. Whatever we do on land will affect the hydrology of an area. The transformation from pervious surfaces to artificial non-pervious surfaces will increase the runoff rates and volume,” says Abu Mutalib Mat Hassan, deputy director at the flood management division at DID.

A DID study has shown that all it takes for flooding to become a problem is for 40% of an area to be cleared. The amount of runoff will double and flow twice as fast. With a yearly rainfall of 2,000mm to 3,000mm – going up to 6,000mm a day and even 100 to 200mm in one to two hours during extreme events – the amount of stormwater that speeds off concrete-paved areas can certainly tax our drainage systems.

Speaking at the Asia Water Resource Expo and Forum in Kuala Lumpur last week, Abu Mutalib asserts that structural measures – such as poldering and pumps, flood mitigation dams, retention ponds, diversion drainage and river bund channel improvements – alone are inadequate in preventing floods. He says non-structural measures are also needed, and this includes measures such as emergency response and flood preparedness, as well as land use and development policies. “We need to manage the water cycle as a whole, and give space for the river. This will need the co-operation of planning authorities.”

Managing runoffs

Traditionally, we manage stormwater by quickly diverting runoffs from drains into rivers in what is known as the “rapid conveyance” approach – sometimes so rapidly that rivers cannot cope with the sudden deluge, leading to downstream flooding. Trash and silt which choke drains and rivers worsen the floods, as the flows are impeded.

If the current way of draining stormwater persists, drains and rivers will forever need widening to cater for swollen flows, and often, not fast enough. Abu Mutalib says expenses for flood mitigation has skyrocketed, from RM330mil in the First Malaysia Plan (1966-1970) to RM7.6bil by the Ninth Plan (2006-2010).

Realising the limitations of the rapid conveyance approach, in 2001 DID introduced a new approach in its Urban Stormwater Management Manual (Manual Saliran Mesra Alam Malaysia, or MSMA), one that centres around controlling the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff.

The “control at source” concept essentially delays the time it takes for stormwater to reach streams – a complete turnaround from the rapid conveyance approach. Stormwater is captured first and then gradually released, so there will be no sudden, excessive water flowing to downstream areas. The new method requires all development to meet “zero peak contribution.” This means runoffs from the site must be similar to or less than levels before land-clearing took place.

The approach essentially makes developers responsible for limiting stormwater discharges each time they transform a vegetated site into a concrete jungle. If, before, developers merely built drains big enough to channel stormwater away from their project area, now they have to contain the stormwater instead. This can be achieved by mimicking nature, that is, simulating the natural hydrological cycle by combining infiltration, storage, delayed flow and runoff treatment techniques.

There are two ways to curb excessive stormwater runoff from newly developed site: store it for gradual release later, or allow it to infiltrate the soil.

Storage or detention options include ponds, lakes, wetlands, underground tanks or pipes, and flat roofs that harvest rainwater. Car parks, driveways and other paved surfaces can also be “ponded” to retain water temporarily.

Infiltration and retention techniques to be considered are gravel trenches, soakaway pits, submerged pervious drains, permeable pavements, car parks and sidewalks, and swales. Swales may just look like grass-covered depressions in the ground but underneath are containers that temporarily trap stormwater.

Many are unaware that stormwater is one of the largest contributors to river pollution. That is because, as it moves across the land, it picks up everything in its path: fertiliser from farms and gardens; abraded tyres and brake lining from roads; soil, dirt and tar from roads; garbage; and atmospheric fallout (pollutants washed down from the air).

The MSMA addresses this by encouraging measures such as erosion and sediment control during earthworks, and installation of gross pollutant traps along drainage channels.

The benefits of both storage and infiltration strategies extend beyond that of controlling runoffs. Ponds built to catch stormwater provide recreation sites and habitat for wetlands flora and fauna. Some developers have used such ponds as landscape features that add value to their projects. Also, harvesting rainwater makes good use of a resource that would otherwise go down the drain. And stormwater, when allowed to seep underground, will recharge underground aquifers.

One example of stormwater detention is the network of water-storing pipes beneath the car park of a hospital in Kudat, Sabah. The system stores 150cu.m of water and has solved the flooding problem at the hospital grounds.

“We usually propose underground storage as there is often a lack of land in cities for ponds. It might be more expensive to build but will be cheaper in the long run,” says Mubin Mohamad, chief executive officer of Hydro Solutions, which had built the system.

His company also markets the Hydrobrake, a device that can be installed along drains or rivers to control the volume and speed of flows, thus reducing the impact of heavy rains on downstream spots.

Ignored rules

Despite it being a decade old, the MSMA drainage guidelines have not exactly been embraced by all. Fears over higher construction costs and maintenance needs (such as desilting ponds or clearing pollution traps) have stymied its full implementation. Some engineers, developers and local authority staff are still not well-versed with the guidelines.

Some development projects have managed to skirt the MSMA requirements due to weak enforcement and inconsistent standards practised by the local authorities, which are involved in vetting drainage plans. Currently, there is no penalty for non-compliance as the guidelines are merely administrative requirements under local authorities.

Mubin points to some ambiguities in the guidelines: for instance, the size of developments that will require flood control devices in order to prevent overflows to the neighbouring land.

Some drainage experts suggest a revision of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 and establishment of bylaws, to give more legal bite to the stormwater management rules. They say retention ponds and constructed wetlands should be gazetted as reserved areas to prevent them from being filled up and built over. Proper drainage masterplans are also sorely needed, to replace the present piecemeal plans.

Taking into consideration the various feedback, the DID has recently revised the drainage rules to make them easier to understand and implement. Hopefully, this spells a better way of draining stormwater. And an end to flash floods, as well as a return to naturally meandering rivers, instead of huge, concrete-lined drains.

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Indonesia: Satellites detect 747 hot spots in Sumatra

Antara 2 Apr 12;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - Satellites from the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) have detected 747 hot spots in Sumatera during March, according to the Pekanbaru Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

A local analyst of BMKG Pekanbaru, Aristya Ardhitama, said the hot spots were detected in eight provinces in Sumatera.

"Most of the hot spots appeared on Wednesday, March 21, when the satellites detected at least 169," he said.

The number of hot spots in Riau reached 60, 32 in Jambi, 25 in South Sumatera, 21 in West Sumatera, 11 in Aceh, 10 in North Sumatera, nine in Bengkulu, and one in Lampung, according to officials.

The next largest number of hot spots were detected on Thursday, March 22, with 114 spots.

"Most of the hot spots are still in Riau Province, reaching 42 spots," he added.

According to Ardhitama, the high frequency of hot spots in most of Sumatra was caused by weather disruptions, such as low pressure areas formed in the Philippines.

He predicted that the number of hot spots might decrease when the rainy season begins in April.

(SYS/KR-BSR/O001)

Editor: Suryanto

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Indonesian Authorities Helpless to Stop Dynamite Fishing

Tunggadewa Mattangkilang Jakarta Globe 2 Apr 12;

Environmental authorities in Bontang, East Kalimantan, have acknowledged that dynamite fishing is responsible for much of the damage to the coral reefs off the city’s coast, but say little can be done to end the practice.

Baharuddin, head of the Bontang Environmental Office, said on Monday that 4,200 of the 6,000 hectares of coral reefs in the area were badly damaged, mostly from dynamite fishing.

“It’s a practice that the fishermen here have been using since the 1990s and one that is still commonly used,” he said.

“Not only is it destroying the reefs, it’s also preventing any new marine life from flourishing here for the next several years. That’s because by destroying the reefs, they’re destroying the habitat for hundreds of other marine species.”

Baharuddin’s statement comes a week after the environmental group Concern for Equator Environment Forum warned that 70 percent of the reefs off Bontang were severely damaged from industrial and domestic waste dumping, the use of explosives by local fishermen, and the mining of the coral as construction material.

Forum chairman Laode Udin said last Tuesday that in the wake of the gas and mining boom in Bontang, fishermen began using dynamite to increase their catches, and that the illegal practice was largely ignored by the authorities.

Baharuddin acknowledged that there was little in the way of enforcement against dynamite fishing because of the difficulty in trying to crack down on a practice that was carried out by nearly all fishermen in the area.

“Two fishermen were recently arrested for dynamite fishing, but that won’t discourage them from continuing to do it,” he said.

He added another problem thwarting the authorities was that the chemicals needed to make the explosives was widely available across the city.

“Their awareness of the damage that they’re doing to the environment remains very low,” Baharuddin said. “We’re continuing to campaign against dynamite fishing and trying to encourage the local community to fish in a more environmentally sustainable way.”

Laode agreed that it was difficult to get the fishermen to change their habits, given that other means of fishing did not net them the kind of catches that they could get through dynamite fishing.

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U.S. agency stops seismic tests; worries about dolphins

Cain Burdeau Associated Press Yahoo News 3 Apr 12;

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — With sick and dead dolphins turning up along Louisiana's coast, federal regulators are curbing an oil and natural gas exploration company from using seismic equipment that sends out underwater pulses known to disturb marine mammals.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has told Global Geophysical Services Inc. to not conduct deep-penetration seismic surveys until May, when the bottlenose dolphin calving season ends. The agency says the surveys are done with air-guns that the emit sounds that could disrupt mother and calf bonding and mask "important acoustic cues."

The company said it laid off about 30 workers because of the restriction, which it called unnecessary.

But environmental groups suing BOEM over the use of underwater seismic equipment say restrictions should be extended to surveyors across the Gulf of Mexico.

The new limit on exploration highlights the friction over oil drilling in the Gulf since the April 20, 2010 blowout of a BP PLC well that resulted in the death of 11 workers and the nation's largest offshore oil spill in the nation's history.

After the 2010 spill, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for Biological Diversity sued to get curbs placed on underwater seismic surveys. The environmental groups argued they harm marine mammals and that the federal government violated animal protection laws after it declared in 2004 that the surveys were safe.

The government is in settlement talks with those environmental groups, according to court documents.

"Imagine dynamite going off in your neighborhood for days, months on end," said Michael Jasny, a senior policy analyst at the NRDC. "That's the situation these animals are facing."

Jasny said the restriction placed on Global Geophysical was a good sign, but far from enough.

In its ruling, the federal agency said it was concerned that seismic surveys could affect marine mammals, and even cause them to lose their hearing.

Amy Scholik, a fisheries biologist with NOAA, said it was unknown what kind of effects air-guns have on bottlenose dolphins, but she said there was concern about possible effects on dolphin calves because they are vulnerable to stresses. She added that whales in Alaska have been shown to change migration routes because of seismic surveys.

George Ioup, a physics professor at the University of New Orleans studying the effects of air-guns on marine mammals, said the verdict was out on the effects of air-guns on mammals. He said BOEM seemed to be ruling "on the side of caution."

"Proving there is an effect, I don't know if that has been done," he said. "I don't think the answer is overwhelmingly simple."

The air-guns are towed at low speeds behind a survey ship and emit high-intensity, low-frequency sound waves to find geological layers. Seismic surveying is essential to drillers because they tell them where to drill and not drill.

The government also relies on the seismic data to know where it's safe to drill and to determine how much it should charge for leasing offshore blocks to oil and gas companies.

Marc Lawrence, Global Geophysical's vice president in the Gulf region, said the seismic surveys do not pose a danger to marine mammals.

"We see no hazard to them whatsoever," Lawrence said. As proof, he said dolphins routinely ride along with ships when they are conducting surveys.

He said the restriction covers an area that ranges out to about 20 miles off the Louisiana coast. He called BOEM's restriction unprecedented. His company is searching for overlooked reservoirs in areas along the central Louisiana coast: Grand Isle, Timbalier island, the West Delta and south Pelto.

This is the same area where government scientists say they have found sick and dead dolphins.

From February 2010, NOAA has reported 180 dolphin strandings in the three parishes that surround Barataria Bay — Jefferson, Plaquemines and Lafourche — or about 18 percent of the 1,000 estimated dolphins in the bay.

Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it had found 32 dolphins in the bay underweight, anemic and showing signs of liver and lung disease. Nearly half had low levels of stress hormones that help with stress response, metabolism and immune function.

Lori Schwacke, a NOAA scientist, said the dolphins' hormone problems could not definitely be tied to the oil spill but were "consistent with oil exposure."

Over the same period of time, NOAA says 714 dolphins and whales have been found stranded from the Florida Panhandle to the Texas state line, with 95 percent of those mammals found dead. Normally, the region sees 74 reported dolphin deaths a year.

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Best of our wild blogs: 2 Apr 12

Latest Green Jobs in Singapore [26 Mar - 1 Apr 2012]
from Green Business Times

Earth Day Coastal Cleanup @ Tanah Merah – a call to Organisations to hit the beach on Sat 28 Apr 2012 from News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

A story the dead cat told
from Through the Eyes of the Leopard Cat

Red-eared rescue
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

120330 Kent Ridge
from Singapore Nature

Variable Reed Snake
from Monday Morgue

Back to Buloh
from Urban Forest

Lightning+rain=no survey :(
from Nature rambles

More than 500 learn about local biodiversity at World Water Day @ Lorong Halus Wetland (24 Mar 2012) from Toddycats!

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A giver, naturally: Interview with Geh Min

Eye surgeon Geh Min is a passionate nature-lover who believes in giving back to society
clarissa oon Straits Times 2 Apr 12;

Outspoken and diplomatic are adjectives that have been used to describe civil society veteran Geh Min, whose passion for nature conservation is as striking as her ramrod-straight carriage and sharp features reminiscent of a Modigliani painting.

Ask the 62-year-old, a practising eye surgeon, how she reconciles speaking her mind with being tactful, and she replies with a tinkling laugh that she sees no contradiction between the two.

These seemingly paradoxical qualities have stood her in good stead as a former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) and immediate past president of the Nature Society. She is known for not mincing her words under the bright lights of the parliamentary chamber or behind closed doors, yet is able to build bridges between government agencies and environmental groups.

As then president of the society, she helped to save the ecologically rich Chek Jawa mudflats on offshore island Pulau Ubin from proposed government reclamation 11 years ago. She continues to be active in green causes such as ongoing discussions to conserve the Rail Corridor, the former Malaysian railway land home to many native plants, animals and birds.

A lifelong nature-lover who remains nostalgic for the more rustic Singapore of her childhood 'where there were drains where you could catch frogs and tadpoles and spiders', the granddaughter of the late philanthropist Lee Kong Chian tells you in her crisp, dulcet tones that for her, calling a spade a spade does not mean being judgmental.

'I'm straightforward in that what I say is what I mean, but I try to say it nicely, in a non-accusatory way, and try to maintain a non-judgmental frame of mind. I always remember this saying, 'If everyone thinks alike, then no one is thinking.''

Early 20th-century American military commander George S. Patton reportedly said that.

For Dr Geh, 'it's important to have a diversity of views and opinions. My main intention is to try and work together to find common ground'.

Thus, on the one hand, she has always been critical of those who think developing manicured parks is the same thing as protecting nature. In an essay published two years ago in Management Of Success: Singapore Revisited, a collection of commentary pieces on Singapore, she called the garden city 'a highly engineered and managed showcase for good governance superimposed on Singaporeans who had no role other than as passive spectators and recipients'.

She continues to believe in the need for a 'robust civil society', which to her is not just a small group of activists but also society at large, taking ownership and responsibility for the environment.

Yet she has also made an effort to understand challenges faced by policy- makers and grassroots leaders. As Nature Society president from 2000 to 2008, she was also part of a land-use focus group convened by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), and chaired an environmental committee at the Southwest Community Development Council.

As Nominated MP from 2004 to 2006, she spoke on a wide range of environmental issues, from wildlife protection to developing alternative energy sources, as well as the need to strengthen civil society. Today, she sits on the boards of several environmental groups and agencies, including Birdlife International and the strategic issues division of the National Climate Change Secretariat.

Dr Geh's track record as a greenie spills over into her personal life. She drives a pale green hybrid car - a Prius which guzzles less petrol by also running on electricity. To cut carbon emissions, she makes minimal use of air-conditioning in her two-storey bungalow off Holland Road, where this interview is held.

A modest-sized back garden - teeming with trees, ferns, birds, squirrels and, she has counted, 'seven species of frogs' - rounds out her home.

She lives there with her husband, heart surgeon Tong Ming Chuan, who is in his 60s. Their only daughter, Wenfei, has also been bitten by the nature bug. Now in her late 20s, she is doing a PhD in evolutionary biology at Harvard Univer- sity.

Statuesque, accomplished and very eloquent, Dr Geh comes off as intimidating at first blush. But as you sit sipping green tea with her on straw tatami mats in a wood-panelled lounge overlooking the garden, she reveals a disarming self-awareness and wit that soon puts listeners at ease.

Thumbing through a few photographs of her younger self that you have requested, she quips: 'When I look at photos of myself from 30 years ago, I look at that girl and think, 'What was her problem?' '

Later, talking about the heartening results of two national surveys in the early 2000s showing a growing environmental consciousness among Singaporeans, she adds: 'But Singaporeans are very good at giving the right answers to surveys, whether they act on it is another matter.

'In that sense, Chek Jawa was really a total surprise.' She is referring to the 2001 outpouring of public support for the protection of the nature area, which led the Government to reverse its decision to reclaim it for long-term military use.

With over a decade of lobbying experience behind her, she says that contrary to what younger activists think, the Government has become a lot more responsive to civil society. 'Before, those who listened were the exceptions. I feel now that civil servants and ministers are making a big effort to listen more.'

Nonetheless, beyond fine examples of consultation such as the Rail Corridor, she thinks that there could be a 'far more integrated and extensive network of consultation' and more trust and respect between Government and civil society. Here, she cites the recent campaign by heritage and nature groups, including the Nature Society, against the Government's decision to clear part of Bukit Brown Cemetery to build a road.

Many pioneers of Singapore are buried at the wildlife-abundant cemetery. While the area has been zoned for long-term residential use, there was no timeline as to when redevelopment would begin.

Heritage and nature-lovers say they were caught off-guard when the Land Transport Authority and URA announced last September the building of a road cutting through the cemetery.

In a concession to these groups, one-third of the road will now be a bridge that could save some fauna and graves but will cost a lot more to build.

Still, the road will displace many reptiles, frogs and birds, says Dr Geh, who cites a recent Nature Society survey showing a third of Singapore's endangered plant and animal species can be found in the cemetery.

While 'the verdict is as good as could have been hoped for, given the short lead time for the NGOs', she thinks the Government should have consulted the different interest groups from the outset, before deciding to build the road to ease traffic congestion on nearby Lornie Road. NGOs are non-governmental organisations.

She explains: 'We now have a situation on land use which has to be rethought. In the past, the Government through the URA was the decider on land use and they've done it very efficiently and quite equitably.

'But now that we have reached a level of affluence and most of our infrastructure is in place, I think the Government could be more consultative on land use.'

On its part, 'civil society in general has to also be realistic and responsible in how it makes its demands and present their case'.

Such a proactively consultative approach by the Government, she says, would be 'educational for all parties as to what the other needs and demands are, and then you learn how to have a certain amount of give and take'.

The former president of one of Singapore's oldest NGOs knows what she is talking about, as the 58-year-old society has 'gone through all these different stages with the Government'.

In the 1980s, there was a lot of 'reactive protesting' each time a nature area was bulldozed but the society soon realised that was not working. So, from the late 1980s, it started drafting constructive proposals for nature conservation.

This paid off in several instances. For example, in 1988, after a proposal from the society, the Government designated Sungei Buloh as a bird sanctuary. It is now gazetted as a nature reserve.

It helped that there were enlightened policy-makers who listened, she says, such as the previous National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan and the National Parks Board chief from 1996 to 2006, Dr Tan Wee Kiat. Both visited Chek Jawa back in 2001, before Mr Mah decided to preserve the beach.

Dr Tan, now chief executive officer of Gardens On The Bay, credits Dr Geh with 'a fine sense of diplomacy and grace'.

He adds: 'What made that period when our portfolios coincided so productive was that, while we might have served in occasionally opposing camps, our values and sentiments were in consonance.'

Current Nature Society president Shawn Lum says his predecessor's 'meticulous work and thorough research on every issue she raised helped extend the legitimacy of NGOs, in terms of their scientific and policy expertise, in the eyes of decision-makers'.

Dr Geh can trace her love for nature back to her childhood. The older of two siblings, she lived with her parents in her maternal grandfather Lee's bungalow off Chancery Lane. It had a big garden where she and her cousins would run wild.

Her father, banker Geh Ik Cheong, would take her deep-sea fishing and jungle walking. Her mother, Lee Seok Tin, is a retired teacher.

This early exposure 'just opened the door to this whole natural world where there are so many discoveries to be made, depending on what your interests are', says Dr Geh, enthusing about the sense of wonder that nature inspires.

An on-off member of the Nature Society since her days as a medical undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, she became more actively involved in the 1990s, when the hobby group acquired a lobbying arm. She decided to volunteer when she realised that the nature she had always taken for granted was 'no longer that invulnerable or omnipotent or omnipresent'.

In a sense, the tree-hugging activist owes a debt to her rubber tycoon grand- father, whom she once called - in a previous interview - 'the original recycling champion'.

She had described how he wore out his shirts until they had 'more holes than cloth', and waged a strict campaign against wasting electricity.

When you mention that, Dr Geh adds that her great-grandfather, rubber magnate Tan Kah Kee, was 'even more of a giver. He didn't believe in leaving the children a cent'. Giving back to society 'was something we grew up with', as a family.

So what would she do with her own money when she dies, you ask? The eye surgeon does not hesitate in her reply.

'Notwithstanding that I have a lot less money than my ancestors, I have made it quite evident to my daughter that I would leave it to society. And education and the environment would be very high up the list.'

Background story

'If I have to prepare for a talk or think over a problem, I find the best way is to go for a walk in a natural area such as Botanic Gardens. My other way of unwinding is listening to classical music. On walks, I have an iPod, but I keep the volume soft so I can still listen to nature. For that, I like Bach because he's both emotionally soothing and intellectually stimulating, and I find he fits in well with nature areas'

On how she unwinds

'Policy-makers should not regard civil society as a disruptive obstacle to efficient government. Civil society, too, must do its part and act as a responsible and constructive partner rather than seeing the Government as a complaints bureau. This partnership takes patience, commitment and goodwill to grow'

On the relationship between the Government and civil society

'I actually do mince my words a bit. My husband will tell you that, in private, I'm a lot worse. But I believe I'm not just speaking on my own behalf but for other Singaporeans. If I find I'm not, I would shut up'

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Resident-run garden attracts even hornbills

Straits Times 2 Apr 12;

A COMMUNITY garden in Goldhill estate in Bukit Timah has taken root so well that it has even drawn birds such as hornbills to feed on the fruits grown there.

The garden was singled out by National Development Minster Khaw Boon Wan in his blog yesterday to illustrate how the Community in Bloom programme has blossomed and brought the kampung spirit into Singapore's urban landscape.

The programme, started by NParks in 2005, helps to bring communities together through gardening.

There are about 480 community gardens islandwide, each with their plots of flowers, fruit trees, vegetables and herbs lovingly tended by residents.

Costs are usually borne by the gardening groups, though some have funding from town councils.

The gardens can be found in public and private housing estates and even hospitals.

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun has a community garden on its roof manned by volunteers from Yishun and Sembawang towns.

Mr Khaw said: 'It is a fantastic way for the community to bond, learn a new hobby and skill, make new friends and enjoy the fruits of their labour.'

Since last year, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has pitched in by teaching greenhorns and other gardening enthusiasts how to do things such as seeding, fertilising and harvesting.

Mr Khaw said in his blog: 'We are highly urbanised, but we can also be a kampung and urban farmers, growing our own vegetables. Along the way, we add to the neighbourhood's biodiversity and our quality of life.'

He noted that butterflies and dragonflies have become 'permanent residents' in the Goldhill Community Garden.

Community bonding through urban farming
Channel NewsAsia 1 Apr 12;

SINGAPORE: The kampong spirit that thrives in the HDB heartlands can flourish in private housing estates too, Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan said in his latest blog post on Sunday.

He cited the example of Goldhill estate in Moulmein Constituency, where the NParks Community In Bloom (CIB) programme is being carried out.

The CIB programme brings local communities together to grow their own vegetables, herbs and fruit trees in assigned areas.

Mr Khaw said residents were proud to tell him during a recent visit that their garden won three top awards at the Singapore Garden Festival 2010

He said that not all residents are farmers or have green fingers and are volunteers from all walks of life who came together to build their vegetable garden from scratch. However, with advice from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority on seeding, fertilisation and irrigation, the garden has thrived under the care of the residents.

The volunteers have grown closer as they learnt how to grow and take care of their garden and reap rewards from the harvests, Mr Khaw added.

The CIB programme was also extended to the rooftop of the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun, where -- with the help of volunteers from Yishun and Sembawang -- it has been a great success benefiting patients at the hospital, Mr Khaw said.

Mr Khaw commented that while Singapore is highly urbanised, we can also be like a kampong with urban farmers, adding to the neighbourhood's biodiversity and our quality of life along the way.

- CNA/wm

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Rise in whale trade stuns experts

Isaac Davison New Zealand Herald 2 Apr 12;

Scientists plan to investigate a "marine bushmeat trade" after a major study showed that global consumption of marine mammals such as whales and dolphins is increasing.

The research surprised New Zealand marine experts, in particular the fact that whale meat was not only found on the menu in poverty-stricken nations but in developed countries such as Australia.

In an editorial in the journal Biological Conservation, Leigh marine laboratory head Mark Costello said marine mammals previously thought of only as bycatch were now being directly hunted for food.

This trend had parallels with the expansion of "bushmeat" in African and Asian countries.

"Considering the media attention given to stopping the hunting of whales (large cetaceans) for human consumption, it may come as a surprise that people are eating more marine mammals than ever before," the editorial said.

Dr Costello and co-author Scott Baker, a former University of Auckland researcher, were commenting on an American study which showed that the consumption of small cetaceans and other marine mammals had increased in some regions over the past two decades.

Hunting of large whales was closely monitored and widely condemned, but fishing of smaller species such as pilot whales, river dolphins and manatees was under-researched.

The American study found 125 nations had eaten a total of 92 species.

The increase in targeted fishing of marine mammals included some disturbing practices.

Dr Costello cited a field report from Lombok, Indonesia, which showed fishermen catching spinner dolphins to eat but also to use as live bait for sharks. This practice was influenced by the popularity of the Asian delicacy shark-fin soup.

The increase in whale meat consumption was in part blamed on poor countries which had exhausted traditional sources of protein and were now looking to "the last great hunting ground" - the ocean. This trend was now being researched in depth.

But many developed countries - United States, Canada, South Korea - also featured high on the list of nations that consumed a range of marine mammals.

The editorial outlined the "daunting" ethical, cultural and ecological hurdles to conserving marine mammals. Greater protection for marine mammals would require not only wide-ranging international agreements, but reflection on some of the double-standards with regards to catching and killing fish for commercial and recreational reasons.

Dr Costello: "One of the objections to killing whales is that you can't kill whales humanely. But ... there's big fish which have the same physiology and stress responses and hormone systems and people hunt them for hours sometimes."

Eating more

Number of marine mammals species eaten, by country, 1990-2009:
32 Japan
19 Greenland, Indonesia
18 Ghana, South Korea
17 United States, Taiwan, Philippines
16 Peru, Russia
15 Canada, Sri Lanka
14 St Vincent and Grenadines, Brazil

On the menu
Polar bears, spinner dolphin, narwhal, pygmy beaked whale, South Asian river dolphin, Chilean dolphin, long-finned pilot whale

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Best of our wild blogs: 1 Apr 12

Photo Blog: Excursion to Raffles Lighthouse with MOS Tan Chuan-Jin from Psychedelic Nature

Meet the 'friendly' wild boars at the wetlands of Pulau Ubin
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

Strange worm-like creature found on Pasir Ris Beach
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

Life History of the Malayan Snow Flat
from Butterflies of Singapore

A Rare Butterfly at UPR
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Tanimbar Cockatoo eating seeds of the drumstick
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Bungalow owner wants to barbeque civet cat for dinner after it destroyed his phone wires from Lazy Lizard's Tales

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CDL protecting eagles nesting on site

Grace Chua Straits Times 1 Apr 12;

After acquiring a Choa Chu Kang site last year, property developer City Developments Limited (CDL) came across two unusual residents: two majestic white-bellied sea eagles nesting in a towering albizia tree (above).

Photo: City Developments Limited

Construction at the executive condominium site has now begun, and CDL is looking to minimise the harm to its feathered tenants. It has agreed to its biodiversity consultant's recommendation to start work from the other end of the 1.75ha site.

The wooded patch, including the tree with the nest, has been retained, at least for the next few months, and protective hoarding put up around it, said CDL head of green building Allen Ang.

Foundation work such as piling is being resequenced from mid-May in stages, starting with the south end of the site, farthest away from the nest.

Choa Chu Kang resident Boris Chan, 48, first found the birds, a male and a female, in April last year, nesting at the plot off Choa Chu Kang Drive. He posted photos on social networking site Facebook.

White-bellied sea eagles, which are native to Singapore and range from India to Australia, mate for life.

They often return to the same tree or area to nest year after year, said wildlife consultant Subaraj Rajathurai, who was commissioned for the CDL study.

This year, the pair had returned to nest, and they have at least one chick. The nest will be monitored daily at least until fledging, when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight, which takes some 70 to 80 days in all.

The construction site itself will be monitored for the impact on biodiversity for about a year.

Once the chicks have flown off, the albizia will be cut down because it is diseased and at risk of toppling.

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