Best of our wild blogs: 10 Feb 13

6 years after the mass mortality event
from Chek Jawa Mortality and Recruitment Project

Balls! At Berlayar Creek
from wild shores of singapore

lousy golfers @ keppel club - Feb2013
from sgbeachbum

A Close Encounter With a Hornbill @ Pulau Ubin
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Butterfly Mimicry and some recent findings
from Butterflies of Singapore

Pink-necked Green-pigeon collects nesting material and Black-naped Oriole takes nectar from Callistemon sp. from Bird Ecology Study Group

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Indonesian Fishing Communities Find Balance Between Biodiversity and Development

Science Daily 7 Feb 13;

Fishing communities living on the islands of Indonesia's Karimunjawa National Park have found an important balance, improving their social well-being while reducing their reliance on marine biodiversity, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Western Australia.

Over the past 5 years, the Government of Indonesia has turned Karimunjawa National Park -- a marine paradise of turquoise seas and mangrove-ringed islands in the Java Sea just south of Borneo -- into a model of co-management for the country, largely by increasing community participation in park governance and providing economic incentives such as the development of ecotourism and business enterprises to reduce fishing pressures.

The study now appears in the online version of Marine Policy. The authors include: Stuart J. Campbell, Tasrif Kartawijaya, Irfan Yulianto, and Rian Prasetia of the Wildlife Conservation Society; and Julian Clifton of the University of Western Australia.

"Community involvement in the management of fisheries in Karimunjawa has had a significant impact on improving the sustainability of these resources," said Dr. Stuart Campbell, lead author on the paper. "One outcome has been the stabilization of reef fish biomass in some areas since the zoning regulations have taken effect. Another important outcome has been the improved socioeconomics and political power of participant communities, the key to any successful endeavor in sustainable development."

Karimunjawa National Park covers some 1,100 square kilometers of sea surrounding a total of 27 islands with a resident population of 9,000 people. The protected area was among the first in Indonesia to be recognized as critical for the conservation of the region's marine biodiversity. The coastal reef systems provide numerous fish species with spawning aggregation sites, important for the long-term conservation of commercially valuable species. The islands contained in the park provide valuable nesting sites for both sea turtles and seabirds.

In 2006, a study by WCS and others revealed that Karimunjawa's natural resources were under threat from overfishing, with the park's coral reefs and fish biomass in poorer condition than marine protected areas where community and traditional management systems were in place.

Since that time, the Karimunjawa National Park Authority has increased community participation in the management of Karimunjawa's natural resources. Villages now have institutions to address and resolve stakeholder conflicts. Incentives provided to communities have promoted awareness of and support for fishing regulations (which include closures to protect spawning fish sites) and gear restrictions designed and implemented by community members themselves.

The economic incentives of the new plan have decreased dependency on the park's natural resources, and the incorporation of user-rights by coastal communities into spatial planning helps eliminate unsustainable, destructive fishing. Most importantly, the communities and government officials work in tandem to enforce the rules of the park, prohibiting banned gear and catching and prosecuting fishers who illegally fish in the park.

"This co-management model is ideal for both marine conservation and local empowerment," said Dr. Caleb McClennen, Director of WCS's Marine Program. "The current plan's economic, legal, and participatory incentives have created a self-perpetuating system of exclusive access rights for local communities, who in turn support and enforce the protected area's policies and regulations."

This study was generously supported by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Journal Reference:

Stuart J. Campbell, Tasrif Kartawijaya, Irfan Yulianto, Rian Prasetia, Julian Clifton. Co-management approaches and incentives improve management effectiveness in the Karimunjawa National Park, Indonesia. Marine Policy, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2012.12.022

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Best of our wild blogs: 9 Feb 13

Singapore Biodiversity Zodiac - Year of the Snake
from Darwinian Left. Of all things evolved

High power
from The annotated budak

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Three Nominated MPs vote 'no'

Leonard Lim Straits Times 9 Feb 13;

THREE Nominated MPs joined nine Workers' Party MPs and Non-Constituency MP Lina Chiam in opposing the Population White Paper, casting a "no" vote though the motion was amended.

Ms Janice Koh, Mr Laurence Lien and Ms Faizah Jamal did so for varying reasons, ranging from the environmental impact of further growth to concerns over whether Singapore could absorb more foreigners.

The vote was taken after Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang called for a division - which means each Member's vote is recorded, in this case by MPs keying in their votes electronically instead of giving a verbal "aye" or "no". Eight Members were absent for the vote, including Mr Inderjit Singh who stood out among the PAP MPs for his strong criticism of the White Paper on Tuesday.

When asked if he had absented himself, the Ang Mo Kio GRC MP replied: "All I want to say is I was not present for the vote." In a Facebook post earlier, he wrote: "I spoke from my heart and will do what I can to change things."

One NMP, academic Eugene Tan, opposed the White Paper in his speech but abstained from the vote after listening to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's pledge to act on the concerns raised.

Fellow NMP, Ms Koh, used her speech to highlight deficits in three areas - psychological, social and cultural - and said that these must be dealt with even as Singapore readies the physical infrastructure for a bigger population.

One, more can be done to assure citizens they are not discriminated against. The figure of 6.9 million people in 2030 may be a planning parameter, but it is hard to swallow it psychologically, given current bottlenecks, she said.

Two, Singapore's social deficit, she said, was a result of rapid immigration, and puts the country at risk of racial and class divisions. Finally, she highlighted the "glaring omission" of the arts in the Land Use Plan, linked to the White Paper.

Ms Koh, a TV and stage actress, noted the White Paper wants Singapore to be a liveable, lively and well-loved city, but does not earmark new spaces for heritage, culture and the arts.

Making a point that was picked up by PM Lee, she added: "It is one thing to build a liveable city. The harder question is how do we build a loveable one?"

Ms Faizah, speaking on Wednesday, accused the Government of stressing economic expansion at the expense of the environment. The nature advocate wants infrastructure plans to undergo an environmental impact assessment and its findings made public.

On Thursday, Mr Lien said the White Paper did not go far enough in restructuring the economy, and the population projections and intake of new citizens were too large.

He produced his own forecasts, insisting they could still bring growth. "We can live with a cap of the population at six million by 2030 and still be very dynamic," he had said.

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AVA to monitor wellbeing of dolphins at Resorts World Sentosa

Channel NewsAsia 9 Feb 13;

SINGAPORE: The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) has filed an official request with the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) to investigate possible animal cruelty by Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).

In a statement on Friday, ACRES said: "Despite appeals from ACRES and members of the public not to, on 7th and 8th December 2012, RWS went ahead and held fireworks displays near the enclosures the wild-caught dolphins were confined in."

AVA said that it had visited RWS during a fireworks display in January and found that the dolphins were not affected by the pyrotechnics.

It added that it would continue to monitor the wellbeing of the dolphins at RWS.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Marine Life Park (MLP) at RWS which houses the dolphins said they were doing well.

The spokesperson added that the park places the highest priority on the health and comfort of all its animals, and would never, under any circumstances, compromise their well-being in any way.

MLP's facility is designed such that all other activities and operations in the resort would not adversely impact the animals, and an experienced team of animal husbandry professionals constantly monitor the dolphins.

- CNA/al


RWS fireworks caused stress to dolphins: ACRES
Kelly Ng Today Online 9 Feb 13;

SINGAPORE - Animal welfare group ACRES has filed an official request with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to investigate possible animal cruelty by Resorts World Sentosa’s (RWS) staging of a fireworks display near its dolphin enclosure on its opening nights in December.

The group’s move comes after it asked but failed to convince RWS not to hold the 12-minute fireworks displays near to the enclosures of the 24 dolphins in the IR’s oceanarium on Dec 7 and 8 last year. It had also gone to the AVA prior to RWS’ opening, although the authorities found that nothing amiss with the dolphins during a visit last month.

In a press statement yesterday, ACRES’ chief executive Louis Ng said: “ACRES is concerned that the dolphins may be terrified by, or suffer, as a result of fireworks displays.”

The group pointed out that scientific research shows that noise causes distress to cetaceans, a group of marine mammals with very sensitive hearing, including dolphins, whales and porpoises.

Mr Ng expressed doubt that the dolphins were unaffected by the fireworks. “The enclosures are open air, so there is no way the facility could have prevented causing stress to the dolphins,” he said.

In response to TODAY’s queries, RWS asserted that it places “high priority” on the animals in its Marine Life Park. The park facility is also designed such that other resort operations will not adversely affect the animals’ welfare, it added.

“Our dolphins are currently doing well at the park. We place the highest priority on the health and comfort of all our animals, and would never compromise their well-being in any way,” said a park spokesperson.

An AVA spokesperson said it will continue to monitor the well-being of the dolphins in RWS.

This is the latest in a string of protests by ACRES against RWS’ decision to bring in the dolphins which were caught off the Solomon Islands. For instance, it worked closely with Philippine non-governmental organisations to block the export of the dolphins — the animals were kept and trained at Subic Bay, Philippines — to Singapore last year.

In November, the third of the 27 dolphins initially caught en-route here. KELLY NG

Acres seeks probe into fireworks near RWS dolphins
Jessica Lim Straits Times 9 Feb 13;

NON-PROFIT animal rights group Acres has called on the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to investigate possible animal cruelty by Resorts World Sentosa. The issue is a 12-minute fireworks display held near the enclosures of the wild-caught dolphins at the integrated resort in December.

"The fireworks displays may have compromised the dolphins' welfare, as the close proximity and loud noises may have disorientated and distressed them," said Mr Louis Ng, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) chief executive yesterday. When contacted, the AVA said it visited RWS during a fireworks display in January but found that the dolphins were not affected. The Straits Times understands this display was on a smaller scale but at a similar location.

Marine Life Park - where the dolphins are housed - has refuted Acres' allegations. A spokesman said the park is designed so that activities around it will not impact animals inside it.

However, Mr Ng said that it was impossible to prevent the sound of fireworks from reaching the dolphins in an open-air enclosure. Cetaceans - a group of mammals that include whales, dolphins and porpoises - are known to have sensitive hearing, he said, adding that scientific research has shown that noise is a known cause of stress for them.

Acres had previously made an appeal to RWS to refrain from setting off the fireworks.

The fireworks were set off on Dec 7 and Dec 8 to mark RWS' grand opening night. Its Marine Life Park, which opened on Nov 22, has been dogged by controversy since plans to house dolphins there were announced. The dolphin enclosure is not yet open to the public.

Animal rights groups including Acres and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had called for RWS to abort its plans for the dolphins as early as 2009. The calls grew louder in 2010 when two dolphins died at a holding area in Langkawi in Malaysia, and when one of the 25 dolphins died on its way to Singapore in November last year.

When contacted, a spokesman from Marine Life Park said that the dolphins were "doing well".

"We place the highest priority on the health and comfort of all our animals, and would never, under any circumstances, compromise their well-being in any way," he said.

When contacted, the AVA confirmed that they received an e-mail request from Acres yesterday. "We will continue to monitor the well-being of the dolphins at RWS," said its spokesman.

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More than 2000 live snakes seized in Bangkok Airport

TRAFFIC 8 Feb 13;

Predictions for the Year of the Snake which begins on Sunday, say it isn’t a good one for those born under that Chinese Zodiac sign. It may also be a bad year for its namesake if a seizure of over 2,000 snakes in the Suvarnabhumi Airport last night is anything to go by.

More than 2,000 rat snakes and cobras, packed in blue mesh bags which were in turn hidden in over 200 polystyrene boxes, were part of a shipment declared as fresh fruit.

The shipment had been flown to Hong Kong on 5th February where it was rejected by Hong Kong Customs and returned to Thailand as it lacked documentation.

Thailand’s CITES officials and Airport of Thailand officers co-operated to access the shipment upon its arrival in Bangkok. The boxes were then then inspected by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and found to contain the snakes.

Authorities told a press conference that the shipment belonged to exporter AK International Co Ltd.

The case is being investigated under the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act (WARPA) and Thai Customs Laws. Snake species involved are protected under Thai laws and CITES legislation.

TRAFFIC urged authorities in Thailand and Hong Kong to work together towards determining the parties behind the shipment.

This seizure follows the discovery of 600 deadly cobras in the back of a truck at a checkpoint south of Bangkok last November. A suspect arrested in this case confessed to authorities that he was delivering the snakes to northeast Thailand where they were to be smuggled over the border into Laos.

Zodiac animal themed items are usually in high demand every Chinese New Year. While these are usually decorations and trinkets made in the image of animals, occasionally the animal itself is in demand.

News reports in Malaysia for instance, have quoted pet shop owners saying that they are seeing an increased demand for pet snakes, with one shop reporting sales of 30 snakes in recent days.

Snakes are traded for their skins, meat, gall bladder and venom. Large seizures of illegally traded snakes are common in the region.

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Malaysian state scales back Borneo dam plans

Dan Martin (AFP) Google News 8 Feb 13;

KUCHING, Malaysia — A Malaysian state minister Friday said the government would not push ahead with building a dozen new dams on Borneo island, acknowledging they have caused outrage from local tribes and environmentalists.

The proposals sparked fears that the dams would destroy pristine rainforests, endanger wildlife, and displace natives in Sarawak, a Malaysian state crossed by powerful rivers with rich jungle habitats.

"It is not a firm plan to build 12 dams. I don't think we will need that. We will only need four," James Masing, Sarawak's state minister of land development, told AFP in an interview.

Masing said the government was backing off in response to widespread criticism. Protests over the years have seen activists and locals staging blockades of roads into dam areas.

"I'm pleased that this type of thing (protests) takes place. Not all that we do is correct, and this shows we need to refine our plans and think again," he said.

The now-complete Bakun mega-dam, which is not part of the new dam proposal, has already been dogged for years by claims of corruption in construction contracts, the flooding of a huge swathe of rainforest and the displacement of thousands of tribespeople.

Despite that, the government mooted constructing more dams as part of an industrial development drive to boost the resource-rich state's backward economy.

Another dam at Murum, also deep in the interior, is nearing completion and two others are in the planning stages as part of the new proposal.

Together the four dams -- at Bakun, Murum, Baleh and Baram -- are already expected to put out nearly 6,000 megawatts of power, six times what Sarawak currently uses, Masing said.

"The protests are becoming more vocal on the ground so (the dam rethink) is a very good development for me," said Peter Kallang, member of a Sarawak tribe and chairman of SAVE Rivers, an NGO that has campaigned against the dams.

However, he said plans for the Baram and Baleh dams should be scrapped as well, noting that the Baram dam would displace about 20,000 people, compared to about 10,000 at Bakun, and destroy irreplaceable forest.

He said SAVE Rivers last month organised a floating protest along the Baram river that cruised down river for three days and was met with support along the way by local tribespeople.

Kallang and other activists have also travelled abroad to lobby against the dams, including meeting officials of Hydro Tasmania, an Australian corporation that advises the Sarawak government on the dams.

The Tasmania government corporation pledged in December after meeting the activists that it would pull its personnel out of Sarawak by the end of 2013, Kallang said.

Sarawak's tribes -- ethnically distinct from Malaysia's majority Malays -- fear that they will lose their ancestral lands and hunting and burial grounds, as the government encourages them to make way for projects and move into new settlements.

Those are equipped with medical clinics, electricity, and Internet access. But village elders and activists say alcoholism, drug use, and crime are on the increase and anger is rising over continuing encroachment on native lands.

In one of the blockades in 2011, Penan tribespeople blocked roads into their lands for a week to protest logging and alleged river pollution by Malaysian firm Interhill until the blockade was dismantled by authorities.

The Swiss-based jungle-protection group Bruno Manser Fund says about 90 percent of Sarawak's rainforests have been damaged as the state government has opened up virgin forest to loggers and palm-oil plantations.

Critics also allege chief minister Taib Mahmud, who has ruled Sarawak since 1981, has enriched himself and his family through corrupt timber and other dealings, and have called the dams white elephants.

Taib has dismissed the corruption allegations.

Critics of Taib accuse the federal government of failing to act against him because his tight control of Sarawak has kept it a vital ruling coalition stronghold.

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Best of our wild blogs: 8 Feb 13

Bottom of the Singapore sea: it's alive!
from wild shores of singapore

Random Gallery - The Courtesan
from Butterflies of Singapore

Happy thoughts! Otterman’s Holt says “Happy Teacher’s Day”
from Otterman speaks

Catching Borneo's mysterious wild cats on film
from Mongabay.com news by Jeremy Hance

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Illegal to keep snakes as pets: AVA

Straits Times 8 Feb 13;

WITH the year of the Snake about to hatch, authorities are keeping an eye out for anyone selling or buying these reptiles as auspicious pets.

It is illegal to keep, import or sell snakes as pets in Singapore, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) in an advisory released yesterday.

Snakes could be a public safety risk, said the AVA, and in any case, many species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites). Anyone caught smuggling, possessing, displaying, or advertising animals in stores or online risks incurring penalties of up to $50,000 per specimen and/or a maximum jail term of two years.

In the last year of the Snake in 2001, the AVA dealt with seven cases of illegal trade or possession of live snakes, their parts and products, which resulted in 46 live snakes being seized.

Since then, the AVA has handled 72 seizures of 231 live snakes, most of which found homes at Wildlife Reserves Singapore. One case of illegal possession or trade is being investigated.

Anyone with reliable information on such activities in Singapore should contact AVA at 6325-7625 or ava_email@ava.gov.sg.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Singapore also urged members of the public to keep snakes out of their homes.

SPCA director Corinne Fong said the society has yet to find specific cases of snake possession and sales this year, but cited past cases of rabbits being discarded after the Lunar Year of the Rabbit as cause for preemptive action this time.

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Malaysia: 'There's no illegal logging in Lojing'

Sharanjit Singh and Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah New Straits Times 8 Feb 13;

IN DENIAL: Kelantan govt claims area all logged out before 1990

GUA MUSANG: Rampant jungle clearing, hill cutting and river pollution covering massive areas of the Lojing Highlands have continued unabated, a New Straits Times aerial survey revealed.

Huge swathes of highlands have been stripped bare of trees, and there are signs that the clearings had taken place just recently, despite the state government's contention that Lojing had been cleared of timber before 1990.

Rivers are clogged with earth and the once clear waters are now the colour of teh tarik.

Frustratingly, despite concerns over the potential of irreversible environmental damage in the area, the Kelantan government has brushed aside these "unfounded" fears, and labelled them as nothing more than just a "misunderstanding".

State Islamic Development, Education and Dakwah Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, when confronted with questions about the environmental degradation, admitted that land in Lojing -- bordering Pahang's Cameron Highlands -- was being cleared to make way for farms and mixed-development projects.

He denied that any logging was going on there.

"There is no logging being done in Lojing as claimed by the media because there is no timber left there. The area was logged out even before we (Pas) came to power in 1990.

"There are only bamboo and small trees left and they were cleared as the area is being developed to be planted with oil palm and rubber trees."

Amar said the state government had given the green light to several companies and agencies to clear land at Lojing Highlands and the projects started "a few years ago".

However, contrary to his statement, clear signs of ongoing hill cutting and land clearing are going on at the highlands.

Bulldozers could be seen clearing the hillslopes and there were also signs of recent landslides which occurred close to the Gua Musang highway. Amar said the state government had given land in Gua Musang and Lojing to state agencies, including Kelantan State Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), Kelantan Islamic Foundation (YIK) and Kelantan Darulnaim Foundation (YAKIN), which later leased the land to a few companies.

He added that development of the land was needed because Lojing was located on high land and bordered Cameron Highlands.

"For Gua Musang, the setting up of the new town will boost tourism in the vicinity."

Amar said the state government was constructing two new towns in Sigar and Pos Brooke, and plans have also been drawn up for resorts in the area.

Pressed on the logging taking place in Lojing, he said the issue of illegal logging highlighted by the media might be a "misunderstanding". Amar said the logging could have been taking place at another area near Gua Musang.

"The media must give details on the area involved before they expose it to the public.

"In Gua Musang, there are few projects that the state government had carried out and they include those set aside for the 'Ladang Rakyat Projek,'" he said.

Commenting on the same issue, state deputy forestry director (development division) Mohd Fauzi Abu Bakar said the department had yet to receive any reports of illegal logging.

He welcomed those with information to inform the department.

"We will take immediate action if there are illegal logging in the state and will not hesitate to nab those involved."

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WWF plans to use drones to protect wildlife

The green group says by the end of the year it will have deployed 'eyes in the sky' in one country in Africa or Asia
Adam Vaughan guardian.co.uk 7 Feb 13;

Conservation group WWF has announced plans to deploy surveillance drones to aid its efforts to protect species in the wild, as the South African government revealed that 82 rhinos had been poached there since the new year.

The green group says that by the end of the year, it will have deployed "eyes in the sky" in one country in Africa or Asia, with a second country following in 2014 as part of a $5m hi-tech push to combat the illegal wildlife trade.

A record 668 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa alone last year, and a single shipment of ivory seized in Malaysia in December weighed almost as much as all the illegally traded ivory since in 2011, which was itself a record year for seizures. And poachers have kept up their hit rate since the beginning of 2013, according to figures from the South African government. "The Kruger National Park remains the hardest hit by rhino poachers this year, having lost 61 rhino to mostly foreign poachers," a government spokesperson said. "Twenty-one poachers have been arrested, 14 of them in the Kruger National Park."

The criminal trade has become so serious that last year the US intelligence community were ordered to track poachers by then secretary of state Hillary Clinton, with a WWF report in December warning the multibillion dollar trade was now threatening national security in some countries.

WWF's three-year project also involves combining data from unmanned aerial vehicles, cheap mobile phone technology tracking animal movements, and handheld devices carried by rangers, in a bid to outsmart often heavily armed poachers who bribe corrupt officials to avoid patrols and find wildlife.

Allan Crawford, project leader for the WWF Google technology project, who had just returned from the Kruger national park where many of South Africa's rhinos are being killed, told the Guardian: "It's a very scary prospect for rangers … they could run into very heavily armed gangs of poachers, there's usually four or five of them, sometimes with dogs. They've also got wild animals to contend with – one ranger was recently attacked by a lion. They're outnumbered, and sometimes poachers have night-vision equipment. There aren't enough resources to tackle this in South Africa at the moment. This is where the new technologies come in, to help them."

Drones are already being used by conservationists to monitor wildlife, such as orangutan populations in Sumatra, anti-whaling activists are using them against the Japanese whaling fleet, and a charity in Kenya recently beat its target of raising $35,000 in crowdfunding for a drone to protect rhinos and other wildlife in the country's Laikipia district. One South African rhino farmer is even planning to put 30 drones in the sky himself. But the way the three key technologies are being used by WWF is "unprecedented", Crawford said.

A pair of drones will be used in each of the two countries selected, which the group hopes to name within weeks, with plans to ultimately be operational in four sites by 2015, with different terrains. Crawford said the software and drones, which would be operated by rangers or local law enforcement, would "generate a strategic deployment of rangers in the most cost effective way, so they can form a shield between animals and poachers."

The drones would likely cost in the tens of thousands of dollars rather than hundreds of thousands, he said, adding that "if governments wanted to, they could deploy [more expensive] high altitude drones that can stay up high in the sky, and track poachers to get the middle men and whole trade line." The funding for WWF's project comes from a Google grant awarded last December.

"We've got to crack this problem because it's getting out of control," Crawford said. "The poachers seem to have figured out how to get round existing anti-poaching methods." But he admitted anti-poaching efforts could get caught up in an arms race, and that it was a "risk" that poachers may get their own drones. "It will be an escalation like that until we change the cause, which is demand in Asia."

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World food prices stable, low stocks pose risk of spikes: U.N.

Catherine Hornby PlanetArk 8 Feb 13;

World food prices stabilized in January after falling in the previous three months, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday, but it warned that adverse crop weather could cause violent price spikes due to tight grains stocks.

Global food prices surged in mid-2012 following the worst U.S. drought in more than half a century and dry weather in other key grains exporters, raising fears of a food crisis similar to the one in 2008.

But prices eased in the last three months of 2012 due to expectations that large South American production will replenish tight global cereals supplies.

On Thursday Brazil said it would produce a record 83.4 million metric tons (91.93 million tons) of soybeans this season due to unprecedented expansion in area planted after a disappointing harvest last year, and also forecast a record corn crop.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said its food price index, which measures monthly price changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, averaged 210 points in January, unchanged from December.

The Rome-based agency raised its view of world cereal output in 2012 to 2.302 billion metric tons, up 20 million metric tons from its previous forecast, but still 2 percent lower than the bumper crop in 2011.

Its outlook for world cereal stocks by end of season in 2013 remained unchanged at 495 million metric tons, down 3 percent from their opening level.

"We should be expecting excellent crops in 2013," said FAO senior economist Abdolreza Abbassian. "But the weather could turn negative, and because we are in a tight situation, prices could react violently and rise," he said.

FAO expects wheat output to increase in 2013, due to a 4-5 percent increase in the winter wheat area in the EU and good weather. However the outlook is less favorable in the U.S. due to dry conditions in some areas.

It said that prospects were also good for the maize crop in South America's main producing countries.

RISING DEMAND

An increase in production is crucial for markets, Abbassian said, because demand is also likely to rise as economies start to recover in 2013.

FAO raised its estimate for world cereal use in 2012/13 by 0.6 percent to 2.326 billion metric tons, up nearly 13 million metric tons from the 2011/12 season.

A weaker dollar is boosting demand for dollar-denominated commodities, Abbassian said, and rising oil prices will underpin food prices in coming months, he said. Higher energy prices increase transport costs which farmers pass on to consumers.

"There could eventually be some support from the energy prices and economic growth could lead to higher animal feed use," he said.

In January, FAO said a rise in oils and fats prices was offset by falling cereals and sugar prices. Dairy and meat prices were roughly stable.

A separate report by G20 food market body, the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), noted on Thursday that maize prices had started to pick up in mid-January on expectations of higher feed use and concerns about weather in South America.

The FAO's index is below a peak of 238 points hit in February 2011, when high food prices helped drive the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.

In the summer of 2012 it began surging to levels close to those seen in 2008, when riots, some deadly, broke out in several poor countries.

(Editing by Keiron Henderson)

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