Best of our wild blogs: 21 Jul 13

Living with Macaques in Urbanised Singapore – interview with Amanda Tan from Otterman speaks

Night Walk On The Wilder Side Of Jalan Kayu
from Beetles@SG BLOG

Butterfly of the Month - July 2013
from Butterflies of Singapore

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Haze may return in coming days: NEA

Channel NewsAsia 21 Jul 13;

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) said hazy conditions may return to Singapore in the coming days.

That may happen if dry weather persists in most parts of Sumatra and wind direction changes to blow from the west in the next two days

In a statement issued on Sunday morning, NEA said the number of hotspots in Sumatra, as tracked by the NOAA 18 satellite, has gone up sharply in the last two days to reach 159 on Saturday.

Of these hotspots, 63 are found to be in Riau province in central Sumatra, which is about 280 kilometres from Singapore.

Some localised smoke plumes are observed rising from the hotspots.

The other hotspots on the island are mainly further north in Aceh and North Sumatra.

NEA said as the winds are currently from the southeast or south, the smoke haze is not being blown towards Singapore at this time.

However, some states in Peninsular Malaysia have been experiencing a worsening in their air quality since late Saturday morning.

The highest Air Pollutant Index reading at 5am on Sunday was 98 in Bukit Rambai, Malacca.

NEA said over the next two days, dry weather conditions are expected to persist in most parts of Sumatra.

The agency says it will provide further haze alerts to the public if the dry weather persists and the wind direction changes.

- CNA/fa

Return of haze, hotspots detected in Indonesia
The Star 21 Jul 13;

MALACCA: Bukit Rambai here recorded an unhealthy Air Pollution Index (API) reading of 105 at noon Sunday signalling a possible return to hazy conditions.

According to the Department of Environment (DoE) website, the API reading at 8am was 102.

However, the API reading were 103 and 105 at 10am and 11am respectively.

Melaka City registered moderate API readings of 77 at 8am, 78 (9am), 79 (10am), 79 (11am) and 80 at 12 noon.

API readings between 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy) and above 300 hazardous.

The number of hotspots in Sumatra has spiked sharply from zero to 159 in a mere four days, causing the haze to return to Peninsular Malaysia.

After weeks of clear skies, unhealthy air quality has been recorded in Bukit Rambai, Malacca, where residents and tourists have already taken to donning masks on their faces.

In Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) says Singapore may experience hazy conditions in the coming days.

Over the next two days, dry weather conditions were expected to persist in most parts of Sumatra.

"Should there be a change in the wind direction from the west, Singapore may experience hazy conditions," the agency said.

The NEA will provide further haze alerts to the public if these events become more likely.

It said the number of hotspots in Sumatra as tracked by the NOAA 18 satellite had gone up sharply in the last two days to reach 159 on Saturday.

"Of these hotspots, 63 are detected in the Riau province in central Sumatra, which is about 280 km from Singapore.

"Some localised smoke plumes are observed to emanate from the hotspots.

"The other hotspots on the island are primarily further north, in Acheh and North Sumatra.

"As the winds are currently from the southeast or south, the smoke haze is not being blown towards Singapore at this time," the NEA said.

It also noted that some states in Peninsular Malaysia have been experiencing a deterioration in their air quality since Saturday afternoon, with the highest Air Pollutant Index reading at 5am Sunday being 98 in Bukit Rambai, Malacca.

As at noon in Singapore, the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was at 20, while the 24-hour PSI was between 19 and 33. - Bernama

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Corals are nature's own archives

Reefs serve as records of environmental change, aiding climate and ocean research
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 21 Jul 13;

Dr Intan Nurhati (left) and Ms Jani Tanzil, of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, with a coral sample and the drill they use to collect specimens from reefs. “We actually spend about 10 per cent of our time in the water, and our work calls for scuba diving qualifications,” says Dr Nurhati. -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG

Q: Most scientists spend much of their time in the laboratory. Do you?

Dr Intan Nurhati: We actually spend about 10 per cent of our time in the water, and our work calls for scuba diving qualifications. We dive to coral reefs and take coral samples to study past environmental changes, like how the climate and ocean chemistry have changed.Ms Jani Tanzil: We also look into how these changes have affected the corals and coral reefs.

Q: Ever had any close shaves?

Ms Tanzil: We haven't had any close shaves, but there have been a few times when we reached the shore after a diving trip just before a huge storm hit.

Q: Why study corals?

Dr Nurhati: Most climate research requires data from a long period of time, say hundreds of years, if you want to understand what nature is doing versus what people did.

Current measurement instruments may not have existed back then. Some sites may also be too remote for sensors. To study (the climate phenomenon) El Nino, for instance, we need long temperature records from the Central Pacific ocean, but who on earth would have put sensors there 100 years ago?

So we need to be creative and look at nature's own archives. Just like trees have rings that are annual markings, some corals also have growth rings, which can be seen with X-rays and under ultraviolet light.

This means we can study corals to learn more about past events.

Corals can grow for 10, 20, even hundreds of years, and some can grow relatively fast, so you can even get monthly data, like what happened in September 1984.

Q: What are some of the things that you can learn from corals?

Dr Nurhati: The coral bands vary in their thickness and composition due to changes in factors such as water temperature, clarity and nutrient availability.

You can study many things from the coral skeleton's chemistry. It can tell us about changes in temperature, which are important if you want to know the rate of ocean warming and global warming.

We also study how ocean chemistry has changed by measuring heavy metals such as lead in our corals, and rainfall changes by measuring the chemistry proxy for salinity in corals.

If you have more rain, the ocean becomes more diluted, so the salinity falls.

Q: How are the rings or bands formed?

Ms Tanzil: For corals around Singapore, the luminescent bands are related to salinity changes.

Trees shed leaves, which decompose and create humic acids. When you have many trees near rivers, the higher river flow during the wet season washes the humic acids into the reefs and corals absorb them. In dry seasons, there is less river flow and therefore less humic acids flowing into the reefs.

The exact cause of the bandings and rings in corals is still being investigated, but my research has found that bright bands usually correspond to the south-west monsoon and the dull bands correspond to the north-east monsoon.

We also verify this by staining the coral in the reef with a harmless calcium dye. You stain it multiple times, and then collect a specimen later. The stain bands, which show up as pink lines in the coral skeleton, will allow you to infer the growth rate and pattern. I have stained corals over a two-year period just to make sure the natural bands are somewhat annual.

Q: How do you get the coral specimens?

Dr Nurhati: We core the corals using a long barrel with diamond-dusted teeth at one end, and we use pressurised air to power the drill, which rotates the coring barrel into the coral. This gives us long columns of coral.

Q: Doesn't this harm the corals?

Dr Nurhati: We don't kill or collect the whole coral, but sample only a small portion. If you look at a coral, the living part is only the outer layer, which is about 0.5cm thick, covering the coral like a blanket. Beneath this is dead skeleton.

Our samples are just 5cm in diameter, so we take only a small, thin slice of living material. Everything else is skeleton.

Ms Tanzil: To the living coral, it's like a fish taking a bite out of it. We fill the hole with epoxy, which is like plasticine but hardens like cement. With time, the living tissue will grow over the epoxy and cover it up. We also monitor the holes we patch up, and we do need a permit from the National Parks Board to core corals in Singapore waters.

Q: What do you do with the coral specimens?

Dr Nurhati: We "slab" it into two to three slices. Most of the time, we use the middle slice for analysis, and the rest we keep for our records and in case someone wants to collaborate and study other things with it.

Ms Tanzil: Then I take the slices and date the various bands. Different corals grow differently, so it's important to understand what causes the banding.

Dr Nurhati: Once the dates are assigned, I put a tracking mark in each section and drill a small portion into powder. We collect this very fine powder, weigh it, and then dilute it in acid so we have a solution, which we put into machines for different analyses.

Q: What's the experience of studying corals like to you?

Dr Nurhati: It's like having a history book of the environment, and you even get chapters.

JANI TANZIL & INTAN NURHATI

Ms Jani Tanzil and Dr Intan Nurhati, who are both in their early 30s, have been researching corals around Singapore as part of their work at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (Smart).

By examining the corals, which can grow for hundreds of years, they can detect how the climate here has changed over time.

A marine ecologist by training, Ms Tanzil is currently completing her University of Amsterdam doctorate, which is focused on corals around the Thai-Malay peninsula.

Like trees, corals add layers or bands over time.

Ms Tanzil uses luminescent and density banding patterns in corals to date and reconstruct the corals' past growth rates, in a method known as sclerochronology.

Dr Nurhati is an Indonesian climate scientist with a doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States. A postdoctoral associate at Smart, she studies corals around Singapore to answer questions such as whether the monsoon seasons are changing, and how industrial activities have altered marine chemistry.

Coral reefs occupy less than 0.1 per cent of the world's oceans, but scientists believe that the reefs account for and support more than a quarter of the oceans' biodiversity.

Singapore's reef area covers less than 10 sq km, but it is home to over 250 hard coral species, almost one-third of the global total.

Beautiful science
Straits Times 21 Jul 13;

-- PHOTO: SINGAPORE-MIT ALLIANCE FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

Ultraviolet light revealing annual luminescent growth rings in sliced coral heads collected from around the Thai-Malay Peninsula.

Corals grow by forming layers, similar to trees that form growth rings each year.

Because these coral layers "lock in" certain chemicals under different environmental conditions, they can serve as archives of past environmental changes, according to researchers from the Singapore MIT-Alliance for Research and Technology.

Studying these coral bands can provide information on environmental changes such as regional climate change and heavy metal pollution over the years.

"Coral reefs are essential spawning, nursery, breeding and feeding grounds for numerous organisms. In terms of biodiversity, the variety of species living on a coral reef is one of the most diverse on the planet, yet coral reefs cover less than one-tenth of 1 per cent of the ocean floor. By one estimate, biodiversity value accounts for US$5.5 billion (S$7 billion) of the total estimated annual global net benefit of coral reefs."

UNITED STATES NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

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Pangolins in Malaysia: They're hunted for their scales and meat

New Straits Times 21 Jul 13;

ACCORDING to Dr Chris Shepherd, deputy regional director of Traffic Southeast Asia, the illegal trafficking of pangolins has gone down over the years, not because conservation efforts are paying off, but because it is getting harder to source the animals.

Pangolins are hunted for their scales and meat. The scales are used in traditional medicines and the meat is eaten as a luxury dish.

"When you see a doctor, you don't ask what medicine to be given to you. Instead, the doctor gives you what works well. That's why Traffic is encouraging traditional medicine practitioners to stop prescribing pangolin," says Shepherd.

"There are approximately 30 legal herbal alternatives available.

"As for the meat, unfortunately, it is the consumers who choose what they want to eat, and to show off their wealth in a restaurant."

As society becomes affluent, the demand for pangolin has overtaken enforcement efforts. Shepherd says the enforcement of wildlife laws needs to be proactive rather than reactive, to a point where people become aware that the penalties outweigh the illicit rewards.

Although tens of thousands of pangolins have been seized in Southeast Asia, including a 17-tonne haul in Indonesia, the quantity of the seizures do not indicate how severe the illicit trade has grown.

Instead, Shepherd says the best sign is the falling population in places where pangolins once roamed abundantly. This has been reported by researchers, government authorities and the illegal hunters themselves.

The shift in sourcing locations is another indication of how much people are willing to pay to consume this endangered species. With the numbers dwindling in Asia, traders are turning to Africa for supplies.

China, the biggest market for pangolins, and Indochina countries, which are emerging markets, have lost most of their animal populations. Malaysia, Indonesia and Palawan Island in the Philippines are still sourcing locations.

These countries are the final frontiers for Asian pangolins and, therefore, the need to step up conservation efforts is urgent. In Malaysia, the demand for exotic meat is growing but pangolins are hard to find because most have been exported.

In a study conducted by Traffic in 2009, the flow of pangolins from Southeast Asian countries seem to concentrate in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.

The animals captured from Palawan Island are exported to Kudat and Sandakan in Sabah, whereas those from Java and Sumatra will be taken to the peninsula. It has also been reported that pangolins from Sabah have been sent to the peninsula and mixed with the local supply chain. There are also networks believed to exist in Sarawak.

Malaysia has the best laws in the region to fight illegal wildlife trade, especially with the introduction of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

Despite that, Shepherd says conviction rates are still low and were mostly against the small fish -- runners and lorry drivers who can be easily replaced.

Pangolins are smuggled using existing transport facilities, such as lorries and air freight. Syndicates hide their contraband by using false documents and packaging deception.

Shepherd says the kingpins must be removed and in doing so, more resources are needed to beef up patrols, investigate cases and prosecute suspects.

He says Malaysia has stepped up its efforts to fight illegal wildlife trade, but resources are still inadequate, especially for the conservation of unpopular species like pangolins.

Most of the available resources are used to support high-profile endangered species such as tigers, elephants and turtles.

Despite the obstacles, Shepherd says things are moving in the right direction. In fact, he says Malaysia has a good opportunity to tackle the illegal trade of pangolins and be a leader in its conservation.

He finds fulfilment in his work when there is an increase of awareness in the plight of endangered species among the public.

Seventeen years ago, when he first took up his position with Traffic, the media only contacted him once every six months for resources.

Today, he frequently gets calls to generate publicity for endangered animals. He says media focus, especially when it comes to highlighting the plight of specific species, is the best ally to raise awareness on its conservation.

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Malaysia: Development pushes hornbills further inland

New Straits Times 21 Jul 13;

KUCHING: Sarawak's hornbills are not extinct, they have just moved deeper inland.

This is because their habitats, which are close to town, have been destroyed as development projects move in, forcing the state's iconic bird to find new homes in the jungle.

Sarawak Forestry Corporation protected areas and biodiversity conservation division deputy general manager Oswald Braken Tisen said the perception that the bird was extinct in Sarawak was because of a lack of sightings of the birds in town.

"People wonder why they can't see hornbills flying around in their neighbourhood any more. The answer is, they are moving to a new habitat."

Hornbills can still be sighted all over the national parks in the state, including Gunung Mulu National Park, Lanjak and Entinau Wildlife Sanctuary as well those in the suburbs, such as Tanjung Datu in Sematan, Kubah, Matang, Gunung Gading in Bau and even Santubong.

Although they were not extinct, he said like all wildlife, the existence of the birds was still under threat.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Hornbills, they fall into the categories of vulnerable and endangered.

In Sarawak, all its species are totally protected. They are the white crowned, bushy-crested, wrinkled, wreathed, Asian black, oriental pied, rhinoceros and the helmeted hornbills.

The bird is also fully protected under the state's Wildlife Ordinance, which provides for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty of killing or keeping the bird.

The state Forestry Department is also stepping up its efforts to ensure the survival of the bird by creating awareness and getting public participation in its endeavours.

"That is the only way we can protect our hornbills, by getting the community's participation and through education.

"Besides, Sarawak is known as the Land of the Hornbills and all of us must preserve that heritage," said Braken, who attended a hornbill conservation talk by Kasetsart University Thailand forest biology department Assistant Professor Vijak Chimchome.

Vijak agreed that artificial nesting could be used to help the oriental pied hornbill at Piasau Camp, Miri, to nest as the riverine area is inundated with casuarina trees which often do not have any old nests.

"The species is very adaptable. As long as there is plenty of food, this species will survive," said Vijak.

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Best of our wild blogs: 20 Jul 13

“Marine Life and Impact of Man” lecture – Sat 03 Aug 2013 from Otterman speaks

A Round up of the Festival of Biodiversity 2013
from Raffles Museum News

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Fish farming goes high-tech

Former IT man uses technology to bring industry into 21st century
Natalie Kuan and Chan Huan Jun Straits Times 20 Jul 13;

IT LOOKS like a traditional fish farm floating on the sea, at first. Draw closer to Metropolitan Fishery Group, however, and more begins to meet the eye.

Solar panels are mounted on the roof of a small wooden shelter. And a peek at the owner’s iPhone reveals a water monitoring system which can be accessed remotely.

These are just two of several high-tech features which make the fish farm stand out in an industry that has long depended on low-cost labour instead of technology.

Metropolitan Fishery Group is the brainchild of 50-year-old Malcolm Ong.

In 2007, he took a leap of faith. From being a managing director of a French software company, he plunged into fish farming, despite having no experience.

“It was all because I wanted to buy a boat,” he said. “As I did my research, I got to know more and more fishermen who lamented the dwindling local fish stocks in Singapore. That was when I realised fish farming was feasible and I could make a difference.”

Locally harvested fish currently meets 7 per cent of demand here.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority hopes to increase this to 15 per cent by 2015.

Metropolitan Fishery Group is now the biggest fish farm in this country, capable of producing up to 600 tonnes of fish a year, and selling them under its brand The Fish Farmer.

It helps that new-age fish farms can tailor supply to demand with pinpoint accuracy.

Fish can be bred to the exact size and weight needed by the market.

In contrast, traditional fishingdepends entirely on what gets into the net.

As a veteran of the IT industry, it would seem natural that Mr Ong’s fish farm incorporates high-tech equipment, including the water-monitoring system.

When the oxygen level in the water is low, an alert is sent. Staff can then activate an oxygen pump, giving the fish a better chance of surviving. Low oxygen levels are a common problem for fish farms.

Still, he says, the most important thing he brought from the office to the farm was his people- management skills.

“It’s all about bringing a team of people together. Like in IT, when we worked on projects, in the same way here you need to coordinate people.”

As much as technology has changed the game in the industry, some things remain the same.

Says Mr Ong: “Back-breaking labour. It’s all muscle and human strength. “I need three or four people to reel in a net when it’s filled with fish. Each fish weighs half a kilogram.

“Automation has yet to make an appearance here.”

It was sink or swim for ex-pig farmer
He had to adapt to rearing fish after pig farms were phased out
Debbie Lee Straits Times 20 Jul 13;

MR ONG Kim Pit's decision to become a fish farmer in 1990 was made out of necessity, rather than choice.

Back then, the farmer, now 65, had been rearing pigs in Punggol for about 30 years. But the Government's decision to phase out pig farms in the early 1980s saw him turn to fish.

Armed with only the know-how of pig farming, he started out rearing freshwater fish such as marble goby and barramundi in a Lim Chu Kang pond.

But after three years, when the rent proved too expensive, he bought a fish pen off the Lim Chu Kang coast to farm saltwater fish, starting with twenty small nets and 3,000 barramundi.

The transition from pigs to fish was not a smooth one. "If a pig falls sick, you inject it with medicine. But fish are trickier," he said. "Species such as grouper will definitely come down with an illness at some point. Their throats and mouths may rot."

And there was competition from other fish farms. The Jurong Fishery Port has since stepped in to regulate prices. "In the past, I would sell a kilogram of fish for $5, and they would sell it for $4.50," said Mr Ong.

But he has no regrets making the switch, even if he lost as much as 3,000kg of fish in the beginning. "As farmers, we need to have confidence in ourselves," he said, adding that he would constantly analyse where he had gone wrong to find ways to improve.

After losing $70,000 in barramundi because of diseases, for example, he turned to milkfish and mullet. It paid off, with these two species less prone to illness. Their feed, of stale bread and uncooked instant noodles, is also cheaper.

Now a seasoned fish farmer, he even uses high-tech machinery, such as a pump to improve oxygen levels in the water.

His farm rears at least 400,000 fish today, most of them bound for wet markets and supermarkets here. He earns $2,000 to $3,000 a month, depending on orders from Jurong Fishery Port.

But Mr Ong intends to call it a day after two more years. His three sons are not keen to take over the business.

"It's not an easy job to follow," said his second son Jun Yuan, 30. "The operation and maintenance costs will be too high for me to carry on for another decade."

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Setting gardens a-flutter

Grow the right plants and attract butterflies as well as birds to your plot to liven it up
Natasha Ann Zachariah Straits Times 20 Jul 13;

For some avid gardeners, having butterflies enter their plot might be akin to the presence of an uninvited guest in one's home. After all, caterpillars are known to be voracious eaters that can destroy pockets of their gardens.

But these winged creatures add colour and life to what would otherwise be a static display of plants. Which is why the National Parks Board (NParks) is focusing part of its greening efforts on introducing butterflies and winged creatures such as dragonflies and birds to its parks and green spaces here, even in Singapore's urban landscape.

Dr Lena Chan, director of the National Biodiversity Centre, says that despite Singapore's small size, native butterfly species here number at 301 - about five times more than the United Kingdom.

The centre, which is under NParks, takes charge of and records biodiversity- related information and activities.

"There's so much rich biodiversity in Singapore," says Dr Chan, who is in her late 50s. "What can we do about it and how can we make use of its benefits such as having natural ecosystems that balance pests and insect populations?"

Across Singapore, some plots of land are being set aside to plant host and nectar plants, which will attract butterflies to feed and lay eggs in a natural environment. These include the three- month-old garden at Alexandra Canal Linear Park (see other story), Hort Park and community gardens such as the Tampines-Changkat Community Garden set up by residents of the neighbourhood.

And while most people might squirm at creepy crawlies, Dr Chan says: "Everyone loves butterflies but you need caterpillars too. We are trying to give nature a nudge by growing the right plants. We leave the rest up to the butterflies."

One community garden that has successfully nurtured butterflies is the Kebun Baru Palm View garden, trimmed and lovingly tended by gardening enthusiasts who live nearby.

Sandwiched between blocks 231 and 232 at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 is a plot that is filled with flowering plants such as morning glory creepers, roses, ixoras and hibiscus. Butterflies dart from flower to flower, sucking up nectar.

Mr Selvadurai Krishnamoorthy, 75, is behind the thriving plot. Together with three volunteers, he took 21/2 years to build up the garden, planting flowers that residents had donated.

The retiree, who used to work for a printing firm, says attracting butterflies was initially difficult as they did not have the right plants. But since he started, he has spotted 12 species of butterflies there.

Mr Krishnamoorthy adds: "Without butterflies, gardens will not look pretty. It is growing well now and I have never sprayed it with pesticides because that would keep the butterflies away."

At Hougang Primary School, his son Mohan, 38, also helped spearhead a butterfly garden project on the school grounds.

After two years of trying to start a butterfly garden at the school to no avail, the science teacher hit the jackpot after receiving saplings and seeds through a contact at NParks. The school also got $2,500 from Citibank's initiative, Ideas in Action, to help fund the project.

He put in Lantanas, Weeping Willows and Crotalaria plants, among others, and found butterflies swarming to the spot.

The garden, which started at a corner of the carpark, has since expanded to other spaces nearby, such as along the driveway. It will soon be extended to the plots in front of the school's main entrance.

Butterflies that have been seen include the Chocolate Pansy, the Tailed Green Jay and the rare Plain Tiger butterfly.

He says: "I started out trying to make the butterfly garden part of an existing eco-garden. But it was not bright enough for the flowering plants to grow, which meant the butterflies were not coming."

He says having a butterfly garden at the school helps pupils get up close to the fluttering beauties. "The pupils experience the life cycle first-hand because they get to see the eggs, the caterpillars, how they go into the pupa stage and finally grow into butterflies. It's just a modest garden that came out of hard work."

natashaz@sph.com.sg

Small plot is a butterfly haven

To see an abundance of butterflies up close in an urban jungle like Singapore, most people would have to pay to enter an artificially created setting.

But a small plot at a public garden here is drawing these insects naturally - and people can see them for free.

On a sunny day at Alexandra Canal Linear Park, near Strathmore Avenue, the 100 sq m Butterfly Garden is a thriving ecosystem, attracting butterflies such as the whitish Common Tit. The three-month-old park was set up by multinational electronics company Sharp and the National Parks Board's Garden City Fund to celebrate Earth Day on April 22.

They worked with students from Serangoon Secondary School to create a design that would best help butterflies find food and lay eggs.

Upper-secondary students Nurfadilah Jalil and Dina Dayana Abdul Rashid won the design contest with their star-shaped garden.

In the middle of their garden is the Lantana camara, or a host plant, where only certain types of butterflies will lay their eggs.

Surrounding this round bush are four other types of plants, otherwise known as nectar plants, which attract all butterflies looking for food. Adding a pop of colour are plants such as the Red Ixora, Chinese Violet, Panama Rose and Ixora Dwarf White.

Dr Lena Chan, director of the National Biodiversity Centre, says if gardens are done right, the butterflies will come. "People are always shocked when they come by and see many butterflies around. It's about planting the right plants and creating a natural setting, and butterflies will just be attracted naturally."

Birds and bugs drawn to garden

Retired lecturer Wee Yeow Chin, 76, fancies himself a "citizen scientist".

Much like netizens who post about current affairs, DrWee regularly writes about birds and insects on his eight- year-old blog, Bird Ecology Study Group.

But he does not go deep into the forest to find wildlife. Instead, they come right into his garden in Binjai Park, nesting and feeding on the fruit, plants and trees that he has grown for the last 30 years.

Dr Wee, whose 100 sq m garden includes two towering palm trees and a hulking Terap tree, says: "I planted them from seedlings all those years ago. Then the birds came, ate and dropped seeds here. I just let them grow."

The trained botanist, who also worked as an agronomist for the Malayan Pineapple Industry Board, has documented 33 species of birds that have visited his garden. They include the Yellow-vented Bulbul, Eurasian Tree Sparrow and a pair of Spotted Doves.

He has also found insects such as paper wasps, ladybugs, cicadas, grasshoppers and rhinoceros beetles which nestle in his compost heap.

Even on a wet, rainy Thursday morning, the garden is bustling with activity. Sparrows twitter around a bird feeder that Dr Wee made out of a plastic soda bottle for bird seeds.

He lives with his retired piano teacher wife Eileen, also 76, and their daughter Jean, who is in her 40s, in the one-storey semi-detached house.

He tells of his experiences dealing with his feathered visitors, including mopping up broken eggs that fell out of their nest from trees in his garden, or wasps that have built a nest in the roof's eaves.

Once, crows nested in one of the trees in his garden but Dr Wee realised that a cuckoo had actually laid its eggs instead in the nest, leaving the unknowing crows to raise the baby chick.

"Some of the birds return regularly and they have become a little tame, so they let me go close to take photos."

The active life in the garden makes for exciting documentation for Dr Wee, who is the founding president of the 22-year-old Nature Society (Singapore). "For the cuckoos... We have never actually seen for ourselves this behaviour where they lay eggs in other birds' nest.

"Posting about it makes people become more aware of how these birds behave."

His secret to attracting the wildlife: an untidy garden.

Dr Wee, who tends the garden by himself, lets plants such as the white-stemmed button vine and butterfly plants grow wild. He says he trims the trees only when branches spill over into his neighbours' yards.

Recreating a jungle-like garden, he says, allows the birds to nestle and hide from prying eyes.

"I may not have green fingers but the garden has grown well," he says. "It's nice to sit here and watch the birds and butterflies come in and fly around. It's peaceful."

How to attract butterflies and birds to your plot

Tip 1: Butterfly caterpillars are fussy about what plants they feed on. For example, the Monarch butterfly spends most of its time as a caterpillar feeding solely on poisonous milkweed. As such, the leaves from the plant - also known as the host plant - are the food source for the caterpillar through its larval stage.

Grow plants that attract the butterfly you would like to have, as it will lay its eggs where it knows its caterpillar can find food.

Tip 2: Caterpillars will be present in any garden that attracts butterflies. To avoid having all your plants eaten by the caterpillars, plant nectar plants, or plants that are filled with the sugar-rich liquid, around the host plant to attract other butterflies looking for nectar. That way, only the host plant will be eaten by caterpillars.

Caterpillars will not go to the other nectar plants as each species has certain types of plants that it will feed on.

On the presence of caterpillars, Mr Anuj Jain, 28, chairman of the Butterfly Interest Group at the Nature Society here, says: "Don't worry because they are only temporary. They are a natural phenomenon and the plant never dies. The leaves will regenerate themselves."

Tip 3: Learn about the conditions that your plant needs to thrive in.

For example, flowering plants that have nectar need good sunlight to grow, while fruit trees need good fertilisers and enough water.

Check with local nurseries about which plants are suitable and what care methods are required to produce the best plant.

Tip 4: To attract birds, grow plants that have a lot of foliage so that they can nest and burrow.

Birds will also visit your garden if there is food available, so set up a bird feeder with seeds or plant fruit trees.

Tip 5: Avoid touching birds' nests or feeding caterpillars. This upsets the natural breeding cycle of the birds and butterflies, and discourages them from returning.

Tip 6: You may not attract butterflies if you live on higher floors, Mr Jain says, as it is unlikely that butterflies will be able to reach heights taller than most trees.

Sources: NParks, TheButterflySite.com, Mr Anuj Jain, Dr Wee Yeow Chin

Grow a butterfly with a butterfly kit

Step 1: Collect the eggs or caterpillars from the host plants. Use either a twig or toothpick to coax the caterpillar to climb on or cut the leaf that they are attached to. Avoid touching them as you might hurt the caterpillar or get bitten.

Step 2: Put the caterpillar into a well- ventilated, covered plastic container with a handful of leaves from the host plant. Make sure the container is shielded from direct sunlight. Mist it occasionally to create a humid condition.

Step 3: Clear the dried leaves in the container every few days and put in fresh ones for food.

Step 4: When the caterpillar is about to pupate and become a chrysalis, it will attach itself either to the side or the lid of the container.

Check the pupa regularly. If it turns black, it could have been attacked by parasites and will no longer develop.

Different species take different amounts of time to transform between each phase. Most spend three days as an egg, one month as a caterpillar and one week as a pupa.

Make sure the chrysalis is hanging in an area that has space for the butterfly to spread its wings without touching the base or the sides of the container. If it falls off from the area it has attached itself to, it may not survive.

Step 5: After the butterfly comes out from the pupa, it needs to get the fluid from its abdomen into its wings, which have been crumpled from being in the chrysalis. This process takes about several minutes, after which the butterfly will rest and let its wings dry.

The drying can take up to three hours before it starts flying. Release the butterfly in the area where you first found the caterpillar or near nectar flowers so that it can feed.

The average lifespan of a butterfly is a month.

Sources: NParks, www.wikihow.com/Raise-Butterflies

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Malaysia: Plantation Association Calls For Delicate Tackling Of Indonesian Fires, Haze

Ahmad Fuad Yahya Bernama 19 Jul 13;

JAKARTA, July 19 (Bernama) -- The Association of Plantation Investors of Malaysia in Indonesia (APIMI) has called for the fire and haze issue in Indonesia to be dealt with composure, in sustainable engagement and on a responsive basis.

APIMI chairman Datuk Abdul Wahab Maskan said this was important as the issue involved Asean countries, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

"The annual issue on fire and haze must be tackled delicately by all governments involved and be put as a top priority agenda when the related governments meet during bilateral meetings or Asean meetings before the (fire) hot spots season," he said in a statement here Friday.

He expressed hope for the establishment of a permanent special task force on fire and haze by the relevant governments to ensure that members who were facing the problem be assisted in any way that they could.

"The collaboration between G to G (government to government) is very important and this is supported by the B to B (business to business) platforms. B to B should be no issue as for the Indonesia Malaysia Palm Oil Group (IMPOG), the topic will be deliberated between the two countries' representatives," he said.

Abdul Wahab said all parties involved in the fire and haze must collaborate to find a solution to the issue rather than finding fault on who should be blamed.

He said Malaysia, via G to G, was always supportive of the efforts by the Indonesian government to find solutions and to stop the fire and haze.

APIMI members, he said, had been responsible operators and observed best practices like other respectable plantation operators in Indonesia, while the Indonesian authorities had generally been responsible and responsive to the needs of plantation investors in Indonesia.

The APIMI chairman reaffirmed that Malaysian companies were not generally at fault in clearing land in Indonesia using fire, which caused smoke that had affected Singapore and parts of Malaysia recently.

He said some of the APIMI members accused of causing the fire in Riau last month had clarified their innocence and were committed at all times to cooperating with the relevant government authorities in their investigations into the source of the fires in Riau.

Abdul Wahab said reports had been submitted to the relevant authorities and it had been proven that they were clear of any involvement in causing the fires.

"I can assure that APIMI members have generally all along had a policy of zero burning. They have assured that they have observed the advisory procedures in managing their respective plantations and have also been reminded every early in the year to be prepared on the hot spots issue, and steps to overcome the issue were also printed for members via bulletin," he said.

APIMI members, he said, also had their own SOPs to ensure that they avoided any open burning activity and there was also a special task force to assist authorities should any open burning be caused by others.

"In the APIMI AGM held recently, members of the association confirmed that they practice zero burning for any activity within their respective plantations and supported the Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) which prohibits open burning in replanting activities, and emphasised environmental and eco-friendly farming practices," he said.

The statement made by Darrel Webber, secretary-general of the Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), on July 5 had also proven that none of the APIMI members were involved in the fires and haze in Riau.

RSPO, he said, had carried out an analysis with the help of an international research expert and a scientist and the findings showed that none of the companies accused were involved in causing the fires in Riau.

-- BERNAMA

Sime Darby in haze issue talks
Isabelle Lai The Star 19 Jul 13;

PETALING JAYA: Sime Darby Plantation has engaged with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to discuss issues faced in resolving the haze problem.

It said this engagement was done to provide all and any assistance to the authorities so a sustainable and long-term solution could be found.

In a press statement, Sime Darby Plantation said it was also willing to discuss this issue with the Indonesian authorities in order to find an equitable solution to the problem.

The company added that several internal and external discussions had been held with relevant stakeholders.

It expressed the need to clearly demarcate areas which were under the company’s control with those occupied by local communities within a licensed concession area.

“This would help to ensure that responsibility for occupation and use of land is clear,” it said.

It added that it would maintain the current boundaries of its operating areas and would continue to work closely with Indonesian authorities as well as educate local communities on sustainable farming practices.

Eight Malaysian-owned firms, including Sime Darby Plantation, came under fire when the Indone­sian Government claimed that their subsidiaries were some of the culprits responsible for the open burning, resulting in the thick haze which travelled across Singapore and Malaysia.

Sime Darby Plantation had said in response that the five hotspots detected in PT Bhumireksa Nusa Sejati concession areas in Riau, Sumatra, were not in areas planted by the company.

It said the hotspots were from traditional farming methods by the local communities, adding that the concession holders had no control or influence over their practices or activities.

PT Bhumireksa Nusa Sejati is ow­n­­­­-ed by PT Minamas Gemilang, a sub­sidiary of Sime Darby Plantation.

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Best of our wild blogs: 19 Jul 13

ICCS Lecture & Briefing on Sat 03 Aug 2013 @ NUS LT32 – all are welcome! from News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Save MacRitchie Forest: 13. Butterflies, jewels of the forest
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Nature Society (Singapore) Cross Island Line: Discussion and Position Paper
from Habitatnews

Down Memory Lane - Common Sergeant
from Butterflies of Singapore

Sharing our shores with students at Y.LEAS, River Valley High
from wild shores of singapore

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Nature Society proposes alternative route for Cross Island Line

Neo Chai Chin Today Online 19 Jul 13;

SINGAPORE - The Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS) has opposed the future Cross Island rail line cutting through nature reserves and proposed an alternate route that cuts southwards via Lornie Road around the reserve.

In a 39-page position paper discussing and explaining its stance posted on its website yesterday, the non-governmental organisation said nature reserves “should not be treated as vacant State Land available to be used for the convenience of transport infrastructure or other purposes”. Design authorities should include the value of ecosystems in cost-benefit analyses in the same way they would consider the cost of private property acquisition, the paper stated.

Plans for a 50km Cross Island Line were announced by the Government in January this year, where the underground line was depicted to cut through the Central Catchment Nature Reserve near MacRitchie Reservoir.

The alignment cuts directly under primary forest and regrowth forests over a century old, according to maps in the NSS’ position paper. The society said its greatest concerns relate to the degradation of forest habitats due to soil investigation and related engineering works that will be required above-ground. Surface works are expected to result in forest clearance, compaction of soil along on rail line’s alignment, toxic material spillage and siltation that will seriously damage one of the two most pristine stream ecosystems in the reserve.

The society’s proposed alternate route via Lornie Road will add 1.7 to 2km to the Cross Island Line, and an estimated four minutes’ additional travel time.

This would present an opportunity to serve residents near Adam Road and visitors to the MacRitchie Reservoir Park, it said. “We believe four minutes is not too much to ask for conserving probably the most pristine part of our nature reserve,” said Mr Tony O’Dempsey, an NSS council member and the society’s spokesperson on this issue.

The reserve is home to some 44 mammals, 72 reptiles, 25 amphibians – most of which are forest-dependant - and all 34 remaining native freshwater fish species here, according to previous surveys. Nature groups including the NSS met the LTA last month and took a group of officials including Transport Minister of State Josephine Teo on a walk in the reserve last week.

The Society had a geologist and engineers on its team but the alternate route proposed is a “concept route” as the team does not have detailed geological information on the Thomson and Lornie Road areas. “That has to be left up to the authorities to consider,” said Mr O’Dempsey.

Transport analyst and civil engineering don Lee Der Horng said a straight rail line is better and cheaper from the engineering and operations point of view. He noted the “big curvature” in the NSS proposed route going around the nature reserve, but was supportive of it. “Even though the alignment looks a bit funny, it’s also a sign that we value our natural environment higher than infrastructure development,” he said. “If this nature reserve is important to us and once destroyed or affected (is irreversible), I think a certain judgment must be put in place and it shouldn’t be just based on transport.”
Professor Leung Chun Fai of the National University of Singapore’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department said “it may still be possible to construct the tunnels along the original proposed route without disturbing the nature reserve but this must be examined in detail”.

Effects of soil investigation and tunnelling works should be studied to see if they are “indeed manageable and very small”. Once sub-surface properties are determined, engineers can evaluate if modern tunneling techniques would disturb the reserve. The fallout from any tunnelling accidents must also be evaluated. The same should be done for alternatives if the original route is proven unfeasible, he said.

The NSS submitted its paper to the Land Transport Authority last week and responding to TODAY’s queries, an LTA spokesperson assured that “the alignment of the Cross Island Line has not been decided, and that no decision will be made until after an Environmental Impact Assessment has been conducted”.

Any decision made will seek to safeguard Singapore’s nature reserves “even as we seek to meet the infrastructure development needs of Singaporeans”, she added.

The nature groups will do further biodiversity surveys and collate existing information over the next few months and could meet the authorities again at the end of the year, said Mr O’Dempsey. The LTA has agreed to postpone its Environmental Impact Assessment until after the groups have studied the effect of different rail-line alignments.

Nature Society suggests different route for MRT line
Cross Island Line works put nature reserve 'at risk'
Grace Chua Straits Times 19 Jul 13;

RUNNING the planned Cross Island MRT Line along Lornie Road instead of through Singapore's largest nature reserve would add just 2km and four minutes to travel time.

That would help reduce the damage to the reserve's ecosystem, the Nature Society (Singapore) suggested in a 40-page paper giving its take on the new line.

The position paper, released yesterday, also described the environmental damage that may be caused by the soil investigations and tunnelling needed for the 50km MRT project, which is expected to be ready in 2030.

The line, first announced in January as part of the Government's Land Use Plan, runs from Jurong to Tampines. It appears to pass through densely built-up areas like Sin Ming, Hougang and Clementi.

But is also seems to cut through primary and secondary forest in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve near MacRitchie Reservoir.

The forest, home to birds such as the critically endangered white-rumped shama and uncommon animals including the pangolin and clouded monitor lizard, will be affected by the land clearing needed for soil investigation works, the paper said.

The soil works, which involves boring 70m-deep holes every 15m to 20m to determine soil strength, would also muddy and choke delicate freshwater streams containing rare native fish like the malayan pygmy rasbora, the NSS added.

While water agency PUB has rules to control erosion during construction, "mitigation does not equate to no impact", said NSS spokesman Tony O'Dempsey.

And tunnelling through granite also carries the risk of rock collapse and soil subsidence, the paper added, pointing out that the MacRitchie forest is part of a gazetted nature reserve under the Parks and Trees Act.

The National Parks Board said in its statement yesterday it "would be concerned about the impact that any development may have on the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, which is gazetted for the conservation of our flora and fauna".

NSS suggested the use of alternative routes, such as building the line along Lornie Road.

It may be expensive to acquire the land, the paper suggested, but the price of lost and damaged ecosystems should also be factored into project costs.

A Land Transport Authority spokesman said it had received NSS' paper and will study it in detail, adding that the path the line will take has not been decided.

She said: "No decision will be made until after an environmental impact assessment has been conducted. We remain committed to ensuring that any decision taken will seek to safeguard our nature reserves even as we seek to meet the infrastructure development needs of Singaporeans."

Last Friday, Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo visited the forest with several nature groups and wrote about her trip on Facebook.

"A new MRT line will impact many different stakeholders, all of whom have views we need to consider," she wrote.

"They include commuters concerned about distance and home owners whose families may have to relocate... It goes without saying that whatever we do, we will take into account the impact on our nature reserves."

Related link
NSS's Position on the Cross-Island Line (pdf)

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River turns into classroom for lessons on waterways

Rachel Tan Straits Times 19 Jul 13;

A NEW initiative from the PUB will help kids learn about waterways at Singapore's first "River Classroom".

At Sungei Ulu Pandan in Clementi, students can discover how the river is filtered by plants that get rid of pollutants while absorbing nutrients in the water.

It boasts a community deck that gets youngsters closer to the water safely, and a 600m path where they can observe a new sedimentation basin, floating wetland, and a channel planted with vegetation that removes large pieces of sediment.

The project will be opened officially this Sunday.

It is part of the PUB's ABC Waters programme, started in 2006, which aims to provide "active, beautiful and clean" waterways.

PUB engineer Mak Ming Foong said it will "allow people to get closer to the water".

She added: "Before we decided on the location, we studied the entire waterway together with the surroundings to understand the site characteristics, the user's pattern and if there is potential for educational value."

Students from Queensway Secondary will perform weekly patrols in the area and conduct biodiversity audit checks.

The School of Science and Technology (SST) has been holding its own lessons in the area since January."This programme forces everyone to get out and do a project," said SST science research teacher Tan Hoe Teck.

The nearby Van Kleef Centre, which carries out research into freshwater management, also plans to arrange public walkabouts to highlight the unique features of the ABC learning trail.

Mr Jun-ichi Inada, managing director of landscape consultants Win International, helped design the area. He said: "Teachers use outdoor classrooms as part of the educational programme to make children understand."

First ‘river classroom’ at Sungei Ulul Pandan
Amanda Lee Today Online 19 Jul 13;

SINGAPORE — Residents and students visiting Sungei Ulu Pandan can now learn more about water and the environment thanks to a new project that seeks to create the “river classroom experience”.

Stretching along Sungei Ulu Pandan, between Clementi Avenue 4 and Clementi Road, the project wants to showcase the importance of treating the rainwater run-off from the surrounding catchment before entering the waterway.

The river classroom features four types of ABC Water design elements, one of which is a sedimentation basin. It temporarily collects water from the drains and allow larger sediments to settle before cleaner water flows into the river.

Aquatic plants are planted along the edge to help absorb nutrients in the rainwater run-off while enhancing biodiversity of the area.

Outdoor learning experience for residents, students at Sungei Ulu Pandan
Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid Channel NewsAsia 21 Jul 13;

SINGAPORE: Residents living in the west can now enjoy new community spaces along a waterway, while learning about the environment.

The Sungei Ulu Pandan has been spruced up under the Active, Beautiful and Clean or ABC waters programme.

The aim is to create a river classroom experience where residents and students can learn more about water and the environment to the waterway

Green features like floating wetlands were added to enhance the biodiversity of the area.

The National Water Agency PUB said schools like Nan Hua High School and Queensway Secondary School have already expressed their interest to further their outdoor learning at the waterway.

Residents can also make use of new gathering and viewing decks for recreational activities.

Over a three-year period, APB Singapore is also pledging $300,000 towards an APB Singapore Water Education Fund.

The money will support initiatives like an internship programme for tertiary students at ABC waters at Sungei Ulu Pandan.

- CNA/de

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