Best of our wild blogs: 15 Oct 13

Upcoming Event: The Green Heart inside the Red Dot
from Green Drinks Singapore

Weaving through Bidadari (Birdwatching)
from Rojak Librarian

Butterflies Galore! : Gram Blue
from Butterflies of Singapore

Copper-throated Sunbird – duetting nesting couple
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Two recces and a meeting
from Caryota Confessionals

Faster cheaper newer needs to be safer, healthier, fair – Story of Solutions from News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Fri, 18 Oct 2013, 4.00pm @ CR1: Chua Thia-Eng on “Coastal and Ocean Governance in the East Asian Seas Region” from The Biodiversity crew @ NUS

12-13 Nov: Rigs-to-reefs workshop - can abandoned rigs be turned to reefs? from wild shores of singapore

Active restoration of Singapore's coral reefs: a study
from wild shores of singapore

Norway blacklists 2 Malaysian logging companies for 'severe environmental damage' in Borneo from Mongabay.com news by Rhett Butler

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Malaysia: Singapore only operates lighthouse on Pulau Pisang

Sim Bak Heng New Straits Times 14 Oct 13;

JOHOR BARU: The Consulate-General of Singapore stated that Singapore has never disputed Malaysia's sovereignty of Pulau Pisang, off Pontian.

Singapore, however, does have the right to operate and maintain the lighthouse on the island.
In a statement, consul Nicholas Lee said under an indenture dated Oct 6, 1900, the Sultan of Johor granted the governor of the Straits Settlement the right, in perpetuity, to operate and maintain the lighthouse on a specific spot of ground on the island, which remained under the Sultan's sovereignty.

"The lighthouse was operated and maintained by the government of the Straits Settlement, and later by Singapore, which continues to do so up to the present.
"The Singapore government has consistently said that Pulau Pisang belongs to Malaysia, and has never disputed Malaysia's sovereignty," he said.

Lee was commenting on an article in the Streets "Agro Plan for Island" dated Oct 4, which stated that "In 2010, the 178ha Pulau Pisang was declared as part of the Johor Sultanate, ending years of dispute between Malaysia and Singapore over the ownership of the island off Pontian coast.

In the article, it was reported that the Johor Farmers' Organisation (JFO) wants to develop Pulau Pisang as a new centre for agro-tourism activities.
Such a move, besides helping to increase agriculture output, could also attract more tourists into the state.

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The Anthropocene: ‘One problem at a time’ just won’t do

Kevin J Noone Today Online 15 Oct 13;

Take a deep breath. Savour it for a moment. Now, consider this: None of our modern human ancestors ever breathed anything like it — and, the way things are going, nor will our descendants.

Since the Industrial Revolution began, human activity has substantially changed the atmosphere’s composition. Carbon-dioxide levels are higher today than they have been in at least 800,000 years. The amount of nitrogen and sulphur circulating through the Earth system has doubled. The ocean’s pH is changing at an unprecedented rate, reaching levels of acidity that marine organisms have not experienced in the last 20 million years.

Clearly, humans — who now occupy almost 40 per cent of the Earth’s ice-free land surface — are shaping many of the planet’s fundamental processes. According to Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen, this shift is so profound that it amounts to the beginning of a new epoch: The Anthropocene.

While some scientists believe that the Anthropocene actually began when humans started farming and domesticating animals, others (including me) consider it to be a more recent development. But, regardless of when the Anthropocene began, it is clear that humanity’s impact on the planet increased substantially after World War II’s end.

TIPPING POINT REACHED

Indeed, around 1950, the world seemed to have reached a tipping point, with practically every factor that heightened humanity’s impact on the planet — population, GDP, fertiliser use, the proliferation of telephones, and paper consumption, to name only a few — beginning to increase rapidly.

During this period, which the scientist Will Steffen dubbed the “Great Acceleration”, the human population became sufficiently large and connected, with high enough consumption, to become a major global force.

In a 2009 study, scientists concluded that, by crossing any of nine “planetary boundaries” — climate change, biodiversity loss, disruption of nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, land use, freshwater extraction, ocean acidification, ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol loading, and chemical pollution — humans would increase the risk of fundamentally changing the Earth system.

Given that these boundaries are closely interlinked, allowing trends towards any of them to continue, especially at the current rate, would drive the environment into unknown territory, potentially causing serious damage to the systems that underpin human survival.

ABANDON THE MYTH

In order to cope with the unique challenges of the Anthropocene, humans need a new approach to management and strategic decision-making. Developing successful strategies will require abandoning long-held assumptions that worked in the past, but that have become counterproductive myths today.

One such myth is that it is best to tackle one problem at a time with straightforward, targeted solutions. While this approach may be appealing, it is inadequate to address today’s most pressing issues.

For example, producing and delivering nutritious food consistently to upwards of nine billion people by mid-century has implications for water and energy consumption, agricultural development and land use, the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, and ocean acidification, not to mention biodiversity loss, such as through overfishing.

Given this, the Green Revolution’s narrow, production-focused approach cannot overcome food insecurity in the future, even though it produced truly impressive output increases in the past.

The world needs an innovative, comprehensive strategy aimed at optimising the entire food system — for example, by improving fertilizer and water use and food transportation and storage; by ensuring that adequate nutrition is accessible and affordable for all; and by changing communities’ eating habits to include less resource-intensive food.

MARSHALL MORE BRAINS

The trouble is that complexity can be overwhelming, so people often prefer to break down complex systems into individual components. Rather than consider, say, eradicating extreme poverty and averting global warming in tandem — and developing mutually reinforcing strategies to achieve these goals — proposed solutions focus on one or the other, undermining their effectiveness.

Of course, addressing interconnected issues simultaneously carries its share of challenges. For one thing, no single person or group has enough knowledge or experience to solve all of the problems afflicting a complex system at once.

But a wider community — including governments, businesses, researchers, philosophers, faith communities, and even poets and artists — could devise and implement holistic strategies. Success will depend on participants’ willingness to cooperate and their commitment to put evidence before ideology.

Thus, the real challenge lies in marshalling such an inclusive community — something at which global leaders have not proved adept.

RETHINKING GDP

A second major challenge is that resources are limited, making it impossible to solve all of the world’s problems at once.

In this context, the ability to prioritise effectively is essential.

But, rather than emphasising one problem over another, the top priority should be building resilience into all global systems. Mechanisms aimed at solving a problem in one system should not be allowed to compromise another system’s resilience.

Another challenge will be to devise new metrics to replace GDP as the leading measure of human well-being. Even economist Simon Kuznets, the main architect of the concept of GDP, recognised that it does not account for many of the factors affecting human well-being; he argued that it should be used “only with some qualifications”.

In the Anthropocene, GDP must be part of an array of metrics for assessing economic, natural, and social capital — that is, the value of the goods and services produced, as well as the dignity of the ecosystems and social structures that underpin this output.

Navigating the Anthropocene effectively and ethically is perhaps the most daunting challenge that modern humans have faced. Overcoming it will require a smarter approach to strategic decision-making and a broader understanding of innovation. It is time for us to rise to the challenge. PROJECT SYNDICATE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kevin J Noone is Director of the Swedish Secretariat for Environmental Earth System Sciences and Professor of Meteorology in the Department of Applied Environmental Science at Stockholm University.

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Mass evacuation saves Indian lives as cyclone leaves trail of destruction

DaNita Bhalla and Sujoy Dhar PlanetArk 14 Oct 13;

A mass evacuation saved thousands of people from India's fiercest cyclone in 14 years, but aid workers warned a million would need help after their homes and livelihoods were destroyed.

Cyclone Phailin was expected to dissipate within 36 hours, losing momentum on Sunday as it headed inland after making landfall from the Bay of Bengal, bringing winds of more than 200 kph (125 mph) that ripped apart tens of thousands of thatched huts, mangled power lines and tore down trees.

Authorities in the eastern state of Odisha said the death toll stood at 15 people, all killed as the storm slammed in from the ocean. Most died under falling trees and one was crushed when the walls of her mud hut fell in.

The low number of casualties stands in contrast to the 10,000 killed by Odisha's last big cyclone in 1999.

The building of hundreds of shelters since, warnings which started five days before the storm and mass evacuations - often by force - minimized loss of life, aid officials said.

Almost a million people in Odisha (formerly Orissa) state and adjacent Andhra Pradesh spent the night in shelters, some after wading though surging rivers to higher ground. Others sought safety in schools or temples.

"The loss of life has been contained this time with early information and speedy action of government," said Sandeep Chachra, executive director of ActionAid India.

Indian media commentators were effusive in praise for the evacuation operation and for accurate forecasting by India's Met office. Before the storm, some foreign forecasters had warned that India was underestimating its strength.

Authorities cancelled the holidays of civil servants during the popular Hindu Dussehra festival, deployed disaster response teams with heavy equipment as well as helicopters and boats for rescue and relief operations.

Over the years, organizations like the Red Cross have mobilized thousands of volunteers across the cyclone-prone region, who are not only trained in basic first aid but also help with evacuations and relief distribution.

Drills are organized so people know what to do when an alert is issued, locking up their homes, leaving cattle in safe places and taking only a few clothes and important documents with them.

"The 1999 cyclone was a real wake-up call for India. It was at a time when economic growth was high and India was seen as developing rapidly. It was embarrassing to be seen to be not taking care of their people, even with all this development," said Unni Krishnan, head of disaster response for children's charity Plan International.

The death of at least 89 worshippers at a temple celebrating Dussehra in central India on Sunday was a reminder that disasters with many casualties remain common. In July floods and landslides killed nearly 6,000 people in India's Himalayan foothills.

DESTRUCTION

Phailin left a trail of destruction along the coast, overturning cars and large trucks. Storm surges from the sea submerged farmland near the coast, while heavy rain flooded towns inland.

Along the highway through Ganjam district in Odisha, the countryside was ravaged. An electricity tower lay in a mangled heap, poles were dislodged, lines tangled and power was out in much of the state. In villages, cranes lifted trees off crushed houses.

A barber shop was tilted to one side. The students' common room at Berhampur University was a gaping hole, its facade knocked out by the cyclone.

"The wind was so strong I couldn't get out of here," Gandhi Behera, a cook in a nearby snack shop said.

The Indian Red Cross said its initial assessments showed that over 235,000 mud-and-thatch homes owned by poor fishing and farming communities had been destroyed in Ganjam district alone. It expects thousands of people to need help in coming days.

Plan International said it was concerned about the health and sanitation needs of close to a million people and the impact of the storm on people's livelihoods.

"They cannot stay in the shelters for long as they are overcrowded and sanitation issues will crop up with the spread of diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery, especially amongst young children," Mangla Mohanty, head of the Indian Red Cross in Odisha, said by phone from Ganjam district.

In some parts of the state, people were making their way through destroyed farmland toward their broken homes. Dozens crammed onto mini-trucks and others trudged with sacks of belongings. Mothers carried babies in their arms.

"There are no farms left. Everything has disappeared into the water," said S. Dillirao, a paddy farmer, as he stood on his inundated land.

Seawater had swept into his fields. "There's no way a single crop will grow here now," he said.

(Additional reporting by Nita Bhalla and Sujoy Dhar; writing by Sanjeev Miglani; editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Andrew Roche)

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Global warming will increase intensity of El Nino, scientists say

Matt McGrath BBC News 14 Oct 13;

Environment correspondent, BBC NewsScientists say they are more certain than ever about the impact of global warming on a critical weather pattern.

The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) occurs in the Pacific Ocean but plays an important part in the world's climate system.

Researchers have until now been unsure as to how rising temperatures would affect ENSO in the future.

But this new study suggests that droughts and floods driven by ENSO will be more intense.

The El Nino part of the equation sees a warming of the eastern and tropical Pacific, while its cooler sister, La Nina, makes things chillier in these same regions.

Impacts across the world

Like water in a bathtub, the warmer or cooler waters slosh back and forth across the Pacific Ocean. They are responsible for rainfall patterns across Australia and the equatorial region, but their effects are also felt much further away.

During the Northern Hemisphere winter, for example, you can get more intense rainfall over the southern part of the US in a warmer El Nino phase.

For years, scientists have been concerned about how this sensitive weather system might be changed by rising temperatures from global warming.

Now, in this new paper, published in the journal Nature, researchers give their most "robust" projections yet.

Using the latest generation of climate models, they found a consistent projection for the future of ENSO.

According to the lead author, Dr Scott Power from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, global warming interferes with the way El Nino temperature patterns affect rainfall.

"This interference causes an intensification of El Nino-driven drying in the western Pacific and rainfall increases in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific," he said.

Models in agreement
According to Dr Wenju Cai, a scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), who was not involved with the study, the paper is "significant".

"Up until now, there has been a lack of agreement among computer models as to how ENSO will change in the future," he explained.

"This paper is significant in that there is stronger agreement among different climate models in predicting the future impact.

"This study finds that both wet and dry anomalies will be greater in future El Nino years. This means that ENSO-induced droughts and floods will be more intense in the future."

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Best of our wild blogs: 14 Oct 13

Latest Green Jobs in Singapore [7 - 13 Oct 2013]
from Green Business Times

NUS U@Alive Speaker: Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: OUR ENVIRONMENT- Is it too late to save it?
from ECO @ COP

Reservoir Dogs
from Winging It

Cephaly, Fidderly and Tape Flowery at Semakau
from Peiyan.Photography

Plant more forest species for more biodiversity
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Mosaic Crab
from Monday Morgue

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Fewer embarking on Kusu Island pilgrimage

John Leong Channel NewsAsia 13 Oct 13;

SINGAPORE: Fewer and fewer devotees are embarking on the annual Kusu Island pilgrimage during the ninth lunar month.

This is according to figures provided by Sentosa Leisure Group, which tracks the numbers visiting the southern island during the pilgrimage.

Every year during this period, thousands of people take the ferry from Marina South Pier to a popular Taoist temple on Kusu Island.

At the temple, they traditionally pray for things like good health, happiness and prosperity.

This year's pilgrimage began last Saturday, and will last till the beginning of next month.

Although this year's numbers are not out yet, figures from the last three years have shown a downward trend.

Some 47,000 pilgrims attended the month-long event last year, compared to 52,000 in 2011, and about 57,000 in 2010.

Devotees say construction work around the ferry departure point, like the soon-to-open Marina South Pier MRT Station, has caused parking issues.

Temple helper Seet Lay Choo said: "Actually, there is also a shortage of parking lots, and I think there's only one bus that goes in.

“So people who drive, I think they have trouble getting a parking lot. If they take a cab, the cab can't actually go in all the way. So they have to actually stop outside. So hopefully, next year when the MRT is ready, it should be better."

The Maritime and Port Authority says there is alternative parking at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

It also provides free shuttle services during weekends and public holidays between the pier and the cruise centre.

- CNA/nd

Fewer going on annual pilgrimage to Kusu
Some say it is inconvenient to get to Marina South Pier to catch ferry
Walter Sim Straits Times 14 Oct 13;

IT MADE for an idyllic getaway off the south coast of Singapore.

Families frolicked in the waves and had picnics by the waterfront, while fishermen cast their reels, waiting to snag a good catch.

Elsewhere, a crowd gathered to watch a monkey hanging nonchalantly on a branch. Others were mesmerised by the tortoises swimming in a sanctuary.

Save for a faint whiff of incense lingering in the air, there was hardly any indication that the annual Kusu pilgrimage season was under way when The Straits Times visited the tortoise-shaped island yesterday.

The tradition, which coincides with the ninth lunar month and is ongoing from Oct 5 to Nov 2, appears to be losing its lustre over the years.

Some 47,000 devotees made the trip during last year's season, said the Sentosa Leisure Group, which manages the 8.5ha island 5.6km away from Singapore.

Mr Ryden Fang, general manager of Singapore Island Cruise & Ferry Services, which exclusively runs scheduled ferry trips to the island, said there has been a drop in visitorship of about 5,000 people each year since 2007.

More than 136,000 people reportedly made the pilgrimage in 2001, while in its heyday in the 1990s, more than 200,000 thronged the island during the season each year.

As of yesterday - nine days into this year's pilgrimage season - about 14,000 people have made the trip so far.

Upon disembarkation, devotees usually first visit the Da Bo Gong Temple, built in 1923 and which houses deities Tua Pek Kong (God of Prosperity) and Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy).

They then make a 152-step climb up a hillock, where three keramats, or holy shrines of Malay saints, reside.

At both sites, devotees pray for blessings for marriage, fertility, health, prosperity and peace of mind, among others.

Fish farm owner Lai Heng, 43, is a pious regular, having been making the pilgrimage annually for over 30 years.

He told The Straits Times: "I used to run a radio-modelling business.

"But I did not know whether to persevere in doing it, given the competitive industry.

"The divination stick I drew told me to move on and now, I am a happier man."

Johor native Koh Hai De, 40, has been visiting Kusu Island with his wife yearly since 1996 "out of habit", he said. On each trip, they pray for peace of mind. Now, they visit with a new addition to the family - a five-year-old daughter.

But for others, the inconvenience of getting to Marina South Pier, from where ferries have been departing since 2006, has put them off annual visits.

This is due to a lack of parking spaces, and dust and trucks from construction sites around the pier. Only one SBS bus, Service 402, plies between Marina Bay MRT station and the pier.

Previously, ferries departed from Clifford Pier in the heart of the Central Business District.

Homemaker Kuistin Yang, 52, said she would visit a temple in Hougang in years when her family or friends were not keen to make the Kusu pilgrimage.

Madam Usha Subrahmanyam, 39, finally visited Kusu yesterday after a break of 10 years, and did so after she learnt of an initiative led by her neighbourhood's residents' committee.

The story has been bleak for long-term observers who work on the island during the season.

National serviceman Isjacob Ishak, 22, whose father is a caretaker of the Malay shrines, has been helping out there since he was young.

He said: "In the past, the queues were so long they would snake all the way down the 152 steps, but this is no longer so."

Madam Chiam Pieh Tiang, 58, who has been managing a bazaar on Kusu Island during the pilgrimage season for 28 years, said business has plunged by half in the past six years.

But Mr Fang remains hopeful that the crowds will soon return.

"It will be much more convenient for visitors when the Marina South Pier MRT station opens next year," he said.

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Don’t let cultural tourism fade into the background

Today Online 14 Oct 13;

The Formula 1 race and Changi Airport’s strategic overhaul to reposition itself amid intense competition are timely and welcomed efforts to boost the Republic’s aspirations to become a choice hub and destination.

However, Singapore has a lot more to offer. Our historic war-remembrance sites do not pale in comparison with Gallipoli, the Normandy beaches and Pearl Harbor.

The collapse of Fortress Singapore was a seminal event of the war in the Asia-Pacific — Winston Churchill called it “the worst disaster and the largest capitulation” of the British military in history.

In a global conflict that ended imperial colonialism and changed the world order, the fall of Singapore to Japanese forces — which were smaller in number — is a compelling story.

In Kranji, the silent pathos of the rain-washed gravestones of British, Anzac and Gurkha soldiers speak of the immeasurable horrors experienced by the sons, husbands and fathers of people in the Commonwealth, who served what may now seem to be anachronistic notions of hegemony, God and country.

And often overlooked is the Japanese cemetery in Ang Mo Kio — the largest of its kind in South-east Asia — where 10,000 Japanese soldiers, including Field Marshal Terauchi Hisaichi, and civilians lie buried in mass graves. The reprisals following the surrender of the Japanese are testimony to the suffering endured by the casualties from both sides.

Cultural tourism is different from consumer tourism. It is about remembering and honouring the past.

Pilgrimages to historic war sites are undertaken so individuals may assimilate the meaning of events that have led their tribe and culture to the present.

The sunken ships off Pearl Harbor are not so much a tourist attraction as they are shrines to the American war dead and a “boundary marker” for when their country entered the most lethal war in history — one that eventually claimed more than 400,000 American lives.

Singapore has a lot to offer the cultural tourist. The coastal guns at Fort Canning and submarine tunnels off Labrador Park all have stories and secrets waiting to be told to a larger audience.

Likewise the maladaptive responses of the British, which led to the surrender of Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival to General Tomoyuki Yamashita at the Old Ford Factory, also offer important lessons in history to people of all cultures.

Tourism mainstays like the Merlionand the Chingay parade — as supported works of the Singapore Tourism Board — have been effective in attracting the tourist dollar. But we should also consider our cultural and historical attractions.

Asia has no shortage of glitzy malls, but the experience offered by Fortress Singapore is about human catastrophe, historic pivots and poignant narratives. Few cities in Asia have a better story to tell than how the “empire” was lost in seven days.

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Singapore must guard against going the way of Venice

In a 1988 speech, then-Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo compared the rise of Venice and Singapore. With two years to Singapore’s 50th birthday, the nation could probably learn more from Venice’s decline.
Tan Sheng Hui Today Online 14 Oct 13;

As our water taxi pulled away from the Rialto Bridge stop along Venice’s world-famous Grand Canal, our audio guide sounded a warning: “Venice is in decline. Once Europe’s largest financial centre, it dominated trade in the Mediterranean with a population of 175,000 at its peak. Now though, this historic city has under 60,000 residents with a quarter of these aged over 64. There could be no more full-time, native-born inhabitants by 2030.”

“Venice”, he added, “might be just a floating museum by then. A shadow of its glorious past”.

In a 1988 speech, Mr George Yeo who was then Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister compared the rise of Venice and Singapore. Two years to our nation’s 50th birthday, we could probably learn more from Venice’s decline.

EXTERNAL COMPETITION

Venice’s decline could be attributed to events after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453. Its trade routes were under threat with Columbus’ discovery of America in 1492 and Vasco de Gama routing trades via the Cape of Good Hope to Asia in 1498.

These events significantly reduced Venice’s trade with the Levant or eastern Mediterranean and boosted the fortunes and relevance of emerging maritime powers such as Spain, Portugal and other nations west of Italy.

Singapore faces similar competition. Last month, a Chinese container ship became the first commercial vessel to travel through the Arctic via the Northern Sea Route (NSR). It skipped Singapore and reached Rotterdam from Dalian on Sept 10. The journey took 34 days — 11 days shorter than if it had used the Suez Canal.

If the NSR eventually becomes commercially viable, ships may bypass Singapore (a key shipping hub on the route via the Suez Canal). Singapore has responded by gaining a permanent observer seat on the Arctic Council and diversifying its port businesses.

Meanwhile, the potential construction of Thailand’s own “Suez Canal” across the Isthmus of Kra could save ships up to four days and render Singapore and the Straits of Malacca potentially irrelevant.

Venice also had to compete with neighbouring financial centres like Genoa and Florence. Although it had pioneered the issuance of government bonds and dominated finance and commerce in the 15th century, it was overshadowed by Genoa in the 16th century and, by the 17th century, Amsterdam, which had become the world’s leading financial centre having developed central banking, the stock market and financial derivatives.

In Asia, competition between Hong Kong and Singapore as regional financial hubs has been well-documented, but both should keep a keen eye on Shanghai’s emergence. On Sept 29, China launched a free trade zone in Shanghai with the goal of making it a world financial centre by 2020, going beyond greater trade liberalisation to include investment, financial services and free currency convertibility.

INTERNAL FISSURES

Fissures within society probably also contributed to Venice’s eventual decline. In Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty, economists Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson argued that while upward mobility drove Venice’s wealth and power through the commenda (a partnership where capital-poor sailors and rich Venetians shared profits from voyages), this eventually threatened the established elite.

From 1315, the Venetian elite “pulled up the ladder” by instituting a political shift which led to Venice’s transformation into what the authors call an “extractive state”, where ruling elites extract as much wealth as they can from the rest of society. Such states, they argue, are more inclined to fail than “inclusive states”, which give everyone access to economic opportunity.

Singapore must guard against such fissures and remain “inclusive”. We have done well to promote meritocracy in our society. However, as income inequality widens, society must play a bigger role alongside Government to prevent fissures from destroying our societal fabric.

Last month, speakers at a National University of Singapore forum advocated for more targeted measures to address poverty here. In a survey of 383 Singaporeans led by Associate Professor Irene Ng, 60 per cent felt the amount spent on assistance to the poor was inadequate and 70 per cent did not see poverty as the individual’s fault.

Assoc Prof Ng — who concedes her results are not fully representative — also found that less than half surveyed were willing to pay more taxes in return for greater government spending to help the poor. While there is no evidence to suggest that Singaporean elites are “pulling up the ladder”, the need to be “inclusive” is arguably greater than ever before, as the divide between rich and poor widens and our society ages.

Singapore will do well to learn from Venice’s decline or risk becoming irrelevant, broken and a shadow of what our forefathers worked so hard to build.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tan Sheng Hui was an International and Global Affairs Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. He now works in financial services in Singapore.

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Malaysia: Friends of the hawksbill turtle

Azhariah Kamin
The Star 14 Oct 13;

A group of dedicated young volunteers is protecting the hawksbill as best as they can, and this augurs well for the future of the reptile.

THEY come from different backgrounds, yet they have something in common: the desire to learn more about turtle conservation and protecting the environment.

One thing they admitted, though, was that before joining as volunteers at the Hawksbill Eco-Club, they knew little about turtle conservation. After they became part of the club, they learnt a whole lot more, and in the process, have fallen in love with their job.

Living along the coastline wasn’t something new for them. “Most of us were born and grew up here, so we already knew about turtles and marine life. However, it was only after we joined the club that we began learning much more,” said club chairman Nor Amri Zul, 26, in an interview with Star2 at the sanctuary earlier this year.

For the uninitiated, the Hawksbill Eco-Club was set up by a group of 12 youngsters (as full-time volunteers) who help man the Padang Kemunting Sea Turtle Sanctuary on a daily basis to create awareness and educate the public – particularly fishermen, chalet operators, schoolchildren and villagers– on the importance of protecting hawksbill turtles.

The Hawksbill Eco-Club is located at the Padang Kemunting Hawksbill Turtle Conservation and Information Centre in Pengkalan Balak, Masjid Tanah, Malacca.

Since the club’s inception in November 2011, its members have been busy with their daily routines at the centre and undergoing occasional training by WWF, assisted by the Fisheries Department, to equip them with all the necessary skills to become full-fledged, licensed eco-tourism guides. Indeed, one of the club’s aims is to empower the local community to benefit from local eco-tourism.

According to Nor Amri, one of the main activities of the club is assisting the sanctuary through its patrolling teams. During the peak nesting season from April to September, teams – comprising WWF-Malaysia’s staff members, assistants, interns and volunteers – monitor key nesting beaches from sunset to sunrise, sometimes covering distances of almost 40km. Amri himself joins in the patrolling every day.

“Our main aims are to stop poachers from stealing freshly laid eggs, and to transfer these new eggs into a protected hatchery, with the help of the Fisheries Department and licensed egg collectors. The patrolling teams cover beaches at Kem Terendak Tanjung Bidara, Padang Kemunting, Pasir Gembur, Pulau Upeh and Balik Batu,” added the passionate turtle lover.

Amri also said that at the sanctuary, they place satellite transmitters on selected turtles to monitor their movements, and so help scientists understand the migration patterns of the turtles. Such data is useful in identifying the potential threats to turtles, and helping conservationists to come up with ways to protect these reptiles. These turtles often swim over long distances and return to Malacca’s beaches to nest.

The Padang Kemunting beach is important as it houses the sole hatchery in Malacca. The club, monitored by the Fisheries Department, regulates egg collection by the local community by giving out a restricted number of licences. All eggs collected are required to be sold to the Department for incubation and are transported to this hatchery for incubation.

The eggs take 45 to 65 days to hatch, and the hatching season is from March to September. During these months, the sanctuary allows a limited number of tourists to release the hatchlings into the sea, under the guidance of WWF personnel.

Unfortunately, egg poaching along the beach is prevalent, according to Amri. The villagers’ houses are a stone’s throw away from the nesting beach, making it easily accessible. If that is not enough, this beach is also a popular recreational spot and is lined with endless rows of chalets.

“Lighting, human presence and tourist activity on the beach at night are big concerns in this area,” explained Amri.

But there is reason for some optimism as, in recent months, a chalet operator has indicated interest in changing its operations and practices. In return, the benefit could be additional revenue from guided turtle-watching activities and hatchling releases. Padang Kemunting surely has the potential to be a turtle-friendly belt where tourism is practised in a responsible manner to sustain the natural heritage within.

For 22-year-old Nur Atirah Abd Shukor, being a member of the club has been an eye-opening experience for her.

“Being born here, I knew about the the turtles but it was a friend’s idea that we should join the club. And I said yes immediately because I always wanted to do something different. And I have been enjoying my time here (at the sanctuary).

“There’s no one specific task for us to do at the club,” said Atirah, who is also the club’s treasurer. “On a daily basis, we just do things together, like manning the souvenir counter, cleaning the turtle pond, do night patrolling to watch the turtles come ashore, be in charge of the exhibition centre, and talking to visitors and tourists who come to the club to learn more about hawksbill turtles.”

She added that the club’s funding comes mainly from the sale of souvenirs and tour packages that include sighting the nesting turtles and witnessing the hatchlings’ release; 35% of the revenue is channelled into a special fund for hawksbill conservation.

“It has been a really exciting experience for me, meeting people from all walks of life and telling them what we do here at the club in protecting our treasure – the hawksbill turtles,” said Atirah.

Mohamad Hashim, a staff member of the Fisheries Department, also volunteers at the club. He deals mainly with corporate bodies and members of the public who want to participate in the club’s activities.

Mohamad said that when he first joined the department in the late-1990s, he was not really aware of turtles and their conservation.

However, as his new job started to grow on him, Mohamad, 44, began to learn about turtles and conservation efforts. He is now so involved that he has roped in his wife to be a part-time volunteer at the sanctuary.

> The Padang Kemunting Sea Turtle Sanctuary is open daily from 10am to 4pm, except on Mondays and public holidays. Admission is free.

Volunteers play a big role
The Star 14 Oct 13;

VOLUNTEERISM is extremely important in conservation efforts for the hawksbill turtle.

According to Low Min Min of WWF Malacca, volunteers are greatly needed as they provide invaluable manpower in its daily operations which include patrolling the nesting sites and collecting data.

WWF has been on hand since the formation of the Hawksbill Eco-Club in November 2011.

“I’m so happy to see how the club has progressed in these two years. I couldn’t be more proud!” said Low in a telephone interview.

She added that the club was formed with the aim of empowering the villagers, especially the younger generation, with knowledge of eco-tourism which has long-term benefits for everyone involved.

“What we do at WWF is give these young people in Padang Kemunting village ongoing training in eco-tourism, with strict guidelines. In doing so, the club will, in return, be a role model for the local community on how to carry out conservation efforts. They stand to reap financial benefits from it while preserving the environment. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

Without the co-operation of the community, environmentalists, traders and the government, WWF Malaysia’s turtle conservation programme in Malacca would not have reaped the success it enjoys today, said Low.

According to her, Malacca’s coastline saw one of the highest numbers of nestings of hawksbill turtles in 2011, a success story made possible through collaboration between the state government, non-governmental organisations and members of the public. Over 500 nestings were recorded, an achievement comparable to that of Sabah Turtle Island, one of the main nesting sites for the hawksbill turtle in Malaysia.

The inception of the Hawksbill Eco-Club is a part of the Hawksbill Malacca Eco-tourism awareness programme, whereby operators are educated about proper practices when conducting tours, without disturbing the turtles or their habitat.

Low pointed out that the young club is still in the learning stage. It needs continuous support from corporate bodies and members of the public in order to function efficiently.

“We at WWF are giving them training in doing paperwork and soliciting funds from corporate bodies. At the moment, the club members are being paid by WWF, so it would be very nice if they could start earning extra income as a club.

“I’m so happy to know that these youngsters at Eco-Club are putting aside a percentage of the club’s revenue for a special fund for hawksbill turtle conservation.”

> For more details about the Hawksbill Eco-Club, e-mail: kekal_hawksbill@yahoo.com or go to its Facebook account (facebook.com/HawksbillEcoClub).

Favourite nesting place
The Star 14 Oct 13;

MALACCA’S coastline – with its narrow beaches and facing one of the busiest shipping channels in the world – is not what one would typically consider prime turtle nesting habitat.

Nevertheless, it is the second largest nesting area for the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in South-East Asia, after Sabah’s Turtle Island. An average of 400 nestings (exclusively hawksbill turtle) are recorded yearly by the Fisheries Department, the country’s management authority for sea turtles.

At present, four prime rookeries are home to approximately 80% of the nesting population in Malacca: Pulau Upeh (Upeh Island), Kem Terendak, Padang Kemunting and the Tanjung Dahan-Tanjung Serai stretch.‎

The hawksbill turtle got its name because of its beak that resembles the eagle’s. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful species of marine turtles due to the striking golden-brown pattern of its carapace.

Hawksbill turtles have been hunted for decades for their shells and eggs. Their shells are used as decorations while their eggs are a delicacy among the locals.

The Fisheries Rule (Turtles and Turtle’s Eggs) was enacted in 1989 to protect these eggs from being over-harvested; only licensed egg collectors are allowed to collect the eggs.

All the eggs collected are then sent to the hatchery at Padang Kemunting Sea Turtle Sanctuary for incubation.

The nesting season is from March to September – with May, June and July being the peak months.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 13 Oct 13

Back-lit Macro Attempts
from Macro Photography in Singapore

Life History of Mycalesis perseoides perseoides
from Butterflies of Singapore

Failed Olive-backed Sunbird nesting
from Bird Ecology Study Group

white-bellied sea eagle fishing @ esplanade 11Oct2013
from sgbeachbum

Morning Walk At Venus Drive (12 Oct 2013)
from Beetles@SG BLOG

The Common Tree Nymph @ Upper Seletar Reservoir Park
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Changi Beach patrol for the LSM1103 Biodiversity field trip
from Otterman speaks

Read more!

Malaysia: Was release of genetically modified mosquitoes effective against dengue?

Taking the sting out of dengue
Chandra Devi Renganayar and Suzanna Pillay New Straits Times 13 Oct 13;

TRIALS: In 2008, it was reported that the Health Ministry would undertake an experiment to release genetically-modified mosquitoes to fight Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the main carriers of the dengue virus. Was it a success? How effective have we been in efforts to control dengue fever? Deputy director-general of Health (public health) Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim talks to Chandra Devi Renganayar and Suzanna Pillay to get an insight into efforts to combat the scourge

Question: Where were the genetically-modified (GM) mosquitoes first released?

Answer: Our original proposed trial site was in Pulau Ketam, but our preliminary surveys indicated that the site was unsuitable for the trial. Instead, a trial site in Pahang was found to be ideal and the release was conducted in this site.

The trial, the first open release of male transgenic mosquitoes in Asia, was conducted on Dec 21, 2010, in an uninhabited forest (non-reserve forest land owned by the government off Jalan Tentera/Lebuhraya Bentong-Raub) in Bentong, Pahang.

Question: What was the outcome of the trial? Were the GM mosquitoes able to eliminate the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes as intended?

Answer: The goal of the trial was to understand the dispersal (that is, how far they fly) and longevity of the male OX513A strain dispersal, compared with the unmodified wild type strain under open field conditions. This was not a suppression trial and it was not done to determine the impact of the transgenic males on the Aedes population.

The Institute of Medical Research (IMR) released 6,045 transgenic male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes from the OX513A strain, along with 5,372 unmodified male mosquitoes from its laboratory strain. These two strains were marked with different-coloured fluorescent powder. Using stringent quality control, IMR ensured that the released mosquitoes were all male and cannot bite or spread diseases. The mosquitoes were recaptured using a network of adult traps.

The experiment was successfully concluded on Jan 5, 2011, in accordance with trial protocol. It was carried out in compliance with the National Biosafety Board's terms and conditions.

The dispersal and longevity of the GM Aedes aegypti and lab unmodified Aedes aegypti were similar, indicating that genetic modification (introduction of a single transgene) did not affect the biology of the mosquitoes. The longevity of the GM Aedes aegypti male was two days and the lab unmodified Aedes aegypti, 2.2 days.

Question: The experiment was reported in 2008 and, subsequently, that it was a suppression trial based on a successful field trial in the Cayman Islands. It was also reported that the field trial would be undertaken in collaboration with British-based Oxitec Ltd, an insect bio-tech company that had a proven GM technology.

Answer: Well, Oxitec did claim that their GM technology worked in the Cayman Islands. Based on this, they wanted to transfer the technology to Malaysia. But, this does not mean that we will apply this technology straightaway, especially if it is new to the country. Before any experiment is carried out in the field, it must be ensured that the site is appropriate for the release of the male transgenic mosquitoes. We need to do our own research.

The goal of the 2010 study in Bentong was to find out whether the behaviour of the transgenic mosquitoes was similar to normal mosquitoes. It was not a suppression trial to see whether the genetically engineered male mosquitoes would mate with the female mosquito population.

Question: Based on these reports, public perception was, and still is, that the experiment was to use genetically-engineered Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes to stop the spread of dengue. If this was not the purpose, why was it not clarified by the Health Ministry from the start?

Answer: When the experiment was completed in January 2011, the results of the findings were published in the IMR website and was picked up by some media organisations.

Question: What is the next move after the Bentong trial? Is the ministry planning to carry out the suppression trial and, if so, when will it take place?

Answer: There are no immediate plans for a suppression trial. As this involves research and development, it is best to ask IMR. I cannot answer for them.

Question: Doesn't IMR come under the jurisdiction of the ministry?

Answer: IMR answers to the director-general, not me. It is not under my jurisdiction.

Question: What is the dengue situation in the country? Is it on the rise?

Answer: The number of dengue cases from January to Sept 28 increased to 22,602 cases, a 38 per cent increase compared with 16,340 cases reported in the same period last year. A total of 1,149 dengue cases were reported between Sept 22 and Sept 28.

The total number of deaths from dengue also increased to 48, which reflects a 78 per cent increase from the 27 deaths reported in the same period previously.

Question: Why are we facing this situation, despite the many efforts taken to control dengue?
Answer: The increase in dengue cases is not specific to Malaysia, as other countries in the region have also reported an increasing dengue incidence. In fact, the increase is much higher in other countries in the region.

For example, Singapore and Laos have reported a 500 per cent and 1,000 per cent increase in dengue incidence compared with last year. It is a pattern in the region. You can see that the increase in Malaysia is much lower than these countries, as we have been able to control the increase through various measures.

Dengue is a cyclical endemic disease. This means there will be a cyclical rise and fall in the number of cases every few years, depending on the strain (of which there are four types) of dengue that is circulating and if the population has already built an immunity.

Source reduction measures through the elimination of mosquito breeding sites are the most effective method to control the spread of the disease. It should be noted that spraying insecticides and fogging are only a temporary means of controlling the adult mosquito population.

The public should check their premises for breeding sites and dispose of containers and stagnant water that may be a source of breeding mosquitoes.

Question: Where are the dengue hot spots in the country?

Answer: Dengue is predominantly an urban disease because of the abundance of the principal vector Aedes aegypti. Areas that have reported high numbers of cases include Selangor, Johor and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

Of the 244 dengue outbreak localities in the country, Selangor heads the list with 175 localities. Johor has 24 localities and the Federal Territory, 14. In the list of 20 dengue hot spots in the country, 19 were in Selangor and the other in the Federal Territory. The public can access the latest information on dengue hot spots from the ministry's website at http://idengue.remotesensing.gov.my.

Question: What are the obstacles in the fight against dengue?

Answer: Regional influences like rainfall and climate play a significant role in the transmission of the disease. These are beyond our control. However, the disease is also influenced by the cleanliness of our environment, which we can control.

The problem is compounded by people throwing rubbish indiscriminately. The lack of efficient solid waste management strategies also contributes to the increased availability of breeding sites.

We are trying to slow the rate of increase (in cases), but we need the public to do their part as well. We have had some success in engaging the people via our Communication for Behavioural Impact, or Combi, initiative. Localities with active Combi programmes are found to be less affected by the disease.

However, public participation is lacking in some highly urbanised localities like Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Johor. Increased public participation and awareness in these areas is essential.

Question: What is the economic cost of dengue to the country?

Answer: Based on a study from 2002 to 2007, the immediate cost of dengue to Malaysia is between US$88 million (RM280 million) and US$215 million (RM683 million) per annum.

It is equivalent to between three per cent and seven per cent of the government's spending on healthcare.

Read more!