Best of our wild blogs: 16 May 14

Butterflies Galore! : Green Oakblue
from Butterflies of Singapore

Walking with Nature at SOTA Day 1: Mangroves and Marine with Ria Recap from The Leafmonkey Workshop

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Working round the clock to keep Singapore's port waters safe

Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 15 May 14;

SINGAPORE: Singapore has one of the busiest ports in the world, with a ship departing or arriving in the port every two to three minutes.

And it's the job of the Maritime and Port Authority's (MPA's) officers to ensure things run smoothly and ships keep to their channels.

To avoid close calls, vessel traffic officers could issue up to two warnings to ships on some days.

At MPA's Port Operations Control Centre at the PSA Vista, vessel traffic officers like Lim Man Jia monitor traffic in Singapore port waters.

She ensures that rules are followed, and provides ship captains with information on their proximity to other ships.

It is not an easy task, considering there are at least 1,000 ships in Singapore port waters at any given time.

Sometimes, warnings to these ships and those around them have to be sent out.

Lim said: "In the case of conflicting situation where ships are actually crossing, you get a bit panicky if we are unable to get hold of them. The difficulty is to actually stay composed and get our messages across as timely as possible so that these mariners they can actually make use of all this information and avoid the conflicts."

The centre monitors 60 per cent of Singapore's port waters - along western Singapore and the Singapore Strait.

The other 40 per cent of port waters is handled by another operations control centre, situated at the Changi Naval Base.

MPA says the two centres can also serve as back-ups to each other, and each centre has the capability to take control of all of Singapore's Port waters when either one of them sees an emergency.

Port inspectors also brave inclement weather to conduct between 25 and 40 enforcement checks during each of their shifts.

Each shift sees about 12 staff working a maximum of two hours before taking a break.

After the break, they are assigned to a different console which includes being out at sea.

For port inspectors like Andi Johan Shah and his 44 port inspection officers, this is anything but a routine shift.

They could be inspecting anything between 25 and 40 harbour and pleasure crafts that operate in Singapore port waters, on any given day during each of their shifts".

Andi and his team conduct enforcement and safety checks, and they could see violations ranging from manning a craft without proper licences to being overloaded.

They are also the first to respond to incidents such as oil spills, collisions, as well as search and rescue missions.

"The port waters have become smaller because of the reclamation works. Singapore is expanding. It's very challenging because you've got to be kept updated on where you can go and where we can't go," said Andi.

He added: "When reclamation works are ongoing, the waters also change, the depth of waters also changes so vessels do run aground based on that."

However, Andi said their training and keeping abreast of changes keeps them a step ahead all the time.

- CNA/fa

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New framework for marine habitat protection in the Coral Triangle will help secure food and livelihoods – WWF

WWF 14 May 14;

14 May 2014, Manado, INDONESIA: WWF applauds the governments of the six Coral Triangle countries for launching the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System (CTMPAS) Framework and Action Plan today at the World Coral Reef Conference.

“Healthy marine habitats, through the effective protection and management of key areas, are vital for people’s food security, livelihoods, and economic stability. WWF welcomes this significant accomplishment of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security,” says Jackie Thomas, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Leader.

“With effective management and investment, these areas can help reduce pressure on fish stocks by preventing overfishing, destructive fishing, and habitat degradation—the very threats causing fish stocks to decline. They will lead, over time, to increases in fish populations, size, and biomass, allowing spillover to nearby fishing grounds,” adds Thomas.

The CTMPAS Framework and Action Plan, endorsed in 2012 by the six Coral Triangle countries, contains criteria for the effective management of Marine Protected Area (MPA) and guides the development of a system of MPAs in the region.

The launch recognizes the first set of regionally-significant MPAs in the Coral Triangle region.

Biggest MPA in Malaysia
One of the flagship marine areas being touted as part of this regional system of protected sites is the Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) in Sabah, Malaysia—a globally-significant priority conservation area in the Coral Triangle, threatened by overfishing, destructive fishing, and pollution.

The Malaysian State of Sabah has made the commitment to gazette TMP by 2015 and WWF is currently advocating for the Sabah government to meet this target.

“TMP’s rich marine biodiversity creates productive fishing grounds that support more than 80,000 people in coastal and island communities within this area. Fisheries is the economic driver of this area with approximately 100 tonnes of daily fisheries landing valued at USD200,000 a day,” says Robecca Jumin, WWF-Malaysia Marine Programme Manager.

“The CTMPAS Framework and Action Plan provides a much needed boost for gazetting this site and will help secure food and jobs for communities that are mostly made up of fishermen and fish traders,” adds Jumin.

An exemplary regional platform for food security and livelihoods
The six Coral Triangle countries–Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste—came together in 2007 to form a multilateral partnership to safeguard the marine and coastal resources of the Coral Triangle region. The landmark initiative is now known as the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF).

The CTI-CFF is an example of a regional framework under which governments, private sector, civil society, donors and development partners collectively aim for the sustainable management of marine resources with the goal of protecting the critical marine ecosystems essential to support food security and livelihoods in the Coral Triangle.

With more than 120 million people directly dependent on the region’s finite marine resources, protecting and managing key areas that are critical to food and livelihoods has been one of WWF’s priorities in the region.

“Ignoring marine habitat protection means risking the future of humanity. We urge governments from other parts of the world to follow this exemplary initiative of Coral Triangle countries and provide more investments in ocean protection for people’s wellbeing,” says Thomas.

6 Coral Triangle Iniative (CTI) Countries Establish Permanent Regional Institution
Antara 16 May 14;

MANADO, North Sulawesi, May 15, 2014 (ANTARA) -- Six state members of Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI - CFF) commemorated its 5th anniversary by officially establishing a Permanent Regional Secretariat which is absed on Manado, Indonesia. CTI-CFF is multilateral partnership of six countries, spanning of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Island, and East Timor, established on 2009 with the mission of eradicating the real threats faced by the Coral Triangle.

The Secretariat, which is to reside a 1.5 hectare of new complex in Manado, North Sulawesi, will act as the control centre and the main coordinating board to implement the CTI-CFF Regional Action Plan. Sharif C. Sutardjo, the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, said, "The Action Plan covers the establishment of seascapes towards the focus of the marine resource management, the development of the waters conservation zone, the sustainable fishery management building, the adaptation reinforcement of the coastal areas to the climate change, and the conservation of the endangered marine species."

Sharif continued, "Four of six CTI-CFF countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, East Timor, and Solomon Island, have already ratified the agreement. The agreement therefore is already kicked off."

In addition to the inauguration of the Coral Triangle Center, the CTI-CFF Ministerial Council also approved the application for the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System (CTMPAS) and the CTI-CFF Women Leaders Forum as well as ratifying a few last steps of the admission process of Brunei Darussalam as the new CTI-CFF member. the Ministerial Council consists of the Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sharif C. Sutardjo; Department Secretary of Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, Papua Nugini Gunther Joku; Undersecretary for Policy and Planning,Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines, Manuel Gerochi; The Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology, Solomon Island, Bradley Tovosia; and the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, East Timor, Mariano Assanami Sabino.

The CTI-CFF is supported by a number of governmental, organizational, and NGO partners, such as The Government of Australia, the Government of United States, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Global Environment Facility, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, Worldwide Fund for Nature, and Coral Triangle Center.

For more information, please contact:

Anang Noegroho
Head of Statistic and Data Center
The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries
+62-21-351-9070

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El Nino's threat to major food crop yields

Mark Kinver BBC News 15 May 14;

El Nino events can have a significant impact on the yields of certain major food crops, a study has shown.

Researchers say the climatic phenomenon, which triggers changes in temperature and rainfall, can reduce maize yields by more than 4%.

El Nino episodes are caused by changes in the sea surface temperature in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

Writing in Nature Communications, the team said the data could be used by governments to manage food supplies.

They wrote: "Results show that El Nino likely improves the global-mean soybean yield by 2.1-5.4% but appears to change the yields of maize, rice and wheat by -4.3% to 0.8%.

"The global-mean yield of all four crops during La Nina years tend to be below normal (-4.5% to 0.0%)," they observed.

The periodic warming (El Nino) and cooling (La Nina) of sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific Ocean are phases in the naturally occurring phenomenon El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

These phases cause a shift in the position of the jetstream, which - in turns - alters temperature and rainfall patterns in many regions around the world.

These changes result in extreme weather conditions, such as drought or abnormal rainfall, in the affected areas. This has a knock-on effect on crop yields, which are heavily influenced by temperature and precipitation levels.

Food forecasts

"This new work tells us that we can predict when the bad years will be, ahead of the harvest," explain co-author Prof Andy Challinor from the University of Leeds, UK.

The researchers found that the high reliability of ENSO forecasts presented an opportunity to link it with global crop yields data.

This, in turn, would be potentially beneficial for food monitoring and famine early warning systems.

The team mapped the impact of ENSO on the yields of four major food crops: maize, rice, wheat and soybean.

These crops account for almost 60% of the world's food calories produced on croplands.

The team observed: "Our results reveal that ENSO's impacts on the yield vary among geographical locations, crop types, ENSO phase and technology used by the crop-producing regions.

"Consequently, minimising the negative impacts or maximising the positive impacts of ENSO on global yields are increasingly important not only to ensure short-term food availability but also to maintain positive yield trends."

The scientists suggested that the forecasts could help mitigate impacts by influencing planting dates, crop choices, as well as considering other inputs such as chemical treatments and irrigation.

"An improved response to ENSO could reduce the risk of malnutrition; allow for an increase in agricultural investment in positively impacted years; and improve the adaptation capability to climate variability and change."

Earlier this year, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicted a warming of the tropical Pacific, with a majority of models indicating that an "El Nino may develop around the middle of the year".

This week, data collected by Nasa satellites showed that conditions in the eastern Pacific at the beginning of May 2014 were similar to those experienced in May 1997 - a year that saw one of the powerful El Nino episodes in the 20th Century, which claimed an estimated 2,100 lives and caused US $33bn damage to properties.

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Brazil laundering illegal timber on a 'massive and growing scale'

Greenpeace uncovers evidence that illegally logged timber is being sold on to buyers in the UK, US, Europe and China
Jonathan Watts and John Vidal theguardian.com 15 May 14;

Illegally logged timber in Brazil is being laundered on a massive and growing scale and then sold on to unwitting buyers in the UK, US, Europe and China, Greenpeace claimed on Thursday.

After a two-year investigation, the environmental campaign group says it has uncovered evidence of systematic abuse and a flawed monitoring system that contradicts the Brazilian government's claims to be coping with the problem of deforestation in the Amazon.

In a report released on Thursday, Greenpeace cited five case studies of the fraudulent techniques used by the log launderers, including over-reporting the number and size of rare trees, logging trees protected by law, and over-extraction. It notes how forest management officials are implicated in the wrongdoing and several have previously been fined or detained for similar crimes in the past.

Far more than half of the wood from the two biggest timber producing regions of Brazil probably comes from illegal sources, it says, citing figures from the Brazilian environmental research NGO, Imazon, that 78% of the wood shipped from the vast Amazonian state of Pará is illegally felled, while the figure is 54% in Mato Grosso.

"Logging in the Brazilian Amazon is absolutely out of control. The current control system is being used to launder illegal timber," said Marcio Astrini, a campaigner who was part of the two-year investigation.

Widespread abuse of the current regulations for timber extraction allow illegal loggers to acquire dubiously obtained credits, according to environmental campaigners and federal prosecutors.

With little oversight, big landowners obtain permission to cut down more trees than they intend to log and then sell on unused credits to lumber mills and other farmers.

The investigation is likely to increase pressure on the government to tighten its monitoring and certification systems to minimise the damage done to the Amazon, the world's biggest forest.

Logging is often the first step towards deforestation. The extraction of the most valuable trees, such as Apé, reduces canopy cover and opens up paths into the forest that are often later used to start fires for illegal land clearance.

Estimates of the scale of the problem are based on satellite date analysis by Imazon. Using publicly available images, the organisation traces the degree of degradation of key areas in the Amazon, estimates the amount of timber felled in unauthorised areas and then compares this with official figures for timber sales.

According to Paulo Barreto of Imazon, the situation is rapidly getting worse. He says the area illegally logged increased by 151% in Pará and by 63% in Mato Grosso between 2011 and 2012.

Greenpeace says this data and the findings of their investigation point to alarming gaps in the government's control system.

"The government is failing to inspect, or verify when they grant permission for logging," said Astrini. "The government system is weak, insecure and incapable of assuring customers that they are buying sustainable timber. As a result, buyers in Brazil and overseas are involuntarily financing crime."

The government has recognised problems in the system, though it disputes the scale of the illegal logging. Last month, the Brazilian Environment Ministry said fraud in Pará was responsible for the unlawful sale of 26.8 million cubic metres of forest products.

It admitted that the control system used by the state is also flawed. In Santarem - one of the biggest cities in Pará – the authorities are also investigating a local environment ministry chief who is alleged to have colluded with logging firms.

Government officials say they have identified the loopholes and are acting to tighten the system. But federal prosecutors in Pará are unconvinced by the results so far.

"Certainly the situation is not improving. It may be the same as before or it may be getting worse," said Bruno Valente, the federal prosecutor in Pará State.

He said the authorities needed to tighten the control system and increase the number of monitors checking the veracity of logging claims.

Greenpeace also alleged that UK high street building supply chain Jewson had been selling Ipe wood from Para state without being able to show the documents that prove it is not illegal.

"Jewson sources its timber, including the rare species Ipe, from International Timber," said a Greenpeace spokesman. Both are owned by the French multinational, Saint Gobain.

Greenpeace's spokesman added: "We asked Jewson what steps it was taking to ensure its Brazilian timber was legal. The company said it 'fully recognised the importance of auditable and independent certification' and said its 'priority was always to ask for Chain of Custody certified product wherever possible'."

The environment group group has asked the UK National Measurements Office to conduct urgent checks on Jewson and other companies known to be importing Brazilian Amazon timber into the UK.

A spokesman for Jewson said: “Jewson fully recognises its obligation in regards to the important issue of the importation of timber and acts strictly in accordance with the EU timber regulation. Jewson primarily acts as a trader in relation to these regulations and as such its obligation relates primarily to keeping detailed records of the sources of all timber purchased and where this timber is then sold.

"Jewson also complies with the UK government’s timber procurement policy, which additionally requires that only timber and wood-derived products originating from an independently verifiable legal and sustainable source will be purchased for use on the government estate, with documentation required to prove it.

"With regards specifically to Brazilian timber we are committed to ensure the legality of our timber, and take extensive steps to gather all the necessary evidence from suppliers regarding its legality including the collection of the following documents: The validated authorisation of the landowner with the document which defines the longitude and latitude areas and volume of the area, together with the sale agreement between the landowner and logger: GF3 and DOF and PEFC or FSC if appropriate.

"Jewson is very happy to work closely with Greenpeace and other similar organisations in order to address any specific questions they may have in a constructive and collaborative way.

"At this stage, however, Jewson have not been presented with any specific, detailed questions, or allegations about illegal timber. If they were, this would be treated extremely seriously and would be investigated and appropriate action taken immediately.”

International Timber were contacted by the Guardian but had not replied before publication.

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Best of our wild blogs: 15 May 14

Little Grebes’ Chasing Display
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Did you see a civet inside the Science Centre?
from Life of a common palm civet in Singapore

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RWS dolphin death: Time to ban ‘swim with’ programmes

Jason Baker, Vice-President of International Operations, PETA Asia
Today Online 15 May 14;

The death of Sharmila, one of the captive dolphins in Resorts World Sentosa’s (RWS) Dolphin Island exhibit, should prompt RWS and other resorts to stop treating marine mammals like hotel amenities.

In the wild, dolphins swim up to 160km a day together in family pods. They navigate by bouncing sonar waves off objects to determine location and distance. In aquariums, these animals can only circle endlessly in small, barren, chlorinated tanks, which to them are the size of a bathtub.

Dolphins used in “swim with” programmes and other exhibits are far removed from all that is natural to them. Separated from their families and deprived of their natural instincts to forage for food, explore, raise families and communicate with other members of their own species, dolphins quickly become bored, frustrated and depressed. Many go insane. Their difficulty in adapting to this alien world can be seen in marine mammals’ dramatically diminished life expectancies in captivity.

As long as resorts and marine parks continue to exploit dolphins, dolphins will continue to suffer and die. RWS should rehabilitate and release its remaining dolphins, and Singapore should ban dolphin shows and “swim with” programmes, much like India, Costa Rica, Hungary and Chile.

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Singapore's ready if volcanic ash hits

Chitra Kumar Channel NewsAsia 14 May 14;

SINGAPORE: There are about 120 active volcanoes in the region around Singapore.

The last time Singapore's air quality was affected by volcanic ash from an eruption was when Mount Pinatubo erupted in June 1991.

At that time, air quality went into the moderate range of between 57 and 70 for three days from 17-19 June.

But with the possibility of future eruptions in mind, authorities in Singapore are putting in place systems to monitor the impact of volcanic ash.

In February this year, the eruption of Mt Kelud in Java caused flights out of Singapore to five Indonesian cities (Semarang, Solo, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Bandung) to be cancelled.

And there have been other eruptions close by.

Mount Sinabung, located 650km from Singapore, erupted in 2010 and 2013; Mount Bromo in 2010; and Mount Merapi, the closest to Singapore at 400km away, in 2004 and 2010.

Air quality in Singapore was not affected following these eruptions.

Still, authorities are not taking things for granted.

Dr Benoit Taisne, Assistant Professor at Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, said: "The closest volcano to Singapore is Merapi in Sumatra, 400 kilometres away.

"We are working in collaboration with our colleagues from Indonesia to have more instruments on the ground to better predict the next eruption, and how violent the eruption will be.

"Since it is the closest one (to Singapore), it is the one mostly likely to inject ashes into the atmosphere that can affect Singapore.

"We need two to three years to have a good monitoring system on the ground, and then we will be capable of understanding the results for the long term."

Fong Peng Keong, director of Pollution Control Department at National Environment Agency (NEA), said: "Back in 1991, the Mount Pinatubo (eruption) actually affected the Singapore's air quality slightly.

"Our PSI actually went into the moderate range. The highest we recorded for three days was about 70.

"In the current context itself, well, the public need not be alarmed because we have the existing sensors in place.

"We have our MET service (Meteorological Service Singapore), which is working closely with research institutions such as Earth Observatory Singapore to get advanced warning.

"All these give us time to know in advance, of how volcanic ash will be affecting Singapore, and should volcanic ash be imminent in Singapore, we will actually put up advisories in regular NEA forums or NEA websites to keep the public well informed.

"Even our PSI will be able to record the changes in the weather in terms of air quality, if such an episode affects us."

- CNA/ir

Singapore to get volcanic sensor system
Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 16 May 14;

SINGAPORE - Singapore will have a new sensor system on the island by the year end to get first-hand information about nearby volcanic eruptions.

It will enable the authorities to determine more quickly if and how the eruptions would affect Singapore - for example, if volcanic ash thrown up would reach the country.

The system will be installed by Nanyang Technological University's Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), which conducts fundamental research on volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes and climate change in and around South-east Asia.

The sensors pick up low-frequency sounds or "infrasounds", including those emitted by the eruptions. These sounds, which cannot be heard by people, can travel thousands of kilometres and have a distinctive signature that is different from, say, infrasounds generated by airplanes.

Currently, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) receives advisories from Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres, such as the nearest one in Darwin, Australia.

There are nine of these around the world, including in Buenos Aires, Tokyo and London. They were set up by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, part of the United Nations.

The MSS also uses satellite images to track ash plumes, but images can be obscured by clouds or reflections from sunlight.

"With infrasound, if all goes well, you could have an alert of a nearby volcano erupting in under an hour," said Dr Felicia Shaw, who heads the MSS' Hazard Risk and Impact Assessment Unit. "Whereas right now we are waiting to hear from our data networks or for an observation from the satellite, which does erode our lead time."

The National Environment Agency, Ministry of Heath (MOH) and EOS organised a session yesterday for the media to learn more about nearby volcanoes and volcanic ash, although they stressed there was no imminent threat.

In fact, the Republic's air quality has not been affected by many recent eruptions, such as that of Mount Kelud in Indonesia in February.

The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines was the second-largest in the 20th century, but air quality here was only slightly affected. The Pollutant Standards Index rose to the "moderate" range for three days, hitting 70 at its peak.

EOS principal investigator Fidel Costa Rodriguez said the volcano closest to Singapore is Mount Marapi in Indonesia. It is about 400km away and has "frequent but small" eruptions.

Dr Derrick Heng, group director of the Health Ministry's public health group, said there are few studies on the health impact of volcanic ash, but "there is some indication that it is less harmful compared to haze particles". Still, MOH considers the health effects to be similar to those of particulate air pollutants as a precaution, he said.

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Malaysia: Department warns effects of El Nino may be felt later

The Star 15 may 14;

PETALING JAYA: It will take a while before the effects of El Nino are fully felt and the delay may even be several months, said the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD).

“The El Nino lifespan is normally between six and 18 months. If El Nino is going to occur by next month, the significant impact can only be seen at the end of this year or early next year,” said MMD’s deputy director-general Alui Bahari.

The El Nino phenomenon is characterised by a band of unusually warm ocean water temperatures that periodically develops off the Pacific coast of South America that could cause extreme weather changes across the Pacific region such as fluctuating droughts, floods and scrappy crop yields in some regions.

“El Nino is a slow process. It takes a few months before the impact is felt by the country. Generally, Sabah and Sarawak will be affected the most when it comes to El Nino years,” said Alui.

Some of the countermeasures against prolonged drought would be cloud-seeding operations.

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Alui added that further studies had to be conducted before the phenomenon, such as the overly hot Chinese New Year season leading to subsequent water shortages and the recent floods in Kuala Lumpur, could be attributed to climate change.

Department of Environment director-general Datuk Halimah Hassan said her department would be on the lookout for open burning.

“We will step up our enforcement action, with land and aerial surveillance to curb open burning. There’s still a total ban on open burning in Selangor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya since March 2014,” said Halimah, who urged the public to cooperate and not to resort to open burning.

Forum Air Malaysia, an organisation formed to assist the National Water Services Commis­sion (Span), said the Government had to prepare well.

“It must ensure that there will be adequate water supply to all consumers during El Nino,” said manager Foon Weng Lian, who also urged Putrajaya to be more transparent in disseminating information.

Cabinet committee set up as Malaysia braces for El Nino
The Star 15 May 14;

PUTRAJAYA: A special cabinet committee has been set up as the country braces for the El Nino phenomenon from June to September due to the dry Southwest Monsoon, said Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili.

He said the committee would be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin while the secretariat would be hosted by the ministry.

"The special cabinet committee will monitor the devastating impact of the dry spell (brought about by El Nino) from various aspects, including weather changes, health and agriculture.

"The committee will also monitor and implement comprehensive mitigation measures at the national level to brace for the El Nino phenomenon in all economic and social sectors," he said in a statement on Thursday.

Ongkil said the committee would take over the role of the Water Crisis Committee, which was set up by the ministry during the water rationing exercise from January to April.

He said the committee would be made up of representatives from the Health Ministry, the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry, the Finance Ministry, and the National Security Council.

Apart from the Malaysian Meteorological Department's forecast, he said the World Meteorology Organisation predicted that the El Nino phenomenon could persist from six to 18 months, and if this were to happen t would worsen the national water supply situation.

Meanwhile, Ongkili urged state governments to take immediate steps to ensure enough raw water supply and protect water sources to avoid inadequate supply of treated water to consumers.

While urging domestic and industrial users to use water prudently, he said industrial users should take steps to reduce the impact of water crisis by using underground water, recycling water, using water-efficient equipments, and increasing the capacity of water storage tanks. - Bernama

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Malaysia: Perhilitan rescues sun bear after week-long stakeout

desiree tresa gasper The Star 15 May 14;

JOHOR BARU: A sun bear, caged up and its paws destined to end up in soup, got a new lease of life when it was rescued by the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).

“Our officers from Johor and Kuala Lumpur conducted a week-long stakeout of a shop lot before moving in to rescue the bear on Tuesday,” said state Perhilitan director Hasnan Yusop.

The shop lot was along Susur 4, Jalan Tun Razak here. Five men were arrested to assist in investigations.

“After rescuing the animal, our specialist examined the bear and found it to be healthy,” he said.

The sun bear is under rehabilitation and will be eventually released into the wild.

“The animal is a protected species under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, but is usually sold to restaurants who make soup from its paws.

“Checks revealed that a small bowl of bear paw soup could be sold between RM400 and RM900,” he said.

The case would be investigated under Section 68(1)(a) of the Act.

If found guilty, the persons involved could be fined up to RM100,000, or jailed up to three years, or both, if found guilty.

Hasnan urged anyone with information on poachers or illegal selling or keeping of wildlife to contact Johor Perhilitan at 07-223-0580.

Johor Malaysia Nature Society chairman Vincent Chow said more should be done to permanently shut down businesses selling such exotic meat.

He also urged the authorities to investigate cases where orang asli were used to hunt protected animals.

“According to our current laws, it is not an offence for the orang asli to capture any kind of wildlife for food, but this is being abused by poachers and those involved in the wildlife trade,” he said.

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Best of our wild blogs: 14 May 14

Campaign Leader, Shark Savers [Job]
from Green Business Singapore

Morning Walk At Venus Drive (13 May 2014)
from Beetles@SG BLOG

Oriental Pied Hornbill sighted in Sin Ming Avenue, Singapore
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Ubin Tua Pek Kong Celebration - Day 1
from Peiyan.Photography

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Can civil society influence policies?

Leonard Lim The Straits Times AsiaOne 14 May 14;

The large, spreading banyan tree once had such a thick canopy that little sunlight could filter through, hindering the flourishing of any plants below.

But, to borrow this metaphor of the State made famous by former minister George Yeo in 1991, it has been pruned somewhat in the past couple of years.

Consultation and engagement have become the buzzwords of government policymaking in a changed political landscape, with a more well-educated, well-travelled populace becoming more assertive and vocal.

There may be no better time for civil society - the wide spectrum of organisations operating outside the government and business sectors - to test this pledge to listen more, and in the process carve out a more influential role for itself.

They can take heart from the naming of Mr Tan Chuan-Jin last year as the Government's unofficial point person for engaging with non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Mr Tan is Manpower Minister and a member of the fourth-generation leadership.

In 2012, Law and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam met gay activists to discuss matters such as discrimination and the anti-gay sex law Section 377A.

The State's engagement with other interest groups on animal rights, heritage and conservation as well as environmental awareness has also increased.

Civil society has scored significant victories recently as well, influencing legislation and government policy.

Since the start of last year, foreign maids - either with a new work permit or a renewed one - have been entitled to a day off every week, or must be paid a day's wages in lieu.

As contracts last two years, all maids will, by next January, be on new contracts that have to abide by the rule. The change came about after a decade of lobbying from groups championing the rights of migrant workers.

Laws on sexual crimes have also been repealed.

It started in late 2011, after an article highlighting a little-known section of the Evidence Act was put up on website publichouse.sg. The Act allowed a man charged with rape to discredit the victim by digging into her sexual history, and showing she is of generally immoral character.

Mr Andrew Loh, who runs the site, circulated the post to several ministries to get a response.

He received a call from the Law Ministry suggesting a meeting, but turned it down as he felt the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) was the expert on the topic.

Mr Shanmugam eventually met representatives from the women's rights advocacy group and later started the process of amending the Act.

Nature lovers, who in 2001 succeeded in getting the reclamation plans for the Chek Jawa wetlands area shelved, also extracted concessions on Bukit Brown cemetery recently.

Several nature and heritage groups opposed the construction of a road that would slice through the historic graveyard.

It is the largest Chinese cemetery outside China, and among the thousands of graves are those of philanthropist Gan Eng Seng and Lee Hoon Leong, grandfather of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

After months of engagement, a compromise was reached and the authorities changed the road's design so that the number of graves exhumed fell from 5,000 to 3,746.

But there are also many examples where civil society's push for change was not successful.

Earlier this year, several activists took issue with the Government's tabling of proposed legislation to keep the peace in Little India following last December's riot.

They argued that the parliamentary Bill placed too much focus on alcohol as the cause of the riot, and this might influence a Committee of Inquiry's deliberations.

Several non-partisan Nominated MPs criticised aspects of it. But it was passed, with the Government explaining that the new laws would give the police powers in the neighbourhood for a year until longer-term measures could be enacted.

Other recent civil society proposals that were rebuffed include calls to introduce a poverty line to reduce income inequality, and the withdrawal of licensing regulations of news websites, which some saw as onerous and curbing free expression.

But groups can take heart that "the Government has and will continue to engage civil society as an essential partner in dealing with the important issues that face Singapore", as Mr Shanmugam's press secretary wrote in a letter to The Straits Times Forum page last November.

Still, even as the political leadership indicates a greater willingness to engage, there is always the lingering question mark over whether a civil society group's actions or statements are deemed to have crossed into the political arena, thus risking censure from the Government.

This longstanding stance of politics and political comment belonging only in the realm of party politics can be traced back to the fledgling days of the People's Action Party.

In the 1960s and 1970s, leftists used trade unions and cultural groups to garner support against the party.

A recent incident involved activist Nizam Ismail.

In April last year, the lawyer was accused by the Government of using the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) as a platform for pursuing partisan and racial politics, a claim which he denied.

He resigned from his AMP leadership positions, saying he was told the Government had taken issue with his online comments and participation in political events that he said he did in his "personal capacity".

In the wake of the furore, Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, said in May last year that the Government welcomes feedback on policies even if they may be critical, as this helps improve public policy for the benefit of all Singaporeans.

But NGOs "should not be used as a cloak for partisan political objectives", he stressed.

"Similarly, while individuals in the NGOs are free to express their views, they should not use their organisations to pursue a partisan political agenda," he added.

The goals of civil society in wanting social transformation, however, mean these limits will inadvertently be tested on occasion.

Still, if the saplings under the banyan tree are to take root and thrive, much will depend on how willing Singapore's civil society is to push the boundaries and extend its reach in this new landscape.

Race, religion still sensitive issues

As the fairways for public discourse and debate are widened, one marker will continue to stay out of bounds: race and religion.

In multicultural and multiracial Singapore, politicians have always emphasised that social cohesion is critical to the country's long-term success.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has also singled out racial and religious divides as the "most visceral and dangerous fault line", potentially worse than the rich-poor gap or any divide between Singaporeans and foreign residents.

Law and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam made clear at a civil society conference in November last year that the Government should not roll back its out-of-bounds markers on race and religion.

This is because such discussions can still threaten the social fabric.

Replying to a question on whether the State should step back to let citizens acquire the skills of civil debate, Mr Shanmugam said: "At a very philosophical level, you could say we should be able to talk about each other's racial and religious issues without having to really damage society.

"Often you will have a group of people who will debate it at that level, but then you will have probably a larger group, in any society, for whom this becomes very visceral and impacts on their perception of another race.

"I'm not saying these are the only viewpoints. But in that context, I would advocate (that) the Government... intervene, and say what the terms of those sorts of debates should be.

"That's been our position in the past and I don't see that changing in the context of the Internet, (which is) just a means of expression."

Bukit Brown: No consultation to extract concessions
Straits Times Forum 15 May 14;

THE article ("Can civil society influence policies?"; Monday) said civil society groups "extracted concessions on Bukit Brown cemetery".

As key players in the civil movement trying to protect and preserve Bukit Brown, we are unclear what "concessions" the article referred to.

In 2012, the decision to build a highway through Bukit Brown had already been made before the official announcement. We were present at a briefing by the Ministry of National Development, but there was no consultation or protracted engagement thereafter to extract any concessions. We issued a call for a moratorium and moved on.

The article said the number of graves planned for exhumation was reduced from 5,000 to 3,746 as part of a compromise reached with civil society. This was not the case.

The number of graves finally affected was 4,153. The figure cited in the article was from a Land Transport Authority (LTA) statement on March 19, 2012 on the realignment of the road. The final tally of affected graves was in an Aug 5, 2013 statement by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and LTA to announce the award of the contract for the road.

Also, both statements clearly attributed the road realignment to an engineering decision. The decrease in the number of graves affected had nothing to do with consultations with civil society.

The LTA statement that announced the road design included a plan for a bridge over several creeks in Bukit Brown, rather than a design that would see the filling up of these natural drainage networks with soil.

There was no consultation on the original design or its changes. It is not clear if the adjustment was a result of a yet-undisclosed but limited-scope biodiversity impact assessment that the LTA conducted in early 2012.

Regardless of the reason, this change in design was not a result of a "compromise" with civil society.

To date, there has been no consultation on the zoning of the greater Bukit Brown area in its entirety for residential use in the 2013 Draft Master Plan released by the URA. This area includes the larger cemetery complex comprising Bukit Brown, Seh Ong, Lau Sua and Kopi Sua.

We would like to focus on the present. We have been meeting the National Heritage Board since the middle of last year and hope to make more progress in protecting Bukit Brown.

Chua Ai Lin (Dr)
President
Singapore Heritage Society

Claire Leow (Ms)
Co-Founder
All Things Bukit Brown

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