Best of our wild blogs: 26 May 14

Some dead fishes seen at Sungei Buloh
from wild shores of singapore

A visit to Greenleaf forest
from My Nature Experiences

From Lornie to Venus
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Call of the female Oriental Pied Hornbill
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Singapore's biodiversity on the Evolutionary Biology Lab's resources from wild shores of singapore

Mayan Cichlid @ Sungei Buloh
from Monday Morgue

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Experts warn of long period of haze

Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 25 May 14;

SINGAPORE: The haze that is expected to hit Singapore in the coming months could go on for as long as three months, experts have warned.

This is similar to what the Republic experienced in 1997, they said.

Prolonged hazy skies could happen if a strong El Nino effect sets in, compounded by the already-started illegal land clearing by farmers in Sumatra.

El Nino is a phenomenon which causes severely dry weather and high temperatures in this region.

According to environmental reports, there were more than 3,000 hotspots in Sumatra at the peak of the haze crisis in March alone.

This compared to about 2,700 in June last year.

The next dry season will occur between June and October, and experts are concerned illegal land clearing in Sumatra will result in large-scale fires.

"If they deliberately set fires to clear land, particularly if it's land being cleared illegally, they are not going to listen to anyone who tells them not to start the fire," said Mr Faizal Parish, Director of Global Environment Centre, a non-governmental organisation based in Malaysia.

"They won't take immediate action to put out the fire. The problem (in Sumatra) is the need for active enforcement on the ground."

Worse, the March fires have not yet been put out completely.

Mr Parish said: "(About) 90 per cent of smoke and haze is coming from peat. Fires can remain burning underground for months and then come back up to the surface during dry periods.

"So, sometimes when there's rain, the surface fire goes out but is still smouldering on the ground. A few days later, or a week later, the fire can re-emerge again from underground to the surface."

Mr Parish said the fires deep within the peat smouldered for as long as six months between 1997 and 1998.

That was also the year strong El Nino conditions set in.

How warm a particular stretch of the Pacific Ocean is could provide an indication of an El Nino pattern.

Experts say the sea surface temperatures have to consistently be 0.5 degrees Celsius above a long-term average for an El Nino season to be declared and this part of the Pacific Ocean has been exceeding these thresholds since April.

In Singapore, experts say 1997 was also characterised by the lowest annual rainfall measured in the Republic since 1948.

Assistant Professor Winston Chow from the National University of Singapore's Geography Department said: "In June, July and August, we should be experiencing South West Monsoon or summer monsoon conditions where wind direction comes from the south or south west.

"You still have rainfall occurring. But what happens during El Nino is that while the wind conditions more or less remain the same, you can expect less rainfall to happen. On top of that, you would expect higher-than-normal temperatures during the season as well."

Professor Chow said if there are intense fires in Sumatra, the prevailing wind direction would fan the smoke and particulate matter towards Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia.

- CNA/ir

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Corals go spawning, but El Nino may turn them white

Whole colonies of coral releasing eggs and sperm, in an orgiastic ritual that occurs every April.
Chew Hui Min MyPaper AsiaOne 26 May 14;

SINGAPORE - It's an orgy in Singapore waters that occurs every April.

In a ritual triggered by the light of the full moon, corals release their eggs and sperm during mass spawnings that have been described as aquatic symphonies.

The spectacle resembles an underwater snowstorm, with billions of little pink bundles bursting out from the corals in synchrony.

A few weeks ago, from April 18 to 20, a team of observers, including Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin, witnessed the love fest in dusk dives off Pulau Satumu.

In a Facebook post, the minister described his "first night dive" as "fascinating".

This year, the corals were fairly productive, spawning up to 70 per cent of the levels seen in 2010. Later that year, the reefs took a beating from a mass coral bleaching event.

For research purposes, 2010 serves as a reference year as the spawning was robust, said Karenne Tun, deputy director at the National Biodiversity Centre.

This year, at least 25 species were seen spawning, she said.

But with a 50 per cent chance of El Nino developing this year, marine biologists here are on the alert for a possible coral bleaching.

The phenomenon occurs when corals under stress lose their colour and turn white.

In May to July 2010, water temperatures in the area exceeded the bleaching threshold of 31.15 deg C. Just a tiny bump in temperature for about a month resulted in the death of nearly 5 per cent of the corals here.

Fearing another mass coral bleaching this year, the National Parks Board (NParks) has placed temperature loggers in the sea to assess the risks.

It also relies on a network of volunteers who dive in local waters to report any signs of bleaching.

Still, corals here have proved to be tough, said Dr Tun. Mortality rates following the bleachings seen in 1998 and 2010 have been lower than those suffered by other reefs in the region.

"We have a lot of optimism because our corals are quite resilient," Dr Tun told My Paper.

"If a bleaching event comes, we won't be able to control it, but we will monitor our reefs to understand how different species respond. This will help us develop management plans to safeguard the more vulnerable species."

One option could involve moving a representative sample of a sensitive species, if the bleaching is as severe as it was in 2010.

Marine biologists and conservationists here are no strangers to relocating corals, with at least five major coral transplant projects having been conducted so far.

Since late last year, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has been moving some 1,600 coral colonies from the Sultan Shoal to the southern St John's and Sisters' Islands.

The shoal will be affected by the development of a new Tuas Terminal, as MPA works to consolidate Singapore's container port activities in Tuas.

The corals relocated earlier in the year are doing well, Dr Tun said.

Over the years, techniques have been refined, and migrated corals now enjoy a better chance of survival, said reef ecology expert Chou Loke Ming.

In the 1990s, a relocation project from Pulau Ayer Chawan to a site off Sentosa saw two thirds of the corals die off but, today, the survival rate is around 70 to 80 per cent.

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Indonesia: Batam to have two botanical gardens

Antara 25 May 14;

Batam, Riau Islands (ANTARA News) - Batam City, Riau Islands Province, will have two botanical gardens having different functions, to be located respectively in Nongsa Sub-district and Galang Island.

A botanical garden measuring 86 hectares would be developed in Nongsa as a conservation area for various flora species, and a center for research, recreation, and informal education, Ilham Eka Hartawan a spokesman of the Batam Authorities, said here on Sunday.

Another botanical garden to be set up in Galang Island was meant to preserve historical remnants of the former Vietnamese refugees camp there, he added.

"The large of Galang botanical garden will not be more than 10 hectares. We have submitted the proposal in 2000. However, we will review the plan to see whether it is still relevant to develop the botanical garden," he said.

The ex-camp of Vietnamese refugees on Galang Island, which is part of the Batam territories, has attracted domestic and foreign tourists who are interested in history.

The local administration has preserved and improved the infrastructures and facilities existing on the island since 2013 for touristic purposes.

Batam Mayor Ahmad Dahlan recently said that botanical gardens were expected to attract more tourists to visit the city.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI)s exploration team found 283 species of flora in Batam, including a giant orchid known as "sugarcane" orchid, Candan (Aquilaria hirta), rattan, meranti (Shorea), Bintangur (Calophyllum insularum), and kruing (Dipterocarpus retusus).
(F001)

Editor: Ella Syafputri

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Best of our wild blogs: 24-25 May 14

7 Jun (Sat) evening: Free guided walk at the Pasir Ris mangroves from Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

mangrove balloon @ berlayar creek 23May2014
from sgbeachbum

Night Walk At Old Upper Thomson Road (23 May 2014)
from Beetles@SG BLOG

Nesting of the Green Imperial-pigeon
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Butterfly of the Month - May 2014
from Butterflies of Singapore

Sunny day at Chek Jawa with the Naked Hermit Crabs
from wild shores of singapore

Guttered
from The annotated budak

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Demand for environment impact studies grows

Feng Zengkun and Grace Chua The Straits Times 24 May 14;

The concept is simple: Before you build something, study how it will affect the environment and its surroundings in detail.

While this may sound obvious, "environmental impact assessments" or EIAs have become more widespread in Singapore only in recent years.

The most high-profile EIA is an upcoming one commissioned by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to study how the Cross Island MRT Line, to be completed in 2030, will affect the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Though the line's alignment has yet to be finalised, nature groups have called for the protection of the reserve and are concerned about the possibility of the train line being built through it.

Design and consultancy firm Aecom said "Singapore becoming denser" has led to the growing demand for such studies. "Certain developments will cause some impact on neighbouring properties or on nature areas," said Mr Mark Vergara, its country director for the environment business line.

He estimated that demand for EIAs has risen about 50 per cent compared to two to three years ago and said Aecom's "top client" has been the Government.

Nominated MP Faizah Jamal, who champions EIAs, said: "There is more consciousness now of their importance, especially after the LTA's eight-month engagement with nature groups on the Cross Island Line."

A Ministry of National Development spokesman said: "Under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) planning process, all development proposals are comprehensively assessed by relevant agencies before approval is given."

Reviewing agencies include the URA, LTA, National Parks Board, national water agency PUB, Maritime and Port Authority, National Environment Agency and Agri- Food and Veterinary Authority. They evaluate the impact on issues like the environment, traffic, and maritime navigation.

"Some of the proposals may require further studies to better understand their impact on the surroundings," the spokesman added. "In particular, EIAs are required for major development proposals if they are near sensitive areas such as nature reserves."

Activists would like legislation for EIAs to standardise when they are carried out and how rigorous they need to be. The Nature Society's environmental law and policy coordinator Vinayagan Dharmarajah said that would "force industry to up its game and give people a sense of ownership".

Ms Natalia Huang, 32, whose firm conducts animal studies for EIAs, said Singapore could follow Australia, where they have "Level 1 and Level 2 fauna assessments".

"This reflects the size, the anticipated impact, public sensitivity and previous knowledge of biodiversity" of the site.

Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law director Lye Lin-Heng said the Government "should consult the public, some of whom may have very specialised knowledge", to make well-informed decisions.

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Singapore haze advisory panel meets for first time

Channel NewsAsia 23 May 14;

SINGAPORE: The first meeting of the International Advisory Panel on Transboundary Pollution (IAP-TP) took place between Thursday (May 22) and Friday (May 23), as the country braces for another haze season in the coming dry months.

The panel comprises of eight international law experts, including co-chairs Professor S. Jayakumar and Professor Tommy Koh.

It is expected to advise the Singapore Government on trends and issues under international law relating to transboundary pollution and providing recommendations it could adopt to tackle the issue.

Four eminent experts, including two from Indonesia, will support the panel's deliberations.

Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said on Friday (May 23) after the meeting: "Transboundary haze is a recurring problem which has affected our region and Singapore for decades. If haze re-occurs during the dry season in the next few months, it may be worsened by the higher probability of an El Nino weather pattern this year.

"The IAP-TP has an important role to study and advise the Singapore Government on the possible options and practical steps available under international law that Singapore can take to resolve this issue. I look forward to receiving the IAP recommendations soon.”

The advisory panel will present a report to the Government when ready, but no time frame was announced.

- CNA/do

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Malaysia: 'Eating turtle eggs is dangerous'

New Straits Times 25 May 14;

MALACCA: People should stop eating sea turtle meat and eggs as they pose a health risk, said Fisheries Department deputy director-general (development) Datuk Ismail Abu Hassan.

He said contrary to belief that sea turtle eggs were nutritious and could boost fertility, they contained a high amount of cholesterol.

Sea turtle eggs, he said, had four times more cholesterol than chicken eggs.

"Research showed that sea turtle meat contains a high level of heavy metals, which could cause health problems," he said in Muara Sungai Duyong here yesterday.

Ismail said efforts must be made to safeguard the endangered species.

He said the state government was monitoring a hawksbill landing and nesting habitat in Pulau Upeh, now in a critical state as a result of sea reclamation works.

He warned developers to comply with the law to avoid damaging surrounding areas.

"We will ask the state authorities, including the land and mineral office and economic planning unit, to make sure developers follow designs for their project."

Pulau Upeh is the largest hawksbill turtle nesting ground in Peninsular Malaysia and the second largest in the country.

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Thailand: Phuket battered by coastal erosion

Phuket Gazette 25 May 14;

PHUKET: Officials yesterday expressed deep concern about the rate of coastal erosion, especially at Bang Tao Beach and coastal areas inside Sirinath National Park on Phuket’s west coast.

The issue was raised at a meeting chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa yesterday at The Metropole Phuket hotel in Phuket Town.

Coastal erosion has ravaged areas in all six provinces along the Andaman Coast, said Somsri Arvakait, Director of Policy and Management for Coastal Areas at the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR).

“In addition, areas in nine provinces in the upper reaches of the Gulf of Thailand have suffered extensive coastal erosion, as well as eight provinces in lower areas of the gulf,” she said.

Tanet Munnoy, chief of the DMCR Region 5 office based in Phuket, reported that sections of Bang Tao Beach and coastal areas inside Sirinath National Park were the worst hit on the island.

“Coastal erosion has been a problem for years. We have been studying it, but we simply are not sure how best to counter it,” he said.

The battle against coastal erosion has plagued seafront communities and resort owners in the region for years.

In March, Krabi villagers built bamboo barriers 500 meters long in front of a fishing village to protect against it (story here).

Last year, waves two meters high caused damage along 13 kilometers of beachfront at Bang Niang Beach in Phang Nga, forcing at least one hotel owner to set up sandbags to protect against the sea and prompting the local mayor to call for help from the Phang Nga Governor (story here).

In 2012, constant pounding by waves battered a seawall to pieces at Surin Beach in Phuket (story here).

In 2011, local businessmen and restauranteurs at Rawai Beach raced to repair a seawall after a large section of sidewalk plunged into the sea (story here).

Mr Tanet told the Phuket Gazette that the DMRC was to meet again soon to discuss possible strategies to defend against the erosion.

“However, at this stage we don’t know when or where that meeting will be,” he said.
- See more at: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Phuket-battered-coastal-erosion/29542#ad-image-0

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Carbon loss from tropical forests 'underestimated'

Matt McGrath BBC News 22 May 14;

The amount of carbon lost from tropical forests is being significantly underestimated, a new study reports.

In addition to loss of trees, the degradation of tropical forests by selective logging and fires causes large amounts of "hidden" emissions.

The slow moving process has remained almost invisible to satellite observations in the Amazon.

Researchers say degradation in Brazil causes additional emissions equivalent to 40% of those from deforestation.

The research is due to be published in the journal Global Change Biology.

The rapid removal of trees in the Amazon rainforest has been a significant source of global carbon emissions for many decades.

It is said to account for around 12% of human induced greenhouse gases, roughly the equivalent of both agriculture and transport.
Grounded assessment

But the estimates of these losses have relied mainly on satellite observations to count the missing trees.

Scientists have long been aware that the human impact on the rainforest is a slow process and that carbon is being lost even though the satellites show the tree cover is still intact.

This new study attempts to overcome these limitations by using on-the-ground assessments. Over 70,000 trees were measured and over 5,000 soil samples were taken in an effort to get an accurate picture of the impact of degradation.

"It's been completely overlooked," said lead author Dr Erika Berenguer from Lancaster University.

"When we talk about deforestation, we completely remove the forest and all that carbon is lost."

"When you talk about degradation it is more cryptic. Chunks of the forest are affected but when you look from the satellite image you still see trees, you just don't know the condition, and that is why it is overlooked."

Degradation is slow moving and the researchers acknowledge it is hard to measure. They believe that this is one of the reasons that it has been underestimated.

Another factor is that in Brazil much of the degraded forest is in private hands, meaning that researchers have to work with a large numbers of landowners to assess the losses.

The team believe their study is the most accurate picture yet of the scale of emissions from this source. They believe that in 2010 this amounted to 54 billion tonnes, around 40% of the carbon loss from deforestation in the Amazon.

"It is mainly fires that escape from burning pasture, selective logging and edge effects," said Dr Berenguer.

"These edge effects happen when you fragment a forest, when it is close to a pasture, that border is subject to higher temperatures, higher winds and the forest starts dying out from the edge toward the core."

The scientists believe that degradation is having an impact on global emissions of carbon as forests in Indonesia and Africa are all subject to similar processes. Existing efforts to tackle the problem they say, are simply not effective.

"The take-home message from this report for me is the need for better management of tropical lands, with strict controls on selective logging to avoid unnecessary damage to the forest," said Dr Simon Lewis, a forest scientist at University College London, who wasn't involved with the study.

"This needs to be joined together with fire management, to avoid fires getting near tropical forests."

Monitoring for degradation has been attempted in Brazil in the past but was discontinued after a number of years. The researchers believe that it is crucial not only to increase the accuracy of carbon counts but to ensure that future attempts to limit activities that encourage degradation are enforced.

But Dr Berenguer believes that researchers and consumers have a role to play as well.

"I would like to see the scientific community paying more attention to it, it is difficult work but we can't overlook it anymore.

"I would urge the general public to pay attention to their shopping, they can lead to these high levels of emissions by buying uncertified timber."

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Best of our wild blogs: 23 May 14

Submit your record of Lyssa zampa, the tropical swallowtail moth, in Singapore from Habitatnews

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Stamford Diversion Canal construction to start this year: PUB

Channel NewsAsia 22 May 14;

SINGAPORE: PUB said on Thursday (May 22) that construction work for the first phase of the Stamford Diversion Canal, which covers Orchard Road, will begin in the coming months.

Building of the canal will take place in two phases, with the first phase covering the Tanglin and Kim Seng areas. This will be carried out by Or Kim Peow Contractors at S$50.6 million, the national water agency stated.

A tender for the second phase, which will cover the Grange Road to River Valley Road areas, has been called. The entire canal is expected to be completed in 2017, said PUB.

It added there will be traffic diversions at a stretch of Grange Road at the junction of Orchard Boulevard and River Valley Road off Kim Seng Road. However, diversions will be carefully planned with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to minimise inconvenience and disruption to the public and those working and living in the vicinity, the agency said.

The new two-kilometre-long Stamford Diversion Canal is part of a holistic approach by the PUB to ease the load on the Stamford Canal. Prolonged heavy rains in recent years have resulted in the canal exceeding its capacity, leading to major flooding in various part of the Orchard Road shopping belt.

In addition to the diversion canal, PUB is also building a detention tank near the junction of Tyersall Avenue and Tyersall Road. It has a storage capacity of about 38,000 cubic metres, or 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and will be used to capture excess stormwater from the drains along Holland Road.

Construction for the detention tank began in December 2013, and will be completed in 2016, it said.

Construction of Stamford Diversion Canal to start in Q3
Louisa Tang Today Online 23 May 14;

SINGAPORE — As part of plans to reduce flooding along the busy Orchard Road shopping belt, national water agency PUB will begin construction work on the Stamford Diversion Canal in the third quarter of this year.

The first phase of construction, which costs S$50.6 million, runs through the Tanglin and Kim Seng areas, while a tender has been called for the second phase along Grange Road to River Valley Road.

Construction of the entire 2km-long diversion canal will be completed in 2017. It will divert stormwater away from the upstream section of the Stamford Canal catchment — about one-third of the entire catchment — towards Singapore River, and eventually, into the Marina Reservoir.

“We will also continue to work with the developers and building owners on implementing ‘source measures’ to slow down the flow of stormwater into the public drainage system and ‘receptor measures’ to protect the buildings against floods,” said PUB director of catchment and waterways, Mr Tan Nguan Sen.

Orchard Road was hit by several flash floods between 2010 and 2012. In June 2010, heavy rains flooded shopping malls such as Liat Towers and Lucky Plaza and car park basements, affecting many businesses in the area.

PUB said later that Stamford Canal, the drainage system under Orchard Road, had become choked with debris, causing water to overflow to the surface onto the junction of Orchard Road and Scotts Road.

As work on the diversion canal in the coming months will be carried out close to the Land Transport Authority’s construction sites for the Orchard Boulevard and Great World MRT stations, traffic will be diverted at a stretch of Grange Road at the junction of Orchard Boulevard and at River Valley Road off Kim Seng Road. The roads, however, will remain accessible.

Work on several new drainage improvement projects will also begin in the second half of this year.

The first phase of upgrading of the Siglap Canal, to be completed by 2017, will cover East Coast Parkway to the sea, where the canal will be deepened and widened. The Alexandra Canal Subsidiary Drain “F”, between Tiong Bahru Road and Outram Road, will be upgraded alongside a PUB Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters project, which is expected to be completed in 2016.

Work to start on new anti-flood canal
The Stamford Canal at the junction of the Orchard and Killiney Roads.
Feng Zengkun The Straits Times 23 May 14;

SINGAPORE - Construction of the new Stamford Diversion Canal will start in the coming months and eventually help to reduce the Orchard Road shopping belt's risk of floods.

National water agency PUB said yesterday that work will start on the 2km, underground canal between July and September and is expected to be completed in 2017.

Stretching from Tanglin to the Singapore River, it will divert rainwater away from the existing Stamford Canal, which could not cope with heavy rain in several instances in 2010 and 2011, leading to floods in the Orchard area.

PUB said construction will take place in two phases. The first in the Tanglin and Kim Seng areas will be carried out by Or Kim Peow Contractors and cost $50.6 million. A tender for the second phase from Grange Road to River Valley Road has been called.

The construction will mean traffic diversions at a stretch of Grange Road, but the number of lanes will be maintained.

PUB also said it would work with the Land Transport Authority and "ensure that the noise level is kept within allowable limits at all times". Apart from the diversion canal, an underground detention tank will also be completed in 2016 to store rainwater from Holland Road drains. This will help to further reduce Orchard flood risks. Located near the junction of Tyersall Avenue and Tyersall Road, the tank will have a 38,000 cubic metre storage capacity - equal to about 15 Olympic-size swimming pools. Its construction started in December last year. Orchard Road Business Association executive director Steven Goh said the new tank and canal will be a "sustainable and permanent solution".

In the meantime, at least four properties in the area - Lucky Plaza, Tanglin Mall, Forum the Shopping Mall and Liat Towers - have boosted their flood protection via measures such as flood barriers.

"As the canal construction continues, there may be minor inconveniences, especially where it is near the construction site for the Orchard Boulevard MRT station, but we will give feedback to PUB," said Mr Goh.

PUB has drainage projects under way or set to take place at 170 or so locations islandwide.

Director of catchment and waterways Tan Nguan Sen said the measures will help Singapore cope with more intense rainfall.

"We will also continue to work with developers and building owners to slow down the flow of storm water into the public drainage system and to protect the buildings against floods," he said.

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