SG50 Intertidal Walks
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Wed 27 May 2015 @ NUS U Town "The Future of Marine Science in Singapore"
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In celebration of migratory bird day: Singapore and the East Asian-Australasian migratory flyway
Singapore Bird Group
Night Walk At Pasir Ris Farmway (08 May 2015)
Beetles@SG BLOG
The Julia Heliconian's Samba Continues...
Butterflies of Singapore
Gurveen Kaur The Straits TimesS AsiaOne 9 May 15;
Sightings of otters in various parts of Singapore might have sent the public into a tizzy last year but for housewife Jenny Tan, 47, it was spotting a barn owl while kayaking along the Marina Reservoir that had her squealing in delight.
She says: "We caught sight of a barn owl perched in a corner beneath the Benjamin Sheares Bridge as well as a sea turtle and some otters too.
"It was a surprise for me to learn that such wildlife can be found in the middle of the city."
Ms Tan was on a guided kayak tour organised by the People's Association (PA) Water-Venture as part of its annual Discovery Series of guided expeditions on water to explore Singapore's flora and fauna.
This year, the series will take participants through three different waterscapes - reservoirs, open seas and mangrove habitats - with mangroves being the latest addition.
There will be nine tours in total, with routes ranging from 3 to 11km in areas including Jurong Lake, Marina Reservoir and Seletar Island.
Each expedition can have up to 100 participants who are split into smaller groups of 10 to 20 and accompanied by volunteer trainers.
Most of the programmes do not require any kayaking experience, but participants need to be older than 10 or 12 depending on the expedition.
Those between the ages of 10 and 12 need to be accompanied by an adult.
The cost starts from $20 for members of the public and $15 for PA Water-Venture members.
The trips will begin later this month and run till August.
Those interested can sign up on the PA website.
Only the Sea Discovery programmes, which takes participants to Seletar Island and Punggol Beach, require proof of kayaking experience.
Participants need to have a 1-star kayaking certificate or must have attended a previous PA's Discovery Series event, or have gone for a kayaking orientation programme.
Introduced in 2013, the Discovery Series aims to let Singaporeans appreciate the wildlife and vegetation along the country's waterways.
For example, during the mangrove tours, you are likely to spot the common mangrove tree api-api putih (Avicennia alba) and wildlife such as the black-crowned night heron as you kayak through Sungei Api Api in Pasir Ris and Khatib Bongsu in Yishun.
The programme began with just the Reservoir Discovery Series. Following its success, Mr Roy Chew, PA WaterVenture's deputy director of the community sports division says other waterscape tours were introduced "to offer participants more opportunities to experience different waterscapes and terrains".
He adds that participation for these water tours has jumped fourfold since 2013 from 99 to 465.
Nature lover Ron Yeo, 40, who will be advising the volunteer trainers, hopes that the expeditions will widen the public's perspective of the diversity of Singapore's natural habitats.
Says the civil servant: "Many are so detached from nature here that they don't realise that there is a great deal of flora and fauna to be found in our own backyard.
"By kayaking through these mangroves and reservoirs, participants can get up close and personal with nature."
Book it
PA WATER-VENTURE DISCOVERY SERIES
Where: Various parts of the island. Meet at the PA Water-Venture outlets
When: Nine expeditions will run from May 24 to August 23, 10am to 12.30pm
Cost: $20 to $40. $15 to $35 for PA Water-Venture members
Info: Go to one.pa.gov.sg to sign up. Search "Discovery Series" under "Activity"
Miranda Yeo and Gilaine Ng The Straits Times AsiaOne 9 May 15;
Those who call Pasir Ris home say it is the relative seclusion and serenity of their coastal town that they cherish above anything else.
Some upgrades, including the addition of more foliage and sheltered spots along two rivers running through the neighbourhood, have been welcomed.
But other plans to build and expand, while supported by businesses which lament quiet times, are unpopular among some who worry that the tranquillity of the park will be disturbed.
A 15 sq km green lung in the east bound by sand and sea, Pasir Ris - which means "white sand" in Malay - has a laid-back feel.
With entertainment spaces Downtown East and Costa Sands Resort, it draws holidaymakers from across Singapore to its leisure and entertainment amenities.
The neighbourhood, made up mainly of HDB blocks, is also home to many parks and water bodies, including beach-facing Pasir Ris Park, Pasir Ris Town Park, and the nature area next to Sungei Tampines river and Lorong Halus Wetland.
As of last year, the latest data available, more than 130,000 people were living there, many of whom had moved into new flats in the housing estate in the 1990s.
Pasir Ris Park, one of Singapore's largest, is popular with families who enjoy barbecues and camping. Apart from the beach, it features a carefully preserved 6ha mangrove forest as well as a bird-watching tower where visitors can spot anything from a native oriental pied hornbill to a heron picking its way through the shallows.
And at Pasir Ris Town Park, a stroll is accompanied by the occasional bird call and a briny smell wafting from the park's seawater fishing pond. From 7am to 9am each day, the park is a venue for older women practising taiji and residents strolling through on their way to the adjacent MRT station.
By the fish pond are two bistro-bars and a halal eatery that are empty in the day, but popular at night.
The pond and its restaurant businesses were opened by a new tenant, D'Best Fishing, in August last year, taking the place of hawker stalls.
Neighbourhood mall White Sands and Pasir Ris Elias Community Club are in the midst of upgrading works.
Changes were also made to the two rivers running alongside Tampines Expressway and Pasir Ris Drive 3, as part of national water agency PUB's latest Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters project.
Sungei Tampines, which runs through Pasir Ris Town Park, was made prettier with more foliage and sheltered benches along its banks.
Sungei Api Api, near Elias Mall, is lined with mangrove trees, which have been kept intact. Wider footpaths and sheltered lookout decks were added, along with short descriptions of flora and fauna that can be found along the river.
Soil and rocks such as porous lava stone were also placed along the two waterways to remove sediment and nutrients from the water naturally.
Ms Grace Tan, 46, walks her dog along Sungei Tampines twice each day. The real-estate division director lives in one of the blocks overlooking the river.
"The new greenery and amenities beautify the place. Now that the river is cleaner, we can actually see otters now and then," she said.
Mr Peter Gossler, 54, an avid cyclist who lives in a flat by Sungei Api Api, said he likes the changes to the riverfront.
"In the process, they had to cut a chunk of trees down but it is much cleaner now and we have sheltered sitting areas by the river," he said.
The businessman cycles by the river every morning and enjoys a 10-minute stroll down to the beach in his free time.
But some have bristled at plans to build a new hawker centre within the park, the latest in a series of objections the vocal residents have had about developments that threaten their prized green space.
In 2012, for instance, residents of Pasir Ris Heights started a petition to save a wooded area in their backyard - earmarked for development into an international school and condominiums.
The densely forested area, about the size of two football fields, was home to several endangered bird species, including the Changeable Hawk Eagle.
After a 10-month tussle with the residents, the Ministry of National Development went ahead with its plans.
Housewife Tricia-Ann Kee, 41, said she likes the new riverfront but is not keen on the planned hawker centre.
"It think it would make more sense to have the hawker centre at the empty area next to the MRT because placing it in the park (would make it) out of place."
Others, however, feel a hawker centre is long overdue.
Engineer Raam Vanka, 60, said he heard news of the hawker centre two years ago and was disappointed that it did not materialise.
"Our population has grown in recent years so, naturally, our amenities need to grow," he said.
Chan Luo Er Channel NewsAsia 8 May 15;
SINGAPORE: Most people think of St John's Island as a former quarantine station for cholera-stricken Chinese immigrants or a holding place for political detainees. For eighty-four-year-old Mrs Lim Siew Yong, it is "paradise". The retired school teacher and her family lived on the island for two years, in 1962 and 1963.
"When I looked out from my window, I could see, faraway I think, there was a bungalow, where they say are the detainees,” said Mrs Lim. “The other side was the quarantined station. We also did not step into that area. All these were prohibited areas but the island was so big. It was the beach that I enjoyed most."
Mrs Lim fell in love with the place after a visit. She then put in a transfer request to the Education Ministry to teach at the only school on the island. It had about 100 students and five teachers.
Other factors also contributed to her decision. She and her husband felt that living in Singapore on a teacher's pay was too expensive and their three-year-old son was at an age where he needed space to run around.
On St John's, they lived at the teachers' quarters. Mr Lim taught at the neighbouring Lazarus Island.
Mrs Lim added that contrary to popular belief, island living was not at all backward: "There was a water boat that came to send water to the island and we had electricity, so everything was modern there. When we had the television in 1962, we were so thrilled. We could see programmes."
Mrs Lim's lasting memory is how peaceful and quiet the island was. "Over there, there was so much freedom, it was very carefree; there were no cars, no buses, we just walked around. It was like a little paradise, you had trees all around you,” she described. “Besides that, the paths were so well-made, they were all cemented paths, and very clean. The place was very clean."
Mrs Lim was also given a dog by a gardener on the island - it was a Samoyed which the gardener said had fallen off a cruise liner and swam ashore.
Mrs Lim made the tough decision to leave the island at the end of 1964 as her son was approaching kindergarten age. Although her years at St John's Island were short, she said it will always be home.
SG Heart Map plans to conduct tours for the public to some of these places, during the Jubilee Weekend from Aug 8-10.
It has been some years since Mrs Lim last visited the island and she said she would be delighted to visit it again. The last time she visited the island was in the 1980s with all her three children.
"We brought them in for a picnic, later on, there were these youth camps so we booked the place and brought all three to stay at the youth camps,” said Mrs Lim. “But the island was quite different, even the teachers' quarters were no longer in use."
- CNA/hs
‘Cikgu Lim’ recalls her stint on St John’s Island
Miranda Yeo The Straits Times AsiaOne 10 May 15;
IT HAS been more than half a century since Mrs Lim Siew Yong spent an idyllic two years living and teaching on St John's Island.
But the 84-year-old retiree still fondly recalls collecting seashells by the beach with her husband and son, taking in the fragrant scent of tembusu trees and being greeted as "cikgu" - Malay for teacher - by villagers there.
Her story is one of 80,000 contributed by Singaporeans to SG Heart Map, a cartographical collection of memories of favourite places. So fond are her recollections that she penned a 26-page account of her time on St John's Island.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Grace Fu paid a visit to Mrs Lim yesterday at her home in Lorong Chuan.
Ms Fu, co-chair of the SG50 Environment and Infrastructure Committee, said that she was moved by Mrs Lim's story, which documents her time befriending the villagers and teaching in a small primary school.
"The story helps us trace a part of our history that is perhaps not so well known to Singaporeans," she said.
St John's Island was formerly a quarantine centre for cholera patients, a holding place for political detainees and later a site for a drug rehabilitation centre.
Mrs Lim's stories shed light on the island's village life then. She and her husband - both teachers - had moved to teach in the Southern Islands in 1962, attracted by the subsidised rent there for spacious and luxurious teachers' quarters, she said.
Mrs Lim was moved by the warmth of the villagers who helped her family move into their new home.
She also loved the tranquillity of the island.
"There were no cars and buses. It was like a little paradise with trees all around you," she added.
The Lims moved back to mainland Singapore in December 1963, so that their then four-year-old son could get a kindergarten education.
SG Heart Map was launched last November and has been collecting stories via its Web portal, contribution booths and roving vans.
The stories will be used to create a giant composite map of the 50 most iconic places, which will be unveiled in November.
Further details will be released later.
Amrita Kaur tabla! AsiaOne 8 May 15;
HIS projects tackling environmental issues and nature conservation helped 23-year-old Daniel Ravindran Thangaraju become one of five students to win the Youth Environmental Award recently.
The award is sponsored by the National Youth Achievement Award and HSBC Bank. As his prize, the first-year electrical and electronic engineering student at Singapore Polytechnic will embark on a week-long study trip to the Acadia National Park in Maine, US.
The August research trip will give Mr Ravindran the opportunity to work with researchers from Canada's Churchill Northern Studies Centre, which studies environmental issues in the northern hemisphere.
He said: "We will help to deploy cameras that focus on fruits of marked plants to capture evidence of the birds eating those fruits."
Researchers will then analyse the data gathered by the students to detect changes in life cycle events and interaction between the plants and birds over time.
Mr Ravindran said he believes that "studying electronics can play a major part in tackling environmental problems that society faces".
For instance, at his previous school - the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College West, where he completed his higher NITEC in electronics engineering - he used his knowledge of electronics to come up with a battery e-waste bin to safely dispose of batteries.
Most batteries contain cadmium, lead, mercury, copper, zinc, manganese, lithium and potassium, which are hazardous to the environment and to health.
"Unfortunately, one widely-used method in the world is to send them to landfills, but this is not an environmentally-friendly option," Mr Ravindran said. With guidance from his lecturers, he created a circuit to discharge the battery's remaining power.
He emphasised that it is important to do this. Otherwise, that could cause toxic compounds from the battery to leak into the soil and water, polluting lakes and streams, thus making them unfit for marine animals to live in.
Said Mr Ravindran: "The e-waste bin, made of transparent acrylic, contains a tray to collect and connect the used batteries to the circuit to discharge the power in batteries."
The bin will be placed beside recycling bins in ITE College West by the end of this month.
As the ex-chairman of the school's World Wide Fund Eco Campus student committee, Mr Ravindran initiated meetings to identify environmental issues and discuss ideas to tackle them. At one such meeting, he suggested nominating an energy-saving ambassador for each class.
He also organised a photography competition titled Animals In Their Natural Habitat for three ITE Colleges last year to raise awareness of the different animals living around us.
Said ITE College West student development officer Tan Peng Peng: "It is evident through his projects that Daniel always seeks new and innovative ideas to tackle the environmental issues he identifies."
When Mr Ravindran is not busy with his eco-projects, he watches documentaries to expand his knowledge of environmental issues. "I want to constantly remind myself that climate change is happening very quickly. It also motivates me to do what I can to save the environment," he said.
His mother, Sushila, said she has always supported his environmental activities. She said: "I think it's important to not just concentrate on academic grades but also be aware of the surroundings you live in. He has excellently juggled his studies and green commitments and I'm proud of that."
AHMAD FAIRUZ OTHMAN New Straits Times 8 May 15;
PASIR GUDANG: Property developers involved in coastal and riverine projects in Johor have been urged to adhere to a regulation that requires them to pay a 30 Sen contribution for each square foot of reclaimed land as the funds will go into the welfare of the affected fishermen.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the contribution from developers would become part of the Johor Fishermen Development Fund.
The fund is aimed at improving the lot of fishermen by helping them move up the value chain in the fisheries sector. Khaled said property developers must be involved when it comes to maintaining the welfare of fishermen, especially for those who were directly affected by their development projects. "The state government has imposed this collection for the fund.
It is 30 Sen for each square foot and it's not a big amount, so it will not be a burden for the developers," he said after handing out cash aid to fishermen in the Pasir Gudang parliamentary constituency at the Taman Mawar multipurpose hall, here yesterday.
The regulation began earlier this year. Khaled said the state government has provided RM10million advance for the Johor Fishermen Development Fund, and this has allowed it to hand out aid to 1,509 recipients who comprise fishermen, mussel cultivator and fish cage breeders state-wide.
"The state government has agreed to give out a RM1,000 aid to fishermen who are active in the southern region as there are reclamation works being done in the southern region," he said, adding the aid was part of the promises in the 2015 Budget.
On a related matter, Khaled said fishermen needed to undergo transformative process and look into new ways to improve their yield.
"This is why there is a transformation plan especially for fishermen. Cash aid is not enough for this sector as one needs to think of benefits in the long term," he said.
Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/node/83614
Deforestation of Indonesia’s vast jungles releases enough greenhouse gas to push the country into the top five global emitters. Strengthening its forest protection moratorium should be part of a climate agreement at Paris this year
Nirarta Samadhi and Dr Nigel Sizer
Samadhi is director of WRI Indonesia. Sizer is global director of the WRI's forest programme
The Guardian 8 May 15;
If we are serious about tackling climate change, we need to talk about Indonesia.
While it may not be the country with the highest emissions from energy or industry, what Indonesia does have is forests, and lots of them. Many of the country’s more than 13,000 islands are blanketed by vast green jungles that absorb carbon and store it in trees and soils.
But Indonesia, like many fast-developing countries, is subject to widespread deforestation, releasing carbon pollution back into the atmosphere. Deforestation and land use change drives about 80% of Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions, which according to some estimates makes it the world’s fifth biggest emitter.
This year, Indonesia’s leaders have the opportunity to limit these emissions by protecting some of its vast forests under its national “forest moratorium”.
This policy was put in place in by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as part of Indonesia’s commitment to reduce its emissions by 26% or more by 2020 (compared to “business as usual”). The moratorium called for no new licenses to convert primary forests and peatlands for other uses such as timber, wood pulp, and palm oil. It was extended in 2013, despite significant push-back from industry.
Now, the moratorium is up for renewal again. Indonesia’s new president Joko Widodo and the Indonesia’s minister of environment and forests, Siti Nurbaya, have indicated they will likely extend it. This would be a sign of bold leadership sending an important signal about the government’s intentions to protect Indonesia’s natural resources and fight climate change.
In a new analysis of the climate impacts of the moratorium by the World Resources Institute (WRI), the Center for Global Development and others found that the policy has reduced Indonesia’s emissions from forest clearing by 1-2.5% over four years. That’s not bad for a country with so much forest land, but it’s not sufficient if Indonesia wants to reach its 26% goal. It’s also nowhere near the amount of reductions needed to keep global temperature rise below 2C compared to pre-industrial levels, which is what’s needed to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.
Limiting climate change is in Indonesia’s interest since it is particularly susceptible to the salinization of low-lying rice paddies, rising sea levels along the sprawling coastline, and even increased spread of disease.
So what can the Indonesian government do to strengthen the moratorium?
First, it should increase local awareness and understanding of the moratorium. Experts from WRI and the Puter Foundation, an Indonesian NGO, interviewed officials from eight Indonesian districts about the policy. Only five out of eight districts knew the types of land protected under the moratorium; and only three out of eight knew the specific areas protected by the official moratorium map within their district boundaries. An awareness-raising campaign would not incur any additional political costs, and it would give local governments the opportunity to weigh in on how the policies are designed and implemented.
Second, the Indonesian government should close loopholes in the existing policy. The moratorium has built-in exceptions for “national development projects” including areas for oil and gas extraction, rice and sugarcane farming, palm oil for biofuel, and projects that can claim they contribute to a broad national food and energy security agenda. Rather than granting such exceptions, the government could focus on increasing yields through, for example, selective breeding and better planting techniques.
Third, over the long term, Indonesia also needs a more permanent policy for protecting its most sensitive forests and peatlands. Extending the current protections by two years would more than double the total emissions reductions. But permanent forest protections would dramatically reduce emissions in the long term. While this is challenging politically, there are countries willing to devote substantial funds to Indonesia as an economic alternative to deforestation. For instance, Norway and Indonesia recently renewed their partnership on forest conservation, including $1bn in funding.
Indonesia has already taken a leading role on climate through its ambitious national emissions targets. Extending the moratorium would further demonstrate the strength of the country’s resolve. Reaching a global climate agreement in Paris will take ambition and creativity from all directions. Extending the forest moratorium will show that Indonesia is ready to do its part.
Celebrate World Biodiversity Day with a coastal cleanup @ Lim Chu Kang Beach!
News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore
World Migratory Bird Day – A Blast from the Past.
Singapore Bird Group
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum highlights Singapore’s giant clam research
Neo Mei Lin
Olive-backed Sunbird collecting fruits of Porophyllum ruderale (F: Asteraceae)
Bird Ecology Study Group
AUDREY TAN Straits Times 7 May 15;
SINGAPORE - A pig-tailed macaque and common palm civet being kept illegally at a car workshop were seized by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) on Wednesday. Both animals were found in two small cages at the back of the Hougang workshop.
When The Straits Times visited SMC Auto Engineering Works in Defu Lane 9 during the AVA raid, the macaque was swinging around the cage and had a thick metal chain around its neck.
The civet, which is a nocturnal creature native to Singapore and usually found in trees and high places, was curled up motionless in a corner. Its cage was littered with scraps of food, including apple and pork slices, with flies buzzing around it.
The animals were likely secured through the illegal wildlife trade, which animal groups say is thriving here, given Singapore's status as a global port.
The Straits Times looks at the lengths that animal smugglers go to illegally bring in such animals.
Puppies hidden under car seat
A Malaysian man was sentenced on April 16, 2015 to eight months' jail for smuggling seven puppies into Singapore and for animal cruelty. Mohamad Ashwin Nazri pleaded guilty to importing two Japanese spitz, two golden retrievers and three poodles in a car from Malaysia without a licence on March 30, 2015. -- PHOTO: AGRI-FOOD AND VETERINARY AUTHORITY
A Malaysian assistant pub manager, Mohamad Ashwin Nazri, 25, was jailed for eight months in April 2015 for trying to smuggle in seven puppies into Singapore and for ill-treating them.
The two Japanese Spitz, two golden retrievers and three poodles were likely to have been sedated to prevent them from moving and making any noise when they were being transported here from Johor on March 30.
No food or water was provided for the puppies, which were later found on the floorboard under the seat. Two died and four had to be put down after contracting an infectious disease.
Twelve birds stuffed in PVC tubes
A Singaporean man smuggled 12 birds from Vietnam by hiding them in PVC tubes with perforated holes. He was jailed for three months in April 2015.
Herman Rahmat, 38, who was unemployed, brought in nine white-rumped shama, two red-whiskered bulbul and a magpie robin without a licence in 2014.
All the birds were found alive, but eight of them died within three days from cranial trauma with accompanying haemorrhage, swelling and dehydration.
Hedgehog in shoebox; gecko in plastic container
The two hedgehogs in a shoebox which were discovered at the Woodlands Checkpoint. Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found the hedgehogs hidden inside a shoebox, while the gecko was placed in a small plastic container in the 26-year-old man’s zip pouch in the Singapore-registered cab. -- PHOTO: AGRI-FOOD AND VETERINARY AUTHORITY/ICA
A taxi passenger was caught trying to smuggle two hedgehogs and a gecko into Singapore at Woodlands Checkpoint in February this year.
Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) found the hedgehogs in a shoebox and the gecko in a small plastic container in the 26-year-old man's zippered pouch. He was fined $1,500 and the three creatures were taken to the Singapore Zoo.
Puppies bagged in cloth bags
Thirteen puppies were discovered during a routine check at Woodlands Checkpoint on Sept 9, 2014. A 33-year-old Singaporean woman was arrested for attempting to smuggle them into Singapore. -- PHOTO: IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE
Former dog breeder Sharon Tan Mei Hua, 33, smuggled 13 puppies from Malaysia in her car via Woodlands checkpoint. She was jailed for four months in November 2014.
The 13 sedated puppies, including three Japanese spitzs, two pomeranians, a Siberian husky and five poodles, were found on Sept 9. They were alive and found hidden in cloth bags under the front seats and the glove compartment of her Nissan car. They were then taken to an AVA facility for quarantine.
Exotic and endangered animals found in Toa Payoh flat
Ong Ming Shiang was fined a total of $41,000 on Feb 6, 2014, after pleading guilty to contravening the Endangered Species (Import & Export) Act and the Wild Animals and Birds Act. He kept 32 animals - some of which were endangered - in his Housing Board flat in Toa Payoh North. -- PHOTO: ST FILE
In the biggest seizure of illegal wildlife from a home in 11 years, Ong Ming Shiang, 33, was fined in February 2014 a total of $41,000 under the Endangered Species (Import & Export) Act and the Wild Animals and Birds Act.
He had 32 animals, some of them endangered, in his Housing Board flat in Toa Payoh North. They included three rare ball pythons, two Indian star tortoises, a slow loris, three black- tailed prairie dogs, two sailfin dragons and five ornate horned frogs.
It is the highest fine imposed on an individual for the possession of illegal wildlife here. The 32 animals were then taken to the Singapore Zoo.
Indonesia: Birds stuffed in plastic drinking bottles
A policeman holding a water bottle with a yellow-crested cockatoo inside, at the customs office of Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya, East Java province, on May 4, 2015. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
A 37-year-old man was stopped by Indonesian police on Monday for smuggling in 24 birds stuffed in plastic bottles, including 21 critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoos.
The birds in their plastic prisons were found by Indonesian police at the Port of Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, Indonesia. They were then cut free and given medical attention. They have since been sent to Indonesia's natural resources conservation office, which deals with wildlife-trafficking cases.
The birds can fetch about $1,300 each, and were to be smuggled out of Indonesia to be sold on the black market. If found guilty of smuggling, the man who was from near Surabaya could face up to five years in prison
Australia: Bird eggs hidden in passenger's crotch
In May 2014, a 39-year-old Czech man was caught by customs officials at Sydney airport for having 16 wild-bird eggs in the crotch of his pants. The man arrived on a flight from Dubai when customs officials examined his baggage.
AVA rescues monkey, civet caged at workshop
AUDREY TAN Straits Times 7 May 15;
A MONKEY and civet kept illegally at a car workshop were yesterday seized by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and taken to the Singapore Zoo, following a tip-off from a local wildlife rescue group.
The pig-tailed macaque and common palm civet were found in two cages at the back of the Hougang workshop.
When The Straits Times visited SMC Auto Engineering Works in Defu Lane 9during the AVA raid yesterday, the macaque was swinging around the cage and had a thick metal chain around its neck. The civet, which is native to Singapore and usually found in trees and high places, was curled up motionless in a corner.
Both cages were about thigh high and an arm's length wide.
Mr Louis Ng, chief executive of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), the group that alerted the authorities, said both animals were kept under poor conditions.
Civets are nocturnal creatures, so keeping one where there is a lot of noise and light is cruel, while confining the macaque to a small cage is a form of abuse, he said.
Acres took cheek swabs from the macaque, which is not native to Singapore. The DNA collected could reveal where it came from, and can hopefully be returned to.
The group has successfully returned monkeys to India and Africa in the past. Mr Ng believes the macaque is likely to have been secured through the illegal wildlife trade, which animal groups say is thriving here, given Singapore's status as a global port.
Nanyang Technological University Assistant Professor Michael Gumert, who studies macaque behaviour, said: "Monkeys learn socially, and without experience with a troop, they would be unable to learn how to navigate, find food, or detect dangers in the wild."
A check with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority listed SMC Auto's owner as Mr Low Eng Pau, who could not be reached. Those working at nearby firms said they did not know about the animals. Mr George Tan, the owner of recycling firm Fook Seng Fatt across the road, said SMC Auto had moved there about three months ago.
People cannot keep, trap or kill wild animals here without a licence. Those found guilty under the Wild Animals and Birds Act face a maximum fine of $1,000 per animal.
The pig-tailed macaque is a protected species. Those found with such a species can be charged under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, which carries a maximum penalty of a $50,000 fine per specimen and a two-year jail term.
An AVA spokesman warned: "Wild animals are not suitable pets as some may transmit zoonotic diseases to humans. Wild animals that are non-native to Singapore may also be a threat to our biodiversity if released into the environment."
Channel NewsAsia 7 May 15;
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Civic District is undergoing a facelift, which involves the moving of trees and the landscaping of open spaces near the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall. It is an engineering feat that National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has lauded in his blog.
The Civic District is home to several arts institutions. Apart from the Asian Civilisations Museum, the area also boasts the National Gallery and Victoria Theatre.
The authorities hope that the presence of the new trees will rejuvenate the area and make it more pedestrian-friendly.
"These are your first class arts and culture developments,” said Mr Bernard Chan, a senior architect of the Conservation and Urban Design Group at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). “So what we want to do is to come in and create a nice lawn for which these developments can sit within, so we have got a garden setting with monuments nestled within it.”
He added: “The other thing that was important for us is to create an environment that is safe and comfortable for pedestrians. With that, we have started to remove some roads, Old Parliament Lane, that will be paved over and made pedestrianised."
It takes about two weeks to move each mature rain tree, which is about 40 years old and weighs more than 90 tonnes. They had to first be inspected by an expert to ensure that they were in good condition. The area around the trees was then excavated before the trees were lifted and moved.
Said Mr Chan: "I think for most of us the transplant itself is quite mechanical, but it is really the tender loving care that the team puts into the roots and the trees that will really ensure the survival of the tree."
Esplanade Park will also see some new trees. The National Parks Board’s director of Streetscape, Mr Oh Cheow Sheng, said: “In the 1960s to the 1980s, this was a popular meeting place for couples. It was commonly referred to as 'gor zhang chiu kar', or under the shade of the five mature angsana trees. In the 1990s unfortunately due to a fungal wilt disease, all these trees had to be removed.
“As part of the improvement of the park at Esplanade, we will be transplanting five mature angsana trees back to the site. This will help to bring back a sense of nostalgia back to the site."
Works around the Civic District will be fully completed by October 2016.
- CNA/hs
Angsana trees transplanted at Esplanade Park
AMANDA LEE Today Online 8 May 15;
SINGAPORE — It is called Esplanade Park now but, from the 1960s to 1980s, the popular spot for lovebirds was known as “gor zhang chiu kar”, Hokkien for “under the shade of five trees”, in reference to the prominent, strapping Angsana trees there.
After a fungal disease attacked the tree species, the five mature trees had to be removed in the 1990s.
In a few months though, the public will get to relive the vibes of “gor zhang chiu kar” again, when five new Angsana trees that the National Parks Board’s (NParks) horticulturists have fortified to be resistant to the fungus are transplanted into Esplanade Park.
The transplanting is part of moves to pedestrianise the Civic District, including the planting of an eighth mature rain tree at a new 4,400 sq m lawn in front of Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall yesterday to provide shade.
In a blog post yesterday on the rejuvenation of the Civic District, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan urged visitors to go and enjoy the enhancements made by NParks.
“We are putting a lot of thought and passion into the rejuvenation of the Civic District. We want an integrated arts, culture and lifestyle precinct set in a lush, green environment,” he wrote.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority’s senior architect Bernard Chan said the main objective of the project was to provide a nice environment for Singapore’s world-class arts and culture monuments.
“So what we want to do is come in to create a nice lawn (on) which these developments can sit,” said Mr Chan. “We have got a garden setting with monuments nestled within it.”
On a media tour of the area yesterday, NParks Director (Streetscape) Oh Cheow Sheng said the transplanting of the mature Angsana trees to Esplanade Park would “help to bring back a sense of nostalgia”.
By specially propagating new Angsana trees that are genetically resistant to the fungus that had wreaked havoc on the species, NParks’ horticulturists managed to see 115 of these plants to maturity.
NParks has also developed modular suspended pavement systems that can be installed under roads and paved surfaces to allow for greater rooting and breathing spaces. These polypropylene structural cells are being tested under a row of 22 Kayu Arang trees along Queen Elizabeth Walk, which is part of the Jubilee Walk.
NParks senior researcher Genevieve Ow Lai Fern said the technology would extend the space for tree roots and increase soil volume.
“Essentially, when we improve the underground conditions, it will translate to overall healthier trees,” she added. Mr Khaw said more volume and colour are being added to the landscape, with Pigeon Orchids and Staghorn ferns to be planted on trees there.
“Old favourites”, such as the Mussaenda Queen Sirikit, Thai Gardenias and Frangipani Singapore White will also be reintroduced, he added.
8 trees transplanted to new lawn in front of Victoria Theatre
AMANDA LEE Today Online 7 May 15;
SINGAPORE — Eight mature trees have been transplanted to a new lawn in front of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall.
This is one of the initatives between the National Parks Board (NParks) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to enhance greenery and landscaping in the Civic District, which was disclosed at a media tour today (May 7).
Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan also wrote in his blog post today about the ongoing efforts to enhance greenery within the Civic District.
“We are making good progress in our effort to pedestrianise our Civic District,” said Mr Khaw. “Specifically, we are creating a lawn in front of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall”.
He said the plan calls for the transplanting of eight mature rain trees to the front of the national monuments.
Elaborating on the rejuvenation of the Civic District, Mr Khaw said: “We want an integrated art, culture and lifestyle precinct set in a lush, green environment.”
Other initiatives include reinstating five Angsana trees at the Esplanade Park. In October, the NParks and URA will be transplanting five mature trees back to the park, where a fungal disease called “Fusarium” struck down the original five in the 1990s.
This would bring back memories of many young couples who used to sit under the shade of the five trees, said Nparks Director (Streetscape) Oh Cheow Sheng.
90-tonne raintree transplanted to Civic District
Samantha Boh The Straits Times AsiaOne 9 May 15;
An eighth raintree was successfully transplanted to a new location in front of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall yesterday, adding to a row of seven other raintrees that had been moved there earlier as plans to pedestrianise the Civic District progressed.
With the nearby Old Parliament Lane paved over to turn it into a pedestrian path by July, walking in the Victoria Theatre and Asian Civilisations Museum area will be even more of a breeze.
Stepped waterfront plazas and a playground will be built at Esplanade Park.
The walkway in front of the National Gallery will also be widened.
Writing in the Ministry of National Development's blog yesterday, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said: "We are putting a lot of thought and passion into the rejuvenation of the Civic District. We want an integrated art, culture and lifestyle precinct set in a lush, green environment."
The eighth raintree, which weighs 90 tonnes, was the second largest and final tree to be transplanted.
The process took two weeks to complete, which included having the tree pruned to minimise stress from water loss.
The seven other trees transplanted earlier are in good health, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the National Parks Board (NParks).
Other works are also under way around the Civic District to enhance its greenery, including the installation of structural cells at Queen Elizabeth Walk, which are being placed under roads and paved surfaces.
They allow tree roots to branch out wider and deeper without becoming obstructed. From mid-this month, biostimulants will be applied to mature trees to improve soil structure, among other benefits.
NParks is also reinstating five Angsana trees to Esplanade Park in October. The place was a popular meeting place for couples between the 1960s and 1980s.
The five Angsana trees were removed in the 1990s as they were affected by a fungal disease that also killed many mature Angsana trees elsewhere in Singapore, Mr Khaw said in the blog.
New Angsana trees that are genetically resistant to the disease have since been propagated by NParks' horticulturists.
The five new Angsana trees at Esplanade Park will be from among these trees.
During a media tour of the area yesterday, Mr Bernard Chan, senior architect at URA's conservation and urban design group, said there are also plans to provide infrastructure such as electricity and water at the new lawn in front of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall.
Antara 7 May 15;
Pekanbaru (ANTARA News) - The Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) announced that 28 hotspots have been detected across Sumatra Island, including seven in Riau Province on Thursday.
"Based on the satellites monitoring on May 7, 2015, at 5 a.m. local time, in Riau, maximum hotspots were detected in Pelalawan and Rokan Hilir districts, Head of the BMKG Pekanbaru Chapter Sugarin stated.
In the province, two hotspots were respectively found in Pelalawan and Rokan Hilir, and one each in Kampar, Indragiri Hilir, and Siak.
The agency had earlier alerted the Riau provincial government regarding the possible re-emergence of forest fires in late May.
"Beginning May, Riau will experience dry season until September 2015," he remarked.
Wind is forecast to blow from the South to the Northeast and North directions, which implies that the haze originating from forest fires might cross over to neighboring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia.
"If there is haze due to the forest fires, for sure, it will reach the neighboring countries," he stated.
Therefore, he lauded the Riau provincial government for declaring an emergency status until October 2015 to enable the authorities to implement the necessary measures.
(Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR)
Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s moratorium on deforestation will soon come to an end
Kennial Caroline Laia Jakarta Globe 7 May 15;
JAKARTA — Environmental activists have called on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to extend and strengthen a forest-clearing moratorium that runs out this month.
The moratorium on issuing permits to clear peat and primary forests was introduced on May 20, 2011, by then-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and slated to run for only two years. Mr Yudhoyono extended it in 2013 on a temporary basis for a further two years, and activists say Mr Widodo now has the chance to make a lasting positive impact by giving the moratorium a firmer legal basis.
Any extension to the moratorium “must stipulate punitive measures for people or companies that violate it”, Mr Zenzi Suhadi, a forest campaigner for the Indonesian Forum for the Environment, or Walhi, told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday.
“This is needed to curb (the illegal) issuance of licences for forest exploitation, whether for mining or for large-scale plantations,” he added.
He noted that the moratorium as enforced by the Yudhoyono administration was for all practical intents toothless, noting that the Forestry Ministry issued mining and agriculture concessions for 12 million ha of forest land, much of it ostensibly off-limits under the moratorium, between 2011 and last year.
“During this period, there was no punishment for the violators,” Mr Suhadi said. “The next moratorium should include punitive measures to ensure that no one hurts the environment.”
He also said it was important that the moratorium be supported by a new agency “to supervise its implementation as well as enforce the law”.
Mr Suhaidi urged the government to consider extending the moratorium period as a two-year moratorium is not as effective as expected.
The original moratorium was enacted as part of a deal that would see Norway provide up to US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion) in funds for climate change mitigation projects in exchange for demonstrable protection on Indonesia’s part of high conservation value forests, including peat forests, which store enormous amounts of carbon dioxide.
As part of the agreement with Oslo, Jakarta agreed to set up a Reducing Emissions From Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) management body. But the body was folded into in the Forestry and Environment Ministry in January, prompting critics to question Mr Widodo’s commitment to combat deforestation and climate change.
In the time since the moratorium went into force, nearly 970,000 ha of peat forest have been cleared, half of that total coming from the heavily logged Sumatran provinces of Riau and Jambi, showed a study by Walhi and environmental non-governmental organisation Kemitraan.
The study also found that in some regions, up to four-fifths of the primary and peat forests identified as off-limits for new concessions are already protected under prevailing zoning regulations, hence the moratorium is doing little to expand the scope of forest protection.
Progressive revisions have also seen the map of areas protected under the moratorium shrink, with dozens of concessions issued across the country for land that was at one point included in the moratorium map, says Mr Hasbi Berliani, Kemitraan’s programme manager for good governance.
“It is really crucial for the government to strengthen (a) few points in the moratorium to protect other areas (that) haven’t been included within. As long as the moratorium doesn’t include it, it’s useless,” Mr Berliani said.
Mr Suhadi echoed the sentiment, saying that what Indonesia really needed was not a moratorium on new concessions, but a termination programme for existing licences. “The situation is critical,” he said, noting that when the moratorium was renewed in 2013, it included new concessions for energy and food production, thanks to what he called corporate lobbying. “This cost the country 1.2 million ha.”
“This year, there’s the possibility of intervention from the biofuel and food lobbies, and exemptions for border regions,” Mr Suhadi added.
The Forestry and Environment Ministry says it wants to extend the moratorium as part of a wider programme to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 26 per cent by 2020, and has welcomed suggestions of environmental groups in drafting an extension. THE JAKARTA GLOBE
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