Operation No Release: Authorities to raise awareness on dangers of releasing animals

The Operation No Release campaign aims to spread public awareness on the dangers related to the release of animals into parks, including ponds, nature areas, reservoirs and waterways.
Channel NewsAsia 13 May 15;

SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks), PUB and Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) will be stepping up education and enforcement efforts at 19 selected parks, nature areas, reservoirs and waterways, as part of an annual campaign called ‘Operation No Release’.

The campaign, from May 16 to 31, aims to spread public awareness on the dangers related to the release of animals into parks, including ponds, nature areas, reservoirs and waterways, the agencies said in a joint press release on Wednesday (May 13).

NParks and PUB will extend their outreach to more parks and reservoirs at Lower Seletar, Bedok, Punggol, Serangoon and Marina, in addition to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Volunteers and community groups such as Waterways Watch Society, Punggol South River Watch Group and Toddycats! will also join NParks and PUB officers in this year’s outreach efforts.

Besides keeping a lookout for any sign of animal release at parks, nature reserves, reservoirs and waterways, they will also educate and advise members of the public on the harm of releasing animals into the wild.

"Many of the released animals are unlikely to survive, and most often, face a slow and painful death, as they are unable to cope with their new surroundings,” says Mr Wong Tuan Wah, Director of Conservation, NParks.

“The release of animals by members of public into our reservoirs and waterways may have ecological impacts on our freshwater ecosystems. This year, we are extending our efforts to more locations and we hope to raise greater awareness on this issue,” said Mr Ridzuan Ismail, PUB’s Director of Catchment and Waterways.

First-time offenders caught releasing animals may be charged under the Parks and Trees Act and could be fined up to S$50,000, jailed up to six months, or both.

- CNA/eg

Authorities to ramp up enforcement at 19 locations to deter release of animals into the wild
Today Online 13 May 15;

SINGAPORE — Ahead of Vesak Day, authorities will be ramping up education and enforcement efforts at 19 locations to deter people from releasing animals into the wild.

From this Saturday (May 16) to the end of the month, the National Parks Board (NParks) and PUB will extend their outreach to more parks and reservoirs at Lower Seletar, Bedok, Punggol, Serangoon and Marina Bay, in addition to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

This is part of an annual campaign, Operation No Release, which aims to spread public awareness on the dangers related to the release of animals into parks, nature areas, reservoirs and waterways. Vesak Day is on June 1 this year, and during this period, some devotees mark the festival by releasing animals.

Mr Ridzuan Ismail, PUB’s Director of Catchment and Waterway, said: “As with any ecosystem, the health and functionality of reservoir habitats is influenced by the diversity and ecology of aquatic organisms living within them. The release of animals by members of public into our reservoirs and waterways may have ecological impacts on our freshwater ecosystems. This year, we are extending our efforts to more locations and we hope to raise greater awareness on this issue.”

Volunteers and community groups, such as Waterways Watch Society, Punggol South River Watch Group and Toddycats!, will also help out, said NParks, PUB and the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore in a joint release today (May 13). They will keep a lookout for any sign of animal release at parks, nature reserves, reservoirs and waterways, and educate the public on the harm of releasing animals into the wild.

NParks Director of Conservation Wong Tuan Wah said: “Many of the released animals are unlikely to survive, and most often, face a slow and painful death, as they are unable to cope with their new surroundings.”

“Those that are bred or captured deliberately to be sold for ‘release’ usually become so stressed during their captivity that they are too weak to survive in the wild when released eventually,” he added.

Animals that were kept as household pets and released often may not survive as well as they do not have the natural instincts and ability to forage for food or fend for themselves in the wild. “It is irresponsible and cruel to abandon a pet,” said authorities, advising owners to re-home the pet.

Dying or dead animals may also have an impact on the environment, they noted.

And should the animal survive, they “often do so at the expense of native wildlife”, the authorities said. “They upset the ecological balance by preying on the native species, out-competing them for resources or introducing new diseases. For example, the American Bullfrogs are known to breed prolifically and compete with local frogs for food and space.”

First-time offenders caught releasing animals may be charged under the Parks and Trees Act and could be fined up to S$50,000, jailed up to six months, or both.

The list of parks, nature reserves, reservoirs and waterways taking part in Operation No Release 2015:

1. Bedok Reservoir
2. Bukit Batok Nature Park
3. Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park
4. Dairy Farm Nature Park (includes Singapore Quarry)
5. Jurong Lake
6. Kranji Reservoir Park
7. Labrador Nature Reserve
8. Lower Peirce Reservoir Park
9. Lower Seletar Reservoir
10. MacRitichie Reservoir Park
11. Marina Reservoir
12. Pandan Reservoir
13. Pulau Ubin
14. Punggol Reservoir
15. Punggol Waterway
16. Serangoon Reservoir
17. Springleaf Nature Park
18. Upper Peirce Reservoir Park
19. Upper Seletar Reservoir Park

Authorities to step up enforcement to prevent the release of animals into the wild
SAMANTHA BOH Straits Times 14 May 15;

SINGAPORE - The authorities will step up enforcement on people who release animals into the wild.

From Saturday to the end of the month, officers from the National Parks Board (NParks) and national water agency PUB will be stationed periodically at 19 parks, nature areas, reservoirs and waterways.

They will be joined by volunteers, including those from community groups Waterways Watch Society, Punggol South River Watch Group and Toddycats!.

The effort will be part of Operation No Release, an annual campaign aimed at raising awareness against releasing animals into the wild.

NParks, PUB and the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority said in a joint media release that they will educate and advise members of the public on the harm of releasing animals into the wild.

Household pets, for example, often do not survive in the wild as they do not have the natural instincts and ability to forage for food or fend for themselves.

"Many of the released animals are unlikely to survive, and most often, face a slow and painful death, as they are unable to cope with their new surroundings," said Mr Wong Tuan Wah, director of conservation at NParks.

"Those that are bred or captured deliberately to be sold for release usually become so stressed during their captivity that they are too weak to survive in the wild when released eventually," he added.

The agencies advised pet owners who are unable to look after their pet to find a suitable second home for the animal, or seek the help of an animal welfare group in rehoming their pet.

Animals that do survive would affect the environment by upsetting the ecological balance. They do so by preying on the native species, out-competing them for resources or introducing new diseases, said the agencies. An example would be the American Bullfrogs which are known to breed prolifically and compete with local frogs for food and space.

Mr Ridzuan Ismail, director of catchment and waterways at PUB, said the health and functionality of reservoir habitats is influenced by the diversity and ecology of aquatic organisms living within them. The release of animals into reservoirs and waterways may have ecological impacts on the freshwater ecosystems.

"This year, we are extending our efforts to more locations and we hope to raise greater awareness on this issue," he said.

The operation takes place on the run-up to Vesak day. Animals such as birds, fish and red-eared terrapins, and more recently insects such as crickets, are usually released by devotees at reservoirs and parks as a symbolic gesture of compassion on Vesak Day, which falls on June 1 this year.

First-time offenders caught releasing animals may be charged under the Parks and Trees Act and could be fined up to $50,000, jailed up to six months, or both.

Patrols to curb releasing of animals
Samantha Boh The Straits Times AsiaOne 14 May 15;

Efforts will be stepped up to prevent people from releasing animals into the wild, during the two weeks leading up to Vesak Day on June 1.

From Saturday to the end of the month, officers from the National Parks Board (NParks) and national water agency PUB will conduct periodic patrols at 19 parks, nature areas, reservoirs and waterways. Volunteers - including those from community groups Waterways Watch Society, Punggol South RiverWatch Group and Toddycats! - will join them.

The patrols are part of Operation No Release, an annual campaign that spreads public awareness on the harm of releasing animals into the wild.

Animals such as birds, fish and red-eared terrapins are released at reservoirs and parks as a symbolic gesture of compassion to mark Vesak Day.

NParks, PUB and the AgriFood and Veterinary Authority said yesterday they will work together to educate the public on the issue. Said Mr Wong Tuan Wah, director of conservation at NParks: "Many of the released animals are unlikely to survive and, most often, face a slow and painful death as they are unable to cope with their new surroundings."

Mr Ridzuan Ismail, PUB's director of catchment and waterways, said the release of animals into reservoirs and waterways may have an ecological impact on the freshwater ecosystems. This can happen when non-native species prey on the native species, out-compete them for resources or introduce new diseases.

In recent years, insects such as crickets have also been released, with devotees believing that they are less likely to harm the environment. Nature Society president Shawn Lum, however, said it is not so much the type of animal being released but that releasing anything which is not native to the ecosystem is potentially detrimental.

Singapore Buddhist Federation president Seck Kwang Phing said: "Devotees can be compassionate in other ways, such as by being good to people or animals around them."

First-time offenders caught releasing animals could be fined up to $50,000, jailed up to six months, or both.

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Warmer, drier weather ahead for Singapore as El Nino develops

No consensus among climate centres on duration, strength of phenomenon this time round
AMANDA LEE Today Online 14 May 15;

SINGAPORE — With several Pacific Rim countries declaring in the past few days that El Nino is here, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) has said the Republic is more likely than not to experience weak El Nino conditions in the coming weeks.

Based on its assessment of model outlooks from international climate centres, there is a 60 to 70 per cent chance of that happening, it said, in response to TODAY’s queries.

But the agency was also quick to lodge the caveat that predictions could be off the mark, given that existing models, at this time of the year, cannot “skilfully” capture El Nino.

El Nino, which comes along every two to seven years, is the abnormal warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean, which can potentially wreak havoc with weather conditions. In the case of South-east Asia, it can lead to prolonged drier and warmer weather.

On Tuesday, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology joined the United States Climate Prediction Center and Japan Meteorological Agency in declaring that sea-surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific are high enough — and the atmosphere above the ocean has reacted strongly enough — to signal that an El Nino has begun, reported Bloomberg.

However, there is no consensus on the duration and strength of the phenomenon this time round.

For instance, the Australians forecast a “substantial” event later in the year, but conceded it was too early to say for sure how strong it could be.

Dr David Jones, manager of Climate Monitoring and Prediction at the Australian bureau, has said “all of our model guidance predicts it’s going to continue to strengthen. A significant or substantial event is likely”.

The US centre’s deputy director, Mr Mike Halpert, however, said last week that he was not ready to make a prediction on strength yet.

Models have been struggling to predict with certainty the intensity of each event. A strong event was expected last year, but failed to materialise.

That each agency has its own criteria for El Nino is another reason for the lack of consensus.

In its reply, the MSS said some “sporadic warm anomalies of sea-surface temperatures have been observed in nearby seas in recent months”, but added that there is “no reason” to associate these with the developing El Nino conditions.

“The impact of these sea-surface temperature anomalies on local and regional weather patterns on seasonal time scales is not as established as the El Nino sea-surface temperature anomaly in the tropical Pacific Ocean,” it explained.

Commenting on the possible impact from an El Nino event, Assistant Professor Winston Chow from the National University of Singapore’s Geography Department said a strong event is usually linked to drier conditions in Singapore and other South-east Asian countries.

For example, Singapore recorded one of the lowest annual rainfalls in 1997, which corresponded with one of the strongest El Nino events. There was 53 per cent less rainfall from June to September that year.

Food supplies could also be disrupted: The last El Nino in 2009 brought the worst drought in nearly 40 years to India, cutting rice output in the world’s second-largest producer by 10 million tonnes and pushing global sugar prices to the highest in nearly three decades.

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What's the buzz around bees in Singapore?

Channel NewsAsia's Lam Shushan takes a peek into the micro-world of bees and why they are an integral part of the ecosystem in Singapore.
Lam Shushan Channel NewsAsia 13 May 15;

SINGAPORE: Carl Baptista, 39, runs a buzzing business with bees. Earlier this year, he and his partner Elric founded Pollen Nation – a social enterprise that offers beehive relocation services for the unwanted “pests” that may dwell in our homes.

The first time I spoke to Mr Baptista, I asked him about the enigmatic bee farming community in Singapore. He corrected me quickly: “First things first, no one does bee farming in Singapore, and I’m not a bee farmer, I’m a bee conservationist.”

He rattled on about his involvement with the insect world and within 10 minutes, told me more about insects than any biology class had ever taught me. Bees have two stomachs, so I learnt, one of which is responsible for regurgitating digested nectar, which is what we know as honey.

It is unsurprising for someone who has a degree in Biotechnology from King's College London to be so passionate about these winged creatures, but it has not always been this way.

“I started out my life in the pest control world, so I used biology to kill insects,” Mr Baptista admitted, “But as I did more things with insects, I was able to breed them and use insects as a tool for medicine, and that made me relook my world.”

BEES IN OUR ECOSYSTEM

In recent years, the term Colony Collapse Disorder has been a buzzword in agriculture intensive countries. It is a phenomenon in which entire colonies of honey bees would suddenly disappear. This is distressing, considering 30 per cent of the food we eat are pollinated by domesticated bees.

In the US, it is projected that the agricultural industry would see losses of up to US$15 billion worth of crops if the honey bee were to go extinct.

So why should people fight to preserve bees in a trade-oriented market economy like Singapore, considering most of the foods we consume is not produced locally?

“If we wish our environment in Singapore to be a sustainable green environment, we have to start talking about insects,” said Mr Baptista. “We have lots of tropical native flowering plants, native trees, but you can’t have that if you don’t have your pollinators present.”

At the moment, Pollen Nation receives at least 10 calls per week from people asking about their “BeeVacuation” services, where they relocate - not exterminate - beehives that may be causing distress to residents.

But Mr Baptista maintains that most bees are harmless unless provoked within close range to their hives. “A lot of the bees that we are seeing everyday are stingless. They don’t even contain stings,” he added.

While the “BeeVacuations” make an interesting story, Carl’s main objective has always been in exploring ways in which people look at insects. He has worked with several primary schools to educate children on the benefits of having bees in the ecosystem.

“It’s about teaching kids to appreciate and respect these insects, and learning how to co-exist with them,” he said. “I hope to be able to walk into a school and hear kids appreciate and talk about bees.”

THE “BEEVACUATION” PROCESS

Towards the end of my phone conversation with Mr Baptista, he eagerly invited me to witness a “BeeVacuation”, even offering to give me a lift to the site.

The next morning, I found myself suited up in bee protection gear for three hours, observing the process of a bee relocation effort.

SWEET RETURNS

At the moment, Mr Baptista rents a space at Bollywood Veggies, where he domesticates some of the rescued bees. They produce about 20-25 kilograms of honey a year, which he hopes to collect and sell as Singapore honey.

However, he stressed that Pollen Nation is not about the honey, but about conserving the biodiversity of plants and insects in Singapore. He plans to achieve this by getting a bigger space within the Kranji countryside to create an ecosystem where plants and insects can interact and thrive.

Bee cause that matters
Ong Wee Jin The Straits Times AsiaOne 17 May 15;

The door of the red postbox clanks open, startling the swarm of occupants inside. The colony of bees springs into a flurry of activity, vibrating wings setting off a menacing buzz.

It is a warning for the intruders. But Mr Carl Baptista, 39, and Mr Elric Tan, 31, are not backing off. The bees don't know it, but they are being saved.

The duo are co-founders of Pollen Nation, Singapore's only conservation organisation that champions the bee cause.

"They are definitely pissed off," Mr Baptista remarks, pumping smoke over the nest to help calm the bees before conducting a "bee- vacuation".

The pair had been called to a house in the Holland Road area as bees had set up a hive in an ornamental postbox in the backyard.

Mr Tan, dressed in a white beekeeper suit, readies a modified vacuum cleaner with a plastic bottle attached to it.

With a flick of the switch, the bottle crinkles loudly, the vacuum pulling in several bees at once. In a few minutes, the bottle is full and it is swapped for an empty one.

This process is repeated until most of the bees have been removed and the honeycomb is visible. The honeycomb is cut away whole and packed.

When bees swarm or set up a hive with people nearby, a common response in Singapore would be to call in pest controllers who would spray insecticide on them, wiping out the entire colony.

Mr Baptista and Mr Tan know this all too well.

It was once part of their jobs.

Mr Baptista had been in the pest-control industry for over 15 years and he estimates that the number of hives he has eradicated is "in the hundreds".

Last year, however, he saw an opportunity to set up an organisation that would spread the bee-conservation message instead. He hopes to change people's perception about bees as pests, through workshops and talks at corporations and schools.

He says: "Many times, people kill bees because they are not aware or lack information. My job is to provide that information.

When people become informed, then they have a choice. It is up to them to make that choice for themselves."

To Mr Baptista and Mr Tan, saving bees is not about the honey, but the important role bees play in the environment.

Bee populations have been declining globally, affecting agriculture as bees have long been the world's main insect pollinators.

When bees go in search of pollen and nectar, their hairy bodies trap pollen and carry them from flower to flower, starting reproduction and the production of seeds.

Without pollination, many edible plants would not produce fruits.

The postbox bees have been relocated to Bollywood Veggies, a farm in Kranji, one of several adoption centres that welcome bees. Mr Baptista says: "I think the bees will be happy there."

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Students plant trees on Pulau Ubin in national project to preserve island

JOANNA SEOW Straits Times 13 May 15;

SINGAPORE - Students from the School of Science and Technology planted eight saplings in Pulau Ubin on Wednesday, as part of a new reforestation activity by learning institution Outward Bound Singapore (OBS).

The 60 students received hands-on training from OBS staff and spent two hours helping to restore the Tanjong Tajam forested area, which was damaged in a bush fire last year. It was part of the service component of their OBS programme.

The reforestation activity is organised in partnership with the National Parks Board and was among the conservation initiatives announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last year, under the Ministry of National Development-led Ubin Project.

Mr Ng Thian Choon, OBS' deputy director of programmes and partnership, said it was heartening to see the collective effort of the students. "We hope that the students involved today have gained a sense of service to the community.

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New climate deal seen aiding GDP, lacking sanctions: U.N. chief

Alister Doyle PlanetArk 14 May 15;

A U.N. deal to combat global warming due in December will seek to lift world economic growth and be based more on encouragement than threats of punishment for non-compliance, the U.N.'s climate chief said on Wednesday.

Christiana Figueres, laying out her recipe for a deal meant to be agreed by almost 200 nations at a summit in Paris, said it would be part of a long haul to limit climate change and not an "overnight miraculous silver bullet".

The looser formula is a sharp shift from the U.N.'s 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which originally bound about 40 rich nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions and foresaw sanctions that were never imposed even when Japan, Russia and Canada dropped out.

Figueres dismissed fears by many developing nations, which have no binding targets under Kyoto and fear that a Paris accord due to enter into force from 2020 could force them to cut fossil fuel use, undermining economic growth.

"The bottom line (is that) this is an agreement and a path that is protective of growth and development rather than threatening to growth and development," Figueres told an online news conference.

The deal would be "enabling and facilitating" rather than a "punitive-type" agreement, she said. The deal's main thrust would be to decouple greenhouse gas emissions from gross domestic product growth.

A U.N. report last year indicated that tough measures to combat climate change, shifting to renewable energies such as wind and solar power, could cut economic growth by 0.06 percent a year.

But it would bring big long-term benefits for everything from human health to crop growth by limiting damaging heat waves, floods, desertification and rising seas.

Overall, she said "good progress" was being made towards a Paris accord. On Tuesday, energy ministers from the Group of Seven industrial nations said three was unprecedented consensus among them on the urgency of tackling warming.

Senior officials will meet in Bonn, Germany, from June 1-11 to prepare for Paris.

Figueres said she expected that China, Australia and Canada would be among nations submitting plans for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2020 in coming weeks to prepare for Paris.

So far, 37 nations including the United States, the European Union and Russia have submitted plans. But Figueres said she did not know when India, among the top emitters, would submit plans.

(Editing by Tom Heneghan)

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Best of our wild blogs: 13 May 15

13 June (Fri) evening: Free guided walk at Chek Jawa Boardwalk
Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

Lots of Life at “Ghost Island”!
Diary of a Boy wandering through Our Little Urban Eden

World’s most destructive bird species now in Singapore
Singapore Bird Group

Rock Pigeon “kissing”
Bird Ecology Study Group

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Moratorium on forest clearings may be extended: Indonesian minister

Saifulbahri Ismail Channel NewsAsia 13 May 15;

SINGAPORE: The suspension on clearing of forests for plantations and mining activities, which expires on Wednesday (May 13), may be extended, according to Indonesia's Deputy Minister for Environment Degradation Control and Climate Change Arief Yuwono.

Speaking at an environment forum in Singapore on Wednesday, Mr Arief said the government is working on the final draft of the moratorium and this will be issued soon. He added that one focus of the moratorium is on law enforcement.

The moratorium was launched in 2011 by former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and extended by him again in 2013.

The moratorium is a two-year commitment to protect primary forest and peatland covering more than 60 million hectares of land, including those in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

- CNA/rw

Indonesia committed to tackle environmental challenges
ALBERT WAI Today Online 13 May 15;

SINGAPORE — The Joko Widodo administration is committed to addressing environmental and climate change challenges, said Indonesian Deputy Minister for Environmental Degradation Control and Climate Change Arief Yuwono today (May 13), as he announced that Indonesia would look to extend a two-year forest clearing ban and offer to host a regional coordinating centre for managing transboundary haze pollution.

At the sidelines of the Second Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources held at Ritz-Carlton Millenia Hotel where he delivered a keynote address, Mr Yuwono told reporters that the Indonesian government is working on a new draft moratorium, which may extend the ban on clearing of forests for a further two years. But despite an existing moratorium expiring today, no new licences for forest clearing activities will be issued in the meantime.

When asked by TODAY on the concrete steps undertaken by Indonesia to operationalise the haze monitoring system under the ambit of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution recently ratified by all 10 member states, Mr Yuwono highlighted that Indonesia has offered to host a regional coordinating centre to monitor forest fires and haze. Besides Indonesia, Malaysia has also expressed an interest to host the centre.

The deputy minister also said that Indonesia was in the midst of preparing its pledge for the new post-2020 global climate change regime. Indonesia is likely to meet the pledge submission deadline of October to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat.

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Malaysia: Johor's Forest City could house up to 700,000: Developer

REME AHMAD Straits Times 13 May 15;

THE master developer for the 1,400ha reclaimed land in Johor near Tuas said that over the next 20 or 30 years, homes may be built that can house as many as 700,000 people.

The homes being built in the Forest City project would add to the nearly 336,000 new residential units that are in the pipeline for the rest of Johor state.

The large number of new homes coming up in Johor has raised concerns in Singapore.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong, who is a board member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, told Parliament on Monday that the nearly 336,000 new private residential units are more than the total number of private homes in Singapore.

He said the figure, derived from official Malaysian statistics, does not include homes being built on the Forest City reclaimed land.

Johor had 719,421 existing homes at the end of last year, according to Malaysia's National Property Information Centre, a unit under its Ministry of Finance.

"There is indeed a real concern about future oversupply in the property market there and hence the potential decline in value of homes," Mr Wong said in reply to an MP's question about Singaporeans buying in southern Johor's Iskandar Malaysia region.

Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin, when asked last week about concerns in Singapore over a property glut in Iskandar, said: "Investments in Johor are not only confined to property."

The reclaimed Forest City project consists of four man-made islands being raised by a company partly owned by the Sultan of Johor.

Forest City will offer wealthy international buyers luxury homes by the Strait of Johor, its developer has said.

The four islands will have a total land area of 1,386ha - about three times the size of Sentosa island. Forest City's master developer is Country Garden Pacificview (CGPV).

Asked via a text message yesterday how many people would live in Forest City, CGPV's executive director, Datuk Md Othman Yusof, replied: "The project duration is between 20 and 30 years. Estimation of population = 700,000."

CGPV is 60 per cent owned by China's Country Garden Holdings, with Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Ismail and an investment arm of the Johor government also holding stakes. Assuming six people live in each housing unit in Forest City, the 700,000 residents would need 116,666 homes.

The first phase is expected to be ready in five years, with these units adding to the incoming supply of nearly 336,000 new homes in Johor over the next few years.

Singapore's latest official figures show it has 327,811 private homes. There are another 83,642 in the pipeline, including executive condominium units.

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Sri Lanka first nation to protect all mangrove forests

Mark Kinver BBC News 12 May 15;

Sri Lanka has lost an estimated 76% of its mangrove forests over the past 100 years

Sri Lanka has become the first nation in the world to comprehensively protect all of its mangrove forests.

A scheme backed by the government will include alternative job training, replanting projects and microloans.

Mangroves are considered to be one of the world's most at-risk habitats, with more than half being lost or destroyed in the past century.

Conservationists hope other mangrove-rich nations will follow suit and adopt a similar protection model.

Commenting on the agreement, Sri Lanka President Maithreepala Sirisena said: "It is the responsibility and the necessity of all government institutions, private institutions, non-government organisations, researchers, intelligentsia and civil community to be united to protect the mangrove ecosystem."

The Sri Lankan government is a joint partner overseeing the measures, alongside global NGO Seacology, and Sri Lanka-based Sudeesa, which was formerly known as the Small Fishers Federation of Lanka.

'Extreme importance'

Seacology executive director Duane Silverstein said the pioneering framework had "extreme importance as a model" that could be used throughout the world.

"No nation in history has ever protected all of its mangrove forests and Sri Lanka is going to be the first one to do so," he told BBC News.

"This is through a combination of laws, sustainable alternative incomes and mangrove nurseries.

It is also very significant considering the importance of mangroves as a means of sequestering carbon."

"It is not only that mangroves sequester an order of magnitude more carbon than other types of forest, but it is sequestered for so much longer.

"In the case of mangroves, it is forecast that this lasts millennia," he observed.

Mangroves are evergreen trees that are found in more than 120 tropical and sub-tropical nations.

They are able to grow in seawater, and their strong, stilt-like root systems allow them to thrive in swamps, deltas or coastal areas.

The trees sequester the carbon in the top few metres of soil, which is primarily an anaerobic environment - without oxygen.

As a result, the organisms that usually lead to the decomposition of organic material are not present, meaning the carbon remains locked in the environment for longer.

Because of their surrounding habitat and the lack of readily available fuel, mangrove forests are also not susceptible to forest fires.

But mangroves also offer coastal communities a more direct and immediate form of protection, explained Mr Silverstein.

"After the 2004 (Indian Ocean) tsunami, it became evident - particularly in Sri Lanka which was severely impacted - that those villages that had intact mangroves suffered significantly less damage than those that did not.

A report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published 12 months after the devastating tsunami compared two coastal villages in Sri Lanka that were hit by the wall of water.

It showed that two people died in the settlement with dense mangrove and scrub forest, while up to 6,000 people died in the village without similar vegetation.

"Another advantage of a healthy mangrove ecosystem is that the stilted root systems serve as nurseries for many of the fish species that go on to populate coral reefs.

Healthy fish populations, sustained by healthy mangrove forests, have also provided livelihoods and nutrition for millions of small-scale fishermen and their families for generations, allowing coastal communities to sustain themselves.

Costing livelihoods

Anuradha Wickramasinghe, chairman of Sudeesa, said: "People live in these areas because they depend on the mangroves because a lot of the fish they catch come from mangroves.

But he added: "Shrimp farmers have been either legally or illegally cutting down mangroves.

Farmed shrimps, or prawns, account for more than half of the global demand for the crustaceans.

A UN report published in November 2012 warned that the growing demand for prawns meant that valuable mangrove forests were still being felled or were under threat of being felled.

Mr Wickramasinghe told BBC News: "Shrimp farming results in a significant fall in fish catch yields, so fishermen are losing income so it costs them their livelihoods.

"So they know about the importance of mangroves and they are keen to protect them.

Mr Silverstein hoped the Sri Lanka protection model would be adopted by other nations.

"We absolutely believe that Sri Lanka's mangrove model will serve as a model for other nations to follow."

The scheme, which will cost US $3.4m over five years, aims to protect all 8,800 hectares (21,800 acres) of existing mangrove forests by providing alternative job training, funding microloans to people in exchange for protecting local mangroves forests.

It also involves a replanting project, which aims to replace 3,900 hectares of mangroves that had been felled.

Read more!

Impact of El Nino on key crops in Asia

Naveen Thukral PlanetArk 12 May 15;

Closely watched weather forecasts by Japan and Australia on Tuesday are likely to confirm the return of El Nino this year. In 2009, the weather pattern had caused the worst drought in four decades in India and ravaged croplands across Asia, driving food prices to multi-year highs.

See below for a list of crops most at risk from an El Nino.

WHEAT

Australia's high-protein wheat crop is likely to take a hit with El Nino expected to bring dry weather across its eastern grain-belt. Wheat is planted in April-May and the period that makes or breaks the crop is in September. Some rains in recent weeks in parts of the east coast have encouraged farmers to plant the crop.

RICE

Although there are abundant stocks of rice in key producers India and Thailand, El Nino is likely to curb the output of Asia's staple food. This would provide a floor under rice prices that are trading around 12 percent below last year's peak. A rally in rice has the potential of stoking inflationary fears and unrest in the region. Rice is planted in May-July and requires rains between July and August.

SOYBEANS

Soybean production would take a hit in India, Asia's second largest producer of the oilseed, if El Nino brings dry weather to the western and central regions of the country. This could prompt India to import more palm oil and spur further potential gains in prices of the tropical oil. Soybeans are planted in June-July and the crop needs rains in August-September.

PALM OIL

El Nino does not immediately hit palm oil supplies as it takes about nine months to a year for oil palm trees to show stress due to drought. But rising demand from top importers India and China as well as concerns over an eventual tightening in supplies due to any crop stress will boost prices. About 90 percent of palm oil, which accounts for 35 percent of global edible oil supply, is produced in Indonesia and Malaysia.

CORN

Corn production in China and India is also at risk. Typically, China escapes the brunt of El Nino but corn yields may be curbed as the crop needs relatively higher volumes of water. India could see its crop exports drop, helping U.S. and South American suppliers sell more.

(Reporting by Naveen Thukral; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

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'Substantial' El Nino event predicted

Helen Briggs BBC 12 May 15;

The El Nino effect, which can drive droughts and flooding, is under way in the tropical Pacific, say scientists.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology predicted that it could become a "substantial" event later in the year.

The phenomenon arises from variations in ocean temperatures.

The El Nino is still in its early stages, but has the potential to cause extreme weather around the world, according to forecasters.

US scientists announced in April that El Nino had arrived, but it was described then as "weak".

Australian scientists said models suggested it could strengthen from September onwards, but it was too early to determine with confidence how strong it could be.

"This is a proper El Nino effect, it's not a weak one," David Jones, manager of climate monitoring and prediction at the Bureau of Meteorology, told reporters.

"You know, there's always a little bit of doubt when it comes to intensity forecasts, but across the models as a whole we'd suggest that this will be quite a substantial El Nino event."

An El Nino comes along about every two to seven years as part of a natural cycle.

Every El Nino is different, and once one has started, models can predict how it might develop over the next six to nine months, with a reasonable level of accuracy.

A strong El Nino five years ago was linked with poor monsoons in Southeast Asia, droughts in southern Australia, the Philippines and Ecuador, blizzards in the US, heatwaves in Brazil and extreme flooding in Mexico.

Another strong El Nino event was expected during last year's record-breaking temperatures, but failed to materialise.
Prof Eric Guilyardi of the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading said it would become clear in the summer whether this year might be different.

"The likelihood of El Nino is high but its eventual strength in the winter when it has its major impacts worldwide is still unknown," he said.

"We will know in the summer how strong it is going to be."

Weather patterns

The El Nino is a warming of the Pacific Ocean as part of a complex cycle linking atmosphere and ocean.

The phenomenon is known to disrupt weather patterns around the world, and can bring wetter winters to the southwest US and droughts to northern Australia.

The consequences of El Nino are much less clear for Europe and the UK.

Research suggests that extreme El Nino events will become more likely as global temperatures rise.

How can we predict El Nino?

In the tropical Pacific Ocean, scientists operate a network of buoys that measure temperature, currents and winds. The data - and other information from satellites and meteorological observations - is fed into complex computer models designed to predict an El Nino. However, the models cannot predict the precise intensity or duration of an El Nino, or the areas likely to be affected. Researchers are trying to improve their models to give more advance notice.

El Nino will be 'substantial', warn Australian scientists
AFP By Madeleine Coorey Yahoo News 12 May 15;

Australian scientists on Tuesday forecast a "substantial" El Nino weather phenomenon for 2015, potentially spelling deadly and costly climate extremes, after officially declaring its onset in the tropical Pacific.

El Nino had been expected last year when record-breaking temperatures made 2014 the hottest in more than a century. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said while the thresholds were not met until now it was expected to be a significant event.

The Japan Meteorological Agency also confirmed the phenomenon had begun and forecast it would continue into late 2015.

"There's always a little bit of doubt when it comes to intensity forecasts, but across the models as a whole we'd suggest that this will be quite a substantial El Nino event," David Jones, from the bureau's climate information services branch said.

"Certainly the models aren't predicting a weak event. They are predicting a moderate-to-strong El Nino event. So this is a proper El Nino event, this is not a weak one or a near miss as we saw last year."

The El Nino phenomenon -- which is associated with drought conditions in Australia -- can cause havoc for farmers and global agricultural markets, hitting economies heavily dependent on the land.

The last El Nino five years ago had a major impact with monsoons in Southeast Asia, droughts in southern Australia, the Philippines and Ecuador, blizzards in the United States, heatwaves in Brazil and killer floods in Mexico.

It occurs when the trade winds that circulate over waters in the tropical Pacific start to weaken and sea surface temperatures rise.

- Severe drought -

US officials announced earlier this year that the long-awaited El Nino had arrived, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration described it as of "weak strength".

Australian scientists said models were now showing it was likely to see an increased intensity from about September and have potential global impacts.

"Last year we saw some indices, such as the sea surface temperatures at times exceed El Nino thresholds... but we didn't see them all coming together at the same time or we didn't see it sustained," Jones explained.

He said this year's pattern could create drier conditions in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and parts of Southeast Asia.

In the past it has caused heavier-than-normal rainfall in the eastern Pacific and South America -- raising the spectre of floods and landslides, while the southwest United States and southern Africa tend to be drier.

An El Nino is potentially a bad sign for large swathes of Australia, including the states of Queensland and New South Wales, which are already in the grip of severe drought.

Neil Plummer, the bureau's assistant director for climate information services, said it was often associated with below average rainfall across eastern Australia and warmer temperatures in the southern half over the hottest months.

"The onset of El Nino in Australia in 2015 is a little earlier than usual," he said, adding that this was the first such phenomenon in the tropical Pacific since March 2010.

"Prolonged El Nino-like conditions have meant that some areas are more vulnerable to the impact of warmer temperatures and drier conditions."

El Nino is forecast to strengthen during the southern hemisphere winter but while the event increases the risk of drought, it does not guarantee it -- with only 17 of the 26 El Nino events since 1900 resulting in widespread drought in Australia.

On the upside, the bureau said it would expect the tropical cyclone season to be below average for Australia.

"Every El Nino is different and we know that some years like 1972, 1982 and 1994 really fit the stereotype strongly, severe drought, very hot daytime temperatures, bushfire activity and so on," said Jones.

"But not every El Nino event follows that pattern."

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100 British conservation groups oppose review of EU wildlife laws

Changes to EU birds and habitat directives ‘single biggest threat’ to biodiversity and species, say groups as they launch their campaign to block the move
Arthur Neslen The Guardian 12 May 15;

One hundred British conservationist groups have launched a campaign to oppose a review of key wildlife protection laws which they say presents the single biggest threat to UK and European nature in a generation.

Last week, the EU began a 12-week public consultation to look at the cost-effectiveness of the birds and habitats directives, their administrative burdens to business, and whether such goals could better be met at national level.

Environmentalists are outraged as the two laws cornerstone EU conservation rules, enshrining a network of ‘Natura 2000’ protected sites, and offering statutory protection to over 1,000 animals and plant species. More than 200 habitats such as meadows, wetlands and forests are also safeguarded by the directives.

“The habitats and birds directives are the foundation of nature conservation across Europe and are scientifically proven to be effective where properly implemented,” said Kate Jennings, the head of the RSPB’s site policy unit, and chair of the campaign. “The directives deliver demonstrable benefits for nature, as well as significant social and economic benefits.”

Protected sites in the UK were being lost at a rate of 15% a year before the directives, but this declined to just 1% a year afterwards, Jennings said.

Action plans drawn up under the birds directive have also helped nurture the recovery of over half of the globally endangered bird species targeted, according to research by Birdlife International. These include griffon vultures, dalmatian pelicans, Bonelli’s eagles and the common crane.

The EU’s environment department is unenthusiastic about the review and officials stress that they want to modernise rather than bury the conservation rules.

“They ain’t broke but they are a bit old,” Enrico Brivio, said a spokesman for the environment commissioner Karmenu Vella.

“One piece of legislation dates from 1979, the other is from 1992 and there is a need for an update. But there is no intention to scale back on our environmental objectives. The idea is to reduce certain administrative burdens without compromising the directives’ main purpose.”

Shortly after his election, the EU’s president Jean Claude Juncker instructed Vella to “overhaul the existing environmental legislative framework to make it fit for purpose.” Specifically, Juncker ordered an assessment of the potential for merging the two directives.

The Dutch government has offered strong support for Juncker’s thrust, with Dutch and German famers associations making lobbying forays to expand intensive farming practices. The UK has also been supportive, even though a review by the Department for Food and Rural Affairs in 2012 found the directives were largely working well.

But a surprisingly wide coalition of opposition has emerged, taking in hunters, landowners, port owners and grid operators. Cemex, the cement-producing multinational signed a joint statement with Birdlife, singling out Natura 2000 as the fundament of biodiversity conservation.

“This review is clearly part of a wider ideological deregulation agenda that is going on,” Jennings said. “In our experience, the majority of developers and the business community value regulatory certainty and the thing they least like to see are goalposts moving. The review introduces this.”

“If the birds and habitats directives are weakened, the water framework directive will be next in line, and the national emissions ceiling directive will follow soon after,” added Ariel Brunner, the head of EU policy at Birdlife.

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