Johor residents affected by water supply
The Star 28 May 16;
JOHOR BARU: Despite the consistent rainfall in the past few weeks, some 66,675 residents in some parts of Mersing and Kota Tinggi are still affected by scheduled water supply, which is expected to last until next month.
SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd corporate communications head Jamaluddin Jamil said the water level at Sungai Mersing was at 12.41m, just 0.7m above the critical level of 11.70m.
The Star 28 May 16;
KOTA TINGGI: Maritime authorities detained a tugboat and a barge filled with sand in Pengerang waters here.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Tanjung Sedili enforcement chief Captain Amran Daud said the tugboat and its barge were spotted by its officials at about 3.4 nautical miles south of Teluk Ramunia.
He said a team on routine sea patrol spotted them at around 10.15am and upon checking discovered that the foreign registered tugboat with a barge was carrying about 145 metric tonnes of sand and was coming from Kuantan to Singapore.
Checks on the Batam-registered tugboat named TB Buana Superior and its barge Buana Ocean 05 also found a total of eight Indonesian crewmen including its captain aged between 21 and 38 years.
The crewmen have been taken to the MMEA Tanjung Sedili headquarters for further investigations, he said.
Capt Amran added that the case would be investigated under Section 135(1)(e) of the Customs Act 1967 for smuggling taxable goods which carries a fine up to 10 times the value of the goods upon conviction.
He said the case would also be investigated for other offences including under the Lands and Mines Act.
This is our first case recorded for this year after two of such cases recorded in November last year.
The agency will continue to step up efforts to ensure that vessels and ships abide by the Malaysian maritime laws while in our waters, he said, adding that he hoped the public could continue to be their eyes and ears so that they could uncover more of such activities.
Antara 27 May 16;
Painan, W Sumatra (ANTARA News) - A Sumatran tiger, which was trapped in wild boar snare in a hilly forest of Nagari Mandeh Village, West Sumatra, was rescued and evacuated by the local Natural Resource Conservation Agencys (BKSDAs) rescue team.
The team arrived in the area at 11:30 a.m. local time and managed to rescue the tiger, which had been trapped since Tuesday (May 24), after making the big cat unconscious by shooting a tranquilizer dart, Head of Area III Conservation of West Sumatra BKSDA Surajiya stated here on Friday.
The tiger would be brought to the Wildlife Cultural Kinantan Park in Bukittinggi District for rehabilitation.
"After undergoing rehabilitation, we will observe the tigers recovery. If possible, we would return the tiger to its habitat," Surajiya affirmed.
Meanwhile, Chief of the Nagari Mandeh Village of Koto XI Tarusan Sub-district Jasril Rajo Basah expected the tiger to be returned to its habitat near the village since the wild cat had not disturbed the day-to-day life of the villagers.
In fact, the village chief and local people acknowledged that the tiger had several times helped the local people who had lost their way in the forest.
Moreover, the tiger had become a natural predator of wild boars, which ravaged the peoples agricultural areas.
"We live side by side with the tiger, therefore we hope the big cat will be returned here soon," Basah added.(*)
Anggi M. Lubis The Jakarta Post 28 May 16;
Piracy in Southeast Asia is a myth that overlooks the real threats that haunt regional waters, an Indonesian bureaucrat has claimed. The real threats are illegal fishing and organized crime.
The perception that Southeast Asia is a pirate-invested region is shaped by, among other things, reports compiled by the International Maritime Bureau ( IMB ) on robberies or robbery attempts from vessels plying the region’s waters, says Arif Havas Oegroseno, a deputy for maritime sovereignty at the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister.
Sea-related cases reported to the IMB — a Singapore-based unit of the International Chamber of Commerce ( ICC ) — are marked as piracy without relying on proper and specific definitions set by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS ), Havas said during a recent conference held by policy think tank the Habibie
Center.
By doing so, IMB confuses maritime awareness and that benefits insurance companies selling premiums to shipping companies operating in ASEAN waters, he said.
“IMB has been playing a dangerous game in floating international laws,” he said, adding that the government had been trying to discuss the issue with IMB, but to no avail.
UNCLOS defines piracy as “illegal acts of violence or detention for private ends by crew or passengers of private ships/aircraft directed against another ship/aircraft on the high seas or outside the jurisdiction of any state”. The region, however, only contains “high seas” at certain parts around the Indian and Pacific ocean and this in effect brings down the number of piracy cases to zero.
This contradicts IMB reports that have included — as an example — an engine-part robbery of an anchored ship on Central Java’s north coast, Havas said.
IMB, in it its 2015 annual report, lists Southeast Asia as the region with the most piracy cases, with 147 cases out of 246 cases worldwide. Indonesia contributed 147 cases.
These myths, Havas said, give cover to the real threats facing the region, such as illegal fishing and organized crime. The issue of illegal fishing also involves other types of crime such as human trafficking, slavery, gun-running and drug smuggling, he added.
“Perception is very important because perceptions dictate policy responses and how we should work on that,” Havas said.
“All these different criminal activities are immune from countermeasures because we do not have enough resources to get this guys.”
Joint patrols are conducted between Indonesia and other countries in the region such as Malaysia, Singapore and India, and while these patrols can address robbery issues, it is difficult to bring legal actions against sophisticated cases such as what happened in the Benjina slavery case that took place last year.
The case surprised the international community after an American news agency discovered a fishing company operating in Indonesian waters had enslaved hundreds of trafficked people — mostly from Myanmar. The firm was a joint venture that involved a company from the British Virgin Islands — known to host special purpose vehicle companies from other countries — thus making the case difficult to track down.
Havas said there was lack of cooperation in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing ( IUUF ) in the region. Illegal practices and overfishing may lead to the extinction of a number of fish species and billions of dollars in losses, he added.
Arie Afriansyah, an expert in maritime law from University of Indonesia, said the region should work together more closely to enhance cooperation in maritime security.
There are a number of challenges, but there are also opportunities that the countries in the region could benefit from, he claimed.
“If this bilateral cooperation works, it could serve as a network and it might lead to multilateral cooperation,” he said.
The Jakarta Post 28 May 16;
Officials from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry and environmentalists have rescued whale sharks being kept in a floating cage in Maluku by a Singapore-based businessman, who allegedly intended to sell them to China.
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said in Jakarta on Friday that the fish were immediately released into the open sea after they were discovered in a floating fish cage owned by Hendrik, who was not present when the site was raided.
The whale shark is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Susi said.
The rescue operation was jointly conducted by ministry officials and Wildlife Conservation Society ( WCS ) activists. The case is under police investigation and no suspects have been named.
Under the Fisheries Law, anyone caught mistreating protected animals could face six years’ imprisonment and a Rp 1.5 billion ( US$110,000 ) fine.
The WCS has reported 22 cases of marine wildlife crimes since 2014, country director Noviar Andayani said.
She said the whale shark population continued to fall because of poaching.
Traffickers Busted in Indonesia, Whale Sharks Released Back to the Wild
Posted by Wildlife Conservation Society in Ocean Views on May 29, 2016
National Geographic
Two whale sharks, shown here swimming in a netted pool, were recovered as part of an operation to prevent the illegal trade of large marine animals. Photo ©Paul Hilton for WCS.
Kasumba Island, Indonesia
Indonesian government agencies, supported by the Wildlife Crimes Unit (WCU) of the Wildlife Conservation Society, this week confiscated two illegally caught whale sharks from a major supplier of large marine megafauna to the international wildlife trade.
The whale sharks were being kept in submerged pens. Once the animals were discovered by officials on May 26, Indonesian authorities arrested the suspected traffickers and the sharks were released back into the wild unharmed.
The bust followed an 18-month investigation into a sophisticated operation that the WCU was first alerted to in late 2014. The ongoing investigation is being led by Indonesia’s Ministry for Marine Affairs and Fisheries and includes the Ambon and Labuan Lombok’s Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Monitoring Taskforce and the Maritime Patrol from the Maluku Police.
WCU investigations over the last few months have suggested that the suspects illegally caught large marine megafauna (whale sharks, manta rays, cetaceans) for sale to facilities being built in China and elsewhere in SE Asia.
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). International trade of whale sharks is regulated under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).
The arrest is testament to the dedication of the Indonesian government, the work of the WCU, and the partnerships that the we have been building across Indonesia to combat illegal trade in Indonesia’s threatened marine megafauna. This year alone WCU has supported 7 marine cases involving manta plates, sea shells, sea turtles, and whale sharks.
While we are grateful for the success, these cases remind us that we must continue to be vigilant.
In this instance, the suspects had recommendation letters from government authorities that allowed them to collect and breed ornamental fish. They were applying for permits to be a conservation institution that will allow them to capture, breed, and export whale sharks, dolphin, and manta but this had not yet been granted.
Under Indonesian law and regulations, whale sharks are a protected species and are not classified as ornamental fish. Indonesia Fisheries Minister Decree No. 18/2013 designates the whale shark as a protected species throughout the country’s nearly 6 million square kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“Operation WE Cleanup” – 39 volunteers remove 403.5kg of trash from Lim Chu Kang mangrove [08 May 2016]
News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore
Water may be diverted to Linggiu Reservoir, near treatment plant run by Singapore's PUB
Shannon Teoh Malaysia Bureau Chief Straits Times 27 May 16;
Johor is studying plans to divert water from two rivers to the Linggiu Reservoir to reduce water shortage that has hit the state's east coast districts around Kota Tinggi in the last few years, officials say.
The plan to boost water levels in the reservoir should be a boon for water treatment plants downstream operated by Johor and one operated by Singapore's national water agency PUB.
This year's dry spell has reduced the water level at the Linggiu dam to an unprecedented 35 per cent last month, raising fears over whether Singapore can continue to rely on Malaysia for the agreed 250 million gallons per day (mgd), or nearly 60 per cent of its current water needs. The reservoir was 80 per cent full at the beginning of last year. The Linggiu Reservoir, built upstream of the Johor River in 1994, collects and releases rainwater into the river. The reservoir is located north of Kota Tinggi town.
Johor's Cabinet member in charge of public works, Datuk Hasni Mohammad, told The Straits Times the state is looking at building facilities at Sayong River and a dam at Sedili Besar River to divert water into the Linggiu Reservoir.
"Given the situation we are facing now, the effort to improve the yield from Johor River is by various water transfers, and not just by cloud seeding," said Mr Hasni, Johor's Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman.
Under Malaysia's political system, water, religion and land issues are broadly under the purview of the respective states. But the 13 states' chief ministers often liaise with federal authorities to ensure smooth implementation in these matters.
The proposal for the Sayong River catchment includes building a weir - a low wall across the river - to channel about 50 mgd water into the Linggiu, Mr Hasni said. "This is the cheapest way of stabilising the capacity at Linggiu dam," he said, adding that it would cost about RM250 million (S$84.5 million).
For Ulu Sedili Besar River, a proposed RM660 million dam is awaiting approval by the federal government under Malaysia's current five-year economic blueprint.
Preliminary expectations are that 110 mgd will be available from this river for transfer to the Johor River as well as two nearby Johor treatment plants, he said.
Either of the river projects would take at least two years to complete.
Mr Hasni had on Sunday said that Johor will honour the water agreement with Singapore - that expires in 2061 - to allow PUB to draw and treat 250 mgd of raw water despite local pressure to cut off the supply and divert it for local needs.
A former Johor government official told The Straits Times the ruling Umno party in Johor has repeatedly asked the federal government to review the water agreement.
Water rationing has been carried out since last month in the Mersing and Kota Tinggi districts, affecting some 85,000 people.
The national water agency said that it plans to install 30 to 40 monitoring wells - boreholes drilled into water bearing soil layers - at Jurong Island and at the Old Alluvium area in eastern Singapore, as well as insert sensors into the monitoring wells to track water level fluctuations.
Channel NewsAsia 26 May 16;
SINGAPORE: National water agency PUB has announced that it plans to expand its groundwater monitoring network, and will call two tenders over the next few months for the installation of additional monitoring wells and sensors.
These wells and sensors will "provide a better understanding of the presence of groundwater in Singapore", PUB said in a press release on Thursday (May 26).
The agency said that it plans to install 30 to 40 monitoring wells - 50mm diameter boreholes drilled into water bearing soil layers - at Jurong Island and at the Old Alluvium area in eastern Singapore, as well as insert sensors into the monitoring wells to track water level fluctuations.
This will enable "islandwide monitoring of Singapore's groundwater situation", said PUB. Previously, the agency has been monitoring groundwater levels at the Jurong Formation in western Singapore through a network of 18 monitoring wells.
Exercises to develop a groundwater model for the Jurong Formation and Old Alluvium are in progress, while a preliminary groundwater model has been developed for Jurong Island, said PUB. The data collected from these groundwater monitoring efforts will allow PUB to validate these models.
“These monitoring efforts are part of PUB’s groundwater studies, which are currently in the exploratory stage involving literature review and preliminary groundwater model development,” said PUB Chief Engineering and Technology Officer Harry Seah,
“Through these efforts, we hope to gain a better understanding of Singapore’s geology and the presence of groundwater within the earth layers.”
- CNA/av
VICTORIA BROWN The Star 27 May 16;
PETALING JAYA: While Malaysia is a legitimate top exporter of tropical logs, agarwood and reptile skins, the United Nations World Wildlife Crime report has also highlighted the illegal aspects of such trade in the country.
The inaugural report that was launched on Tuesday listed Malaysia as the top global exporter of tropical logs in 2013 with a total of 3,455,000 cubic metres being exported.
The report noted Malaysia’s seizures of illegally sourced wood protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).
It cited Malaysia as one of the primary sources of illegal shipments of agarwood, with seven metric tonnes seized between 2005 and 2014.
Malaysia was also listed as the second most prominent destination for illegal shipments of ivory.
While Malaysia was one of the top reptile skin exporters, the report said much of the trade saw illegally sourced reptile skin being introduced into the legal supply chain.
Commenting on the report, Traffic Southeast Asia regional director Dr Chris R Shepherd said there was a lack of study on this aspect of the trade which was a “big worry”.
He said more information on the origins of the reptile skins was needed to allow consumers and retailers to make informed choices.
“We don’t know what percentage of the supply is illegal,” said Dr Shepherd.
“If the consumer is not sure if a handbag, belt or boots are made of legal skin – don’t buy it,” he said.
While the report listed Malaysia as the second most prominent destination for illegal shipments of ivory, it noted that the ivory was ultimately destined for another country.
On this, Dr Shepherd said Malaysia had no open market or demand for ivory.
“But the fact is that ivory is still going through Malaysia, and that is a problem.
“Malaysia is a popular transit country. Criminal networks pick the path of least resistance to get to their final destination,” he said.
Dr Shepherd said that if the risk of getting caught and prosecuted was high, illegal traders would stop moving through Malaysia.
“Malaysia has good laws. But good laws are only as good as the people who enforce them. If our officers are not trained, illegal wildlife trade will flourish,” he said.
He said a check and balance system must be put in place for anything traded in high volume.
“The system is to ensure that whatever your harvest is, it is done in a legal manner and one that is not detrimental to the conservation of the species,” he said.
Overall, the report states that wildlife and forest crime were not limited to certain countries or regions but was a global problem.
“Small battles are being won. But overall, we are still losing the war. We are losing so many species,” he added.
Ricardo F. Tapilatu Jakarta Post 26 May 16;
For over 100 million years, leatherback sea turtles have swum the world’s oceans. Each year, these creatures, which represent the last remaining members of the Dermochelyidae family, migrate 6,000 miles from breeding grounds in the western Pacific to feeding areas in the eastern Pacific. California’s coast, with its plentiful jellyfish populations, is an important foraging area for leatherbacks, and the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua is the major nesting area for the western Pacific population of the endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle.
Pacific leatherback conservation efforts at the nesting beaches were sporadic in the 1970s, but were expanded following publication of the US Recovery Plan in 1996 and the collapse of the eastern Pacific nesting populations. More recently, after the discovery that the leatherbacks foraging in California waters and caught in Hawaii and US West coast-based fisheries were from the western Pacific, bilateral conservation efforts have intensified.
In 2012 the US National Marine Fisheries Service designated 41,914 square miles off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington as critical habitat for leatherbacks. Thus any actions authorized, funded or implemented by Federal agencies should not put the species’ existence in jeopardy or otherwise negatively impact its critical habitat. Additionally, the California State Assembly and Senate have declared the Pacific leatherback as a California state marine reptile.
In the western Pacific, Jamursba Medi and Wermon beaches in Bird’s Head peninsula, West Papua, represent the last two major nesting sites for the Western Pacific leatherbacks. Dedicated Indonesian environmentalists, from WWF, and since 2000, UNIPA, in collaboration with the National Marine Fisheries Service ( Southwest Fisheries Science Center ), has spearheaded local training, monitoring, patrolling, and managing efforts to protect nesting sites, despite limited financial capacity.
Priority actions for the Western Pacific have been outlined in the Bellagio document and in the tri-national agreement between Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. A science-based beach management plan has been evaluated and implemented, and continues to be modified as more data are collected, to ensure effective protection of nests and maximized hatchling output.
Currently, the State University of Papua is the leading Indonesian institution, developing and implementing the research and conservation plan through local stakeholder partnerships.
This partnership with local stakeholders was established to address major problems caused by multiple groups being independently engaged in beach monitoring and conservation activities in Papua, which resulted in confusion for the local villagers and stakeholders, duplication of conservation and management efforts, and an undermining of any effective conservation work.
Thus all interested international groups should work cohesively to address the challenges of conserving this leatherback population, to support local partnerships, and to transfer necessary skills and resources.
The recent critical habitat and California state marine reptile designations are positive steps toward achieving conservation goals and restoring sea turtle populations. Moreover, President Barack Obama in September 2014 created the world’s largest fully protected marine reserve in the central Pacific Ocean, demonstrating his increased willingness to advance a conservation agenda.
By broadening the Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Monument from almost 87,000 square miles to more than 490,000 square miles, Obama has protected more acres of federal land and sea than any other president in at least 50 years, and makes the area off-limits to commercial fishing.
The proclamation will mean added protections for deep-sea coral reefs and other marine ecosystems that officials say are among “the most vulnerable” to the negative effects of climate change.
The document signed by Obama noted that the expanded area contains “significant objects of scientific interest that are part of this highly pristine deep sea and open ocean ecosystem with unique biodiversity”. However, this Pacific population continues to decline at a rate of 6 percent a year and the need for conservation initiatives has become critical.
Funding for local efforts has been limited to the most pressing priorities on the nesting beaches. There is a need to also address the threats identified in local coastal and oceanic waters in order to implement the holistic strategy needed to reverse the population decline.
Enhanced cooperation between Tambrauw of Bird’s Head Seascape-Indonesia and California conservationists would strengthen the work of both sides by connecting the two regions critical to the leatherback’s life cycle. Without improved international coordination, efforts to protect the leatherback will continue to be a struggle.
The writer works at the Research Center for Pacific Marine Resources, the University of Papua in Manokwari, West Papua.
Sarcotheca griffithii: A Native Star in MacRitchie Forest
Flying Fish Friends
April nesting of the GRT Drongos
Singapore Bird Group
Kusu Island
Offshore Singapore
Getai night on Pulau Ubin
The Long and Winding Road
Audrey Tan Straits Times 26 May 16;
Otter pup with fish hook highlights need for regulation, education and volunteers' help
More Singaporeans are venturing outdoors to get closer to nature - such as going hiking, fishing, mountain biking or taking photographs of nature.
But the downside is that Singapore's wildlife and nature areas can be damaged by unethical recreational practices.
Last month, a wild otter pup was found with a fish hook lodged near its eye. Instead of using a barbless hook, irresponsible fishermen had used a barbed one, which national water agency PUB advises against.
And bird photographers hungry for "action shots" were caught last October apparently baiting eagles using live fish injected with air and styrofoam, so they would remain afloat.
Fishermen are venturing into illegal areas to fish, leaving in their wake fishing lines and hooks that ensnare other animals. Hikers go off trail and tread on sensitive vegetation. Mountain bikers have caused damage to soil and roots in nature reserves.
The nature community recognises that nature sites are increasingly being used as places of recreation by urban folk, and welcomes this.
But conservationists are calling for ways to better manage the human impact.
There is also a need for city-dwellers to be aware of how to interact with nature and wildlife. Wild boars, long-tailed macaques and otters have been spotted in urban areas such as Bishan Park.
The answer cannot be in extreme solutions, such as making all nature areas off-limits, or else simply letting people do whatever they please.
A balance has to be found. This could lie in regulation, which could help ensure protection in the short term, and education, a longer process to help people recognise the importance of interacting with nature sustainably.
On May 17, the BBC reported that the Thai authorities are set to close the island of Koh Tachai as tourism is wrecking the environment.
Singapore should move to ensure that its nature areas do not degenerate into such a state.
Unlike countries such as Thailand, the Republic's nature areas are scarce. Only 0.28 per cent of Singapore's land is covered with primary lowland dipterocarp (a family of plants predominantly seen in South-east Asia) forest and freshwater swamp forest.
Without adequate protection, the last remnants of Singapore's natural history could be lost.
REGULATIONS A SOLUTION?
In countries such as Sweden, people are given the "freedom to roam" - they have a right to enjoy the great outdoors on their terms. They can walk, cycle, ride, ski and camp on almost any land. But small Singapore cannot afford to do this.
The Republic's nature reserves, for instance, are designated to protect representative sites of key natural ecosystems. But they are also being used by mountain bikers and hikers.
As for the 17 reservoirs here, the PUB says they are primarily for the country's water supply - but a growing number of anglers (and otters) are using them for relaxation.
The growing interest in nature is all well and good, but there should be a limit to the number and types of activities that can be conducted.
As wildlife consultant Subaraj Rajathurai, 53, points out: "There should be a space for everybody. But when everybody wants to be in the same space, then we have a problem."
Regulation, however, need not necessarily come in the form of restrictive or prohibitive measures.
Mr Luke Gino Cunico, 39, owner of the Fishing Kaki online forum, suggests that a licensing scheme could weed out irresponsible and illegal amateur fishermen. His forum, which has a code of conduct for anglers, has grown fourfold over the past five years and has about 450,000 members.
Under such a scheme, Mr Cunico suggests that anglers have to obtain a licence to fish, for which they must apply for and pay a fee. They must also adhere to certain guidelines, such as the amount of fish they can catch, or the types of hooks they can use.
This increases accountability and prevents anglers from feigning ignorance about established fishing etiquette, details of which the PUB lists on its website. This includes measures such as using barbless hooks, and disposing of fishing lines and hooks properly.
The PUB has already limited recreational inland fishing activity to designated areas at Pang Sua Canal, and at 10 out of Singapore's 17 reservoirs.
But recent cases such as the hooking of the young otter have shown that PUB's current measures - such as listing etiquette on its website, and designating fishing areas - are not enough to stop irresponsible and illegal fishing activity.
The PUB said it is studying the feasibility of a licensing scheme here, although a spokesman pointed out that reservoirs in Singapore are primarily for water supply.
An encouraging example of regulation is what the National Parks Board (NParks) is doing at the Sisters' Islands Marine Park.
It has imposed a cap of eight divers on each of the two dive trails at the park at any given time to protect marine biodiversity and avoid overcrowding.
"This allows the public to appreciate nature without creating unnecessary stress on the environment and allowing conservation and recreation to take place in harmony," said Ms Sharon Chan, NParks' director of the Central Nature Reserve.
ROLE FOR VOLUNTEERS
Manpower is an issue when it comes to enforcement, but there is also a wide network of passionate volunteers who can be the eyes and ears protecting the environment.
Volunteers from nature groups and scientists conducting research in nature areas spend a lot of time in these places and can help to guide fellow users on correct ways to conduct themselves.
"Enforcement officers cannot be everywhere, and the continual presence of wardens in the nature reserves, especially on weekends, will help create a sense the forest is being monitored," said biologist David Tan, 26. He is from the Love Our MacRitchie Forest volunteer group, which hopes to get more people to appreciate Singapore's primary rainforest.
NParks has been working with the community to manage and encourage appropriate behaviour in our green spaces through measures such as its Nature Warden Scheme. This enlists the help of volunteers from the nature community to advise the public on the responsible use of reserves.
Mr Subaraj, who has been a nature warden for about 20 years, suggests that the scheme be made more robust by giving wardens limited enforcement powers, such as being able to take the details of those caught behaving irresponsibly and damaging the reserve.
In the face of declining plant and animal species due to factors including human encroachment, the Republic cannot afford to be lax with enforcement in nature reserves, he said. For instance, birds such as the scarlet minivet and a lizard known as the large forest gecko have disappeared from places such as the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
"Nature reserves are for the protection of biodiversity, and activities that jeopardise this should not be allowed there," Mr Subaraj said. "There are other areas where activities such as mass runs or corporate events can be carried out, such as at the more than 300 parks."
EDUCATION
For nature areas to be sustained even as they are used for recreation, Singapore needs to nurture in its people a respect for all living things.
Environmental education starts at home, said Dr Vilma Ann D'Rozario, co-founder of environmental education group Cicada Tree Eco-Place.
"Parents and children should explore Singapore's wild areas together, where parents can be the role model and demonstrate ethical ways of interacting with wildlife," said Dr D'Rozario.
In schools, the Ministry of Education said environmental awareness and stewardship are developed in students through the humanities and science curriculums, and co-curricular programmes, such as environmental clubs.
Field trips to nature reserves and parks also help students learn about trail manners and park etiquette.
Come 2020, all Secondary 3 students will be exposed to rustic camping on Pulau Ubin or Coney Island.
To supplement this, all teachers should be equipped with an understanding of wildlife and nature, so they can explain their importance to students when a teachable moment arises, said Mr N. Sivasothi, a lecturer at the National University of Singapore's department of biological sciences.
I witnessed such a moment last Friday. A raptor chick had been found near the Reflections at Bukit Chandu, a World War II heritage site. Two scientists being interviewed responded to the call for assistance.
A s one of them - a bird researcher - monitored the chick's progress from a distance, he explained to students who had gathered around how to identify signs of distress: It had a gaping mouth and seemed to be stunned.
Juvenile birds on their maiden flight can sometimes fall, and they might recover if given time; it was important to keep a distance from wildlife, he told them.
At the National Institute of Education (NIE), trainee teachers are exposed to environmental issues. "Ecological literacy is covered in both core and elective courses in NIE initial teacher education programmes," said Associate Professor Lim Kam Ming, associate dean of programme planning and management at NIE's office of teacher education.
"Armed with such content knowledge and practical experience, NIE's graduates would be ideal ambassadors to educate future generations to appreciate and preserve the delicate balance of nature."
The students had gone to the heritage site for a field trip, but ended up with a valuable biological lesson.
Nature Photographic Society (Singapore) president Fong Chee Wai summed it up when he told The Straits Times: "In nature photography, you cannot force a bird to perch where it doesn't want to perch.
"We must know when to back off when necessary if we truly love nature, as our goal should be to ensure that nature blossoms, rather than degenerates in our hands."
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